Ga Ga Ti Ga, Ga Ga Ga Ti Ga... John talked about the Samba sing-a-long, studying in India, and Brazil, recording vibes and various percussion instruments, the importance of cultural context in music, and bringing your A-game to every studio session!

My guest today is John Arrucci, an acclaimed master artist in Classical, Jazz, North Indian, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian and other indigenous traditions and someone I first met when he moved to Nashville to build his studio. Having composed, performed, and instructed for over 40 years, John has studied on three continents and received numerous honors. 

His work as drummer and percussionist is featured on scores for feature films, television, commercial spots and recordings including on Sony, Polygram, Mercury, Chesky, Koch Jazz, Chiaroscuro, Rykodisc and other labels. He has performed and/or recorded with Michael Brecker, John Patittucci, Mariah Carey, David Byrne, Philip Glass Ensemble, and for Dalai Lama, Bishop Desmond Tutu and many other dignitaries and has performed at notable venues such as Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Town Hall, Merkin Hall and United Nations.

His percussion can be found on programs including Patriot, Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Oprah Winfrey and Rosie O’Donnell. 

As a composer, John has received numerous commissions, grants and awards from members of The New York Philharmonic, The Manhattan Marimba Quartet, The Mannes College of Music and many others. His acclaimed 2011 release “Metaphors” features 9 of his compositions and performances on Drum Set, Vibes, Marimba and Percussion.

John taught for over 20 years at Princeton University, the City University of New York, and many other prominent institutions including an Eastman School of Music where he graduated with distinction. The Smithsonian Institution awarded him a Post-Doctoral level research fellowship to study Tabla in Benares, India with Pandit Sharda Sahai. He has also studied music in Brazil, and Shekere and Agbe with the renowned Chief James Hawthorne Bey, and Conga and Afro-Cuban drumming with Frank Malabe and Tabla with Robert Becker.

He has basically done a tremendous amount of music and finally landed in Nashville, Tennessee making himself available for in-studio and remote recording, live performances, touring, commissions and Master Classes, one of which I recently took to learn Samba drumming which was amazing!

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Website Links:

https://www.johnarrucci.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnarrucci/
Facebook: @johnarrucci.musician

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Liz Hulitskaya