Video of the week

What's New!

 I hope everyone had a great summer. I'm looking forward to the next season and year with several new projects!

 I had a great time joining guitarist Rez Abbasi and harpist Isabelle Olivier in performing their project, "Oasis." The combination of acoustic guitar, harp, drumset, and percussion was an unusual delight. I have long admired their work, and it was a delight to collaborate with them. Thanks, "Oaisis," for the opportunity.

 Congratulations to the DC Jazz Festival producers and staff on another spectacular production.

 I look forward to bringing a fantastic cast of artists for another residency at Piedmont Valley Community College in Charlottesville, VA, on October 14. One of the foremost virtuosos of the South Indian kanjira, Ganesh Kumar, will join Bansari /silver flute virtuoso John Wubbenhorst. John is also an accomplished keyboardist and composer. We will be performing some of his unique compositions that we will combine with re-worked jazz standards and plenty of improvisation. Thai dancer Suteera Nagavajara will also join us. A link for tickets is here.

 The next afternoon, Oct. 15, I will perform my live soundtrack to Charlie Chaplin's "The Adventurer" and Buster Keaton's "Sherlock, Jr." In addition to the performances, I will lecture and collaborate with PVCC's animation class, music club, and film studies program.

 Get tickets here.

 Keeping with my interest in the healing power of sound, I'll travel to Raleigh Durham, North Carolina, the following weekend for the American Academy of Psychotherapy Association conference. I will collaborate with my good friends from Red Well Theater Group and provide sound design for "Off The Map," a brilliant play about the power of combined group healing. Then, the following week, I'm off to The Taubman Museum for a collaboration of visual art and dance by Southwest Virginia Ballet, choreographed by Pedro Szalay, and my original music. I'll also be participating in the exhibit of the powerful and thought-provoking exhibition Swoon, featuring the work of renowned contemporary artist Caledonia Curry/Swoon. In addition to performing live for the opening, I'm delighted that, with the support of the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program, there will be film animation that will include the original music from my new project, Metalic Meditation, that makes use of binaural beats, hand pans, gongs, and Tibetan bowls. Stay tuned! The link to the exhibit is here.

 Then, it is off to PASIC (The Percussive Arts Society International Convention), where I will give a workshop on increasing the skillset for Interactive Drum Facillators. I will discuss and demonstrate some of my techniques and multicultural combinations of instruments/technical strokes from my decades of studying world music, jazz, and contemporary classical music. There will be plenty of PDF files for follow-up. You can view some of these here, here, and here.

My recent release, The Breath, garners national airplay and Spotify hits. You may purchase it directly from my site and all streaming formats.

 Be kind and make art!

 Peace,

 -Tom

 The Breath:

 From the participatory action of drumming to the receptive connection of sound healing, I hope you will enjoy my new CD. The Breath is now available in hard copy on my website and other venues. It is also available for streaming via the usual outlets. It is a collection of reflective, meditative music combined with jazz influenced by the great astral traveler Sun Ra. I hope it provides listening enjoyment and a healing, meditative experience. This music was conceived to serve as a still and moving meditation and reflects my current interest in the functional healing properties of music and sound. A national radio campaign is forthcoming; stay tuned.

 I'll be sharing more updates and videos as they become available. Until then, browse the site and enjoy music, video, and educational material.

  As evidenced by my projects, I aim to harness the power of sound with a common heartbeat unified in human existence to make this world better than I found it.

  Stay well and be kind.

 Peace,

-Tom

   My DVD/Book set, An American Approach to World Percussion, was nominated for Drum! Magazine Drummie Award for best drum book of 2016! It is available at http://www.alfred.com/Products/An-American-Approach-to-World-Percussion--00-44486.aspx It can also be found here DVDs 

In a recent CD review, Rebecca Ritzel, The Washington Post, stated that Tom is ..."a multi-instrumental genius" for his compelling performance on over fifteen different instruments!