Rikki Rockett

Rikki Rockett Teams up with Chop Shop Drum Company

Poison drummer, Rikki Rockett and Chop Shop Drum Company announced today that they have joined forces. Rockett, an avid drum enthusiast along with customizer and Chop Shop Drum Co. founder, Brian Cocivera are extremely excited about the new partnership and are destined to take the custom drum industry by storm.

Chop Shop has been gaining popularity with young and seasoned drummers alike since it's inception in 2001. Customers worldwide have sought out Chop Shop to create one of a kind, completely custom drums, which are handcrafted to the player's exact specifications.

"Today’s drummers are more educated as to exactly what they are searching for in their drums" says Cocivera "They have decided to seek out the smaller boutique type companies that can build exactly what they want, as opposed to whatever is available at the local music store."

"I have had the distinct privilege to work with the finest drum builders in the world over my 20 year career, adds Rockett. John Good and Don Lombardi from DW, Steve Badalment from Innovation Drums and Bill Detamore from the original boutique drum company, Pork Pie. Something good has to have rubbed off on me by now! These guys have been the leaders in the last 20 years. Brian and I have our own unique ideas and we are anxious to get these drums out there!"

In addition to the tried and true classic North American rock maple drums produced by Chop Shop, the company also offers birch, acrylic, aluminum, titanium, steel, and brass shelled drums. "Our goal has always been to produce some of the world's finest sounding drums, and offer customers unlimited options, and the most advanced finish options the drum community has ever seen." Says Cocivera "Now with Rikki on board, the creative energy is high, and the sky is the limit with what we can do."

Chop Shop will also move from the current location in Phoenix, Arizona, to a new workshop in Southern California beginning in January 2006.

Rockett, who rose to international fame as a founding member of the multi-platinum selling band, Poison, has always had a passion for customizing his drums. An amazingly talented artist in his own right, Rockett's drums have always been visually astounding. From customizing, to restoring, and ultimately building drums, the move to own a drum company has always been something he has dreamed about, so when the offer was made from longtime friend, Cocivera, the decision was easy.

Please visit: www.chopshopdrums.com

The new image and creations by the new partners at Chop Shop will be on display at this year's NAMM show in Anaheim, CA from Jan. 19-23 2006.

Rikki Rockett
www.rikkirockett.com

12/05

Bobby Sanabria

RECENT UPDATE...

Renowned drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger, educator and native Nuyorican Bobby Sanabria was just voted Percussionist of The Year for 2005 by the readers of DRUM! magazine.

Mr. Sanabria recently came back from a three city clinic tour in Mexico which included Mexico City, Merida and the capital of Vera Cruz, Xalapas. Sponsored by Casa Veerkamp, Mexico's leading musical instrument distributor as well as Sabian Cymbals and the LP Music Group, Bobby's clinic / master classes were conducted to standing room only crowds who witnessed the performance of his one man tour-de-force, "Clave - The Journey". The culmination of this tour was his headlining of the Xalapas Jazz Fest 2005 where he was accompanied by acclaimed master musicians, Oscar Stagnaro on bass and pianist Alon Yovnai. Bobby's appearance at the festival was met with two standing ovations and two encores.

Upon Mr. Sanabria's return from his week long sojourn in Mexico he immediately went to work performing on drums and timbales with the famed Larry Harlow & The Latin Legends Band at two festivals. The Bethelhem Musikfest in Pennsylvania and The Rochester Latino Music Festival in New York. Three time Grammy nominee Larry Harlow is a famed producer, pianist, bandleader and member of the Fania All Stars, the famed Super Group of Salsa musicians that were assembled by the legendary Fania record company and brought NYC Cuban based dance music to the forefront in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Bobby also traveled to Venezuela and performed for over 40'000 fans in Caracas and over 20'000 fans in Maracay with Harlow this summer. His Latin Legends Band features a leading group of master musicians in the world of Afro-Cuban based music (Salsa) which includes virtuoso cuatro player Yomo Toro, Lewis Khan on trombone and violin and Mr. Sanabria on on drums and timbales.

Before his Mexico trip, Bobby had the pleasure and honor of spending a week in Rotterdam, Holland conducting and playing drums with the Rotterdam Conservatoire Big Band. Rehearsals were for concerts at the Prinses Theater in Rotterdam and The North Sea Jazz Festival in Den Hague. The Conservatoire's Jazz Program director Ben Van Den Dungen invited Mr. Sanabria to coach the student orchestra on the intricacies and history of the Afro-Cuban Jazz Big Band tradition. Mr. Sanabria is uniquely qualified for the task, having been the drummer for the Godfather of Afro-Cuban Jazz Mario Bauza's Big Band for over eight years where he recorded three Grammy nominated CD's as well as touring extensively with the band as well as recording / performing with legends Tito Puente and Chico O'Farill's big bands.

Besides rehearsing the repertoire of masters Bauza', Puente, O'Farill, Machito and his own pieces for the two concerts, Bobby also prepared a special arrangement of Frank Zappa's "Grand Wazoo" which incorporated cha-cha-cha and merengue elements into the world of Zappa. The result was an incredible display of the depth, power and creativity of the Afro-Cuban big band jazz continuum with Bobby at the helm. Rotterdam Conservatoire Jazz Program director Ben Van Den Dungen stated, "Having Bobby work with our students raised their level of musicianship to a level we never thought of. It was incredible. I saw the change immediately. It was like they were a completely different band. I'm so glad he agreed to participate in this special encounter. It won't be the last, we have to have him back."

If this weren't enough Bobby conducted a special concert for the screening of the soon to air on PBS documentary, "From Mambo to Hip Hop - Struggle & Survival in The South Bronx." The screening of the work in progress was held at the famed Point Cultural Center in the heart of the South Bronx area known as Hunts Point. For the ocassion Bobby performed with his Quarteto Ache' with the addition of master guitarist and tres player Ben Lapidus a program encompassing the music represented in the film. The performance, which was held to a standing room only crowd after the screening of the film, brought together legendary percussionists Ray Barretto, Orlando Marin and Benny Bonilla on congas, timbales and bongo' respectively with famed break dancers, Popmaster Fabel, Kid Freeze, DJ Charlie Chase and Bobby with his Quartet in an incredible display of cross generational unity.

Directed by Henry Chaulfant and produced by Steve Zeiltin and City Lore and Elena Martinez, Dr. Roberta Singer and co-produced by Bobby Sanabria, look out for "Mambo to Hip Hop" on PBS in 2006.

Bobby just added his arranging skills to a mambo version of comedian Robert Klein's "I Can't Stop My Leg" for Klein's recent HBO comedy special, "The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Ave.", his 8th for the network. Bobby also played percussion on the show and was featured as a soloist. The special which was produced by Klein and his musical director Robert Stein is currently still running on HBO.

12/05

Frank Colon

NEW WEB SITE! Frank's site has been completely re-designed! With help from fellow musician / producer Daniel Figueiredo in Rio de Janeiro (www.danielfigueiredo.com.br), Frank's site now sports a "cleaner" look and is much easier to navigate! There is also a new video clip of a performance in Honolulu with flautist Nestor Torres! 
Soon to come: FREE Instructional Video Clips!

Frank's new DVD-EPK is out! This DVD features Frank's band, composed of Adam Klipple - keyboards, Cecilia Tenconi - sax and flutes, Buddy Williams - drums, and David Ambrosio - bass! There are also lots of clips of Frank with other artists such as Manhattan Transfer, Gato Barbieri, Michael Wolff, an interview conducted by NY radio personality Rob Crocker and many archive photos!

Frank Colón is featured in the new Manhattan Transfer CD titled, "Vibrate"! The album also features participation by John Pizzarelli, Will Lee, Yaron Gershovsky, Gil Goldstein, Lew Soloff, Steve Hass, Ramesh Misra, among others. It's a great CD, with music for all tastes!

Frank is featured in the Gato Barbieri DVD, "Live from The Latin Quarter". Recorded in New York, this project includes songs made popular by Barbieri, such as "Last Tango in Paris", "Europa", "Mystica", and "Viva Emiliano Zapata".

Frank is featured on a new DVD with The Kremlin Chamber Orchestra from Russia! Recorded "Live" in Moscow in June, Frank was the principal soloist with this orchestra, performing on a 7-movement suite, commissioned specially for him by Maestro Misha Rachlevsky and composed by violinist Eskender Bekmanbetov entitled, "Adoracion al Ritmo".

All the best and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
Frank

www.frankcolon.com

12/05

Ronald E. Kulow, Grover
Customer Service Manager

Ron (Ronny) Kulow, longtime customer service manager for Grover / Trophy / Grossman Music passed away recently after a short bout with cancer.

Kulow started in the Rogers drum division of Grossman Music Corp. in 1956. With Rogers, he worked very closely with Ben Strauss, and as a drummer, had a lot of input into the early development of the Dynasonic snare drum.

When Rogers was sold to CBS, Kulow stayed on with Grossman, which later became the Grover / Trophy Music Companies, and held many positions, including warehouse manager.

12/05

Mike Botts

It is with deep heartfelt sadness that we announce the passing of Michael Botts on December 9, 2005 of colon cancer. In lieu of flowers, it is the family's request that donations be made in his memory to:

Providence St. Joseph Foundation
501 S. Buena Vista St
Burbank, CA 91505

Please include a note with your donation that it is in memory of Michael Botts so his family will get an acknowledgment.

Condolence messages may be sent here for Michael's family:
condolences@mikebotts.com

12/05

Jim Greiner

Hi Pam,

I hope all is well with you. It's been a busy year... doing corporate & community drumming events, workshops and performing throughout North America, the Caribbean and even a week in Asia (Hong Kong). Way, way fun!

Have a great 2006!

www.handsondrum.com

12/05

Mark Craney

Mark Craney - the "Indian of the Group"
August 26th, 1952 - November 26th, 2005
by Ian Anderson

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing on Saturday, of Mark Craney, ex-Tull drummer and long-time friend.

Mark had been ill for many years fighting with an ongoing kidney ailment, transplant rejections, stroke paralysis and associated medical problems.

In spite of periods of increased mobility, hope and even some returns to drumming, his condition worsened dramatically last August and resulted in a critical condition keeping him on life-support in hospital. Mark never gave in, fighting to the end and even giving rise to some optimism in the last weeks before finally passing away quietly in his sleep. During all the times of Mark's illness, Tull drummer Doane Perry kept in constant touch, visiting Mark at home and in hospital regularly, especially during the worst periods. We saw Mark at our LA shows where he was a visitor whenever his health permitted.

Mark came to us courtesy of Eddie Jobson (ex-UK, Zappa, Roxy Music), when Eddie became keyboard player for Tull during the recording of the "A" album and the tours in 1981. Mark had been working with Eddie on some solo projects and so joined the Tull family too for the duration of Eddie's working relationship with us.

Mark played in many bands and with many notable musicians during his career and was a much respected player, able to play many styles and keep up with even the most adventurous of musicians. Some of Mark's buddies and fellow musicians got together for a benefit in aid of Mark during his illnesses and later offered up tracks for the CD as shown below.

Something With A Pulse – the Mark Craney tribute record, previously released 1997. Available from The Artist Shop. http://www.artist-shop.com/order.htm

Mark said at the time,
"This compilation CD started with a suggestion from Ian Anderson. He couldn't be here for the benefit so he said why don't I just donate a track and we'll put together a C.D. It's called "Something With A Pulse", and has 14 tracks. I'm on six of them which are all live. There's a never before released, live Gino Vannelli cut, another live one with Tower of Power, there's a live trio gig I did with Terry in our home town in Sioux Falls. Two new tracks we cut last April with Mike Miller on guitar, Jimmy Haslip on bass, Mike Fisher on percussion, Bill Champlin on keyboards and guitar, and from Santana, Alex Ligertwood on vocals and Richard Baker on keyboards. There's a new Eric Burdon track and another Ian Anderson track that he did specifically for the C.D. There's a cut by "Thread", a group Doane Perry is in with singer Ellis Hall who's also on the Tower of Power track. It shows you how diverse his vocal stuff is because you'd never know it was the same guy. Terry Bozzio did a track, solo drumming. There's a track from David Garibaldi and two percussionist friends of his. There's a Fairport Convention track. There's a track with Mike Keneally, a friend of mine who played with Zappa, and a track by James Taylor is the closing track. Everyone donated their publishing royalties on my behalf so it's kind of an unusual CD. It's also the first CD I've been involved in from start to finish which can really be a pain in the ass, getting the cover art right and all that. Now its off and running, on Laughing Gull Records which is Doane Perry's personal label. It could also come out on a major label with a distribution deal that we're looking at.

I wrote the lyrics to Listen to Your Heart. I wanted to write some kind of a song we could record for the C.D. and my friend Richard Baker had the music, but no lyrics. I brought the lyrics in and Alex the singer and I made them fit the music and that was our song. The reason I'm learning piano is so that I can write my own music, but I'm real pleased with this, it's called Listen to Your Heart and it's all about giving or receiving and sharing ids, why we are in this and Make the Connection is part of the chorus. So it was written about the event and everyone coming in to record."

July 17, 1997
Mark Craney
1. Jethro Tull Black Sunday (live) 7:05
2. Eric Burdon I'm Your Man 4:05
3. Tower of Power What is Hip? (live) 5:19
4. Mark's Brother's Listen to your Heart 4:27
5. Gino Vannelli Brother to Brother (live) 8:06
6. Talking Drums Guaramina (excerpt) 3:27
7. Fairport Convention Slipjigs and Reels 4:52
8. Mike Keneally Craney 2:35
9. Miller/Craney/Miller Blockhead (live) 5:08
10. Terry Bozzio Klangfarben Melodie 4:37
11. Mark's Brothers They don't make 'em like they used to 4:36
12. Thread Hands of Kindness (excerpt) 4:55
13. Ian Anderson Song for Jeffrey 3:50
14. James Taylor New Hymn (live) 2:52

Mark wrote the following words after his benefit show, which I think might sum up his generosity of spirit, his love of his friends and music and above all, his strength, determination and optimism. Better than any epitaph I could write.

You all know how I feel
I'm very blessed
Life is a celebration
Thank you all
Expect good things
Make the Connection
Cheers, Mark

God Bless, Mark. Drum-on, big man from South Dakota.
IA

Jethro Tull site

---

This is what Mark's longtime and very dear friend, Gregg Bissonette had to say...

"The music world and the international drumming community lost one of its brightest stars, Mark Craney, on November 26th. Mark was an incredible drummer, and a wonderful friend to many people all over the world. He was probably best known by drummers the world over for his amazing drumming on Gino Vannelli's album "Brother to Brother". His playing CHANGED the way drummers all over the world approached playing drums. Mark also played with: Jethro Tull, Jean Luc Ponty, Jeff Beck, Tower of Power, Tommy Bolin, Eric Burden and MANY others... Mark was 53 years old, and had struggled with Diabetes for many years. He had recently suffered a brain stem stroke that left him with many other complications. Many people the world over also know Mark as one of the founding members of "The Woodland Hills Drum Club," a club of drummer friends that began in his garage in Woodland Hills California in 1985. Mark Craney and his inspirational drumming will live on in our hearts forever... we love you Mark!"

---

Mark's longtime friend Doane Perry said this...

"A stunning player. A natural. A giant of his instrument. Gifted with an extraordinary musical imagination that left me many times just simply shaking my head. How did he do that?!!! Always sensitive to the music. Capable of great dynamics, subtle shadings, ditch-digging or beautifully complex grooves and jaw-dropping breaks.

Those beautiful, angular and abstract fills and such an unbelievably good sense of time, note placement, phrasing. All the elements that gave Mark his uniquely identifiable sonic identity. That effortless fluidity and deeply rooted musicality provided him the ability to play in any musical setting and yet still leave that immediately recognizable stamp, that it was him."

11/05

Daniel de los Reyes

Percussionist Daniel de los Reyes and His Sizzling Drumjungle Show Featured in "DRUM" Magazine's December Issue

(Los Angeles, CA) Drumjungle Inc. is excited to announce Drumjungle founder, world-class percussionist Daniel de los Reyes, is prominently featured in "DRUM" magazine's December issue on newstands now. "Dream It. Build It. Live It." This six word "DRUM" magazine headline sums it up in a nutshell when describing Daniel and his ceaseless energy and lofty ambitions. This in-depth interview is filled with photographs and all the latest breaking news about Daniel's Drumjungle company / show, upcoming percussion inventions, and much more giving readers a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at what it takes to not just wear so many "hats" on a daily basis but to wear them successfully!

Internationally renowned percussionist Daniel de los Reyes has performed with a virtual who's who of music giants for over two decades including Earth, Wind & Fire, Sting, Patti LaBelle, Don Henley, and Stevie Nicks to name a few. His high-energy drum and percussion performances have captivated audiences all over the world with their pulsating beat and high-powered rhythms. His best-selling One Shot Shaker with Latin Percussion has become a "must-have" staple for both professional and novice musicians alike.

Now Daniel is heating up stages across the country with his cutting edge Drumjungle show and is quickly becoming one of the most sought after music acts performing throughout the U.S. for private and corporate parties, premieres, and special events including Cirque du Soleil's "KA" world premiere A-List bash in Las Vegas.

For more informations about percussionist Daniel de los Reyes and Drumjungle, please visit: DrumJungle (www.drumjungle.com) today!

11/05

Jorge Bermudez

Greetings Everyone!

It is with great joy that I invite you to view and enjoy a feast for the eyes and ears. The TV debut of blossoming Noveaux Flamenco artist "Benise" is coming up soon. My appearance is as a member of a killer 8 piece percussion section and I appear in 3 scenes.

I am writing to encourage you to check out this concert. It includes a total of 20 musians and 20 spectacular dancers. The rest of the nation will be finding out why this wonderful artist and his exciting band have been thrilling audiences throughout southern California for many years.

The initial air dates in Los Angeles on PBS affiliate Koce are Sunday Dec 4th at 3:30 and Sunday Dec 11th at 10:30. In San Francisco it will air on PBS affiliate KQED on Thursday December 8th at 7:30. In San Jose it will air on PBS affiliate KTEH on Sunday December 4th at 7:00 and Tuesday December 6th at 7:30. All other regions in the country are listed at Benise.com.

Benise is much better than Estaban :-)!

Paz,
Jorge Bermudez

11/05

Taku Hirano

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Hope all is well with you! Just wanted to give you a head's up that Arthel and I recently put up a website in response to the overwhelming outpouring of people wanting to help the people of New Orleans and the Southern gulf states. It basically is a site for both people wanting to donate and help, as well as a resource site for people affected by the hurricanes to receive assistance. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, whenever you get a chance, please check out:

www.arthelsangels.com

All the best.
Taku

11/05

Steve Luongo

Hi All,

For those of you who don't know... this is a link to 5 of the songs that I produced for Brynne Calleran's new CD titled True Story. She is getting a great industry reaction so far and the buzz is growing.

I am very proud of this project. I co-wrote the songs with Brynne and Mark Hitt. We recorded them at Brandon Productions with Jim Roberts engineering. Mark played guitars, Al Renino played bass and Chris Clark played the keys (except for Jim's "phoned in" pizz strings) and I was on drums and percussion.

I haven't gotten a chance to send everyone a disc. But, below is a link to Brynne's website which goes directly to the five songs that are posted.
http://www.brynnecalleran.com/music.php

I hope you enjoy them.

Lotsa Love,
Steve
www.torque103103.com

11/05

Taku Hirano

Just wanted to drop a line to let you know that I performed with Lindsey Buckingham on the PBS show Soundstage. The show premiered on PBS on September 8th, and now the DVD of the show will be released on November 8th. You can find it at Amazon.com. The show was shot in the summer of 2004 during the Fleetwood Mac tour and is in high definition and true digital surround sound.

An interesting thing to note is that the band is only comprised of Lindsey (guitar, vocals), Brett Tuggle (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Neale Heywood (guitar, vocals), and myself. That meant that I had to do some creative multi-tasking, covering both percussion and drum parts (which I did thanks to some inconspicuous gear from Roland!).

I am definitely proud of this performance as it took me out of my comfort zone of being behind a huge percussion rig and forced me to play just hand-held instruments, a cajon, one cymbal, and a Roland SPD-20 with a foot pedal and make it sound and feel full. Plus it was my professional "drumming" debut!

Check it out!
Taku

www.takuhirano.com

11/05

Sandy Gennaro

Latest projects and current news: Touring with Bo Diddley and The Monkees. I play 3 or 4 times a month with The Jon Paris Rockin’ Blues Band @ BB Kings here in NYC. Teaching at the Drummers Collective (NYC), School of Rock (Staten Is), Julia School of Performing Arts (Staten Is) and in my home studio. Currently writing an instructional book on Rock and Blues drumming complete w/ play along CD for Carl Fischer Music in conjunction with the Drummers Collective.

www.SandyGennaro.com

11/05

Ernie Durawa

Latest projects and current news: My next clinic is for "Drummers For Jesus"  Williamson Baptist Association Scroll down to "Drummers For Jesus".

... I got inducted into the Texas Music Hall Of Fame:
The Austin Chronicle: Music Awards: 2004 Hall of Fame

Check out the awards section on my website for other awards such as "Ernie Durawa Day" Feb. 3rd '05

My Jazz Band www.losjazzvatos.com

www.erniedurawa.com

11/05

Mike Smith

Latest projects and current news:

July - Played a "Night Of The Stars" Concert w/ an all star band at B.B. Kings here in Los Angeles. Band: Ndugu Chancler... Drums, Freddie Washington... Bass, Ray Fuller... Guitar, Don Wyatt... Keys, Jerry Peters... Keys, Yours truly... Percussion. We played for Kirk Whalum, Kevin Toney & The Emotions. What a plethora of music.

Pasadena Jazzfest "After Party" w/ a wonderful singer, Christine Day. Band: Scooter Powell... Drums, Stan Sargeant... Bass, Richard Smith... Guitar, Yours truly... Percussion. Bobby Lyle, Kevin Toney, Marion Meadows & others sat in... we had a blast!

Went to New York to play for the National Medical Association Convention, a huge 5 day event.

August - Was on a World Premier Internet Music project with Digital Worlds Institute, from University of Florida at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It involved 5 different countries of the world: England, Austraila, Korea, Chile & U.S.A. We were all playing music written for this project simultaneously in "real time" on the internet & were able to see each other on these huge screens, as well as hear & speak to each other. There were about 5-7 speakers & sub woofers as well.... each country's audio came out of a separate speaker, so we could hear pretty clearly. We were playing with a "Netronome" specifically designed for this project. Basically, it's a metronome on the internet & each country's latency had to be set differently so we could all play together. There were also 2 dancers in Miami. I must say, it was an amazing project to be a part of. What a wonderful way to learn about other cultures, indigenous clothing, instruments & become one through the music.

Billy Higgins World Stage

September  - The "Jazz In The Spirit" Concert w/ Ron Brown, Oleta Adams, Bobby Lyle, Doc Powell & Paul Jackson Jr., & a great new female vocal group MIG. Band: Rayford Griffin... Drums, Dwayne "Smitty" Smith... Bass, Jerry Peters... Keys, Kim Hansen... Keys, Yours truly... Percussion. We played for all the artists.

Annual Day of the Drum Festival w/ Munyungo's International All-Star Percussionist lineup. There were about 12 of us on stage. Munyungo Jackson, Kevin Ricard, Angel Figueroa, Francis Awe, Derf Reklaw, David Leach, Adam Rudolph, Khalil, Cora Coleman (drums), Mixmaster Wolf (vocals), Andre Manga (Bass) & Yours truly.

Watts Towers - 1727 E. 107th St. Los Angeles, CA 90002
www.trywatts.com/art_center.htm

October - National Society of Hispanic MBA's Annual Conference & Career Expo - Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA

15th Annual BMW Charity Ride Banquet, St. Francis Medical Association Foundation & California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation

Catalina Island Jazz Trax Festival, Catalina Island, CA - w/ Camiel - Guitarist from Amsterdam
www.jazztrax.com

www.mikesmithpercussionist.com

11/05

Wally Gator Watson

Latest projects and current news: Currently playing drums and Co-producing a new CD for the Cab Calloway Orchestra lead with Cab's grandson C. Calloway-Brooks. Working on new book "Gator-tales".

www.wally-gator-watson.com

11/05

John Lewis

Latest projects and current news: I started this month (October 05) going on the road for ten days.  The first day out the airline loses my luggage with my clothes & StickBag. I had a show with Melissa Manchester that night on Oct 1st in Seattle. So, I had to hit the local student music store for Sticks, Brushes & Hot Rods. Took a red-eye flight to work the next 5 nights in Atlantic City, NJ with the 5th Dimension, then flew back to LA to do a show on Oct. 8th (The 5th Dimension with the Long Beach Symphony). Oct. 9th work in Las Vegas with Gregg Karukas. I went back to LA to do the Catalina Island Jazz Trax Festival with Gregg Karukas and to tape a upcoming PBS Special with the 5th Dimension.

I started an exciting CD on Morpheus Music for Gigi Mckenzie.  So far, we recorded seven songs in Silver Lake, CA at Bob Biles Hyperion Studios. Bob does most of the engineering for Steve Smith of Vital Information and Frank Gambale. Mike Miller (Chick Corea, Bette Midler, Gino Vanelli) played guitar, Lew Matthews (Nancy Wilson) on Piano and Steve Lawrence on Bass.

End of this month, leave for Kentucky with the 5th Dimension, then onto Philadelphia to do a week with Melissa Manchester and the Philly Pops.
Now the final phase, Mastering and Duplication. I recorded a second jazz trio CD with “Outfits” (John Stowell - Guitar and Tommy Lockett - Bass). The mixes are done and it sounds great.  The new CD should be released on Heat Records in early 2006.  Don’t forget our first self-titled CD “Outfits” that you can purchase through my website.

www.jrldrums.com

11/05

Joe Smyth

Latest projects and current news: New CD: Mission Temple Fireworks Stand - 20th album, 25 years together! Matrix Percussion Trio (side project) - more upcoming on this!

www.sawyerbrown.com

11/05

Lenny Castro

Latest projects and current news: Stevie Wonder, Dixie Chicks, Neal Diamond, Ubastank, Mars Volta

11/05

Dann Gillen

Latest projects and current news: Recording and teaching. My wife Julie and I are pregnant with our first!

www.danngillen.com

11/05