See the 'greatest xylophone player in the world' at Sound Symposium
Percussionist Bob Becker of Nexus gives a musical history lesson on the xylophone and marimba
Percussionist Bob Becker was introduced at St. John's Sound Symposium as the "greatest xylophone player in the world." He was quick to say he hated the title, but his performance made it hard to argue with.
Becker is a founding member of Nexus, a percussion quartet based in Toronto. The group got together in 1971 and, more than 50 years later, is still going strong. This year they're appearing at Sound Symposium, performing together and with each of the four members conducting workshops.
Becker's workshop Monday afternoon gave the audience a musical history lesson on the xylophone and the marimba (yes, there is a difference). He covered the physics of the instruments and their role in pop music, deftly bouncing between topics like his mallets over wooden bars.
He also performed several pieces, solo and with two of his Nexus colleagues, that will make your eyes and ears go wide. You can check it out in the video above, and check out the Sound Symposium website for a complete schedule of performances.
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