• Source: Valerie Naranjo

Valerie Naranjo (born October 10, 1958), is a musician who plays percussion for the Saturday Night Live Band. She specializes in the music and percussive instruments of West Africa, particularly the gyil.




Career


In New York, Naranjo has played her 7-foot marimba in the subway system (which resulted in at least two bookings in off-Broadway plays.) She also freelanced and toured Europe with The Philip Glass Ensemble between 1988 and 1993 and worked with Ulali, Richard Barone, and David Byrne.
After working on The Tempest with director Julie Taymor, Naranjo was asked to be a part of The Lion King in 1996. She selected instruments to be included in the show's orchestra, auditioned musicians, and helped to write the musical arrangements. Naranjo has performed with The Lion King for over 25 years.
While working on The Lion King, an old friend and musical collaborator, Lenny Pickett asked Naranjo to join the Saturday Night Live Band in 1995. Pickett looked to her to bring lively percussive and fresh sounds to the show during a time the show was struggling to maintain its audiences. She works alongside Shawn Pelton in the band. Her instrument set-up consists of two mallet instruments as well as chime trees, woodblocks, cymbals, congas, bongos, djembe, kpanlogo drum, timbales, and a variety of shakers, among other instruments.
Since 2011, Naranjo has taught in the New York University Steinhardt School's percussion department.
Naranjo performed at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and The White House. She was named World Music Percussionist of the Year in 2005 and 2008 by Drum! magazine reader poll.




References

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• Valerie Naranjo
• Saturday Night Live Band
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