March 28, 2023 - This year’s Night of Percussion features two headlining musicians who have played with bands like Toto, Santana, and Bella Fleck and the Flecktones.
Considered one of the greatest drummers of all time, Gregg Bissonette returns for his fourth performance at Canyon High School’s annual Night of Percussion 7 p.m. Thursday, April 27, in the CHS Performing Arts Center. While the concert is free, reservations are needed and may be made through [email protected].
Joining Bissonette this year is five-time Grammy winner Victor Wooten, who has been named the “Best Bass Player” three times by Bass Player magazine.
“This is a bucket list concert for me,” says Brad Arnold, the CHS percussion and jazz director, who established the event in 2006 while teaching at New Braunfels High School and continued it when he moved to CHS in 2014.
“Bissonette is a lot of fun and brings a positive, energetic vibe to his performance, and Wooten is simply the most exciting bassist alive today. He has an infectious energy that will bring the house down when paired with Bissonette. No one plays like him,” Arnold says
The concert will feature student percussionists from CHS, Canyon Middle School and church Hill Middle School under the direction of Arnold and percussion instructor Rene Gonzalez. Student musicians look forward to this annual evening because they get the opportunity to play alongside these headliners.
For almost two decades, Arnold has featured some of the top drummers in the world during Percussion Night including Bissonette, Russ Miller who played with Ray Charles, Nelly Furtado and Cher; Herman Matthews who played with Kenny Loggins and Sheryl Crow; JR Robinson who played with Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and Madonna; Danny Seraphine who was the founder of Chicago; Chester Thompson who played with Genesis, Phil Collins and Frank Zappa; Tommy Igoe who played with Art Garfunkel and Blood, Sweat & Tears; Zoro who played with Lenny Kravitz, Bobby Brown and New Edition; and Bill Gibson who played with Huey Lewis and the News.