Glen Velez

Four-time Grammy Award winning

master drummer, composer and educator

Glen Velez is considered one of the most influential percussionists our time, as well as being responsible for a world-wide resurgence in the popularity of the frame drum.His teaching and performances inspired the Remo Drum Co. in 1983 to develop a line of frame drums called the Glen Velez Signature Series. The Cooperman Drum Co. introduced a hand made Signature Series Glen Velez Tambourine and Frame Drum line in 1999.

Even twentieth century composer, John Cage acknowledged Velez' mastery when he wrote a piece especially for him in 1989, entitled "Composed Improvisation for One-sided Drum with or without Jingles."

While Glen draws upon the great drumming traditions of the Middle East, South India and the Mediterranean world (ancient and modern), he plays in a style all his own. Utilizing a vast culmination of complex hand and finger techniques, he creates a symphony of sound and texture from just a single hand held drum. Glen is also an expert in Central Asian Overtone Singing (singing two tones at once). During concerts, he gives his audiences a spontaneous crash course in this style.

In the ancient Mediterranean world, frame drumming was an omnipresent tool of ritual. The use of the frame drum, shaker and voice are instruments most commonly used wherever shamanic healing practices are found. These healing and celebratory themes are audible threads that weave all through Glens recordings and live performances.

Glen has gained international recognition as a solo artist and is also known for his 15 year recording and performing collaborations with composer Steve Reich as well as the Paul Winter Consort. Other collaborations include: Tan Dun, Israel Philharmonia, Brooklyn Philharmonia, Opera Orchestra of New York, Suzanne Vega, Pat Metheny, Zakir Hussain, New York City Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Orpheus Chamber Ensemble. His own compositions have been featured on National Public Radio's All Things Considered and John Schaefer's New Sounds and have been commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation, Jerome Foundation, and Reader's Digest. He has written music for theater and dance and recorded hundreds of albums on ECM, CBS, RCA, GRP, Warner Brothers, Deutsche Gramophone, Geffen, Nonesuch, Capital, and Sony.

In addition, he has several instructional videos, 5 instructional books and over a dozen recordings of his own music on CMP, Music of the World, Sounds True, Interworld, Ellipsis Arts and DafTof Records. Glen is a master teacher who conducts workshops worldwide and has published numerous books and articles on the subject. Velez developed his own teaching approach called “The Handance Method.” It incorporates voice and body movement into the process of learning to play the frame drum and has been presented in hundreds of universities worldwide. He currently teaches frame drums at the Mannes School of Music, as well as series of master classes at The Julliard School, Tanglewood and Manhattan School of Music.

Glen Velez regularly performs with Cellist David Darling and Coleman Barks, world renown scholar/translator of the poetry of Rumi. He is also active with his own Glen Velez Ensemble, as well as with Trio Globo featuring Howard Levy and Eugene Friesen. He regularly performs with critically acclaimed vocalist/rhythm singer Lori Cotler. Glens new recording entitled 'Rhythms of the Chakras Vol. 2' featuring Lori Cotler, will be released on the Sounds True label in 2008.