Better Get Hit in Your Soul

Well here it is! The last two and a half weeks have been busy, busy, busy rehearsing with Calgary's Decidedly Jazz Danceworks company, putting together the pieces for Kimberly Cooper's latest creation: "Better Get Hit in Your Soul: Dances Inspired by The Music, Life and Times of Charles Mingus".

The show features a cast of seven very talented dancers with a three piece band (with yours truly on drums) and the production uses music that spans over the course of Mingus' career including pieces such as "Haitian Fight Song", "Tonight at Noon", "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" and selections from his epic through-composed compositions "Epitaph" and "The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady" among others.

Cooper has done a masterful job of choreographing some very challenging movement to Mingus' music while at the same time capturing the spirit and depths of his giant personality. The dancers are rising to the challenge every night and raising the bar for all of us. It's very exciting to be a part of such a creative project like this, done at such a high level. I like to think that Mingus would have been impressed and enjoyed what Kim has done with his music.

It's also been a great opportunity for me to get deeper inside the music of Mingus and, in particular, the drumming of Dannie Richmond (who's contributions are very underrated in my opinion...). To say I've been getting a workout on my uptempos and fast 3/4 grooves would be an understatement!

We even got a stellar review in the Calgary Herald:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/Better+Your+Soul+conjures+erratic+jazzman+warts/9210917/story.html

Here's a taste of the show!

Chico Hamilton "Drums West"

Having just heard that the great Chico Hamilton passed away today, I thought it would be suitable to post this very cool early Jim Henson animation (of The Muppets and Sesame Street fame!) done to a  Chico Hamilton brush solo:

Listen!

Inspired by a recent e.mail from Mosaic Records (I am a frequent buyer of their amazing box sets and therefore on their mailing list!) here are some thought-provoking words from Aaron Copeland on the importance of LISTENING to music:

"The first prerequisite for listening to music is so obvious that it almost seems ludicrous to mention, yet it is often the single element that is absent: to pay attention and to give the music your concentrated effort as an active listener.

It is revealing to compare the actions of theater audiences to those of symphonic audiences. In the theater the audience listens with full attention to every line of the play, knowing that if important lines are missed understanding can be diminished-this instinctive attention is too often lacking in the concert hall. One has but to observe listeners at a concert to witness the distractions of talking or reading or simply staring into space.

Only a small percentage are vitally concerned with the essential role of active listening. 

This lack is serious because the listener is essential to the process of music; music after all consists of the composer, the performer and the listener. Each of these three elements should be present in the most ideal way. We expect a fine composition brilliantly performed, but how often do we think it should also be brilliantly heard?

The destiny of a piece of music, while basically in the hands of the composer and performer, also depends on the attitude and ability of the listener. It is the listener in the larger sense who dictates the ultimate acceptance or rejection of the composition and performer...Unfortunately for music, many listeners are content to sit in an emotional bath and limit their reaction to music to the sensual element of being surrounded by sounds. But the sounds are organized; the sounds have intellectual as well as emotional appeal.

The adventure of learning how to listen to music is one of the great joys of exposure to this art...Your efforts to understand more of what is taking place will be rewarded a thousand-fold in the intense pleasure and increased interest you will find."

- From: "What To Listen For In Music" by Aaron Copeland

Mr. Hi-Hat

Just a brief one today....I'm on the run these days rehearsing like mad with Calgary's Decidedly Jazz Danceworks upcoming production featuring the music of Charles Mingus.

Check out this short but awesome clip of Max Roach armed with his hi-hats:

Old School

My first introduction to rudimental snare drumming was via my drumline training days while growing up, playing music in the Regina Lions Band (1986-1995). In fact, the very reason I learned to play traditional grip initially came from the fact that if I wanted to crack the top snare line, traditional grip was an absolute must!

While my journey as a musician has taken me far from the fields of competitive marching bands and drumline warmups in empty parking lots, I still really value the foundation that learning my rudiments has created for me.

In all honesty, I kind of "forgot" about the rudiments for awhile during my early 20s while I focused on other drum set things. But after studying with the likes of Dave Laing, Kenny Washington and learning about Alan Dawson's "Rudimental Ritual" and Charlie Wilcoxin's "Rudimental Swing Solos" (and not to mention Philly Joe Jone's awesome application of the rudiments) things have really come full circle for me with regards to dealing with rudimental snare drumming and using these patterns in a practical and musical way.

Here's a couple of older and very interesting clips that I recently found featuring the Santa Clara Vanguard drumline from back in the 70s and, in particular, drum corps legends Rob Carson, Ralph Hardimon and Fred Sanford:





Notice how they are still using straps to carry their drums (no metal harnesses!) and the use of plastic heads (no bullet-proof kevlar!)

The name Frank Arsenault is also mentioned in this series. Arsenault was an incredible, championship snare drummer and an important pioneer in terms of teaching rudimental drumming.

I recently picked up a copy of this LP last summer that features Arsenault demonstrating the 26 Standard American Rudiments and several classic snare drum solos:

So don't forget to learn your rudiments. They are like the "wheaties" of jazz drumming. They are good for you!

The (Wednesday) Morning Paradiddle

I was going to post this on Monday but since it was Remembrance Day I decided to wait until today. I hope you all had a nice long weekend and for those of you who had a day off that you all took some time to remember the sacrifices so many have made for the greater good.

So now that you are here, get ready! Here's a ton of interesting things to check out from the wide reaches of the interweb:

- Canadian Jazz drummer Ted Warren has long been a huge influence on me. His creativity, dedication and mastery of the drums is astounding. There are very few people that I know of that have put in the time that Ted has on his instrument.

Here are couple great ones to check out. First, armed with only a single snare drum, Ted demonstrates the possibilities of improvising with only a single percussion instrument. Check out all the different sounds and textures he gets from one drum:



And while Ted shared this on his blog awhile ago, here it is again: an improvised solo drum set performance:



This is something that I've personally been toying around with for some time now myself and definitely lists as a future project on my own agenda. Not an easy task! (to do it well...anyways)

And Ted just posted this rare one today on his own fine blog Trap'd of himself with bassist Mike Downes and Brad Turner on piano:



- Speaking of Canadian Jazz drummers: Here's a fine example of Toronto drummer Morgan Childs with Richard Whiteman's quartet in action from a recent hit at the Rex on Charlie Parker's "Relaxin' at the Camarillo":



I moved to Calgary shortly before Morgan moved to Toronto in 2009 but I've always been a fan of his drumming and swinging beat.

- There are lots of great things happening in the Canadian Jazz drumming world these days. My old friend, alto saxophonist Remi Bolduc recently brought both Dan Weiss and Ari Hoenig to Montreal to perform with his group "Random Masters":



Now THAT'S some serious rhythm to deal with!

- Thanks to the National Jazz Archive here's another interview with the great Mel Lewis to read:

http://www.nationaljazzarchive.co.uk/stories?id=71

- Marvin Bugalu Smith is a great drummer from Poughkseepsie, New York whose playing can be best described as a force of nature. Eventually I would like to take some lessons with this cat some day and hopefully hear him play live as well. Here's a nice feature on this incredible musician:

http://www.chronogram.com/hudsonvalley/marvin-bugalu-smith/Content?oid=2179829&fb_action_ids=592813780740682&fb_action_types=og.likes


- Rochester drummer Aaron Staebell is also up to great things these days. Aaron is regularly updating his website with many great solo drum set pieces. I really dig these and heard Aaron play a few times in Toronto awhile ago with Dave Restivo and Nick Ali. Check it out here:

http://aaronstaebell.tumblr.com


- A great piece of Jazz oral history with tuba/baritone saxophonist Howard Johnson recalling Tony Williams:

- Interested in learning a cool little phrase from Jeff Tain Watts? Dig this:

http://samnadel.blogspot.ca/2013/07/the-tain-phrase-with-video.html?showComment=1374441421802

- Jeff Hamilton has some great lessons and a series of interviews over here:

http://www.drummerszone.com/videos/channel/dz-6595-4718/jeff-hammertone-hamilton-jeff-hamilton's-sandlane-sessions/

- What am I listening to these days?

Peter Bernstein "Heart's Content" - Bill Stewart (drums)

Peter Bernstein with the Tilden Webb Trio "Live at the Cellar" - Jesse Cahill (drums)

Miles Davis "Bitches Brew" - Jack DeJohnette & Lenny White (drums)

Dexter Gordon "A Swingin' Affair" - Billy Higgins (drums)

Christian McBride "People Music" - Carl Allen & Ulysses Owens Jr. (drums)

Grant Stewart "Urban Tones" - Billy Drummond (drums)

Earl MacDonald "Mirror of the Mind" - Rogerio Boccato (percussion)

Mike Rud "Notes on Montreal" - Dave Laing (drums)


- Ethan Iverson over at Do The Math has a great piece here remembering one of the all-time great B3 organ trio drummers. Donald Bailey:

http://dothemath.typepad.com/dtm/2013/10/donald-bailey.html

- The last words of wisdom today come from the great Milford Graves (via Tyshawn Sorey):

"I always tell people that being a musician is extremely important and if you are going to be a musician, you have to be responsible because people come to listen to you. You go to a restaurant to get some food and you depend on that chef or that cook to prepare some food that is not only going to taste good, but also be healthy to you. People come to see musicians with their ears. They are using their ears and asking you to put something in their ears. You have to KNOW what you are putting in their ears. In traditional times, a musician was required not only to know the instrument, but they were also doctors, healers. You never separated those two because you are dealing with people. You are dealing with the mind. You are dealing with bodies. You are dealing with the soul. When you try and separate those things, it is no good. Other than the physical thing, you have to have some internal content. You have to have some mind stuff. The only way you are going to get mind stuff is to know about PEOPLE. You have to know how people live. You have to know about culture, not only your own culture, but the whole multicultural concept because you are dealing with a multiplicity of people." - Milford Graves

All right. That's all I've got today. Have a great week and see you soon!

Dance Drummer

"In Africa they say there is no rhythm without its accompanying dance, that the rhythm of the dancing body complements the rhythm of the music, and to separate the two is to understand nothing." 
- Mickey Hart 

A drummer/percussionist e-mailed quite awhile ago with some questions about how to approach playing drums and percussion for contemporary dance classes. Over the years I've done this quite a bit and thought I would share a few ideas on this subject. Now I had always been fascinated with the overall relationship between dancing and drumming and considered it to be pretty significant but it wasn't until I started playing with dancers on a regular basis that this all took on a deeper meaning for me.

These days I only do this sort of thing occasionally (like once or twice a semester) but a few years ago I did this as a full-time job for a full year at the University of Calgary and it was an incredible experience for me. Lately I've been working with Calgary's Decidedly Jazz Danceworks company but the context is slightly different than playing for contemporary dance classes at the university.

I found playing drums and percussion for contemporary dance classes to be a lot of fun and incredibly fulfilling. It definitely improved my overall drumming, my sensibility to rhythm and made me a better musician.

Here's a few thoughts about my experience being a Dance Drummer:

-I had never played hand drums before I took the dance accompanist gig at the UofC in 2006 so I had to develop some concepts and hand drumming techniques pretty quickly (my background, of course, was a drum set one not as a hand drummer). I took a few quick conga and djembe lessons to get me started and develop some fundamental chops.

-My basic instrument set-up included a djembe and two or three congas arranged in sort of an ad-hoc hand drum “set” configuration (just so I would feel "at home" haha!)

-I later added a small 16” inch bass drum so my right foot could do something.

-Sometimes I would step on on small tambourine as sort of a hi-hat with my left foot as well. I saw Jeff Ballard do this with Brad Mehldau's trio once and thought that was pretty slick...It's very effective.

-I would always carry a small bag of various shakers, bells, etc. as well to add occasional sound effects. Most of the time I use my hands to play the djembes and congas but mallets, brushes, blaststicks or the "Tala Winds" that Vic Firth makes are pretty useful too and can be used (and they much more sympathetic than harder, wooden sticks too...)

- I’ve since worked with some teachers and played some classes using my full drum set (including cymbals, etc.) Admittedly this is of course more in my comfort zone (being a drum set player first!) but this isn’t always the most practical in terms of logistics (ie. They supply the hand drums at the school whereas I would have to haul my own drum set to class!)

-My own personal musical background is mainly a jazz one but I also enjoy and play all styles of music/drumming. I’ve studied quite a bit of Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and West African Ghanian drumming over the years. Playing for these classes allowed me to draw from a wide range of rhythmic styles and traditions, blending them all together in a functional way.

-Checking out the drumming and wide-open drumming concepts of Billy Martin, Trilok Gurtu, Matt Wilson, Jeff Ballard, Bob Moses, Dafnis Prieto and Glenn Kotche were also big inspirations for me and ideas for creativity.


Here's a few key musical points that have helped me in terms of playing with dancers and working with dance teachers:

-I think of the dance routines that teachers come up with as being “compositions” and try to accompany them accordingly.

-Always focus on maintaining the pulse and the beat.  Always! (that’s really why you are there...a human metronome!)

-Subdivisions: It’s either going to be either in a duple or triplet subdivision and this will determine the feel. Usually you can tell by the way they move and/or count in the movement.

-Time Signature: Is it in 4/4 or 3/4 or is it something else?

-Form: The movement routine will also always follow a number of bars and not necessarily in 4 or 8 bar phrases either! If you can “set-up” the beginning of each new section, the dancers will love you. Think of the dance routine as a “tune” and you are set.

-Taking all of those principles into account, when I’m playing patterns I always try to create a sort of melodic line between the high and low drums to give it a sense of direction and musicality. You might want to try this just with a single djembe or conga at first by exploring the dynamic between the low and high tones. Check out some of the great Cuban congueros and you’ll know what I mean by this.

Having said this though, I personally never seem to play any kind of “authentic” patterns when doing these kind of gigs....I just find some interesting rhythms that work and go with it! Perhaps try to repeat whatever pattern you come up with as well to give it some continuity then add the occasional variation or embellishment.

Always go for the groove and you can never go wrong.

Here's a couple of clips of a GREAT dance drummer who definitely has some cool things going on!

Max Roach Interview 1979

Thanks to Curtis Nowosad for hipping me to this great interview with Max Roach via the Facebook. This is from the January 1979 issue of Modern Drummer.

"Max Roach" by Harold Howland

HH: Along with Kenny Clarke, you were a founder of the bop style, changing the rhythmic emphasis from the bass and snare drum to the ride cymbal, using the other components for accents and color. There are those who say that Kenny was primarily responsible for this transition and that you carried it further. Is that how you see it?

MR: Kenny's influence was that you should get more involved in harmonic playing. Kenny plays piano and is a total percussionist. It had little to do with the technique of playing. Kenny was in the Army when I came on the scene. I knew nothing about him until after recording with Coleman Hawkins. That style of playing was already established around New York. The first person I heard on radio who played broken rhythms using the bass drum and hi-hat was Jo Jones. Actually, Chick Webb, Jo Jones, O'Neil Spencer, and Sidney Catlett had the greatest influence on me.

HH: How do you view the drummer's role as an accompanist and timekeeper?

MR: Drummers are required to support constantly. We're expected to be the rhythmic foundation. One thing I gloried in, working with people like Charlie Parker, was the built-in rhythm section. You didn't need a drummer or a bass player to know where the time was. If you don't lay the beat down for some players there's no form or rhythm in their playing. You're almost like a slave. "Bam bam bam bam" or "Boom bam de-boom-boom bam," whatever it is. I think the instrument goes beyond that.
Most percussionists spend a lot of time developing themselves on the instrument. A lot of things we do never have a chance to come out. When the moment comes where the band finally turns around and says, "Okay, you got it," most of the time you overdo it.

Excluding a wind instrument, there's always the danger of sounding inhuman. You're not obliged to take a breath before you do something. Wind instrumentalists are obliged to be human; they have periods, question marks, exclamation marks, phrases. But there's always the danger, with people who play piano, percussion, or string instruments, of not creating phrases that speak out to people. You can just rattle for hours. That characteristic is not only unmusical, but unnatural as well.

Someone asked me about the use of the metronome and I answered that you should use it only if you cannot keep time and are trying to develop a sense of holding time at a certain level. But to play metronomic time is another inhuman aspect. The time should be at the same place, but to make it elastic sounding, it may have to get a little faster or slower. A metronome locks you into "bap bap bap bap." 

With my quartet, holding time for each other would lock us in. My charge with the group is to add color and be dynamic in my accompaniment, not just to keep time for the players. They keep time. I can go outside of the time. We sometimes deal with sounds that have nothing to do with the meter, just for an effect. Everyone should have that time.

HH: How do you approach solo improvisation?

MR: When I go into an improvisational section it is not preplanned. I have all the techniques at my disposal. When someone else stops, I'm permitted to deal with my thoughts on a particular musical subject. I come to it free. The first thing I throw down into the instrument will determine the pattern and its development. Within, I'm conscious of what I call conversational structure, saying something to myself and answering.

I try not to do things because I can do them. I try to allow the moment to create itself, to respect silence, to say something and let the audience absorb it.

HH: Many of your solos use brief melodic, rhythmic refrains, usually accompanied by bass drum, hi-hat vamps. These figures unify and contrast the improvised sections--kind of a loose rondo form. Do you feel that this technique is something in which you particularly are an innovator?

MR: Yes, maybe so. During an evening, week, or month of performing I play a host of drum solos. To live with myself I have to constantly set up new things, and interest the members of the group. We all have to do this. The rule is not that you killed them last night--you know what will bring the audience to their feet. That's not the rule for the creative musician. You should try each night to introduce something that you didn't do the night before. It's always a challenge, for Billy or Cecil or Calvin or whoever, to do something that wasn't done before. The public may not be aware of that, but for us it means we're developing ideas for new recordings, for new pieces.

I do set up a call and response thing, something to return to that's still within the structure of the piece. Music to me isn't merely a matter of being melodic and harmonic. When you deal with the essence of art, it has more to do with design. If it doesn't have some kind of design, then it doesn't make sense to me, which is why I appreciate Monk and Bartok.

HH: Are hand positions and wrist action something to which you've devoted a lot of attention?

MR: Wasted motion. That is what was different in the rudimental approach to the instrument from the way we viewed it. On 52nd Street everything was close to the instrument because you played exceptionally fast. You had to play at a certain volume, so you didn't raise your hands high. You had to play what was acoustically best suited for small clubs.

HH: What about your brush technique? You're constantly flipping the left hand over, creating a continuous swishing triplet sound. How did you develop this?

MR: I learned the law of playing brushes from O'Neil Spencer and Big Sid Catlett. The brush is really not supposed to leave the drum. You're supposed to create a sweeping effect to get the accents without picking the brush up off the drum.

HH: In 1961 you said, "I will never again play anything that does not have social significance." Today, as you return to full-time performing, how do you feel about that statement?

MR: Well, I'm still at the same place, and I'll tell you why. There are those who think that art is for the sake of art, but actually it never is. Art is a powerful weapon that society, or the powers that be, use to control or direct the way people think. Culture is used to perpetuate the status quo of a society. Even though I'm involved in music for the sake of entertainment, I always hope to offer some kind of enlightenment.

The Drummer as Composer Part Three: "Finding Farnsworth"

In today's instalment of my occasional column "The Drummer as Composer", I'd like to share a tune I wrote around the year 2002 entitled "Finding Farnsworth". This piece appears on my first album "McCallum's Island".

Around the time I first wrote this piece I had just started checking out the drumming of Joe Farnsworth and was really impressed with his hard-swinging style with such artists as Benny Golson, Mike LeDonne, Eric Alexander, One for All, George Coleman, Harold Mabern, David Hazeltine and many others.

I wanted to write a fast, up-tempo tune as a drum feature with the drumming of Mr. Farnsworth in mind and came up with this one, loosely based on the changes to "Cherokee".

Well, it is essentially the changes of "Cherokee" (!) with my own melodic line written over top however I changed a few chords to adjust for the melody and also you'll notice that the phrasing of the melody itself stretches in the first and second endings of the 'A' sections as well.

The bridge is meant to imply either a half-time swing or Afro-Cuban 12/8 feel with the bass doubling the melody (rather than walking throughout). There are also drum breaks throughout the bridge and the end of the 'A' sections.

It is also meant to be played as fast as humanly possible!

For the blowing on the original recording we played the first chorus of each solo with the changes/phrasing and breaks taken from the melody and then every subsequent chorus using the regular changes from "Cherokee". However, recently I've been envisioning the 'A' sections played as a fast swing and then the bridge modulating to a slower 3/4 waltz feel (all over the regular changes to "Cherokee", ya dig?) If you've heard Christian McBride's recent trio arrangement of the same tune, you'll know what I mean (apparently this was a nod to the Ray Brown Trio version as well!)

If I can figure out a way to embed the recording of this one I will! It's a really fun tune to unleash and stretch on. I'm going to make a point of revisiting this one with my current band in the near future.

If you are interested in checking the original recording of this tune, my album "McCallum's Island" (originally released in 2003) will soon be available on cdbaby.com or my in-the-works-coming-soon website.

Thanks to Jeff Cosgrove who first suggested that I post and share my music here on my blog. Eventually I'll have all my charts from my first two albums (and other unrecorded tunes of mine) available in a sort of compilation "McCaslin Fake Book".

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Speaking of Mr. Farnsworth, here's a couple of very short solo pieces featuring his fine brush and mallet work to check out for some inspiration:

solos series 1: Jazz from Robinson Films on Vimeo.

Joe Farnsworth "Spirit of Japan" from Robinson Films on Vimeo.

The Invertigo Trio featuring Peter Bernstein

Sorry, not much time for blogging these days. Too busy producing and promoting concerts! Here's another fun gig of mine coming up next week, this time with acclaimed guitarist Peter Bernstein. Along with my regular Invertigo Trio mates Jim Brenan (tenor) and Rubim DeToledo (bass) we'll be exploring a host of tunes with Peter including some favourite old standards and new originals.

Peter has long been a favourite of mine since the early 2000s so I'm really looking forward to this monumental gig with him and my friends. I first discovered his playing via his releases as a leader and as a sideman on the Criss Cross record label of which many of these titles found there way to the many used record and CD stores in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood (still not sure why...) Many of these "used" discs popped up on a regular basis and myself and the McDade brothers (Solon and Jeremiah) would regularly scour these shops not only to find some good deals on music but also for the opportunity to check out many great New York Jazz musicians that were not represented in the mainstream.

I miss those days. Looking through the bins of my local used .mp3 store just isn't quite the same.
(sarcasm off...)

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The Invertigo Trio
Featuring New York Jazz Guitarist Peter Bernstein

Tuesday, November 5th 

8:00pm

National Music Centre
134 11th Ave SE
Calgary, AB

$20 General Admission
$15 students

Featuring:

Peter Bernstein – Guitar

Jim Brenan - Tenor Saxophone

Rubim DeToledo - Bass

Jon McCaslin - Drums & Cymbals

Edgar Bateman "Milestones"

I was going to share some original compositions of mine today and some fun footage of Joe Farnsworth, but Sibelius is giving me grief on my new computer (!) so that will have to wait a day or two...

In the meantime, thanks to Boston trumpeter Jason Palmer, here's a nice one of the legendary Edgar Bateman with saxophonist Booker Ervin on a brisk version of "Milestones" to check out:



Bateman is not a name that you hear very much but was a well-known figure during his time. I was first introduced to his name while reading the introduction to Bob Moses' book "Drum Wisdom" where he mentions Edgar Bateman as a major influence.

My teacher at McGill University, Chris McCann (more on him later!), also hipped to some great recordings of vibraphonist Walt Dickerson that also feature Bateman on drums that are really worth checking out.

As a testament to his drumming, here is a link to a memorial radio broadcast recorded in his honour:

http://luckyoldsoul.weebly.com/edgar-bateman-memorial-broadcast.html

And here is a every eloquent article written by Rakalam Bob Moses as a tribute to Edgar Bateman following his passing that originally appeared in the February 2011 issue of JazzTimes magazine:

"Edgar Bateman was the greatest drummer I ever heard, and was equally extraordinary as a human being. He had great nobility of spirit. He was extremely focused and disciplined. He never drank, smoked, got high or used profanity. He was an excellent boxer in his youth (once having sparred with Ali when he was still Cassius Clay, and held his own). He maintained incredible physical strength, fitness and stamina throughout his life, studying Karate and doing 400 push ups a day well into his 70's. He was curious, open minded, kind, humble, deeply spiritual and always eager to study, learn and grow. He loved women, yet was always respectful and never dogged them as many men (and musicians) do. He loved to laugh, and had a wicked, sly, deadpan sense of humor. Often 2 or 3 seconds would elapse before you realized he had zapped you. He exhibited perseverance, optimism, positivity, good humor and grace throughout what could certainly be described as a very difficult life. He was my first and greatest inspiration as a drummer and person. I loved him like a father.

It was the early 60's and I was a teenager when I first heard and met Edger Bateman. Makanda Ken McIntyre, the gifted composer, multi woodwind player who was a family friend invited me to a Sunday matinée at the old Five Spot to hear his group. I had no idea that day would change my life so profoundly. It was never my way when seeing a band play, to sit near the drummer as many young drummers do. I always preferred to stand in the back center so as to have an overview of the whole band and also so I could make a graceful exit if I wasn't into the music. However, after hearing Edgar, within 5 minutes I had moved to a seat very near to the drums. I remember vividly, being amazed, mesmerized, flabbergasted, stunned and blown away by what I was hearing. I clearly recall thinking, “Wow, this is the greatest drummer I've ever heard”, and it's not like I hadn't heard other great drummers, having grown up in the same building as Max Roach, Art Blakey and Elvin Jones. After the set I introduced myself, told Edgar how moved I was by his playing and made him promise to call me whenever he had a gig and I would be there, and so began an over 40 year relationship of trust, faith, appreciation, respect, brotherhood and love.

I have so many great memories of Edgar, way too many to recount for the space limitations of this essay. Going to the gym and watching Edgar skip rope and work the speed bag (what incredible rhythms he created). Hanging out in the kitchen of my folks house, eating, talking and laughing. Both my parents loved Edgar, he was so gracious and charming. Going to his loft on West 28th St. to watch a rehearsal with his band which included a young Joe Henderson, Alan Shorter (Wayne's brother) and Lonnie Liston Smith. They played one my compositions (my first) and seemed to like it because they played it for about 20 minutes. What a thrill and validation for a 15 year old to hear these great musicians play my tune and how kind of Edgar to include me in that experience. Later Edgar asked me to sublet this loft while he went to Europe for a few months. The few months turned out to be several years and eventually I had to give up the loft but I had some great times there living and jamming in Edgar's space. Wonderful musicians like pianist Elmo Hope (another mentor of mine) would come by to play and I used to love walking by the many middle eastern clubs in that neighborhood, listening to the music and watching the belly dancers. I went to just about all of Edgar's gigs and they ran the gamut from lofts to dive bars to strip clubs etc. One of the most memorable ones was at the Half Note with Eric Dolphy, Lee Morgan, Bobby Hutcherson and Reggie Workman. The absence of a piano seemed to leave more space and Edgar filled it so creatively and organically. I also saw him play with Sonny Rollins, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and many other great players.

How can I describe his playing to those who never heard him? Edgar played time at a place where time creates space. His sense of swing was so profound as to be absolutely free, totally non-mechanical and as spontaneous and natural as the flight of a butterfly. He had worked out some supremely difficult independence, often sounding like several drummers at once, yet never used this ability to show off. He remained absolutely committed to the total creativity of the moment. Unlike most great drummers, he had no “licks” and I never heard him play the same thing twice. His stroke and motion was so loose, relaxed and graceful, it seemed to defy gravity. Watching him play with brushes reminded me of a swan on a lake.

One of my regrets is that very little of Edgar Batemans greatness is represented on recordings and some of the best examples of his playing are on albums that are quite obscure and difficult to find. So, in August of 2006 I brought Edgar to my house in Quincy where we did two days of recording. The first day, were drum duets with lots of Edgar solos, and the second day we added horns including Jerry Bergonzi, Jason Palmer, Stan Strickland and young bassist Justin Purtill, playing off some of my crazy melodies. What a joy and blessing to have spent those days with my hero, Edgar Bateman making such powerful, intense and unique music together. When it comes out (in the near future I hope) it will be a double CD entitled Creative Infinity and Love Eternal. Thank you, Edgar for a lifetime of inspiration."

- Rakalam Bob Moses (Jazz Times, Feb. 2011)

Matt Wilson - "It's Never Boring!"

I was very fortunate to study with drummer Matt Wilson over the course of six months back in 2004 thanks to a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. I learned a lot about playing music on the drums and how to start thinking "outside the box" while at the same time strengthening my musical and technical fundamentals on the instrument.

If you've ever seen Matt play live, in particular with his own groups, you'll recognize that you are being treated to a total sonic experience, one that engages and entertains the audience at the same. As Jazz musicians we can all learn something from this, especially in this day and age when Jazz audiences are sometimes dwindling and we are increasingly required to develop new audiences and maintain regular ones at the same time.

Matt gave an excellent talk at last year's JEN conference about this very topic:



And as a testament to what a great educator he is, I also spotted this masterclass of Matt's from earlier this summer:

When Giants Roamed The Earth...

The Monday Morning Paradiddle

Well, it's been some seriously busy times around here lately following ten days of exciting projects on the go around town including gigs with my Birth of the Cool nonet project, epic gigs with saxophonists PJ Perry and Phil Dwyer and then my own band as part of the Breakout West Festival/Western Canadian Music Awards.

But, as always, here's a plethora of random and interesting things to check out:

- Drummer Dave King of The Bad Plus fame recently sat down with NPR and produced a very thought provoking interview:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2013/09/10/220772101/the-odd-jobs-of-dave-king

I love this quote:

"If your drummer sucks, you suck. Like if your goalie sucks, your hockey team sucks!"


There is definitely truth to this!

Here is another more extensive masterclass with Dave King and as you'll see, he has lots to say!

- Willie Joness III has always been another favourite of mine. Here he is featured with pianist Cedar Walton and dig the Billy Higgins influenced latin groove and drum solo:




- My good friend and percussionist Luis Tovar recently presented his own TEDx Talk here in Calgary:



Luis is a serious percussionist and master of rhythm. You can catch him with any number of great latin bands on regular basis in the Calgary area.


- Bassist Butch Warren recently passed away. I can't begin to think of how many of favourite albums he appears on! Peter Hum over the Ottawa Citizen posted a very nice article about him over at jazzblog.ca:

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/10/07/rip-butch-warren/

Jason Marsalis was also quick to remind us of Warren's master of the beat via this one:




- My good friend and former fellow McGill  Jazz drummer Rich Irwin recently gave a drum clinic in Ottawa:



Can you name the tune he's alluding to throughout?


- I thought this one was quite interesting. Here are a series of videos of Canadian drumming icon Al Cross as interviewed by Al Hay. In these clips he talks extensively about Joe Morello and the Moeller technique:







- Here's another great interview with Jack DeJohnette courtesy of George Colligan and allaboutjazz.com:

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=45473#.Ukxf46VdSTY

I really learned a lot from this article and, in particular, the part where Jack explains how he develops his bass drum technique:

"Ok, for developing the bass drum technique, at least for my type of practicing, I play with ride cymbal beats, letting the right foot follow the right hand, practicing slowly, always practicing slowly and gradually build it up. You determine what speed and intensity you can do it, so you don't overdo it. You have to develop this technique utilizing the spastic muscle. You're doing this off of your toe, so your heel is up. You can also try and do it flat footed, heel toe heel toe heel toe, doing it that way, or doing both ways. But you get more power out of it when the foot is up, using the heel toe. And then the other thing to do is play triplets, utilize the triplets, and then playing with accents, you can either use your ride cymbal to follow, and just play independently. Then the next thing to try is to play things, ideas that you know, between the hand and foot, or play ideas with the foot that you normally play with two hands, or one hand. It takes some time to build it up. I'm still working on developing it. It depends on the solo I'm doing whether I'll utilize... sometimes I'll take a whole solo with the foot. And you know that's a whole other kind of concept, but doing it in the way so that it communicates something musically. Yeah, its a challenge, but fun."

- Here's one of Jack putting that wisdom into practice from the Drum Boogie Festival held annually in Woodstock, NY:




- Ralph Peterson Jr. has been a real influence lately, especially in light of his recent instructional DVD release. Here's Peterson and saxophonist Bill Pierce discussing their upcoming Art Blakey Tribute. There are also some nice shots of Peterson's drumming and his drum impressions of "Buhaina" throughout:




- New Orleans and 2nd Line funkmaster Stanton Moore recently paid a visit to the Regina Drum Festival and brought the house down with a little help my good friends, the Pile of Bones Brass:




- Irish Bassist Ronan Guilfoyle recently posted this brilliant quote and piece of advice from Elvin Jones:

“There’s only one way to achieve this thing, and that’s hard work. You’ve got to do it. You can’t just dream that something is going to happen; you’ve got to make it happen. And the way to do that is to prepare. And preparing requires a lot of discipline. They used to say, ’Go into the woodshed and practice.’ That’s what it’s all about. You have to get into the shed. A lot of young cats have the wrong idea. They forget there’s a lot of hard work involved. I try to keep them aware of the fact that hard work is necessary to accomplish that. They have to get in the habit of self-discipline, and not just when you think somebody’s looking. You have to do it all the time. It has to be part of what your life is all about. You commit to music in a way that you commit to yourself. If you can’t do that, you might as well forget it.”

There's some serious wisdom in there.

Also, check out Ronan's nice tribute to drummer John Wadham:

http://ronanguil.blogspot.ie/2013/09/the-wad-great-drummer-great-man.html


- Speaking of Elvin Jones....in case you haven't seen this pivotal documentary on Elvin called "Different Drummer", I suggest you drop whatever it is you are doing immediately and watch this!

\

When the masters speak, we listen!


Alright everyone, that's all I've got today. Thanks for checking in and come back soon!

For Peter

I was very saddened to hear that my good friend and Regina bassist Peter Dyksman passed away early last week. I'm very disappointed that I won't be able to make it back to Regina tomorrow in time for his funeral and final farewell.

Inspired by my friend Irish bassist Ronan Guilfoyle's excellent post about his old friend, drummer John Wadham http://ronanguil.blogspot.ca/2013/09/the-wad-great-drummer-great-man.html I thought I would take a moment to share a few thoughts of my own about my friend Peter.

I first met Peter when I was still in high school and just getting started with my own journey as an aspiring Jazz drummer. Over the years I was very fortunate to play dozens of gigs with Peter with many  different groups in concerts, casual Jazz gigs and the occasional background jobbing gig around Regina. Peter taught me many important lessons about how to conduct myself on the bandstand and I consider myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to play with him as much as I did over the years. I consider him to be an important mentor of mine.

I was trying to think back to some of my favourite gigs that I played with Peter over the years. Not easy, as there were many! But a few that do come to mind include playing trio with pianist/vocalist Louise Rose around the year 2000 and several of Peter's own shows that he led featuring his sextet, a group that became a favourite project of his after he retired. The last time I played with Peter was backing up vocalist Diane Nalini at the Regina Jazz Society during the winter of 2010.

However, I think if there is one gig that stands out for me it would have to be a quartet gig that consisted of myself, Peter on bass with Jim Gallagher on piano and Kris Craig on guitar at the Regina Teacher's Club on the corner of Regina Avenue and Elphinstone in the spring of 2003. Jim and I had just spent the weekend playing with the Regina Symphony Orchestra and had experienced a challenging several days dealing with the headline artist who was brought in and who proved to be a major headache! Jim, in particular, really rose to the occasion that night following our symphony ordeal and I don't think I've ever heard him sound better. Peter was right on the money too and swung hard with every note. In particular he called the very challenging Oscar Pettiford tune and bass feature "Tricotism", played the melody and absolutely nailed it! I don't there is a bass player in Regina who has attempted that since...

Off the bandstand Peter was a good friend too and took a great interest in my career and would often give me a call to offer words of encouragement when he heard that I was about to play a big gig. He also set a good example to me and to others of how to conduct myself on and off the bandstand as a human being. During one challenging time in my career I distinctly remember him passing along some words of wisdom to me that still resonate to this very day:

"The definition of Integrity is doing the right thing while no one else is watching..."

I am really going to miss him.

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Here's one of my favourite Peter Dyksman stories (as told to me by Toronto Jazz pianist Gary Williamson):

"Back in the 60s while Peter was living in Toronto, he, Gary and Jerry Fuller drove out to a country club north of Toronto to play an evening of background music for a private event. Apparently Jerry had had a "long" night on the town the evening before and was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses, never taking them off all day nor during their gig. The manager of the country club took exception to this and started giving Jerry a hard time, started to belittle him in front of the patrons of the club and threatened to fire him and the band on the spot.

In a moment of pure wit and infinite cleverness, Peter tapped the manager on his shoulder and said:

"Excuse me sir, but our drummer is blind!"

Apparently the manager turned a shade of white and was beyond embarrassed from his apparent mistake and ignorance.

Not letting an opportunity to be wasted, Peter and Gary escorted Jerry around the club arm-in-arm for the duration of the evening (so he wouldn't bump into anything of course!) and took full advantage of all the food and drinks offered to them to make up for the misunderstanding.

At the end of the night the manager continued to apologize for his mistake and promptly offered to pack up Jerry's drums and load them into his car. Jerry said: "Sure, thanks!" and stood by (still wearing his sunglasses of course) while the manager hauled his drums.

When he was finished, sweating from moving Jerry's drums, the manager apologized one more time.

Jerry replied: "Thanks. No problem!"

He then promptly sat in the driver's seat of his car and drove away.

The country club manager nearly had a heart attack..."

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Yesterday while I was driving around Calgary running some errands and as the sun was setting this particular piece came on the radio as I was thinking about my friend. I think it is a very fitting soundtrack and tribute to my friend Peter:




Peter Dyksman - 1937-2013

September 23, 2013 - Peter was born and raised in The Hague, Netherlands where later, his son Shaun would spend his early years with his grandparents, Leendert and Antoinette Dijksman and his uncle Jan Dijksman. In 1956, Peter arrived in Canada at the age of eighteen as an immigrant from the Netherlands ñëjust off the boatí he would say. His first stop was Regina where ultimately Peter would reside for some fifty years. Interrupting those years spent here in Regina, Peter's travels as a musician would take him to many parts of Europe, the Middle East and both Eastern and Western Canadian Provinces. The many influences he experienced both abroad and here in Canada added great dimension to his abilities and his reputation as a bassist grew rapidly. That rigorous course in his professional career later prompted Peter to return with his son to Regina where he continued to enjoy his career as a musician and where he, along with his wife Sharon began his many year commitment as a business owner of The Music Box and the Academy of Musical Education (later Long and McQuade Music) in both Regina and Saskatoon. Peter served on the board of the Regina Jazz Society for several years and in 2004 he was the recipient of the SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival's Special Recognition Award. Over the past two decades Peter struggled with very difficult health issues. Under the care of his physicians, Dr. J. McHattie and Dr J.S. McMillan, Peter's faith in God allowed him to live a very full life as a performer and significant contributor to the Regina business community. His leisure time was spent enjoying the beauty of this province, specifically at Regina Beach and more recently at Buena Vista. Peter's health challenges never prevented him from having sincere relationships with all of his friends and among those who were members of his church family. For many years he contributed much to the music worship and other ministries at Hillsdale-Living Hope and Heritage Alliance Churches and served on several Christian Community event committees with significant years devoted to Alpha Ministry's as an advisor and coach. Very recently Peter was diagnosed with an immediately threatening illness and with his wife Sharon and their son Shaun at his side, on Monday September the 23rd Peter passed into the presence of God. He is survived by his wife Sharon; his son and his wife Tricia; and his four grandchildren - Antoinette, Adrianna, Annika and Pekka Dyksman; his brother Jan Dijksman and his wife Will; plus many relatives from Saskatchewan, Holland and Britain. Peter was a consummate and loving husband and leader in his home, adored by his family and a humble servant of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. A Service in celebration of Peter's life will be held on Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 11:00 am at Heritage Alliance Church, 3575 Hillsdale Street, Regina with Pastor Cory Steinson officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Peter, to The Salvation Army, Division Headquarters, 2240-13th Avenue, Regina SK, S4P 3M7. (From the Regina Leader Post)

Billy Drummond on Dubai

Just a short one today, but here's Billy Drummond with a quick demonstration of his unique drum beat for his original 7/4 composition "Dubai":



This album, and Billy's drumming in general, was quite influential to me during the late 90s. He was easily one of the first "current" Jazz drummers that I heard that I really identified with. He really had his own original sound and a modern concept but it was also clear to me that he had really checked out the tradition and, to my ears anyways, represented a real continuation of all the older Jazz drummers I had been checking out and studying to that point. I've always been a big fan of his playing and this morning the clip above put a smile on my face.

Oh yeah, Billy also has very good taste in old drums and cymbals!

I only have one question after seeing this: Where is the rest of this interview? Please share this!!!

Jeff Hamilton Tribute to Ed Shaughnessy

From a recent tribute to the late Ed Shaughnessy, here's Jeff Hamilton on his highly melodic version of the Duke Ellington/Juan Tizol classic, "Caravan":



Hamilton's impressive melodic approach to the drums is nothing new, there's great recordings of him doing this that have been around for a while now, but I really appreciate his overall approach to using melody around the drum set. Especially his technique of bending the pitch of the drums while on the fly. It's somewhat similar to what Ari Hoenig has also been doing for sometime as well. If you tune your drums low enough to give yourself enough room to get a good contrasting interval between pitches, this offers some really interesting possibilities.

Bassist John Clayton is a long-time colleague of Jeff Hamilton's, going back to their student days at Indiana University. Here's what Clayton has to say about his long time rhythm partner in swing:



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Hey, my friend Nick Fraser who is a great drummer from Toronto (and frequent reader of this blog!) is currently touring Canada with a great band featuring NYC tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby, promoting their latest album "Towns and Villages".

They play Calgary on Saturday, September 28th at the National Music Centre and I would highly recommend catching them either here in Cowtown or along the rest of their National tour.

Gigs!

Okay, time for a little self-less self-promotion! Here's a few exciting concerts of mine coming up over the next few weeks. Come on by and say hello.

I'll be presenting the music from Miles Davis' seminal recording "The Birth of the Cool" with a nonet consisting of Calgary's finest on Thursday, September 26th at the National Music Centre, presented by JazzYYC:

On Monday, September 30th I'll be joining renowned Canadian alto saxophonist PJ Perry, bassist Jodi Proznick and the UofC Jazz Orchestra for the University of Calgary's Monday Night Jazz Series season opener:

And finally, on Thursday, October 3rd tenor saxophonist Phil Dwyer rolls into town to join myself and bassist Rubim De Toledo for some trio fun down at the Kawa Espresso Bar:

These should all be very fun, exciting and different gigs to say the least. I consider myself very fortunate to play with such talented artists these days. This fall is really shaping up so stay tuned for more interesting events coming up.

Glenn Kotche in the Kitchen

I'd like to thank my father for forwarding me this brief but clever clip of drummer Glenn Kotche (of Wilco Fame) redefining the meaning of "Kitchen Music" (or is there even a meaning for that in the first place???) Anyways, enjoy this one...



And of course, here is Kotche's arrangement of "Monkey Chant" which demonstrates an incredible approach to playing solo multiple-percussion:



Here's another great clip of Kotche from the Modern Drummer Festival a few years ago in which he explains how he applies Steve Reich's "Clapping Music" to the drum set:



I have to say that Glenn Kotche is really doing a great job at exploring the possibilities and potential of solo drum set and how to integrate percussion instruments within the drum set. His use of "prepared percussion" is a also really a treat and very creative. It's all really quite inspiring and I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.