The Monday Morning Paradiddle

Welcome back everybody and welcome to March. I'm just returning from a very musically satisfying weekend of playing some very creative music with pianist/composer David Braid in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan but, man, it was really cold...

Here's what's making the rounds over here at the sufficiently heated Four on the Floor office today:


- I've really been digging the on-line drum magazine The Drummer's Journal lately over at:

http://thedrummersjournal.com

Check it out. And buy one of their hip t-shirts.


- This article on Elvin Jones courtesy of JazzTimes magazine has been making the rounds recently:

http://jazztimes.com/articles/14816-drum-therapy-elvin-jones-9-9-27-5-18-04

It's hard to believe that it's been ten years since Elvin left us...


- Thanks to Todd Bishop over at his blog Cruiseship Drummer where he provides some nice commentary and even some transcriptions of this groovy little guy, busking in Nigeria:



Find Todd's fine analysis over here:

http://shipdrummer.blogspot.ca/2014/02/grooves-o-day-on-streets-of-aba-nigeria.html


- Francisco Mela is a Cuban-born Jazz drummer whom I'd admired for the last couple of years. His blending of modern straight-ahead Jazz influences with his Afro-Cuban rhythmic roots is quite unique.

Here he is taking a nice little solo:




- Drummer Daniel Glass has produced a wonderful series for Vic Firth documenting the history of the drum set. Here he is talking about the origin of the brushes (aka "Flyswatters"!):



For more great things relating to the history of the drums, check out Daniel's website:

http://www.danielglass.com/intro.php


- Thanks to Tim Mah who passed on this documentary about this history of Jazz in Montreal:

http://music.cbc.ca/#/Burgundy-Jazz

And here's a little piece in that regards from NPR's A Blog Supreme:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2014/02/22/280764414/rail-radio-and-booze-a-look-at-montreal-jazz-history


- And here's a great podcast interview with Billy Martin courtesy of 5049 Records:

http://www.5049records.com/billy-martin


- What am I listening to these days?

David Braid and Phil Nimmons "Suite St. John's: Falling Through"

Matt Wilson Quartet + John Medeski "Gathering Call" - Matt Wilson (drums)

Duke Jordan "Flight to Jordan" - Art Taylor (drums)

Bobby Hutcherson "Stick Up" - Billy Higgins (drums), Bobby Hutcherson (vibes)

Dexter Gordon & Slide Hampton "A Day in Copenhagen" - Art Taylor (drums)

Illinois Jacquet  "The Blues, That's Me!" - Oliver Jackson (drums)

Max Roach & Anthony Braxton " Birth, Rebirth" - Max Roach (drums)

The Big Beat (compilation) - Art Blakey, Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, Elvin Jones (drums)

Milt Jackson "At the Museum of Modern Art" - Otis "Candy" Finch (drums), Milt Jackson (vibes)

Shelly Manne "2-3-4" - Shelly Manne (drums)


- The Final Word:

Finally, some inspiring words to finish up today's post from Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno on creativity and hard work: