Articles by Mark Merella
On The Road with The Flamingos
by Mark Merella
It was my first road gig. I'd done some casuals in L.A., played at the local theme park for a high school summer job, but this would be my first taste of the road. I'd just got back from the West Coast after the blues of L.A. made me pack up my yellow Datsun and make a solo drive cross country. Back in D.C. I found a job loading trucks at UPS from 4 to 8 am. and knew I ...
Continue ReadingSteve Berrios: Latin Jazz Innovator
by Mark Merella
Steve Berrios is an innovative drummer/percussionist well-known to aficionados of Latin jazz. His groundbreaking work with Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band, numerous sessions as a sideman, as well as his two solo albums--First World (Milestone, 1995) and the Grammy-nominated And Then Some (Milestone, 1996)--show a body of work that is a unique amalgam of hard bop, Latin jazz and Afro-Caribbean folkloric rhythms.Berrios's first high profile gig was playing with Mongo Santamaria in the late 1960s, and ...
Continue ReadingOn Drumming and Boxing
by Mark Merella
Drumming and boxing are traditions that on the surface may seem unrelated but with further inspection share qualities both primal and sublime. Each can be traced to the beginnings of civilization, boxing being one of the first Olympic games and the drum being the first musical instrument fashioned by human hands. Comparisons can be traced to as early as 1820 with this quote from Pierce Egan's classic “Boxiana": “Drummers and boxers to acquire excellence must begin young. There is a ...
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