Overman

Michael Overman

Adjunct professor of percussion, James Madison University

Michael holds a Doctor of Music degree in Percussion from Northwestern University, a Master of Music from Ithaca College, and a Bachelor of Music from West Virginia University. Michael has also studied at the Hochschule für Musik, Würzburg, as recipient of a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship. Michael received third place at the 1998 Leigh Howard Stevens International Marimba Competition, held at the Eastman School of Music. In 1999 he toured Taiwan as a soloist, performing in three of the country’s largest concert halls, and presented a clinic at the National Institute for the Arts, in Taipei.

Rumble Strips II	Gordon Stout
The most prolific and well-known composer of marimba music, Gordon Stout is an important influence on nearly every marimbist in the world. This work, which he conceived while driving down the highway, comprises two movements, slow then fast, of which the second is included on this cd. Menhir: Avebury John Hilliard Menhir, a Celtic word meaning a tall or standing stone, is a three movement work for trumpet, piano and percussion. The third movement, Avebury, was inspired by the largest of the numerous ancient stone circle constructions of the British Isles. It was built around 2600 BC, four or five hundred years before its close neighbor, Stonehenge. This recording was performed with Jim Kluesner, trumpet, and Lori Piitz, piano, at JMU's 2008 Contemporary Music Festival.
Rebonds b	Iannis Xenakis
One of the few multiple percussion pieces already considered a ‘classic,’ the variety of moods and sounds Xenakis creates from this comparatively small number of instruments is astounding, as is the power evoked.
O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden	J.S.Bach
A Bach chorale, in my opinion, is the ultimate demonstration of a player’s ability to combine marimba technique, the roll in particular, and the practical application of music theory and analysis. I personally include at least one chorale in every solo performance, and encourage the same of my students.
Concerto For Percussion I	Steven Stuckey
The Pulitzer Prize winning composer’s piece is performed with the James Madison University Wind Symphony, under the direction of Patrick Rooney, during the 2006 Contemporary Music Festival, which featured Steven Stuckey. The first movement is included here.
The Call of Boromir	Daniel McCarthy
A fairly new work, The Call of Boromir was written before the Lord of the Rings movies brought Boromir and his horn to common household knowledge. Abigail Pack, professor of music at James Madison University, plays horn in this performance.
Failing: A Very Difficult Piece for Solo Marimba	Tom Johnson
The iconic bass piece transcribed to marimba… Further explanation is found in the recording. Fly out for Cake Bruce Hamilton Hamilton was one of the guest composers for JMU's 2009 Contemporary Music Festival. His piece, fly out for cake, is written for vibraphone and piano. It is a festival of hemiola and polyrhythm with no real programmatic intent. Paulo Steinberg is the pianist in this performance.
Scirocco	Michael Burritt
Probably the most renowned percussion pedagogue actively teaching and performing, Michael Burritt is becoming equally admired for his compositional output. This work, written for She-e Wu, is his attempt to write “something completely over the top.” A scirocco is a swirling dessert wind.
Carousel	Dave Samuels & Dave Friedman
The Samuels/Friedman duo, Double Image, has had a number of their concert improvisations transcribed, of which this is one of the more frequently played. The work consists of a fairly straight forward theme which anchors improvised solos by both the marimbist and vibist. David Helms plays marimba here.