#444 Jared Schonig- Drummer, Bandleader, Composer and More!
This week’s guest is Jared Schonig. Award winning drummer, composer & bandleader Jared Schonig has toured and/or recorded internationally with Nicholas Payton, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Chris Potter, John Patitucci, Donny McCaslin, Darcy James Argue & Secret Society, The 8-Bit Big Band, Miho Hazama & m_Unit, Dave Grusin, David Foster, Laurence Hobgood, Tim Hagans, Fred Hersch, Wycliffe Gordon, Tom Harrell, Joe Locke, and Ernie Watts among others. He has appeared on multiple Grammy-winning records, been in the orchestra on countless Tony-award musicals, and even performed on Emmy-award winning TV performances. A favorite among vocalists, Schonig has toured with Grammy Award-winners Kurt Elling, The New York Voices, Sara Gazarek, Kristen Chenoweth, Cynthia Erivo, Katherine McPhee, Jessica Vosk and singer/songwriter Donna Lewis, in addition to rising vocal supergroup Duchess, Spencer Day, Laila Biali and Shayna Steele. He has performed around the world from sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall to festivals in Zimbabwe. Schonig co-led The Wee Trio, which released five critically-acclaimed albums over the past 8 years. The group received praise from numerous publications and toured internationally. He recently released two solo albums of original music (one quintet and one big band) in the fall of 2021 to critical acclaim. His groups have performed at Dizzys (Jazz At Lincoln Center), the Jazz Gallery, the Rochester International Jazz Festival, Lake George Jazz Festival, and many others. When at home in New York City, Schonig is a fixture in both the jazz and Broadway scene- he has originated 7 Broadway drum books. He recently held the drum chair for the critically acclaimed Tony, Grammy and Emmy-award winning Broadway Revival of The Color Purple and the 10-time Tony-winning and Grammy-nominated Moulin Rouge! The Musical. He also is an in-demand drummer/percussionist for studio recordings, jingle sessions and other commercial music recordings.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Neil Grover! Neil W. Grover is a world-renowned percussionist, brilliant innovator and successful entrepreneur. His company, Grover Pro Percussion, has achieved worldwide recognition for the design, manufacture and distribution of world-class percussion instruments.
At the young age of 23, Neil Grover was appointed Principal Percussionist of the Opera Company of Boston, a position he held for seven seasons. His career soon started skyrocketing and he found himself in constant demand for all musical genres including symphony, chamber music, ballet, opera and commercial recording.
Highlights of Neil Grover's collaborations include the Royal, Bolshoi and Boston Ballets, American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Music from Marlboro, Boston Musica Viva, Empire Brass, and with the iconic rock band Aerosmith. Much in demand as a recording artist, he can be heard on the film scores of Phillip Glass' Mishima and John Williams' Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
In addition, Neil Grover appears as a Boston Pops percussionist in the hit movie Blown Away, starring Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones.
He has toured with Music From Marlboro, the Boston Symphony, Henry Mancini, Boston Symphony Chamber Players and the Broadway production of The Pirates of Penzance. Among his greatest collaborations are his 35 years of dedicated service performing, recording and touring with the world-famous Boston Pops, where he has made music under the batons of Maestros Arthur Fiedler, John Williams and Keith Lockhart.
Happy Birthday to Tommy Diehl! Tommy is a Fairfield County, Connecticut-based drummer who has worked in many genres including jazz, classical, theater, singer-songwriter, folk, rock, country, blues, hard rock, ska. He has toured, performed or recorded with Ryan Montbleau, Yes Darling, InAshton, Spookie Daly Pride, Acoustic Junction (Fool’s Progress), Jamie McLean Band, Chad Hollister Band, Stephanie Ryann, Helmet, Moriah Formica, Queen V, Jamey Aebersold, David Baker, Andrew Jones & SpiritHouse, Frank Migliorelli & The Dirt Nappers, Kim Fox, Skamikaze, Vinny Nobile & The Trummytones, The Cherry Bluestorms, Frank Manzi, Barry Kingston, Todd Thibaud, Jeffrey Mitchell-Ross, Zo Tobi, Jeff Tuohy, and many others.
Drumming has taken Tommy on a journey that began in the elementary school band in Ohio and continued on to venues and festivals across the country and overseas. These experiences landed him in recording studios from Boston to NYC to Nashville to LA and many others. While out traveling with his drums, Tommy has made lasting friendships, seen long-distance family members, and even met his wife! He learned self-discipline, how to listen with his whole body, how to let go and let the music happen, and so much more. Music is his passion.
Happy Birthday to Jason Koontz! Dr. Jason Koontz has served as director of percussion studies at Eastern Kentucky University since 2000. He currently teaches applied percussion, percussion ensemble, percussion methods, music appreciation, world music, and directs both the EKU Percussion Ensemble and the EKU Steel Band.
He has traveled to perform and study world music/percussion in Europe (England, Holland, and Switzerland), Japan, Taiwan, Trinidad, Africa, India, Indonesia, and Brazil. Koontz has also performed with groups such as Global Rhythms, Blast, Birdsong Steel Orchestra, Silver Stars Steel Orchestra, the Cincinnati Pops and Ballet Orchestras, Lexington Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony, Lexington Theater, the Art of Rice Traveling Theater (Indonesia), Tonus Percussion Trio, Resonance Percussion Sextet, Star of Indiana drum and bugle corps, Brass Theater, and the Southwind drum and bugle corps.
He is currently the Treasurer for the Kentucky Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society, a member of the Percussive Arts Society International Convention world music planning committee, a member of the Kentucky Music Educators Association, and is endorsed by Vic Firth Inc., Pearl, and Coyle Steel Drums. His compositions and arrangements for steel band and percussion ensemble are published by Row-Loff and Coyle Steel Drums, and Pan Ramajay Productions.
Happy Birthday to Jeff Stern! Known for performing “with precision and an impressive attention to timbral detail” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), percussionist Jeff Stern has developed a voice to listen for in today’s contemporary music scene. He has performed extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, and has collaborated with and championed the work of a number of the world’s preeminent composers. Recent premieres include Alejandro Viñao’s Stress and Flow with The Percussion Collective, James Wood’s Secret Dialogues for solo marimba, and John Luther Adams’ Sila at Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors Festival. As a proponent for the music of our time, Stern also actively commissions works by composers of his generation, such as Thomas Kotcheff, Emma O’Halloran, Robert Honstein, and Juri Seo.
Stern is the executive director, co-artistic director, and founding percussionist of 2 piano/2 percussion group icarus Quartet. Winner of the 2019 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, icarus is quickly gaining the attention of composers, presenters, and audiences everywhere. The 2021-22 concert season brings the Quartet to Florida State University, Community Concerts at 2nd, Music in the Valley, Northern Iowa University, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the Kennedy Center’s REACH, and more, including an international debut at the Vienna Summer Music Festival. Fervently adding to its rich body of repertoire, icarus also premieres works by Ruby Fulton, Douglas Knehans, David Crowell, Amy Beth Kirsten, Scott Lee, and the two winners of its second annual student composer collaboration program, iQ Tests. The Quartet’s anticipated commercial album featuring the music of Michael Laurello, Brad Lubman, and Paul Lansky is slated for release on Furious Artisans records in Spring 2022.
With The Percussion Collective, Stern has toured the United States, performed on a live broadcast for WXQR’s Midday Masterpieces, and given a featured evening performance at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. He rejoins the Collective in the 2021-22 season for Chris Theofanidis’ Drum Circles concerto for four percussionists with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Michael Francis as well as the world premiere of a new work by Emmy Award-winning composer Garth Neustadter for the International Arts and Ideas Festival.
Additional highlights of Stern’s upcoming season include icarus Duo appearances with percussionist Matt Keown presented by Allegro Chamber Music Series in Philadelphia and Piano Spheres in Los Angeles with piano duo HOCKET. Stern also collaborates with the “Pershing’s Own” member Doug O’Connor playing duos for marimba and saxophone, with percussionist Nonoka Mizukami in Philip Glass’ Concerto Fantasy for two timpanists with the Peabody Wind Orchestra, and with members of the National Symphony Orchestra on Washington DC’s Constellation Chamber Concerts series.
Stern performs as an extra percussionist for the Baltimore Symphony and with several new music ensembles including Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, Mind on Fire, NewPrism Ensemble, NakedEye Ensemble, and ensemble mise-en, with whom he toured to Hong Kong in 2018. He has appeared at the Yellow Barn Music Festival, the Bang on a Can Summer Festival, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and the Eighth Blackbird Creative Lab, and can be heard on the Albany, Elm City, Bright Shiny Things, figureight, and Cantaloupe record labels.
Stern serves as Lecturer in Percussion at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. He holds a B.M. from UMass Amherst, an M.M. from the Peabody Conservatory, where he was awarded the Harold Randolph Prize in Performance, and an Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music.
Gig Alerts
The L.A. Philharmonic has openings for percussion that you can audition for.
The Austin Symphony also has percussion openings that you can audition for.
The Calgary Stampede is going on from July 4th-13th with many events, performances and more happening in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The North Sea Jazz Fest is happening from July 11th-13th in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Lollapalooza Berlin is happening from July 12th-13th in Berlin, Germany.
Educational Spotlight
The first three rounds of PASIC50 artists have been announced. Several friends of the show are going to be presenting, including (but not limited to): Ivan Llanes, Dafnis Prieto, Kassandra Kocoshis, J-Rod Sullivan, Stefon Harris, and Damon Grant.
Iconic Recording
The iconic recording was chosen by Jared after watching the Led Zeppelin documentary on Netflix. He chose, “Communication Breakdown” with John Bonham on drums.
Music News
Matt Cameron announces he is leaving his position as Pearl Jam’s drummer after a 27-year stint. The band has yet to mention a replacement. -Article
Arts Workers United, (formerly, Be An Arts Hero) go over the points in the new bill from congress that affect musicians.
HITS Act to Become Law Following Mega-Bill Passage — Recording Academy and A2IM Applaud the ‘Historic Victory for Independent Music Creators’ -Article
The above video clip is also referencing the lawsuit put forth by the Department of Justice to break up the monopoly that is Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
The landscape of live event ticketing is undergoing a seismic shift, as the Sports Fan Coalition (SFC) has allied with the music industry in demanding comprehensive ticketing reform. -Article
The SFC is in support of the TICKET ACT.
Jared Schonig Interview
The song leading into the interview is, ”Chandelier” from Moulin Rouge! The Musical’s official cast album.
Damon and Jared officially met at New 42 Studios in NYC in between their respective Broadway workshops.
He was working on “What’s New Pussycat”, a Tom Jones inspired musical.
Jared’s dad is a drummer/percussionist and his mom is a pianist.
Jared attended Hamilton Music Academy, a magnet school that is part of Hamilton Senior High School in Culver City, Los Angeles.
He mentions some of his classmates like Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, and drummer Ronald Bruner.
Jared started going deep in Jazz and later embraced theater.
Damon mentions the 10 albums Jared was influenced by he posted on his instagram page.
Jared attended Eastman School of Music. Shout-out to Fred Sturm.
Jared toured with the New York Voices for a while.
Shout-out to John Beck who Jared auditioned for.
After Eastman, Jared moved to NYC. He worked at Apple when he first moved.
Jared was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic at age 10. He talks about how he lives with diabetes and the technological advancements.
Jared talks about how he got into playing on Broadway, shout-out to James Hershman. He started by subbing on the show Grease!
He currently plays on Just In Time on Broadway.
Jared talks about playing with the BMI Jazz composers workshop.
He also mentions playing in the 8-Bit Big Band. Shout-out to Charlie Rosen.
Jared talks about the transition from getting to NYC and leaving a “day job” to becoming a full time musician.
Damon brings up Stuck at Home Records and learning tech as a musician and home recording.
Jared talks about scheduling and a work/family life balance. Shout-out to the Big Ass Calendar.
Jared mentions a NY “horror story” about his car and drums.
Jared picks the iconic recording for the week.
Shout-out to Terry Schonig and Carol Smith-Schonig, Jerry Kalef, and Rich Thompson.
Jared uses Paiste Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, and Tuxedo Bags and Cases.
You can follow Jared on his Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
The song leading out of the interview is, “Sabotage” by the Jared Schonig Big Band from the album, ‘Two Takes’.
