Interesting and rare choice!!! I have this album. George Jinda is the reason I became a professional percussionist. I started listening to Special EFX at age 14! George (1941-2002, RIP) was very good friends with percussion instrument designer and builder John W. Stannard, who created amazing instruments under the name "OM Percussion". This album was a Special EFX & Friends album indeed and meant as a feature for John's OM line of instruments. It also has the amazing Mino Cinelu playing on it (who has played with everybody from Miles to Weather Report to Sting to Kate Bush and hundreds more). Mino was an OM endorser just like his dear friend George Jinda. I have collected all of OM's available instruments over the past 20 years and this was AFTER the company had already ceased to exist for some years!!! That was a hell of job tracking them down one by one and buying them second-hand and from left-over stocks everywhere. It was well worth it. After OM John became very rich with his J.W. Stannard windchimes company which he sold in the 90s. After that he created Hammerax, a unique and progressive cymbal- and gong company still in business and based in Florida, John's homebase from back in the OM days. Needless to say, his new company also makes amazing instruments which I am collecting, as we speak. Peace from Germany. And thanks for your amazing TH-cam channel. Job Verweijen
Job, Thanks so much for all the info. I was well aware of the OM Percussion company but didn't realize they went out of business, or that it was Stannard's company. Now I understand his involvement with this album. Wow, now Stannard's done 2 other companies since then-he seems to know what's he's doing. I do recall always seeing the OM Percussion credits in the Special Efx albums. Boy do I envy you-would I love to hang out in your percussion room! I'm sure you also have the 2 fine George Jinda 'World News' albums-which feature him playing just tons of percussion-often more than he did in most of the Special Efx albums. George was an amazing person and percussionist-he started off as a kit drummer before giving that up and switching to percussion. I always wished I could have asked him his thought behind giving up the guy to become a hand percussionist. For a hand percussionist his choice of instruments is quite interesting as well since he rarely (if ever) played the standard congas and bongos that most hand percussionists play. He had a very interesting concept for percussion that I would have loved to have spoken to him about. I only got to meet him briefly once in New Jersey just before a concert, around 1994. And I am also quite familiar with Mino's work as well-especially he did an incredible duo album with pianist Kenny Barron which you should check out if you don't already have, "Swamp Sally" from 1995. Would love to see pictures of your percussion collection if you ever decide to post it up on your channel! Thanks for the kind words- All my best -Gary
I'm SO glad I found this. I, too, became a professional percussionist because of George. Saw him w/ Chieli in San Fran in around 1993 or 94, he inspired me to build some shakers which became "Shakka Shakerz", hand made and sold over 7000 and still make them! Saw him prior to his passing in NY, he GIFTED ME his OM Percussion Temple Block set (he loved my Shakers!) and I have them still today, a truly treasured gift from a treasured man. I miss him and wish he would be here now, I have dedicated my classes and much of my playing to my meeting him initially! LOVE the music he made along with Chieli -what a wonderful team they were.... R.I.P. George, your spark lives on.
Shakerman, sorry I hadn't seen this comment when you originally posted it. If you've got a website for your shakers, please post it here-I have a 'thing' for shakers myself and I loved George's unique choice and combination of percussion instruments. If he liked your stuff they must be special indeed. Wow-how neat that he gave you his Temple Block set, incredible! I would never give that up! Silly I know but I often wonder what happened to all of George's percussion instruments-it's nice to know that at least one of them has made it into somebody's hands who appreciates it. I only got to speak to him briefly before a gig in New Jersey in 1994 and he was very nice. He had a great concept for percussion and didn't really use much of what you would expect a 'percussionist' to do (rarely used congas and bongos) ... When I think of hand percussion, he is still the first guy I think of..'How would George do this'? His spark and influence sure does live on, you are correct... Yeah, he was a great team with Chieli, but I hope you've heard the 2 albums he did with 'World News'-they are my favorite things he ever did. There's TONS of George on those albums with drum kit only appearing on maybe 2 or 3 tracks on each of those 2 albums.... -Gary
Further proof that I must be getting senile because I thought that I had mentioned this recording to you. I recall seeing this cover in the store when it was first released, but CDs were new then and I was attempting to buy as many 'known' things and old things I already had on vinyl so I never even picked it up to look at the back to see that it's essentially a 'Special Efx & Friends' album. I only stumbled across this within the last year to discover what it was.
I have this recording on Cassette Tape, and have worn it out! It is a complete feast for the senses, one of my favorite recordings. I really, really want to get a digital version of it to purchase. Is it available to download anywhere?
Hello Diane- I found my copy, used, as a CD. That is the only way that i'm aware that one might be able to get it now. I think I found my copy on EBay, where copies do come up for sale off and on (there's one for sale right now but it's about $20 and I know they do come up for sale much cheaper than that at times there). Also used copies can often be found on Amazon from sellers for a reasonable price, but locating it by the title on Amazon is quite a chore as you have to scroll through a lot of albums that have the "om" title.
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Interesting and rare choice!!! I have this album. George Jinda is the reason I became a professional percussionist. I started listening to Special EFX at age 14! George (1941-2002, RIP) was very good friends with percussion instrument designer and builder John W. Stannard, who created amazing instruments under the name "OM Percussion". This album was a Special EFX & Friends album indeed and meant as a feature for John's OM line of instruments. It also has the amazing Mino Cinelu playing on it (who has played with everybody from Miles to Weather Report to Sting to Kate Bush and hundreds more). Mino was an OM endorser just like his dear friend George Jinda. I have collected all of OM's available instruments over the past 20 years and this was AFTER the company had already ceased to exist for some years!!! That was a hell of job tracking them down one by one and buying them second-hand and from left-over stocks everywhere. It was well worth it. After OM John became very rich with his J.W. Stannard windchimes company which he sold in the 90s. After that he created Hammerax, a unique and progressive cymbal-
and gong company still in business and based in Florida, John's homebase from back in the OM days. Needless to say, his new company also makes amazing instruments which I am collecting, as we speak. Peace from Germany. And thanks for your amazing TH-cam channel. Job Verweijen
Job,
Thanks so much for all the info. I was well aware of the OM Percussion company but didn't realize they went out of business, or that it was Stannard's company. Now I understand his involvement with this album. Wow, now Stannard's done 2 other companies since then-he seems to know what's he's doing.
I do recall always seeing the OM Percussion credits in the Special Efx albums.
Boy do I envy you-would I love to hang out in your percussion room!
I'm sure you also have the 2 fine George Jinda 'World News' albums-which feature him playing just tons of percussion-often more than he did in most of the Special Efx albums. George was an amazing person and percussionist-he started off as a kit drummer before giving that up and switching to percussion. I always wished I could have asked him his thought behind giving up the guy to become a hand percussionist.
For a hand percussionist his choice of instruments is quite interesting as well since he rarely (if ever) played the standard congas and bongos that most hand percussionists play. He had a very interesting concept for percussion that I would have loved to have spoken to him about. I only got to meet him briefly once in New Jersey just before a concert, around 1994.
And I am also quite familiar with Mino's work as well-especially he did an incredible duo album with pianist Kenny Barron which you should check out if you don't already have, "Swamp Sally" from 1995.
Would love to see pictures of your percussion collection if you ever decide to post it up on your channel!
Thanks for the kind words-
All my best
-Gary
I'm SO glad I found this. I, too, became a professional percussionist because of George. Saw him w/ Chieli in San Fran in around 1993 or 94, he inspired me to build some shakers which became "Shakka Shakerz", hand made and sold over 7000 and still make them! Saw him prior to his passing in NY, he GIFTED ME his OM Percussion Temple Block set (he loved my Shakers!) and I have them still today, a truly treasured gift from a treasured man. I miss him and wish he would be here now, I have dedicated my classes and much of my playing to my meeting him initially! LOVE the music he made along with Chieli -what a wonderful team they were.... R.I.P. George, your spark lives on.
Shakerman, sorry I hadn't seen this comment when you originally posted it. If you've got a website for your shakers, please post it here-I have a 'thing' for shakers myself and I loved George's unique choice and combination of percussion instruments. If he liked your stuff they must be special indeed.
Wow-how neat that he gave you his Temple Block set, incredible! I would never give that up! Silly I know but I often wonder what happened to all of George's percussion instruments-it's nice to know that at least one of them has made it into somebody's hands who appreciates it.
I only got to speak to him briefly before a gig in New Jersey in 1994 and he was very nice. He had a great concept for percussion and didn't really use much of what you would expect a 'percussionist' to do (rarely used congas and bongos) ...
When I think of hand percussion, he is still the first guy I think of..'How would George do this'? His spark and influence sure does live on, you are correct...
Yeah, he was a great team with Chieli, but I hope you've heard the 2 albums he did with 'World News'-they are my favorite things he ever did. There's TONS of George on those albums with drum kit only appearing on maybe 2 or 3 tracks on each of those 2 albums....
-Gary
This is one of my favorite albums of all time! Anyone have any recommendations with that in mind?
Just know I'm gonna love this! :-)
Oh I can bank on that, no doubt!
At first glance, I'm thinking 'Oh wow, a collaboration between Jinda/Minucci and Christy Doran/Fredy Studer kind of thing'! ;-)
Further proof that I must be getting senile because I thought that I had mentioned this recording to you.
I recall seeing this cover in the store when it was first released, but CDs were new then and I was attempting to buy as many 'known' things and old things I already had on vinyl so I never even picked it up to look at the back to see that it's essentially a 'Special Efx & Friends' album.
I only stumbled across this within the last year to discover what it was.
I have this recording on Cassette Tape, and have worn it out! It is a complete feast for the senses, one of my favorite recordings. I really, really want to get a digital version of it to purchase. Is it available to download anywhere?
Hello Diane- I found my copy, used, as a CD. That is the only way that i'm aware that one might be able to get it now. I think I found my copy on EBay, where copies do come
up for sale off and on (there's one for sale right now but it's about $20 and I know they do come up for sale much cheaper than that at times there). Also used copies can
often be found on Amazon from sellers for a reasonable price, but locating it by the title on Amazon is quite a chore as you have to scroll through a lot of albums that have
the "om" title.