Percussion

Founded and directed by award-winning educator Diane Downs, The Louisville Leopard Percussionists have been wowing audiences at national and regional conventions for years. In addition, they were featured recently in the HBO Family documentary The Music in Me in a segment entitled, The Leopards Take Manhattan: The Little Band That Roared. Here are the authentic arrangements by Diane carefully edited by well-known educator/author Rick Mattingly. Each arrangement comes with a full performance CD and is written with a flexible instrumentation based around mallet instruments, drum set, and a variety of Latin instruments.

With relentless energy and a driving pulse, the Finale from William Bolcom's Fifth Symphony lends itself quite naturally to an interpretation for the contemporary percussion ensemble. Impressive!

Master Solos book/CD packs are a fresh source of solo literature in a comprehensive package for developing instrumentalists. The collections for the various instruments were personally selected and performed by world-famous performing artists and educators (see below), and each features a specially prepared lesson. Every Master Solos pack includes 8 selections by renowned composers - different for each instrument - and a piano accompaniment book. The accompanying CDs are uniquely designed to serve in practice and performance situations, and offer immeasurable benefits for the intermediate soloist and for the instrumental instructor. The first track features the solo performance with piano accompaniment providing tempo and musical style, and the second track is the piano accompaniment only, designed for rehearsal. The recorded accompaniment can also be used in performances. Flute by Gary Sigurdson, Oboe by Don Jaeger, Bassoon by Leonard Sharrow, Bb Clarinet by Ramon Kireilis, Eb Alto Saxophone by Larry Teal, Bb Trumpet/Cornet by Robert Getchell, Horn by Louis Stout, Trombone by Buddy Baker, Baritone Horn by Larry Campbell, Tuba by Daniel Perantoni, Percussion by Peter Magadini. All books edited by Linda Rutherford.

Glen Caruba's first book, Afro-Cuban Drumming, touched on basic Latin percussion styles. This follow-up teaches how to incorporate these traditional rhythms and techniques into modern pop and rock playing. Covers instrument playing tips (congas, bongo, timbale, cowbell, shakers and more), funk grooves, pop ballads, Afro-Cuban 6/8, jazz-fusion grooves, cha-cha pop, and lots more. The CD features 40 tracks of examples.

The author shares his experiences of interpretation under the world's finest conductors during a career of 36 years with the San Francisco Symphony.This one-of-a-kind exploration includes excerpts from 14 major works for band and orchestra, translations of foreign musical terms, an examination of percussion notation and more. Other topics covered include: interpretation of clues provided by composers in both scores and parts; development of musicality by the expansion of dynamics, phrasing, and articulations; an analysis of inconsistencies in composing for percussion; the exploration of interpretative skills for creating great performances.

The Louisville Leopard Percussionists, an ensemble founded and directed by Diane Downs, has been wowing audiences at national and regional PAS and MENC conventions for several years. Using music arranged by Diane, these youngsters perform with a degree of enthusiasm and skill that is truly amazing. For the first time, these distinctive arrangements are available in print - carefully edited by well-known educator/author Rick Mattingly. Each arrangement comes with a full performance CD and is written with a flexible instrumentation based around mallet instruments, drum set, and a variety of Latin instruments. If you are looking to start up a percussion ensemble, or need some entertaining program pieces for your existing group, this series is definitely for you!