#512 Terence Higgins- Drummer, Producer, Composer, and More!
Photo by Rob Tellerman.
This week’s guest is Terence Higgins. New Orleans is known for its great music and culture, and it is also known for spawning some of greatest drummers in the world. Every serious drummer has been influenced by New Orleans style drumming at some point in there development. With a unique blend of slinky street beats, New Orleans funk, R&B, Zydeco, blues, traditional jazz, and swing, gives New Orleans Drummers that thang!!!.....But don't get it twisted, "New Orleans style of drumming is not method book friendly, it’s all about the feel of it, it’s a feeling thing and its part of the fabric of New Orleans".
Terence was born in New Orleans in 1970 and was raised in the suburb of old Algiers. He was introduced to the drums at a very young age by his great grandfather and he has been playing ever since. In high school he was one of two students chosen from the state of Louisiana to perform in the McDonald's All-American band, after high school he enrolled in music studies at Southern University, after a few years he decided to pursue a career in the music business.
Specializing in New Orleans grooves and keeping in touch with the Crescent City's second line tradition and early New Orleans funk and R&B, he draws his influences from the legends of New Orleans drumming such as: Baby Dodds, Earl Palmer, Smokey Johnson, Charles "Hungry" Williams, Shannon Powell, James Black, Herlin Riley, Zigaboo, Joe Lastie, Idris Mohammed, Ricky Sebastien, Herman Ernest, and Mean Willie Green and also his peers: Adonis Rose, Brian Blade, Gerald French, Donald Edwards, Troy Davis, Stanton Moore, Russell Batiste Jr., Jeffrey "Jellybean" Alexander, Doug Belote, Alfred Salvant, Raymond Weber and many other drummers around the world.
His professional career has taken him all over the world and his unsurpassed skills on the drums have allowed him to play with an eclectic group of musicians. Terence credits George Porter Jr. of the Meters for taking him under his wing and introducing him to the vast repertoire of New Orleans music. Terence has performed with artist like Dr. John, Earl King, Marva Wright, Kermit Ruffin, Snooks Eaglin, Johnny Adams,
George Porter Jr., The Wild Magnolias, Dave Badie, Ivan Neville & Dumpstaphunk, Jon Cleary, Donald Harrison, Allen Toussaint, Michelle Shocked, Norah Jones, Renee Mcrary, John Scofield, DJ Logic, Bobby Jordan, Ed Perkins, Theryl "Houseman" Decluet, Micheal Ward, Robert Randolph, Widespread Panic, The Black Crows, North Mississippi All-Stars, Treme Brass band, Fats Domino and many other New Orleans artist.
He is now touring and recording with one of New Orleans premier groups the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, John Scofield Piety Street Band as well as his own band Swampgrease. Growing up in New Orleans has exposed him to some of the greatest music and culture the world has to offer, Terence is no exception, as the next generation continues the legacy of the musical heritage of the city of New Orleans
In 2004 Higgins released his much anticipated solo album In the Bywater to a very receptive audience. -Read More Here
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Megan Arns! Dr. Megan Arns is a percussionist, ethnomusicologist, and educator with a diverse set of skills and a driven passion for her craft. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO where she has served as Director of Percussion Studies since 2014. Recent past faculty positions include Mansfield University in Pennsylvania and the National Music Conservatory in Amman, Jordan where she was also the Principal Timpanist of the Amman Symphony Orchestra. She is a section member of the New Hampshire Music Festival during the summers and has also performed with the St. Louis, Tallahassee, Sarasota, Missouri, Northwest Florida, Albany, Southern Tier and Macon Symphony Orchestras.
Active as a contemporary chamber percussionist, Megan’s recent highlights include collaborative performances in Spain, France, India, Jordan, Costa Rica, Ghana, and the United States at venues such as the Kennedy Center, Millennium Park, Smithsonian Institution, and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. Megan regularly performs with three contemporary chamber groups: the [Switch~ Ensemble] – an electroacoustic ensemble based out of New York, Clocks in Motion – a percussion quartet based in Madison, WI, and DRAX – a saxophone and percussion duo in residence at Mizzou.
Megan received her D.M.A. in Percussion Performance & Literature and M.A. in Ethnomusicology at the Eastman School of Music. She was also awarded performance degrees from Florida State University (M.M.) and Truman State University (B.M.), where she was recognized as a Presser Scholar. Her primary teachers include Michael Burritt, John W. Parks IV, Michael Bump, Musekiwa Chingodza, Nani Agbeli, and Nyoman Suadin. Megan endorses Vic Firth Sticks & Mallets, Pearl/Adams Musical Instruments, Black Swamp Percussion, Remo Drumheads, and Zildjian Cymbals.
Happy Birthday to Lalo Davila! Lalo Davila is currently Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at Middle Tennessee State University. Lalo received his Bachelor of Music degree from Texas A & M Corpus Christi and a Master of Music degree from the University of North Texas.
Lalo has extensive experience both as an educator, composer, author, and performer. Lalo was named Nashville’s Top Five 1998 Percussionist of the Year Award and “Nashville Scene’s” 2012 “Best Latin Jazz Musician”. Lalo has toured with many artists including the "Take 6" Summer 1996 tour of Japan. Other performances include; the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, the Nashville Symphony, the Nashville Jazz Orchestra, the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, the Nashville Chamber Chorus, the Nashville Ballet, Six Pence and None The Richer, Clay Walker, Allen Vizzutti, and Arturo Sandoval to name a few. Mr. Davila can also be heard on Kirk Whalum's Grammy-nominated CD “Hymns In The Garden”. Most recently, Lalo’s voice and playing can be heard (as Jafar) in Disney’s Dual Language Series “Aladdin”, “So You Think You Can Dance”, The movies “People Like Us”, “The Amazing Burt Wonderstone”, “McFarland USA”, and “The Equalizer”, EA SPORTS' recent release, NCAA College Football 25, The 2012 PlayStation Game "Thieves in Time", "Star Wars", "America's Funniest 2010 Commercials". Lalo has also composed music for: “Drop Dead Diva”, “Breaking Bad”, “Graceland”, and “Burn Notice”.
Known as an outstanding clinician and adjudicator, Lalo has conducted clinics/performances throughout the United States, Australia, Paris, Poland, Mexico, Sweden, Cuba, and Japan. Lalo is the author of “Contemporary Rudimental Studies and Solos”, and “Play at First\Sight”, “Timptastic”, “Uncommon Duos”, " Bugadafish", and “Jingle Jamz”. Lalo is an active clinician/performer for the Pearl Corporation, Row-Loff Productions, Avedis Zildjian Co., Innovative Percussion, Grover Pro Percussion, and EVANS Drumheads.
Happy Birthday to Juan Diego Villalobos! Latin Grammy award winning Juan Diego Villalobos, has developed a varied career as a composer, arranger, and performer making him one of the most sought- after vibraphone players in New York. His album, Perspectiva (2017), is his first step towards reimagining jazz and Afro-Venezuelan music to create a unique new sonority based on their common roots.
Originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela, Villalobos comes from a musical family that initiated him in Venezuelan folkloric music at a really young age, and with whom he performed at different festivals around Mexico and Venezuela. In 2010, Juan Diego moved to Caracas to study at the Simon Bolivar Music Conservatory; at the same time he was part of the renowned Teresa Carreño Youth Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and performed across Europe, Asia and the US as a classical percussionist, sharing the stage with Christian Vazquez and the acclaimed conductor Gustavo Dudamel.
In 2014 he was selected among fourteen Venezuelan musicians to participate at “ Lang Lang & Friends”, a concert held at the United Nations Headquarters in NY city, in celebration of the 69th anniversary of its founding with special guests such as Sting, Alec Baldwin and Lang Lang himself. Simultaneously, Villalobos developed his knowledge of jazz which allowed him to present his compositions and perform with several jazz artists from and across Venezuela and the United States.
Under the tutelage of Stefon Harris and Joe Locke, Villalobos obtained a full scholarship (2018 - 2022) to study jazz vibraphone at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music; learning from luminaries like Buster Williams, Kendrick Scott and Miguel Zenon. During this time he also starts appearing at distinguished New York venues including Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Harlem Stage, Smalls Jazz Club and Birdland, as a bandleader and sideman, performing alongside Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo O’Farrill, Jeremy Pelt, Peter Erskine, Luis Perdomo, Andy Narell, John Beasley, among others.
Villalobos was awarded a Latin Grammy for his participation on the album Identidad by Venezuelan cuatro player Miguel Siso.
Happy Birthday to Bill Bachman! Bill has been on twice (Ep 72 and Ep 159) and is a world-renowned specialist in hand technique with a heavy background in rudimental drumming and its application to the drumset. Bachman is a regular contributing columnist for Modern Drummer magazine and is the author of the books Stick Technique, an Essential Guide for the Modern Drummer and Rhythm & Chops Builders published through Modern Drummer Publishing (nominated for “Best Product” in their 2018 Readers Poll, as well as the Logic marching percussion instructional book series for Row-Loff Productions. Bachman is the founder of DrumWorkout.com, designer of Vic Firth’s Heavy Hitter pad series and his signature Billy Club drumsticks and the inventor of the patented Remote Speedy Hat.
Bachman is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and has studied percussion performance at the University of North Texas. He is a member of the Percussive Arts Society’s Health and Wellness committee and Modern Drummer magazine’s education team where he was recently nominated in the 2016 reader’s poll under the “clinician/educator” category.
Bill has played with and instructed many award-winning marching percussion groups, including the UNT drum line and various DCI World Class finalists (Cadets, Bluecoats, Blue Knights, and Carolina Crown). On drumset, Bill is the drummer for Herd of Instinct, Spoke of Shadows, has toured with progressive rock artist Neal Morse, and freelances playing and recording in the Dallas area. Bachman is an international drum clinician, and he endorses Vic Firth sticks, Remo drumheads, Zildjian cymbals, and Row-Loff Productions products.
Happy Birthday to Ney Rosauro! Ney is a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Ney Rosauro has developed a successful international career as a percussionist, composer and pedagogue.
With his unique style of writing which combines charming melodies with catchy rhythms, he utilizes the rich elements of Brazilian folklore to create stylized compositions that are full of life and fantasy, and has been enchanting audiences all over the world.
Happy Birthday to Taku Hirano! Taku, one of the top percussionists on the touring and recording circuit, has been referred to by rock legend Mick Fleetwood, founder and drummer for Fleetwood Mac, as his “Secret Weapon" for good reason. His training encompasses Classical concert percussion, jazz drum set, and traditional Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, West African, Middle Eastern, Indian and Japanese styles and instruments.
This includes a BM cum laude from Berklee College of Music as the institution's first graduating Hand Percussion degree major, four years under the tutelage of conga master Giovanni Hidalgo, four years of Middle Eastern percussion studies under world fusion percussionist Jamey Haddad, studies with frame drumming virtuoso Glen Velez, graduate studies in World Music Performance at California Institute of the Arts studying West African and Indian percussion, time spent with Tokyo’s leading taiko drumming dojo through the Nippon Taiko Foundation, research in Havana, Cuba studying for a month both privately with percussion legend Jose Luis "Changuito" Quintana and at the Escuelas Nacionales de Arte - ENA, and formative years spent under the guidance of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra principal timpanist Kristan Phillips, jazz drumming legend Alan Dawson and world-renowned pop, funk and jazz drummer Ndugu Chancler.
Taku’s client list of luminaries spans practically every genre. He has toured the world with Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, John Mayer, Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks, Lionel Richie, Isaac Hayes, Japanese pop superstar Utada Hikaru, as a soloist on Japanese and Indian percussion with Academy Award-winning Bollywood composer A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire), and as a featured soloist on the #7 top-grossing concert tour of all time, Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World Tour.
When Marcos mentions that he is eating Chipotle, it was an opportune time to use the great group Flor de Toloache, an all female Mariachi band.
The first segment of the episode is the Product Review. This week featured is the Hand-Bale designed by our guest Taku and the percussion company Meinl. It allows you to play timbales with your hand or with a stick. It also can be mounted to a clamp with a standard 3/8th inch rod or you can place it in a snare stand in the basket and use the mounting hole to put a 3/8th inch rod in and mount a cowbell or wood block to it.
Happy Birthday to Kenny Grohowski! Brought up in a musical household in Miami, Kenny Grohowski has been performing since the age of 14. His rich musical background is demonstrated through the growing list of his collaborators and guest artists, including John Zorn, Andy Milne & Dapp Theory, Felix Pastorius & The Hipster Assassins, Shanir Blumenkranz, Trey Spruance & Secret Chiefs 3, Imperial Triumphant, Rez Abbasi & Junction, Jorge Sylvester’s A.C.E Collective, Jonathan Powell & Nu Sangha, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Bobby Sanabria, Lonnie Plaxico, Bill T. Jones, and Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz.
Gig Alerts
The Sabian Education Network/Dom Famularo Mentorship Award is to help upcoming drummers and percussionists with their careers and leave a legacy for the next generation.
Friend of the show, Tristan Banks, runs the Verdict Jazz Club in Bristol, England and they have a packed schedule coming up!
The Rhythm and Blues Cruise leaves from San Diego, CA and hits multiple spots in Mexico before returning to San Diego from Oct 31st-Nov 7th.
Here is the Time Out article and Forbes Magazine article that Damon mentions for events to participate in for Halloween.
Educational Spotlight
There is a Day of Percussion happening in Germany AFTER PASIC.
Damon is doing a week of clinics and masterclasses AFTER PASIC on the east coast.
Discussions in Percussion and Drumset Magazine will be hosting their joint interview booth again at PASIC in November.
The October issue of Percussive Notes Magazine is out now.
Iconic Recording
Terence picked “Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans”.
Music News
As rumored last week, Jay-Z has been announced as the headliner for the Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show at California’s SoFi Stadium on February 14, 2027. -Article
This is the last week to register online for PASIC 2026. After that, you will have to do it in person at the convention. You can still reserve a hotel room in advance.
There is now an app for PASIC. Both Apple and Android users alike can have scheduling capabilities at their fingertips. Download it for FREE.
There is a Human Made/Human Paid campaign going on from the Musicians Union regarding A.I. protections. Friend of the show, Jordan Rose (Ep 170 and Ep 443) is one of the featured artists.
Ireland’s basic income for the arts scheme becomes permanent. -Article
Terence Higgins Interview
The song leading into the interview is, “Paul Barbarin's Second Line” performed by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, from the album, ‘Twenty Dozen’.
Terence and Damon just completed a fall co-headline tour of Govt Mule and Ziggy Marley, where Terence is the drummer for Mule and Damon is the percussionist for Ziggy.
Terence is subbing for Matt Abts. He talks about getting the call.
Terence talks about his process and preparation in subbing.
He also talk about how he helps people that are subbing for him.
Terence talks about how he handles the vocabulary of ‘Southern Rock’.
Terence talks about playing with different artists from Warren Haynes to Ani DiFranco.
Terence talks about New Orleans music traditions.
Shout-out to Terence’s great-grandfather.
Terence attended Southern University.
Terence was a member of the McDonald’s all american band.
Terence has been included in a couple of books (like this one) as well as created some loop libraries.
Terence talks about his red beans and rice, the difference between jambalaya and gumbo as well as shout-out to Zatarains.
Shout-out to Dr. John/Dr. Teeth.
Terence talks about a second line, the brass bands and the Mardi Gras Indians.
Shout-0ut to Alvin Floyd Jr., Brian Richburg Jr., and friend of the show, Joe Dyson.
Shout-out to Elton John.
Damon brings up the birth of the drumset.
Terence talks about how he became the father of a bunch of cats in his neighborhood.
Terence picks the iconic recording for the week.
Terence uses Pearl Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Remo Drumheads, and Audix Mics.
Shout-out to the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Ivan Neville, George Porter Jr., Ani DiFranco, Don Was, and Warren Haynes.
You can follow Terence on his Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The song leading out of the interview is, “Soulshine” performed by the Warren Haynes Band from the ‘Live at the Moody Theater’
