A Celebration of World Drums and Drummers
World famous percussionist and Woodstock Chimes founder, Garry Kvistad (www.chimes.com) is proud to present the Drum Boogie Festival on Saturday, September 17 (rain date, Sunday, September 18) on the lawn of Cornell Park in the Rondout section of Kingston, New York, from 9:30 AM to 8 PM. The festival is a free event in a comfortable outdoor setting near the Hudson River. Cornell Park was chosen for many reasons including the natural amphitheater acoustics on a multi-tiered hillside overlooking the river.
The Drum Boogie Festival is the brainchild of Garry Kvistad, founder of Woodstock Chimes and Executive Director of The Woodstock Chimes Fund, spurred by numerous conversations with New York State Assemblymember Kevin Cahill over a span of several years. Mr. Cahill, a supporter of the arts and lover of percussion, encouraged Garry to develop a multi-cultural festival, celebrating the diverse styles of world percussion. Realizing that it would be impossible to be all inclusive in a one day festival, Garry selected performers to represent world drumming in many distinct forms: jazz, modern, rudimental, rock, ragtime, caribbean steel pan, East Indian, African, tap and Native American.
Drum and percussion are among the oldest and most common instruments in the world and include both the easiest and most difficult instruments to play. Garry called upon colleagues who are the top performers in the world to create a festival that won’t soon be forgotten. World renowned drummers and percussionists will perform side-by-side with local professional artists on two stages. Jazz great Jack DeJohnette will appear with David Sancious, Roberto Quintero, and Yusnier Sanches. Voted Best Drummer in a 2008 DownBeat Reader’s Poll, Jack DeJohnette has collaborated with major figures in jazz history. Some of the great talents he has worked with are John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Sun Ra, Thelonious Monk, Stan Getz, and Keith Jarrett.
Rock drummer Jerry Marotta. In a world where most drummers and musicians all sound alike, Jerry Marotta stands alone as a charismatic legend that has performed with Lennon/McCartney, Peter Gabriel and Orleans.
The Canadian percussion quintet NEXUS (“…the high priests of the percussion world”, New York Times) will be performing an all Steve Reich program Steve Reich’s Drumming Part One and his recent Mallet Quartet.
Liam Teague, winner of numerous awards in his native country of Trinidad & Tobago will amaze everyone in attendance with his impressive musical approach to the Steel Pan and will be soloing with the 25 piece New York University and directors Jonathan Haas and Josh Quillen (So Percussion).
One of the country’s top Rudimental Drumming ensembles, the Not-So-Traditional Players, will feature 86 year old Nick Attanasio, arguably the greatest bass drummer whose unique and thrilling style has been copied around the world.
Dennis Yerry will be joined by Matoaka and Powhatan performing Native American Music for Drums and Flute.
The festival will also include the inspirational Percussion Orchestra of Kingston (POOK) – a youth dance and drumming group dedicated to presenting world music while offering local kids meaningful activities and skills.
Other new additions this year include the Hip Pickles, spectacular rudimental drumming, Orlando Hernandez, emerging young tap dancer, Mandara, featuring Valerie Naranjo, drummer with Broadway’s Lion King orchestra and the Saturday Night Live Band.
The Festival will kick off at 9:30 with a large Drum Circle, led by Chet Doboe of the Hip Pickles, which will benefit cancer treatment in the Hudson Valley through the creation of the Kathy Janeczek Memorial Fund.
The logo for the event has been designed by Milton Glaser, one of the most celebrated graphic designers in the world (his “I Love NY” campaign is legendary).
The Drum Boogie Festival is a production of the Woodstock Chimes Fund Created in 1986 by Diane and Garry Kvistad, the Woodstock Chimes Fund is a non-profit foundation established to support food, shelter and arts programs in the Hudson Valley and beyond.
For More Information Contact:
Garry Kvistad
Drum Boogie Festival Executive Director
845 657-0499
garry@chimes.com
