8. Photos

WHITE HOUSE PERCUSSION

8. Photos

Performing on an acoustic electro midi setup. Notice the placement of the music
stand as it is encorporated into the setup to watch the director and still get
to the equipment with ease. The Drum Kat is center as the controller for all
MIDI equipment and the MalletKat is to my left. There is a stack of 7 splash
type cymbals to my right and smaller cymbals in this setup for ease in balancing
the mike setup. The toms go to my left rather then the normal to the right
arrangement. The Hi Hat is to my right using a cable pedal

Above you see Walter with his Blue Sparkle Custom Ayotte kit he uses for live Big Band work.
This was 2003 as a special guest at the NEISD JAZZ FESTIVAL.

Photos of Walter performing on multi perc setups and drumsets used on tours and Broadway shows as well as Gong lectures. Being updated daily

Setup used on the CAMI "Our Sinatra" tour. The drums are Ayotte custom wood hoop Piano Finish Gloss Black. These babies sound wonderful.
The bass dr is a 20" with a 8"x13" (yes I said 13") and a 12"x14" tom with a 5"x13" snare drum. The drums coupled with the Aquarian Vintage heads sound so sweet, much like the calf sound of Mel Lewis, dark, low, round, full fundamental quality in the sound.

For cymbals I used combination of PAISTE Traditionals, Signatures, Sound Creation and 602. I have a Sound Creation series 22" Dark Flat ride with rivets, super sweet! And the Signature 20" China with rivets, That baby matches inch for inch a 24" Wuhuan China I have matched to the Mel Lewis sound.

The PAISTE cymbals to my right are
22" Traditional Medium
16" Signature Full crash
22" Sound Creation Flat Ride with rivets
20" Signature China with rivets

Yes, thats me in full kabuki attire in a performance for a friend of mine doing her Doctoral performance aspect of her thesis at University of Texas in San Antonio TX. And yes all those gongs are mine! And yes it is very COOL!

Below you see me in my cruise ship days. Merik, the tall one on my right, was from Poland and played in the jazz combo. Merik is a very fine drummer, we had some good times. And to my left is Arnold who was in the steel drum band and Arnold can throw down with the best of them! I learned a lot about "drop one" caribbean raggae beats from Arnold.

My job was playing in the "SHOWBAND" which did the 2 Vegas style shows and backed up the main acts which could have been a comedian or a musical act. We would rehearse a few hours about 1:00 and then grab a bite and do the show twice that evening. When things go right they are great but of course there are those nights when "ENOUGH" goes wrong and it is a real handful to get through! And those would be when friends like Merik and Arnold would help you get through it all. Their compliments were endless and genuine, These guys are forever friends!

Below is Favre, Me, Studer, Eddie Clift

These are some very special people!

Picture of my studio during the period I tweaked "WINDS OF TIME". Lots of vintage analog synths and the gongs in background. I loved that Oberheim 4 voice unit.

This is from 1995 in my Air Force Mess Dress uniform. Notice the David Morbey timpani mallets. I came to know him while stationed in Europe and we met at one of the Music Messe in Frankfurt Germany. His mallets are great! Some of the best, worth every penny! Little story, I caught such a flack for these from Cloyd Duff, of course you know what he suggested I should use? Of course some of his dandy signature mallets!

The Midi studio in the 90's. Had a four voice Oberheim all MIDI'd up. A MINI MOOG with the Kensington MIDI mod. Of course the gongs in the back.

Walter in his "Pinks and Greens" World War II Glen Miller uniform while stationed at Lackland AF Base with the "Band of The West". While staioned in Germany with the USAFE Band Walter played with the decendant of the Army Air Corps Band that Major Glen Miller had to his untimely death. Walter is well informed and capable of swinging a Big Band in the appropriate style or genre. Walter now plays drums with the "Sentimental Journey Orchestra" with Ted Conerley out of Kerrville Texas playing the music of the swing Big Band era.

Percussion for the Masses