Feb 18, 2019
My guest today is Gary Fritz. Gary is a percussionist, drummer, DJ,
photographer and one of the pioneers of NYC’s graffiti movement.
Gary happily admits he has diverse interests and has been motivated
to pursue them all! It’s not just that he expresses himself in
different art forms, Gary embraces the variety of culture and
genres within one art form. Take music, for example, Gary plays
folk, pop, rock, rap, R&B, jazz, fusion, world beat, spoken
word, big band, orchestra and gospel!! He has performed with George
Benson, Roberta Flack, Brand New Heavies, Magic Lady, Inc. and
played drums or percussion with Broadway tours.
I met Gary 13 years years ago when he became the percussionist for
the Alvin Ailey band that backs up the gospel choir for their
signature piece, Revelations. Gary shared his long history
with the company: he played drums for Ailey classes and camp, dated
a dancer from the company in 1988 and had meaningful conversations
directly with Alvin. His deep connection to the Ailey company
continues to lift and enrich his whole life experience.
Sadly, Gary’s 33 year old daughter, Nneka died in a bus accident in
Panama 4 years ago, and his stories of mystery, miracles and
spiritual connection are very healing. Nneka continues to have a
really big impact in the world. Even though I never met her,
Nneka’s love is present, palpable and powerful!!
Check out the show notes below for links to Gary’s social media
sites, to find out where he is performing next and view his
graffiti collection.
Enjoy the podcast!
Links:
FB: Gary
Fritz
IG: @wickedgf
ReverbNation