Pablo Batista (left) and Dennis Guevara (right) give a sample of the Latin Jazz sound they are developing to Montco students attending an SRT Master Class.
, a master percussionist who has toured and recorded internationally for 30 years, recently spoke with students and visitors during a Master Class held at Montco鈥檚 Mix Room in the Advanced Technology Center at Central Campus in Blue Bell.
Batista discussed his extensive career and emphasized that none of it would have been possible without his education.
鈥淓ducation is something no one can take from you,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he people you meet and the experiences you have as a result of education are invaluable.鈥�
While a student at Temple University, Batista had the opportunity to record a drum session that got passed along to saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. At that time, Washington was serving as producer for R&B star Jean Carne, and he invited Batista into the studio to work professionally as a percussionist. It wasn鈥檛 long before Batista was touring internationally and playing with some of the great musicians, like Alicia Keys and Patti LaBelle.
The Master Class was not Batista鈥檚 first time in the Mix Room. He previously visited in August 2018 to work with Sound Recording & Music Technology Director David Ivory in organizing a session with 33 musicians in the Advanced Technology Center. Musicians played live in the Mix Room while Batista played drums in the nearby television studio. He encouraged students to use these facilities for their own projects, too.
鈥淭he facility and staff rivals that of Berkeley [College of Music],鈥� he said.
Following his discussion, Batista and his keyboardist Dennis Guevara gave the class a live sample of the Latin Jazz sound they are developing. He describes Latin Jazz as a mixture of traditional Latin rhythms with the implementation of jazz horns and chords. Batista said he drew inspiration from his interest in Afro-Cuban and Afro Caribbean folk music, incorporating folk rhythms and instruments to influence the sound. He also demonstrated various percussion instruments used in his music including the conga drum, g眉iro and shekere.
Batista鈥檚 stories and experience resonated with the students in the crowd. One student, Blessing Osazuwa, was inspired by how the class aligned with her own experience.
鈥淏eing a person of color, it was great to see this type of music representing a culture that [I] grew up with,鈥� she said.
Evan Healey was grateful to have the chance to learn from a music professional.
鈥淣one of this would be possible without the efforts of the instructors to give us these opportunities,鈥� Healey said.
Co-hosted by Montco鈥檚 Lively Arts Series and the Sound Recording & Music Technology Program, Master Classes provide students and the community with opportunities to meet with and learn from professionals in the music industry. The classes are free and open to all students and the community.