Twenty of the top percussion companies in the industry have donated merchandise totalling more than $235,000 in retail value for the Five-Star Big Beat that will occur in 15 cities in North America on Sunday, November 7, 2010. Each participating store will be giving away more than $15,000 worth of drum gear to participants in this exciting charity event that will benefit the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation and in some cities, the addition of a local charity as well. Plus, one lucky winner in one of the 15 cities will get a special Dream Theater “Black Clouds & Silver Linings” replica tour bass drum head autographed especially for this occasion by drummer Mike Portnoy and the entire band!
The Big Beat will bring together the largest gathering of drummers ever assembled across North America to celebrate the joy of drumming and to raise money for worthwhile causes. Not only will each location try to break the individual city record for the most drummers playing the same beat at one time, but the participants will also try to shatter the record the Big Beat set last year for drummers playing the same beat in multiple cities at the same time! This marks the third year that the Five-Star Drum Shops group has organized this event, with the hope of expanding each year, until drummers across the globe are locked in on one worldwide groove.
Drummers of all skill levels and experience are encouraged to get involved and contact one of these participating Five-Star members for details:
Bellevue, WA: Donn Bennett Drum Studio – bennettdrums.com
Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Drum Outlet – buffalodrumoutlet.com
Champaign, IL: Skins-n-Tins Drum Shop – skinsntins.com
Columbus, OH: Columbus Percussion – columbuspercussion.com
Fort Collins, CO: Colorado Drum & Percussion – coloradodrum.com
Hollywood, FL: Resurrection Drums – rezdrums.com
Houston, TX: The Percussion Center – percussiononline.com
Plainview, NY: Original Long Island Drum Center – lidrum.com
Portland, OR: Rhythm Traders – rhythmtraders.com
San Jose, CA: Lemmon Percussion- drumsusa.com
St. Louis, MO: Drum Headquarters – drumheadquarters.com
St. Paul, MN: Ellis Drum Shop – ellisdrumshop.com
Toronto, ON: Just Drums – justdrums.com
Tulsa, OK: Drum World – drumdaytulsa.com
Willowick, OH: Stebal Drums – stebaldrums.com
The Five-Star Drum Shops group is a non-profit organization of independently-owned specialty percussion stores in North America that are dedicated to advancing the art and science of drumming. For more information, visit www.fivestardrumshops.com or check out Five-Star on Facebook.
James Armstrong Brasil Residency 2010
James began his visit with a solo appearance at the III Festival de Percussão (hosted by Jorge Sacramento) followed by a two-week intensive teaching residency at Universidade Federal Da Bahia. Masterclasses were given in several areas of percussion, including AfroCaribbean folkloric drumming, jazz vibraphone and improvisation, drumset, and snare drum and mallet technique. The UFBA residency concluded with a concert performance at Brazil Connect 2010 (Partners Brazil National Convention) that included student performances of several of Armstrong¹s percussion ensemble compositions, Afro Haitian and Afro Cuban folkloric drumming, some Brasilian popular music, and several jazz pieces. Armstrong then taught several days at the non-profit community organizations ACRAS in Sussuarana, Bahia (Assoção Cultural e Recreativa dos Amigos de Sussuarana) and Cidade Do Saber in Camaçari, Bahia. These programs also included masterclass and group sessions in Afro Haitian and Afro Cuban folkloric drumming, jazz, and West African drum and dance, each concluding with a short presentation by student ensembles.
Apart from teaching, James also performed with several jazz and pop ensembles and as solo artist (Afro Haitian and Afro Cuban folkloric
drumming) at Modern Art Museum of Salvador, Jaçeria, Porto De Barra and Casa de Taipa Camaçari to name a select few. James also had the opportunity to visit the Candomblé terrieros Ile Asé Jagun, Terreiro Osumaré, and Unzo Tateto Lemba where he observed ceremonies and worked with drummers and members associated with each terreiro. While in Salvador, considerable progress was also made regarding the Music With Borders program, a three-year music and cultural exchange between musicians from Pennsylvania and Bahia slated to begin in 2011.