New York City composer and percussionist Larry Spivack is one of the more unique artists on the Bachovich roster. He studied at Brooklyn College and The Juilliard School with legends Arnie Lang, Saul Goodman, and Buster Bailey. As a freelance percussionist, Larry has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, the American Symphony and on 39 different Broadway shows. He has written works for the Lang Percussion Company, Broadway (Kafka's Metamorphosis), the New York Shakespeare Festival (Coriolanus starring Christopher Walken), Bob Fosse and the School of American Ballet, film scores, and ABC television (a 3-second brass/percussion/synthesizer fanfare used from 1980-82!). Larry has done arranging and orchestration for Patti LaBelle and Placido Domingo. He is also the co-editor of The Dictionary of Percussion Terms in the Symphonic Literature (published by Carl Fischer) and has written a one-man show (The Tune of the Unknown Soloist) with songs and stories about his most unique experiences in music.Larry's compositions for percussion are fun and quirky. His most frequently performed Quartet for Paper Bags has been performed around the world. Through Bachovich, you can get Larry's 3-minute Double Concertino for Timpani and Percussion (subtitled "When Professor Rhianini Met Lorenzo Spuccini") with versions for full orchestra or piano reduction. This short work features soloists on timpani (4 drums), xylophone, and a whole kitchen-sink of percussion gadgets (toys, whistles, sirens, solo flexatone, accessories, and "The Cymbal Guy"). To hear a sample, click HERE.
Larry is co-founder of "The Cymbal Guy," a self-crashing device for two orchestral crash cymbals that mounts on and is activated by a hi-hat foot pedal. This unique instrument is demonstrated in Larry's similarly-titled raperetta The Cymbal Guy for 8 cymbal players/actors (and an additional 3 actors). Hear it and read more HERE.
"The Cymbal Guy" will once again be on display at the Bachovich Booth (#212) at PASIC. Come by to try it and see what its all about.
Thanks Larry for all your creative contributions to the percussion world. Good luck this fall!
