Crosspulse’s percussion skills visit UCLA
By John Mangum
Not many people can go from banging on pots and pans on their
mom’s kitchen floor to being one of the world’s leading
percussionists. The thing is, Keith Terry brought the pots and pans
with him.
As an innovator in an innovative field, Terry combines numerous
instruments with dance and theatre to create a style which defies
categorization. He devotes his artistry to a number of diverse
projects including his most recent one, Crosspulse.
"It’s a quintet of drummers who move and vocalize," says Terry.
"We’re all percussionists."
For many, the idea of five percussionists playing together
sounds daunting, but when Terry describes the performance, he
stresses its variety.
"We do two 45 minute sets," says Terry. "Once a set begins, it’s
non-stop. We use a lot of different instruments from a variety of
cultures around the world."
This array of instruments includes children’s toys, hedge
clippers and plastic water bottles. "These are the kind of things
I’ve been using for 20 years," says Terry.
The percussionist directs his talent not just to inanimate
objects but to his own body as well. He defines this aspect of his
artistry by calling himself a "Body Musician."
"There are a lot of musical instruments around, including our
bodies," says Terry. "I play my body a lot."
He contextualizes this talent by describing the other members of
the group and their backgrounds. The members come together to
combine specializations in Middle Eastern, Senegalese, Afro-Cuban,
Indonesian and Japanese music.
"It’s such an unusual and interesting grouping of people," says
Terry. "Our musical backgrounds are varied."
Terry’s own musical experiences began, according to his mother,
at the age of three. Since before he can remember, Terry has been a
percussionist.
"I started kinda bangin’ on things when I was three," says the
percussionist. "I started studying in the school band when I was in
third grade and it just went from there."
Eventually Terry ended up where he stands today. His work as a
solo artist includes collaborations with Bobby McFerrin, the Turtle
Island String Quartet and Robin Williams. Additionally, Terry’s
group collaborations, including Crosspulse, continue to garner an
increasing amount of attention.
The talents of fellow percussionists Edgardo Cambon, Raymond
Graham, Susu Pampanin and Jackeline Rago round out the group.
Keith Terry and Crosspulse recently recorded an album
highlighting their talents for Redwood Records. These talents,
believes Terry, bring percussion groups like theirs to ever-growing
audiences.
"We’re in an era where people are more aware of the percussion
possibilities," says Terry. For him, people’s expanding cultural
awareness creates an atmosphere which supports groups like his
own.
The group also differs from other musical ensembles because of
the nature of the instruments they play. "In bands and orchestras,"
says Terry, "you have instruments from other musical families
 winds, strings and brass. We’re just percussion."
The concept of five percussionists playing at the same time may
seem original, but for Terry the source of this originality lies
elsewhere.
"It’s the mix both of social and of musical cultures that are
coming together that makes this group unique."
CONCERT: Keith Terry and Crosspulse at Schoenberg Hall Oct. 28
and 29, 8 p.m. Tickets $25, $9. For more info, call 825-2101.