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Once On This Island - Mariana Ramirez

Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

Read Mariana's write-up about the show, below the photos.

Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. "I am currently on the first National Broadway tour, playing the percussion/drum book of the Tony Award winning Best Revival Once on this Island. It is a joy to be able to play Taino and Afro Cuban rhythms along with this amazing story while sharing the Haitian Afro-Taino culture around the US.

This unique hybrid set up that combines drum set and hand drums was developed on Broadway by Javier Diaz. He combined the basic structure of a drum set (kick drum, snare drum, hi hat, and cymbals) with hand drums such as congas, bongos, djembe, and surdo, making the congas the central sound of this set up instead of the snare drum. Likewise, the set up includes glockenspiel, and accessories such as wind chimes, bell tree, triangle, finger cymbal, shakers, caxixi, shekere, jingles, nut shells, and a variety of cowbells, even one played with the left foot.

Since the band is visible on stage, I get to wear a costume and be on the beach (the stage) every night. It is so much fun!

My favorite part of the show is the percussion solo for "Ti Moune’s Dance". When Javier Diaz created this solo, he combined Afro Cuban and Taino rhythms such as Yuba Makota and Palo, among other rhythms with some improvisation. In rehearsals, the choreographer, Ricky Tripp, explained that this solo accompanies the most important dance break of the show where Ti Moune dances in an amazing African-influenced choreography where her and the cast pays tribute to their ancestors.

The book is very challenging as it requires a skill set of drum set independence and hand drums at the same time, as well as needing to switch sticks and instruments constantly with a careful choreography that uses 180 degrees as I have instruments on the right, and left side. This challenge is so much fun to play every night and I always see the audience dancing with the Caribbean rhythms from the show!

It has been an amazing experience since we started rehearsals with Michael Arden (Director) and Justin Scribner (Assistant Director) back in September in New York City. I saw how they made magic and created a new production for the tour (different from the Broadway theater, which was in the round). Likewise, it is a treat to hear the talented cast sing and play with the band every night.

I feel very lucky to have this opportunity to share some of the Caribbean traditions around the United States."

www.marianapercussion.com

Once On This Island - Tour - Mariana Ramirez
January 2020

Mariana Ramirez's setup for the National Tour of Once On This Island at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

"Conducting a National Tour is incredibly challenging, but so rewarding. Stepping on to the podium with a new orchestra every few weeks really keeps you on your toes. Every player responds differently so you are constantly adjusting to get the desired result. I would compare it to playing a multi-percussion piece where the instruments are constantly moving."
"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."
"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 timpani tunings are the real challenge of The Little Mermaid. Changing pitches must be done by feel, that was my biggest challenge. Memorizing the mallet parts was also very necessary."
"As you can see in the pictures, I prefer to have as much 'stuff' right in front of me, as close as possible. Because there are so many instruments close in, I have mounted a music stand off of the tom mount.
"Different from the tour, the original Broadway production had acoustic drums, an acoustic set of timbales, and an acoustic tambourine - the tambourine is now programmed in the SPD-SX."
  • 2 min read

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

Steve Jordan's drum solo from the title track of the album Casa Loco.
Robbie Ameen's drum solo from the track "Spring Fling".

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