(Translated from my original Italian text by ChatGPT and Piero Scaruffi)

Glen Velez (born in Dallas, with a degree in classical composition) is a dazzling percussionist who first gained attention collaborating with minimalist composer Steve Reich (from 1972) and Paul Winter’s Consort (from 1983). His specialty is the tambourine and, more generally, all hand-played percussion instruments in its family.

In his solo albums, he uses Arab, Indian, African, and Caribbean drums. In reality, very little of the original cultures that invented these instruments remains: Velez takes their sounds and shapes them into long suites that are analogous to jazz’s improvised jams.

The solo compositions on Internal Combustion (May 1985), particularly Bodhran (for the eponymous Irish instrument) and Rain (for a Middle Eastern tambourine), are purely explorations of the sonic universes these instruments make possible. The title track, inspired by Indian and Arabic music (as well as Reich), allows improvisation around a predefined skeleton—with the difference, however, that the improvisation is not guided by a melodic part.
The duets with Layne Redmond go even further: the title track exhibits geometry and strength that make it more than a simple theoretical exercise, and Bendir, which blends overtone singing (very slow tempo) with African percussion tribalism (fast tempo), achieves an inspired balance of timbres and polyrhythms.

Seven Heaven (May 1986) expands the duo with Steve Gorn’s flutes. Middle Eastern accents are prominent, particularly in the Arabic spirals of Amulet Of Bes. The bansuri (bamboo flutes) sometimes steal the spotlight from the percussion, which occasionally remains little more than a dense background patter. There is undeniably more life in the festive dance of Ramana and the long “Hare Krishna” procession of the eponymous track. There is also greater depth of meaning: the blend of muted timbres, especially in Sweet Season, fosters psycho-ethnic immersion ā la Jon Hassell.

Continuing the progression toward increasingly accessible music, on Assyrian Rose (June 1989) his vertiginous solos serve intricate harmonies for a small ensemble (bansuri, French horn, harmonica). Another novelty is the rehabilitation of melody: the motifs are mostly melancholic and understated, but unlike the bansuri in Seven Heaven, they are fully developed. This new format lends itself to suggestive “primitive” excursions like Assyrian Rose, marked by a dazed polyphony in which not only multiple rhythms but also multiple melodic lines collide (with their slow tempos contrasting the very fast tempos of the percussion).
The quintet perhaps reaches its most evocative synthesis with the surreal blend of Caribbean fanfare, swing theme, and plantation blues that is Blue Castle. The dreamy Drala and the exuberant Amazonas firmly push Velez into the realm of world music. After the most solo-oriented work of Ramana, featuring the magical polyphony of Elemental Triad for three tuned tambourines, Velez recorded the more varied Doctrine Of Signatures (December 1990). Its title track is a forty-five-minute piece for five percussionists, performed while walking in a circle (to facilitate synchronization), and stands as one of his most experimental works. The other composition on the album, White-Throated Sparrow, is orchestrated for two percussion instruments and a bamboo bansuri flute, and is similar in style to Velez’s earlier works.

Border States (December 1992), featuring Howard Levy on harmonica and Randy Crafton on percussion, experiments with a cornucopia of styles, from ethnic pop to minimalist stasis.

In contrast to these austere works, Pan Eros (October 1992) is a lighter interlude: hinting at more atmospheric jazz-rock (Madrepora) and more colorful world music (A Different World), Velez shows that his percussion is not just for virtuosity.

A music teacher in New York, Velez is a simple and modest figure who has produced some of the most brilliant percussion albums ever.

Mokave is a trio composed of bassist Glen Moore (formerly of Oregon), percussionist Glen Velez, and pianist Larry Karush (the latter two met in the ensemble of minimalist composer Steve Reich during Music For 18 Musicians and later played in Paul Winter’s Consort).
Karush is the driving force of the double album (July 1991). Song For A New City is the ode that crowns his tour de force.

The style of Afrique (September 1993) is equally inspired by Paul Winter’s world music and the jazz of the Bill Evans trio. The star is Karush, who in Africa 3/2 and the title track displays African-inspired phrases ā la Dollar Brand, and in Country competes with the meditative playing of Keith Jarrett. The obsessive rhythms of Velez and Moore only serve to make the background on which the piano’s stylistic acrobatics unfold a bit mysterious.

Trio Globo (January 1994) features Glen Velez (percussion), Howard Levy (piano), and Eugene Friesen (cello), performing a jazz that is far more ethnic in character.