BACK FROM KOSA!

I got back from KOSA a few days ago. I had a terrific time there, and it was awesome to see so many of my drum and percussion buddies and to hear them play and watch them teach. It was held on the campus of Johnson State College in Vermont, and the facilities work out very well for the event. Congratulations to Aldo Mazza, his wife Jolán, and his staff for hosting a wonderful week of drumming and sharing.

Among my friends on the KOSA faculty who I got to see there and hang with were Arnie Lang, Allan Molnar, Memo Acevedo, She-e Wu, Michael Spiro, John Riley, and Jim Royle. I got to know Mike Manieri better, and met for the first time Marco Lienhard, Jeff Salisbury, Gregg Bissonette, Michael Wimberly and Dafnis Prieto, all really terrific people and musicians. I also saw the ever delightful Ron Baker from England, who was attending KOSA for the 7th time as a student! I just love how after nearly 6 decades as a professional drummer he still has the desire to learn and the energy to make the trip "across the pond."

I taught 4 classes there, and performed twice. I played my own "Sonata for Timpani" on the Tuesday night concert, and in the Wednesday morning masterclass I played congas with Allan Molnar on vibes and Terry Silverlight on drums, who was "beaming in" from his home in NY via Apple iChat and iSight technology to play with us. My four class topics were Timpani, Body Percussion Ensemble, How to Practice, and Interpreting Big Band Charts.

If you're looking for a summer camp and festival that allows you to learn first-hand from world-class players, and in an intimate setting, I highly recommend you consider attending a future KOSA.

Here are just a few photos from the week (click on them to get full-sized images):

That's Allan Molnar on vibes, Terry Silverlight on drums "beaming in," and me on congas.

L to R: Aldo Mazza, Memo Acevedo, Michael Spiro

She-e Wu with Arnie Lang backstage

The view from just outside of the hall where we performed