#317 Christopher Thompson- Percussionist, Educator, Composer, Lyricist and More!
This week’s guest is “Master” Christopher Thompson. Christopher Thompson (He/Him/His), otherwise known as 'Master Christopher', is a multi-disciplined performer-composer that is sure to entertain! As an active percussionist and rhythmic lyricist, he creates innovative ways to blur the distinction between genres by merging contemporary percussion, classical music, and jazz, with rap. He has recently released his debut album “Music Desegregation” in July 2022, which featured nine unique works spanning a plethora of musical styles and instruments while collaborating with over thirty artists and musicians.
Thompson is passionate about community engagement and inclusive opportunities for music performance. He is the founder and director of Motivational Arts, Performance, and Sound (M.A.P.S.), a company that teaches vision through an inspirational performance of the arts. As a Motivational Performer, he presents an inspirational message in various community settings and encourages underrepresented groups to realize their dreams while experiencing a high level of the arts. Performing in venues like the 2022 Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis, the Eurovision Song Contest in Dusseldorf Germany, the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues festival in High Point NC, and with groups like the Greensboro Symphony and the Winston Salem Symphony Orchestras, he continually expounds on the limits of genre and creates intercultural music.
Chris Thompson has an extensive background in teaching and motivating youth. He recently served as the director of percussion studies at High Point University, where he led a comprehensive percussion program. At HPU, Mr. Thompson directed the Panther Pulse Drumline and was the assistant conductor of the Wind Ensemble. He also worked as an Arts Integration Facilitator with Guilford County Schools, assisting teachers on how to integrate the arts into their normal curriculum. Thompson previously taught as the Percussion Instructor for the award-winning Blue Steel Drumline of Grimsley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, as well as served as the Percussion Instructor for the B Natural Academy of Music and the Arts, where he delivered a program that provides quality and affordable music lessons to underserved children in the Greensboro Community.
Thompson has completed a master’s degree in Percussion Performance and a post-baccalaureate certificate in Jazz Studies from the University of North Carolina Greensboro School of Music, where he also served as Principal Percussionist for the University Symphony Orchestra. He is a proud Alumnus of North Carolina A&T State University where he marched for the Blue and Gold Marching Machine and served as Drum Captain for the internationally acclaimed Cold Steel Drumline.
Christopher Thompson currently serves on the board of the Alliance of Black Orchestral Percussionists, is a member of the Percussive Arts Society New Music/Research committee, and is an Endorsed Artist for Marimba One and Black Swamp Percussion.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to this week’s guest Chris Thompson. You can give him a gift by snagging his album, Music Desegregation!
Happy Birthday to Martin Cohen! Martin Cohen, a poor Jewish boy from the Bronx, New York, pursuing his passions for Latin music and photography while building the largest percussion company in the world. Martin’s passion for music has fueled much of his life’s activities. Since the 1950’s, He has been photographing and recording the world’s most creative and exciting musicians. He began the Congahead website in order to share his good fortune in knowing many of the world’s finest percussionists and instrumentalists. He wanted to share the images, recordings, interviews, and movies he made of these legendary musicians. Within Congahead’s website and the YouTube channel, you will find many exciting sound clips, movies, photos and interviews from his personal collection. I invite you to join him as he presents the most talented musicians of contemporary latin & world music.
Happy Birthday to José Montaña! José Born in Madrid (Spain) 1984, he started his studies at the age of 14 in the school of music Maestro Gombau (Madrid)
At the age of 16 he made his first debut in a series of flamenco festivals called "Los Almaizares” playing with Jose de Luna. One of his deep foundations is the Porrina Cajon family, friends since he was a child. He had the opportunity to learn from them and from the best cajón player and percussionist Israel Suarez "El Piraña". Also, Lucky Losada, Ramon Porrina & Sabú Porrina were very inspirational to him as percussionists. As he continued to develop in the Flamenco world he took Afro-cuban lessons with Miguel "Anga" diaz, The multi-percusionist Pepe Espinosa, The singer and percussionist Pedro "pedrito" Martinez, Jose Luis Quintana o"Changuito", Tata Guines , Giovanni Hidalgo and a lot more. He studied in Cuba with Chucho Valdes’ percussion player, Yaroldi Abreu, and with Adonis Panter, former Quinto player of the group Yoruba Andabo now director of Osain del monte.
The biggest inspiration for his music is the multi-instrumentalist and bass player Alain Perez (Paco de Lucia ́s Group) who is also his teacher and of course the Latin Jazz master Jerry Gonzalez! In the way of the most purest flamenco he studied in Amor de Dios (Flamenco School from Madrid) taking the rhythm from the most interesting part of flamenco...."the dance", And Developing that Into the CAJÓN...Starting to perform with the rhythmically virtuosos flamenco dancers like Alfonso Losa,Nino de los reyes,Juan de juan, Antonio y Manuel Reyes,Antonio Canales and much more.
Drawn by the purest forms of flamenco he studied at the legendary flamenco center Amor De Dios. He absorbed the rhythms of the flamenco footwork and developed that on the CAJÓN. He began to perform with rhythmic virtuosos and flamenco dancers such as Alfonso Losa, Nino de los reyes, Juan de juan, Antonio y Manuel Reyes, Antonio Canales and many more. He is also fluent in African drumming, Bata, Djembe, Dum Dum, Brazilian percussion, Afro-Peruvian and Hindu music leaving him the open space for Fusion. He has been playing with all this amazing artist of Jazz, Flamenco, Cuban Music, Pop and World music such as: Alain Perez, Richard Bona, Jorge Pardo, Chano Dominguez ,Antonio Rey, Antonio Serrano, Javier Limon, Antonio Canales, Jerry Gonzalez, Montse Cortés, Javier Massó Caramelo, Tino di Geraldo, Juan José Suárez “Paquete”, Enrique Heredia “El negri”, Israel Fernandez, Rafael Amargo, Rojas & Rodriguez, Cristobal Reyes & Juana Amaya, Amador Rojas, Agustin Carbonell “El Bola” ̈, Lara Bello, Sandra Carrasco, Dan Ben lior, Paco Cruz, Nino de los Reyes, La Talegona, David Paniagua y Sonia Olla, Javier Colina, Diego Guerrero, Rycardo Moreno,Aleph (Libano), Yelsy Heredia, Pete Lockett, Yuri Juarez, Carlos Sarduy, Marinah (Ojos de Brujo).
Now as a De Gregorio Cajón Artist is performing at all the best international Percussion Festivals like: Namm (California USA), Fiesta Del Tambor (Habana Cuba), XIV Seminari Cajón (Barcelona Spain), D52Ankara Drumfest (Turkey), Drumscene Magazine, London Drum Show (Great Britain), Singapore Drum Festival Ultimate weekend (Singapore), New York Masterclass at CCC Center for the performing arts, Australia Ultimate Drummers Weekend #AUDW (Australia), Perfoming with Eric Moore, Cris Coleman, Dave Elicht, John Riley, Greg Bisonette and many more!
Endorsed By Cajón DG, Istanbul Mehmet Cymbals & G-Drums He is currently Doing Workshops all around Spain.Europe and EEUU Since 2016 He has being doing Workshops around the globe Italy (Borgolavezzaro Milan, Torino Novara, Verbania, Rome), Germany (Köln Düsseldorf), Turkey (Ankara Istambul), Singapore, London, New York, Australia (Sidney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane), Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Bilbao, Murcia), Encajonarte ,Primitivo, Escola, D’Akokan, France (Paris Studio bleu), South Korea (Seoul) At Cajon Center, Canadá At Studio Zuruba with PercuSoul (Quebec, Toronto) Gran Canaria Flamenco Estudio! “Cajón Afro” Masterclass Madrid Amazónico With José Montaña & Magerït Café Berlín 101BomBo! Masterclass NYC 2020, Masterclass Boston 2020.
Happy Birthday to Mike Dawson! Multifaceted drummer Mike Dawson has refocused his career on studio work, teaching, visual arts and of course drum gear. Prior to the pandemic, he was a gigging machine, managing editor at Modern Drummer Magazine, and co host of the Modern Drummer Podcast With Mike And Mike. He’s more recently become Chief Creative Officer at Drum Factory Direct, which as the name might imply, is all about drum gear. He hosts the Drum Candy Podcast. An active performer, teacher, and session drummer in the New York City area, Dawson has a bachelor’s degree in music education from West Virginia University and a master’s degree in music from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He’s Senior Lecturer in music journalism at the University of the Arts. Mike also produces drum tracks for artists all around the world out of his home studio in Pittsburgh.
Happy Birthday to Joel Tetzlaff! Joel has twenty-one years of marketing experience with Yamaha, the largest instrument manufacturer in the world. Providing depth of knowledge with a wide diversity of people, situations and business factors with an extensive background in creative development, customer engagement, promotion process, sales and dealer support.
Happy Birthday to Jordan Perlson! The career of drummer, percussionist, producer and educator Jordan Perlson has spanned about as wide a stylistic reach as one can imagine. Be it with jazz legends Seamus Blake, Gary Burton, David Liebman, or folk heroes Alison Brown and Missy Raines, or reggae giants Matisyahu and Trevor Hall, cutting edge music innovators like Becca Stevens, Snarky Puppy, Banda Magda and Jeff Coffin, progressive music with Adrian Belew, Echolyn or Kaki King, or fusion megastar Hiromi, Jordan has become a known force in these many circles. Credits on 100+ recordings, including national and international ad campaigns for Powerade, Netflix, The NY Rangers, Buick and more, Jordan is at home in the studio as he is on stage. Visit his Remote Drum Recording page to learn more about hiring him for your next project. Having taught at prestigious institutions such as Berklee College of Music, New York University and masterclasses all over the world, Jordan is a passionate educator. Visit his Distance Drum Coaching page to learn more about studying with him. An author of 2 books for Mel Bay publishing, Jordan’s books have been translated into several languages and are used the world round by teachers and students of many levels.
Happy Birthday to Rodney Barreto! Born in 1984, Rodney Barreto comes from a family with musical tradition. His second last name, the very well known Barreto, is synonymous with excellence in drumming in Cuba, as Rodney’s uncle is Julio César Barreto. Although Julio César was an enormous inspiration for his nephew, he was not the only family member that contributed to Rodney’s musical story. Rodney’s great uncle was a composer for Cuban singers, including the famous Benny Moré. From the early age of three, Rodney was totally involved in musical activities, and captivated as he watched his uncle practice, and took in the live shows during street carnivals.
At 9 years old, Rodney entered the elementary music school in Havana to study percussion. Although percussion students are not supposed to start with the drumset until the age of 18, Rodney had his first drum lesson at 11, and 5 years later, at the age of 16, he was already touring internationally as a professional drummer.
At the age of 17, Rodney joined one of the biggest and most prestigious Cuban salsa bands, Isaac Delgado’s Orchestra, with whom he toured with for five years.
It doesn’t matter if it is salsa, jazz, rock, hip-hop… Rodney Barreto is the owner of a very personal style and groove, that has made him one of the youngest and brightest drummers in Cuba.
Gig Alerts
The Ground Up Music Festival is happening this weekend and Nugs is offering a LIVE STREAM on Saturday.
Willie Nelson is having a 90th birthday celebration in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl.
The Governor’s Ball announced their summer lineup.
Friend of the show Giovanni Hidalgo is hosting a concert in tribute to Tito Puente in San Juan Puerto Rico.
Damon will be playing at the Brooklyn Bowl with the Atomic Funk Project.
Educational Spotlight
Aaron Sterling’s King Dojo is back, in Nashville on Feb 27. He will spend 8hrs in a studio with you and a small group of musicians. Still some spots left.
Product Review
Damon has released his Plethora of Percussion (aka P.O.P.) pack with Yurt Rock. There are over 1,000 loops and one-shots for drummers, other instrumentalists, engineers, producers, singer-songwriters and more!
Here is the Spotify Playlist of iconic pop percussion songs that Damon and Marcos Torres created.
Iconic Recording
Chris chose “The Curtain” by Snarky Puppy, from the album Sylva performed by Snarky Puppy and the Metropole Orkest.
Music News
The Grammy Awards are on Sunday. The 2023 performances have been announced to include Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Luke Combs, Lizzo, and many more.
The awards will be hosted by Trevor Noah and broadcast live on February 5 at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT. Taking the Grammy stage will be current nominees Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Kim Petras, Sam Smith and late addition, Harry Styles. -Article
Lawmakers today grilled Joe Berchtold, president and CFO of Ticketmaster parent Live Nation, over the much-publicized debacle that unfolded after Swifties were unable to purchase Eras Tour tickets last year. -Article
You can watch the video of the hearing.
Christopher Thompson Interview
The song leading into the interview is called, “Fearless” from Chris’ Music Desegregation album.
Damon watched Christopher perform Fearless live at PASIC in a New Music Presents showcase. Shout-out to friend of the show, Shawn Mativetsky.
Chris talks about his new album and Chris details his path in music.
Damon brings up hip hop and Chris talks about his influences. If you would like to dive into the history of hi hop and rap, there is a great book by Dan Charnas called The Big Payback.
Damon brings up Miri Ben-Ari.
Shout-out to the book Mo’ Meta Blues.
Damon mentions hearing different breakbeats from albums growing up.
Damon asks about Chris working with a Konnakol artist.
Chris was drum captain for the Cold Steel drumline from North Carolina A&T university. Chris talks about some of the differences between show style drumlines and the drumlines you might see in DCI or WGI.
Chris attended NC A&T for his undergrad and then UNC-Greensboro for his masters.
Shout-out to Dr. Eric Willie and Dr. Stefon Stupor.
Damon brings up the Alliance of Black Orchestral Percussionists (ABOP), which Chris is a member of.
Damon mentions the Yanni concert, Raynor Carroll and Dr. Johnny Lee Lane.
Chris and Damon talk about representation.
Chris has a program called M.A.P.S. Motivational Arts, Performance, & Sound
MAPS is a Motivational Performing company that teaches vision through an inspirational performance of the arts. It provides an opportunity for amazing artists with an inspirational message to give a powerful show performing their craft and growing others. This may include Music, Dance, Design, Theatre, Visual or any other expressive art.
The mission of the company is to teach the principles and power of vision and how to discover it, along with a growth mindset that will encourage the audience to build the necessary foundation to pursue their purpose and follow their dreams. Unlike a normal “Dream BIG” narrative, MAPS inspires it’s listeners to “Start Small” and focus on “Who” they want to be in order to reach their full potential. We believe that no matter your past, where you come from, or what limitations you may perceive to have, you can get to any destination in life as long as you have a map!
Chris talks about being a military child and traveling, but also learning diversity.
Damon and Chris talk a little about boats.
Chris picks the iconic recording.
Chris revisits desegregation of music.
Damon and Chris talk about how technology has changed music and its accessibility.
Damon talks about the T.A.M.I. show in 1964.
Damon brings up the Jay Z unplugged show with the Roots as the backing band.
Chris talks about the tiny desk concerts. Damon mentions the one with T-Pain. He also talks about the “do something else” rant.
Chris uses Marimba One and Black Swamp Percussion instruments.
Shout-out to Dr. Lamon Lawhorn, Harvey Thompson, Dr. Stefon Stupor, Dr. Mike Lasley, Chad Eby, Brandon Lee and Steve Haines at UNC-G and more!
You can follow Chris on his Website, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Chris teaches at High Point University in North Carolina.
The song leading out of the interview is “Institutions” by Master Christopher, featuring the Cold Steel Drumline.
