We Are Rhythm

Los Angeles born percussionist Kahlil Cummings joins Jhair Sala in this episode of We Are Rhythm. Cummings was raised with several musical influences in his family, stirring a lifelong passion for the history and cultural impact of music. He talks about the spiritual qualities of drumming, projects he is working on now, and his introduction to the LP brand.

Queens-born percussionist Neal Daniels is Joey’s guest in this week’s We Are Rhythm. Daniels talks about moving to LA, where he has lived for 11 years, attending the LA College of Music, the musicians he’s worked with, and the gear he uses. Daniels’ resume includes a lot of big names in music, such as Dua Lipa and Post Malone, and he is currently playing with artists Liz Phair, LP, and Booker T.

Percussionist and clinician Scott Pellegrom had his first set of drumsticks in hand before he could even walk. Growing up on a farm in Michigan, Pellegrom spent much of his childhood practicing the drums. In this conversation with We Are Rhythm host Jhair Sala, Pellegrom talks about the teacher that opened his mind to the possibilities of a musical career, how his life and working process has changed due to the pandemic, and the thrill that comes with doing clinics all around the world.

João Caetano was born and raised in Macao, a Portuguese colony in China, in a musical household. In this episode of We Are Rhythm, Caetano talks to host Jhair Sala about the cultural influences of his upbringing, the value of musical and artistic careers, and what inspired him to love percussion.

Percussionist Fausto Cuevas III joins host Jhair Sala in this episode of We Are Rhythm. Cuevas talks about leaving his hometown in Texas to attend Berklee in Boston, how to keep positive during the uncertainness of the pandemic, and how he got gigs working with artists ranging from Britney Spears to Stevie Wonder.

Drums have always came naturally to Tony Escapa, who was born and raised in a musical family in Puerto Rico. In this interview with We Are Rhythm host Jhair Sala, Escapa talks about taking gigs in Orlando from a young age, how he developed a passion for his heritage and Latin music, and his experience at Berklee. Escapa has been the drummer for Ricky Martin for over 15 years.

This episode of We Are Rhythm features father and son percussionists, Richie and Roland Garcia. Richie, who was born in New York City and moved to Puerto Rico as a child, talks about how he developed new methods of playing, bringing that information across the world through clinics and videos, and what projects he is working on now. Roland, who plays percussion on Dancing with the Stars, shares some of the lessons he’s learned from his father, the challenges of being TV performances, and some of the influences on his playing.

Iúri Oliveira never intended to become a percussionist. Though he was drawn to the drums from a young age, Oliveira describes his entry into the profession as an “accident.” In this interview with Jhair Sala, the Portugal-born percussionist talks about his great teachers, the opportunities that led him to become a full-time musician, and he how ended up becoming a representative for LP.

In this episode of We Are Rhythm, Joey sits down with drummer and producer Victor Indrizzo. Indrizzo, who moved from New York to Los Angeles at the age of 10, got his love of music from his mother. He talks to Joey about what drew him to the drums, the success that came from never giving up on his dream, and the projects he is working on now.

Adam Manning was born in Newcastle, Australia, a town he says is “known for music-making,” so it’s no surprise he found an early love for drums and congas. Manning talks to We Are Rhythm host Jhair Sala about broadening his musical opportunities in high school, discovering his passions in percussion, and musicians he’s worked with. Currently Manning is focusing on his teaching career and writing compositions.

One of the earliest lessons Brian Kilgore learned as a percussionist was the value of a diverse skillset - and his resume shows it. In this episode of We Are Rhythm, Kilgore sits down with Joey to talk about his entry into drumming, the bands and musicians that helped ignite his musical passion, the path he took to achieve his dream of working in movies, and the legends he has worked with, like John Williams.

Demian Arriaga grew up in a family “obsessed” with music. In this episode of We Are Rhythm, the Venezuela-born percussionist talks about how he got into drums, making the move from Venezuela to Massachusetts, refusing to give up after rejection, and getting the gig with the Jonas Brothers. In his time off touring, Arriaga is staying present by teaching, writing, and streaming his music.

Argentinian percussionist and composer Marcelo Woloski grew up in a family of musical hobbyists. Despite caution from others, he decided to be the first in his family to pursue music professionally. Woloski studied at a satellite school for Berklee in Argentina before moving to New York. He talks about the struggles and successes of moving, the groups he has worked and toured with, and his most recent plans and projects in this episode of We Are Rhythm.

Self-described as “not a musician,” percussionist Efrain Toro has a unique mind for music. Born in Puerto Rico to a family of engineers, Toro talks to LP We Are Rhythm host Jhair Sala about his scientific mind and the perspective that gives him on playing and manufacturing instruments. Toro also talks about his passion for the cajon, a lifelong love for surfing, and the books he has written to share his knowledge with others.

The youngest of seven kids, Ray Yslas grew up with music always playing in the house. In this episode, he talks about the progression of his career starting from taking drum lessons as a teenager to scoring his dream gig as percussionist for rock band Chicago. Along the way, he has toured and performed with a long list of major artists such as Christin Aguilera, The Backstreet Boys, Stevie Wonder, and more.

Born in Puerto Rico, percussionist Henry Cole was the only musician in his high school, but he never had a “plan B.” He later moved to Boston and started making the connections that led to touring and gigs with artists who expanded his musical interests. Cole talks about the skills that helped him grow as a drummer, the life circumstances that took him back to Puerto Rico, and the future of his music in this episode of We Are Rhythm.

Even though Tony Succar’s love for music was sparked at a young age due to his musical parents, he didn’t decide to pursue it professionally until college. Born in Peru, Succar’s family migrated to Miami when he was young, where he decided to become a band leader and learn about content creation and producing. Succar talks about the state of Latin music today, what it was like to win two Latin Grammys, and his touring life in this episode of We Are Rhythm. Succar is currently working on producing several projects for other artists, as well as his next salsa album.

Two-time Grammy-Award winning percussionist Paulo Stagnaro grew up around Boston in a home that was always full of music. In this episode of We Are Rhythm, Stagnaro talks about how the industry has changed from his parent's generation to his own, the values he’s learned through his experiences touring, and the biggest musical influences on his style. He also shares the story behind his online percussion lessons website, CongaChops.com, and what he hopes to accomplish with it.

Born in Mexico City, Antonio Sanchez grew up surrounded by theater and film, but it was drums that “floored him” at the young age of 5. In this interview, Sanchez talks about how his education brought him to the United States and Berkley. There, he made the connections that led to his partnership with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, touring opportunities, and composing the soundtrack of the film Birdman.

Pete Lockett got a late start in music, not picking up the drums until age 19, but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming one of percussion’s greats. From his upbringing in Portsmouth, England to his many tours in India, Lockett has taken has craft all over the world. He talks about this versatility and open mind being one of his greatest strengths as a drummer, his recent projects and collaborations, and much more in the latest episode of We Are Rhythm.

A Los Angeles native, Darryl Munyungo Jackson was surrounded by music from a young age. Influenced by his musically diverse family, in high school he began to discover a love for swing and Latin jazz. Saving up money from his newspaper delivery job, Munyungo Jackson bought his first pair of timbales. In this interview, he talks about how this early purchase led to his first paid gig, travel all around the world, and working with legends such as Miles Davis and Stevie Wonder.

Born into a singing family in Venezuela, over the years percussionist Diego Alvarez has developed a mastery of the cajon. In this episode of We Are Rhythm, he talks about getting the gift of music from his mother, deciding to move to Spain at age 18 to develop his craft, and his new life in Los Angeles.

A fan of music from a very young age, percussionist Kevin Ricard has taken his versatile style everywhere from touring to TV. Beginning with his early life in Santa Monica, CA., Kevin talks about how he found his passion for percussion, the multicultural influences of modern musical genres, and his decision to plant himself after years of touring. He has performed on American Idol, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and many more. Kevin also recently collaborated with Latin Percussion to design a signature cajon. You can find it online at LPmusic.com.

North Carolina native and NYC resident Shirazette Tinnin sits down with Joey DeLeon to chat about her journey as an active clinician, educator, mentor, composer, a certified personal trainer and published author. They explore the origins of her name, her early influences, developing a deep love for African music, and how she ended up in Santa Monica, CA on a scholarship.

Camilo Molina-Gaetán is a multi-percussionist from New York City and is considered to be one of the most promising and versatile percussionists of his generation. He sits down with Jhair to talk about starting to play percussion at the age of 4, the importance of discipline and understanding the history behind the styles of music they play, and Camilo tells Jhair how playing with Eddie Palmieri changed his life. And of course, Camilo tells Jhair who is in his fantasy quintet.

Jhair is joined in the studio by multi-talented drummer and percussionist Terry Silverlight. Terry talks about touring with his older brother's band at the age of 14, learning about latin music by listening to the radio, and why being in the room with other musicians is the best way to develop your own style. And of course, who would be in his fantasy band. Terry is a jazz, pop, rock and R&B drummer, composer, and producer who has recorded on hundreds of albums. And with three drum books under his name, he's also an author and instructor. Silverlight has also written, produced and arranged pieces for television.

In this episode, Joey sits down with musician Karl Perazzo. Born and raised in San Francisco, Perazzo has long toured with Santana and has appeared on several of Carlos’ albums. He has also recorded and played with Malo, Dizzy Gillespie, Pete and Coke Escovedo, Prince, Mariah Carey and John Lee Hooker, as well as Latino greats Tito Puente and Ruben Blades. With LP, he created the LP Karl Perazzo Signature Series Timbales.

In this final show of 2019, we’ve pulled the top 10 episodes together to showcase some of the artists we’ve featured this year.

Joey meets up with Hector in LA, on day four of a sold out 7-night run of shows at the Forum. Hector is a percussionist and multi-instrumentalist from Sonora who has been playing with Mexican pop rock group Mana for 13 years.

Joey's guest this episode is LP's own Josh Trask, the production manager at the LP Woodshop. Josh tells Joey about the process of crafting the cajon, the different voices that wood can have, and what it takes to get the right tone. He also previews what products are coming next.Josh Track

In this episode, Joey talks with Drum Workshop's Akbar Moghaddam about making, fixing, and creating drums. The two discuss the importance of well-made instruments, the importance of knowing and respecting music from all over the world, and why portable instruments (like drums) are better than non-portable instruments (like pianos).

Joey de Leon sits down with Jason Aldean drummer Rich Redmond to talk about his versatile career, what keeps him going through the ups and downs of the industry, and what he does to grow creatively (like take a comedy class).

Drummer, composer, and educator Michael Napolitano joins Jhair to talk about the importance of teaching music to children, their shared love of Italy, and Michael's new record "Seeing Life in 20/20".

Jhair sits down with Joe Bergamini, drummer, educator, author, and publisher. Born and bred in NJ, Joe tells Jhair about his early days playing along to Rush and Van Halen, his successful career as a progressive rock drummer, and more.

Joey welcomes Frank Zummo, drummer for pop punk band Sum 41 and founder of the drum ensemble Street Drum Corps. Frank tells Joey about seeing his first concert at age 5, why learning to play music outside of his comfort zone is job security and more.

Jhair sits down with renowned drummer and percussionist Yayo Serka, fresh off a tour throughout Spain with Lila Downs. Yayo shares his experiences as a musician, from learning how to play at a young age in Chile, to the years he spent in Cuba and more.

In this episode, Jhair Sala sits down with Brookyln-born world percussionist Bashiri Johnson about imposter syndrome, recording the music if Ray Charles, and what instrument speaks to him the most.

This week, a special episode was recorded at the LP HQ in Oxnard, CA. Joey's guest is Kiran Gandhi, an electronic music artist, drummer, producer, and activist. Kiran Gandhi is known by her stage name Madame Gandhi and is one of the most important and impressive up-and-coming young artists. Having gained recognition as the former drummer for M.I.A. and Kehlani, Madame Gandhi now writes music that elevates and celebrates the female voice.

This week, We Are Rhythm features percussionist Paoli Mejias in conversatoin with host Joey De Leon. Paoli is a distinguished master percussionist and Latin Grammy award nominee, who is ranked among the best in Latin jazz and salsa.

Renowned percussionist and composer Doug Hinrichs visits Jhair’s studio to talk about his diverse musical career, from his early days learning music in Nebraska to playing on Broadway, to traveling to Brazil to learn different styles of Brazilia.

This week on We Are Rhythm, Joey sits down with world percussionist Kassandra Kocoshis. They talk about her musical family and early beginnings as a musician, discovering flamenco, and how her impresssive career has evolved with each city and musical act.

Aaron Serfaty is a renowned drummer, percussionist, and educator at USC. He sits down with host Joey DeLeon to chat about his career that started at an early age, coming to the United States to learn swing, taking a teaching gig to provide for his family and why you should train your students to be better than you.

Sheila Escovedo, better known as Sheila E., is percussionist, drummer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and singer. She sits down with Joey De Leon to talk about growing up in her famously talented family, being self-taught, and that time she met Prince, who’d already had an eye on her skills. (and the rest is history)

Ron Powell is a percussionist, musician, author, and instructor. Ron sits down with Joey De Leon to discuss his career with Kenny G., Diana Ross, Sergio Mendes, and that one week he was offered 5 gigs at once.

Percussionist & musician Damon Grant joins host Jhair Sala in his Rahway, NJ studio, to talk about learning how to play drums in middle school, the rigor required to be in drum corps, and the choice he had to make between baseball and music.

Host Joey De Leon is joined by Emmy- nominated musical director, producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Peter Michael Escovedo. Joey and Peter Michael talk about his famous family, his early days growing up in the Bay Area and why that part of the country was the perfect place to get a well rounded musical education. He talks about the latin jazz rock band that used to play in the family living room with his dad (Terry Bozio on drums, Neal Schon on guitar, and an occasional appearance by Carlos Santana), watching Marvin Gaye improv in front of a live audience while they were on tour, and why he’s always studying the position ahead of him.

The latest episode a family affair as host Joey DeLeon is joined by Father and son percussionists, Michael and Remi Spiro who discuss their unique perspective on exploring their passion for percussion from the outside in.