Christopher Garcia

DRUMSET/PERCUSSION REVIEWS

with CONTINUUM ”Garcia, an excellent percussionist, really pushes the group, especially in the solo sections....his sparkling cymbal work coloring the background...” CADENCE JAZZ MAGAZINE

with CONTINUUM ”There are chops a plenty here (Christopher Garcia's clean and forceful drumming stand out, but they never get in the way of the ensemble....” SIGNAL TO NOISE

with CONTINUUM ”His work in fusion music with CONTINUUM puts Garcia in a league with Billy Cobham.” RANDOM LENGTHS

with EARTHA AUSTRIA TRIO ”Behind the drums, the beefy cragster with the bushy ponytail turns out to be none other than Chris Garcia, who has jacked up the expressions of Quarteto Nuevo, Continuum, Alex Cline, Vinny Golia, the Grand Mothers, Dottie Grossman and your uncle the bartender. (And he credits Sab tubsman Bill Ward as an influence.) So it’s no wonder that even though the trio’s fusionistic concept seems to emanate mainly from the electrified stringmen, Garcia draws deferential glances from this younger pair — Robert Anderson ripping on distorted/effected violin, and Jacob Szekely equally extreme on space-age five-string cello . . . “Don’t call it a bass!” admonishes Anderson, defying the fact that Szekely tends to pluck it like a double-B. The rhythms jerk, lurch and syncopate, yet retain a flow. Anderson’s violin  complains wah-wise and blares ferocious metal riffs. The cello responds to Szekely’s nimble   fingers and deft bow work while bleeding stompbox atmosphere. Eartha Austria (I dunno what  the name means unless it’s got something to do with Ms. Kitt and Joe Zawinul) revive and update  1972 Mahavishnu without stint except for Garcia, who taps more of a 1958 Philly Joe Jones feel,   especially during a melodic all-acoustic kit solo.  They do Mike Stern’s “Play,” Josh Redman’s (I think) “Jazz Crimes” and a Garcia original “Rag Tag Stomp”.  They cook with pure gas, and the crowd yells. They’re locals; catch them around town. METALJAZZ.COM- GREGG BURKE

THE GRAND MOTHERS OF INVENTION MOTHERS OF INVENTION /ZAPPA ALUMNI  ”Besides his own trademark Garcia mastered many styles from former Zappa drummers  like Aynsley Dunbar and Chester Thompson and is inspired by many drummers,  hand  percussion and mallet influences. As an unexpected and very curious and innovative way  Christopher Garcia played  a marvellous drum solo as introduction to ‘T’Mershi Duween.  Garcia, as humble as he is, showed an unknown, at least for me, part of his genuine musicianship.  Playing drum parts  while singing Tabla based structures, synchronous and asynchronous.   This was really amazing.”. THE BLUES ALONE.NL

“Garcia's drum-solo rendition of “Uncle Meat” caused jaws to drop” SIGNAL TO NOISE

“Christopher Garcia was masterful on his impressively large and complex drum set, providing the reliable backbone for each song with steadily building beats.” CONNECTICUT INDEPENDENT

“Christopher Garcia, was buried behind his massive drum kit the entire night, providing a fantastic rhythm background, and foreground. Garcia, also had a voice that owned such a versatility that Frank would have snagged him up if they had met.” THE EXAMINER

“Because Zappa played drums before he played guitar, he always got a great drummer, you know, so we had to do that too,” said Preston of Garcia, who is known around the world for being an expert tabla player, but can also drum out a hell of a rock and roll beat. “ DON PRESTON

“Drummer Chris Garcia studied tuned percussion with Zappa alumnus Ruth Underwood and auditioned for the band by playing the parts that it took two drummers to play on Roxy. He handles Zappa's tricky meters with aplomb, and took Captain Beefheart's vocal turn on “Debra Kadabra.” THE DALLAS OBSERVER

with MICHAEL PIERRE VLATKOVICH ”Garcia's playing is vibrant and alive with passion, humor and a good deal of technical prowess, not to mention the breadth of vision necessary to effectively translate such an unpredictable stream  of music. And the fact that the trio seem perfectly at home with unpredictably and the endless world of musical possibilities it presents makes them perhaps” THE WEEKLY ALIBI

with MICHAEL PIERRE VLATKOVICH ”Vlatkovich's concepts start with the very aggressive Elvin Jones-muscular beat of drummer Chris Garcia. From this foundation, the piano-less band shifts pattern and time, not in sharp angles but sure-footed movements.  They hop from blues to tangos and marches, all the time the trombones are vocalizing, articulating, and encouraging discourse.” ALL ABOUT JAZZ

HAND, FINGER AND PERCUSSION AKA EL MONSTRO REVIEWS

with THE BAKERSFIELD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ”When we learned that we were going to play the Symphony #1 (Sinfonía India) by Carlos Chavez, we spent a long time and a lot of research in vain trying to find just the right sounds. Thanks to the beautiful instruments provided by Christopher García and Martín Espino, our percussion section was able to play Sinfonía India with a level of integrity and informed authenticity that would otherwise have been lacking. Using these wonderful instruments on this particular concert was especially exciting as hundreds of young scholars from all parts of California attended that special Academic Decathlon concert.” Ernie Cervantes, Principal Percussionist Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra   with DEGRASSI/MANRING GARCIA AKA DEMANIA ” percussionist Garcia just kicked my ears down Broadway. He sat cross-legged, almost hidden behind his unique drum kit, coaxing complex rhythms from hand drums and adding subtle colors on shakers, cymbals, cowbell and jam blocks. During his “Curanderos y Brujos,'' Garcia's mbwata, a Nigerian clay drum broke apart. Talk about an explosive solo.” SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

with DEGRASSI/MANRING GARCIA AKA DEMANIA  ”Here's a super group trio for you. Alex de Grassi, helped create the contemporary genre of acoustic fingerstyle guitar; Michael Manring is an unparalleled technical virtuoso on bass; and percussionist Christopher Garcia has worked in a wide variety of world-music settings. On Demania, the trio delivers masterful, confident improvisations that float in an environment as energetic as it is luxurious and spacious.” ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE

with DEGRASSI/MANRING GARCIA AKA DEMANIA  ”within a trio format, they merge their non-traditional instrumentation with an unrivaled degree of technical prowess and a diverse fusion of genres ranging from traditional folk, classical, jazz, and world music to produce a unique repertoire and sound all their own consisting of sensitive sonic textures, complex harmonic structures, lyrical melodies, intricate rhythmic figures, and odd meter grooves.” INSTITUTE OF BASS

with DEGRASSI/MANRING GARCIA AKA DEMANIA  ”Last weekend I saw the group DeManIa, which is guitarist Alex DeGrassi, bassist Michael Manring, and percussionist Christopher Garcia. Chris is the drummer in the grandmothers (Grande Mothers?). First off, he is *amazing*. As much as I find Manring inspirational as a “fellow bassist” (where as he is a real bassist, and I merely *own* a bass), I love seeing great percussionists perform even more. Chris is a freak! His setup is played sitting on the floor with indian, middle eastern, and african hand percussion mixd with traditional cymbals and some misc stuff like thin gongs and a thunderstick. His time is immaculate, his musicality is deep deep deep, and he is a super nice guy. They had a little meet and greet after the gig and we got to chat a bit. “ ZAPPATEERS.COM

with DEGRASSI/MANRING GARCIA AKA DEMANIA  ”Like Fleck and Corea, you'll find a lot of doubling on rhythmically complex melodies and plenty of solos for each. For anyone interested in World music styles this is a great recording that is very  well written and played.” FINGERSTYLE GUITAR MAGAZINE

with MEXIKA “If one ever wondered what music and dance was before the Spaniards stepped foot in the Americas, one need look no farther than MEXIKA”. LOS ANGELES TIMES

“MEXIKA’S remembered ancient rhythms, sounds and dancing will be thought of as the highlight of the Seattle art scene this year. “ SEATTLE WEEKLY

“Christopher Garcia, plays indigenous instruments such as turtle shells and clay flutes in the production of LA VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE, DIOS INANTZIN........The East L.A. native travels the world with different ensembles but clears his calendar each December to take part in the cathedral's annual presentation.” LOS ANGELES TIMES

with QUARTETO NUEVO ”Chris Garcia is a most uncommon percussionist. He’s an ace trap drum player; his work with the Frank Zappa repertory band, the Grande Mothers, is known for precise execution of difficult time signatures at blazing tempos; and he’s a hand percussionist with a deep background in Indian and Latin American music. No mere timekeeper, he always seems to elevate whatever musical situation he finds himself in. His Quarteto Nuevo band spins a fantastic hybrid of sounds and styles: the Andes, the Punjab and Catalonia might all be suggested on one tune. Garcia conceived his group as an outlet for his own compositions and as a meeting place for gifted instrumentalists. Garcia sees growth in the last decade. “We’ve accomplished a new sound for the ensemble. There’s so much more that we’re hearing now to rehearsals and many more doors have been opened to us. Our limitations are, as always, ourselves and time.” PASADENA WEEKLY ARTICLE by Kirk Silsbee

with QUARTETO NUEVO ”Their fresh album “Quarteto Nuevo” conserves the features that made the group so attractive before — an original and instantly accessible approach to Middle Eastern, Indian, Mexican and flamenco music, with bridges built among 'em all. (Even a Zappa tune, because that's essential to Garcia's lineage.) The watchword is space, as you'll breathe deeply and relax with the cleanly defined balance of these master musicians, who could play a lot busier but don't, because they want to communicate. Listen to the way Garcia slaps tablas, so deep and internal that they seem like part of your own ventricles. Szekely draws out rich bowed lines, Youngstrom strums or melodicizes, Zick subs for double-reed snake music with an undulating soprano sax, and they're as symmetrical and beautiful as an arabesque.” METALJAZZ.COM by Gregg Burke

with QUARTETO NUEVO ”Improvisers who like tight structures where you can hear everything. Musicians who bring the work of jazz composers (Jack DeJohnette, Paul Motian, Paul Carman) into their own concept, or start from scratch. Active in the region for a few years now, Quarteto Nuevos debut recording is neatly titled El Musico. And their drums, winds and strings, assembled from around the world, produce sounds at once disciplined and relaxed, challenging yet easy to absorb.” QUARTETO NUEVO WAS LA WEEKLY'S JAZZ PICK OF THE WEEK

with QUARTETO NUEVO ”This is an intriguing set. Although there have been many types of “fusions” of jazz with other types of music, only a relatively few projects have mixed jazz with World Music from foreign countries. Quarteto Nuevo's music goes through quite a few different moods yet remains gentle, subtle, melodic and often rhythmically complex Lechusza's reeds are in the lead much of the time but the interplay between  the members of the rhythm section are well worth listening to closely.” LA JAZZ SCENE

with QUARTETO NUEVO ”One of the larger quartetos (six members) out there now Quarteto Nuevo comes from a rhythmic sensibility as might be expected from a drummer-led band. But it is not your usual hit-you-over-the-head snares and tom-toms. For this band Christopher Garcia has discarded much of the ordinary drum kit (no snares, tom-toms, or bass drums) in favor of tabla, a family of lightly struck cymbals, and a variety of oriental instruments. The band often plays in odd meter grooves well served by the two percussionists. The other players have also rethought their instruments, resulting in a unique but natural band sound. That the music works as well as it does (It is remarkably uncluttered.) is due mainly to how much these musicians enjoy playing together. Christopher Garcia dedicated ”With his Hat in his Hand” to his father, Don Alberto Garcia. Like much of his other music it was a piece of humility, confidence, clarity, and positive feeling— a pleasure to listen to.” ALL ABOUT JAZZ REVIEW

with QUINTETO LATINO ”Quinteto Latino’s collaboration with Mexika was a very special event for us. From playing conch shells in the opening ceremony, to performing surrounded by the sounds of ancient percussion, our collaboration with Mexika was amazing. Mexika’s Chris and Martín shared a wealth of information about the historical Latin American languages and music with us and our audiences, and the music that resulted from our collaboration was very moving. We were all surprised by the audience’s immediate, visceral reaction. This music really touched people. The whole experience was fantastic and we look forward to further collaboration with Mexika!” QUINTETO LATINO

with MIROSLAV TADIC and MICHAEL MANRING ”Christopher Garcia has traveled the world teaching and playing in some of the most eclectic groups imagined. In the group Mexika (pre-colonial Mexican music) he performs with percussion instruments to those used by the indigenous people. His work in fusion music with CONTINUUM puts Garcia in a league with Billy Cobham. Garcia was classically trained in world music performing North Indian style tabla. Then you will find him touring as the percussionist with the GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED, performing the music of Frank Zappa. Listen to his playing on de ma nia and then try out his work with another world music group Ancient Grooves, or his fusion band CONTINUUM on the track “Celestial Terrestrial.” RANDOM LENGTHS

with MIROSLAV TADIC and MICHAEL MANRING ”Christopher Garcia is one of those musicians who always seems to be on stage when amazing things are happening. I'm not sure he knows how many different groups he's currently playing in, but it's a lot. In addition to teaching all over  the world, he's played with a jaw-dropping who's-who of musical luminaries, not the least of which is his gig as drummer with The Grande Mothers, original members of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. Although he's a phenomenal drummer, he may be best known as a master of Vedic percussion techniques and, specifically, the tabla. How, then, did a kid from East L.A. wind up being a renowned percussionist, playing tonight with the legendary electric bassist Michael Manring (Bass Player Magazine's Bassist of the Year in 1996) and Yugoslavian guitarist Miroslav Tadic (In 1997, named by Guitar Player one of the world's most radical and individual guitarists) at the Alvas Showroom in San Pedro.” LONG BEACH POST