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September 30, 2020
IM -On Independence Day 2020, a group of world-class percussion and brass musicians released a new arrangement of a Revolutionary War-era fife and drum tune, “The Downfall of Paris,” as a YouTube video.
The idea sprang from the solitude of quarantine, during which Sean J. Kennedy, of Local 341 (Norristown, PA), the Philadelphia-based drummer, producer, and arranger who created the project, spent countless hours revisiting the fundamentals of his percussion craft. Specifically, he was practicing the standard snare drum repertoire of his youth, in particular the 1700s fife and drum tune, “The Downfall of Paris.”
Longing to collaborate with his musical compatriots from across the country on a meaningful virtual project, Kennedy was inspired to revamp his own arrangement of the tune and expand it to a full-blown percussion section feature with brass.
In addition to Kennedy, musicians who played on the piece included: Nitzan Haroz of Local 77 (Philadelphia, PA), Bernie Dresel of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA), David Lu of Local 341, Chihiro Shibayama of Local 802 (New York City), and Dave Nelson of Locals 77, 135-211 (Reading, PA), and 21 (Wilmington, DE).