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:
Kai was nice enough take time out his busy touring schedule to answer a few questions about his new music.
Kai Craig "A Time Once Forgotten"
Four on the Floor: September 2025
1) Tell us about your latest recording!
A Time Once Forgotten is my first album as a leader. The album was released in August 2025 and so far it’s getting a lot of positive feedback. It features Sean Payne on alto saxophone, James Copus on trumpet, Rainer Böhm on piano and Géraud Portal on bass. We recorded in Cologne, Germany and I invited Gregory Hutchinson to help bring the music to life as producer. Hutch has been a mentor of mine for a number of years and always knows how to bring the best out of me.
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.
Géraud is like my big brother and we have a strong concept of rhythm and time as a rhythm section. He’s supportive, rock solid and has one of my favourite bass sounds.
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 just played the first gigs with my trio: Sean Payne, Géraud Portal and myself. I really enjoy playing trio, especially with those guys. We talked about doing it for a while and then I booked a few gigs to promote the album and we could try it out. We have a big theatre show in Bourges in March 2026 and I’d like to record it.
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.
Thanks to Calgary's Luis Tovar who shared this with me this morning.
I've watched this incredible documentary several times via streaming since it was released a couple years ago but looks like PBS has now made this free to watch via YouTube.
Check it out. It's beautiful.
As Sonny Rollins says so eloquently in this documentary, "Max is Heaven!"
Thanks to Chad Anderson who shared this great clip of Clifford Jarvis in action, a drummer that for some reason doesn't get mentioned enough, from a 1978 festival date with Archie Shepp in Warsaw, Poland:
And here's the complete concert with Archie Shepp:
Also make sure to check out Vinnie Sperrazza's excellent piece on Clifford Jarvis from his Substack column Chronicles: Chasin' the Bird: Clifford Jarvis
...and some nice (older) observations from Todd Bishop at Cruiseship Drummer.
Well, it's been a busy couple of Summer months, on the road, travelling across Canada.
I'm back home now after a bit of a break from blogging and looking forward to getting back into the swing of things (so to speak) with lots of exciting gigs and projects on the horizon and my regular teaching schedule starting up again soon at the Mount Royal Conservatory in Calgary, AB.
I'd just like to take a moment for a quick shout-out to all the people and musicians who made this an inspiring and motivating couple of months, musically and otherwise:
Allison Miller, Makaya McCraven, Patrick Boyle, Dave Laing, Camil Belisle, Sean Craig, Chris Tauchner, Aaron Shorr, Jeff Gammon, Dayna Szyndrowski, Kirk MacDonald, Nick Costa, Ben Reimer, Shawn Mativetsky, Cristos Smirnios, Wakefield Brewster and Chris Dadge.
Anyways, it's been a really nice time to recharge my creative batteries and I'm looking forward to the months ahead.
Onwards and Upwards.
The Monday Morning Paradiddle - September 2025
1. Vinnie Sperrazza offers these fantastic pieces on Al Foster from his always excellent Substack series Chronicles:
2. Dave Douglas interviews Andrew Cyrille on the podcast A Noise From The Deep:
3. Pablo Held interviews/investigates Kush Abadey:
4. Dr. Jazz Samo Šalamon interviews a trio of great drummers including:
Johnathan Blake
Jeff Ballard
Dylan Van Der Schyff
5. Neon Jazz interviews Joe Farnsworth on the heels of his critically acclaimed latest release "The Big Room":
...and also by Jay Sweet for The Jazz Real Book:
6. Carl Allen and his trio from a recent performance at the San Jose Jazz Festival:
7. Reggie Quinerly in a drum and amplified saxophone jazz battle:
8. Marcus Gilmore!
9. The Drum Candy Podcast offers 10 Reasons to Love Bill Stewart:
10. Zildjian artists Adam Nussbaum, Paul Wells, Colleen Clark and Kai Craig play the new Kerope ride cymbals from the Avedis Zildjian Company:
11. Quincy Davis is a busy guy but he still finds time to produce and share his always wonderful YouTube jazz drumming instructional videos, packed full of very useful information:
12. Fantastic footage of the great Joe Lovano on the drums!
13. Thanks to Mark Eisenman who shared this video via Facebook of the late Mulgrew Miller on piano with Buster Williams on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums:
Joe Henderson "An Evening at the Village Vanguard" - Al Foster (drums)
Philly Joe Jones "Philly Joe's Beat" - Philly Joe Jones (drums)
Alan Jones Sextet "Climbing (rough)" - Alan Jones (drums)
Kevin Diehl "Onilu" - Kevin Diehl/Chad Taylor/Joe Chambers (drums & percussion)
Barry Elmes "Redshift" - Barry Elmes (drums)
Kendrick Scott "Reverence" - Kendrick Scott (drums)
Elvin Jones Trio "Puttin' it Together" - Elvin Jones (drums)
Joe Morello "It's About Time" - Joe Morello (drums), Gary Burton (vibraphone)
Tommy Flanagan "Lonely Town" - Elvin Jones (drums)
Roy Hargrove "Of Kindred Souls" - Gregory Hutchinson (drums)
15. And today's Final Word(s) goes to pianist/composer/arranger Jim McNeely (via Darcy James Argue) with some wonderful advice to all the composers out there (young and old!):
• Write down every idea that comes to you. Don’t judge it as good or bad. It simply is. Then play with it for a while. The magic is in the development. Don’t worry about where it should be in a piece. Let it sit for a while. It will still be there when you come back to it.
• A composer’s job is to speculate; ask “what if?” rather than “is it okay if I…?” or “Am I allowed to…?”
• No deadline? Write something just for the pleasure of doing it. It may lead to something, maybe not (see COVID-19, 2020-2022).
• Be in a place where you can hear your music played. Often. By the best players you can find. One of the most important things a young writer has to learn is the difference between the way a piece sounds on their computer and the way it sounds sight-read by real people, looking at dots on a page for the first time. You might be surprised!
• When you hear your piece read, listen with brutal honesty. Does it really sound the way you want it to sound? Yes or no. Don’t let your ego get in the way.
• You can be inspired by anything: another composer; Balinese music; a painting; a person’s laugh; the sound of construction; the size of the universe; the sound of leaves rustling on a tree; a three-note cell; a melodic figure that comes to you in the shower. Be open to it all. Acceptance is the key.
• With all the talk about creativity, it’s also crucial to master the basic techniques of rhythm, harmony, voice-leading, and orchestration. These are the tools that enable you to express that creativity so that it is playable by good musicians.
• Make sure your notation is as legible as possible. It makes it easier to read/play and reflects your respect for your music.
• Study scores written by musicians more experienced than you. Rather than guessing what they wrote, you can actually see how they wrote it. You’ll be surprised at what you find, especially how simple some of it is.
• When you hear a band live, listen with your eyes. You hear a combination you like. “How do they get that?” Well, look at the band! See who’s playing! “Trumpet in Harmon, Trumpet in cup, Flute 8va, Trombone 8vb. Aha!”
• Listen to and study big band (and not so big band) writers going back to Jelly Roll Morton. Don Redman. Fletcher Henderson. Benny Carter. Ellington & Strayhorn of course. So many masters to learn from.
• Starting at point A and arriving at point B is efficient but boring. Create events along the way. You might think of musical ideas as characters in a play: how do they interact? Does a third player unexpectedly enter? We start at point A, but stuff happens to thicken the plot before we finally arrive at point B.
• As Bob Brookmeyer said, “The way to write music is to write music.”
Well, we're in full Summer mode over here at Four on the Floor these days. It was a busy jazz festival season up here in Canada at the end of June and beginning of July and I just spent an inspiring ten days participating in an artist residency at the Leña Artist & Research Centre on Galiano Island, in the Gulf Islands, off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. It was a productive week and I'm excited to share my new music and some exciting new projects in the year to come. Stay tuned.
This will be my last blog post for the time being while I take a break for the rest of the Summer. Regular blogging will resume in September.
In the meantime, check out John Riley's latest lesson from the folks over at the Memphis Drum Shop. In this video lesson Riley shares some very practical patterns and ideas for developing a sense of flow, moving around the drums. As always, John's lessons and teaching are excellent and well explained.
Check it out:
And while we're at it, here's a video of John demonstrating the new line of Kerope ride cymbals from the Avedis Zildjian Company. I haven't played these yet, but look forward to trying them out once they make it to Western Canada.
And I've shard these before but make sure to check out this excellent series of lessons featuring John from Zildjian:
Well, last week's post featuring Christian Vander's solo and duo drumming album really resonated with a lot of people who read this blog and I received many emails and messages regarding Vander's drumming following this post.
Thanks to Michael Griener for sharing this interesting French documentary on Christian Vander (subtitled in English): "Un Homme...Une Batterie" (1988).
There's some really unique, powerful and interesting Elvin Jones-inspired drumming here, and worth checking out for sure:
In this video, French drummer, composer and founder of the progressive rock band MAGMA, Christian Vander remembers how he started playing the drums, talks about his philosophy on music and his personal approach on drumming. He makes particular reference to the influence of John Coltrane's music and how Coltrane's spiritual quest eventually had an impact on him as a composer. Furthermore, it is obvious the influence of Elvin Jones, drummer of Coltrane's quartet.
I was first introduced to Christian Vander's name and drumming via a Modern Drummer interview with Brian Blade many years ago. Vander is best known for his work with the French progressive rock band Magma.
Here's a rare and pretty intense album of solo and double drumming featuring Christian Vander and Frank Raholison from 1973.
Fiesta in Drums (1973)
Songs / Tracks Listing
1. Fiesta in Drums (10:56) 2. Suite Exotique (7:45) 3. Suite Malgache (19:35)
Total Time 38:16
Line-up / Musicians
- Christian Vander / drums (tracks 1,2) - Frank Raholison / drums (tracks 1,3)
Five years ago (Summer 2020 to be precise) I invited many Canadian jazz drummers from across the country (and several ex-pats abroad) to contribute a short drum solo for a video project I compiled called Oh Drum Canada!.
The response was overwhelming and I put together and released six episodes over the course of a month via YouTube. Looking back, this was a really fun project and I thought I would revisit these videos today, five years later.
Please enjoy the complete Oh Drum Canada! featuring:
Ian Froman
Michel Lambert
Mark Kelso
Joel Haynes
Jackson Haynes
Efa Etoroma Jr.
Valérie Lacombe
Jamie Cooper
Nick Fraser
Terry Clarke
Alan Dowling
Barry Elmes
Dan McCarthy
Dave Laing
Ted Warren
Karl Jannuska
Anthony Fung
Celene Yohemas
Rob Siwik
Louis-Vincent Hamel
Kelby MacNayr
Ernesto Cervini
Norman Marshall Villeneuve
Tom Roach
Dan Skakun
Lorie Wolf
Aubrey Dayle
Andrew McCarthy
Morgan Childs
Robin Tufts
Thom Gossage
Barry Romberg
Travis Knights
Anthony Michelli
Buff Allen
Jaime Carrasco
Jesse Cahill
Nathan Ouellette
Raydel Martinez
Joel Cuesta
Mike Cassells
Max Senitt
Tony Ferraro
Archie Alleyne
Bob McLaren
Owen Howard
Chris Wallace
Hans Verhoeven
Rich Irwin
Justin Hauck
Fabio Ragnelli
Raul Tabera
Luis Tovar
Mario Allende
John Sumner
Jerry Fuller
Mark McLean
Jim Doxas
Mili Hong
Adam Arruda
Andrew Miller
Andre White
Charles Goguen
Luke Newman
Mark Micklethwaite
Afolabi Fapojuwo
Alain Bourgeois
Tim Shia
Curtis Nowosad
Jonathan McCaslin
Kris Mullaly
Henry Naulaq
Claude Ranger
with special thanks to Louise Villeneuve, Juanita Sumner, Mark Eisenman, Kirk MacDonald, Reg Schwager, Blaine Heffernan, Patrick Boyle, Tim Mah and Mark Miller.
Thanks to Michael Vosbein at Drummer Nation for this wonderful piece, paying tribute to the late Al Foster with great commentary and insight from Billy Drummond, Adam Nussbaum and Kenny Washington (and thanks to Tim Mah and Quincy Davis who both shared this one with me!)
I always make a point of sharing Quincy Davis' excellent YouTube series QTips. His tutorials are excellent, clear and concise, well produced and they focus on relevant material. Quincy is a great teacher and I recommend these to all my students and anyone who is interested in jazz drums.
Check out this compilation of his recent lessons:
I would also highly recommend checking out and joining Quincy's on-line jazz drumming platform Q/MUNITY www.skool.com/jazzdrumming
This is a great on-line community and great way to connect with Quincy directly.
Check it out!
QUINCY DAVIS' JAZZ DRUMSET Q/MUNITY
COMMUNITY OVERVIEW
If you’re looking for a supportive community of drummers who share a passion for jazz, are dedicated to learning, growing, and improving, you’ve found your place! After 10 years of creating video lessons for so many drummers, this community gives me the opportunity to engage with you directly, get to know you better, and help you grow - and vice versa!
INCLUDED WITH MEMBERSHIP
Live Feedback and advice during Zoom calls Personalized Growth Plan and Recommendations Group lessons/Q&A/discussion group sessions Guest pro drummer masterclasses Free access to Recorded Group Lessons Exclusive Discounts: 50% off play-alongs and PDFs 20% off Quincy Davis signature drumsticks
BONUS CONTENT FOR NEW MEMBERS
Free Group Lesson: Advanced jazz drumming techniques Gig Tips: Behind-the-scenes insights from gigs and tours
16. Dr. Jazz Samo Salamon interviews Allison Miller:
17. Fantastic footage of the great Tony Williams, recorded in Scotland circa. 1994:
18. Don't forget to tune into Instagram Live @fouronthefloorblog on Sunday, June 8th at 730pm mountain (930pm eastern) for my interview with the great Mike Clark!
19. What am I listening to these days?
Alan Dawson "Waltzin' with Flo" - Alan Dawson (drums)
Steve Nelson "A Common Language" - Eric Ineke (drums), Steve Nelson (vibraphone)
Sonny Rollins "Night at the Village Vanguard" - Elvin Jones (drums)
Fred Anderson/Steve McCall "Vintage Duets" - Steve McCall (drums)
Joe Henderson "Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn" - Gregory Hutchinson (drums)
Kenny Garrett "Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane" - Brian Blade (drums)
Marty Paich "I Get a Boot Out of You" - Mel Lewis (drums)
Yusef Lateef "Into Something" - Elvin Jones (drums)
Moe Koffman "Solar Explorations" - Claude Ranger (drums)
McCoy Tyner/Joe Henderson "Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs" - Jack DeJohnette (drums)
Bud Powell "Inner Fires: The Genius of Bud Powell" - Roy Haynes (drums)
20. And today's Final Word goes to Dave Liebman and Richie Beirach:
I'm thrilled to announce that Mike Clark will be joining me for a return interview on Four on the Floor *Live* over on my Instagram acccount @fouronthefloorblog
I started this informal series back in 2020 and kept it going regularly for the duration of the pandemic. It was really fun, people were very generous with their time and information, and I really learned a lot. I had been revisiting this series on Instagram every Spring since 2021 but this year things are really busy and wasn't sure I'd really have time to properly present any kind of series anymore.
Anyways, Mike Clark recently reached out to me and expressed interest in connecting again to talk about his amazing upcoming projects. Mike's last interview on Four on the Floor was a really memorable one so I was thrilled that he asked me and of course agreed.
So please join us for a special episode of Four on the Floor *Live* happening on Sunday, June 8th at 730pm mountain (930pm eastern/630pm pacific), appearing on Instagram Live IGTV @fouronthfloorblog featuring Mike Clark!
Mike Clark gained worldwide recognition as one of America’s foremost jazz and funk drummers while playing with Herbie Hancock in the early seventies. His incisive playing on Hancock’s “Actual Proof” garnered him an international cult following and influenced generations of drummers. While Mike digs the funk, he considers jazz his first love, and playing that music is what he says feeds his soul.
Besides Herbie Hancock, Mike has performed and recorded with such well-known jazz greats as Christian McBride, Chet Baker, John Scofield, Nicholas Payton, Tony Bennett, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Donald Harrison, Eddie Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Vince Guaraldi, Woody Shaw, Albert King, Larry Coryell, Mike Wolff, Wallace Roney, Billy Childs, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Chris Potter, Bobby McFerrin, Nat Adderly, Oscar Brown Jr., and Gil Evans and his Orchestra.
Born in Sacramento, CA, Mike traveled around the country with his father, a union man for the railroad, and a former drummer himself. His dad had a great appreciation for jazz and blues music, and Mike credits this exposure as forming the foundation for his ability to synthesize many different regional styles. He absorbed the music of America while riding the rails. From age 4, he was a prodigy, sitting in—and getting “house” —- with bands in Texas and New Orleans. By the time he reached his early twenties, he had become one of the founders of the distinctive East Bay Sound coming out of Oakland, California.
During the late sixties, Mike led his own jazz organ trio,. Then he met Hancock in 1973. With Herbie, Mike set the rhythms for the acclaimed group, The Headhunters. Afterwards, he did a two-year stint with Brand X, the British jazz/rock fusion band founded by Phil Collins. With them he recorded ”Do They Hurt?” and “Product.”
By 2000, Mike had made a foray into the popular jam band scene. His group Prescription Renewal pulled together cross-generational talents, such as Charlie Hunter, Fred Wesley, Skerik, Robert Walter, and DJ Logic, and featured special guests such as Donald Harrison, George Porter Jr. of The Meters, Les Claypool, Larry Goldings and fellow Headhunters alumni Bill Summers. He also toured with The Roots Funk All Stars.
Along with James Brown's drummer Clyde Stubblefield, Mike's beats with The Headhunters (most notably “God Make Me Funky”) include some of the most sampled in hip hop. He has been featured in Downbeat, Musician, International Musician & Recording World, Modern Drummer, Jazz Times, Guitar Player, Jazz Is, and numerous jazz history and method books.
Mike is a popular and busy clinician. His latest book, “The Post Bop Drum Book” on Hudson Music is a big hit. A previous book, “Funk Drumming: Innovative Grooves & Advanced Concepts” was published in 2012 by Hal Leonard.
As a bandleader, his release “Give The Drummer Some” earned a rare four and a half stars in Downbeat. “The Funk Stops Here,” a joint effort with Hancock alumni Paul Jackson got five stars, as did 2011’s “Carnival of Soul.” In 2001, his solo CD “Actual Proof” met with critical acclaim, as did the 2003 acoustic jazz release, “Summertime,” featuring Chris Potter and Billy Childs, which spent weeks in the top ten jazz charts. 2009’s “Blueprints of Jazz” featuring Patrice Rushen, Randy Brecker, Donald Harrison, Rob Dixon, and Christian McBride was considered one of the top jazz releases of the new millenium by Downbeat magazine.
In 2012 Mike co-led The Headhunters,’ with original founding member Bill Summers. 2012 saw a new Headhunters' release, “Platinum.” which featured guest turns by Snoop Dogg, George Clinton, and Killah Priest.
Another musically exciting year was 2015. His second Wolff & Clark Expedition CD released in February, and his hard bop band “Indigo Blue Live at the Iridium” arrived six months later, both on Random Act Records. Both CDs featured Christian McBride on bass, Donald Harrison on alto, Rob Dixon on tenor, Antonio Farao on Piano and Randy Brecker on trumpet.
Mike has produced three releases for the spoken word prophet Tony Adamo, indulging ”Miles of Blu” with Tower of Power's Doc Krupka, bass legend Paul Jackson, and Michael Wolff. Along with drum legend Lenny White (Return to Forever), Mike is co-leading Nu Brew, a double drummer experience in new music. He also appears on Tower of Power's organist Chester Thompson's “Mixology.”
During Covid, Mike did many online drum clinics and co-led a record date with Michael Wolff and Leon Dorsey: “Wolff, Clark and Dorsey Play Sgt. Pepper.” On this date they played swinging arrangements of Beatles tunes, acoustic jazz style. He also was a sideman on Leon Dorsey's “Thank you Mr, Maybern” with the late great Harold Maybern and Leon in a hard swinging trio setting, “DSC MonkTime” celebrated the music of Thelonious Monk, once again with Leon Dorsey, with Dorsey and Greg Skaff as co-leaders. He also is a founding member of The StickPeople, an online interview show, along with Lenny White, David Garabaldi, Michael Shrieve and Greg Errico. The four drummers do online interviews with great artists playing jazz, funk, fusion and all things music!
As of 2021, Mike still lives in New York City. His latest CD, “Mike Drop” with sax great Michael Zilber is in the top ten on Jazz Weekly. Mike is with Leon Lee Dorsey and Manny Valera on Leon's new record “Freedom Jazz Dance” which debuted on Jazz Weekly at number 16. He was in Chicago recently with Donald Harrison and the great Fred Wesley; then Donald and Mike left for Indiana to co-lead an organ trio at the famous Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis. He also just finished a “beats” recording for Yurt Rock which will be out in the fall 2021, along with his newest, “Mike Clark plays Herbie Hancock—Again!” an acoustic jazz recording out next year.
Mike endorses DW Drums, Istanbul Cymbals, Evans Drum heads, and Innovation Percussion drumsticks.
A fantastic video today of the great Billy Drummond in action, demonstrating (comprehensively I might add) the new Kerope ride cymbals from the Avedis Zildjian Company:
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.
