Katy’s new CD is more than just drumming (From Echo)

Katy’s new CD is more than just drumming

10:10pm Friday 7th August 2009

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THE drums are thrumming as a talented Rayleigh percussionist launches her debut album.

Classical percussionist Katy Elman released her CD, April Sky, with a concert at St Thomas of Canterbury church, Brentwood.

But, she reveals, this recording almost didn’t get made, as the talented 21-year-old has always been nervous when it comes to committing her music to disc.

“I have been doing recitals for five or six years now, all across London and the UK,” Katy explains.

“For the past three or four years I’ve been asked if I have a CD, but before now I never had the guts to go into the studio.

“Whenever I tried doing any recording, I got very stressed. This time the team were just spot on and sound engineer John Rivers put me at ease.”

Thankfully Katy is happy with the finished CD, and credits boyfriend James Berryman with providing the impetus to finally take the plunge.

“It’s better than I could have imagined, “she says. Part of Katy’s fear about recording stemmed from the permanent nature of recorded music. She explains: “When you play live, if you make a mistake it’s fleeting, but when you make a recording any mistakes are there forever.”

April Sky contains a mix of classical and jazz tracks, including the jazz classic Misty, and Little Prayer, penned by the deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie.

Katy says: “It’s easy listening, and other than the final track, there are no drums on it. You could do your ironing to it, or sit down and relax because it’s very calming, or you could have it on in the background at a barbecue.

“There are classic tunes, such as Misty, which is a really warm, wonderful piece of music, and there are some more energetic pieces, but it’s a really nice, warm-sounding CD.”

Katy attributes the mellow sound of the tracks to her favourite instrument, the marimba.

“The marimba can sound really nice and warm when you play it with a certain technique. It’s a very relaxing sound,” says Katy.

Her talent doesn’t stop there as she regularly plays the whole range of percussion instruments.

She says: “When I am booked to play in an orchestra I have no idea what instuments I will be asked to play, which gives it a real sense of excitement, but also makes it harder. Some people think you just have to hit a triangle, but you have to have different techniques for each instrument.”

As well as performing, Katy is kept busy running Southern Percussion, a specialist percussion business, which she runs from home.

“The shop had been going for 40 years in Bournemouth and I had always bought my music from there. I would always keep in touch with the chap who used to run it and he’d take an interest in how I was getting on,” she explains.

“In April last year he called me for a chat and asked me to take it over.

“It was very scary. The previous owner said it would only take a few afternoons a week to run, but I’ve expanded it and we are now sending music all around the world.

As well as being a challenge, Katy says running the shop gives her a sense of stability. “Having the shop takes the pressure off the performing side of things, because I know I have it there in the background,” she says.

“I have access to every piece of music for percussion that exists, all here in my house, and every kind of mallet and so on.

“It’s a percussionists dream. For me it’s like being a kid in a sweet shop!”

The passion Katy feels for her music is infectious. The performer, who is the reigning Southend Young Musician of the Year, remains down-to-earth in her ambitions.

“I’m not waiting for someone to pick me up and turn me into the next Evelyn Glennie, that’s not my aim. My aim is more to get people to see percussion in the same light I do,” she says.

“People see it as just drums, not as something you can sit and listen to. But my CD is all about showing people that percussion is really enjoyable.

April Sky is available via her website at www.katyelman.com

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