This week’s guest is Ben Sesar! If they had an AA type of organization for music addicts, I would be a top-qualifying candidate. My first fix came at the age of four when my dad eagerly played Bill Haley’s ‘Rock around the Clock’ on the furniture-sized, wooden record player. Since then, certain combinations of artists and musical genres have been known to lure me into a fanatical state. My need and desire to play music was born out of this fanaticism and as it stands today, I recognize two distinct personas making up my musical whole: The Fan and The Player. Everything I do as a player, in some way, relates back to the experience of being a fan. –It is this fan/player relationship, which instills a sense of purpose into my practice, and also prevents me from falling into the category of: Drummers who ‘drum for the sake of drumming’. As a drummer, I would say I’m self-taught. -Yes, I went to school for music, but I failed in finding a true mentor: Someone who was wise and willing to guide me, personally, through my musical journey. It turned out that my real ‘teachers’ were those students around me, who at a young age, were literally doing things I couldn’t comprehend. It was as if these students were speaking a special language in which I felt excluded. This led to a strange inner conflict: On one hand, I was amazed and inspired by the new potential music held for me, and on the other hand, I felt a strong sense of frustration for the fact that I had a lot to learn, and no clear way of getting where I wanted to be. This is when I began looking at things very closely: In an attempt to discover a ‘window’ into their knowledge, I spent an excessive amount of time studying great players throughout history. I looked for common factors pertaining specifically to their greatness, which in turn, exposed my shortcomings. One of my first discoveries was a divide between the learning methods these great players used, and the way music was taught in the curriculum at school. -There’s more to learning music than what can simply be taught in books. For example, I’ve discovered that spending a great deal of time on movement has dramatically improved my playing; -more so than practicing paradiddles around the kit. By focusing on how I move, I’ve decreased the time spent practicing patterns, which require seemingly endless repetition. -This firms my belief that how we play directly affects the outcome of what we play. While I will always be the student at heart and in practice, my goal is to pass on the things I’ve learned, which have led to 30 successful years of touring, recording, practicing, and learning. It is my hope that, in much less time, students can benefit from the things that I otherwise had to learn ‘the hard way’. Thank you for being part of my legacy… I hope to be a part of yours.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to John Santos! Seven-time Grammy-nominated percussionist, US Artists Fontanals Fellow, and 2013-2014 SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director, John Santos, is one of the foremost exponents of Afro-Latin music in the world today.

Born in San Francisco, California, November 1, 1955, he was raised in the Puerto Rican and Cape Verdean traditions of his family, surrounded by music. The fertile musical environment of the San Francisco Bay Area shaped his career in a unique way.

His studies of Afro-Latin music have included several trips to New York, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Brazil and Colombia. He is known for his innovative use of traditional forms and instruments in combination with contemporary music, and has earned much respect and recognition as a prolific performer, composer, teacher, writer, radio programmer, and record/event producer whose career has spanned five decades. John has performed and/or recorded with acknowledged, multi-generational masters such as Cachao, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Bebo Valdés, Max Roach, Eddie Palmieri, Patato Valdés, Lázaro Ros, Bobby Hutcherson, Manny Oquendo, Chucho Valdes, Paquito D’Rivera, Buenavista Social Club, Chocolate Armenteros, John Handy, Billy Cobham, Zakir Hussain, Hermeto Pascoal, George Cables, Generoso Jimenez, Joe Henderson, Ernesto Oviedo, Regina Carter, Chester Thompson, Francisco Aguabella, John Faddis, Ed Thigpen, Giovanni Hidalgo, Steve Turre, McCoy Tyner, Batacumbele, Poncho Sanchez, Omar Sosa, Mel Martin, Ignacio Berroa, Danilo Perez, Los Pleneros de la 21, Jose Luis “Changuito” Quintana, Armando Peraza, Pancho Quinto, Tootie Heath, Art Farmer, Pupy Pedroso, Jacqueline Castellanos, Malonga Casquelord, CK Ladzekpo, Pancho Terry, Juan De Dios Ramos, Carlos Aldama, Yosvany Terry, Dafnis Prieto, Oscar Castro Neves, Mark Murphy, Orkestra Rumpilezz, Larry Coryell, Lázaro Galarraga, Regino Jimenez, Luis Daniel “Chichito” Cepeda, Modesto Cepeda, Guillermo “Negro” Triana, Lázaro Rizo, Raul “Lali” Gonzalez, Amado DeDeus, Pedrito Martinez, Jose Lugo, Jerry Medina, Orestes Vilató, Kamau Daaood, Johnny Rodriguez, Sonny Bravo, Arturo Sandoval, Nestor Torres, Anthony Carrillo, Paoli Mejías, Raul Rekow, Andy Gonzalez, Jerry Gonzalez, Jovino Santos Neto, Lalo Schifrin, Gema y Pavel, Pete Escovedo, Claudia Gómez, Maria Márquez, Jon Jang, Wayne Wallace, Mark Levine, Elio Villafranca, Bruce Forman, Linda Tillery, Charlie Hunter, Joyce Cooling, Bobby Matos, Mark Weinstein, Roberto Borrell, Sandy Perez, Jesus Diaz, Roman Diaz, Pablo Menendez y Mezcla, Yma Sumac, Rhiannon, Larry Vukovich, Kenny Washington, Faye Carol, Kellye Gray, Destani Wolf, Kimiko Joy, Kenny Endo, Abhijit Banerjee, Erik Jekabson, and Carlos Santana, among others.

John is widely respected as one of the top writers, teachers and historians in the field and was a member of the Latin Jazz Advisory Committee of the Smithsonian Institution. He is currently part of the faculty at the California Jazz Conservatory (Berkeley, CA), San Francisco State University, Jazz Camp West (since 1986) and the College of San Mateo (CA). He has conducted countless workshops, lectures and clinics in the US, Latin America and Europe since 1973 at institutions of all types including the Smithsonian, the Adventures in Music program of the San Francisco Symphony, the Berklee School of Music in Boston, UCLA, Yale, Stanford, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the University of Michigan, Temple University, Brigham Young University, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State Hayward, Cal State Fresno, the University of Colorado, Yakima Valley Community College, Ohio Music Education Association, the Afro-Cuban Drumming and Dance Program at Humboldt State University (CA), Cal State Sonoma, Cal State Sacramento, Cal State San Jose, Tulane and Dillard Universities of Louisiana, Jazz Camp West, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Los Angeles Music Academy, the Museum of the African Diaspora (San Francisco), the Lafayette Summer Music Program (CA), the Oakland Public Conservatory, and La Universidad Inter-Americana in San Germán Puerto Rico. He has contributed to the international magazines and publications African Arts Journal, Poetry in Flight, Percussive Notes, Modern Drummer, Modern Percussionist, and Latin Percussionist.

John was the director of the Orquesta Tipica Cienfuegos (1976-1980) and the award-winning Orquesta Batachanga (1981-1985). He was founder and director of the internationally renowned, Grammy-nominated Machete Ensemble (1985-2006), with whom he released nine CDs with special guests from Puerto Rico, Cuba, NY, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, mostly on John’s Machete Records label that was founded in 1984 and continues today. He currently directs the highly acclaimed John Santos Sextet Latin jazz ensemble with six full-length CDs under their belt to date. John has also produced four full length CDs with his Afro-Caribbean Folklóric Ensemble, El Coro Folklórico Kindembo since 1994, two of which were Grammy-nominated.

The San Francisco Bay Area community in which John still lives and works has presented him with numerous awards and honors for artistic excellence and social dedication. John received the Community Leadership Award from the San Francisco Foundation in 2011. He was presented with the San Francisco Latino Heritage Award in 2012 that included a Certificate of Honor signed by Mayor Edwin Lee, and Certificates of Recognition from the State Assembly, a Certificate of Recognition from the State Senate, and a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the US House of Representatives. He was also selected for the Man of the Year Award by Brothers on the Rise (Oakland, CA) in 2013. A photo of John from 1987 by pioneering Puerto Rican photographer/activist Frank Espada hung in the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC in 2016-2017!

John’s work has also been recognized and supported by the Monterey Jazz Festival (2002), the Smithsonian Institution, the California Arts Council, United States Artists, the Zellerbach Family Fund, the Fund for Folk Culture, the Ford Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlitt Foundation, the East Bay Community Foundation, the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture, the Creative Work Fund, and the City of Oakland. The City of San Francisco issued a mayoral proclamation declaring November 12, 2006 John Santos Day. He was featured prominently in the PBS American Masters documentary, Cachao: Uno Mas (2008), and is the subject of another documentary by Searchlight Films (Oakland, CA), which made its world premiere at the fabled South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas in March of 2022.

John is an advisory board member of the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (NY), Living Jazz (Oakland, CA), and the Oaktown Jazz Workshop (Oakland), and a Trustee of SFJAZZ.

Happy Birthday to Pete Korpela! Pete is a Los Angeles based studio and touring percussionist, recognized internationally for his versatility in orchestral, latin, jazz, world, rock, and pop music. He has collaborated with such renowned talent as, among others: Danny Elfman; Hans Zimmer; Alan Silvestri; Michael Giacchino: John Powell; Harry Gregson-Williams; Josh Groban; Robbie Williams; Jeff Russo; Henry Jackman; Marco Beltrami; Michael McDonald; Carter Burwell; Disturbed; Alan Parsons; Calle 13; Rickie Lee Jones; Al DiMeola; Kelly Clarkson; Madeleine Peyroux; Lizz Wright; Ed Shearmur; Kandace Springs; Ana Moura; Joe Trapanese; Rob Simonsen; Melody Gardot; Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; Hollywood Bowl Orchestra; Seth MacFarlane; and the 91 st Academy Awards Orchestra.

Some of the movie and TV soundtracks Pete has performed on: The Lion King (2019); Spider-Man Far From Home; Mulan (2020); Jumanji 3; Spies In Disguise; The Addams Family (2019); It 2; Doctor Sleep; Ready Player One; Men In Black International; Christopher Robin; The Predator; Ferdinand; LEGO Movie 2; Onward (2020); Call of the Wild (2020); Mandalorian; Star Trek Discovery; Lady and the Tramp; ToGo and Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Pete has appeared at Madison Square Garden, Lincoln Center, Hollywood Bowl, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Sydney Opera House and O2 Arena (London), and has toured across US, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Scandinavia, South Africa and the Philippines. In 2011, he joined Josh Groban’s “Straight to You” world tour and is currently Mr. Groban’s percussionist. In 2012, he toured extensively, with jazz vocalist Melody Gardot, and with tenor Nathan Pacheco. Between 2003 and 2007, he toured throughout the United States with the first National Tour of Tony-Award-winning Walt Disney’s The Lion King, as a marimbist and featured on-stage percussionist. He has also performed with major Broadway shows Hamilton, Motown and Beautiful.

An active Los Angeles-based studio musician, Pete has been working with composer Jeff Russo on the new Star Trek: Discovery series, which features a wide array of exotic percussion instruments from Pete's ever-growing collection. His work can also be heard on the award-winning Assassin’s Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations soundtracks—with over 10 million copies worldwide—and in movies Straight Outta Compton (composer Joe Trapanese) and Going in Style (composer Rob Simonsen). He has featured in popular TV shows, including: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; Conan O’Brien; Jimmy Kimmel; Ellen, Good Morning America; Live with Kelly; Later… with Jools Holland; Dancing with the Stars; America’s Got Talent; and PBS Presents: Jackie Evancho. And in 2010, Pete performed with Cirque du Soleil as musical director and lead drummer in a nationally televised project.

Happy Birthday to Eliel Lazo! Eliel Lazo began playing at an early age, egged on by his enthusiastic family. He studied at Oscar Valdes’ school of percussion (former singer and percussionist, of Irakere band). In 2003, at the age of 19, Eliel won the prestigious PERCUBA International Percussion Prize. Eliel Lazo first visited Denmark in 2004 on an invitation from the Danish Radio Big Band. Other invitations followed. Soon Denmark became a stable base on his travels around the world, and in 2007 he made Copenhagen his home. He has played with musicians such as Michel Camilo, Chucho Valdes, Changuito, Tata Guines, Herbie Hancock, Bob Mintzer, Oscar Valdes, Carlos del Puerto, Airto Moreira. He has also played with Cuban bands Diakara, Klimax and Habana Ensemble. He have worked with the Danish Radio Big Band, The Savage Rose, The Antonellie Orchestra, Blanco Y Negro, Mikkel Nordsoe Band, Aarhus Jazz Orchestra, Tip Toe Big Band. Also WDR Bigband from Germany and BBC Bigband from The UK. In 2004 Eliel Lazo recorded his first album ''Art Ensemble of Habana'' with Commodo Depots records from Japan. Then he released his first recording with Stunt records ''Blanco Y Negro'' which was recorded in Cuba. His 3rd album ''El Conguero'' also with Stunt records, was awarded with The Danish Music award best album of the year in the world music category. You can find Eliel's playing on Mikkel Nordsoe ''7 Steps to Heaven'' and ''Diving in space for 3 dacades'' - Hanne Boel ''The Shining of sings'' - the Danish Radio Big Band ''Cuban Flavor'' and ''Spirituasl'', where Eliel is featured as percussionist and vocalist. His playing is also featured on CUBADISCO award winning CD, ''Andante'' of Cesar Lopez Y Habana Ensemble and Kylie Minogue ''Kiss me once''. He performs in the American movie about Cuban music ''Music Under the Radar''. He has taught at conservatories in Cuba, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Switzerland, Germany and Sweden. Eliel's last CD is call ''Eliel lazo and the Cuban funk Machine'' featuring American tenor saxophonist Bob Mintzer and a line up of Cuban, Danish and Swedish musicians that make this album very unique. This CD is a tribute to the 70s funk and Cuban Songo. The inspiration is coming from bands such as Irakere, the Head hunters, The Meters and specially Los Van Van. The CD was nominated to the 2015 Cuban Grammys CUBADISCO and is nominated to 2 Danish Grammys (Danish Music Awards) World and Jazz. This CD is dedicated to master Jose Luis Quintana ''Changuito'' and Juan Formell (august 2, 1942 - may 1st, 2014)

Happy Birthday to Tony Lymon! Tony, is the former Assistant Director of Bands at Petal High School in Petal, Mississippi and current co-music arranger/show designer for the Petal High School marching band. Tony is the director and show designer for the Petal Indoor Percussion Theatre, a national WGI Percussion Scholastic World Finalist. He has twice been awarded the Outstanding Junior High Director of the Southeast Mississippi Band Directors Association and the 2008 Mississippi Bandmasters Association AE McClain Outstanding Young Band Director Award. Tony was also the Founder and Director of Eminence Indoor Percussion Ensemble, a regional and national WGI Open Class finalist and championship ensemble.

Tony holds a Bachelors degree in Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Certification in 3D Architectural Rendering from The 3D Training Institute of New York. He was a member and principal percussionist in the world renowned Southern Miss Wind Ensemble and Southern Miss Symphony Orchestra. While at Southern Miss, Tony was the percussion arranger for the Pride of Mississippi Marching Band and USM indoor percussion ensemble. Tony was also a member of the World Champion Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps (Bloomington, IN) from 1991-1993. In his three years of DCI experience, he won the DCI-Midwest Solo Timpani Champion and the 1994 Percussive Arts Society International Solo Timpani Award. Tony’s original marimba composition “Of Thoughts and Thinking” has become a standard in percussion literature. The piece was most recently recorded by German percussion artist Cornelia Monkse on the CD Marimba 2 and was featured in the French documentary film Le Ciel.

After college, Tony pursued a professional performance career for eight years with the pop/rock band King Konga. While with King Konga, Tony toured the world selling out venues in nationwide. The group did a post September 11th USO tour for the US Military in Hawaii and South East Asia. The four-piece band gained critical acclaim reaching #81 on the AC Hot 100 Pop Charts with “Something Good.” With a rare accomplishment by an independent band, King Konga captured the eyes and ears of many major record labels and the band went on to perform at Woodstock ’99. Tony has also performed with The Mississippi Symphony, Mobile Opera, Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera and The Meistersingers Orchestral/Choral Ensemble.

Tony recently wrapped up a season as the sound designer for The Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps and currently serves as Creative Designer for Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps. He is the owner of Eidetic Creative, a multimedia creative designs solution business. He currently resides in Petal, Mississippi with his wife Emily and 12 year-old daughter Colette.

Happy Birthday to Kwame Henry Jones! Henry, the founder and Lead Instructor for Infinite Roots is a gifted artist, writer and musician. Mr. Jones has over 25 year’s experience in the field of music, with a strong focus on cultural arts. Currently, Infinite Roots provides instruction to over 300 students within the Fairfield and Westchester County areas. Workshop programs have taken place in Albany, New York, Baltimore, Maryland, Up-state Connecticut and Atlanta Georgia. Infinite Roots is also very active within local youth based organizations and public and private schools throughout Stamford and Norwalk Connecticut.

Happy Birthday to Attis Clopton. If you ask Attis what his day job is, he’d quickly respond “musician.” However, the drummer, who’s travelled the world recording and performing, would be remiss not to mention his impressive photography skills. Though not formally trained, Attis has developed an eye and the ability to capture subjects in a way that many professional photographers struggle with throughout their career. But what may set Attis apart from his contemporaries is his openness, his curiosity and his unpretentious disposition, all of which help him lock into the moment and keep his photos from looking overthought or overdone. Ahead he shares some of his recent favorites with 6sqft. - Article

Happy Birthday to Magatte Fall! Three-time Grammy Award winner and credited drummer/composer for “Black Panther”, Magatte Sow, aka Magatte Fall represents the best of both worlds.

Coming from a long line of musicians. At a very early age, Magatte Sow has been around West African music and dance and was exposed to innumerable artists from around the world that influenced him greatly. So it is no surprise that Magatte’s first performance experience began at the youthful age of 2 years old for his parent’s West African Drum and Dance Company.

During this time Magatte knew that he wanted to be a percussionist, and studied intently on djembe, sabar, and tama. His djembe teachers includes his father Malik Sow, Maissa Thioubou and Kissima Diabate. For sabar, he’s studied with Omar Mboup, Chiekh Tirou Mbaye; and Tama he’s studied with the late great Ndongo Mbaye. As he learned, he continued to perform with different artists in Los Angeles; and served his own community by drumming for many dance classes that he continues to do until this day.

As he got older, the demand for his budding talents got greater. He was casted in the movie “Amistad” and has recorded on albums for Ashley Maher, Angelique Kidjo, Rob Thomas, and many other artists. He has performed on many televised award shows as a percussionist, including the Nobel Peace Prize Awards; and has performed with artists from many different styles of music like Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, The Very Best, Ashley Maher, Andre Manga, Munyungo Jackson, Leon Mobley, Youssou N’Dour, Baba Maal, and Salif Keita, John Legend, Jill Scott, Janelle Monae, Dianne Reeves, Pedrito Martinez and etc.

Happy Birthday to Pat Petrillo! Featured on the cover of February 2023 issue of Modern Drummer Magazine, Billboard charting Innervision Records recording artist Pat Petrillo is world renowned throughout the drumming world. He has backed and/or recorded with a wide array of artists including Patti LaBelle, Gloria Gaynor, Oz Noy, Chieli Minucci, Nile Rodgers, Debbie Gibson, Blake Aaron, Will Donato, Glen Burtnik and numerous Broadway shows, including the original “A Chorus Line”, “Grease”, “Footloose”, “Newsies”, and “Dreamgirls”. As a solo artist, he has recorded albums at Abbey Road Studios in London, Power Station Studios in New York, and his new album at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood. He has seen chart success across many platforms including:

Top 5 single “Weekend Vibe” on Smooth Jazz Spain
Top 40 single “Glide in my Stride” on Smooth Jazz .com
Top 15 album “The Power Station Sessions” on Relix/Jambands.com
Top 10 album “The Power Station Sessions” on Roots Music Review.

His groove based yet technically brilliant drumming crosses many musical genres, from contemporary jazz and fusion, to soul, funk, and world music. For more music. follow him on Spotify, and on Instagram @patpdrummer, and on Facebook at Pat Petrillo Music.

Gig Alerts

Friend of the show, Jeffrey Barudin has new job openings posted to his website. You can sign up for updates!

DW Factory Day is happening in Oxnard, CA on Saturday November 7th.

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The Soul Train Cruise 2.0 is leaving from Ft. Lauderdale, FL and stopping in St. Marteen, and Antigua, before heading back. It is happening from November 7th-13th.

Educational Spotlight

Friend of the show, Rich Redmond, and Jim Riley had set up a drum camp in Nashville, TN. It got sold out super quick. So they set up TWO MORE for January 22-24 AND January 29-31 2027. More info in the post below.