Donavon Lerman - Daholla / Darbouka / Tar

Raised in Kentucky and Southern California, Donavon Lerman was not born into the culture of Arabic percussion, but he has nonetheless made it his avocation, approaching it with dedication, passion and a mission to spread its power to American audiences.

His first teacher, Rico Orel, afforded him an introduction to the dumbek (also called the darbuka). Shaped like an hourglass, it rests in the drummer’s lap. It is customarily made of ceramic, its head fashioned from goatskin. Donavon next sought out renowned Lebanese percussionist Souhail Kaspar. The exacting, conservatory-trained Kaspar taught him terms and techniques, building upon his foundation in the instrument. The student also learned from the teacher outside the classroom, serving as his business assistant.

After five years with Kaspar, Donavon took a class with the Syrian master Faisal Zedan, who eventually adopted the role of coach. Donavon started to meet with him weekly, taking up more-intricate styles of play. Zedan taught him how to put what he’d learned into practice,” Donavon explains, “how to make words, sentences and poetry, and how musical ideas and phrases become complete.”

Donavon later decided to form an ensemble that would familiarize people with the dumbek and Arabic percussion in general, a group that would perform at parties, festivals and even in people’s homes. He invited Zedan to join him in this endeavor. The new ensemble was called Youm it Talaata – Arabic for “Tuesday,” the day Donavon received his weekly instruction from Zedan.

As he developed his skills, Donavon also began working with dancers. He says the interaction is reminiscent of the Indian form in which every note of the drum is matched by a movement of the dancer. He enjoys demonstrating how this works, exploring the connections among the music, the dancer and the audience.

In addition to sharing his love of the drum with audiences, Donavon has developed an interest in ethnomusicology, amassing an archive devoted to contemporary dobbat iqaa – officers of rhythm, the Arabic term for percussionists. He compiles information about the prominent players in the genre, and videos of them playing, and posts them on the Internet. This burgeoning library can be found at www.iqaat.com. He and Zedan have traveled to Turkey together to research, interview and record drummers. He has also spent time in Egypt and Morocco and hopes to travel throughout the Arab world.

Donavon is one of very few Americans in Southern California working in the Arabic style. He’s also something of an oddity in that most of his colleagues have been immersed in the music all of their lives, whereas he did not come by it until he was nearly 30.

Still, his commitment has never wavered. He says the discipline of Arabic percussion keeps him focused in all areas of his life and that he frequently attains a meditative state in the playing. “Sometimes I have these glimmers,” he illuminates, “where I am completely inside the music. I know exactly where the next note will be and I play something instinctively that I couldn’t play before. That’s an incredible experience.”

Faisal Zedan - Derbakki / Riqq / Tar

Percussionist Faisal Zedan embodies the elements essential to Arabic drumming: impeccable technique combined with an inherent understanding of the complexities of Middle Eastern musical structures. From the classical Mowashahat style to simpler folkloric or fusion genres, his unique approach mixes thousands of years of tradition with pure emotion and a contemporary feel.

Born in Oum D'Baib, Syria, in 1972, Faisal Ghazi Zedan grew up obsessed with the derbakki (a goblet-shaped hand drum, made of clay or metal, usually with a natural skin head and sometimes referred to as a dumbek or tabla). At the age of fifteen he learned what he could from the only local drummer in the village. He then began to teach himself to play by listening to and reproducing the rhythms he heard on everything from classical Arabic recordings to the lighter Arabic pop fare played on the radio, his tireless practicing soon made him proficient on the instrument and he began experimenting with playing both the riqq (a skin-covered, tambourine like instrument) and the frame drum, both of which he mastered quickly.

After coming to California in 1992, he met UCLA¹s noted ethnomusicology professor Dr. Ali Jihad Racy, as well as renowned Arabic percussionist Souhail Kaspar, and was asked to join the acclaimed UCLA Near East Music Ensemble. While playing to wide and varied audiences in concert with the Ensemble, in 1993 Zedan became a founding member of Near East music group Kan Zaman. Specializing in the Al Andelus style of Mowashahat, the North African Arab-influenced music of Spain from the eighth to fifteenth centuries, Kan Zaman has performed at Arabic cultural centers, city-sponsored events and private shows up and down the West Coast. Since 1996, Zedan has played and studied at Northern California¹s MidEast Music Camp, with artists and musicians from all over the globe. In 1996 he also taught at the camp.

He has also performed with Julian Weiss of the Al Kindi Ensemble of Syria and George Sawa, a music professor and Qanun player residing in Canada. Faisal is a founding member (with Donavon Lerman) of the Los Angeles-based Youm It Talaata percussion group, performing at festivals, cultural events and with local Middle Eastern dancers in Southern California.

Jim Sullivan - Clairinet

Jim Sullivan explores the versatility of the clarinet in a kaleidoscope of styles and repertoire. He has performed with the Seattle Symphony, Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Northwest Sinfonietta, California Philharmonic, Redlands Symphony, National Orchestral Institute and the American Institute of Musical studies. His studies include Interlochen Arts Academy, Cleveland Institute of Music, Florida State University (B.M.) and the California Institute of the arts (M.F.A.) He has studied with Laura Deluca, Frank, Kowalsky, Deborah Chodacki, Sean Osborn, Bill Powell, Vinnie Golia, Julie Feves, David Howard and Wael Kakish, He also performs contemporary music in solo & chamber music settings and commissions work by local composers. In addition to playing with Youm it Talaata he plays with the Kan Zaman Orchestra and Freshly Squeezed.

T.J. Troy - Tar / Riqq

T.J. Troy received his Bachelor of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Michigan, and his Master of Fine Arts degree, specializing in Percussion, from the California Institute of the Arts. His principle instructors have been Michael Udow, Julie Spencer, Michael Gould, Salvatore Rabbio, David Johnson, John Bergamo, Randy Gloss, and he continues his study of North Indian tabla with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. Known for his high energy performance and broad range of disciplines, T.J. performs in a number of ensembles, including Condensation, Youm It Talaata, MESTO, Santa Monica Symphony, and the Elvis Schoenburg Orchestra Surreal, as well as being an active performer and composer for television and
film. Currently stationed in Los Angeles, T.J. has toured and recorded extensively throughout the continental United States, and maintains a rigourous performance schedule throughout the year.

Tim Maloof - Violin

Timothy was exposed to a great range of music starting at an early age-- Everything from early rock and roll, blues, jazz, classical, and Arabic music (being his father is first generation Lebanese/American). He started learning the violin at an early age. However, as a teenager the rock and roll bug took over. He learned the guitar and bass and played in numerous bands, most notably the Space Twins, with his brother Glenn. The Space Twins released their first full-length album in 2003 and received one of the “top ten albums of 2003” from Rolling Stone. As an adult, Timothy has returned to the violin, playing with many bands, ensembles, and community orchestras. He is currently studying privately with Dr. Chan Ho Yun and working on finishing his degree in music. He also teaches at the Rainbow Music Academy in Los Angeles. Timothy is grateful to have met musicians with the same passion for traditional Arabic and Turkish music.