Internationally renowned composer performs at CSM
Dylan Slusser
Issue date: 12/14/09 Section: Entertainment
Musicians shined and lights gleamed from steel drums on Dec. 6 as internationally-renowned Trinidadian composer, arranger and percussionist, Ray Holman, and an array of artists performed for a sold-out crowd at the theater.
Players swayed rhythmically and island notes resounded throughout the auditorium when the CSM Panhandlers and Nueva School Steel Drum bands opened the concert with the song "Magic Drum."
"It is so refreshing," said Lisa Hilmes of Danville. "This beat just makes you want to move."
Established saxophonist, Danny Bittker, infused his talents into a rendition of "Sonhos" which paved the way for Holman to take to the stage.
Holman has won many musical awards including the Hummingbird Silver Medal of Merit from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and a Pan Legend Award from the New York Folks Arts Institute and the U.S. Congress.
He has arranged and recorded with steel bands and artists in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Japan and Europe. He has also played the Super Bowl and Madison Square Garden.
"I came to see Ray Holman," said Mark Whiting, a Holman fan from San Francisco. "If you listen to his body of work, he is a musical genius."
"He is as good as it gets," said Helen Souranoff, manager and director of the theater.
Holman's percussion complimented the vocals of Tony Lindsey, 11-time Grammy Award winner and former vocalist for Santana.
Steel drums were made out of 55 gallon steel, hammered and heated to produce different notes. The first steel drums had only three notes but now it is common to find 20 to 30 notes from a drum.
The Contra Costa Children's Chorus has been working with Holman for four years and sang a tenor acappella before Holman plunged into a solo.
Effortlessly conjuring chimes that rolled through the crowd in waves, his drumsticks moved over the steel drum with all of the grace of Fred Estaire's gliding tap shoes.
"(My favorite times to play music is) every time I see people dance and when I see them cry," said Holman. "This music spans all emotion."
"Different rhythms come from Trinidad," said Tansel Pope, 6 bass percussionist and 14-year veteran of the band. "Each part of the band is playing a different rhythms at the same time, so it is very important to only focus on your own beat. It is amazing how they all blend together."
"Pan Music is such an enthusiastic music to play," said Carol Van Huizen, 14-year veteran of the band. "It is an honor to be part of bringing this music to us here from the island Trinidad where it originated."
Players swayed rhythmically and island notes resounded throughout the auditorium when the CSM Panhandlers and Nueva School Steel Drum bands opened the concert with the song "Magic Drum."
"It is so refreshing," said Lisa Hilmes of Danville. "This beat just makes you want to move."
Established saxophonist, Danny Bittker, infused his talents into a rendition of "Sonhos" which paved the way for Holman to take to the stage.
Holman has won many musical awards including the Hummingbird Silver Medal of Merit from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and a Pan Legend Award from the New York Folks Arts Institute and the U.S. Congress.
He has arranged and recorded with steel bands and artists in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Japan and Europe. He has also played the Super Bowl and Madison Square Garden.
"I came to see Ray Holman," said Mark Whiting, a Holman fan from San Francisco. "If you listen to his body of work, he is a musical genius."
"He is as good as it gets," said Helen Souranoff, manager and director of the theater.
Holman's percussion complimented the vocals of Tony Lindsey, 11-time Grammy Award winner and former vocalist for Santana.
Steel drums were made out of 55 gallon steel, hammered and heated to produce different notes. The first steel drums had only three notes but now it is common to find 20 to 30 notes from a drum.
The Contra Costa Children's Chorus has been working with Holman for four years and sang a tenor acappella before Holman plunged into a solo.
Effortlessly conjuring chimes that rolled through the crowd in waves, his drumsticks moved over the steel drum with all of the grace of Fred Estaire's gliding tap shoes.
"(My favorite times to play music is) every time I see people dance and when I see them cry," said Holman. "This music spans all emotion."
"Different rhythms come from Trinidad," said Tansel Pope, 6 bass percussionist and 14-year veteran of the band. "Each part of the band is playing a different rhythms at the same time, so it is very important to only focus on your own beat. It is amazing how they all blend together."
"Pan Music is such an enthusiastic music to play," said Carol Van Huizen, 14-year veteran of the band. "It is an honor to be part of bringing this music to us here from the island Trinidad where it originated."
Be the first to comment on this story