I had a blast at NAMM this year.  I got to catch up with some good frineds and made some news ones too.  I also had a blast playing with Stanton Moore on his demos of his LP mountabe pandeiro.  Here's a video of me playing his set up.  I start of playing a maracatu groove and then morph into a forró/Mardi Gras Indian hybrid groove.  Hope you enjoy!  Thanks to Tom and David at LP for posting this.

Back in December my friends ay LP asked if I would be interested in doing a demo video for a new product that they are releasing this year (2012) called the Jingle Kick.  It's basically a tambourine beater that slides into a bass drum pedal in place of the beater.  You can play it on a bass drum, mounted cowbell or jam block.  It's really cool...especially if you're playing New Orleans music.  So when they asked me to demo this product I got inspired and decided that I was going to experiment with all of the percussion instruments I have laying around my studio and create an unconventional drum kit that I could use in any playing situation.  Here's a few photos of what I came up with.  I'm really excited about this kit.  I'm calling it the MaracaTu DrumKit for now because I'm using an alfaia (bass drum used in maracatu) as a bass drum and a floor tom.  Check it and let me know what you think.  LP will be posting videos very soon and I will definitely post them here on my site too.

PANDEIRO CLASSES

Dates: 5 consecutive Mondays: January 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th and Feb 6th
Techniques: Suzano and Carlinhos Pandeiro de Ouro techniques - similarities/differences - pros/cons
Grooves: Frevo, Baião, Maracatu, Zigaboo, Chorinho
Songs: This course will focus on 1 or 2 songs for each rhythm.  We'll all be expected to play the chosen songs from beginning to end without stopping.  This will help get our endurance and tempos up!

Here's more details.
Beginner Pandeiro ClassEvery Monday in January |  6:30pm-7:45pm
$20 per class, $90 for all 5 classes | no drop-ins after 1st class
This class will explore basic pandeiro technique to help you develop the left wrist and control over the jingles and a good sound on the instrument.  This technique will enable you to develop endurance and control over your pandeiro groove.  We will also explore rhythms such as Coco, Baião and Maracatu for the pandeiro.  This class is open to anyone who is just beginning to play the instrument.  Handouts will be provided.  Practicing on a daily basis is absolutely necessary.

Intermediate Pandeiro Class

Every Monday in January | 8:00pm-9:30pm
$20 per class, $90 for all 5 classes |no drop-ins after 1st class
The intermediate pandeiro class is for people who already have a basic understanding of pandeiro technique and grooves and want to bring their playing to the next level. These classes will focus on playing grooves and rhythms, not just from Brazil but also from New Orleans. Frevo, Baião, Coco, Maracatu, Funk and more.  We will approach the pandeiro as if it were a drum set and learn iconic drum grooves from drummers like Earl Palmer, Clyde Stubblefield, Smokey Johnson and more.  Handouts will be provided.

Please RSVP to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

What does New Orleans and Recife (Brazil) have in common?  Peep this video of Scott Kettner and Stanton Moore demonstrating just some of the similarities of maracatu, forró, baião, second line and Mardi Gras Indian rhythms. This performance took place at The Long Island Drum Center.

I just finished leading my 8th NYC Halloween Parade and it was a blast!!  We had 50+ drummers this year with folks from the New School University, Puerto Rico, Rio de Janeiro, Wisconsin, Brooklyn and more.  It's truly become the USA Maracatu encontro and I look forward to it every year.  Here's a really cool video that captures the energy of the parade and the music.  I hope to see YOU in this parade next year!