The Monday Morning Paradiddle - November 2024

And...we're back.

Thanks for checking in and there's lots of interesting and compelling things to check out in this instalment of The Monday Morning Paradiddle, my more-or-less monthly jazz drumming variety column.

But first I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to a few amazing drummers I heard in Calgary last week during the JazzYYC Canadian Jazz Festival including Fabio Ragnelli with guitarist Jocelyn Gould, Louis-Vincent Hamel with the No Codes quartet and local Andy Ericson with Chris Tauchner's piano trio.

The Monday Morning Paradiddle - November 2024

1. Sherrie Maricle talks big drumming in the Secrets of Big Band Drumming

2. Bobby Sanabria shares his afro-cuban Secrets of the Clave in this informative article

3. Lamy Istrefi Jr. interviewed for the The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt, on his new album Sparkle from the Infinite featuring David Liebman, George Garzone and Ben Street.

4. Colleen Clark interviews Gregory Hutchinson and Peter Erksine for the Percussive Arts Society in advance of their upcoming clinics at this year's annual PASIC convention in Indianapolis.

5. John Riley's offers these fantastic lessons, part of JP Bouvet's amazing new on-line lesson platform The JP Bouvet Method:

 

6. Stanton Moore sits down with legendary New Orleans rhythm Master (aka The King of Treme) Shannon Powell:

 

7. Questlove interviews Cindy Blackman Santana:

 

8. Jason Tiemann offers yet other great lesson, this one on how to develop a concept of soloing on the drums that is informed and guided by melody, rather than relying exclusively on playing licks:

 

9. Quincy Davis continues with his wonderful and always informative YouTube series Q-Tips (in particular, check out his incredible brush lesson):

10. Jazz at Lincoln Center's Obed Calvaire featured by SFJazz:

 

11. The 80/20 Drummer interviews Clarence Penn:

 

12. Antonio Sanchez and his Yamaha Drums:

 

13. Thanks to Loren Schoenberg who took the time to put together these fantastic pieces featuring:

Shadow Wilson

 

Art Blakey

 

Art Blakey and Percy Heath

 

Max Roach

 

14. An interview with Kyle Poole:

         

15. Cymbalholic founder and visionary Chad Anderson interviewed by cymbal wizard Timothy Roberts: 

 

16. A couple of episodes of Trading Fours from Drummer Nation with Brian Nation, Adam Nussbaum, Ed Soph, Billy Drummond and Harold Jones:

 

 

17. Billy Drummond shares his beautiful Gretsch Ridgeland snare drum:

 

18. Johnathan Blake with Chris Potter, Brad Mehldau and John Patitucci:

 

19. What am I listening to these days?

Miles Davis "Miles Smiles" - Tony Williams (drums)

Donald Byrd "Mustang" - Freddie Waits (drums)

The Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra "The Definitive Thad Jones, Vol.2" - Mel Lewis (drums)

William Parker & Hamid Drake "Piercing the Veil" - Hamid Drake (drums and percussion)

Alan Jones "Spirits" - Alan Jones (drums)

Jim Hall "Live!" - Terry Clarke (drums)

Pat Metheny "Bright Size Life" - Bob Moses (drums)

20. And today's Final Word goes to Al Pacino (via Bobby Sanabria):

"Well, because somehow I felt as though my life was saved by acting. Because I knew that I could do something. Look at Buddy Rich, the drummer. My god. Three years old he was on those drums. I was at Carnegie Hall listening to him at a Frank Sinatra concert. He went on before Frank. I said, “I don’t want to hear a drummer, I want to hear Frank,” you know? A drum solo? And it was one of those great moments in my life! Because when he was finished and he took his two sticks — he just left you with the silence. And everyone in that house, I mean everyone, stood up and started screaming! I found myself screaming! So Sinatra comes out afterward, and he looks at the crowd and he says, “See what happens when you stay at a thing?”

- Al Pacino