World Percussion Ensemble with Jonny Peiffer

You've heard of a Jazz Band, a Concert Band and a Bluegrass ensemble - but have you ever heard of a World Percussion Ensemble?

World Percussion Ensemble, one of PMAC's newest ensembles, offers a unique look at percussion that we often don't see. Comprised of percussive instruments that hail from all over the world, feel as though you are travelling far and wide when you play instruments from Cuba, the Carribean, Brazil, Peru, West Africa and beyond. With its explosive West African beats or steamy Latin American rhythms, World Percussion ensemble will get your whole body moving.

Jonny Peiffer, who brings West Africa to the states with his band Shango and hammers out sultry jazz tunes with his jazz septet Sojoy, is the perfect man to lead such an exciting new ensemble. We've asked him a few questions about World Percussion and what it's all about:

PMAC: Your World Percussion Ensemble is one of PMAC’s newest – and most original – ensembles. Could you tell us a little more about it and what drove you to create this unique opportunity here at PMAC?

Jonny Peiffer: Where I come from, percussion instruments are no less musical and expressive than strings or reeds or vocal chords. Where do I come from? Waukesha, Wisconsin. What am I talking about? Well, that’s just what I’ve always been exposed to - groups like Michael Spiro’s 'Bata Ketu’ and ‘Bata Mbira’ groups, Max Roach’s M’BOOM Ensemble, Keith Terry & Crosspulse, Airto Moriera, Mickey Hart, even STOMP. The examples are endless of beautiful music being made using what are often considered merely auxiliary instruments.

PMAC: What is different about the World Percussion Ensemble than a concert band or a jazz band?

JP: We will not be concerned with key signatures and chords for one. Does the heart-beat have a key signature? Do your footsteps and hand-claps have a chord progression? Do the waves of the ocean and wind through the trees need transposing into concert key? We’ll be tuning into something entirely different - the language of the elements. These are the elements that people have been communicating with in certain cultures for centuries and millennia, elements that have been the cause of great celebration and joy. And let’s not forget rhythm and syncopation. Sure, there might be one or two pieces in a concert band repertoire that are syncopated and multi-rhythmic, but ALL of our repertoire will be lively in its syncopation and rhythmic complexity.

PMAC: Is this an ensemble that any kind of percussionist could participate in? What new things might a set player learn? What new things could a mallet player learn?

JP: Yes, all percussionists are welcome. But they may be asked to try something they are not used to. The set player might learn to deconstruct their set and see where each different part came from, the various origins of the drum-set, and reconstruct it in an entirely different way, maybe introducing brand new sounds and discarding others. The mallet player my learn the resonant value of all the percussion instruments, that they all have a voice that speaks if asked the right questions, not just pieces of wood and metal that are designed to fit in a perfectly tuned scale - although that is also useful. The mallet player may also realize the relationship between their instrument and other non-pitched instruments. Everyone will be invited to expand their listening skills and knock down a few preconceptions about what music is.

PMAC: You’re a well-rounded musician who plays in multiple different genres and settings regularly: a 20+ piece Afro-beat band called Shango, your jazz septet Sojoy, teaching one-on-one music lessons here at PMAC and composing your own music. How do all of those things come together and shape who you are as a musician and a teacher?

JP: I am a composer, a performer and a listener. I am a musician, a dancer, and a cook. I don’t see boundaries and limits. So I encourage my students to not see boundaries and limits either, but instead to focus on obstacles as chances to climb around.

PMAC: Why do you think it is beneficial for students and professional musicians alike to make music with their peers?

JP: Well, my peers are all better than me, so they motivate me to get to their level. Plus, to no small extent, the bandstand and the rehearsal room is the only place I get to see certain people and spend time with them in a meaningful way. So I make sure that continues to happen as often as possible. Your peers teach you things about yourself you could never learn on your own. Plus it’s really really fun.

PMAC: What is one thing you are looking forward to most about running this new ensemble?

JP: I am looking forward to challenging percussionists of all backgrounds and unleashing them - a percussion ensemble is to a percussionist what the pack is to the dog.


Thank you Jonny! Check out World Percussion Ensemble and our other adult ensembles on our website!