That’s how people are remembering percussionist Steve Dinion, who died suddenly yesterday, after a short bout with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Arnold Alconcel was kind enough to share this video of Steve, and I’m posting here for those of you who do not have FaceBook access. The piece is the “Akadinda Trio” by Emmanuel Sejourne for three players and one marimba, and the other guys in the video are  Kevin Kosnik and Jordan Schifino. Gordon Tokishi, the band teacher at St. Andrew’s Priory, saw this video and said this is what he remembers about Steve, being “joyful and focused.”

Here’s a description of the music: Inspired by the percussive mallet music of Uganda, each player in Emmanuel Sejourne’s Akadinda Trio uses 2 mallets, and all three players play on one 5-octave marimba. Numerous melo-rhythmic lines interlock to form an interesting polyrhythmic (3:2, etc.) groove. No one part is particularly difficult, yet concentration is required so as to realize the interlocking rhythmic patterns in a fashion that seems relaxed, yet grooves!

Georgine Stark wrote: Time…It’s not to be wasted; there’s just too little of it. We think we have enough only to realize that we don’t. Not enough time to say hello or to say good-bye. My seven year old son lost his percussion teacher yesterday. My husband lost a fellow musician. We all lost a gentle spirit, a kind soul…Steve Dinion.  For musicians, time is everything. From practicing with a metronome to the first downbeat of a performance. Steve helped in teaching my son the value of time/timing when playing percussion. Not too fast, not too slow, just right in time. 

Good-bye Steve, and thanks for the time we had with you.