Glens drumming can be heard throughout Robert Miller's amazing film score for the feature film 'Teeth' by Mitchell Lichtenstein
"A galaxy of timbres and inflections ... remarkable rhythmic fireworks." - New York Times
" The audience was rapt, absolutely still, except for those dancing in place." - The Village Voice
" Extreme virtuosity and imagination ... astonishing sophistication" - New York Times
Four-time Grammy Award winning master drummer, composer and educator
Glen Velez is regarded as one of the most influential percussionists and world music composers of our time. He is responsible for increasing the popularity of Frame Drums in the US and around the World. His performances inspired the Remo Drum Co. in 1983 to develop a line of frame drums called the Glen Velez Signature Series. The Cooperman Drum Co. introduced a hand made Signature Series Glen Velez Tambourine and Frame Drum line in 1999.
Glen has gained international recognition as a solo artist and is known for his 15 year recording and performing collaborations with composer Steve Reich as well as the Paul Winter Consort. Even twentieth century composer, John Cage acknowledged Velez' mastery when he wrote a solo frame drum piece especially for him in 1989.
Other collaborations include: Tan Dun, Israel Philharmonia, Brooklyn Philharmonia, Opera Orchestra of New York, Suzanne Vega, Pat Metheny, Zakir Hussain, New York City Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Orpheus Chamber Ensemble. His own compositions have been featured on National Public Radio's All Things Considered and John Schaefer's New Sounds and have been commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation, Jerome Foundation, and Reader's Digest. He has composed music for theater and dance and recorded hundreds of albums on ECM, CBS, RCA, GRP, Warner Brothers, Deutsche Gramophone, Geffen, Nonesuch, Capital, and Sony.
Glen has several instructional videos, 5 instructional books and over a dozen recordings of his own music on CMP, Music of the World, Sounds True, Interworld, Ellipsis Arts and DafTof Records. Glen is a master teacher who conducts workshops worldwide and has published numerous books and articles on the subject. Velez developed his own teaching approach called “The Handance Method.” It incorporates voice and body movement into the process of learning to play the frame drum and has been presented in hundreds of universities worldwide.
He currently teaches frame drums at the Mannes School of Music, as well as series of master classes at The Julliard School and Manhattan School of Music.
Glen is also an expert in Central Asian Overtone Singing (split-tone/harmonic singing). In addition to singing this style in performance, Glen engages his audiences with a crash course in overtone singing, resulting in an interactive overtone choir.
Glen Velez regularly performs and records with Coleman Barkes, world renown scholar/translator of the poetry of Rumi. He is also active with his own Glen Velez Ensemble, along with his duo performances with celebrated rhythm vocalist Lori Cotler. Their new CD Rhythms of the Chakras Volume Two ( Sounds True) is available at www.glenvelez.com. Also in 2008, look out for a new Trio Globo recording with Eugene Friesen and Howard Levy.
