The Monday Morning Paradiddle

And…we're back.

Welcome to 2017! Hope you all had a pleasant Christmas and New Year's break. Thanks for checking in and thanks again for all your continued support.

Anyways, let's get down to business. Here's a few items of interest to get us started in the New Year ahead...

- GQ magazine recently featured this hip article on several of our Jazz elder statesmen:

http://www.gq.com/story/living-legends-of-jazz

It's hard to argue against the fact that Roy Haynes is clearly still the hippest and baddest dude to walk the planet earth.

- New York Times also featured this photo essay "Photos That Give the Drummer Some":

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/12/07/photos-that-give-the-drummer-some/?_r=0

- Canadian Musician Magazine offers this column on musical drumming from contributors Mark Kelso, Terry Clarke, Larnell Lewis and Anthony Michelli:

https://issuu.com/cmonline/docs/canadian-musician-november-december

- Carl Allen interviewed over at Harmony Central:

http://www.harmonycentral.com/articles/carl-allen---new-york-state-of-mind

- Clarence Penn is interviewed at The Drummer's Resource Podcast:

http://www.drummersresource.com/podcast-222-clarence-penn/

Check out the other great audio interviews found here with the likes of Kenny Washington, Peter Erskine, Ed Soph, Ralph Peterson Jr., Michael Carvin and many, many others...

- A special shout out and thank you to my correspondents over at cymbalholic.com (of which I've been a member since 2005!) who informed me that the legendary John Von Ohlen (affectionately known as "The Baron") has recently released this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Gotta-Swing-John-Ohlen-Story/dp/1944581065/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483383968&sr=8-1&keywords=John+Von+Ohlen

This is the first I've heard of this publication and look forward to checking it out.

John is also featured in this radio podcast from WVXU:

http://wvxu.org/post/celebration-john-von-ohlen#stream/0

And thanks to Todd Bishop over at his superb blog Cruiseship Drummer for digging up this great interview with Von Ohlen from 1985:

http://www.cruiseshipdrummer.com/2011/01/march-1985-modern-drummer-interview.html


- Jerome Jennings recently released his album "The Beast" (highly recommended) and took a break from his busy schedule (including playing with the likes of Christian McBride!) to speak with Neon Jazz about his new release:




- Ali Jackson Jr. and Jimmy Cobb both rummage through some old Jazz records that bring back some memories...






- Lewis Nash and Jeff Hamilton get busy in a serious percussion discussion:



And Nash and Terrell Stafford continue with their own duo...




- It's amazing to me that when Lewis Nash plays a drum set that isn't even a real drum set that Lewis Nash still sounds like….Lewis Nash!




- Thanks to the kind people over Vic Firth here's Justin Faulkner playing some serious drums:




- And what else can possibly bring a smile to your face than Ringo Starr playing some drums on a beach?




- What am I listening to these days?

Ted Warren's Warren Commission "The Great Regina Pizza Debate" - Ted Warren (drums & compositions)

Jerome Jennings "The Beast" - Jerome Jennings (drums)

Rudy Royston Trio "The Rise of Orion" - Rudy Royston (drums)

Tom Harrell "The Number Five" - Johnathan Blake (drums)

Pat Metheny "ECM :rarum Selected Recordings" - Danny Gottlieb, Bob Moses, Paul Wertico, Jack DeJohnette, Billy Higgins (drums), Gary Burton (vibes)

Grant Green "Street of Dreams" - Elvin Jones (drums), Bobby Hutcherson (vibes)

Joe Henderson "Power to the People" - Jack DeJohnette (drums)

- And today's Final Word(s) goes to Bruce Lee with some words of wisdom, inspiration and motivation to prepare us all for the year ahead:

https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/08/01/bruce-lee-notebook/