Percussion Quartet

The Hundredth Monkey was inspired by the Balinese Monkey Chant, the great music ritual which uses vocal percussion to celebrate Prince Rama¹s rescue by a horde of monkeys.

Although it is not a transcription, The Hundredth Monkey recalls the vocal and instrumental ostinatos that characterize the stunning original.

Out of a quiet, sustained opening, a pulsating 16th note rhythm emerges in the maracas and is passed among all the instruments. Unaccompanied voices take up the pattern, challenging one another with solo riffs and body percussion. Finally, the instruments return and join the voices. At the close, vibraphones and marimba unite in a chorale that echoes the Balinese melodies.

The Hundredth Monkey was composed in 1994 for Nebojsa Zivkovic and premiered that year in Stuttgart by his Jovann Percussion Group. Its American premiere was given in Sacramento in 1995 by an ensemble featuring Victor Avidenko, Michael Bayard, Daniel Kennedy, and Tomm Roland.