The Monday Morning Paradiddle

Hello everyone! Well, this will be the last "Monday Morning Paradiddle" of 2013. And what a year its been...Thank you all for your continued support. It's really humbling to read all the positive feedback I get from drummers all over the world. So as long as people keep reading this stuff, I'll keep writing it!

The Four on the Floor office is currently in full-on festive mode complete with mistletoe, garlands, secret santa games and spiked egg nog but our correspondents have still found time to compile a wealth of interesting things to check out on the wide world web. The inter web is full of Jazz drumming resources for us to learn from these days.

- It's xmas time and what better to do than enjoy some Jazzy xmas music courtesy of Matt Wilson and his Christmas Tree-O project:

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/04/132118091/matt-wilsons-christmas-tree-o-tiny-desk-concert



- Let's take a moment to thank NPR for all their great Jazz programming!

Brian Blade's Fellowship recently made an appearance at the Village Vanguard and has been streamed for us to enjoy:

http://www.npr.org/event/music/248674115/brian-blade-fellowship-live-at-the-village-vanguard

And NPR's A Blog Supreme also did a nice feature on Brian and his drumming brother Brady (also a fine drummer in his own right...):

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2013/12/10/249825711/o-brothers-drummers-brian-and-brady-blade

- A great article on Paul Motian over at allaboutjazz.com:

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=45919&pg=1#.UpTDiqVdSTY

- Nasheet Waits shares some thoughts on the great Billy Higgins:

http://jazztimes.com/articles/28160-artist-s-choice-nasheet-waits-on-billy-higgins

- Thanks to Jason Marsalis via the Facebook who shared this article on the ride cymbal with Peter Erskine & Jimmy Cobb:

http://jazztimes.com/articles/110903-jimmy-cobb-peter-erskine-on-ride-cymbals#.UqYPJBpcbFw.twitter

- Jason also hipped me to this series of radio interviews with Dr. John & Herlin Riley in which they discuss the influence of the late Bob French, an important fixture in New Orleans drumming:

http://www.wwoz.org/programs/wwoz-interviews/230786

- Are you in Vancouver? Make sure to check out my friend Jesse Cahill. You can even take lessons with him at the VSO School of Music's new Jazz program (highly recommended).

Here he is demonstrating some nice new Canopus drums:



- Here's a couple short ones of Billy Drummond to check out:





Dig those TW yellow Gretsch drums!

- This one is very brief but I've watched it probably about 1000 times already....Clyde Stubblefield with James Brown:



- Lewis Nash with Benny Green and Christian McBride? Man...



I heard these guys with the Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour all-stars a year ago and this was probably ranked as one of the best shows I heard in 2014. Let's hear a trio album from this rhythm section!

- What am I listening to these days?

George Colligan "The Endless Mysteries" - Jack DeJohnette (drums)

Willie Jones III "Plays the Max Roach Songbook " - Willie Jones III (drums)

Ted Nash "Chakra" - Ulysses Owens Jr. (drums)

Alan Jones & Francois Theberge "Another View" - Alan Jones (drums)

Charles Mingus "Mingus Ah Um" - Dannie Richmond (drums)

Billy Drummond "Dubai" - Billy Drummond (drums)

Barry Harris "At the Jazz Workshop " - Louis Hayes (drums)

Mike Rud "Notes on Montreal" - Dave Laing (drums)

Earl MacDonald "Mirror of the Mind" - Rogerio Boccato (percussion)


- And for our last post of today's column, here's an interview with Art Blakey:



It's really too bad that Buhaina is no longer with us. Judging from his fondness for wearing cowboy & western wear I would have loved to showed him around the Calgary Stampede. He would have fit right in! (Elvin Jones circa. "Zachariah" would also be a good fit...)

All right, that's all we've got for you today but lite posting will continue until the end of the year. Drive safe and see you all in 2014!