About me
Influences: Mongo Santamaria, Candido, Jose Mangual, Jimmy Sabater, Nicky Marrero, Eddie Montalvo, Los Papines, Tata Guines, Anga, Changuito, Luis Andino Upon his kindergarten graduation, a favorite aunt gave him a Perez Prado album and his own transistor radio, planting the seeds for his love of latin & soul music. Going to bed with the radio secretly under his pillow he was able to pick up a Soul/R&B station from Little Rock, Arkansas. He was exposed to the music of Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and James Brown. School offered him an immersion into the world of traditional Jewish and Hebrew chanting. By the age of 15, Isaac took up the alto sax, and the following year the vibraphone. An old conga however became his instrument of choice. Several years later, while living in Jerusalem, Isaac began studying congas with Jerry Garval (a veteran Israeli jazz drummer & trombonist originally from Newark NJ), and became a member of the percussion ensemble at the Rubin Academy of Music. Among his classmates were many students from Brasil and Latin America. They formed a band performing Latin Rock & Brazilian Jazz. In 1979 he became both a student of, and the drummer for Yemeni Choreographer, Yitzhak Levy-Awami and performed the folk music of Yemen. In 1988, Isaac made the pilgrimage to Cuba for training with the Conjunto Folklorico Nacional. In 1989, moving to New York, Isaac continued studying Afro-Cuban percussion at the Harbor Conservatory with Jimmy Delgado and with the late Cuban Conguero Luis Andino. He has been freelancing in the New York area doing a wide variety of music. Isaac is also a Sales Rep. for JCR Percussion Co.. in the Bronx for the past 6 years, and sells quality percussionas Funky Tradition. (handmade JCR bells, mule skins, timbales, bongos & congas, middle eastern & Indian drums) and was a writer/contributor for the World Percussion & Rhythm Magazine. Isaac lives in NJ with his wife and two teenage daughters. email: funkytradition@yahoo.com PERFORMANCE Jack Goodman Orchestra - Percussionist / Club Dates NY/NJ 1991 - present. Specializing in Latin, R&B, Jazz, Dance music. Have performed with Jimmy Sabater, Adela Dalto, Cecilia Tenconi, Mark Walker, Hector Martignon, Dan Reagen, Dave Kikoski, Yoav Polachek, John Farnsworth, Mitch Endick and Nicky Marrero. Hamuda Ali - reknowned Egyptian Violinist - Doumbek accompanist, 1982 La Roque - Congas on Zambian Afropop recording Planet Jazz Ensemble - Latin & African Jazz with Camerounian percussionist Emile Bisseck, Kinzy Posen & Vladimir Simosko Yitzhak Levy-Awami - traditional Yemeni music - Jerusalem 1978-79 David Amram - Composer/Conductor - Morroccan drums, Winnipeg Folk Festival 1977 Black Circle Symphony - Percussion Ensemble, New Brunswick, NJ local concerts for community non-profit events 2004 - led by Carlyle "Ras Ujima" Parris Mark Reddick & Universal Praise - Percussionist for Gospel Choir - Brooklyn NY 2004-05 Seeds of Sun (Israeli Jazz) / Mattan Klein Jazz Group - Guest Percussionist; Jim Lapidus - Smooth Jazz studio recording project 2004; Non-Aligned Movement - world music collective - Seth Mehl (rebaba & erhu) 2004-06 eLAY - British/Jamaican Pop Artist - Percussion for NY Showcases - 2003-2005 Anshe Emeth Children's Choir, New Brunswick NJ - Percussion - 2002- present Tropical Beat Steelband (led by John Hilton) Congas - April 2007 Ahamed Al-Rodini (Oud & Vocals) - percussionist - Yemeni music 2004 to Present; Red Sea Yemeni Ensemble - conduct drum & dance workshops for the public schools of Brooklyn. Focus on Afro-Arabian rhythms of the Red Sea coast and other regional styles of Yemen with Ahamed Al-Rodini. Sponsorship by the Brooklyn Arts Council - 2006- present PERCUSSION STUDIES Rubin Academy - Percussion Dept. 1979 Harbor Conservatory, New York 1990 Latin Percussion studies with Ray Cruz, Harbor Conservatory, New York 1995-97 , Jimmy Delgado, Luis Andino Conjunto Folklorico Nacional - La'Habana, Cuba Summer 1988 PRIVATE STUDIES Yitzhak Levy-Awami - Yemeni & South Arabian rhythms Amelia Pedroso - intro to Bata; Frank Colon - Brazilian Percussion and congas; Joe Gonzalez - Bongos; Nicky Marrero - Advanced Conga WORKSHOPS & CLINICS Intro to Brazilian Percussion with Norbert Goldberg - Brooklyn College 1980. Grupo Afrocuba de Matanzas, Los Hermanos Cepeda (Bomba & Plena), Dos Alas, 1997; Orestes Vilato, Chucho Valdez, guest workshops at Harbor Conservatory; Ralph McDonald - Percussion in the Recording Studio; PAS - Latin Workshop w/ Eddie Montalvo, Nicky Marrero, Sal Cuevas and Edy Martinez; Percussion Teachers Clinic - Leon Ndugu Chancellor - IAJE 2000 Latin Jazz Orchestra Workshop - led by Sonny Bravo, Harbor Conservatory Fall 2003 West African Drumming / Djembe/Dounum classes with Victor Marshall, NJ 2005 Congolese Drum Workshop - with Titos Sompa - NYC, May 2009
2017 © CongaPlace ALL Rights Reserved
