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2020
January Update
Hey everyone, Happy New Year! 2020...really? Yes here
we are!!
And here in the NYC area it's c-c-c-cold. I'm staying in
town until heading to the UK mid-March. This will mark
my 40th(!) tour in Europe. I'll be teaching at the
Junior section of the Royal Northern College of Music in
Manchester. Probably doing a couple other gigs around
there as well. My schedule is at the Dates tab so please
check it out.
2019 was some serious travelling for me. I took my
first trips to China and Russia. So cool! If you follow
me on Insta and/or FB you likely saw my regular posts.
These are places, when I was a kid, that I never
pictured I would visit. To
be there playing and teaching music there was so great.
Massive thanks to my hosts, and the companies Ludwig-Musser
and Mike Balter Mallets/Zildjian, for helping those
tours become a reality. Ludwig-Musser
vibes & marimbas, and Balter Mallets, have been an
important part of my sound and career since I began
professionally in the mid-1980's. Their partnership in
my educationaI endeavors is so important, as together we
spread the news around world. I look forward to
returning to China and Russia in the coming years.
In other news..the UK publisher ABRSM commissioned me to
compose two pieces for their Tuned Percussion Series. I
am most humbled to contribute my compositions! The
series presents standardized levels of playing across
the UK, and the many other countries who utilize them as
well. It's a great honor..and also means I'll likely
continue to return the UK annually for teaching and
performances. Love
being there, and have developed many great friendships
over the years.
As you may know, for a limited time the entire
documentary Talking Sticks is available free online for
viewing. You can watch it above, or on YouTube by
clicking
here.
I began with this last year
so I'll end with it now:
I'm constantly reminded of the important role music
plays in our lives. I'll always be thankful for the
opportunities presented to me, and appreciate every
chance I get to play music and connect with others near
and far.
I wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2020.
Hope to see you in my travels. Please do be in touch via
FB and Instagram, I'm always happy to hear from fellow
musicians and fans.
All best wishes! Arthur
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2019 Happenings
Hey everyone!
I'm constantly reminded of the important role music
plays in our lives. I'll always be thankful for the
opportunities presented to me, and appreciate every
chance I get to play music and connect with others near
and far.
I'm thrilled to announce that the documentary Talking
Sticks is available as a download. Some of the great
reviews are at the
www.talkingsticksfilm.com feedback
tab. So..grab some popcorn and enjoy the show!
2018 was busy, inspirational and lots of fun. The
highlight was definitely my return trip to Australia,
where I adjudicated the first-ever Australian Vibraphone
Competition. It was great to be back, love it there! You
can see my itineraries, past and present under the Dates
tab above. Also in 2018, the Brazilian Vibes Trio
recorded a live album at Jazz Forum in NY. We just
started mixing that and are planning an April release so
stay tuned.
2019 will see exciting gigs and tours. The Brasilian
Vibes Trio will be performing at the Montpelier Arts
Center in Laurel, MD May 3rd. Other USA concerts in
Utah, CT, NYC... Planning my 39th trip to Europe at the
end of November. Psyched! May be going to the Far East
in August. I'm also Co-Director of a new group called
the
Nordic Youth Jazz Orchestra.
This is a Big Band
comprised of some of the High School best students in SW
Connecticut. A very exciting project co-led by Jens
Wendelboe (Trombone, Composer/Arranger) and Per Onnerud
(Trumpet, Founder of Nordic Sound Jazz Orchestra).
I've started a monthly educational video series about
vibes, marimba, music business, career guidance and
other topics. It's all on my
You Tube channel so please
have a look and click the subscribe link when you get
there. Here's a
recent vibe solo with my trio! Also, please sign up for the mailing list
(to your
right) for my quarterly newsletters. I'm active on
Facebook and
Instagram too!
In composition, I was commissioned to write two pieces
for the UK's
ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal
Schools Of Music) jury exam materials. A very exciting
project! My pieces will be included in the 2020
editions, used in the UK and worldwide. Also in 2020,
after a few year's hiatus, l'm hoping to return to to
perform with Ney Rosauro.
Thanks for your support all these years. Hope to see you
somewhere sometime soon!
With much thanks,
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2018 starts off with a very cool 2 weeks in Europe. Also
looking forward to my 2nd trip to Australia/New Zealand
in September. Between those tours, well, some other
things including the recording of my first live album
ever! Hard to believe with 50+ album credits, but
finally the stars have aligned. The Brasilian Vibes Trio
will record live at Jazz Forum (Tarrytown, NY) Sunday,
June 10th. Sets 4pm & 7pm. Below is video of a concert
we did in Indianapolis a few months ago.
I'm very excited to announce the expanding Store area of
this site to include downloads of almost all the music
I've ever written. You can purchase the
Vibes Real Book and
Crystal Mallet for now, with more
titles coming shortly. I've started working on an
original collection of marimba solos to be released in
the Fall. That too will be available here.
In the recording area, many of you have been asking
about the solo albums I did last year. Solo Sounds
released 8 of them. Only the Drake on solo steel drums
is still in the can. Below are a few of the album covers
which will take you to iTunes.
Finally, I've lately been posting more on
Instagram so hope to see you over
there. Or at some of my performances in the coming
months wherever you are. Thanks for stopping by, and for
your continuing support.
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2017 Happenings
Hey everyone!
2017 brought in lots of cool projects. Right now I'm
headed to PASIC '17 in Indianapolis to perform with my
band Brasilian Vibes Trio. Check out this cool video of
us at a festival we played over the Summer:
I ended up recording 9 albums this year! 7 were solo
projects for the label Solo Sounds on vibes, marimba and
steel pans. A very cool concept that I know you all will
enjoy. Solo Sounds is also releasing a solo vibes
Christmas album coming out shortly which will make for a
great holiday gift!
Here are a few of the covers. Click on them to connect
with iTunes for preview and purchase:
In education news..soon the Vibes Real Book will be
available at the Store on this site - as a download!
Yes, the classic bestseller will enter this new phase of
it's life in two digital volumes. I'm excited! So please
check back here the week after PASIC.
Another exciting development is that the documentary
Talking Sticks will be available as a download on or
about Jan 1st. If you haven't seen the film yet or
watched the trailer, check it out here:
This will
be a huge step in the release of the film. The reviews
have been fabulous and supportive. You can read them at
the feedback tab of the film's website:
www.talkingsticksfilm.com
I want to write more now but I can't - have to go
practice! Thanks for stopping by the site. Grab a
beverage, relax, have a look around and watch some of
the videos. I hope to hear from you and maybe see you
near or far. Until then, thank you for your support and
best wishes!
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2016 Happenings
Music and Instructional Products
- Get 'em Here!
Arthur Lipner offers a variety of great music and
instructional products, and many are available directly
from Arthur.
Click here to
check to learn more and to purchase! |
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2015 Happenings
Last year was an exciting year for my work. The World
Premiere of Talking Sticks and screening at
several film/jazz festivals. Tours in Iceland, Turkey,
UK and Brazil. The release of a quintet album by The
Crossing. Gigs at NYC's The Blue Note and Iridium. The
publication of several new arrangements of mine,
including a solo vibes version of Ave Maria. I also
played steel drums on the United Airelines in-flight
safety video.
This year started off with a couple of especially
exciting gigs already. Jan 23rd I played at the Pompano
Beach Jazz Festival with Nanny Assis & Group. Sandwiched
between sets by Phil Woods and Tierney Sutton/Hubert
Laws in a beautiful outdoor amphitheater, we gave one of
the best concerts of our lives. A few weeks later, my
steel band played live on ABC's The View, a total blast!
Just last week I joined with a major licensing/publisher
which I will elaborate on in the coming weeks. Looking
ahead to May I'll be in Chicago and Las Vegas, please
check my Dates for more info. My Spring gig plans in
Russia have, unfortunately, crashed along with the
ruble.
It hass been 25 years since my first solo project "In
Any Language" was released. Since then I've done a ton more
recording! I've decided to release a compilation of some
of the best tracks over the first 25 years. So excited!
Will plan to have this ready for a June release. On the
publishing side, my book The Vibes Real Book was
released 20 years ago. This has become the standard
method for learning Jazz Vibes at school around the
world. MalletWorks Music is offering a free cd with any
direct orders at their woefully pitiful ancient site
malletworks.com so please head over there. There's a
link to the right of this which will shortcut you to the
shopping cart of this special offer. For overseas orders
you'll need to go to malletworks.com and click the
catalog for your shipping zone.
This year my second child graduates High School and
moves on to college. I have always walked the delicate
line of being home for fatherhood and being out at night
or on the road performing. That means that starting in
September I will be available to travel anytime
anywhere! Coinciding with this, I'm putting together a
new band and concept. So psyched! We have exciting
possibilities to play regularly in a NYC venue and
record. I'll share more of this as it develops. Also, my
manager/agent Marilyn Gilbert is booking Talking Sticks
Screening/Concert packages for '15-16 and beyond so
please have your local venue contact her if you'd like
me to come to your area (Contact at this site). Talking
Sticks is now available for sale to educational
libraries. Please visit
www.talkingsticksfilm.info for
further info. Living Arts is working on online ordering
through that site, but until that's done you can send an
email there for the order form.
I've been using Facebook more and more for contact,
writing far less frequently at this site. Please be sure
to like Arthur Lipner Music so we can be connected.
Click
here and then click to the like the
page!
Thanks for stopping by and all best wishes!
- Arthur & Team |
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Talking Sticks Trailer is Here!
Vibes and marimba
are the focus of this extraordinary and compelling film
about creativity, culture and connection. Leading
percussionist Arthur Lipner is our journeyman. His
personal experiences and search for fulfillment bring us
to a small village in Ghana, Carnival in the streets of
Rio de Janeiro, a marimba factory in Mexico,
improvisation on an ice xylophone in Norway, and much
more. Talking Sticks includes
a brief history of vibes and marimba, footage of the
instruments being made by artisans in several countries,
and glimpses of the critical role of music in different
cultures. Grammy-winning vibes player Gary Burton, jazz
legend Mike Mainieri, ice musician Terje Isungset
(interviewed in an igloo!) and other top musicians
discuss percussion and music in their lives.
Talking Sticks brings performances,
education and extraordinary locations together to create
a unique and inspiring documentary for all ages. (63 mins).
www.talkingsticksfilm.com
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Brasilian Vibes
My latest CD is
BRASILIAN VIBES, available on iTunes. Physical discs are
available at the link at
www.malletworks.com.
There are numerous vocal tracks on this record,
something a bit different for me. It includes jazz
trombonist Wycliffe Gordon (he scats on
"Four Brothers") and Brasilian guitarist Nelson
Faria.
Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, NYC and CT, I
went back to Rio for 10 days to mix it. On this
recording I reach to my keyboard roots, recording
piano/keys on 3 tracks - along with my Vibes, Marimba
and Steel Drums (1 track). Brasilian Vibes presents my
instruments (vibes and marimba) in a hybridisation of
Brasilian styles. This mixture of pop, jazz and
percussion energy reunites my instruments with their
African percussion roots, Brasilian-style, to present a
cross section of the vast energy in Brasilian music with
funky, grooving tracks including vocals and a few
originals of mine.
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Unseen Rain Records has released a gorgeous acoustic
quintet album on which I played vibes and marimba on. It
contains two of my latest compositions, SambaDharma
and This Is What The Silence Sounds Like. The latter
is perhaps the most beautiful instrument music I have
ever written/recorded. The Crossing includes old friend
Jack DeSalvo (guitars) with whom I recorded the duo CD
Liquide Stones more than 20 years ago!
Here's
a link to get the recording on
iTunes!
A special note: I will
personally sign all CDs of mine bought via the
Malletworks Web site. |
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2014 Happenings
2014 has seen a lot of cool things happening, an
interesting year of recording sessions and travel. Gigs,
teaching and sessions in Iceland, London, Turkey,
Brazil. Let me explain..
In April, I started working on my new album to be
released Nov 1st. The goal of the album is to explore
the possibilities of vibes and marimba with the
folkloric/popular music of other cultures in ways which
has never been done before. Pretty lofty, I know, but
the music is exciting! And gorgeous! For this project
this year I went to Iceland, Turkey and Brazil to
record/perform. Mixing will start in the coming weeks.
No title yet selected for the album. Planning to include
tracks from Ghana as well, with a bonus cut from USA(!)
if there's room..More info about that album in the next
update.
I've been to Iceland before, but my first time to
Turkey. Both amazing! I stayed in each place about a
week so had a chance to get to experience the cultures a
bit. Can hardly describe it all. And the opportunity to
play with local musicians and collaborate was really a
lifetime experience, affirming one of the main reasons
why I play music in the first place: to communicate with
others. The Turkish musicians I played with spoke no
English. The vocals from both places are in their native
tongue. Fascinating how the instruments blended SO well
together!
In other recording sessions, I played steel drums on the
new United Airlines in-flight Safety video (I'm at 3:20
if you're watching). Played vibes on a track for
Morning Joe Scarborough's new cd. And am part of a new
NYC-based jazz group, as yet unnamed, which recorded a
cd for Unseen Rain Records due for release before year's
end. I contributed a couple of new compositions for
that.
Appearance of note..I'll be joining Nanny Assis at NYC's
world-famous Blue Note Jazz club Sunday August 24th.
Also with Nanny that day will be Janis Siegel (Manhattan
Transfer) and other great musicians. Hope you can make
this special gig. All my concert and appearances are
listed on this site at Dates.
Thanks for stopping by! I update much more regularly to
fb so if we aren't friends please find me.
Musically yours, Arthur
Here's a clip from a recent Nanny Assis/Brasilian
Vibes gig at The Blue Note in NYC. Check it out!!
To all you APAP 2014 attendees, we will be presenting
three showcases with a special guest, the unbelievable
Brazilian dancer, Joao Gaucho. This will be John's USA
debut. Exciting!!
Here's a video of our band playing live in Sao Paulo on
Programma Do Jo, Brasil's version of David Letterman:
But before that, I'll be performing as guest with the
NYU Music Ed Jazz Ensemble Thurs Dec. 12 8p at the Loewe
Theatre in NYC. We'll be doing two of my compositions
arranged for Big Band by Bob Mintzer. |
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