This week’s guest is Jim Royle. James L. Royle is a native of Connecticut and president of the state chapter of the Percussive Arts Society's for Ten years, and 2000 Chapter President of the Year. Jim attended the University of Bridgeport as a percussion and education major under the direction of Howard Zwickler, Arthur Lipner, and Bill Finegan. Jim Royle has also studied various aspects of percussion with world recognized masters such as Max Roach, Alan Dawson, Keith Copeland, Akira Tana, Norbert Goldberg, Vernal Fournier. And Pan Master Professor Philmore.

Although Jim Royle enjoys his own performance career, his love of music and the pleasure of passing this love onto future musicians are equally important to him. His studio now in its 20th year, is well known for turning out remarkable performers and all of his students are exposed to many aspects of percussion. Even the youngest students are given the opportunity to progress from Drum set to World, Latin, Afro-Cuban, Orchestra, Steel Drums, Timpani, and Mallet studies. The current studio enrollment stands at over One Hundred and Twenty students, Five graded percussion ensembles from beginner to advanced, with a teaching faculty of six. Jim Royle’s ensembles have been invited and have performed at Bands of America four times over the last eight years. Other performances have included, The Panorama Steel Pan Festival in VA Beach in 2003, and 2006, Disney World, and Disney Land.

His ensemble has also been invited to perform with collegiate ensembles, which include Ithaca with Gordon Stout, Jonathan Haas at NYU. His students have performed with Neil Grover, Liam Teague, Tom Miller, Jonathan Haas, Arthur Lipner, Dave Samuels, and Michael Varner to name a few. In 2004 the advanced percussion ensemble had a piece commissioned by renowned percussion artist Michael Udow, Rio Grande Riffs that's on a CD of his works, released in 2006. Jim Royle's students frequently go on to be collegiate music majors in percussion and younger students are well represented in summer music camps and pre-collegiate programs such as Juilliard. It is evident that Mr. Royle has forever touched the lives of these gifted performers.

Jim Royle's name has become synonymous with jazz in the New England club circuit and his articulate playing is documented on several CDs, including Storm Before the Calm on the Sea Breeze Jazz label (2000), as well as the more recent Jazz By Coogan, showcasing Jim's small-group talents. Jim is the drummer for the prestigious New England Jazz Ensemble big band, which is the combined product of Walt Gwardyak (pianist of the famous Buddy Rich Band). Jim’s latest CD with the John Judd Jazz Trio. Jim was added to Western CT State University summer faculty in 2006 to present, were he was in residence to present a week long steel drum workshop. Jim Royle was also added to the prestigious faculty roster for KoSA Percussion Workshop 2007 to present in Vermont, and Montreal.

R.I.P.

Rest in peace to Rodney Holmes.

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Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Bryan Carter! With a confidence reflecting an instrumental and compositional maturity that both belie his age and announce the arrival of a remarkable talent, Bryan Carter exudes what promises a highly successful career.

Shortly after completing his training at The Juilliard School in New York City and still at the very outset of his career, Carter has already played and/or recorded with many notable artists including Clark Terry, McCoy Tyner, Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, Kenny Barron, Michael Feinstein and Kurt Elling.

Carter attended The Juilliard School as a Jazz Studies major and studied with Carl Allen and Kenny Washington. He was the recipient of the Irene Diamond Scholarship as well as the Samuel L Jackson Scholarship. While at Juilliard, Carter took a strong interest in composition, orchestration and interdivisional cross-collaborative performance.

Bryan is currently touring the world with his band, “Bryan Carter & The Young Swangers”. He also served as the house drummer for NBC’S “Maya & Marty” starring Maya Rudolph, Keenan Thompson and Martin Short. The show has featured guests including Miley Cyrus, Nick Jonas, Tom Hanks, Drake, Steve Martin and Tina Fey.

Happy Birthday to Vince Wallace! Vince Wallace is an active percussionist, composer, and music educator from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a 2009 graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania holding a degree in Music Education studying with Michael Kingan and Jack Stamp. In 2011, Vince completed a two year tenure as Teaching Assistant in Percussion at Truman State University in Kirksville, MO where he also served as interim director of the Truman State University Percussion Ensemble. As a student a Truman, Vince obtained master’s degrees in Percussion Performance and Music Composition, studying percussion with Michael Bump as well as Kansas City Symphony percussionists Chris McLaurin and Joe Petrasek. His composition studies were with Warren Gooch.

As an active freelance performer, educator, and composer throughout the Pittsburgh area, Vince taught at and arranged for numerous percussion programs throughout Western Pennsylvania, including nearly a decade as Percussion Specialist at Gateway Senior High School. Vince was a co-founder of the Gateway High School Indoor Drumline, developing the group from its inception into a consistent WGI PSA regional finalist in the mid 2000s. From 2009 through 2011, Vince spent two seasons as a front ensemble technician for Gateway Indoor, a Percussion Independent World class indoor drumline from St. Louis, Missouri. From 2013 until 2018, Vince co-owned and operated Monroeville Music Lesson Center, a music lesson teaching facility serving hundreds of student musicians from Pittsburgh's eastern suburbs.

As a performer, Vince has performed with the Altoona Symphony Orchestra, Butler Symphony, Edgewood Symphony, McKeesport Symphony, and was a member of Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Keystone Wind Ensemble. He has several published compositions for solo and ensemble percussion, all available through C. Alan Publications. Vince is founder, owner, and director of The Pittsburgh Steeline, the official drumline of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers. Founded in 2012, the Pittsburgh Steeline consists of 30 professional musicians who perform at all Steelers home games. The group has maintained a prolific calendar of private and community event appearances throughout Western PA, Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia for over a decade, entertaining thousands of people from around the country and all walks of life. Vince currently resides in Pitcairn, PA, where he is the elementary/junior high band director and percussion specialist for Propel Charter Schools at Propel Pitcairn and Propel East and continues to maintain a private lesson studio.

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.

The Laborie Steel Workshop happening January of 2027 has opened the registration. The hosts are friends of the show, Andy Narell and Dr. Jason Koontz. Email Jason for more information and details here:
cjasonkoontz@icloud.com

Gig Alerts

The Journey of Jazz Cruise is happening January 24th-31st 2027 from Tampa FL, to New Orleans, LA to the Caribbean and back. If you use the promo code: JFA, you can get a discount. Shout-out to the Jazz Foundation of America.

The Levitate Music and Arts Festival is happening in Marshfield, MA July 18th and 19th. Damon will be playing with Ziggy Marley.

The Cincinnati Music Festival is happening in Cincinnati Ohio from July 23rd-25th.

The Newport Folk Fest is happening in Newport, RI from July 24-26th.

The FIFA halftime show will happen in New Jersey at the MetLife stadium on Sunday July 19th, and feature more musical acts.

Educational Spotlight

Committee assignments for the Percussive Arts Society have been announced. Feel free to get involved for the future!

PASIC prices have gone up as of June 16th. Register now before the next price increase on Sept 1st.

You can also renew your PAS membership to get a discounted price as well as reserve your hotel room.

Iconic Recording

Jim chose two songs from the same album. Ahmad Jamal’s trio playing “But Not for Me” and “Poinciana” from the album titled, ‘Live At The Pershing, Chicago, 1958’. It has Vernel Fournier on drums.

Music News

Donald Trump’s name will stay off the Kennedy Center after the Court of Appeals ruled against the board’s motion to stay the decision to remove it. -Article

The Justice Department has officially published its proposed Live Nation settlement for comment, and NIVA is urging the public to speak out about how the promoter and its Ticketmaster subsidiary “have made for a terrible live experience for them.” -Article

The O-1 visa has become one of the biggest obstacles facing international artists who want to tour in the U.S. Rising application costs, processing delays, and stricter documentation requirements are changing how musicians plan their careers and connect with American audiences. -Article

Jim Royle Interview

The song leading into the interview is, “Version 3.0” performed by the New England Jazz Ensemble, from the album with the same name. Jim is on drums.

Damon mentions hanging with Jim at PASIC.

Damon mentions the Knicks and the Mets. Two of Jim’s favorite teams. The Pittsburgh Steelers are another one.

Jim talks about being well rounded in both music and sports as well as other activities, with a hint of competition.

Jim attended Rippowam High School and Stamford High School in Connecticut.

Jim talks about his dad playing drums and when he made the choice to play drums. Shout-out to Lou Gabriel, Jim’s first teacher.

Jim talks about seeing the work ethic change in his students.

He has been teaching and running a drum studio for 40 years. He is now 60. He moved on to start his own studio when he was 23 years old on the Fairfield/Bridgeport CT line.

Jim attended the University of Bridgeport.

Jim mentions friend of the show, Joel Rosenblatt (who was Dave Weckl’s roomate).

Jim had attended PASIC every year since 1987, except for the year he had open heart surgery.

Jim mentions Norbert Goldberg.

Jim studied with Todd Strait. He also mentions studying with Keith Copeland, Alan Dawson, Max Roach, and Vernel Fournier. He also mentions playing M’Boom’s music and the Jazz in July program.

Shout-out to John Mastroianni as well as the New England Jazz Ensemble.

Shout-out to friend of the show Arthur Lipner.

Jim runs the Silver Steel Band.

Shout-out to Bryan Garbe.

Damon talks about your passion vs. gift.

Jim talks about his open heart surgery.

Jim picks the iconic recordings for the week.