Our Favorite Things Escape Ten

• Joe Locke (b. 1959):
• 1 Parkway 05:41
• John Psathas (b. 1966):
• 2 Jettatura (Arr. O. Carmenates for Percussion Duo) 05:04
• Ivan Trevino (b. 1983):
• 3 2300 Degrees 07:21
• Aurél Holló (b. 1966):
• 4 Fast Lane 05:36
• Thom Yorke (b. 1968), Johnny Greenwood (b. 1971), Colin Greenwood (b. 1969), Edward O'Brien (b. 1968), Philip Selway (b. 1967):
• 5 Medley: Weird Fishes/Pyramid Song/15-Step (Arr. A. Venet) 07:24
• Kelly Rossum:
• 6 Sand Dunes (Version for Marimba Duo) 04:35
• Michael Burritt
• 7 Clear Midnight 08:54
• Richard Rodgers (1902 - 1979):
• 8 My Favorite Things (Arr. A. Venet for Percussion Duo) 05:35
• Total Runtime 50:10

Info for Our Favorite Things

Ravello Records proudly presents Escape Xs sophomore release, OUR FAVORITE THINGS. The album, which is the groups first project with Ravello, features the music of contemporary composers and artists ranging from award-winning jazz artist Joe Locke to internationally-renowned New Zealand composer John Psathas and many others. Jazz, percussion, and pop all find a home on OUR FAVORITE THINGS. Escape X is a duo comprised of Annie Stevens and Andrea Venet specializing in percussion instruments like marimba, vibraphone, and much more. Their mission is to generate creative and diverse music within a variety of genres and timbral contexts in order to bring challenging, lasting works into the standard repertoire. OUR FAVORITE THINGS is a potent fulfillment of that mission. OUR FAVORITE THINGS showcases the talents of an impressive array of composers, and in so doing, flexes the duos versatility. Take the albums first track, for one: Parkway is a programmatic piece starring marimba and vibraphone inspired by a road trip through New Jersey. Ethereal and abstract at first, the piece soon coalesces around bustling rhythms that simulate the open highway. Compare this to Clear Midnight; it is a continuous two-movement work featuring marimbas, drums, and voice. The challenging piece, inspired by the Walt Whitman poem of the same name, requires the musicians to sing while playing their instruments. The result is a rich, engulfing texture punctuated by percussive interjections. Likewise, behind every piece is a compelling story, and each work dares the duo in inventive ways.

Escape Ten

Escape Ten
is a percussion duo formed by Dr. Annie Stevens (Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech) and Dr. Andrea Venet (Assistant Professor, University of North Florida). Their inaugural performance endeavor was a three-week cross-country tour where they drove from Virginia to LA performing in 10 cities across the country. Their name ‘Escape Ten’ originates from their trademark roadtrip style performance tours in a Ford Escape, with many miles travelled on the I-10. Ardent about exploring all genres and expressing these creatively through the world of percussion, much of their repertoire includes innovative arrangements and compositions commissioned exclusively by the duo.

Escape Ten is consistently featured as chamber artists and clinicians nationally and internationally at music festivals, concert series, conferences, and universities while maintaining successful percussion studios as passionate educators. Through collaboration with composer Eric Guinivan, they are the recipients of a marimba duo commission awarded from the prestigious Fromm Foundation entitled Illuminations (2018), which they premiered at the Cummer Museum in Jacksonville, FL. In 2016 they performed a Showcase Concert at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, giving 3 world premieres. Select appearances include performances in Spain at the Ágora Actual Percussion and WASBE 2019 festivals, the Academy of the Performing Arts (UTT) in Trinidad, at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, The Eastman Summer Percussion Festival, and at the Leigh Howard Stevens Marimba Seminar. They have collaborated with composers Michael Burritt, Russell Hartenberger, Aurél Hollo, Emmanuel Séjourné, Ivan Trevino, Joe Locke, Steve Danyew, Steve Ridley​,​ Drew Worden​, and Kelly Rossum. As signature artists, ​Escape Ten has their own mallets (2020) and publication series of new percussion duos through Malletech/Keyboard Percussion Publications (KPP).

You can hear Escape Ten on their two albums of new and commissioned works for percussion duo, My Favorite Things (2020, Parma Records) and Colours of a Groove (2014). In addition to being active members of PAS, Escape Ten proudly endorses Malletech, DREAM Cymbals, and Remo.

Booklet for Our Favorite Things