Yesterday I was catching up on podcasts from Upbeat.
Phil Brownlee reviewed a concert by NZTrio in which they brought in a drum kit for Kenji Bunch’s Concerto for piano trio and percussion (from 10:38):
“It’s often challenging in a concert setting. […] [An] issue with the drum kit is just the balance, particularly if you’re alluding to the rock setting, the rock-jazz kind of sound. Early on the piece it felt like Lenny Sakofsky was holding it down to balance with the trio and it doesn’t sound like a drum kit until you start hitting it hard.”
This resonated [pun] with me, as earlier that day I’d begun writing my own concerto for organ, drum kit and orchestra. Its working title is Relish in Immature Bombast, and I don’t want the kit player to feel at all like he needs to play down, because that’s when drum kit playing starts to suck.
(Image modified with apologies to Hyperbole and a Half.)
