Sunday, April 29, 2012

Drum Clinic & Fundraising for Make a Wish Foundation

Dear friends!
On May 1st I will participate on a Drum Clinic/event that will be raising funds to the Make a Wish foundation of NJ. The clinic also features artists Mike Donahue (http://www.mikedonahuedrums.net) and Marcus Santos (http://www.marcussantos.com). At 7pm, at the Sam Ash Music Store in Edison, NJ.
Please see the poster, press release and more information below, and do come by if you are in the area! It will be a fun night of music, and we'll be supporting a great cause. thanks y'all!
Drum Clinic on May 1st, 2012

Drummers Mike Donahue, Mauricio Zottarelli and percussionist Marcus Santos join forces on May 1st for an evening of music, drumming and to raise funds to a great cause

Fellow artists Mike Donahue (http://www.mikedonahuedrums.net), Mauricio Zottarelli (http://www.mzdrums.com) and Marcus Santos (http://www.marcussantos.com) will join forces on May 1st, 2012 in a performance/drum clinic to raise funds for the NJ Make a Wish Foundation. The show will take place on May 1st at the Sam Ash music store in Edison, NJ - 1831 Rt. 27 Edison, NJ (732)572-5595, at 7pm. The event will feature the 3 musicians performing individually and collectively, showcasing a diverse and multicultural array of drumming styles, music, and artistry. Their extensive experience in the music scene, as performers and educators, will surely make this clinic a memorable musical night, fun for the whole family, and will benefit one of the most admired and well-know charities in the world.

Since 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has enriched the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work. The Foundation's mission reflects the life-changing impact that a Make-A-Wish® experience has on children, families, referral sources, donors, sponsors and entire communities. Since its humble beginnings, the organization has blossomed into a worldwide phenomenon, reaching more than 250,000 children around the world.

Mike Donahue has been playing the drums for over 20 years. He has studied with Top Rated NYC drummer Ray Marchia and jazz drumming legend Joe Morello. Mike plays and records throughout New York and New Jersey and is looked at as a diverse and solid performer. His instructional methods & techniques have also made him a successful drum instructor. His musical experience has taken him through practically every musical genre and Mike continues to define himself as a drummer and explore the endless creative outlets in the world of music. Mike actively works with schools, camps and organizations that can benefit from his free drum clinic “Chasing Your Dreams 1 Beat At A Time”. Mike also holds charity drum clinics to raise money for great causes.

Brazilian born, New York City-based drummer/composer Mauricio Zottarelli has been on the forefront of the Jazz, Latin and Brazilian music scenes for years. Coming from a musical family, Mauricio is a critically acclaimed and award-winning drummer and artist. He is credited in more than 70 albums so far in his career, and has worked with dozens of the most important and notable artists of today, crossing over many musical styles. Some of them are: Hiromi, Dig Trio, Eliane Elias, Marc Johnson, Prasanna, Esperanza Spalding, Keiko Matsui, Richard Bona, Cláudio Roditi, Joe Locke, Geoffrey Keezer, Mike Pope, Ivan Lins, Carmen Souza, Chuck Loeb, Rosa Passos, Dom Salvador, Jovino Santos Neto, Nilson Matta, Toninho Horta, Filó Machado, Cidinho Teixeira group, Gustavo Assis Brasil, Marc Rossi Group, Hendrik Meurkens, Oriente Lopez, and many others. He also has an active career as an educator, teaching in the NYC area, performing workshops/clinics and as a regular columnist for Modern Drummer Magazine in Brazil.

A contemporary percussionist and educator, Marcus Santos, is a native of Bahia, Brazil.He commits his life to the study, teaching and performance of his hometown's Afro-Brazilian music and heritage. Marcus won a scholarship to Berklee College of Music where he completed his studies with honors. Santos has performed internationally and has shared the stage with artists such as Paquito D'Rivera, The Brand New Heavies, Orchestra La Passion and the Gipsy Kings. The Brazilian Immigrant Center honored him with the ‘Outstanding Arts Performer’ award in 2008 and Berklee College of Music has awarded him as ‘Outstanding Percussionist' in 2004. Santos has released a successful DVD, “Modern Approach to Pandeiro”, and has led numerous workshops on Afro-Brazilian percussion and music for Social Change in universities and conventions around the world, including MIT, Harvard, Brown University, Universidad Central de Venezuela and PASIC. Apart from his busy performing and teaching schedules, Santos is artistic director of drumming groups in six different states in the US.
The May 1st Drum clinic is free and open to all ages. Donations to the Make a Wish Foundation are strongly encouraged, and the artists will be raffling giveaways for the attendees who contribute with the Make A Wish Foundation.

The Detais:

What? Drum clinic / Musical Performance to benefit the Make a Wish Foundation
Where? Sam Ash Music Store in Edison NJ - 1831 Rt. 27 Edison, NJ (732)572-5595
When/What time? May 1st, 2012 at 7pm
Who’s playing? Artists Mike Donahue, Mauricio Zottarelli and Marcus Santos
Price/admission? The clinic is free and open to all ages. Donations to the Foundation are strongly encouraged.

For more information: (732) 803-7655 (Mike Donahue) and (732)572-5595 (Sam Ash Store) 


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

New drum videos

Hello everybody!
Here are a couple of new videos recorded at the Soultone Cymbals studio in California, back in March.
Hope you like them!  "Tornado" is a song by Oriente Lopez, and its featured on Oriente's new CD, "Aguas Profundas" - you can buy it/check it out at the CDBaby website, click here.

The other track is a new song called "Test Drive", and it features Gustavo Assis Brasil on guitar.
Enjoy, and feel free to share it!

"TORNADO", by Oriente Lopez



"TEST DRIVE", by MZ


Saturday, February 25, 2012

Carmen Souza Europe Tour February 2012

On these past 2 weeks I have been very fortunate to be working again with the amazing Carmen Souza and group. The tour started in France, with shows in Paris and Corsica. Later on, we played at the Half Note in Athens, Greece for 5 dates, and finished with a concert in Crete, Greece. We also went into the studio in London, UK to work on Carmen's new record, which is scheduled to come out in the fall. There will be more dates coming up, so stay tuned for more details on that. Below, some photos of the concerts!

Listen to most of our set at the Duc de Lombards in Paris, France, broadcasted live by TSF Jazz.
Click here and look for Carmen's set on Feb 9th. Enjoy!
TSF Jazz - Carmen Souza live in Paris, France

here is a review (in greek...) and some photos of the week's residency at the Half Note.
http://www.mixtape.gr/carmen-souza-half-note-jazz-club/

some photos of the dates in Greece:

Half Note, Athens - by A. Katsarou



Crete, Greece - Cine Studio Live - by J. Velegrakis




see more photos at:  www.shooting-on-stage.com

Thursday, February 2, 2012

In the Studio - part 1

Hello friends!

Here is a video that I am really proud and happy about. I am playing my song "No Standing Zone" from my 2009 CD "7 Lives". We filmed the studio session with 4 cameras, a few days after getting my new Soultone Cymbals. Really happy about that too, they sound fantastic as you can see! Check it out. There is another song that was taped as well on the same day, it will be out soon!
enjoy... cheers!



Tuesday, November 29, 2011

New Endorsements!

I am very happy, and honored to announce a partnership with two amazing companies and their products: SOULTONE Cymbals, and LEXICON PRO audio: 


Lexicon Pro Audio          www.soultonecymbals.com 
         


SOULTONE is revolutionizing the industry, in my opinion. Fantastic sounding cymbals, great attention to detail and high quality, and amazing people involved... 
from the Soultone website: "Originally founded in 2003 by the legendary drummer, percussionist, and entrepreneur, Iki Levy, after struggling to address frustrations with the major cymbal manufacturers over quality issues. 'I wanted to use the best products possible, and I had the opportunities, but I was not happy with anything those companies were producing – even with my product endorsements,' reports Iki. 'The blend of the metals we use is our own process that employs a balance of proper weight and tone properties. This creates the real difference between Soultone Cymbals and any other brand.'
Iki maintains a strict '120% perfection' policy in that each cymbal must meet his own specific quality controls. He does not sell anything that is not already exceeding expectations – if it is not perfect; it goes back to his facility."

Do check them out, and you will be blown away! 



LEXICON:

I'm so thrilled to be associated with Lexicon. I have been using their LXP reverb plug-in and it's nothing short of amazing. Great presets too, if you need something quick, and easy, but don't want to compromise on quality. Check it out!!! 

from the Lexicon Pro website: "With the introduction of the world's first digital processor in 1971, Lexicon became the world leader in digital audio. Since that time, Lexicon has continuously introduced ground-breaking technology to the audio industry. Today, Lexicon processing is heard on over 80% of all recordings- broadcast, film soundtracks, and music alike. In the home theater market, Lexicon sound is the acknowledged measure of excellence.
This year, Lexicon proudly celebrates its 35th Anniversary. For thirty-five years, Lexicon has had a dramatic impact upon the professional audio industry (with over eighteen years also in the consumer market). We invite you to look into our history and celebrate our anniversary with us. Please examine our legacy pages to see Lexicon's rich product past as well as the current product pages to see the present and future of this historic line."




I am a drummer - percussionist - composer - artist based in New York City, NY. Please visit my website: http://www.mzdrums.com