DESCRIPTION: Most people who play the marimba use four mallets, but Robert Paterson uses six. It makes him laugh when people who see him perform on the instrument this way call him "Edward Mallethands." Though he admits he's not the first percussionist to explore this technique, he might have devoted more of his energies to it than anyone else thus far. Using those extra mallets also seems to exemplify his entire approach to making a successful career in new music. Playing percussion is only one of the many things that he does. With his wife, Victoria Paterson, a concert violinist, he runs a new music ensemble in New York City—American Modern Ensemble—as well as a small, independent record label, the similarly named American Modern Recordings. He also conducts from time to time. But above and beyond everything, he's a composer. For him, all of these activities are intimately connected.
