15 Years of Four on the Floor!

 

Well, as they say, "Time flies when you're having fun..."

I was contemplating what to write and share today and then realized that I've reached a bit of a milestone here: April 2024 represents the 15th anniversary of my blog Four on the Floor.

 

(no...not that Milestone(s) but you should still listen to that album anyways!)

It's hard to believe that I started this project way back in the Spring of 2009. I was still living in Toronto at the time, preparing to write my candidacy exam for my doctoral studies at the University of Toronto and also packing boxes for an upcoming move to Calgary, Alberta where I still live and work today.

I was inspired by what my friend Chad Anderson had done with his iconic web forum Cymbalholics and was also really digging the regular blog offerings by other on-line jazz citizens such as Darcy James Argue, Ethan Iverson, Ronan Guilfoyle and Peter Hum. Recognizing that I needed some kind of regular web presence to get my name out there (keep in mind that I didn't have a proper website at the time and Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, social media, etc. were still non-existent and non entities in my day-to-day life...ah the good old days!) I spontaneously created a blogger account one April morning as I was drinking my espresso and contemplating ways that I could put off reading some chapters for my upcoming exam...and Four on the Floor was born!

Anyways, a lot as happened career-wise since my first blog post and I had no idea at the time that what I would share and happen to find interesting in the wide world of jazz drumming would be so well received around the world. When I share something it's because I dig it and I hope you will too!

I would like to thank Chad Anderson, John Riley and Adam Nussbaum in particular for their ongoing encouragement to keep this thing going.

Thanks to all of you out there for all your continued support, good vibes and to all of you who regularly read what I have to share.

Sincerely,

Jon McCaslin

btw - okay here's some real jazz drumming content to check out today featuring Art Taylor with Johnny Griffin (or as Joe Farnsworth would say: "RIP!")

"The guys get shirts..." 

- Paul Anka

Well you don't have to be a guy and you certainly don't need Paul Anka's permission to celebrate the 15th anniversary of my blog in style by wearing the classic black Four on the Floor t-shirt.

The classic black Four on the Floor t-shirts are now back in stock and once again available for a limited time only!

These shirts are available in small, medium, large x-large and xxl sizes and are lightweight premium fitted 100% cotton tees. 

Logo design by Chad Anderson and quality t-shirts printed by Primal Screen (Calgary, AB)

The shirts are $30 each (+shipping)

If you are interested in purchasing one, please drop me a line asap at fouronthefloorblog@gmail.com or you can reach me through Facebook/Twitter/Instagram and I'll set you up right away.

The last few times these went pretty quickly so don't delay and order one today while supplies last!

John Riley and Adam Nussbaum wear their Four on the Floor t-shirts and so can you!

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This is Rhythm: A MacEwan Drum Symposium

A trio of talented MacEwan drum students have organized the first ever MacEwan Drum Symposium!

I am super excited to present a masterclass on drum set creativity for the upcoming This is Rhythm drum and rhythm symposium at Grant MacEwan University (Edmonton, AB) on Sunday, April 28th at 230pm, joining some great drummers including Efa Etorama Jr., Robert Kpongo, Dave Laing, Daniel Akira Stadnicki, Mark Segger and more!

This two-day series of presentations and performances will bring together some of Edmonton’s finest drummers and percussionists representing a variety of styles.

The event is completely FREE to attend and will also feature numerous giveaways.

One of the organizing students, Tony Flanagan, had this to say: “This is project is something myself, Braeden Detert and Jonas Hazelaar have been working on throughout the year, and has taught us a ton about the grant application process and event management. I think we’ve put everything in place for a great two days, with a lot of engaging presenters on a variety of topics. I hope to see everyone there!”

Lenny White: I am Painting with Notes

A wonderful interview with the great Lenny White and a couple short clips of the Master in action, demonstrating some very serious and very hip independence solo ideas!

Collective Thoughts from Ed Soph and Adam Nussbaum

A follow-up to my blog post from last month featuring Ed Soph's wisdom Fifty Years of Random Thoughts About Practicing, Playing and Improvising on the Drum Set here's a panel discussion featuring Ed Soph and Adam Nussbaum, hosted by Michael Vosbein of Drummer Nation.

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

Ted Warren - Drum Stories!

Please consider contributing to my friend Ted Warren's Go Fund Me campaign to help fund the release of his latest solo drumming recording project: Drum Stories

 https://gofund.me/4a0373b6 

 

Ted is a fellow Canadian jazz drumming blogger, a helluva musician and a good friend. He is also one of the most creative and hard working drummers that I know. His musical curiosity, rhythmic imagination and hard work ethic (this guy really knows how to practice!) have always impressed and inspired me, even going back to when I was just getting into jazz drums back in the early 90s. When I was coming up Ted was already making a name for himself in Toronto as an in-demand sideman, playing with Rob McConnell & the Boss Brass and saxophonist Mike Murley's quartet (among many others). Even back then Ted played with a unique and dynamic voice on the drum set. Nobody else plays like Ted and I've always appreciated his clever and creative approaches to making music on the drums.

And I've always really dug Ted's original compositions and imaginative approach to music, in particular the music he's composed for his band Ted's Warren Commission. Now I'm very excited about his upcoming solo drum project and looking forward to hearing what he's come up with this time.

Quincy Davis!

I usually make a point of sharing Quincy Davis' videos from his ongoing Q Tips series on YouTube but I ran out of space/time during my last blog post (!)

Anyways, I always share Q's videos because his content is spot on and his explanations are concise, clear and very well done (and of course he plays his a*s off too!) I always learn something when I check out Quincy's newest videos. So bookmark his YouTube channel, check them out and get to work.

Make sure to visit Quincy's website too www.quincydavisjazz.com and check out his excellent jazz drumming vocabulary e-books and excellent play-a-longs.

The Monday Morning Paradiddle - March 2024

And...we're back.

Thanks for checking in and here is the March 2024 edition of the Monday Morning Paradiddle for your perusal, my more-or-less monthly jazz drumming variety column, just in time (depending on where you are anyways) for the upcoming Spring school break.

The Monday Morning Paradiddle - March 2024

1. The Drummer's Pathway podcast with Michael Scott interviews Ted Warren on the topics of creative explorations in jazz and overcoming self doubt

2. A wonderful three-part series on Max Roach from Vinnie Sperrazza in his Substack series Chronicles:

Max Roach at 100: Part I  Part II  Part III

Also check out Vinnie's great piece on the underrated Connie Kay as well.

I think I read somewhere that Connie Kay was affectionately known as The Sheriff back in day (presumably because his sense of time was so strong?)

3. A couple of great pieces from Ethan Iverson:

Elvin Jones on John Coltrane's India

Max Roach in 1958/59

4. A great piece by Bill Milkowski on The Story of the Legendary Buddy Rich Bus Tapes

5. And one more on Max the Invincible Roach from Bret Primack

Vinnie, Ethan, Bill and Bret are all offering really great regular and informed content on their Substacks. Consider subscribing and supporting their excellent ongoing work.

6. An interview with Jeff Williams from London Jazz News on his new album In Duo with saxophonist Dave Liebman

7. Monk Rowe interviews Ed Soph 

*sorry the embedding was disabled on YouTube for this one!*

8. The Working Drummer Podcast features Obed Calvaire

9. Allison Miller's Top Five Influential Records from Big Fat Five and The Drum Click 

10. Marc Myers with this piece from Jazz Wax on a previously unreleased recording of Philly Joe Jones and his quintet, recorded at Birdland in 1961

11. Aldo Mazza interviews Terry Clarke in his on-going series Shaping Your Journey:

 

12. Dr. Jazz Samo Salamon interviews Mareike Wiening:

13. Drum Factory Direct with 10 Reasons to Love Billy Higgins:

 

A complete interview with Kenny Washington: 

 

...and a two-part interview with Gregory Hutchinson: 

14. Joe Farnsworth and Kenny Washington offer their birthday greetings to the great Roy Haynes on the occasion of his 99th birthday!

 

...a ripping Farnsworth solo from a 2013 hit in Vancouver, Canada:

 

...and a more recent solo over Old Devil Moon:

15. Beautiful piano trio drumming from Carl Allen with Mike LeDonne and Ron Carter:

16. Gerry Hemingway's solo performance Invitation from an Afternoon: 

17. Steve Gadd demonstrates his rudimental snare drum technique in conversation with Rick Beato:

18. A great solo from Jeff Ballard:

19. What am I listening to these days?

Herlin Riley "New Direction" - Herlin Riley (drums)

Don Cherry "Art Deco" - Billy Higgins (drums)

Larry Young "Unity" - Elvin Jones (drums)

Max Roach "Solos" - Max Roach (drums)

Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk "Miles and Monk at Newport" - Jimmy Cobb, Frankie Dunlop (drums)

Tommy Banks Big Band "Jazz Canada Montreux 1978" - Tom Doran (drums)

20. And today's Final Word goes to John Riley:

(thanks to Tyshawn Sorey for reminding us of this one via Instagram earlier this month)

As always, when the Masters speak, we listen.

Lewis Nash & Steve Wilson - Live at Umbria

A preview today of a fantastic new duet album featuring Lewis Nash on drums and Steve Wilson on alto saxophone, recorded at the Umbria Jazz Festival, a follow-up to their 2014 release Duologue:

Fifty Years of Random Thoughts About Practicing, Playing and Improvising on the Drum Set - Ed Soph

A big thanks to Ed Soph who recently shared this collection of wisdom on Facebook. Ed was kind enough to allow me to share his thoughts on my blog below.

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

FIFTY YEARS OF RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT PRACTICING, PLAYING AND IMPROVISING ON THE DRUM SET by Ed Soph

If you cannot immediately play something to your or your teacher’s satisfaction it is because the material is NEW, NOT DIFFICULT. New exercises and techniques require new ways of thinking, hearing, and moving. The more you think about what you are doing and how you are doing it the better your problem solving technique becomes. And that is what practicing is really all about: developing the skills to recognize your musical and technical limitations and learning how to overcome those limitations.

Practice your musical and technical weaknesses, not your strengths. If you sound good when you are practicing you are not really practicing.

Make practicing playing. Movement skills are learned by repetition, by trial and error; by learning to correct, to adjust, and to adapt while actually playing. By applying musical frameworks of form, style, tempo, dynamics, rhythm, and melody to your practicing you will practice musically and prepare yourself for the demands of the bandstand.

Hear everything you are playing whether it is repetitive or non-repetitive, written or improvised.

Practice with a metronome to develop your sense of consistent time.

Avoid practicing in your dynamic and tempo “comfort zones”.

Break exercises into their components. Play individual parts before attempting to play the complete pattern. Play individual measures before attempting to play the complete exercise. This allows your mind to understand the process of playing the exercise. It is your brain, not your hands and feet, that plays the drums.

Practicing new material slowly is the quickest way to learn it. Practicing slowly gives you the opportunity to think about what you are doing. If you cannot play it at quarter note = 40-50 you haven’t really mastered the pattern.

“Sing” parts before you play them. “Sing” one part while playing another.

Be patient. Remember, progress is doing, not completing.

Don’t stop if you play something “wrong”. If what you played is in time it is an improvisation, not a mistake! Go with the flow. Let what your brain initially wanted to play come out. That’s you playing. Work your way to the original exercise. In the end, you will have some variations of the exercise because you allowed yourself to make mistakes musically while practicing. The same process occurs when you actually play music in a band so get used to it!

When you hear an accomplished musician, always ask yourself, “Why does he/she sound so good?” If you learn to hear and identify the good attributes in others’ playing you will be able to bring those qualities to your own playing.

Practice thoughtfully. The accomplished players are those who have invested the most time practicing, playing, and thinking about their instrument and the music. They are also the ones who have listened thoroughly to the musical repertoire. They are the players who have developed their ears just as well as their hands and feet.

“Control” comes from degrees of looseness, not tightness.

Explore the musical past. It will help you to understand the present and guide you in charting your own musical future.

Technique is like handwriting. We all learned to make the same basic letterforms when we were taught to write. Yet now we all possess unique styles of writing because we took those basic, fundamental forms and personalized them, thus creating our own “hand”. So it is with drumming techniques. Learn and internalize the basic forms, let your musical imagination go to work, and you will find your own musical “hand”.

For the foundation of jazz/be-bop drumming, time and comping figures should be played with a good, balanced sound. The ride pattern is analogous to the bass pattern, and comping figures to the accompaniment played by the pianist or guitarist. In a musical jazz rhythm section the piano/guitar and the bass are dynamically balanced. And that same rhythm section as voiced on the kit should be balanced as well unless one makes a musical choice to alter that balance. One frequently hears younger drummers playing the ride cymbal much louder than the snare, bass drum and hi-hat. Asked the reason for that, the player will say that the ride cymbal is the “time-keeper” and should be dynamically prominent. By realizing that everything one is playing, repetitive or non-repetitive, is keeping the time solves this problem. In the context of the actual rhythm section it is like the bassist drowning out the pianist or guitarist.

The dynamic level of the music/rhythm section is the accent level. Accents have dynamics. Accents can be soft or loud. The key to musical accentuation is to put softer notes around the note/notes you wish to accent. If the rhythm section is playing mf and one plays a ff accent it will disrupt the time of the rhythm section.

Dynamic consistency is one of the foundations of consistent sounding time.

“Fills” are not solos. The rhythm section is still playing. The “fill” is part of time-keeping. Unless setting up a dynamic change in the music, as in a big band chart, the “fill” should not be softer or louder than the time-keeping that precedes or follows it. Younger players seem to automatically play “fills”, especially when incorporating the toms, louder, as though another drummer is behind the kit.

Big band playing consists of three processes: (1) reading; (2) interpreting what is read by listening to the ensemble while playing; (3) improvising fills and set ups. Let the rhythmic vocabulary of the ensemble figures of the chart determine the content of your improvisations. That’s really playing the chart and not relying on memorized fill patterns that have nothing to do with the music. Play the music, not the chart!

Playing more or faster notes does not necessarily mean playing louder.

Learn to improvise with silence/space as well as sound. As Miles Davis said, “I listen for what I can leave out.”

How you think about the drum set, what you have heard, and what you understand about the musical past of the instrument determine how you play the instrument musically.

Before you can find your “voice” on the instrument you must have a “brain”. This means having your own concept of what you want to do, how you want to do it, and how you want it to sound. Studying other drummers who have a musical “voice” will help you find yours.

Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, Billy Higgins, Pete LaRoca, and Philly Joe Jones all sound both wonderful and different. What do you think are the musical traits that they share? Those are traits you want to incorporate into your playing, your way.

Don’t make the mistake of just listening to the drummer when you study the music. You are training yourself to listen to yourself on the bandstand if you do. The drummer you are trying to emulate is not listening primarily to him/ her self. He/she is listening to the other musicians. Always listen to the musical environment in which the drummer is playing. Know the tune’s melody and form. Listen to the bassist and drummer; pianist/guitarist and drummer; the soloist and the drummer.

Listen to the entire group.That’s what happens on the bandstand if you have the technical skills and self-confidence to immerse your self in the music, not it your drumming.

Everything you need to know and to hear is in the music. Allow the music or the silence in the music to suggest what or what not to play.

Have a musical reason for what you play and how you play it. If you don’t you will play “filler”, especially on the snare when you don’t have a concept of comping.

Everything you play should have intention. “Filler” or soft “chatter” on the snare should be a choice, not a habit (we practice so that our technique allows us to make choices spontaneously at many tempos and dynamic levels.)

Mimicry is not improvisation. Imagine if you had a conversation with someone who simply repeated what you said. Obviously, there would be no exchange of ideas.

When I was starting out I thought that by mimicking the soloist’s rhythmic ideas I was “interacting” and conversing with him/her. I thought I was showing the soloist that I was really listening! An older pianist was caring enough to tell me, “Don’t play what I play! Just play the tune like everyone else in the band! That was when I started really improvising when I played, not mimicking what someone else played.

“Right” and “wrong” do not nurture improvisational freedom. “Appropriate” and “inappropriate” do. Again, it is a matter of choices.

To have the freedom to listen to the music rather than just ourselves when playing, we must have an extensive musical vocabulary that encompasses dynamics, tempos, sound, styles and repertoire. Without this vocabulary, we cannot communicate with other musicians. The weaknesses that emerge when we don’t have this vocabulary force us to listen to ourselves, because we don’t sound right in the musical situation.

Finally, remember that you sound the way that you move. Drumming is motion. Smooth, in-time motions (strokes) produce smooth, in-time rhythms and sounds. The character of the silent part of the stroke, the upstroke, determines the character of the down stroke, the part that produces the sound. Consider the upstrokes as carefully as the downstrokes.

A Practical Approach to Rudimental Drumming - Carmen Intorre Jr.

Carmen Intorre Jr. recently released his new book A Practical Approach to Rudimental Drumming. I recently purchased a copy soon after its release and have been working through it lately. Carmen has compiled a wonderful collection of exercises to practice that will undoubtedly improve your technique and musical approach to the snare drum if you take the time. I believe that learning the fundamentals of rudimental drumming is an essential part of any drummer and percussionists training and that this book compliments and adds to the important body of rudimental publications that already exist.

Carmen was nice enough take time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about his new book.

A Practical Approach to Rudimental Drumming by Carmen Intorre Jr. - February 2024

1) Tell us all about your new book!                                

The title of my book is A Practical Approach to Rudimental Drumming. This book is my attempt at helping drummers learn the rudiments and how to apply them around the kit. A major goal of my book is to state the importance of learning and mastering the rudiments. They are essential. In order to have a strong foundation you must learn the rudiments. Having a strong foundation will enable you to grow and achieve your goals on the drums. Think of the importance of learning rudiments in the same way pianists or other instrumentalists learn scales. In the book I introduce different ways to learn and orchestrate rudiments around the kit in hopes to spark ones imagination and creativity.

2) What was the motivation and inspiration for putting together this method?

I started playing the drums when I was four years old and my teachers taught me the importance of learning the rudiments since my very first lesson. I have a strong rudimental foundation. While studying the master drummers I found that they all have studied their rudiments. So with that observation I knew that these are incumbent for us drummers to master. I always found myself trying to play the various rudiments around the kit in different ways that would spark my creativity. I’d play each beat on a different drum, play left hand accents on the high tom, play right hand accents on the floor tom, as many different ways around the kit as possible. When I ask my students to learn this rudiment or that I get a sense of why? I get it that playing these patterns over and over on a pad or a drum can be a bore. In trying to excite them I would sketch out ideas orchestrating the rudiments around the kit for my students. I found that that they were more excited about that than learning traditional way. Although in my opinion there is no substitute to learning the traditional way. With these drum devices you cannot reinvent the wheel but we can try to add to it. Over time I complied many different exercises and when the opportunity to write a book presented itself I knew right away that this would be the subject.

3) How does your book differ from other snare drum method books currently on the market? What makes it unique?

Honestly there are a ton of drum method books out today. I think its great but with that said I’m not hip to all of them. My book is just my humble offering to the drumming world in hopes that someone out there will find it helpful and useful. I’m sort of a traditionalist when it comes to drum methods. My book is no substitute to the “drum bibles” as I like to call them, such as George Lawrence Stone’s Stick Control, Charley Wilcoxon’s Modern Rudimental Swing Solos for the Advanced Drummer, Ted Reed’s Syncopation, Dahlgren and Fine’s 4 Way Coordination. I studied all of these books and their influence on me has shaped my playing and teaching. One may find some small similarities? I feel that my book has the idea of playing music (melody) in mind along with drumming techniques.

4) How do you recommend students and teachers approach working through your materials?

One may have the urge to jump right in and go for it, but I feel it is very important to have a practice routine with goals in mind. When practicing, you should work on the things that you have trouble with. Playing what you already know is ok, but it will not maximize your practice time or help you learn new things. For me, I believe in practicing slowly and gradually working the tempo up. This strategy will not only help you break down the exercises but will often give you clarity. Remember there is nothing difficult; it is either familiar or unfamiliar. When playing through these exercises, give yourself a chance to really learn them. Repetition is the key. Pay close attention to the rhythm and to the sticking indicated, alternate when possible, practice beat by beat, bar by bar, and start to add the following bars until you feel absolutely comfortable with the exercise. Then move on to the next exercise and so on. I also highly recommend recording yourself while practicing so that you can hear exactly what you sound like. Remember to take your time and be patient with yourself. You’ll be able to get the most out of my book this way.

5) What are some of the challenges of putting together a drum method book? What advice do you have for anybody potentially interested in publishing their own book?

This is my first book and it definitely had its challenges. I found the editing step to be at times frustrating. I would submit a draft and then I would find another error and this kept happening over and over. So much that I thought it was a practical joke being played on me haha. I wanted every mistake corrected before it was published. Because of this it delayed the release for almost a year. The team at Low Down Publishing were very helpful and supportive. I wanted to do my best for them as well as everyone who may pickup a copy. Any advice I’d give would be to follow your heart. If there is something you truly believe in, in this case publishing a drum method book, then go for it. A great starting point is to just start writing down your ideas. Work out your ideas and make the necessary adjustments that expresses what you’d like to say on the drums. Just be honest!…that goes a long way and no-one can deny you.

Carmen is currently accepting new students. Click here for more information: www.carmenintorrejr.com/onlinelessons

To purchase an autographed copy of A Practical Approach to Rudimental Drumming please e.mail Carmen directly at carmenintorrejr@gmail.com

To purchase A Practical Approach to Rudimental Drumming please click here for more information

About Carmen Intorre Jr.:

Born in Buffalo, NY, Carmen Intorre developed an early interest in music and began playing drums at age five. He has performed and recorded with numerous musicians such as George Benson, Larry Coryell, Wynton Marsalis, Monty Alexander, George Coleman, Eric Alexander, George Cables, Benny Golson, Richie Cole, Joe Locke, Lew Tabackin, Bobby Watson, Ira Sullivan, Bucky Pizzarelli, and many others. Carmen currently holds down the drum chair with legendary jazz guitarist Pat Martino, touring extensively throughout the world with the guitarist’s organ trio and quintet.

A 2011 GRAMMY® nominee for his co-producer credit on the critically acclaimed album by Joey DeFrancesco entitled Never Can Say Goodbye: The Music of Michael Jackson, Intorre also had the pleasure of performing alongside DeFrancesco and Dr. Lonnie Smith on the PBS show Legends of Jazz, hosted by Ramsey Lewis. Receiving both his BM and MM degrees from Juilliard Intorre is always eager to uncover the latest information about music and drumming and to share that information with others. He states, “This is my job. I have to give back what I was given a chance to do.” He goes on to explain, “Music is an opportunity for me to give up my soul, while in the process connecting with the audiences’ souls as well. I want the musicians on the bandstand and the members of the audience to feel uplifted after a performance, to feel great about themselves through the experience that they encountered.”Perhaps one word best describes Carmen Intorre and his music: Joy.

Reminiscent of Billy Higgins, Intorre brings a palpable swing and drive to virtually every bandstand he performs on.

Antonio Sanchez!

A fantastic piece of percussive and rhythmic storytelling from Antonio Sanchez today, playing his Yamaha drums:

Kendrick Scott!

A quick post today featuring Kendrick Scott playing his Yamaha drums with some very inspired, creative and musical solo drumming:

(thanks to Craig VanDerSchaegen aka The Practicing Drummer for sharing this one via Instagram last week)

Bill Stewart!

Thanks to Wordpress user and YouTuber James Sedge who shared this great bird's-eye view footage of Bill Stewart in action with John Scofield and Vicente Archer:

Photo by James Sedge www.gigexperience.home.blog

(anyone care to comment on what cymbals Bill is playing here?)

Drum Battle with Kenny Washington & Joe Farnsworth

Thank you to Joe Farnsworth for sharing a preview of his "percussion discussion" with Kenny Washington, from a recent hit at New York's Smoke jazz club, part of their Max Roach Centennial Celebration.

editors note: I think that the term "Drum Battle" may be a bit misleading here as it could imply that someone ones wins and someone loses. However, personally I think that when two drummers like this join forces on the bandstand, in fact, everyone wins!

Olio! - Decidedly Jazz Danceworks

And...we're back.

It's already been a busy start to the New Year 2024 but I had a wonderful time attending the JEN conference in New Orleans and I'm already plotting my return to the Crescent City (after all, one can never get enough beignets and chicory coffee...)

A quick shout-out to a bunch of great musicians I heard and all the great people I hung out with who made my trip such an inspiring and memorable experience:

Peter Erskine

Jeff Hamilton

Allison Miller

Rudy Royston

Ignacio Berroa

Johnny Vidacovich

Quincy Davis

Will Kennedy

Jason Marsalis

Matt Wilson

McClenty Hunter

Carl Allen

Shannon Powell

Justin Varnes

John and Mari Jo deWaal

Paul Read and Trish Colter

Natalie Wilson

So what's happening?

Well, as usual, things are on the go these days and I am currently working with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, Canada's premier contemporary jazz dance company, on their new production of Olio.

The show runs opens on Thursday, January 18th and runs until January 28th, part of the annual 38th annual 2024 High Performance Rodeo

For ticket information please visit www.decidedlyjazz.com

Olio means a stew, or a collection of thing, and in this case it’s an exciting new performance created by five dynamic choreographers: company dancers Catherine Hayward, Sabrina Naz Comanescu and Kaja Irwin; DJD alumnus, Deanne Walsh; and DJD artistic director Kimberley Cooper. 

The music is played by a trio led by myself on drums with Jonathan Wielebnowski on bass and Chris Tauchner on piano.

I'm really excited about this upcoming show and very proud of this particular production. I've been fortunate to have worked with DJD since 2011 on over a dozen or so shows and projects, all under the musical leadership of bassist and composer Rubim De Toledo. However, for this show I was invited by Kimberley Cooper to be the musical director, to work with each of the choreographers and to offer my own musical ideas and stylistic contributions. 

It is a tremendous honour to work not only with such a great company and talented group of artists but also to have the opportunity to contribute my own original music, compositions and arrangements to their creations.

Last Fall 2023 was quite busy between developing ideas and going back and forth with all the individual choreographers but it's been an exciting ongoing collaborative process. Now that we are only mere days away from our opening night, it's really interesting to see and hear how the choreography and music has come to life and evolved over the last few months. It's really something special to be a part of and I'm very proud of what we've accomplished.

The music for Olio is eclectic, quite diverse and all falls under the giant wide umbrella that is called Jazz. It swings, sings the blues, is up-beat, it's slow and introspective, funky, very rhythmic, it shimmers, rumbles and tumbles and everything in between. It's really been an amazing experience working with Catherine, Sabrina, Kaja and Deanne who all bring so much imagination and passion to their craft. I also really sincerely appreciate Kim for being so supportive, putting her trust in my musical abilities and for inviting me to create the music for this project.

I always find my involvement with DJD to be a creative challenge and enjoy reaching deep and far and wide rhythmically, using the drum set orchestrally to give each piece what it needs, in a unique way that serves both the music and the dance. This show is no different and I've really learned a lot from the compositional and creative process that emerged over the last four months. I think anyone who listens to the music I've written (expressed so musically, I might add, by Chris Tauchner on piano and Jonathan Wielebnowski on bass) will hopefully experience a wide range of my influences, both as a drummer and composer. 

*here's some insider info: both Duke Ellington's Money Jungle album recorded with Max Roach and Charles Mingus in 1962 and Terri Lyne Carrington's 2013 sonic re-imagination of the same album were both significant influences for this project (among others)...but you'll have to hear it for yourself*

This show is definitely a career highlight for me and I really hope you enjoy watching this show as much as we do performing it!

For more information visit: www.decidedlyjazz.com

(photo by Kimberley Cooper)

The Monday Morning Paradiddle - January 2024

And...we're back.

Thanks for checking in over the holidays and I'd thought start off the year 2024 with a percussive blog post bang. So please enjoy the January 2024 edition of The Monday Morning Paradiddle, my more-or-less monthly jazz drumming variety column. 

Hey, I'm going to be in New Orleans this week, attending the Jazz Education Network's annual JEN Conference. It's my first time attending this conference and this will also my first time in the Crescent City. So if you are also going to be there please drop me a line and I'd be delighted to connect. Check my social media feeds (Instagram @fouronthefloorblog in particular) for regular updates.

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The Monday Morning Paradiddle - January 2024

1. When someone says that Jazz is Dead these days, I usually shake my head but I'm actually often curious as to what they are listening to (or more importantly, what they aren't listening to!) Tim Mah's annual list of recommended Canadian jazz albums (see last week's blog post) always highlights the great things happening up here in the Great White North. Please take a read and check out some amazing new music.

Similarly, Ottawa's Peter Hum is also on the pulse of current happenings in Canadian jazz so please check out his excellent year-end list here as well, found in the Ottawa Citizen.

2. A wonderful article and tribute to the late Tony Oxley from the always informed and articulate Vinnie Sperrazza

 

3.  Allison Miller interviewed by The Midnight Disease, The Jazz Session and the Working Drummer Podcast on the heels of her incredible new release Rivers of Our Veins

4. And also from Matthew Crouse's Working Drummer Podcast this fantastic interview with Ra Kalam Bob Moses

5. Award-winning drummer, author, historian and educator Daniel Glass interviewed by The Drummer's Pathway

6. A fascinating piece from the CBC on the late Charlie Watts' collection of drums including those owned and played by Max Roach, Joe Morello and Tony Williams

7. Thanks to Craig VanDerSchaegen who shared this fantastic interview with Billy Higgins:

Here's what Ron Carter had to say about Billy Higgins: 

https://youtube.com/shorts/bp2LfixFNTM?si=4td9Ez4Ry4Zgk9t8

8. Time to Connect interviews Johnathan Blake:

9. Nasheet Waits on Max Roach:

10. My teacher and mentor John Riley interviewed by The Back of the Band Room:

11. Some wisdom from Lewis Nash:

12. Kenny Washington returns to the Drum Candy Podcast:

13. It wouldn't be a Monday Monday Paradiddle without some videos from Quincy Davis' excellent ongoing Q-Tips series:

14. Marcus Gilmore takes a spin on his Sonor drums:

15. Willie Jones III with Roy Hargrove, Michael Brecker and Herbie Hancock:

16. Thanks to the prolific Todd Bishop over at Cruiseship Drummer who hipped me to this duet of Peter Erskine and Bob Mintzer from the album Hymn:

 

17. Kyle Poole unleashes on a spirited version of Cherokee:

18. Okay dig this...Art Taylor playing trio with John Coltrane and Paul Chambers circa. 1958:

 

19. What am I listening to these days?

Duke Ellington "Money Jungle" - Max Roach (drums)

Nate Smith "Pocket Change" - Nate Smith (drums)

Dexter Gordon "Our Man in Paris" - Kenny Clarke (drums)

Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band "Rumba Buhaina" - Steve Berrios (drums)

Peter Erskine Trio "As It Was: ECM Old and New Masters Series" - Peter Erskine (drums)

20. And today's Final Word comes from the great Victor Lewis:

“You just got to be cool. And if you’re not cool, then you should be cool. Because THAT’S COOL!”

- Victor Lewis 

(via Vancouver's Bruce Nielsen)

As always, when the Masters speak, we listen.

Thank you for all your continued support and hope to see you all in the year ahead 2024 (which will incidentally also be the 15th anniversary of this blog!)