Just a quick post today as I'm on the road on Canada's West Coast for the next week.
Anyways, this track from Jeff "Tain" Watts' piano trio album Wattage featuring Kenny Kirkland on piano came on the radio the other day as I was driving home from a gig. This is a really great album and it was a nice reminder hearing this (I think I bought this CD at Jazz Record Mart in Chicago around 2005!).
And thanks to Peter Retzlaff for sharing this quick clip of Tain playing Al Foster's ride cymbal at Good Hands Drum Shop (New York City):
More incredible music from SFJAZZ's Alone Together series featuring Kendrick Scott on drums and Warren Wolf on vibraphone, playing Dizzy Gillespie's Bebop:
Well, I’ve been writing this jazz drumming blog since 2009 and sometimes I get stuck or busy with life and not quite sure what to post and share. However, someone once gave me a good piece of advice, something along the lines of “If you don’t know what to say, say something nice!”. I've also recently been inspired by Colleen Clark and Vinnie Sperrazza's recent ongoing Substack posts lately and I think their writing is fantastic. So in the spirit of gratitude I’ve decided to write a series of columns and record some drum solos that acknowledge the many drummers, percussionists and teachers who are very much part of who I am today.
Drum Gratitude Part 1 - Beginnings: The Lions Band
Regina, Saskatchewan 1986-1995
I started my drum journey in 1986 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada at the age of nine. I had already been playing the piano for a couple of years but hated practicing (!) so I decided to try something different and started on the drums (go figure!) My parents enrolled me in the Regina Lions Band, an incredible youth band program that already had a reputation as a premier music education institution in Western Canada, under the direction of Bob Mossing. The program focused on year-round concert bands and competitive marching bands, along with jazz bands, “dixieland” bands and, for us percussionists, playing in drum lines with an emphasis on rudimental drumming. Suffice to say, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the experience and instruction I received in the Lions Band, from the ages of nine to eighteen.
Here’s a few of the people who shaped my experience and to whom I am eternally thankful:
Jack England was an older gentleman (a retired a jeweller I believe) and a local amateur percussionist who was enlisted by Bob to teach the beginner percussionists during my very first week of band practice in 1986. He taught me how to hold my sticks!
My first regular drum teacher was Richard Toth, who was older than I, in high school and a member of the senior Lions “A” Band (we all started in the beginner “D” Band and progressed through the C and B bands until we reached the coveted senior “A” Band by high school (aka the “Pride of the Lions”). Richard was a wonderful teacher who made drumming fun and encouraged proper fundamentals, particularly in learning to read rhythms. The first year I took lessons with Richard I won first prize in a junior snare drum competition, performing a solo called “Pet Rock”.
John Worthington coordinated the percussion sections and drum lines for the entire Lions Band program, up until I reached high school. John was a retired police officer and had played percussion with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. “Big Dog” as he was called, was a tough old-school snare drummer who demanded the students take their drumming seriously and there was no messing around with his drill-sergeant like intensity, discipline and accountability. To this day I am very thankful for his emphasis on rudimental drumming and he set the bar very high for us young drummers, even back to my first interaction with him was when I was only about 12 years old. He taught me to take my drumming seriously, to take pride in what I was doing and to do the work. This was meant to be serious business. No shortcuts, no excuses, no B.S. and no messing around OR ELSE!
The Lions Band program (now defunct, unfortunately) had been active since the 1940s and relied on older members and graduates of the program to offer instruction and mentor younger students. I was very fortunate to take many drum lessons with Jody Mario (who was five years my senior) and he was really my introduction to contemporary DCI style rudimental snare drumming. He was also a mean drum set player who knew all of Neil Peart’s drum solos with RUSH and I always marvelled at his epic open drum solo that he played with the Lions #1 Stage Band (still a strange term for a big band I think Lol) on Frank Mantooth’s arrangement of “If I Were a Bellson” (a drum feature written for Louie Bellson).
Chris Worthington (Big Dog’s son) was also a significant influence although he had already graduated the program by the time I reached the “A” band but would return frequently to help out, teach and hip us to the latest drum corps trends he was learning on the West Coast in California. Brent Jefferson (who was also an important local drum set influence of mine - more on him in a future post) was also a regular sectional instructor. Brent, Jody and Chris were all very accomplished drummers, had fast hands and also marched with the Santa Clara Vanguard and the Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps respectively. We spent many hours lined up in the RCMP drill hall, in empty parking lots, inside the old band hall on Dewdney Avenue and in the gymnasium of the “new” band hall on Pasqua Street beating out drum exercises with these guys correcting our mistakes, striving for precision and pushing our limits with every beat.
We were also very fortunate to work with many regular guest drum line clinicians as I got older, with esteemed DCI luminaries such as Tom Float, Paul Rennick and Glen Crosby. I worked with Glen on a few occasions over the course of a few camps and summer tours and distinctly remember his emphasis on always striving to get a good quality of sound and tone out of the instrument and to spend time developing my touch. I didn’t really get it back then (!) but I do now and am very thankful that he planted those seeds even way back then.
Keep in mind that this is back in the early 90s, well before the internet was a thing as we know it, so the information, concepts and exercises that they shared and left with us up in Saskatchewan were significant at the time and I certainly didn’t take it for granted. I still practice and share many of those exercises with my students today.
Robb Muller was recruited from the USA as an assistant director by the time I got to high school (working alongside the amazing Luther Appel). Robb brought a different perspective to drum line and rudimental drumming, albeit informed by his time on the East Coast and from his experience with the legendary Bridgeman Drum & Bugle Corps. His partner at the time, Amy James, was an incredible marimba and mallets player (who had also played with the Garfield Cadets). Amy was one of the sweetest human beings and teachers I ever met and I regret not taking more mallet lessons with her at the time (of course I was stubborn and it was all about honing my snare chops and getting into the drum set).
I also worked with Helen Barclay towards the end of high school. Helen was a great percussionist who had graduated from McGill University and relocated to rural Saskatchewan. She would come to Regina frequently to teach and run percussion sectionals for the Lions Band and gently offered a sense of purpose in my being a complete and musical percussionist in addition to my focus on the snare drum and jazz drumming.
Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of many of the great drummers and friends that I marched with and drummed with over the years, side-by-side for hundreds of hours of long parades, marching band competitions, countless drill rehearsals in empty parking lots and on grassy football fields, hundreds of drum line rehearsals and warm ups in the old band hall (sometimes spilling outside onto the sidewalk on Dewdney Avenue as cars and delivery trucks drove by) and trading licks on rubber Real Feel practice pads. These include my pals and forever drum brothers Les Schaeffer, Timothy LaBelle, Sean McDougall, Scott Polowyk, Dean Pelzer, Jim Hobson, Jim Milton and many, many others (you know who you are!). Playing drums with other drummers is a real privilege and I am thankful for the opportunities and experiences I had that were afforded to me when I was growing up.
So this where I got my start and these are the people who shaped my early music education as a drummer in the Regina Lions Band. In my next post, Part 2 will focus my first introduction to jazz drumming and early development on the drum set.
Please enjoy this short improvised drum solo dedicated to everyone listed above, a Philly Joe Jones inspired variation on a classic old Lions Band marching snare drum cadence called "Mark's Blues 2026”:
I was having a great conversation over coffee with pianist David Restivo last December and we spent the afternoon talking all things drumming and drummers (Dave's also a great drummer!). Eventually Jack DeJohnette, Billy Hart and Joe Chambers became the hot topic of conversation and one theme that David emphasized in the context of these amazing drummers (and other jazz musicians) was the concept of musical storytelling. I think one can agree that the way great improvisors can develop an abstract yet compelling sort of musical narrative and development through the course of their solos is something real and something important (the opposite being just stringing together a series of unrelated phrases that individually might work but as a whole might not really lead anywhere or add up to much...)
Antonio Sanchez is one of my favourite storytellers on the drums and he's obviously given a lot of specific thought to developing ideas and musical narratives on the drum set. Check it out:
Here's a few other favourites of mine featuring even more great "storytelling" from behind the drums featuring Antonio Sanchez:
Some amazing concert footage of Elvin Jones and his quartet with Dave Liebman, Steve Grossman and Gene Perla performing in Berlin circa. 1972 recently appeared on YouTube:
I believe I shared some black and white footage of this band, from the same European tour, many years ago so it's cool to see this one in colour. If you aren't familiar with the Elvin Jones Live at the Lighthouse recordings that feature this same band, I highly recommend it!
And for like many of you I'm sure, it's also the beginning of a new year and it's time to get back to work and back to school.
Thanks for checking in for today's post, the very first of the year, the January 2026 edition of the Monday Morning Paradiddle, my occasional all-things jazz drumming variety column.
It's been awhile since I've posted one of these. Life takes over sometimes and it was a pretty busy Fall last year, so blogging was bit lite for awhile. It's hard to believe that my last column was back in September! But I'm still here and not planning on going anywhere anytime soon so please enjoy this month's collection.
The Monday Morning Paradiddle - January 2026
1. More excellent writing and great commentary from Vinnie Sperrazza's Substack Chronicles including:
2. Todd Bishop's Cruiseship Drummer is still one of my go to drumming blogs. His excellent and concise latest piece Who and Why: The Magnificent Seven is an example why.
6. Portland's Alan Jones with Phil Dwyer (piano) and Ben Dwyer (bass) on Bean and the Boys by Coleman Hawkins:
7. Check out Gregory Hutchinson's new YouTube series In the Pocket with Hutch. He's dropping some pretty serious knowledge and wisdom here, so take the time to check these out. Here's a preview of a couple recent episodes:
8. Thanks to the JP Bouvet Method for this interview with Dave King:
9. Inspiring drumming from Shakoor Hakeem and Kweku Sumbry:
10. Johnny Vidacovich shares some deep wisdom on groove and feel:
11. Footage of Marvin "Smitty" Smith from Calabria circa. 1991:
12. Pat LaBarbera talks all things drums, drummers, Buddy Rich and Elvin Jones with Michael Vosbein and Adam Nussbaum at Drummer Nation:
13. And, of course as always, many more fantastic lessons from Quincy Davis' Q-Tips jazz drumming lesson channel on YouTube:
Make sure to check out and sign up for Quincy's latest endeavour Q/munity.
Quincy has done a great job creating a very engaging ongoing, on-line jazz drumming community.
So come join the fun, get to work, learn something and....Let's Goooo!
Well, I'll likely elaborate more on this in a future blog post but aside from listening to and learning music for specific upcoming gigs, the main focus of my music listening over the past couple of months has intentionally been jazz music with no drums! It's all part of a specific musical exercise I'm putting myself though and I'll explain my rational later but in the meantime check out this fantastic duo recording of Joe Lovano and Hank Jones (with no drums!):
15. And today's Final Word goes to Kenny Washington:
"It doesn't take much for a drummer to make a band sound good."
- Kenny Washington (via Gregory Hutchinson)
*editor's note:*
...and I'll just add my two cents (Canadian!) here as well:
"...and it doesn't take much for a drummer to make a band sound bad either!"
Four on the Floor jazz correspondent Tim Mah is back once again to offer his extensive annual year-end list of music released by Canadian jazz artists over the course of the past year 2025.
As previous years, there continues to be lots of great music coming out of Canada these days and, unfortunately, a lot of it goes under the radar. Tim is an informed advocate for new Canadian jazz music and he has a taken a great deal of time and effort to give us a perspective on the current state of jazz music happening today across our country.
Check out Tim's weekly radio program Jazz Today which can be heard on CJSW Radio 90.9 fm (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) on Thursday mornings from 530-7am MST. It is also streamed on the CJSW website and available through Apple and Google podcasts and the CJSW mobile streaming app.
Hopefully you'll see and listen to some new Canadian jazz music you weren't familiar with.
Thanks again Tim!
Tim Mah's Recommended Canadian Jazz Albums of 2025:
Recently, the Globe and Mail newspaper published an article which reported that Canadians streamed three billion songs for the week of December 15, 2025. Nearly 15 million Canadians subscribe to music streaming platforms.
After reading this article, I recalled Liz Pelly’s book “Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist” that was published in January. The book “takes us to the inner workings of today’s highly consolidated record business, showing what has changed, as music has become increasingly playlisted, personalized, and autoplayed.”
It was fascinating to learn about how the system is geared towards generating anonymous background music, that immense amounts of personal data are harvested and sold to advertisers, and how mood-based playlists and the algorithmic music recommendation systems are designed to “reduce the cognitive work that the user has to do when they open the platform.” Furthermore, “ghost artists” and artificial intelligence generated music are populating many of these playlists.
I trust that the readers of this blog are active music listeners, who are not interested in “ghost artists” and artificial intelligence generated music. Rather, the readers are people who attend live performances and are curious about new music and artists.
Some of my live music highlights over the last year in Calgary were:
The Falling Bullets Jazz Band- a group of New Orleans musicians, led by trumpeter and vocalist Marla Dixon, who performed in the Decidedly Jazz Danceworks production “Call and Response”
Makaya McCraven - during the Sled Island Music & Arts Festival
Eric Chenaux Trio - part of the New Works Calgary season
The Atlantic Jazz Collective - part of the BuckingJam Palace season
Artemis - during the JazzYYC Summer Jazz Festival
Another significant book published this year was “Oceans of Time: The Musical Autobiography of Billy Hart (as told to Ethan Iverson).” Billy Hart defines swing as “a musical system that causes joy, euphoria, and optimism.” May you find music that brings you “joy, euphoria and optimism.”
There was an abundance of new releases this year. Below is a list (in no particular order) of favourite albums from Canadians (or co-released by Canadians), released between December 1, 2024 to November 30, 2025.
Nicola Miller “Living Things”
Renee Rosnes “Crossing Paths”
Laura Anglade “Get Out of Town”
Webber Morris Big Band “Unseparate”
Kate Wyatt “Murmurations”
Andrew Rathbun “Lost in the Shadows”
Nancy Walker “Deeper Down”
Mary Ancheta “Rituals”
Sarah Belle Reid (and Vinny Golia) “Accidental Ornithology”
Josh Cole “quartet + strings”
Dun-Dun Band “Pita Parka, Pt. II: Nim Edguf”
Eucalyptus “Topology of Time and Up Express Etc.”
Lina Allemano Four “The Diptychs”
Karen Ng “Backwards Blue”
Steph Richards (and Qasim Naqvi) “Miss America”
Ambre Ciel “still, there is the sea”
Jacob Chung “Live at Frankie’s Jazz Club”
David Occhipinti “Camera Lucida”
Atlantic Jazz Collective “Seascape”
Zack Lober “So We Could Live”
Ostara Project “Roots”
Aretha Tillotson “Kinda Out West”
Tommy Crane (and David Binney) “The Isle”
Curtis Nowosad “I Am Doing My Best”
Caity Gyorgy and Mark Limacher “Asking For Trouble” and “Caity Gyorgy With Strings”
Sanah Kadoura “The Ancestors”
Noah Franche-Nolan “Rose-Anna”
CODE Quartet “Code Red”
Devin Patten “The Afton Project, Vol. 1: between fading photographs”
JABFUNG (Julian Anderson-Bowes & Anthony Fung) “EPOCH”
stef.in (Stefan Hegerat) “Icterus II”
Nicolas Ferron “Multiverse”
Julie Hamelin “Chapitres”
Yoon Sun Choi (and Jacob Sacks) “Memory Ghosts”
Rich Brown “NYAEBA”
L’Oumigmag “Ce qui tourne dans l’air”
Michael Sarian “Esquina”
Rachel Therrien “Mi Hogar II”
Carlos Jimenez Quintet “Deja Vu”
Salin “Rammana”
Erin Rogers (and Kelsey Mines) “Scratching at the Surface”
Another fantastic piece from SF JAZZ featuring Kendrick Scott before the holidays:
I first heard Kendrick back in 2003 while I was a participant in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program at the KENNEDY Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. He was performing with Terence Blanchard's group and I was immediately impressed with his dynamic sound and concept.
I also recently participated in a Zoom session with Scott thanks to Quincy Davis' Jazz Drum Set Q/munity via Skool (be sure to check out this excellent resource!) and really enjoyed Kendrick's detailed approach to learning compositions, internalizing melody and dealing with form.
Blogging around here has been a bit lite lately over the past few months (for a variety of reasons) however frequent contributor Tim Mah will be back next week with his always impressive and informed list of significant Canadian jazz releases of the year 2025.
Thanks again for all your ongoing support and interest in what I have to share. Looking forward to the year ahead 2026 and remember, keep swinging as always!
I really enjoyed watching this Zoom "round table" on the legacy of Mel Lewis, hosted by Michael Vosbein featuring John Riley, Adam Nussbaum and Mel Lewis.
Seriously, if these guys had a weekly talk show, I would watch it!
Well, thank you for your patience as things have been slow around here at Four on the Floor over the past month. I had to take some time off from blogging to deal with some other things around here lately. Regular blogging will resume shortly.
Anyways, here's a fantastic three-part series from Sonor drums featuring the late, great Jack DeJohnette and Steve Smith:
This one just popped up on my feed this morning. Check out this timely and fantastic masterclass from the great Nate Smith, featuring great playing and some sage advice, from the 2025 Montreal International Jazz Festival:
And also another older one worth revisiting, here's Smith's Pocket Change:
Australian drummer Simon Barker is an incredibly creative musician that's been on my radar for some time, but I'm just getting around to writing about him on my blog now.
Learn more about this unique drummer here, in his own words:
One of the perks of writing this blog and sharing everything on social media is that I have the privilege of connecting with jazz drummers from all over the world.
Once such drummer is Kai Craig and he recently released a fantastic new album of wonderful original music. Being a drummer/composer/band leader myself, I am always excited to see and check out great new music from other drummers as well. The music is wonderful and Kai is a killer drummer!
To learn more about his new album and music, check these out:
The album was mostly captured in 1st takes with one or two 2nd takes and overdubs, it feels natural and raw. I wanted to make a record where the drums shine more through sonority and musicality than as a solo instrument or through chopping out.
I’m grateful to you for checking out the recording and offering me a platform to speak on it, I’ve been a fan of your blog for many years.
2) How did you choose your repertoire and sidemen?
It was a way for me to pay tribute to a few of the musicians that have been influential to me - Roy Hargrove, Michael Brecker, Wayne Shorter, Kenny Kirkland, John Taylor. I wanted to put the spotlight on some of my favourite compositions that people are rarely playing.
Each of the bandmates was chosen as I felt they were each the best individual for the music, but would also bring valuable characteristics to the team. We are all longtime friends and musical partners. Sean and I used to shed all the time at school and we listened to a lot of records together, we even shared an apartment through our final year of school. We would go into practice rooms at school and play long versions of hard tunes until we couldn’t come up with any more ideas. Over time we developed a natural understanding and the hookup we built stays with us as we grow up.
The first time I played with James, he immediately became one of my favourite trumpet players. His ideas, sound and phrasing are all incredible. He can really phrase a melody and capture the vibe of a song. Sean and James also work together well in a section, which was something I had to be conscious of when I was deciding on the band.
Rainer is a genius and has a natural affinity for music that is so exciting to play alongside. He has big ears and hears the slightest gesture and always knows the right way to respond. He is extremely creative and reactive, and always seems to know exactly the right thing to play when supporting a soloist.
Hutch was the final choice because I wanted the right person to come and help tie it all together. I studied with Hutch for a number of years and he has always been there for me as a mentor and knew how to get the best out of me as I was developing my skills. He’s of the generation to have met and played with the musicians the album is in tribute of, and knows where I’m coming from with my concept of playing so it was fitting that he would come and hang out at the studio to help bring the best out of me and the music itself. The stories and anecdotes he shared with me when we were hanging were invaluable in bringing the music together.
3) What inspired you to pursue the vibe and instrumentation that you did?
Foremost, I just wanted to hear the guys on the album playing together on tunes that I hadn’t heard any of them play before. I believe we’re each saying something new on the music and I’m proud to have put the project together and made something I look back on fondly.
I grew up listening to records like Black Codes [Wynton Marsalis], Speak No Evil [Wayne Shorter], Of Kindred Souls [Roy Hargrove], The Big Beat [Art Blakey Jazz Messengers], Four & More [Miles Davis], Live at Birdland [Art Blakey], Tokyo Live [Tony Williams], Nefertiti [Miles Davis]. As well as those, a lot of Ralph Peterson, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts and Jack DeJohnette records, Michael Brecker albums, Cannonball Adderley albums.
Many different sounds contributed over a very long time to the aesthetic and vibe of what I’m going for with this group. I wanted to make a quintet album because I love the sound and vibe of trumpet and saxophone together, and I enjoy backing up those instruments while they play.
The drum sound on the album was something I spent a lot of time thinking about too. I play Sonor Drums and I was playing Paiste Cymbals at that time. Sonor make my favourite drums and I played a set of Vintage Series drums with a Phonic reissue snare drum. At the time I was into Paiste Masters cymbals, and I was playing a 22” and 20” that Hutch gave me.
I take inspiration from Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, Tony Williams and Jack DeJohnette in drum sound and I’m proud of the sound on the album. I wanted to make something with a big, old school sound, with fresh concepts and ideas in the playing. I wanted the mix and master to be big and punchy because I like records to sound that way,
I like a lot of different music and I like when a record is in your face and sounds big.
4) Was there a particular message you were trying to convey to the listener?
Not by design. I did have a clear concept for the music to be a way for me to pay respects to those it was in tribute of, as well as the musicians featured on the album but ultimately, I just wanted to make a record I was proud of, the message became clearer throughout the process of making it. It’s an honest portrayal of my playing, and where I was at in my development. It was the culmination of a long few years; graduating music school, moving to New York and finding my feet as a professional musician. The end of one chapter and beginning of the next.
We started touring the album last week and it’s already been a big learning experience for me. Being a sideman is so easy in comparison. You learn the music, show up, play well, get paid. But as a leader you have to deal with organising travel, accommodation, getting everybody paid, food, charts as well as leading great musicians through hard music and still playing well. It’s a lot more work and you have to think about a lot more stuff in order to guarantee you’re still able to show up and play your best.
I went through a lot of really tough life stuff throughout the year leading up to the record date and had to work hard to get my playing to a place I was happy enough to document. I was practicing 8-10 hours a day for the 5 weeks or so leading up to the record date while my body was fighting an auto-immune condition that was causing me a lot of problems. It was a tough time but if there’s a message that became clear through all of that… It’s: Set a goal, work hard and do what you set out to do the best you possibly can.
5) Who are your influences with regards to your style of writing and playing?
Jack DeJohnette, Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, Philly Joe Jones, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Louis Hayes, Buddy Rich, Baby Dodds, Milford Graves, Lewis Nash, Kenny Washington, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, Greg Hutchinson, Tyshawn Sorey, Marcus Gilmore, Mike Mitchell, Brice Wassy, Mamadou Keita, Ralph Peterson, Joe Chambers, Dennis Chambers, Steve Gadd, Vinnie Colauita, Ronald Bruner Jr, Philip Fish Fisher, Carter Beauford. I could go on, but those are some of the first names off the top of my head.
My dad was a drummer and he has been the biggest influence in terms of work ethic. He always encouraged me to work hard and said that it would pay me back one day. He’s responsible for introducing me to the full spectrum of music and the drumming styles connected to each. I spent a large amount of time learning from and trying to sound like each of those drummers, at various points throughout my development.
Early on, I would transcribe comping, phrases and full solos by all of those drummers almost everyday. I am still trying to transcribe and absorb new information as often as possible.
In terms of writing… I’m no authority but what I know has been learnt through transcribing and analysing songs I’m into or shown to me by musicians I have asked.
I learnt a lot from cadences on tunes by Kenny Kirkland, Mulgrew Miller, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock.
Dealin’ came from a Mulgrew cadence and a Chick Corea bridge, connected with some other ideas to form it into a tune.
One of my goals is to pursue piano playing more and writing now the album has been released. I want to write more, not only for the band but for myself. Writing and playing piano teach you about music, they allow the student to connect the dots between sound and notes.
6) What are you practicing/studying/listening to/researching these days?
Mainly, repertoire for the next gig or session. Searching for new ways to bring myself to the music and apply whatever I’m learning at that moment.
I try to not use sheet music on stage but to know a song well enough takes a long time. I can memorize a song in a semi-photographic way before the gig and the imprint will stay fresh in my mind for a few days. But to really know it, I like to learn songs by ear and use the chart only for reference.
I work on maintenance things each day: Wilcoxon, Joseph Tompkins, the ride cymbal, coordination, soloing fundamentals. I’m searching for whatever I don’t have together and then I focus on those weaknesses for the duration of my practice.
Practice has to be creative and inspiring for me, otherwise I don’t feel compelled to do any. There has to be an element of spontaneity involved as that’s what performing is like. Sitting down at the drums is inspiring for me and I can easily spend 8 hours without leaving the room. It’s been that way my whole life, I find it meditative and it allows me to isolate myself in a way I’ve always enjoyed.
I spend a lot of time listening to albums or bootlegs and watching videos. I’m into Miles In The Sky and Plugged Nickel again lately. I’m also into Charles Lloyd Quartet era Jack DeJohnette, pre 1970s and I guess, also pre-Miles.
I’m searching for ways to deepen my knowledge every day and I spend a lot of time watching the greats and watching live concerts. I feel as though exposure to great music brings your standard up and helps you figure out what you want to develop within your own playing.
I’ve also been working on charts and logistics for the release shows we just played in Europe to promote the record. That’s a side of practice and preparation I don’t see too many people talk about; being away from the instrument, working on strategizing and detailing upcoming projects or planning an upcoming tour or recording.
Leading up to the release gigs, I was in the shed all day, everyday, practicing and learning the music, figuring out what directions I could take the music in. It takes a lot of balancing between regular gigs, teaching and downtime, but that’s all part of it.
7) What other current and future projects do you have on the go at the moment?
I’ve wanted to do a trio album my whole life. Something like Dark Keys, Bloomington or Triology. The trio has a nice vibe and the tunes we play come from the same angle as the album, obscure songs by influential figures that I believe deserve more recognition.
I have a few sideman things coming up, in the US and Europe, record dates and touring dates. Sean is releasing his first album next year which we recorded nearly 3 years ago and that’s going to be fun when we get out touring.
Aside from that, I’m organizing the release tour to promote the album, with the quintet. That’s a lot of work but I’m hopeful I can put a good tour together.
8) How do the drums and your overall approach to rhythm factor into your compositions and concept?
I play what I hear. I try to write what I want to hear.
Playing wise, I play what I want to listen back to. Different rhythms evoke different feelings and emotions so I like to focus on the emotional impact of rhythm when I’m listening to music. I think this also translates to tunes I enjoy playing.
The foundation for most of what I know came from studying the greats such as Max, Philly, Roy and Blakey. I mostly studied their playing on more standard-form songs. However, as I studied my way through Elvin, Jack and Tony, through to the likes of Tain and Hutch - the tunes changed and became more complicated in harmony and rhythm.
I took a liking to songs by the likes of Kenny Kirkland, Mulgrew Miller, Wynton Marsalis and Michael Brecker. A lot of those songs have distinctive rhythmic and harmonic structure. I enjoy playing on tunes that have interesting harmonic, rhythmic and melodic corners to catch and I find those types of songs to be more interesting.
When I write a new tune, I think the interest I take from those songs makes its way into my tunes.
9) What advice do you have for younger, aspiring jazz musicians and jazz drummers?
Work on playing the ride cymbal on its own for long periods of time in order to develop a strong foundation for your time.
Practice the Wilcoxon Swing Solos with sticks and brushes, left hand and right hand lead, on a real snare drum in front of a mirror. Accents loud, ghost notes as quiet as possible.
Build a strong foundation in technique and time keeping.
Transcribe things that have an emotional impact for you and analyze why they make you feel the way they do.
Learn solos both by ear/memory and by ear/notation, both methods have separate benefits.
Listen to as many different types of music as you can.
Sit with one record or one song for long periods of time until you can sing along and understand what’s happening.
Watch great musicians playing live as often as you can, whether in person or on videos.
Focus on strengthening your weaknesses, don’t waste too much time practicing things you can do already, save that for the gig.
Record yourself as often as possible and listen back with a critical ear. If you work hard on your playing it will only be a certain amount of time before you see positive change.
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.
