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Far From Heaven - Charlie Descarfino

Charlie Descarfino's setup for the Off Broadway production of Far From Heaven at Playwrights Horizons in New York City.

Charlie Descarfino's setup for the Off Broadway production of Far From Heaven at Playwrights Horizons in New York City.Charlie Descarfino's setup for the Off Broadway production of Far From Heaven at Playwrights Horizons in New York City.Charlie Descarfino's setup for the Off Broadway production of Far From Heaven at Playwrights Horizons in New York City.Charlie Descarfino's setup for the Off Broadway production of Far From Heaven at Playwrights Horizons in New York City.Charlie Descarfino's setup for the Off Broadway production of Far From Heaven at Playwrights Horizons in New York City.Charlie Descarfino's setup for the Off Broadway production of Far From Heaven at Playwrights Horizons in New York City.

“Something that seems to be a recurring theme in playing musical theater currently is the one player, drum/percussion book. I have encountered this playing on Broadway at the 2006 revival of Les Miserables, the recent Broadway production of The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, and now once again at this Playwrights Horizons production of the new musical Far From Heaven.

Needless to say, performing this type of chair requires careful planning, taking into account logistics necessary to access all the surfaces and stick changes required to achieve the orchestrator's desired effect. My method of arriving at the setup I use takes into account the proximity in time and physical space from one instrument change to another, the space allotted to the percussion setup in the pit, as well as certain elements I think of as standard setup variations (ie glock over timpani or stacked over the xylophone, easy access to the pedals of the timps from the drum set, etc...) depending on the needs of the particular orchestration.

Often an array of stick changes and holding various combinations of beaters also comes into play. This is a good example of how The Miller Machine comes in handy, saving one what may be an extra mallet change that may be the thing that will allow you to reach your next instrument change with the right mallets in your hands.”

Far From Heaven - Off Broadway - Charlie Descarfino
May 2013

Charlie Descarfino's setup for the Off Broadway production of Far From Heaven at Playwrights Horizons in New York City.

"After a grueling four years at SUNY I still had one theory class left to finish. I was really depressed. A classmate of mine recommended me for a tour of a Broadway show. This completely changed the course of my life."
  • 7 min read
"When I first got the call to start working on Ain’t Too Proud - The Life And Times Of The Temptations, I was curious about which era the show was going to focus on. Their career began in the early 1960’s and they’re still releasing albums today."
"The unique part of Groundhog Day was that the drummer had to play on stage, in a groundhog costume, wearing a giant groundhog head. Since I could barely see out of the head, it was impossible to read a chart (and there wasn’t a music stand), so it had to be memorized."
  • 4 min read
Paul Hansen's setup for Bruce at Seattle Rep in Seattle, Washington.
Patrick Lehosky's percussion setup for In the Heights at the CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale, New York.
Jay Mack's setup for the National Tour of If/Then at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Steve Gadd's drum solo from the track "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours". From the album Live Stuff (out of print) from the legendary 1970's New York based band Stuff.
Robbie Ameen's drum solo from the track "Spring Fling".

Gene Krupa's drum solo from "Gene's Blues" from the album Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich released November 1955.

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