.If you ask Chris DiSantis what the Allman Brothers have in common with Carlos Santana and Mongo Santamaria, the answer is almost ridiculously simple: some of the most incredible percussion performances ever. And he should know. Over the past 25 years, Chris, the hand percussionist (congas) in Ted Riser’s “Whipping Post” band, has studied thousands of individual artists and bands to perfect and expand his own style. That style and sound have their roots in Afro-Cuban tradition, later flavored with some jazz and blues, but the Allmans used it to pound some extra punch and rhythmic flair into free-wheeling classics such as “Jessica.” Southern rock meets the congas.
Chris has done jazz, blues, rock, and has performed regularly in a 20-piece Swing Time Big Band production. But “Whipping Post” gives him the chance to pay tribute to some of the best percussion ever and add an improvisational element that makes live music “live.”