Draft:Ricardo A. Haila

Biography

Ricardo A. Haila was born in 1992 in Lebanon, and started playing drums at the age of 10. In 2013, he began developing his drumming skills with his mentor, Christopher Michael Shaheen, while doing a Business Degree at USEK Holy Spirit University of Kaslik. He is now a Lebanese percussion instructor, performer and composer and performs drums, qanoun, riq, darbouka and frame Drum.

He attended the Collective School Of Music in New York City in 2014, before completing a Bachelor in Jazz Studies at Notre Dame University(Lebanon)from 2013 to 2014, and a Masters in Middle Eastern Music at Antonine University.

While doing his studies in the United States, he met and studied with some of today’s most significant drummers, such as: Mark Guiliana, Ari Hoeing, Dan Weiss, John Riley, Bob Breithaupt, Portinho, Daniel Glass, Steve Smith, Antonio Sanchez, Jojo Mayer, Chris Coleman, Peter Retzlaff, Ian Froman, Vince Cherico, Jason Gianni, Frank Katz, Adriano Santos, Tobias Ralph, Maciek Schejbal, Fred Klatz, Marko Djordjevic, Karim Ziad, Gregory Hutchinson and others.

In addition to being a drum set artist, Ricardo has a passion for his native Middle Eastern instruments like the qanoun, darbouka, riq, and frame drums, as well as for Brazilian percussion. He has since become a master of the percussion instruments, incorporating a wide range of styles and techniques into his playing.

Ricardo A. Haila live performance

Ricardo has taught drum set and Middle Eastern percussion at renowned institutes and workshops in Lebanon, and has been working with renowned artists such as: Ziad Rahbany, Omar Rahbany, Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, Jihad Akl, Abdou Cherif, Ziad Bourji, The Broken Wings Musical, and many local jazz artists. The most important thing in his career was performing in FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

He has also released several solo albums, showcasing his unique blend of traditional and contemporary styles.

Releases

Echoes of the Future - Ricardo A. Haila released the album Echoes of the Future, featuring a fusion of percussive and melodic elements, including the handpan, qanoun, and synthesizer, designed to convey a modern, reflective sound. The performance video, Live at Frozen Cherry, showcases tracks from the album along with a mix of well-known songs, emphasizing Haila's multi-instrumental style. The album includes several tracks:

• Dreamscape (Released in 2023)
• Cosmic Path (Release in 2023)
• Celestial Vision (Released in 2023)
• Endless Pulse (Released in 2023)
• Riders of Tomorrow (Release in 2023)
• Loopwave (Released in 2024)

Hit release

• Roar (Released in 2019) - While living in beirut, after the covid crisis and the revolution going on in Lebanon, Ricardo needed to express himself through music, he needed to scream and let go of the drama. Here is when Roar was created : to reflect the calm part of life and through the days how everything might change. In this song, the instruments : qanoun, riq, drums, frame drum, electric guitar (with the help of Loic Haddad) and pads.

• Requiem for Beirut (Released in 2020) - Just after the explosion that took place in the port of Beirut. Ricardo released this second hit using qanoun, indian table and pads. It mixes some sounds that shows the emotional parts of Lebanese love and sad relationship towards Beirut and the crises that was going on. Some footage is available on this link, which shows the difference between the old and safe Lebanon, compared to Lebanon of today.

These two songs are available on all music platforms : Spotify, Deezer, Anghami, Apple music, tidal, amazon music and itunes.

Book release

• Flow in Rhythm: 11 advanced snare drum solos(Released in 2021): The purpose of Flow in Rythm is to present a challenging and refreshing collection of solos to the intermediate and advanced snare drummer. Ricardo wanted to create a book with contemporary rhythmic and metric vocabulary using tradtional stickings. The book was published on Hudson Music for digital copies and then on Amazon for physical copies. It is for advanced players and it contains many exercices that helps them improve their performance.

• Flow in Rhythm: 11 intermediate snare drum solos(Released in 2022): The purpose of this book is the same at the advanced book but with 11 solos focusing on the intermediate level of musicians. The solos were also inspired by both traditions of snare drums solos: Wilcoxon (rudimental) and Cirone (concert). It can also be found on Hudson Music and Amazon.

• Flow in Rhythm: Mastering rhythm for all instruments(Released in 2023): This book was created in order to improve the rhythm. It has the purpose on producing a deeper understanding with rhythms, and its subdivision. The goal is to be able to play a rhythm, while listening to what other musicians are playing.

Youtube tutorial release

Ricardo wanted to teach all the musicians, from starting stage, to intermediate and then to the advanced stages, hence, its tutorials are all available for free on the youtube channel. There are Riq, Frame drum and darbouka tutorials. Musicians can learn the right way to hold the instrument and exercise in an interesting way in many lessons.

In addition to his musical career, Ricardo A. Haila is also known for his work as a teacher and mentor, offering workshops and classes on the percussion instruments. He has taught at masterclasses and educational institutions around the world, sharing his knowledge and passion for music with students of all ages.

References

"I am speechless to be part of the biggest sporting event" - Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy - Qatar 2022, Retrieved December 4, 2022.

Qatar tribune news - Qatar tribune, Retrieved December 5,2022.

Al Nahhar, Lebanese magazine - Retrieved December 5,2022.

Al Jareeda, Retrieved December 4,2022.

Top Stories - 23/12/2022 on MTV Lebanon.

Gulf times magazine, Retrieved December 5,2022.