Conversations with Jimmy Cobb

Another interview today courtesy of the folks over at NYU, this time with the legendary Jimmy Cobb:

Conversations with Jack DeJohnette

Another great interview today, this time from Jack DeJohnette:



When the Masters speak...

Antonio Sanchez: Creative Soloing and Freedom

Thanks to the forward thinking people over at Drumeo here's the "Birdman" of the drums himself, Antonio Sanchez, talking about and demonstrating some very important improvisation concepts on the drums:

Eyes of the Masters: Albert "Tootie" Heath

Check out this informative masterclass with the great Albert "Tootie" Heath from the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music:

The Monday Morning Paradiddle

Welcome back and I hope you all had a nice weekend. As per usual, here's a number things to check out thanks to our busy Four on the Floor correspondents...


- Looking to learn a thing or two about Jazz music? Well, there's no lack of great lessons over at the Jazz @ Lincoln Centre Jazz Academy YouTube channel worth checking out:

https://www.youtube.com/user/jalcjazzacademy/videos


- Thank you to Adam Nussbaum for passing along this BBC piece on Louis Armstrong:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009y1rb


- Gregory Porter speaks with GQ magazine about Jazz music:

http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2015-02/06/guide-to-jazz-music-with-gregory-porter


- The Drummer's Resource Podcast contains a wealth of great interviews with many great drummers to listen to. Check out this episode with UNT drum set professor Ed Soph:

http://www.drummersresource.com/ed-soph-interview/

- Gary Chester describes developing "Good Time" over at Scott Fish's blog:

https://scottkfish.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/gary-chester-on-developing-good-time/


- What are the Mathamatics of Jazz? Well, Clayton Cameron tells us in his TED Talk via npr.com:

http://www.npr.org/2015/03/06/388519359/what-are-the-mathematics-of-jazz


-  Stewart Copeland shares a few good tips via Calgary's Jim Johnston:

http://www.musicradar.com/news/drums/stewart-copelands-top-5-tips-for-drummers-619308


- When the Masters speak, we listen ! Here's Art Taylor from a series created by the New York Public Library:

http://www.nypl.org/audiovideo/arthur-taylor-full-interview

Thanks to Rochester's Mike Melito for this find...


- When another Master speaks, we still listen!  Here's a rare radio interview with Philly Joe Jones recorded shortly before he passed away in 1986:

http://www.nightjourneyrewind.com/home/night-journey-with-philly-joe-jones


- Interested in learning how to play a ballad on the drums? Check out this brief clip of Lewis Nash with Bobby Watson:



- Finally, dig this great piece about Toronto Jazz drummer Archie Alleyne:

http://noisey.vice.com/en_ca/blog/the-life-and-times-of-archie-alleyne-torontos-greatest-jazz-drummer


- What am I reading/listening to these days?

Peter Erskine "No Beethoven: An Autobiography & Chronicle of Weather Report"

Michael Philip Mossman "Springdance" - Marvin Smitty Smith (drums)

Dave Douglas & Joe Lovano "Soundprints" - Joey Baron (drums)

Gerry Mulligan & Thelonious Monk "Mulligan Meets Monk" - Shadow Wilson (drums)


- And today's Last Word goes to a few lines from Peter Erskine's autobiography "No Beethoven":

"Is is the charge of us who survive to see another dawn each day that we honour the memory of the kind and brave souls who have pioneered and lived and loved before us. They have taught us how to interpret a melody, or how to play a rhythm, or how to laugh at one of life's many absurdities. Life lessons. Good deeds. Mistakes. The sum of a man's or a woman's life can take years to absorb and understand, but we must always appreciate the sacrifice, wisdom, love, and humour that our fallen wisdom comrades have left to us."

Blackwell (returns)

Thank you to David Stanoch who reminded me the other day via the Facebook of these amazing clips of Ed Blackwell. I posted these here a few years back but they are so awesome it's worth reposting them just because....it's Ed Blackwell!









And if you are interested in reading some excellent research written on Blackwell's unique style, be sure to check out David Schmalenberger's DMA thesis "Stylistic Evolution of Jazz Drummer Ed Blackwell: The Cultural Intersection of New Orleans and West Africa".

http://www.pas.org/docs/default-source/thesisdissertations/schmalenbergerdj_2000.pdf?sfvrsn=0

Gregory Hines & Stanley Clarke

I've written a bit before about the important relationship between tap dancing and jazz drumming. Well, here's Gregory Hines, who I consider to be the "Tony Williams" of tap dancers (!), in a duet with Stanley Clarke to check out from a feature on the Arsenio Hall Show:

Nash on Brushes

Just a short one today to get the week started off right...

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Exploring and Expanding the Canadian Big Band Songbook

Hey, just a quick plug for a very cool concert I'm involved with tomorrow night...


The Calgary Creative Arts Ensemble Presents:

“Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Exploring and Expanding the Canadian Big Band Songbook”

Thursday April 2nd

8:00pm

Theatre Junction Grand
608 1st Street SW

$25 Students/Seniors
$35 Adults

Tickets available at:
http://www.theatrejunction.com
403.205.2922


The Calgary Creative Arts Ensemble is Calgary’s newest jazz big band. The CCAE features musicians who collaborate with international performers and composers in order to bring exciting, dynamic new music to Calgary audiences.

The mission of the CCAE is to provide a platform in which local, regional and national jazz musicians can explore and develop Canadian music for large jazz ensemble. The CCAE also features many of Calgary’s talented composers, and fortunately has much of that talent within the band. On Thursday, April 2nd the CCAE will premiere a brand new work that features the writing talents of trumpet section leader Andre Wickenheiser in addition to works by the great Canadian jazz composers and members of the local Calgary jazz community.


For more information please visit:

https://www.jazzyyc.com/jazz-events/calgary-creative-arts-ensemble-presents-standing-shoulders-giants-exploring-expanding-canadian-big-band-songbook/