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 Garcia, who is an in-demand percussionist and educator, came to town
early.
On Wednesday, May 2, he conducted a workshop for college and area
music students. The public was invited as well.
In a well paced one-hour presentation, Garcia kept his message clear
and simple to those who would like to have a career as a musician,
more specifically as a percussionist.
He shifted through various aspects musical performance, often
interjecting a little humor, such as the classic jibes
percussionists bear when asked what musical instrument they play and
the inference that percussionists not considered true musicians.
However, as he moved through music genres and demonstrated how
percussion instruments mold, enhance, change a body of music, it
became clear, that yes, the percussionist keeps the beat, but the
timing, accent, rhythm contribute so much more whether bold, soft or
in ever so subtle accents.
Garcia has been a pioneer in his field of percussion. He wrote the
first percussion lesson books when he began teaching, creating the
language that is seen today in other lesson books.
Coming out of a Puerto Rican heritage, Latin music is his favorite.
Rich and upbeat, Latin tunes are celebratory and great for dancing -
rumba, cha cha, merengue and currently popular salsa.
Garcia invented the popular Gajate Bracket to get a greater range of
tones desirable in Latin music. He sat on what looks like a fine
furniture wooden box with its playing surface forward facing. Then
leaning over he began striking, dragging and tapping the surface
with various implements, hands, finger tips, sometimes tempering the
sound with the use of his foot sliding up or down the surface. Oh,
the rich beautiful tones that could be made to come out, from
voluminous booming to delicate! He demonstrated how its diversity
can enhance or totally change a composition's sound and feel.
Garcia shared one key bit of advice for those who want to have a
career in music. What has kept him working, even sought after, has
been his ability to meet the current interests. He emphasized that
what is popular now, changes.
He also said everyone should know more than one instrument, and that
while being good at one style of music, you should be learning
another as well. These skills would allow them to always be needed
in the ever changing music industry.
Garcia demonstrated various pieces of percussion instruments that
were up on the stage, nearly all of which were brand new out of the
box. He and President David Gerlach had spent five hours on Tuesday
uncrating the instruments that had come straight from the
manufacturer and are all part of Garcia's signature line.
Now came some interactive fun for the students of percussion. As an
exercise in understanding the influences of percussion and how
different sounds and beats work together in a composition, Garcia
had audience members come up to join in a lesson. He showed each
person how to create the sound and the beat they were to play. He
started the maracas shaking in time, and added a different
instrument one at a time until they were all working together. It
didn't sound half bad, but wasn't quite cooked.
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He then instructed them to follow his lead, he would call "stop" and
have them repeat a musical phrase after him. Now this started to
sound good, and it was fun hearing and seeing everyone's reactions,
on stage and in the audience as they identified the pop tune, and
everyone was invited to sing, "I like it like that."
Can't quite hear the song in your head, try listening to this to
u-tube to jog your memory. It isn't the one that made the pop chart,
but you'll remember or maybe just enjoy the happy tune with a Latin
dance-to-it beat.
VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=pM6m1nQWAC8
An old friend, master drummer and instructor with Capital City
Music, representative of Diversity and Dixie Daredevils, John
Sluzalis joined Garcia in a special performance.
Winding down, Garcia took a few questions from the audience and then
he closed with a few sagely bits of wisdom to those who would seek a
career in the field of musical performance, most important to always
be learning another style than what is popular, to learn the subtle
and artful nuances of percussion that creatively compliment a body
of music.
He then announced a big surprise. Earlier while getting started he
had made a number of comments about not being used to the specific
instruments on stage that he was using, they were the same as his
own professional use instruments but new. He also had said the
instruments were from his own signature line. He announced that all
of the new instruments on stage were a gift from him to Lincoln
College. He wanted students to have professional quality instruments
the same as his own that he looks forward to playing.
Garcia thanked everyone for being there and said good night to the
audience.
He then invited all the musicians interested in speaking one-on-one
to come down and join him to talk further. The stage was mobbed.
Later, President David Gerlach, who was in the audience, explained
Garcia gave this substantial gift from his heart and the college was
grateful.
When Garcia was invited to receive the honorary doctorate he had
been overwhelmed to tears and he wanted to do something for the
college and its students in return.
This was Garcia's second visit to the Lincoln College campus, the
first some years ago culminated with a public performance with the
Lincoln Jazz Band.
Garcia's college education was at the university in Springfield and
his earliest performances in Illinois included the state fair.
Noted in a press release, his career has included "recorded and/or
performed with Phil Collins, Sting, Don Henley, Frankie Valli,
Stevie Wonder and Ritchie Sambora, as well as worked on film scores
including Disney’s Oscar winning animated film Coco. He has also
performed on a number of Grammy award winning and Grammy nominated
songs. He has toured with a variety of artists including Diana Ross,
Patti LaBelle, John Denver and Hiroshima.
Richie Gajate Garcia and his wife make their home in California and
he enjoys teaching at his studio in Hollywood.
[Jan Youngquist] |
