#508 (Juan) Carlito Mendoza- Drummer, Educator, Author, and More!
This week’s guest is (Juan) Carlito Mendoza. Born and raised in Perth Amboy, NJ, Juan Carlos Mendoza has been studying and performing for the past 20 years. The classically trained musician (marimba, timpani, orchestral snare drum, vibraphone, drumset and hand percussion) received his BA in Music Education in 2004 (New Jersey City University). In a quest to further his musical knowledge, Juan Carlos has also had the privilege to study with Pat Petrillo from the Drummer’s Collective, Nicholas Cerrato (Timpanist for the Tony Award Winning Broadway show Cats),Greg Giannascoli from the Philadelphia Pops Orchestra and Brazilian Master Guillerme Franco.
From a very tender age, Juan Carlos has been competing and establishing himself as a talented musician. At the age of 13, he competed and won Best Soloist in a national competition held in Niagara Falls, Canada. The competition was for instrumentalists competing on other instruments such as sax and trumpet and included the participation of high school students.Juan Carlos Mendoza has also competed as part of various drum corps. In 1997 and again from 1999-2001, he participated with the world re-known Hawthorne Caballeros Drum and Bugle Corps from Hawthorne, NJ. In 2002, Juan Carlos marched with the Syracuse Brigadiers where they won the Drum Corps Association World Championship and won best percussion. An even greater achievement for the Syracuse Brigadiers was having set the highest score ever in the Drum Corps Association circuit. Also in 2002, Juan Carlos competed and became the Drum Corps Association Snare Drum Champion where he beat 35 other snare drummers from across the nation. More recently, Juan Carlos was involved in the Guitar Center Drum Off and reached the finals in 2008, placing top 6 in the nation. Outside of competing across the nation, Juan Carlos maintains a steady pace by playing outside of the country (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Europe), playing on numerous recordings and conducting a number of clinics.
Juan Carlos Mendoza has been featured in Pat Petrillo’s New DVD Learning to Read Rhythms by Alfred music where he played all the musical examples and played a featured drum solo. More recently, Juan Carlos graduated summa cum laude with his M.A. in Music Education from New Jersey City University. Finally, Juan Carlos competed at the 2012 Guitar Center Drum Off where he beat over 5,000 drummers around the nation to become the 2012 Guitar Center Drum Off Grand Champion. In 2017 Juan released his first book, "Rudiment Creativity" Vol. 1 Rolls and Paradiddles which breaks down various rudiments and how to apply them around the drum set.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Bob Weiner! Drummer and percussionist Bob Weiner has toured and performed with Harry Belafonte, Itzhak Perlman, Betty Buckley, Jon Lucien, Dianne Reeves, Andy Statman, Rebecca Paris, Kenny Werner, Bob Moses and many others. He has taught at the Drummers Collective in New York, the New England Conservatory in Boston and Berklee College of Music in Boston. He currently plays at Earthdance for Contact Improvisation Jams, and he also plays with many movement/dance formats.
Bob is co-author of two important percussion books, Afro-Cuban Rhythms for Drumset with Frank Malabe and Brazilian Rhythms for Drumset with Duduka da Fonseca (Alfred Music). He holds a Masters degree from Lesley University in Inter-Disciplinary Studies, where he taught a course in the Expressive Therapies program titled “Community and Therapeutic Applications of Drumming.” He also recently co-taught a course entitled "Arts Entrepreneurship" via Bachelor Degree Independent Concentration at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Bob currently teaches percussion and drumming to music students in the Five College Consortium, as well as privately. Bob also has a particular interest in depth psychology (Jungian studies) and contemplative practices (meditation, tai chi/qi gong) and how they apply to the arts and improvisation.
Happy Birthday to Arthur Lipner! Arthur is one of the top keyboard percussionists of his generation. He specializes in vibraphone, marimba and steel drums. Arthur’s career has spanned three decades since he began performing professionally at age 14. Arthur’s live performances and recordings convey an exuberant drive of creativity and depth. jazzenews.com (London) said, “Arthur Lipner occupies a prominent role in the foregrounding of vibraphone and marimba in jazz and popular music.” All Music Guide called him “an extremely melodic and creative jazz/worldbeat-conscious vibes artist.”
In 2019, Arthur was invited to perform/adjudicate at percussion festivals in China and Russia. In 2018, he performed/adjudicated at the first-ever Australian International Vibraphone Competition. As a bandleader, guest soloist and educator, Arthur has been to over 30 countries including Ghana, Iceland, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Costa Rica, England, Scotland, Iceland, Morocco, Malaysia, the Caribbean and many more.
As a recording artist and NYC session player, Arthur has appeared on over 50 albums. “Two Hands, One Heart” (2015) is a “best of” double-cd collection documenting his first 25 years as a freelance recording artist. His album “Brasilian Vibes” (2010) was nominated for “Album Of The Year” by the Brasilian Press Awards. Recording session appearances have included Bluegrass, Traditional Jazz, Brasilian, Funk, Caribbean and other eclectic styles. From 2016-2018 he recorded nine solo albums on vibes, marimba and steel drums for the NYC-based label Solo Sounds. These included solo versions of West Side Story, Paul Simon’s “Graceland”, Bob Marley’s “Legend”, and a collection of Drake songs on steel drums.
Venues at which Arthur has appeared is a one-of-a-kind mix illustrating his strong desire to share and interact with different cultures. In addition to concert halls, jazz clubs and recording studios around the world, Arthur has performed with Tuvan Throat Singers from Russia, The National Dance Company of Ghana in a small rural village, in the streets of Rio de Janeiro for Carnival, in Chiapas Mexico’s “Marimba Park”, at the Royal Palace in Marrakesh, in the mountains of Norway on an ice xylophone he constructed with award-winning ice sculptor Bill Covitz, and more. He premiered his concerto MALLET FANTASIA with the Nat’l Symphony of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. He has toured in Europe/Latin America over 70 times. He has performed at five PASIC’s.
As an educator, Arthur has been a guest artist and clinician at many percussion festivals around the world. He has presented over 300 workshops on six continents. These include the prestigious Juilliard School, Yale University, Royal College of Music (London), Swedish Academy of Music (Stockholm), Gnesin Academy of Music (Moscow), Sweelink Conservatory (Amsterdam), Conservatoire Superieur (Paris) and Sydney Conservatorium (Australia). He has been a faculty member of The Brabants Conservatory (Holland), Univ. of Bridgeport (CT), Drummers Collective (NYC) and SUNY Purchase. From 2000-2008 Lipner served on the Board of Directors of The Percussive Arts Society.
Almost 100 of Arthur’s compositions have been released on recordings. His music has been used on radio, film and tv soundtracks in such places as Finland, Japan, Belgium, The Netherlands, and England. Arthur has written two widely-adopted method books, THE VIBES REAL BOOK (1996) and “Jazz Mallets: IN SESSION” (2000), the first-ever play-along book for vibes and marimba. He was commissioned to write music for the UK’s 2020 ABRSM Tuned Percussion series. The story of Lipner’s inner and outer journeys are featured in the documentary TALKING STICKS.
Happy Birthday to Marcelo Bucater! Marcelo is a drummer/percussionist and educator from São Paulo - Brazil based in Los Angeles since 2013.
Currently, he is the Drum Department Chair at Los Angeles College of Music (LACM), teaching private and group lessons.
Marcelo has worked as a session and touring musician, recording and performing live with many different artists. His versatility as a drummer and percussionist led to performances accompanying artists of different genres all over the world.
He has produced, recorded and performed with independent artists and renowned musicians such as Carrie Underwood for the 51st ACM Award, Ladybug Mecca (Digable Planets), Arthur Verocai, Adrian Younge (Jazz is Dead), Tinto Tango (Latin Grammy Winner), Antonio Carlos & Jocafi, Adam Levy (Norah Jones), Darek Oles, Scott Henderson, Philip Bynoe, John Avila (Oingo Boingo), Gemini (Producer), Natália Spadini, Shandy and Eva, Andrew Murdock (Producer), Koobong Ensemble and Phat Cat Swinger to name a few.
Performed in venues like Lincoln Center (NY), Disney California Adventure, Rose Bowl, Levi's Stadium, MGM Arena in Las Vegas, Microsoft Theater, Hollywood Pantages Theater, Pershing Square LA, El Rey Theater, NAMM Show, Thalia Hall, Queen Mary, The Mayan, and many others.
Marcelo is a member of the Recording Academy and a voting member of the Latin Grammys. Some of his music projects include the Press Award 2020 Finalist group Little Brazil Trio – which made it to the 20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards ballot in five categories and was a finalist at the 24th Annual USA Songwriting Competition with the original song “Vem”.
With a Bachelor's in Music at FAAM (SP-Brazil), a Degree in Music Performance at Los Angeles College of Music, and a Master's Degree in Jazz Performance at California Institute of The Arts(CalArts), he had the chance to study with renowned musicians such as Jeff Hamilton, Joe LaBarbera, Ralph Humphrey, Randy Gloss, Joe Porcaro, and Edu Ribeiro.
Happy Birthday to Jason Ihnat! Jason Ihnat holds concurrent careers as an educator, performer, composer and arranger. He currently serves as the Front Ensemble Coordinator for the Boston Crusaders. Prior to coming to Boston, he was a part of The Cadets organization from 2004-2016 as a front ensemble staff member and from 1998-1999 as a member of the corps. During his time with the Cadets, the corps won three DCI World Championships and two Fred Sanford High-Percussion Trophies.
Ihnat is also involved in the Winter Guard International (WGI) activity, where he currently serves on the front ensemble staff for Spirit Winter Percussion. Previously, he served as the Director and Co-Founder of the Eastside Fury Percussion Ensemble from 2000-2014, winning two World Championships in 2000 (A Class) and 2004 (Open Class).
In addition to his involvement with the DCI and WGI activities, Ihnat is the Director of the Detroit Lions "Honolulu Boom" Drumline. This ensemble performs at every Detroit Lion’s home game in front of 65,000 fans, as well as in parades and celebrations in the Detroit area.
Academically, Ihnat has served as a part-time Lecturer of Music Theory at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) since 2012. He has also been the Percussion Arranger and Instructor for the EMU Marching Band for over a decade. Ihnat performs frequently with the Dearborn, Flint, Macomb and Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestras as well as the Michigan Philharmonic. His compositions and arrangements have been performed at the top universities and high schools in Michigan and throughout the country.
Jason’s education includes a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Wayne State University, where he studied percussion under Keith Claeys and a Master of Music in Composition from Eastern Michigan University, where he studied with renowned composer Dr. Anthony Iannaccone and percussionist John Dorsey.
Jason also performs frequently with the Dearborn, Flint, Macomb and Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestras as well as the Michigan Philharmonic. His compositions and arrangements have been performed at the top universities and high schools in Michigan and throughout the country.
When he is not pursuing his percussion interests, Ihnat enjoys spending time with his wife Laura and their two children.
Happy Birthday to Pablo Batista! Master percussionist Pablo Batista has performed, recorded and toured internationally for 30 years with some of the biggest stars in rhythm and blues, jazz, Latin, pop and gospel.
Artists with whom he has worked with include Alicia Keys, Patti Labelle, Kirk Franklin, Jill Scott, Gerald Levert, Jeffrey Osborne, Phyllis Hyman, Teddy Pendergrass, Diane Reeves, Norman Brown, Manny Oquendo and Libre, Eddie Palmieri, and Musiq. A drummer of unusually diverse talents, Pablo is highly regarded for his professionalism, tireless work ethic and ability to listen. He can integrate his playing into almost any style at the highest level of musicianship, holds the rare distinction of having performed on Grammy-winning releases in jazz, R & B and gospel, and has also been a guest with the Philadelphia Orchestra Percussion Ensemble.
Pablo has also taught friends of the show, Aaron Draper and Dominique Thomas among many other people.
Happy Birthday to Alex Beltran! Alex Beltran is an active writer, performer, teacher, and clinician based in New England. He holds a Master’s Degree in Music History from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he also received an undergraduate degree in Percussion Performance. Alex is currently the Battery Caption Manager for the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle corps, where he handles the daily teaching, equipment, and logistical needs of the battery and coordinate the staff. He is also the Battery Arranger and Caption Manager for consistent WGI Independent World Finalist United Percussion, as well as the battery arranger for 7th Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps.
Happy Birthday to Markus Schwartz! Happy Birthday to Markus Schwartz! Born in Copenhagen Denmark, Markus Schwartz grew up in an American household surrounded by Jazz, and has devoted more than twenty-five years to learning the wealth and complexity of traditional Haitian religious music. Moving in and out of Haiti since the early 1990s, Markus followed the lead of Haitian percussionists on pilgrimages into the countryside to learn the intricate and powerful drumming styles of the various lakou—historic religious compounds—such as Badjo, Soukri and Souvenance.
Settling in Brooklyn in the late 1990's, Markus became a sought-after drummer at Haitian religious ceremonies, and was instrumental in creating the ground-breaking Haitian Jazz quintet Mozayik, bringing his informed arrangements of Vodou rhythms to jazz standards, Haitian traditional songs and Mozayik’s original compositions. He has since become a first-call percussionist on the NYC Haitian music scene, performing and recording with a diverse array of artists across many genres.
With an extensive discography as a featured artist on myriad projects, Markus has released four seminal recordings as a leader thus far; Tanbou nan Lakou Brooklyn (2008), Equinox (2011), Vo-Duo Nou La (w/ Monvelyno Alexis, 2013), and most recently Kay Sa (2019), the second Lakou Brooklyn Quartet recording on the audiophile Soundkeeper Recordings label. Current projects include his own ongoing band Lakou Brooklyn Quartet, as well as membership in Grammy-winning saxophonist David Sanchez' Carib project, and We All Break, led by the iconic drummer Ches Smith, along with pianist Matt Mitchell and Haitian master drummer Daniel Brevil. Markus maintains an active freelance schedule as well, appearing locally and abroad with a host of talented artists from the Haitian community.
Happy Birthday to Chien Chien Lu! Chien Chien is a jazz vibraphonist, contemporary percussionist, and composer whose Taiwanese heritage, classical training, and passion for groove define her fresh, distinctive approach to contemporary jazz. Her journey in music began at age six with classical piano, followed by classical percussion at ten. She trained intensively for two decades, performing with the world-renowned Ju Percussion Group for five years and touring extensively across Asia before turning her focus to jazz in 2015.
Lu remembers her time in Taiwan immersed in the world of classical music: disciplined, structured, and full of beauty; but something was always missing. No matter how precise the performance, she felt a deeper voice inside her that wasn’t being heard. There was a call to break free from the page, to step into a world where she could speak honestly and spontaneously. That call eventually brought her to the United States, where she began exploring jazz and improvisation as a way to express her truest self.
Recently named one of DownBeat Magazine's “25 for the Future” and one of the “10 Emerging Jazz Artists of 2023” by the Recording Academy, Lu has quickly risen as a dynamic force in today’s jazz scene. Her latest collaborative album with bassist Richie Goods, CONNECTED, won “Best Instrumental Album” at the 34th Golden Melody Awards.
Lu’s fierce authenticity and jazz mastery shine in her debut solo album The Path (2020), which spent 20 weeks in the JazzWeek Top 20, won “Best Jazz Song” at the Golden Indie Music Awards, and earned three Golden Melody and four Golden Indie nominations. She was also voted a “vibraphone rising star” in DownBeat Magazine’s 69th Annual Critics Poll. Her band has performed at prestigious festivals like the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival and DC Jazz Festival, and toured across Europe, Asia, and the U.S.
Before jazz, Lu’s classical career included a solo percussion recital at Taipei Novel Hall and performances of Ching-Mei Lin’s six-mallet marimba concerto Pulsing Wave. She was named an “Emerging Young Artist” in 2014 for her marimba duo work, and her classical sensibility continues to shape her sound.
Her transition to jazz was sparked at the 2017 Banff Jazz Residency under the direction of Vijay Iyer, where she met trumpet icon Jeremy Pelt. This pivotal experience launched her into the U.S. jazz scene and led to her joining the Jeremy Pelt Quintet. Her sophomore album Built In System (2023) was praised as one of the best jazz and world albums of the year by The Times of London.
Lu now focuses on her collaborative band with bassist Richie Goods, CONNECTED. The group recently performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Stanford Jazz Festival, and the Taipei International Percussion Convention. They are scheduled to appear at SFJAZZ in late 2025, and Lu will return to Taiwan to teach and perform at the National Concert Hall Jazz Festival summer 2025. In 2026, she will collaborate with the WDR Big Band on a new project. Currently, CONNECTED is preparing to record their second album, CONNECTED Vol. 2.
Happy Birthday to Felipe Fournier! (also on epsiode #491). Felipe Fournier is a Latin Grammy-winning producer, vibraphonist/percussionist, musical director, arranger & educator from Costa Rica. He graduated from the Puerto Rico Music Conservatory, in Jazz and Caribbean Music. In 2017 Fournier won the Latin Grammy for Best Mariachi/Ranchero album for Las Caras Lindas by Flor de Toloache, as a producer. He was nominated before for Grammy & Latin Grammy; with Charlie Sepúlveda & The Turnaround (2008); Grammy & Latin Grammy with Nestor Torres Nouveau Latino (2009); Rubén Blades & Cheo Feliciano Eba Say Aja (2012); and Charlie Sepúlveda Mr. EP -A Tribute To Eddie Palmieri (2017). Based in New York City since 2013, Felipe is the musical director of Supermambo! A Vibes Tribute to Tito Puente; Luba Mason’s Triangle; Ballet Folklorico NEPANTLA; and the cabaret show The Mexican Affair among others. Fournier also plays as a sideman with Miguel Zenon’s SUR, Luisito Quintero's 3rd Element, Axel Tosca Quartet, Xiomara Laugart, Guillermo Klein, Consoul Big Band.
Gig Alerts
The Blue Note London is now open and has posted their current schedule.
The Apple Music Hall is another new venue in London. -Article
John Mayer announced a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere. Tickets go on sale, Oct 9th.
Damon is still on tour with Ziggy Marley. They are in Florida and continuing through the southeast.
Educational Spotlight
The PAS Day of Percussion in The Netherlands has been moved to October 10th and the one in Germany is on November 18th, AFTER PASIC.
There’s also a new resource on the Percussive Arts Society website with all the information from the archives.
Iconic Recording
The first recording that Carlito chose is Ben Rector’s “Luckiest Man in the World” from the album with the same name and Jared Kneale on drums.
The other recording he mentions is “Dichotomy” by Michel Camilo, from the ‘Live at the Blue Note’ album with friend of the show, Horacio “el Negro” Hernandez on drums.
Music News
The Oceans Calling Festival and Global Citizen Festival were both cancelled due to the weather from the Nor’Easter.
Kentucky’s governor announces a new “Office of Music” dedicated to highlighting the state’s storied music legacy and supporting the music industry. -Article
(Juan) Carlito Mendoza Interview
The song leading into the interview is “Talk To Me” from Carlito’s trio album.
Shout-out to Chris Perna for the connection. Carlito and Chris met in the Syracuse Brigadiers Drum Corps.
Carlito grew up in New Jersey.
Shout-out to Jim Casella and friend of the show, Jim Ancona.
Carlito talks about what you get from drum corps aside from being able to play better.
Carlito subs on Broadway for friend of the show, Carter McLean, on The Lion King.
He also subs on Hamilton for Andrés Forero.
Juan talks about his responsibilities and shifting time commitments and how he stays organized.
Carlito talks about taking family vacations.
Damon gives some clinic prep tips.
Carlito talks about what he will present at PASIC this November.
Carlito talks about lengths of notes as well as volumes and timbres. as well as accents.
Damon and Carlito talk about playing groove and pocket versus flash and chops.
Carlito talks about breaking into the Broadway scene.
He also talks about doing Broadway during covid times.
Carlito talks about the importance of touch especially with interaction of sound engineers.
Carlito talks about pressure.
Shout-out to Mitch Zlotnik of Audimute.
Carlito talks about the Guitar Center Drum Off experience and class of musicians and judges.
Shout-out to tickle time.
Carlito picks the iconic recordings for the week.
He also mentions some drumming influences.
Carlito talks about attention spans and education these days. He also talks about listening and experimentation.
Shout-out to mini disc.
Damon mentions the episode with friend of the show, Horacio “el Negro” Hernandez.
Carlito uses Pearl Drums, Remo Drumheads, Meinl Cymbals, CTM In Ear monitors, Earthworks Microphones, Beat-Note App, Shedtracks, PolyNome, and Audimute.
Shout-out to John Gronert, Robby Robinson, (Fast) Frank Nash, Mark Holub, Greg Giannascoli, Jim Neglia, (friend of the show) Pat Petrillo, and shout-out to the Drum Fantasy Camp. Honorable mention to Roy Haynes, Carter McLean, Dave Weckl, Steve Gadd, and Vinnie Colaiuta.
You can follow Carlito on his Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
The song leading out of the interview is “Pink Panther” from Carlito’s album.
