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H A R V E S T M O O N P R O D U C T I O N S |
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MARASSA DUO “Papador and Armstrong have a performing chemistry that cuts through […] “The playing is top notch. […] Quite a feat!” - Percussive Arts Society, Ontario Chapter
The duo takes its name from the Marassa Twins, divine twins of the Haitian Vodou tradition who speak to us of twin souls that find each other lifetime after lifetime to interact as their karma dictates. Also exemplifying the belief of opposition and duality within the mortal world, the Marassa Twins constitute one of the more perplexing entities of the Haitian religion, beginning with the point that there are sometimes three of them. As anthropologist Maya Deren wrote, "In Vodoun, one and one make three." The Marassa are immensely powerful and are often interpreted as the “affirmation of cosmic unity." James Armstrong holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Central Michigan University and a Master of Music Performance (emphasis in jazz Armstrong has recorded and toured with the Robert Hohner Percussion Ensemble and can be heard on the DMP releases Different Strokes, World Music Tour (DMP), and The Percussion Music of David Maslanka (Albany). He has also toured and recorded with Smallstone artists Five Horse Johnson (Blues for Henry, Double Down). Most recently he can be seen performing with Paso Fino, Rising Sign (9-piece salsa band), PIONEROS del RITMO (Latin jazz sextet), and many others. Currently, Armstrong is the Director of Percussion Studies at Elizabethtown College in central PA. His duties include directing the Percussion Ensemble, the AfroCariibbean Hand Drumming Ensemble, teaching private lessons, as well as being a guest lecturer in several music courses. He is the author of Vodou Drumset: Traditional Afro-Haitian Rhythms Applied to Drumset (Carl Fischer Publications), founder and president of House Panther Press, and is published through Drop6 Media.
As a solo artist, percussionist, and timpanist, Papador has performed throughout Canada, the United States, Austria, Hungary, and Sweden. He has performed/presented at two Percussive Arts Society International Conventions as well as at academic conferences and at universities across North America. His solo recitals include standard repertoire, his own works, and pieces written expressly for him. Dr. Papador is an artist for the Vic Firth, Inc. Education Team, Sabian, Ltd. and also receives industry support from the Marimba One company. He has recently been appointed at President of the Ontario Percussive Arts Society. Papador performs regularly as an orchestral percussionist and timpanist and has recorded for the Ludwig/Elf and RIAX labels. Recent orchestral appointments include the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra. As a chamber musician Papador has performed and toured with Ensemble X, the Lira Ensemble, and the Richard Grimes Collective as well as premiered numerous works in festivals for contemporary music. He is a founding member of both the High Street and the Tonus Percussion Groups. Also an active composer, Papador’s works are published by Alfred Music Publishing, Keyboard Percussion Publications/Studio 4, House Panther Press and Matrix Publishing. His marimba work Autumn Portrait is now performed in recitals nationwide by collegiate marimbists and is a recommended state high school competition piece throughout the United States. |
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Contact: Patricia Scheu, Producer, HMProductions, P.O. Box 1506, North Wales, PA 19454, 267.646.0502 |
The Marassa Duo brings together a wide variety of percussion styles and musical genres into a concise and unified whole. The group’s original programming provides a unique chamber setting that includes elements of traditional concert music, world music, contemporary classical and jazz. The duo combines the talents of James Armstrong, a performer specializing in Afro-Caribbean and West African folkloric musics and Nicholas Papador, a performer specializing in marimba as well as contemporary and orchestral concert music. The result is a ground breaking and exciting chamber music that opens new musical worlds to its audiences.
studies and ethnomusicology) from Bowling Green State University. He is a specialist in Haitian, Cuban, and West African folkloric drumming, and has done extensive field research and performance of this music throughout the United States and abroad. He has also done extensive fieldwork in Ghana, West Africa, where he studied and performed with several master musicians in the cultural context. James continues to study and perform traditional Afro-Haitian and Afro-Cuban music for dance classes and religious ceremonies throughout the greater New York City area. Apart from his world music background, he is also an accomplished drumset artist, jazz vibraphonist (winning several awards nationwide for arranging and soloing), and symphonic percussionist. He travels extensively as a clinician (world percussion, drumset, and vibraphone) for Latin Percussion, Yamaha, Sabian, and Vic Firth.
Nicholas Papador is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Windsor School of Music, where he coordinates the Percussion Studio, directs the University of Windsor Percussion Ensemble and teaches core academic courses. Papador previously served as a Visiting Scholar at Cornell University where he worked in the Department of Music as well as the Department of Theatre, Film and Dance. Papador completed his doctorate degree in percussion from Northwestern University and his master’s degree at the world-renowned Indiana University School of Music where his efforts earned him the university’s coveted Performer’s Certificate.