Pete's Percussion Podcast - Pete Zambito

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

Episode 512- Michelle Colton

Pete's Percussion Podcast














Toronto-based Percussion Educator, Composer, and Freelancer Michelle Colton stops by to talk about her sessional teaching work at the University of Toronto, teaching in the local school district, and the freelancing scene there (03:25), her time as the Ontario Chapter President of PAS (19:15), growing up in Marion (IA), her musical family, soul and funk music, marching band, and marathon running (25:50), attending the University of Iowa for undergrad, her wide variety of experiences there, and eventually meeting her husband Alejandro Cespedes (41:50), going to the University of Toronto for her grad degrees, studying with lots of great professors, and her dissertation on percussion gestures (50:25), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on developing well-rounded percussionists, being a woman in the percussion world, keeping up her mental and physical health, great food, audiobooks, and her compositional inspirations (01:09:20).
Finishing with a Rave on a recent University of Missouri Faculty Music Recital (01:38:00).
Michelle Colton Links:
Michelle Colton’s website
Michelle Colton’s YouTube page
Michelle Colton’s University of Toronto page
Previous Podcast guests mentioned:
Victoria Sparks in 2018
She-e Wu in 2025
Michael Schutz in 2025
Todd Meehan in 2017
Other Links:
Alejandro Céspedes
Community Music Schools of Toronto
NewJeans
“Havana” - Camila Cabello
“Tom Sawyer” - Rush
Canadian Percussion Network
Tom Mackey
Pure Funk
“Natural Woman” - Aretha Franklin
“Stay” - Lisa Loeb
“If I Ain’t Got You” - Alicia Keys
“If” - Janet Jackson
Keiko Abe
Iowa Flood of 2008
John Rudolph
Dan Moore
Dane Richeson
Anthony Di Sanza
Orlando Cotto
NEXUS
Beverley Johnston
Christopher Lamb
Margaret Atwood
Russell Hartenberger
Steve Reich
Christos Hatzis
Mississauga Children’s Choir
Liquidrum’s Marimba Moves
Tomaso’s Pizza
Me - Elton John
The Woman in Me - Britney Spears
Becoming - Michelle Obama
Spare - Prince Harry
Born a Crime - Trevor Noah
“Uninvited” - Alanis Morisette and Brandi Carlile
“Adia” - Sarah McLaughlin
Unsuk Chin
Raves:
Mizzou School of Music Faculty

Episode 511 - Domenico Zarro

Pete's Percussion Podcast














New Jersey-based percussionist, educator and researcher Domenico Zarro stops by to talk about our Italian names, living and teaching in New Jersey, his college teaching doctorate and his research interests (06:45), the Percussion Student Blog and Pete’s experience with it (28:30), growing up in Bergen County (NJ), his early percussion experiences and his connections to many great percussion educators, marching in VFW parades, improvisation in performance, and his thoughts on the current state of percussion education (40:15), his wide-ranging teaching career and further considerations for future percussion teachers (01:19:40), and settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on clothing, Turner Classic Movies and classic film stars and directors, Ron Chernow books, New York sports, and the art of Americana (01:31:00).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2026 film Obsession (02:01:10).
Domenico Zarro links:
Zarro Percussion
Foundations Series for Band
Perspectives of Percussion Pedagogues
Domenico’s article on Ney Rosauro’s Marimba Concerto No. 1
Music for Percussion - Domenico Zarro
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Neil Grover in 2023
Other Links:
John H. Beck
Murray Houllif
James L. Moore
John S. Pratt
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Ed Uribe
Modern Method for Timpani - Saul Goodman
Modern School for Xylophone, Marimba, and Vibraphone - Morris Goldenberg
Portraits in Rhythm - Tony Cirone
Twelve Studies for Snare Drum - Frederic Delecluse
Buster Bailey
Ray DesRoches
National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy
Gordon Gottlieb
Leonard Bernstein
Georg Solti
Bill Cahn
Percussion Instruments and Their History - James Blades
Geary Larrick
Man of La Mancha
Alan Abel
Stanley Leonard
Danny Gottlieb
Jonathan Haas
Tom Stubbs
Douglas Howard
Benjamin Herman
Arnie Lang
The Thin Man trailer
The Searchers trailer
You Can’t Take It With You trailer
The Maltese Falcon trailer
Pat and Mike trailer
Key Largo trailer
The Quiet Man trailer
John Ford
Frank Capra
Alexander Hamilton - Ron Chernow
Washington - Ron Chernow
The Making of the American Mind - Matthew Spalding
Don Mattingly
1986 Mets Highlights
“Sleigh Ride” - Leroy Anderson
“Fanfare for the Common Man” - Aaron Copland
Norman Rockwell
Raves:
Obsession trailer

Episode 510 - Payton MacDonald

Pete's Percussion Podcast














William Paterson University (NJ) Percussion Director and Music Department Chairperson Payton MacDonald stops by to talk about his college job, the challenges of getting jobs in higher education, and the facilities at the school (03:15), how he handles and maintains his physical and mental health with involvement in so many creative activities, his years as a founding member of Alarm Will Sound, and his move towards improvisation as the basis of his creative performances now (26:40), growing up in Idaho Falls (ID), his early percussion and band experiences, his exposure to a wide swath of genres from a young age, and his experiences mountain biking (45:40), attending the University of Michigan for undergrad and studying with Michael Udow (01:00:00), attending Eastman (NY) for his grad degrees, developing a freelancing career and setting himself up for success on the college teaching level, and his years teaching at the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh (01:08:25), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, with segments on music in competition, personal health, practical clothes, motorcycles, making fried rice, great books and poetry, administrative duties, and new music concerts (01:24:35).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2025 documentary Sly Lives! (01:53:50).
Payton MacDonald Links:
Payton MacDonald’s homepage
Payton MacDonald’s William Paterson University page
Void Patrol’s Bandcamp page
Sonic Divide
Sonic Parks
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Mika Godbole in 2026
Colleen Bernstein in 2022
Michael Udow in 2025
Steven Schick in 2025
Julie Spencer in 2021
John W. Parks IV in 2018
Other Links:
Ray DesRoches
“Persephassa” - Iannis Xenakis
John Ferrari
M’Bemba Bangoura
Hector Morales
Steve Nelson
Johnathan Blake
Alarm Will Sound
Stefan Freund
New Jersey Percussion Ensemble
John H. Beck
Blackearth Percussion Group
Steve Reich
Charles Wuorinen
Max Roach
Philly Joe Jones
Elvin Jones
John Medeski
Glenn Gould
Gordon Stout
Vida Chenoweth
Leigh Howard Stevens
Clair Omar Musser
Live at Birdland - John Coltrane
Unit Structures - John Coltrane
Ali Akbar Khan
Bob Becker
Silence - John Cage
Rudimental Solos for Accomplished Drummers - John Pratt
Portraits in Rhythm - Tony Cirone
12 Studies for Snare Drum - Jacques Delecluse
H. Robert Reynolds
Mark Stone
Colin Stetson
Stephen Rush
Reggie Workman
Roscoe Mitchell
John Alfieri
Bobby Hutcherson
Milt Jackson
Jason Treuting
Lawson White
Steve Owen
Fred Bugbee
Ted Poor
Doug Perkins
Anthony Di Sanza
Blake Tyson
CHiPs Freeze frame ending
Apocalypse Now trailer
Heart of Darkness trailer
Oppenheimer trailer
Denis Villeneuve
Steven Soderbergh
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
Disgrace - J.M. Coetzee
Canada - Richard Ford
The Human Stain - Philip Roth
George Oppen
Dylan Thomas
Charles Bukowski
Fluxus
MASS MoCA
“Just Ancient Loops” - Michael Harrison & Bill Morrison - Maya Beiser, cello
Raves:
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) - Sly Stone with Ben Goodman
WTF: Episode 1666 - Questlove
SLY LIVES! aka The Burden of Black Genius trailer