Mel Lewis and Big Band Drums

Thanks to Paul Wells and Jess Birch of the Good Hands Drum Shop in New York City for sharing this wonderful piece featuring Mel Lewis' custom made maple Pearl drum set:

I've been playing a lot of big band drums lately this Fall, rehearsing and performing regularly with Calgary's 9th Avenue Big Band, the new edition of the former Prime Time Big Band, that was directed by the late Dave Jones.

I've played with a lot of big bands over the years, basically since I even started playing the drum set and jazz music, going way back to high school and all the way through university. While it's not what I do exclusively, it is something that I really enjoy and has provided me many opportunities over the years. 

As I get older, I really think that Mel Lewis is likely my favourite drummer when it comes to big band drums. Whenever I find myself in New York City on a Monday evening, I make sure that I'm at the Village Vanguard to catch John Riley with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra

I've checked out a lot of Basie over the years and all the drummers that drove that band back in the day (including Sonny Payne, Harold Jones, Rufus "Speedy" Jones, Butch Miles, Dennis Mackrel, Jo Jones, etc.). Louie Bellson, Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa were also the first jazz drummers I heard and that caught my attention before I discovered the likes of Max Roach, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, etc. 

I also have to thank Chuck Dotas, Gordon Foote, Brent Ghiglione, Hugh Fraser, Dean McNeill, Dave Jones and Bob Moyer who directed many of the bands I played in over the years and introduced me to a lot of different big band music that demanded a variety of specific ways of playing. I enjoy the challenge of playing with a larger ensemble and I consider it a privilege to play in a good band on a regular, weekly basis.  

Anyways, here's a few favourite clips of Mel Lewis to check out including a link to masterclass with Mel at North Texas State Univeristy circa. 1983:

https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1553310/m1/

And here's an older one that I've shared before, a great lesson from Christopher Smith on Mel Lewis' "Rub-a-Dub" phrase. Make sure to check out Smith's fantastic book The View from the Back of the Band - The Life and Music of Mel Lewis

Tony Williams!

A recent Facebook exchange with drummers Brooke Sofferman and Eric McKinley Thompson regarding the recent release of certain Miles Davis recordings from his performances in France 1963-64 prompted me to revisit another track that caught my attention some time ago.

I look forward to checking out these new discoveries, however it seems some of them might have appeared on an earlier collection that Columbia re-released around 2007-2008 as well.

I remember this as I was studying with Terry Clarke in Toronto at the time and he played me this particularly interesting and previously unreleased version of Bye Bye (the theme) recorded in Antibes circa. 1963 (originally part of the concert released as Miles in Europe).

Check out this extended version of their set closer which features a brilliant solo from Tony Williams, including moments of him improvising over Ron Carter's walking bass line:

 

I thought that was pretty hip when I first heard it and it still blows my mind today!

Anyways, here's a few more great Tony Williams solos for some inspiration:

Hey does anyone know how I can watch this documentary Tony Williams in Africa (1973) ???

https://web.library.yale.edu/film/news/nfpf2020

Roy! Haynes!

A few days late here with this blog post as I've been preoccupied lately, finishing up an impending grant application due imminently (fun times...)

The great Roy Haynes passed away last week at the age of 99 and I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the legacy of this great musician.

Roy Haynes was a prolific jazz drummer who's career spanned decades, playing with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Sarah Vaughn, John Coltrane, Chick Corea, Stan Getz, Pat Metheny and so many, many more.

Haynes, affectionately know as "Snap Crackle", was an icon who lifted the bandstand with his uncompromising and unique style and personality, on and off the drums.

Lenny White has often referred to the Magnificent Seven, a distinguished club of the greatest of the greats that includes Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams and, of course, Roy Haynes. Haynes was the last of these Titans among us and now he's gone. I feel a great sense of duty to up hold the high level of musical integrity that these artists set for the rest of us.

I was fortunate to see Haynes perform on numerous occasions, notably with his Fountain of Youth and Birds of a Feather bands. Probably my most memorable memory of hearing Roy play was a mind-blowing duet with Kenny Garrett on Charlie Parker's My Little Suede Shoes at the Blue Note in New York City circa. November 2001 (sitting in the front row, in front of Haynes' glittering Yamaha drums of course, with my friend and bassist Solon McDade). 

I also shared a brief 60 second elevator ride with Roy Haynes at an IAJE convention when I was 18 years old. I knew he was going to be at the conference so I kept my CD liner notes to Now He Sings, Now He Sobs in my back pocket in case I had the opportunity for an autograph. The liner notes were well worn, crumpled and bent out of shape by the time I stepped in that elevator but Mr. Haynes kindly obliged and I got my autograph.

I distinctly remember when and where I was when I first heard Roy Haynes on record. After I heard his intro to Solar from Question & Answer with Pat Metheny and Dave Holland, played over loud speakers in my high school band room, I was hooked. I've never heard or played the drums the same since then.

Thank you Mr. Haynes for your lifetime of music.

Here's a few articles that have been making the rounds lately:

• Rembering Roy Haynes with Adam Nussbaum from UK Jazz News

• Wonderful commentary from Vinnie Sperrazza's Substack Chronicles including a wonderfully curated playlist to listen to

• Obituaries from NPR's Ben Ratliff and the New York Times's Nate Chinen

• Todd Bishop's thoughts on Roy Haynes via his always excellent blog Cruiseship Drummer

• Three great columns from Ethan Iverson including Farewell to Roy Haynes, John Coltrane and Roy Haynes and Roy Haynes and the Piano Trio (great commentary and insight from Billy Hart here too!)

• Ted Gioa on Roy Haynes

Here's a few of my favourites clips of Roy Haynes that I often watch for some inspiration (feel free to offer your favourites as well...):

The Monday Morning Paradiddle - November 2024

And...we're back.

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

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

The Monday Morning Paradiddle - November 2024

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

7. Questlove interviews Cindy Blackman Santana:

 

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

 

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

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

 

11. The 80/20 Drummer interviews Clarence Penn:

 

12. Antonio Sanchez and his Yamaha Drums:

 

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

Shadow Wilson

 

Art Blakey

 

Art Blakey and Percy Heath

 

Max Roach

 

14. An interview with Kyle Poole:

         

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

19. What am I listening to these days?

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

Donald Byrd "Mustang" - Freddie Waits (drums)

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

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

Alan Jones "Spirits" - Alan Jones (drums)

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

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

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

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

- Al Pacino

Ti Roro

I was recently listening to the latest album from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra featuring the exceptional drumming of Obed Calvaire and, in particular, his composition Between Max and Ti-Roro caught my attention.

Apparently the Haitian drummer known as Ti Roro (or Tiroro) was a formative influence on the drumming of Max Roach, when Roach first heard him around 1939.

Here's a couple of interesting pieces to check out to that effect:

https://farsidemusic.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/tiroro-best-of-tiroro-the-greatest-drummer-in-haiti/

https://donpaul1.bandcamp.com/track/david-on-haitis-musical-influence-across-the-americas-and-on-max-roach-meeting-his-musical-peer-ti-roro

From Wikipedia:

"Baillargau Raymond, known as Ti Roro, was a Haitian drummer known for bringing the artistry of Haitian Vodou ritual drumming and other traditional Afro-Haitian drumming styles to the stage and to recording studios. He was an international performer who influenced jazz musicians, in particular, Max Roach. His year of birth is estimated to be 1915. It is widely believed that he died in 1980, probably in Port-au-Prince. Ti Roro's performances and collaborations can be found on solo recordings and in work for such artists as orchestra leader Issa El Saieh, singer Guy Durosier, and dancer Jean-Léon Destiné."