Join us on a musical journey that will travel through place and time. Strings and Skins explores the history and development of the guitar and related string instruments and various percussion instruments. Our program travels through many centuries and visits many countries and cultures from around the world. Multi instrumentalists/composers Willy Dalton and Robin Daniels will perform both traditional and original songs from such diverse styles as Afro-Cuban, flamenco, blues, jazz, bossa nova, and classical music.
During the show we will play and demonstrate an astounding array of different "string and skin" instruments. The presentation includes background video and photos of the instruments we play and the cultures that they come from. By performing music using instruments from different cultures and countries we hope to educate students and to shorten the gap in racial and cultural intolerance. Our aim is to educate students about other cultures and people through the joy of music.
Below are some audio examples of our performance. Several tracks include Sam Ayala, Coordinator of the Passaic County Community College Music Department, on acoustic, electric, and fretless bass. Please click on the links to listen.
2. "The Shekere", also an original, is a 6/8 afro-cuban groove featuring Robin on the shekere, a traditional African instrument made from the calabash gourd and beads, Willy on electric guitar, and Sam on electric bass.
3. J.S. Bach's "Lute Prelude" is a standard of the classical guitar repertoire--we've also added a touch of maracas to illustrate what a percussionist might play with this piece.
4. "Twelfth Street Rag" and "If You Knew Susie" are both traditional Dixieland tunes performed on the tenor banjo with percussion breaks on the spoons, woodblocks, and washboard. The tenor banjo, originally an African instrument, played an important role in the development of jazz at the end of the 19th century. Sam plays the acoustic bass on these songs.
5. "The Spoons" is an original song about using everyday household spoons as a percussion instrument. Robin sings and plays the spoons and the lyrics explain the history and technique of the instrument.
6. "Bonaparte Crossing The Rockies" and "Bill Cheatham" are traditional Americana tunes from the 19th century featuring mandolin and acoustic guitar. These instruments, more portable than the piano, were very important in the development of early American music.
7. "Slide Guitar Blues" is just that--also an original. Willy will illustrate the technique of playing bottleneck guitar--a very important style in the development of blues and country music in the early 20th century. Robin accompanies the guitar on washboard and guiro. The lyrics explain how household instruments were used in folk music styles. Sam plays the acoustic bass.
8. "Soleares" , sometimes called "the mother of song" is a very traditional flamenco guitar piece--the music of the Spanish Gypsys. Willy will demonstrate flamenco guitar techniques such as rasgueado.
9. "Manteca" written by Chano Pozo, one of the first Cuban percussionists to cross over into American jazz when he joined Dizzy Gillespie's big band in 1946. Willy plays the 10 string cuatro with Robin on congas, and Sam on the fretless bass.
9. "The Clave Is The Key" is an original song that describes how the pattern played by the claves links rhythms in a song.
