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.
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:
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:
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.
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!*
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.