Join us for a special workshop with internationally acclaimed jazz drummer E.J. Strickland! Topics covered and demonstrated include ride cymbal technique, timekeeping, soloing, odd meters, brushes, orchestrating a band from the drums, a list of recordings that are essential to get, Latin rhythms and touch. Attendees will also have the opportunity to play and receive suggestions for continued development. This workshop is attendee-driven and all questions are welcome! Enoch Jamal ÒE.J.Ó Strickland is the world-class, world-traveled drummer, composer, educator, and artist youÕve heard on over 60 albums in the last 10-plus years. The Miami native grew up in a creative household, where his dad was a percussionist in the Ft. Lauderdale Orchestra; his twin brother Marcus played the saxophone; and where E.J. beat on pots, pans, and tables until he finally got his hands on the drums. He was only in middle school, yet E.J. knew then that jazz was his calling. Where does one go as a young jazz musician, serious about the work? New York City, of course. Like so many talented artists before him, E.J. chose the New School to further his jazz education, a course of study that would introduce him to greater technical ability, but really, to the meat of any jazz program: teachers and peers. Reggie Workman. Buster Williams. Billy HarperÑjust to name a few of the living legend, caring instructors who guided E.J. during his tenure. And the peers? Friends who would spend almost every moment together, growing as young musicians and future leaders of the sound: Mike Moreno, Robert Glasper, Brandon Owens, and Marcus Baylor. Together, they formed a group that would shape their voices, and establish their careers. E.J. quickly graduated into New YorkÕs gigging jazz scene, playing early on with Russell Malone and Ravi Coltrane. Both artists proved to be big brother types for E.J., gently guiding him as he established his voice. ÒRussell really stressed the point that as a drummer, youÕre supposed to make the music feel good,Ó he says. ÒI always try to remember what he instilled in me.Ó Ravi Coltrane lent a similar kind of open-ended guidance, telling E.J. to simply Òfind somethingÓ in the music. Just what that would be was up to him. Since then, Strickland has built a successful career as a composer, bandleader, educator, and sideman. HeÕs toured, performed, and recorded with some of the greatest names in contemporary music: Cassandra Wilson, Terence Blanchard, Lizz Wright, Wynton Marsalis, George Colligan, David Gilmore, Vincent Herring, and Nnenna Freelon, to name a few. As an instructor, heÕs taught alongside some of the worldÕs best jazz educators: Dave Douglas and Vijay Iyer at the prestigious Banff International Workshop in Jazz & Creative Music, Steve Kirby at University of Manitoba, and Earl MacDonald at University of Connecticut. As a leader, heÕs released two albums: 2009Õs In This Day featuring Marcus Strickland, Jaleel Shaw, Luis Perdomo, and Hans Glawischnig in a blend of musical settings. His most recent release, The Undying Spirit Òpositively glowsÉits success comes largely from the leaderÕs ability to inspire the best in his fellow musicians,Ó says Brian Zimmerman, Downbeat Magazine. Nick Bewsey in Icon Magazine calls E.J. Òan artist with a clear and sensible vision: that a drummer-led jazz record should give listeners an opportunity to get their groove on.Ó VarietyÑof influence and interestÑmight be the key word for E.J. in his creative approach. He studied both classical and Latin percussion, working early on with the great Cuban drummer Ignacio Berroa. ÒGrowing up, we listened to all kinds of music in the house,Ó he says. ÒMiles, Stevie; just good music.Ó HeÕs applied his wide-ranging tastes to the artists he plays with today: funk and fusion with pianist Manuel ValeraÕs Groove Square; Latin jazz with tenor player David Sanchez; soul and R&B with harpist Brandee Younger; straight-ahead with alto player Sharel Cassity. In 2015, E.J. brings his eclecticism to a new group, Transient Beings. Founded in the spirit of the present moment, Transient Beings celebrates the one thing we all share: limited time on Earth. With insightful and uplifting lyrics, and a unique instrumentation Ñvocals and effects by Sarah Elizabeth Charles, two guitarists, Nir Felder and Tom Guarna, Rashaan Carter on electric bass, and Strickland pulsing throughoutÑhe hopes to unite his listeners through funk, hip-hop, Afrobeat, and fusion, pairing the complexity of jazz solos with the textured guitar sounds of rock. The openness that E.J. brings to his creative work is the same trait that makes him a successful educator. A private teacher, coach, master class and clinic instructor, he focuses on the individual student, their personality and interests, in order to best guide them. ÒI never tell them, You have to do this, or that. I try to show them that music is a wide, wide world of possibility. And I try to make it fun. I always try to remember that music is fun.Ó Fun. Stirring. Uplifting. Intriguing. Kinetic: There are so many moods and meanings enmeshed into E.J. StricklandÕs music, his myriad influences and ideas crossing and branching out in every direction. He reminds us: ÒYouÕre not going to hear a traditional jazz drummer. YouÕre going to hear someone whoÕs drawing from many different styles, many different approaches. ThatÕs what my true voice is. Enoch Jamal ÒE.J.Ó Strickland is the world-class, world-traveled drummer, composer, and bandleader youÕve heard on over 60 albums for over 10 years. The Miami native and twin brother of saxophonist Marcus Strickland is a pillar of the New York jazz scene, having lent his eclectic sound to albums by Ravi Coltrane, Russell Malone, and others. In 2015, Strickland released his sophomore album The Undying Spirit, which Downbeat Magazine says Òpositively glows.Ó Featuring his quintet (Jaleel Shaw, Marcus Strickland, Luis Perdomo, Linda Oh) the release highlights StricklandÕs wide-ranging musical influences and talents as a bandleader and composer, and says Icon Magazine Ògive[s] listeners an opportunity to get their groove on.Ó Not to be boxed-in, 2015 also saw the founding of StricklandÕs new electric group, Transient Beings. Inspired by the one trait that unites us allÑimpermanenceÑTransient Beings seeks to unite listeners through uplifting lyrics and textured sounds from across genres. Strickland brings his openness not just to the bandstand, but to the classroom: heÕs a sought-after private teacher, coach, master class teacher and clinician, working with students at the prestigious Banff Workshop, the University of Manitoba, and University of Connecticut. Armed with endless curiosity, a desire to connect with humankind, and the power of his sound, E.J. Strickland continues to clear a path for himself in the jazz world, and beyondÑa path that can only grow wider in the years to come.
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