The pandeiro is a Brazillian hand drum. It looks like a tambourine but is more complicated to play and can produce more sounds. The more I watched and read about the instrument the more I understood why Scott Feiner was lured back into music by it. He discovered the instrument when he moved to Brazil and he stayed to learn more. Using a pandeiro is like holding an entire drum kit in your hand. The fullness of percussion sound that it can produce was impressive. Feiner's become adept with the instrument and it is the driving force behind his new CD, Accents.
Joined by Freddie Bryant playing guitar, Joel Frahm on saxophone and Joe Martin handling bass duty, Feiner brings the pandeiro and jazz together, blending Brazillian rhythms with contemporary jazz in an informal and vibrant and beautiful fashion. I've never heard pandeiro before so I cannot personally judge whether or not Feiner is a premier player. But others can. And I read in more than one place that Feiner is one gringo who has truly taken to the instrument and plays it like it deserves.
It sounds fabulous to me. It seems like the pandeiro would take some time to master. It's small and looks simple, but it does the work of drum set. From the click of snare to the fuller thump of a tom, and even a little splash of cymbal, the small hand drum covers the range of beats and sounds needed. All with the right twist of the wrist and slap of the palm or thumb. I think Feiner's timing and the strength of the pandeiro in backing a song is easily followed on “Jobmiola”, a Joel Frahm composition. For me, everything came together on that track.
Article comments
1 - Rodrigo
listen to some Jackson do Pandeiro.
look for that. he is the pandeiro master.
then you will able to gauge Feiner's abilities :)
2 - Gray Hunter
Thanks Rodrigo. I appreciate the direction.