Joe LaBarbera plays Calgary

Jazz drumming great Joe LaBarbera performed in my hometown of Calgary, Alberta last night with the Atlantic Jazz Collective featuring Norma Winstone (voice), Mike Murley (tenor saxophone), Florian Hoefner (piano) and Jim Vivian (bass). The whole band put on an inspiring and memorable performance.

I was there and frequent Four on the Floor contributor and CJSW radio host Tim Mah was kind enough to capture these brilliant solo moments and share these great clips of Joe LaBarbera in action:

Thank you Tim!

In particular, Joe's brush playing was phenomenal but what really knocked me out was his dynamic control and wide range of dynamic expression. It was really shocking how quiet Joe could play and how clear and articulate his drumming was.

I asked Joe about this afterwards while he sipped his well-deserved post-gig glass of red wine. Joe said that when he was young he used to play along to his favourite records playing through his stereo system (with no headphones!) that had a low ampage and therefore a low volume threshold. He wanted to hear everything on the record clearly (the bass in particular) so he had to learn how to adjust his dynamics accordingly while playing along to his records. Joe feels that this really informed his dynamic awareness and conceptual approach on the drums. He also commented that this has really served him well over the course of his career.

Joe also stressed the importance of staying super relaxed and holding the sticks/brushes with a loose, relaxed grip. Joe commented that often when drummers try to play quietly they tense up but, in fact, we should do the opposite.

His drumming really was "poetry in motion".

Joe is also one the nicest and warmest human beings you'll ever meet and it was sure a privilege to watch and hear him in action.

Thanks Joe!

Kendrick Scott & Chris Potter

I meant to blog about something last week but got behind the beat (so to speak...) with so much going on these days.

Anyways, now we are back and here's a killer clip to watch and to be inspired by, a fantastic drum and tenor saxophone duet featuring Kendrick Scott and Chris Potter from SF Jazz:

Our Man Higgins!

A short Billy Higgins appreciation post today featuring our man Higgins with the George Coleman Octet.

I took a moment to edit and splice together Billy's drum features throughout the concert: 

 

Here's the entire concert: 

 

Great playing from everyone here (George Coleman in particular) and I really enjoyed watching Higgins playing behind Harold Mabern's piano solos.

I am also looking forward to checking out this new documentary from Jazz is Here featuring Willie Jones III: 

 

I've shared these ones before but here's some great commentary and insight on Billy Higgin's legacy from Victor Lewis, Billy Drummond, Carl Allen and Kenny Washington:

 

And finally, there's many great interviews with Master Higgins to be found on the YouTube and I think it's worth taking some time to hear the wisdom he had to share:

 

As always, when the Masters speak....we listen.

Joe LaBarbera!

Thanks to the Memphis Drum Shop for sharing these wonderful lessons with Joe LaBarbera:

 

And here's another older one featuring Joe from Aquarian Drum Heads and the Pro Drum Shop in Hollywood:

 

These three are new to me including two informative masterclasses and an interview with LaBarbera on Dave Douglas' podcast A Noise from the Deep from Greenleaf music: 

 

And finally a brief audio clip of Joe soloing at the Jazz Workshop in Boston, MA circa. 1977:

I've known Joe since 1997 when I met him at the Banff Centre for the Arts. Joe is an incredible drummer, an exceptional teacher and a wonderful human being.

LaBarbera will touring Canada this Spring with the Atlantic Jazz Collective and I look forward to catching up with him and listening to his exceptional musicality from behind the drums when he's in Calgary.

As always, when the Masters speak, we listen!

Terry Clarke: Mastering the Art of Music

A fantastic and in-depth interview today with Canadian jazz drumming legend Terry Clarke from The Vocal Lab with Sara Ramsay:

I was fortunate to take lessons with Mr. Clarke during my brief time at the University of Toronto, around 2007-2008. Our lessons together were mostly spent perfecting my ride cymbal beat at a wide range of tempos, including extensive work with Allan Cox's excellent play-a-long resource Meet the Bass Player. 

We also did a lot of listening together and he generously shared his extensive insight into the drumming of Elvin Jones, Tony Williams and Roy Haynes. He also shared a great deal of his unique approach to playing Brazilian rhythms on the drum set.

However, one thing that I really appreciated and made a huge difference during my brief time working him was that I made a point of going to hear Terry play at every opportunity I could! I was lucky to hear him play regularly with a wide range of groups including small groups, quintets, quartets, piano trios, big bands, groups playing original music, odd meters, bands playing standards, backing up vocalists, etc. His ability to shift gears and play at such a high level with a wide variety of musicians and in different situations really left an impression on me. 

I also made a point of asking him about these different musical situations in our lessons (of course his work with Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, Jim Hall and John Handy came up in our conversations frequently). I really learned a lot from all this and still think about these lessons today.

Anyways...to make a long story short:

*Students: go hear your teachers play frequently and them ask them questions about the music!*