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Christopher Garcia

Professional musician since 1981 performing primarily on drumset - the original contraption, throughout the 1980's to the present then percussion of North and South India, including tabla, ghatam, and kanjira with various world music and jazz ensembles while still continuing his "western drumming" professional practical performing experience/expertise with rock, jazz, world music and ancient instruments of Mexico

EDUCATION attended East Los Angeles College 1977 thru 1978 studied piano, theory and musicianship with Dr. Hollis and Dr. Overmayer applied, auditioned and received a full scholarship to study North Indian tabla at California Institute of the Arts with Pandit Tarnath Rao, John Bergamo, Leonice Shinemann and Swapan Chaudhuri 1978 thru 1981 and 1991 thru 1992

ARRANGEMENTS/COMPOSITIONS FOR VARIOUS ENSEMBLES arranged several compositions for percussion by John Bergamo, Bill Bruford, Thelonious Monk, Raymond Scott, Carl Stalling, UAKTI, Michael Pierre Vlatkovich, Frank Zappa as well as arranging and writing music for specific ensembles he is a part of CHRISTOPHER GARCIA drumset, North Indian tabla, hand percussion of South India, marimba, miscellaneous percussion, electronics

Christopher is a proud to be a "native" (East) Los Angeleno. "Grew up in Belvedere, between Boyle Heights and Maravilla in the county of Los Angeles." His background includes performances in a wide variety of musical settings including; Jazz, Rock, World Music, symphonic music, chamber music, traditional Mexican music, pre-hispanic music, percussion ensemble, soundtracks, and cartoon music.(!)

He attributes his musical growth to his studies with John Bergamo, Pandit Tarnath Rao, Swapan Chaudhuri and Leonice Shinemann where he studied tabla, while attending California Institute of the Arts on a full scholarship where he was also a member of the award winning Cal Arts Percussion Ensemble in 1979 under the direction of Guruji John Bergamo.

He continues to utilize the tabla alongside other percussion instruments of India including kanjira, and ghatam employing hand drum rhythms and "traditional" jazz rhythms on cymbals, in a variety of jazz, rock and world music settings.

He attributes his "style"(?) to listening to EVERYTHING, logging in thousands of hours, practicing, rehearsing, performing and touring constantly with musicians interested in stretching and reinventing themselves throughout the Americas, including: Costa Rica and Mexico, Canada, Europe and Asia including performances in Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Germany, Holland, Italy, Norway, Nova Scotia, Switzerland and Wales.

Chris' drumming is unusual in that it incorporates not only the standard rhythms and their permutations, but also a fluency with odd time signatures and sonic textures, which he seamlessly incorporates into his playing. His fascination for New Music(s) and Sound as well as the advent of MIDI technology allow him the possibility of combining textures that have never before been available for the percussionist in live performance.

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REVIEWS REVIEWS WITH VARIOUS ENSEMBLES THAT I COMPOSE FOR AND PERFORM WITH: 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

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Primary Instrument

Percussion

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

Teaches privately at his own studios in Los Angeles and Santa Monica assisted percussion ensemble : Los Angeles Harbor College, Wilmington, CA 1988 thru 2002 assisted teaching world music ensemble at: UCLA World Music Ensemble under Ali Jihad Racy 2002 and 2003 at at the SOUTH PASADENA CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC from 2009 to 2012

Clinic/Workshop Information

CLINICIAN DEMONSTRATIONS/WORKSHOPS/MASTER CLASSES on Improvisation in various contexts on drumset and hand percussion of India and Mexico the vernacular for bebop has very little to do with the vernacular for North Indian classical or Mexican Indigenous but they all have their own vernacular CLINICS 1988 thru the present at: California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA Iowa University, IA the New School, New York, NY University of California Los Angeles, CA Wesleyan University, Middletown Connecticut Webster College, St

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