Pete's Percussion Podcast - Pete Zambito

Episode 517 - Morgan Parker (Part 2)

Pete's Percussion Podcast














New York City-based drummer and percussionist Morgan Parker returns to talk about moving to leaving Kansas and heading to NYC after undergrad, the pandemic occurring during her NYU masters, studying with great teachers and getting connected, and taking tap dance lessons (03:00), then settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on the importance of listening to recordings, Morgan’s experiences as a woman in the percussion world, great movies and books, bad jobs, crazy live gigs, and experiencing newer artists live (27:25).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2026 film Primetime (01:11:25).
Morgan Parker Links:
Part 1 with Morgan Parker
Morgan Parker’s website
Morgan Parker’s Maestra Page
Other Links:
Jonathan Haas
James Saporito
Valerie Naranjo
In the Heights
Hamilton
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
The Rocky Horror Picture Show trailer
Dude, Where's My Car? trailer
Back to the Future trailer
Back to the Future Part 2 trailer
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off trailer
The Breakfast Club trailer
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F___ - Mark Manson
Keith Moon Drum Solo
John Bonham Drum Solo
Jack Stack BBQ
Pancho’s Mexican Food
YUNGBLUD
Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear trailer
Raves:
Primetime trailer

Episode 516 - Morgan Parker (Part 1)

Pete's Percussion Podcast














New York City-based freelancing drummer and percussionist Morgan Parker stops by to talk about her career in NYC, her recent 2-year tour with A Beautiful Noise, and her upcoming PASIC performance supporting Valerie Naranjo (04:00), her work as a Broadway sub, and what 2 years of touring meant for her gear and how she managed her physical and mental health (22:35), growing up in rural Kansas, getting involved in music and how it saved her life, the importance of musical style, how she manages social media (50:20), and the importance of her teachers in and out of her years at Kansas Wesleyan University, attaining both music performance and music education degrees simultaneously, and her experiences in student teaching (01:21:10).
Finishes with a Rave on the 2000s TV Series Slings & Arrows (01:43:25).
Morgan Parker Links:
Morgan Parker’s website
Morgan Parker’s Maestra page
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Mackenna Tolfa in 2026
Other Links:
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical
MJ The Musical
Fiddler on the Roof
Valerie Naranjo
Jonathan Haas
Keith Levenson
The Who
The Doo Woo Project
Raves:
Slings & Arrows

Episode 515 - Kat Otto-Gentry

Pete's Percussion Podcast














Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts (in Kansas City) band director and Lincoln University (MO) alum Kat Otto-Gentry stops by to talk about her new job there and the changes from her previous post at FL Schlagle High School (03:55), growing up in Kansas City, her parents the radio DJs, drumming from a young age, playing cello and sousaphone, and meeting former LU band director Rhonda Harper (16:40), Kat interviews Pete about his years teaching at Lincoln (39:00), Kat discusses her own time as an undergrad at Lincoln (58:00), her post-Lincoln career beginning at Lee A. Tolbert in KC and her learning curve about the teaching profession (01:12:30), teaching at Schlagle, replacing a legend, her thoughts on attaining future degrees, and her decision to leave her alma mater (01:21:30), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on her experiences in the band world as a woman, grilling food, the Kansas City Chiefs, great KC Ethiopian food restaurants, and the JS Bach Cello Suites (01:45:05).
Finishing with a Rave on the recent Missouri Symphony Performance of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (02:15:40).
Kat Otto-Gentry Links:
Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts Staff Page
Previous Podcast Guests Mentioned:
Charles Smotherson in 2017
Other Links:
F.L. Schlagle High School
Youth Jazz
Lincoln University Music Department
Sunset Reggae with Sister G
The Grand Emporium, Kansas City
VH1 Save the Music Foundation
Verdine White
The Warm Demander
Wicked trailer
Team America: World Police trailer
A Song For You: My Life with Whitney Houston - Robyn Crawford
Black Garlic restaurant
Blue Nile Cafe
Yo Yo Ma on Arthur
Yo Yo Ma playing JS Bach’s Cello Suite in G Major, Prelude
Raves:
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in concert

Episode 514 - Steph Davis

Pete's Percussion Podcast














Boston-based marimbist, educator, collaborator, composer, arranger, and Africana historian Steph Davis stops by to talk about with entrepreneurial and performance career, his teaching at Boston Conservatory, living and working in Boston, and playing gyil (03:35), growing up in Orlando (FL), getting into percussion, his years as a gymnast, and his love of reading (28:50), attending Boston Conservatory for his undergrad and masters, studying with Nancy Zeltsman, moving to a new city, and getting into the foodie culture (46:05), and settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on making a career on marimba, maintaining physical and mental health, the Twilight movies, Toni Morrison, and Lauryn Hill (01:13:40).
Finishes with a Rave on the 2026 film Is God Is (01:42:20).
Steph Davis links:
Steph Davis’ website
Steph Davis’ Boston Conservatory page
Steph Davis’ Marimba One page
Castle of Our Skins
“Of Thoughts and Thinking” - Tony Lymon
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Britton-René Collins in 2023
Julie Spencer in 2021
Other Links:
Matt Sharrock
Vicente Lusitano
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Gabriela Lena Frank
New Gallery Concert Series
Valerie Naranjo
Nancy Zeltsman
Harry Potter
The Twilight Saga
Ender’s Game - Orson Scott Card
Sweet Song - Nancy Zeltsman
“Variations on Lost Love” - David Maslanka
“Scenes from Mexico” - Alice Gomez
Samuel Solomon
Marti Epstein
John Murphree
Moonlight trailer
Twilight trailer
Song of Solomon - Toni Morrison
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Ms. Lauryn Hill
Nicki Minaj
Close Up - SBB & DBR
Zora Neale Hurston’s Anthropological Legacy
Raves:
Is God Is trailer

Episode 513 - Mackenna Tolfa

Pete's Percussion Podcast














Percussionist and Freelancer Mackenna Tolfa stops by to talk about her long run with the Blue Man Group, getting the job and the physical and acting demands of the role, the daily schedule, and cooking on tour (02:10), growing up in Green Bay (WI), surrounded by music at an early age, her extensive piano and percussion background, and her fondness for the composer Sergei Rachmaninov (30:50), her undergrad years at the University of Minnesota and studying with Fernando Meza (47:30), her post-undergrad years, the Blue Man Group auditions, the importance of social media for her success, and her Broadway gigs and the Dust Bowl Radio Hour (59:25), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on mental health in school programs, social media, thrifting, traveling, great books and music, her love of sports, and the importance of the music of AURORA (01:14:00).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2000 film Miss Congeniality (01:49:30).
MacKenna Tolfa links:
MacKenna Tolfa’s website
MacKenna Tolfa’s Instagram
MacKenna Tolfa’s Facebook
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Fernando Meza in 2020
Britton-René Collins in 2023
Eriko Daimo in 2025
Nicole Patrick in 2020
Julie Spencer in 2021
Other Links:
Blue Man Group
Clayton Craddock
David Anania
Philip Mayer
Keiko Abe
Kansas
Billy Joel
Rush
Yes
Josh Groban
“Prelude in G minor” - Sergei Rachmaninov
Piano Concerto No. 2 - Sergei Rachmaninov
Concerto in F - George Gershwin
Mean Girls
The Lion King
Chris Cerreto
Kasey Dillon
Patrick Newton
Disclosure Day trailer
The Odyssey trailer
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - JK Rowling
The Courage to be Disliked - Ichiro Kishimi
Alexander Scriabin
Graystone Ale House
Erling Haaland
Jordan Love
AURORA
Raves:
Miss Congeniality trailer