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Gordon Gottlieb
A New York native, Gordon Gottlieb earned his B.M. and M.S.
degrees at Juilliard, where he studied with Saul Goodman, Elden
Bailey, and James Wimer. He plays extensively with the New York
Philharmonic and with other orchestras, in addition to performing
and recording with jazz, rock, world, and popular musicians as varied
as Keith Jarrett, Ravi Shankar, Michael Jackson, Paul Winter, and
Sting. His playing can be heard in more than 140 feature films.
Gordon joined the Juilliard faculty in 1991.
Gordon Gottlieb in Rio de Janeiro after playing in the Carnival parade in 1984. |
When did you first know you wanted to be a musician?
I was popping rhythms in my mother's womb... haven't strayed from
rhythm since.
Who most inspired you when you were growing up, and what
did you learn from that person?
James Wimer-he gave me music in the way a guru teaches an apprentice.
He often lived with my family, so music was constantly listened
to, performed, discussed, analyzed, inhaled, and ingested. I learned
that music is a physical, vibrant phenomenon... and how and why
to hear it.
Do you remember the first recording you ever bought?
Probably was Copland-Billy the Kid and Rodeo with
Lenny Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. I wore out that record
(yes-pre-CD vinyl). The powerhouse percussion writing and playing
got into my skin, and somehow I must have transported myself right
out of Brooklyn into the Old West.
What's the most embarrassing moment you've had as a performer?
I flew down to Raleigh-Durham to perform with the Erick Hawkins
Dance Company, and had to change clothes in the back seat of the
car on the way to the performance. We arrived and I slunk toward
the front of the stage, where several of my musician colleagues
were already performing. Lucia Dlugoszewski-the company's resident
composer, known for her unique, self-designed percussion instruments-had
been covering for me. We exchanged looks of relief as I inched my
way in to replace her at the instruments, set up on a folding card
table in front of the stage. Not long afterward, there came a magic
moment in the dance that was performed in silence-blaringly interrupted
when the card table came crashing down and all of Lucia's special
instruments went flying everywhere. Ahhhhh... Murphy's Law was in
full effect that day!
If you could have your students visit any place in the
world, where would it be, and why?
Brazil or Africa, just to bask in the sensation of cultures propelled
by rhythm... where drummers inspire possession, and percussion tells
much of your story.
Do you have other interests or hobbies?
I'm part of that contingent of musicians/artists who appreciate
baseball as the metaphorical and aesthetic motherlode. I experienced
similar out-of-body ecstasy in Yankee Stadium, witnessing the Yankees
win the 1996 World Series, as I did playing with 600 percussionists
(in an escola de samba of 6,000 people) on the avenida at Carnival
in Rio de Janeiro. Also adore basketball (Knicks); scuba diving;
reading (and audio books); visual art (paintings, films, nature);
working out; and gourmet dining.
What's your proudest accomplishment in life?
Living in a favela (mountain slum), and playing Carnival three times
in Rio de Janeiro.
What's the most satisfying aspect of teaching for you?
Hearing musical truth from a student who's been seeking it.
The most frustrating?
Only six years to collaborate with a student.
What "words of wisdom" can you offer young people entering
the field today?
With so many styles of percussion/drumming available to the curious,
one can choose to perform and/or teach a myriad of instrumental
or theoretical techniques. The savvy student is one who has an overview
of the cross-currents of our art, can hone in on what is essential
for him- or herself, and come to the art with humility and honesty.
Being a rhythmist defines what we are, suggesting a life of continual
striving for a state of grace with pulse and time. Any of another
mindset need not apply.
| Next
Month:
Bertha Melnik, vocal arts faculty member. |
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