Inspired by recent social media posts and drum videos from such drumming luminaries as Geoff Clapp, Chad Anderson, George Sluppick, Quincy Davis, Gavin Sorochan, Dan Weiss, Josh Jones, Ted Warren, Conor Guilfoyle, Todd Bishop, Chris Smith and many more...here's my humble contribution to the hive, a simple sticking pattern I came up with and some orchestrations around the drums. It's basically a variation on an old fashioned paradiddlediddle except with a extra note stuck on the end of each grouping, making it two seven-note patterns that alternate between each hand.
Here's what the basic sticking pattern looks like:
Rubim De Toledo and Carsten Rubeling both think it sounds like something Tain would play (I should be so lucky...but I'll take it!) In any event, hope you dig it.
Just a quick one today featuring Marcus Gilmore and some cool drumming on pianist David Virelles composition Nube (thanks to Four on the Floor correspondent Tim Mah for passing along this one!):
Chris Smith keeps knocking it out of the park with his wonderfully informed and delivered series of Jazz drumming videos via The Drum Hang on the YouTube. Lots of great information here to check out and think about (I know I am!) Check out his website for written examples of some of these concepts as well at: www.chrissmithjazzdrums.com
I've been quite busy these days, playing full-time for Calgary's Decidedly Jazz Dancework's recent production of "Better Get Hit in Your Soul!", an amazing contemporary Jazz dance show featuring the music of legendary bassist Charles Mingus. The show runs until January 20th as part of One Yellow Rabbit's annual High Performance Rodeo festival www.hprodeo.ca/2019/better-get-hit. This production was originally mounted in 2013 but this time it is presented in a significantly larger venue (DJD's amazing new home on 12th ave SE!) and with a few updated tweaks. The show was created and choreographed by the amazing Kimberley Cooper, featuring live and recorded music by Charles Mingus, all under the musical direction of Edmonton bassist Rubim de Toledo (and featuring yours truly on drums!)
Playing with dancers is one of my favourite things to do and working with this company, in particular, is a real honour. Furthermore, I get to play the music of Charles Mingus on a nightly basis with a killer band! It's been a real experience for me so far to play this music on a regular basis and really get inside his notes. Furthermore, I feel that Cooper has done an exceptional job of capturing the essence of Mingus' spirit through her choreography. Come check it out and you'll see what I mean!
Here's a little teaser trailer of what you'll see, featuring the DJD dance company and band on Mingus' up-tempo axe chaser "Tonight at Noon":
In the meantime, here's some of my favourite footage of Charles Mingus (and Dannie Richmond in particular) that I've been checking out lately for some motivation and inspiration:
Toronto's Morgan Childs will be swinging by Calgary's Buckingjam Palace later this month, performing with a great B3 Hammond organ trio on Saturday, January 26th. Learn more about this gig and this happening concert series here. He will also be appearing on the West Coast in the coming weeks with a variety of groups.
Morgan was nice enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about his recent activities:
Morgan Childs - The Four on the Floor Interview
January 2019
1) Tell us about your latest recording and touring project!
I’m excited to be working with three exciting groups in January. I’ve put together a Vancouver-based quartet with Steve Kaldestad (tenor sax), John Stetch (piano), and André Lachance (bass) for a gig at Frankie’s in Vancouver on January 10th, then I have some dates on Vancouver Island where I have recruited some old friends; Dr. Patrick Boyle (trumpet), Ryan Oliver (tenor sax) and the phenomenal young multi-instrumentalist John Lee is going to play bass at Simon Holt in Nanaimo, at the Avalanche in Courtenay, and down at Pat’s House of Jazz in Crofton. After that’s done, I start a driving tour with a group I co-lead with Ben Bishop (guitar), and Jeff McLeod (Hammond organ). We are called the BMC Organ Trio. We play some classic organ jazz repertoire as well as writing original music for the group. We haven’t made a record yet, but that will be coming sometime in the future, for sure. That band is touring Alberta, Eastern BC and Saskatchewan, playing some of the great clubs out west like the Yardbird Suite and Bassment, in addition to our now-sold-out gig at Buckingjam Palace in Calgary.
2) How did you choose your repertoire and sidemen?
I think it’s important to make music with people who you admire. It’s nice to have a combination of some familiarity and some unknown factors; that creates energy and excitement on stage. In terms of the repertoire, I tend to think of sets of music to create a certain vibe for the listener. I want the experience of listening to my groups to be detailed and intriguing for the listener, and I want the musicians to feel like they are free to express themselves in THEIR way. That’s very important to me… to honour the contribution of the musicians by finding music that suits a certain facet of their musical voice.
In the case of the organ trio, I have a pretty long history of playing with Hammond organ, and have a love for the instrument. I got to hear and play with the late great Bob Murphy quite a bit when I lived in Vancouver, as well as Chris Gestrin, Vanessa Rodrigues, Barbara Dennerlein and Bernie Senensky at various and ongoing points in my life. When Jeff and Ben moved to Toronto around the same time, we had already talked about forming a group and working up some repertoire so it was a natural fit. I admire the depth of knowledge and dedication they both have.
3) What inspired you to pursue the vibe and instrumentation that you did?
My dad is a big Kenny Burrell fan, and Kenny made a whole pile of great organ records with Jimmy Smith in the 60s, so I grew up around some of that music. My dad also played bass in an RnB band when I was growing up, so he was super into the Stax sound in particular—very committed to playing a Fender P bass with flat wound strings like Donald “Duck” Dunn, and Booker T and the MGs was an early influence on me--playing along with those records and trying to sound like Al Jackson Jr! I got to see Booker T and Jimmy McGriff on a double bill when I was still in high school, with Leon “Ndugu” Chancler on drums—now that’ll make an impression! The great thing about the Hammond is that you can play some serious bebop on it like Jimmy Smith, or get really funky like Grant Green or the Sugarman 3. I love swinging hard and I also love playing funk, so I think playing organ jazz suits my musical personality. You can do anything you want!
4) Was there a particular message you were trying to convey to the listener?
Music is generally connected to a lot of positive emotions I think, positive memories, and often memories and feelings that people hold really close. It’s nice if it’s a positive, good feeling you can create for people. I find it really interesting that listening to music is a totally subjective experience, so you try to get into a space where you are expressing yourself honestly and to the best of your abilities, and hope that the people who are hearing it can have some meaningful association with what you’re doing.
5) Who are your influences with regards to this style of writing and playing?
For the BMC trio it’s definitely a lot of the classic organ records made by people like Jimmy Smith, Don Patterson, Grant Green, Jack McDuff, Lonnie Smith, George Benson, Melvin Rhyne, Wes Montgomery, etc. More generally speaking, I am influenced a lot by very swinging drummers. Jimmy Cobb, Lewis Nash, Jeff Watts, Elvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, Billy Higgins and Max Roach are some of my favourites.
6) What are you practicing/studying/listening to/researching these days?
Over the last few years I’ve taken some lessons with Kenny Washington, who has refined my understanding of the Wilcoxin book a great deal. I’ve usually got one or more of those solos on the go and continue to work at it and hone my abilities there. I’m eternally grateful for Kenny’s patience as a teacher, and how much he has demystified the purpose of those exercises for me. I keep a little notebook where I write out ideas, aiming for simplicity and clarity in my phrasing. Lately I’ve been revisiting a lot of Tony Williams and Billy Higgins albums. I listen quite a bit to these field recordings of the Ewe and Ashanti peoples of West Africa, which were collected by Mark Seidenfeld and released on John Zorn’s Avant label under the name “Drums of Death”. In that music, I hear some fundamental DNA of the polyrhythmic drum language that represents some of the more mystical aspects of jazz rhythm. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to create contrasting expressions of rhythmic power, within my own playing and also as a contrast to the other musicians I’m playing with. Billy Higgins has been on my mind a lot lately, the compelling force of his ride cymbal beat, and the world of polyrhythmic expression he inhabited so fully. How does one create something so compelling and powerful that exists in such a gentle way? I am attempting to think about music from these different angles that are analytical, but also sort of abstract.
7) What other current and future projects do you have on the go at the moment?
The quartet that travelled to Lviv, Ukraine to play for Canada Day has become a unit under the co-leadership of Jake Koffman (as), and Nathan Hiltz (g), with Mark Godfrey on bass. We’ll be booking some gigs this spring and summer and releasing an EP. I know Amanda Tosoff is planning a follow up to her Juno-nominated “Words” album, and I’m excited to be a part of that. In May I’ll be travelling to England to play with Scottish saxophonist and clarinettist John Burgess. I have regular gigs around Toronto that are ongoing. Other than that, I’ll continue to make music with as many different musicians as I can!
8) How do the drums and your overall approach to rhythm factor into your compositions and concept?
Not very much, actually… that’s an interesting question. I don’t usually start compositions from a rhythmic concept. I’m usually trying to hear a melody first, and see where that leads my ear. I don’t usually write things to feature the drums, I think about what a set of music might need and write something to fit a mood.
9) What drummers (or other musicians) do you consider as influences?
I mentioned many of my favourite drummers earlier… speaking more broadly of music, I’d say Freddie Hubbard and Herbie Hancock are two musicians whose influence I can pinpoint in my own playing and writing.
10) What advice do you have for younger, aspiring jazz musicians?
Train your ears to hear the tiny, fractional details that make the music what it is. If you find a certain sound compelling, investigate it fully and find out what makes it what it is. Take your time and be patient with yourself.
Learn more about Morgan Childs and his music here and then check out this clip of him in action at Toronto's Rex Hotel:
Happy New Year! And what better way to start off 2019 than with some footage of one of my favourite contemporary tenor and drum pairings featuring the great Lewis Nash on drums and Joe Lovano on tenor saxophone (along with Hank Jones on piano and George Mraz on bass) from a burning 2005 performance at Jazz Baltica.
Those who know me know are well aware my appreciation for Joe Lovano. I think he's amazing!
I was lucky enough to work and play with Joe during the 1998 edition of the short-lived Lake Placid Jazz Workshop and that experience left a deep, life-long impression on me. One thing is for sure, Joe Lovano KNOWS the drums!
Here's quick post with Mr. Lovano sharing some thoughts on the composition process:
And another longer one, but a great insight into Joe's improvisational process:
Thanks again for all your support and looking forward to another year of blogging. Incidentally, 2019 will mark the 10th anniversary of Four on the Floor (!) so check back often and look for some special "anniversary" happenings around here (who knows, maybe we'll bake a cake or something...)
This is a blog about jazz, jazz drumming and all things unrelated. Thanks for stopping by!
A Bit About Me...
Jonathan McCaslin was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan. Jonathan began playing the drums at the age of nine. He progressed through the Regina Lions Junior Band and the music program at his high school, Campbell Collegiate, soon developing a passion for playing the drums and jazz. Ultimately, Jon's interest in music led him to enroll in the Jazz Studies program at McGill University, graduating with distinction in 1999.
While at McGill Jon had the opportunity to study with some of the finest jazz educators in the country including Gordon Foote, Kevin Dean, Jan Jarcyzk, Chris McCann, Andre White, Michel Lambert and Dave Laing. He also attended the prestigious summer jazz workshop presented by the Banff Centre for the Arts in 1997, where he performed with Canadian jazz greats Hugh Fraser, Don Thompson and Kenny Wheeler.
Jon has also been fortunate to have performed with many of Canada's jazz elite including Charlie Biddle, Brian Hurley, Louise Rose, Alaister Kay, Mart Kinny, Gary Guthman, Mike Rud, Hadley Caliman, Greg Clayton, Chase Sanborn, Andre White, Tilden Webb, John LaBelle, Kevin Dean, Dave Turner, Ralph Bowen, Don Thompson, Dionne Taylor, Jim Vivian, Kelly Jefferson, Ian McDougall, Brad Turner, Jim Brenan, The McGill Jazz Orchestra, Jeff Johnston, Lorraine Desmerais, Steve Amirault, Hugh Fraser, Chucho Valdes, Kieran Overs, The Altsys Jazz Orchestra, Pat LaBarbera, The Regina Symphony Orchestra and The Montreal Jazz Big Band.
In the spring of 2002 McCaslin completed his Master's in Jazz Studies at McGill University where he studied jazz drumming, improvisation and composition.
In January 2003 Jon released his debut CD, “McCallum’s Island”. Featuring his quintet, the CD contains an exciting collection of McCaslin’s original compositions, featuring himself and his band. The release of this CD was followed by a twenty-day tour of Western Canada, performing to enthusiastic, capacity audiences. During March of 2003 Jonathan was the recipient of a fellowship from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and attended the “Betty Carter Jazz Ahead” residency in Washington, D.C. Along with twenty other distinguished young jazz artists, McCaslin was featured with such jazz icons as Terence Blanchard, Carmen Lundy, Winard Harper, Curtis Fuller and John Clayton.
McCaslin’s quintet performed at the 2003 edition of the Montreal International Jazz Festival and was nominated for the General Motors Grand Prix du Festival (awarded to the most outstanding Canadian group). From 2004 until 2006, Jon toured North America, Asia and Europe with the high-energy, critically acclaimed music production troupe “Barrage”. Featuring a cast of seven world-class fiddlers and a four-piece band, this dynamic show featured high-energy music and fiddle traditions from around the world set to upbeat choreography and movement.
In 2015, Dr. McCaslin received his Doctorate through the University of Toronto and completed his dissertation on the conceptualization of contemporary melodic jazz drumming. He is currently based in Calgary, Alberta where he maintains a busy performing and teaching schedule across Canada.
