Audio
Recordings
This is an abridged version of four songs by the South Jersey Pops, a 77-piece orchestra that plays everything from Broadway to Bon Jovi. Here are clips from “Livin’ On a Prayer,” Adele’s “Skyfall,” “Out There,” and Chicago’s “25-6-4.
A personally memorable recording of a lesson with Morris “Arnie” Lang, percussionist for the New York Philharmonic for 40 years, prepping me for my Juilliard audition. I probably had no business auditioning – I had only been playing mallets for less than three years and was primarily a big band drummer. Still, my hope was the admissions committee would see my potential and weigh my references. My biggest concern was that they might ask me to sight-read something. Mr. Lang assured me they would not, but of course, they did. :-)
A powerful number from Miss Saigon, one of my favorite performances. The cast featured actors from both the Broadway and West End productions. Lots of prep time for this show – no rehearsal and juggling more than 10 percussion instruments.
As a devoted Elvis fan, All Shook Up was a thrill to work on, packing some of “The King’s” greatest hits woven into a tapestry of playful love stories. The directors wanted each song to pulsate with energy and drive – especially this one– so I locked into the groove and played right on top of the beat.
This number from The Toxic Avenger blends sultry sex appeal with infectious Latin rhythms. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Camden, New Jersey has a professional theater. It was my first time performing there. I really enjoyed it and played the full run of the show.
I studied with Henry Adler for nearly four years. His career began during the early big band era as a drummer. He also owned a music store and rental facility where he and others taught percussion. He became a major author and publisher of drum instructional books and produced a snare drum mute for practicing. When I first met him, I expected some grand surroundings given his reputation; instead, I found a modest. no-frills space with just two snare drums equipped with mutes. If you studied with Mr. Adler, he was adamant in how to hold the sticks and turn your hands. To this day, I remain a firm believer in his methodology.
Here I am practicing my marimba audition solo. Listening to it now, it’s pretty solid technically, but it’s not as musically tasteful as I would play it now. By the way, if you catch a “klunk” thud sound, it’s not a wrong note. My marimba was only three octaves and the piece required me to hit an F sharp a half-step beyond its range.
“Tell Me It’s Not True” is the emotional finale of Blood Brothers, a 1981 London-born musical with book and music by Willy Russell. This performance took place at the historic Ritz Theater in Haddon Township, New Jersey. The venue holds a special place for me because when my son, Alex was 15, he played a lead role there in Neil Simon’s Lost In Yonkers.
This is the opening number from The Addams Family, a quirky hoot of a musical inspired by the iconic 1960s TV show. The cast from this Media Theater production was spectacular.