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Criss
Composer: Harding, Scott
Number of Players: 3Instrumentation: Bongos, Congas, Splash Cymbal, Large Tam-Tam, 4 Concert Toms, China Cymbal, Cowbell and Drum Kit
Difficulty: Intermediate
PROGRAM NOTES
Criss owes its existence to two people who deserve a shout-out:
First is composer Christoper Rouse, well-loved by percussionists everywhere for his energetic and thrilling pieces Ogoun Badagris and Ku-Ka-Ilimoku, which are bombastic staples of the percussion ensemble repertoire. I first heard his thunderous homage to Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham in the late 1980s, and was thrilled to hear an art-music composer tackle rock-&-roll in a serious fashion, without irony. Criss exists in part because Bonham came before it.
And, of course, there’s Peter Criss. I can safely say – again, without irony! – that the person I am and the life I have led would not be the same without the influence of this drummin’ cat. The music Peter made with Kiss has been part of me since I was a child, and if I became a musician at least in part because of that band, then I definitely became a drummer because of Peter. His solid timing, intricate rhythms and animalistic, Krupa-esque pounding of the skins have formed the backbone of my own drumset style…an influence I’m fiercely proud to acknowledge and a heritage I hope to carry into the future.
