Kentwood —Evan Hyde looks back at his years at East Kentwood High School as a time of growth.
From the nerves he felt auditioning for the marching band drumline his freshman year to being its section leader his senior year, the 2007 graduate came into his own as a musician.
“That felt like a big growing moment for me, to be looked at as a leader in this large group of people playing really loud instruments,” he said of leading the drumline. “I learned a lot from that experience: how to be more sure of myself and to just trust myself that I know what I am doing.”
Recognizing the parallel of those childhood experiences with his recent work made Hyde smile during an interview from his home in New York City.
Hyde is a drummer with the band Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats. The band’s Spanish children’s album, “Creciendo,” is all about moving through childhood and experiences along the way.
“Creciendo means growing,” he said. “The overall message of the album is growing up and feeling different types of emotions, learning about emotions and that stage in your life as you are growing, becoming an adult and figuring out who you are — things that we can all relate to.”
“Creciendo” is in the running for a Grammy for Best Children’s Album. The awards ceremony is Feb. 2, and Hyde will be celebrating with the band in Los Angeles.
“It’s amazing. It was something I never thought would happen for me. I feel really proud of this project,” he said, pointing out the hard work and talent of Kalantari and the rest of the band. “I’m really happy the academy was willing to recognize us as one of the best children’s albums of this year. It’s been a whirlwind.”
Along with being in Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats, Hyde is a freelance drummer who also performs as a substitute percussionist in the Broadway musical “Hamilton.”
Musical Roots
Hyde grew up in a musical family. His parents, Edye Evans Hyde and Mike Hyde are a well-known voice and guitar duo who perform regularly in the Grand Rapids area.
“When I was growing up I was exposed to a lot of live performances, in just that I was going to a lot of their performances. … That kind of set a foundation for me.”
Hyde started playing drums at age 10 and first performed with his parents at 12 or 13, for a New Year’s Eve gig at a local restaurant. He continued performing with them throughout high school, one of few student musicians doing gigs outside of school.
“I was in a unique situation, but that led to me deciding to continue to pursue it after high school.”
After graduating from East Kentwood, Hyde earned a bachelor’s degree in jazz studies from Western Michigan University. He then attended a graduate program at William Paterson University, in New Jersey, where he stayed a year before returning to Grand Rapids, where he taught as an adjunct jazz percussion instructor at Grand Rapids Community College for a year. He then earned his master’s degree in jazz performance at the University of Miami before moving to New York City eight years ago.
High School Set the Stage
While studying at universities with renowned music programs prepared him for his career, Hyde said he gives a lot of credit to East Kentwood.
“The band program, the overall music program, at East Kentwood is fantastic,” he said.
Under directors James Sawyer and James Ross, he played in the marching band, instrumental wind ensemble, symphony orchestra and jazz band. A highlight was winning the Western Michigan University Jazz Festival his senior year, and he was named best soloist.
“That was a really big moment for me, because it also felt like a launching point into going into college and deciding to pursue music.”
He said Sawyer and Ross helped him see his potential.
“They really took me under their wings and gave me a lot of opportunities to grow within that program. I feel very in debt to the two of them.”
Also, Don Raaymakers, a band director in Caledonia Public Schools, ran an after-school percussion ensemble called Strike that Hyde was able to join.
“This was a big part of my high school years as well, performing in that group. Don had a profound impact on my percussion ability and my whole musical trajectory. He was a fantastic teacher.”
Hyde’s future plans are to continue performing, touring with jazz vocalist and pianist Kelly Green in Arizona, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. He also plans to teach in March and April at Western Michigan University, filling in for a professor. He continues to perform with Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats.
One of the best parts of working in children’s music, Hyde said, is the reminder to “Be present and think about just being joyful, and connecting with people and to just not forget about that childlike wonder that we have,” he said.
That ties in with his advice to budding musicians: keep exploring, be open, find what you love and play as much as possible.
“Everybody has their own journey, and so really embrace everything you have and all the opportunities you are given. Sometimes you don’t know they are opportunities when they happen, but trusting your gut is really really important. If something feels good to you, you should go for it.
“Even if it feels slightly outside of your grasp, go for it anyway because the worst thing that can happen in that scenario is that you don’t quite get it that time, but the next time you will.”
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