Lighthouse

I posted these on my blog a long time ago but have recently been revisiting this band and amazing music. Today's post goes out to Sean Craig, Jim Brenan and Al McLean - three very bad ass tenor saxophonists who've had a profound influence on my own playing over the years.

Enjoy!

Nussbaum

I really enjoyed this very musical drums and keyboard duet featuring long-time colleagues Adam Nussbaum and Richie Beirach:



Adam is a long-time reader of this blog and I consider him to be a friend and mentor too. The man is all about the music!

Here's some more of his wisdom:



And while we're at it, here's one of my favourite trios featuring Nussbaum with Dave Liebman and Steve Swallow:

Rick Considine on Brushes

I'm off to Brandon, MB to adjudicate at the Brandon Jazz Festival for most of this week, so here's some great brush lessons from Rick Considine to check out in the meantime. Lots of great information here:

Washington vs. Farnsworth

I'm just going to leave these here…

Wayne Shorter & Herbie Hancock Pen an Open Letter to the Next Generation of Artists

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

"To the Next Generation of Artists,

We find ourselves in turbulent and unpredictable times.

From the horror at the Bataclan, to the upheaval in Syria and the senseless bloodshed in San Bernardino, we live in a time of great confusion and pain. As an artist, creator and dreamer of this world, we ask you not to be discouraged by what you see but to use your own lives, and by extension your art, as vehicles for the construction of peace.

While it’s true that the issues facing the world are complex, the answer to peace is simple; it begins with you. You don’t have to be living in a third world country or working for an NGO to make a difference. Each of us has a unique mission. We are all pieces in a giant, fluid puzzle, where the smallest of actions by one puzzle piece profoundly affects each of the others. You matter, your actions matter, your art matters.

We’d like to be clear that while this letter is written with an artistic audience in mind, these thoughts transcend professional boundaries and apply to all people, regardless of profession.

FIRST, AWAKEN TO YOUR HUMANITY

We are not alone. We do not exist alone and we cannot create alone. What this world needs is a humanistic awakening of the desire to raise one’s life condition to a place where our actions are rooted in altruism and compassion. You cannot hide behind a profession or instrument; you have to be human. Focus your energy on becoming the best human you can be. Focus on developing empathy and compassion. Through the process you’ll tap into a wealth of inspiration rooted in the complexity and curiosity of what it means to simply exist on this planet. Music is but a drop in the ocean of life.

EMBRACE AND CONQUER THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

The world needs new pathways. Don’t allow yourself to be hijacked by common rhetoric, or false beliefs and illusions about how life should be lived. It’s up to you to be the pioneers. Whether through the exploration of new sounds, rhythms, and harmonies or unexpected collaborations, processes and experiences, we encourage you to dispel repetition in all of its negative forms and consequences. Strive to create new actions both musically and with the pathway of your life. Never conform.

WELCOME THE UNKNOWN

The unknown necessitates a moment-to-moment improvisation or creative process that is unparalleled in potential and fulfillment. There is no dress rehearsal for life because life, itself, is the real rehearsal. Every relationship, obstacle, interaction, etc. is a rehearsal for the next adventure in life. Everything is connected. Everything builds. Nothing is ever wasted. This type of thinking requires courage. Be courageous and do not lose your sense of exhilaration and reverence for this wonderful world around you.

UNDERSTAND THE TRUE NATURE OF OBSTACLES

We have this idea of failure, but it’s not real; it’s an illusion. There is no such thing as failure. What you perceive as failure is really a new opportunity, a new hand of cards, or a new canvas to create upon. In life there are unlimited opportunities. The words, “success” and “failure”, themselves, are nothing more than labels. Every moment is an opportunity. You, as a human being, have no limits; therefore infinite possibilities exist in any circumstance.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO INTERACT WITH THOSE WHO ARE DIFFERENT FROM YOU

The world needs more one-on-one interaction among people of diverse origins with a greater emphasis on art, culture and education. Our differences are what we have in common. We can work to create an open and continuous plane where all types of people can exchange ideas, resources, thoughtfulness and kindness. We need to be connecting with one another, learning about one another, and experiencing life with one another. We can never have peace if we cannot understand the pain in each other’s hearts. The more we interact, the more we will come to realize that our humanity transcends all differences.

STRIVE TO CREATE AGENDA-FREE DIALOGUE

Art in any form is a medium for dialogue, which is a powerful tool. It is time for the music world to produce sound stories that ignite dialogue about the mystery of us. When we say the mystery of us, we’re talking about reflecting and challenging the fears, which prevent us from discovering our unlimited access to the courage inherent in us all. Yes, you are enough. Yes, you matter. Yes, you should keep going.

BE WARY OF EGO

Arrogance can develop within artists, either from artists who believe that their status makes them more important, or those whose association with a creative field entitles them to some sort of superiority. Beware of ego; creativity cannot flow when only the ego is served.

WORK TOWARDS A BUSINESS WITHOUT BORDERS

The medical field has an organization called Doctors Without Borders. This lofty effort can serve as a model for transcending the limitations and strategies of old business formulas which are designed to perpetuate old systems in the guise of new ones. We’re speaking directly to a system that’s in place, a system that conditions consumers to purchase only the products that are dictated to be deemed marketable, a system where money is only the means to an end. The music business is a fraction of the business of life. Living with creative integrity can bring forth benefits never imagined.

APPRECIATE THE GENERATION THAT WALKED BEFORE YOU

Your elders can help you. They are a source of wealth in the form of wisdom. They have weathered storms and endured the same heartbreaks; let their struggles be the light that shines the way in the darkness. Don’t waste time repeating their mistakes. Instead, take what they’ve done and catapult you towards building a progressively better world for the progeny to come.

LASTLY, WE HOPE THAT YOU LIVE IN A STATE OF CONSTANT WONDER

As we accumulate years, parts of our imagination tend to dull. Whether from sadness, prolonged struggle, or social conditioning, somewhere along the way people forget how to tap into the inherent magic that exists within our minds. Don’t let that part of your imagination fade away. Look up at the stars and imagine what it would be like to be an astronaut or a pilot. Imagine exploring the pyramids or Machu Picchu. Imagine flying like a bird or crashing through a wall like Superman. Imagine running with dinosaurs or swimming like mer-creatures. All that exists is a product of someone’s imagination; treasure and nurture yours and you’ll always find yourself on the precipice of discovery.

How does any of this lend to the creation of a peaceful society you ask? It begins with a cause. Your causes create the effects that shape your future and the future of all those around you. Be the leaders in the movie of your life. You are the director, producer, and actor. Be bold and tirelessly compassionate as you dance through the voyage that is this lifetime." - Herbie Hancock & Wayne Shorter via http://nesthq.com/wayne-shorter-herbie-hancock-open-letter/

Trilok Gurtu 2.0

Due to the overwhelming response of my last post featuring Trilok Gurtu, here's a few more that caught my eye (and ears…)

- Trilok Gurtu playing a collection of djembe drums from a workshop:




- Concert footage of Gurtu with keyboardist Joe Zawinul circa. 1994:




- And Trilok featured with a trio of percussionists including Brazilian rhythm Master Airto Moreira and Lisbeth Diers:

Trilok Gurtu Thursday

Trilok Gurtu is a very unique percussionist/drummer who's approach almost defies category. I've always been impressed with his creativity, musicality and deep sense of groove. His blending of traditional Indian rhythms and a host of other rhythmic influences and sounds creates an approach wholly his own.

Here's a solo piece from his performance at the Saptak Music Festival in 2013:

The Monday Morning Paradiddle

Welcome back. Hope all is well in your respective parts of the Jazz drumming realm. Thanks to our hardworking Four on the Floor correspondents, working day and night to bring you only the very best that the wide world of Jazz drumming has to offer, here's some recent finds to check out:


- Drummer/drum set historian Daniel Glass has recently started a series of very informative podcasts to check out over at iTunes and his website:

http://danielglass.com/podcasts/


- Here's a piece via the Smithsonian on the legacy of the Zildjian cymbal company:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/category/arts-culture/how-zildjian-cymbals-made-it-from-the-ottoma/?no-ist


- Via Jazz Times magazine, here's Stanton Moore on his favourite brush recordings:

http://jazztimes.com/articles/147780-artist-s-choice-stanton-moore-on-great-brush-performances


- New York drummer Charles Ruggiero has recently published his father Vinnie's handwritten Jazz drumming method book and it is excellent. Find it here and buy your copy today:

http://www.vinniesbook.com/vinnie.html

More on this one very soon…


- A nice feature on Victor Lewis via allaboutjazz.com:

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/victor-lewis-the-drummers-spirit-victor-lewis-by-victor-l-schermer.php


- Dig the drumming of Claude Ranger over at the Canadian Jazz Archive:


http://www.canadianjazzarchive.org/en/concerts/claude-ranger-quintet-1982-02-01.html


- Renee Rosnes interviews Canadian Jazz drumming legend Terry Clarke on CBC's Jazz Portraits, a wonderful radio series featuring many icons of Canadian Jazz music:

http://www.batteryradio.com/Pages/JazzPortraits.html

And also from the Canadian Jazz Archives, here's Terry Clarke with his own trio:

http://www.canadianjazzarchive.org/en/concerts/terry-clarke-trio-2001-01-15.html


- A series of podcast interviews with Jeff Williams, a veteran Jazz drummer who's only recently been on my radar but definitely one who I  look forward to hearing more of:

http://www.londonjazznews.com/2013/06/podcast-interview-with-jeff-williams.html

http://www.londonjazznews.com/2013/06/podcast-interview-with-jeff-williams_25.html

http://www.londonjazznews.com/2013/07/podcast-interview-with-jeff-williams.html


- Two interviews with Mike Clark via Drum Magazine and The Red Bull Academy:

http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2016/02/mike-clark-interview?linkId=21107638

http://www.drummagazine.com/features/post/mike-clark-forever-cool/

- I found this one on Todd Bishop's excellent blog Cruiseship Drummer awhile ago, wishing that some one had told me these things 20 years ago!

https://medium.com/@michael_dangelo/advice-to-a-college-music-student-dfdaf4b53429#.2hqvq4fxc


- A wonderful piece on the importance of listening via my dear friend, bassist Kristin Korb:

http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/to-listen-or-not-to-listen-does-listening-to-a-recording-help-us-learn-faster-and-play-more-accurately/


- The ever eloquent Peter Erskine interviewed over Play Cajon:

http://playcajon.org/2016/02/18/ep-10-peter-erskine/


- From another recent blog/podcast I've only recently discovered, here's Jeff Tain Watts interviewed over at The Trap Set:

http://www.thetrapset.net/jeff-tain-watts-wyntonbranford-marsalis-alice-coltrane-solo/


- An interesting piece on the ever evolving rhythmic language of the Bata drums:

http://www.afropop.org/27508/ancient-text-messages-bata-drums-in-a-changing-world/


- Jazz at Lincoln Center's Alvin Atkinson breaks down his approach to playing the Shuffle:




- An interview with Matt Wilson from Neon Jazz:



And here's an excerpt from Matt's clinic at the JEN Conference Louisville, Kentucky last January:




- A nice drum solo from Johnathan Blake with Chris Potter and Scott Colley:




- Charles Mingus' sextet circa. 1960 performing "I'll Remember April" featuring Bud Powell on piano (with Dannie Richmond on drums):




- What am I listening to these days?

Mel Lewis Sextet "The Lost Art" - Mel Lewis (drums)

The Drummers of Burundi

Alan Jones Sextet "Climbing (Rough)" - Alan Jones (drums)

David Braid "Vivid: The David Braid Sextet Live" - Terry Clarke (drums)

Al Muirhead "Oop"

Dick Oatts "Standard Issue, Vol. 1" -  James Oblon (drums)

Wayne Shorter "The Soothsayer" - Tony Williams (drums)

Jill Townsend Big Band "Legacy: The Music of Ross Taggart" - Dave Robbins (drums)

Phineas Newborn Jr. "A World of Piano" - Louis Hayes (drums)


- And todays's Last Word goes to contemporary dance icon Martha Graham:

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open...No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others” - Martha Graham

(thank you to Vancouver's Kelly Proznick for passing this one along…)

The Money Jungle Revisited

Dig this concert length, contemporary re-imagining of Ellington/Mingus/Roach's "Money Jungle" as interpreted by Terri Lyne Carrington:



Carrington isn't a drummer that's ever really been on my radar but this great music soon led me to these finds as well:





And this lesson from the kind people over at Zildjian:

What Do Artists Do All Day?: Evelyn Glennie

From the BBC series "What Do Artists Do All Day?", here's a wonderful feature on percussionist Evelyn Glennie:





Incidentally, the other features in this BBC series, featuring diverse artists from a variety of disciplines, are all very good as well and worth checking out.

And if you are looking for even more inspiration/motivation, the fellow who posted these videos also curates a great youtube.com channel entitled "Art Documentaries" worth exploring:

https://www.youtube.com/user/taran333tula/videos

Doctoral Studies: Melodic Jazz Drumming

A little over a year ago I successfully defended by doctoral thesis "Melodic Jazz Drumming" at the University of Toronto. This project was the culmination of many years of hard work and I learned a great deal from the experience. I am very fortunate to apply the concepts and ideas I learned every time, it seems, whenever I sit behind a set of drums or work with a student.

My dissertation is now available on-line and if you are interested in taking a look, check it out here:

https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/69408/3/McCaslin_Jonathan_D_201506_DMA_thesis.pdf

Tain Revisited

I originally posted this series of interviews with Jeff "Tain" Watts back in 2010 and they are still up on youtube.com so I recently decided to watch these again and repost for a little motivation and inspiration:







Here's a great JazzTimes article on the legacy and innovations of Watts:

http://jazztimes.com/articles/170486-jeff-tain-watts-how-he-revolutionized-jazz-drumming

And a couple more clips to remind us of what a bad ass he is on the drums!

Buddy Rich Paris 1970

I guess it's Buddy Rich week over here at Four on the Floor….Thanks to Brad Shigeta who passed along this one that I haven't seen before:



And here's a condensed version featuring just the drum solos:



I think the organ is a nice change of pace for this music and dig the over head camera angles. Class is now in session!

Rich on Brushes

From the 1974 Buddy Rich album "Tuff Dude", here's Rich sticking with his brushes on a trio rendition of "Billie's Bounce" along with Kenny Barron on piano and Anthony Jackson on electric bass:



And here's another example of Rich's fine brush playing with his big band from an appearance at the Montreal Jazz Festival:

Brad Mehldau "All The Things You Are" 7/4

Today's guest post is brought to us by Toronto pianist and my good friend Gerry Shatford. This is an extensive analysis of Brad Mehldau's 7/4 version of "All The Things You Are" from The Art of the Trio, Volume 4.

Shatford has painstakingly taken the time to transcribe AND learn Mehldau's playing note-for-note (see the videos below) and he was also kind enough to offer (at my request) an extensive rhythmic analysis of this performance.

Thank you Gerry for all your hard work putting this together.

Vinnie Meets Zakir

Thanks to Chris Worthington who passed along these good ones of Dave Holland's band at the SF Jazz Center featuring Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and Zakir Hussain on tabla:

Andre White

Montreal's Andre White has long been a huge influence on me for over twenty years now. And not only is he an incredibly swinging Jazz drummer, he plays the piano with an affinity towards Bill Evans and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of Jazz history too. I learned a great deal from Andre during my days studying at McGill and still do, to this very day.

I recently heard Andre play in Gatineau, Quebec last October with Steve Grossman, Fred Henke and Ron Seguin (a sort of reunion band, as it were) and I was quickly reminded of how much influence he's had on my drumming and my being a Jazz musician over the years. Mr. White is all ears, all music and all about playing for the musicians around him.

Here's some recent footage of Andre in action with Toronto saxophonist Kirk MacDonald featuring Harold Mabern on piano.



Burnin' !

And here's a full concert from their recent appearance at New York's Jazz @ Lincoln Center:



And, lastly, here's a track from an unreleased trio album offered to us from Montreal's Mike Rud, a nice little swinging jaunt on "Cherokee":

Dave Black

Thanks to Phil Stewart who posted this one via the Facebook:



Black was one of the great post-WWII swing drummers who, among others, played with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Apparently, as legend has it, he was also one of the very few drummers that made Buddy Rich nervous. From the footage above, perhaps you can hear why...

Billy Drummond Clinica de Bateria

From a recent clinic in Buenos Aries, here's Billy Drummond doing what he does best:

Max Roach Interview

As always, when the Masters speak, we listen:




Check out Roach's 1998 feature with Marian McPartland on NPR's "Piano Jazz":

http://www.npr.org/2008/02/22/19269815/drumming-legend-max-roach-on-piano-jazz

Farnsworth en Italia

A few nice highlights of Joe Farnsworth's masterclass from a recent workshop in Italy:

Happy New Year!

Billy Martin: Percussion Ensemble & Drum Solo

A nice find today of Billy Martin directing a percussion ensemble and featured in a solo feature:



This will be my last post of 2015. Time for a wee holiday, me thinks. Thanks again for your support, drive safe and see you all in 2016!

More Hammer...

Thanks to the kind people over at Jazz @ Lincoln Center, here's a few more lessons with Jeff Hamilton:

- Jeff talks about his mentors and formative influences:




- Hammer discusses the importance of learning the rudiments and how to play them around the drum set:

The Monday Morning Paradiddle

This column is a little bit late today but hey, it's Monday morning "somewhere" in the world (!) so here you go...This will likely be my last "Monday Morning Paradiddle" column of 2015 and I've tried to include a backlog of things that have been collecting on my desktop lately. So here's what's happening around the interweb these days in the wide world of Jazz drumming:

- John Hollenbeck, the most recent addition to the Jazz faculty at McGill University, and his large ensemble is featured at CBC Music:

http://music.cbc.ca/#!/blogs/2015/10/Live-webcast-John-Hollenbeck-Large-Ensemble-plays-Montreal

- Antonio Sanchez talks drums, music and movie soundtracks over at the Drummer's Resource Podcast:

http://www.drummersresource.com/antonio-sanchez-interview/

- Matt Wilson is currently on the road with his "Christmas Tree-O" project. Hear what he has to say about his recent happenings:

http://straightnochaserjazz.libsyn.com/podcast-408-a-conversation-with-matt-wilson

- A great recent Jazz Times article on the legacy of contemporary Master drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts:

http://jazztimes.com/articles/170486-jeff-tain-watts-how-he-revolutionized-jazz-drumming

And an older Jazz Times article featuring Max Roach's reflections on the legacy of Tony Williams:

http://jazztimes.com/articles/24823-max-roach-remembers-tony-williams

- More on Max Roach via Scott K. Fish's excellent blog:

https://scottkfish.wordpress.com/2015/10/13/max-roach-a-great-drummer-looks-back-at-influences-1958/

- Jerry Granelli, the drummer on the original Charlie Brown sessions with pianist/composer Vince Guaraldi, reflects on the iconic "Charlie Brown Christmas" sessions:

http://observer.com/2015/12/jerry-granelli-reflects-on-a-charlie-brown-christmas/

- A BBC Radio interview with British Jazz drummer Martin France:

http://bbc.in/1MemNjp

And here's some footage with France demonstrating his drums and cymbals…



- WWOZ's "New Orleans Calling" offers this piece on Johnny Vidacovich:

http://neworleanscalling.wwoz.org/portrait-of-a-drummer/

- Thanks to Adam Nussbaum who passed along this great article from Vanity Fair, a piece from drummer Gregg Field about his days playing with Frank Sinatra:

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/12/frank-sinatra-final-concert-gregg-field-drummer- Jeff 

- A great story testifying to the generous spirit of the great "Big" Sid Catlett:

https://jazzlives.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/the-generosity-of-a-great-artist/

- From Noel Martin Jr., via the Facebook, here's a great piece on developing your left hand, Traditional Grip from the perspective of Tony Williams:



- "The day Elvin Jones fired up Milwaukee's Lakefront Festival of Art in 1972":

http://kevernacular.com/?p=6713

- Ralph Peterson Jr. laying it down with his brushes!



Get well soon Ralph!


- Johnathan Blake stretches out with Joe Lovano and Chris Potter from their interpretation of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme":



And here's a great recent interview with Blake from Jazz Times:

http://jazztimes.com/articles/171205-melody-in-mind-drummer-composer-johnathan-blake

- Some up close drumming from Jack DeJohnette from his appearance at the Drum Boogie Festival in Woodstock, New York:



And more DeJohnette with the Jack DeJohnette All-Stars from the Newport Jazz Festival:

http://livejazzlounge.com/2010/2012/12/08/jack-dejohnette-all-stars-newport-jazz-festival-august-2012/


-  An interview with contemporary Jazz drumming icon Brian Blade:




- This is brilliant!




- What am I listening to these days?

Barry Harris "Luminescence" - Lenny McBrowne (drums)

Duke Pearson "Sweet Honey Bee" - Mickey Roker (drums)

Bob Sheppard "Close Your Eyes" - Antonio Sanchez (drums)

The Fensters "Vol. X" - Alan Jones (drums)

Kevin Harris "Bird Interpretations" - Francisco Mela (drums)


- And today's Final Word goes to Toronto's Mark Kelso:

"The Power of Rhythm" by Mark Kelso

"Rhythm is mystical. Rhythm is spiritual. Rhythm is powerful. It has coexisted with mankind since the dawn of time. There are large rhythmic cycles like the change of the seasons, the orbit of the earth around the sun, the swelling of the sea. Smaller rhythmic cycles like the life of a tree, the life of a person, the sun rising and setting and then smaller cycles again like a baby’s rapid heartbeat or an adults slower heartbeat, the barking of a dog or the clapping of hands. Everything has a rhythm to it and it’s what lets us know we are alive.

As Drummers, we are chosen as vessels to keep rhythm important, to make peoples bodies move, to spread joy, fear, create tension, keep time and most importantly, to make music feel good. The power of rhythm is not to be taken lightly by anyone who ventures down its rhythmic path. If you pick up the sticks, you should know there’s a long journey ahead of you. Rhythm is a living thing and it is embedded deep into our DNA. Everyone’s DNA.The knowledge we have today, as sophisticated as we know it to be, comes from a very old place. From the 5000 year old practice of playing a rattle to a newborn baby, to watching an infant react and instinctively dance when they hear rhythm being played, we can see it’s magic. It’s fascinating to watch when we play a rhythm and it affects a persons physicality. Rhythm can do that! That’s when you can see its power in action. That is when you understand why we play the drums. It’s a gift and we give that gift to everyone who joins in the rhythmic cycle and connects on a deep level to what we do. It is our passion. It is our goal. It is our life."

----------

Thanks again for all your support and I'll be back soon with a few more posts before my annual holiday break. Have a great week.

Mark Kelso "Making Metronome Practice More Fun"

Thanks to the kind folks over at Drumeo, here's Toronto/Humber College's Mark Kelso with his very informative session entitled "Making Metronome Practice More Fun":



Mark also has his own full-length DVD in the works, "Musician First, Drummer Second", so be on the look out for that as well. Check it out: http://groovydrums.com/musician-first-drummer-second/

Art Blakey: Caravan

Thanks to Bill Steiger who passed along this inspiring and action packed clip of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers:

Wallace Roney: The Great Jazz Drummers

Trumpeter Wallace Roney shares his thoughts about the great Jazz drummers:

Here's the complete series:

http://snapshotsfoundation.com/index.php/articles/135-wallace-roney-interview

And few excerpts via YouTube.com:

Billy Martin Solo Drums

A very musical set of solo drums/percussion offered by Billy Martin:

Gigs...

Just some shameless self-promotion for a few exciting upcoming projects I'm very proud to be a part of:

Rakalam Speaks

Some playing, teaching and words of wisdom today from Rakalam Bob Moses:

The Monday Morning Paradiddle

Thanks for checking in and thank you to all of those who contributed comments to my previous Stick Control posts this month. Your comments and feedback are always welcome. I have several more fun, interesting and practical little applications of George Lawrence Stone's essential text to come soon.

Here's what's on the go for today's MMP:


- A very nice column on Shelly Manne over at Scott Fish's excellent blog:

https://scottkfish.wordpress.com/2015/10/22/shelly-manne-portrait-of-a-jazz-success/

Max Roach also offer's some comments on his influences via this article also found on Scott's blog:

https://scottkfish.wordpress.com/2015/10/13/max-roach-a-great-drummer-looks-back-at-influences-1958/

- An interview with Carl Allen:

https://soundcloud.com/ugeneermontazzenter/carl-allen-interview

- Allison Miller speaks with WBGO:

https://www.wbgo.org/blog/allison-miller-sits-down-with-monifa-brown-on-saturday-afternoon-jazz

- Ari Hoenig interviewed via the Iron Curtain:

http://redcurtain.korrous.com/2015/08/13/ari-hoenig/

- Antonio Sanchez is interviewed over at the ever resourceful Drummer's Resource Podcast:

http://www.drummersresource.com/antonio-sanchez-interview/

- The BBC offers their "Desert Island" Buddy Rich picks:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009mv5q


Here's a few more interesting things to check out (well, I think so anyways!):

- Kenny Clarke with Lucky Thompson:



As far as I'm concerned, studying Klook's cymbal beat and comping is a MUST for any aspiring Jazz drummer. You can't go wrong. Now get to work.


- Some rare footage of Britain's Phil Seaman with Al Cohn & Zoot Sims:




- What's better than one super grooving pocket drummer? Well, that would be TWO super grooving pocket drummers playing together! Here's Steve Jordan Jim Keltner laying it down:




- I loved this demonstration of the Ghanaian drum groove Kpanlogo:




- Quincy Davis is still up to great things with his "Q-Tips" over on his YouTube page:







Lots to learn here so check back often.


- Rob Hart offers some fun Tony Williams hi-hat combinations thanks to the nice people over at VicFirth:




- What am I listening to these days?

Hugh Fraser & Jean Toussaint "Back to Back" - Keith Copeland (drums)

Hugh Fraser "In the Mean Time" - Blaine Wikjord (drums)

David Braid "Set in Stone" - Lorne Nehring (drums)

Sonny Rollins "Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders" - Shelly Manne (drums)

Duchess "Duchess" - Matt Wilson (drums)

Terry Gibbs "Dream Band, Vol. 5 " - Mel Lewis (drums)

Kristian Braathen "Tempus Fugit" - Kristian Braathen (drums)


- And today's Last Word goes to Daniel Glass who has this sage advice to offer via the Facebook:

"I once heard Bruce Springsteen say that music is the only “business” that has no rules; that those who become successful are the ones who create their own set of rules. What Springsteen's statement means to me is that it's paramount for each of us to follow our heart and our inspiration, regardless of the naysayers or those who confidently assure us that it can't be done."


Alright, that's all I've got for today. Thanks for checking in, stay focused and have a great week!

Tootie on Brushes

Just a quick, over-the-shoulder, brush demonstration today from Albert "Tootie" Heath:

Stick Control Around the Drums: Part Deux

Just a quick variation to my previous post which (hopefully) offered a simple way to develop some interesting patterns around the drum set using Stick Control.

In my previous post the patterns incorporated the snare drum, small tom, floor tom and ride cymbal (with the bass drum). Today I was messing around with this exercise and discovered even more practical variations if I actually LEFT OUT some drums.

Let me explain…

To review, here's my previous exercise (check out my other previous post for a more comprehensive explanation):

1) Play each line of Stick Control as eighth-notes with the hi-hat on beats 2&4 (or on all four quarter notes)

2) Divide each bar into TWO equal parts (ie. beats 1 & 2 and 3 & 4) and use the following orchestrations:

Beats 1+ 2+ : R = ride cymbal & bass drum, L = small tom

Beats 3+ 4+ : R = floor tom, L = snare drum

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Okay, so as you practice the first few pages of Stick Control you should come up with some fun things to play (and as I discovered, some very melodic ideas as well).

To come up with a wealth of other variations, leave one hand on one instrument, essentially leaving OUT one instrument. For example:


Beats 1+ 2+ : R = ride cymbal & bass drum, L = snare drum

Beats 3+ 4+ : R = floor tom, L = snare drum

* Or the reverse

Beats 1+ 2+ : R = floor tom, L = snare drum

Beats 3+ 4+ : R = ride cymbal & bass drum, L = snare drum


Try this one, which leaves the snare drum out all together:

Beats 1+ 2+ : R = ride cymbal & bass drum, L = small tom

Beats 3+ 4+ : R = floor tom, L = small tom

* Or the reverse

Beats 1+ 2+ : R = floor tom, L = small tom

Beats 3+ 4+ : R = ride cymbal & bass drum, L = small tom


If I wanted to get really "ride cymbal" centric I might try playing all the R's as ride cymbal + bass drum with the L's orchestrated between the other two or three drums accordingly.

Have fun with it and see how many other combinations you can come up with.

The Morning Gospel: Jamey Haddad

If you've been following my blog you know that I'm generally a big fan of different combinations of drum + other instrument duets.

Fiddler Casey Driessen has an interesting project on the go, exploring the rhythmic and percussive possibilities of the fiddle. In this clip he teams up with the multi-dimensional drummer/percussionist Jamey Haddad, coming up with some pretty interesting sonic results:



And here's a longer one also featuring the two of them:



This all, of course, led me to several other great clips of Haddad demonstrating his super interesting approach to blending drum set and percussion instruments:

Stick Control Around The Drums

I stumbled across this exercise yesterday while I was practicing and trying to think of interesting ways to split up paradiddles around the drum set (I was listening to Ed Blackwell that afternoon and he inspired me to do so…) I came up with a simple exercise that yielded some interesting patterns and decided to expand on it by using George Lawrence Stone's Stick Control as well.

I'll do my best to explain this simple method without the benefit of notated parts. Wish me luck! (although you can also refer to the first page of Stick Control above…)

"Stick Control Around the Drums (with a nod to Alan Dawson!)":

1) Play each line as eighth-notes with the hi-hat on beats 2&4 (or on all four quarter notes)

2) Divide each bar into TWO equal parts (ie. beats 1 & 2 and 3 & 4) and use the following orchestrations:

Beats 1+ 2+ : R = ride cymbal & bass drum, L = small tom

Beats 3+ 4+ : R = floor tom, L = snare drum

3) Then reverse the order of the orchestration :

Beats 1+ 2+ : R = floor tom, L = snare drum

Beats 3+ 4+ : R = ride cymbal & bass drum, L = small tom


I also found myself messing around with this version:

Beats 1+ 2+ : R = ride cymbal & bass drum, L = snare drum

Beats 3+ 4+ : R = floor tom, L = small tom

(then try the reverse version as #3)

I came up with many interesting combinations that I hand't really considered before (always a good thing!) and I'm sure you could also come up with some more interesting variations of your own based on this as well.

(just wait until you get to the pages of Stick Control that use triplets!)

I hope this makes sense...

Dan Weiss Plays Tristano

I think this kind of creative ingenuity is brilliant and, if more people do this and try this sort of thing, will inevitably serve to expand the creative potential of the drum set as a musical instrument:

Morgan Childs "On The Street of Dreams"

I've really been enjoying Toronto Jazz drummer Morgan Childs' latest offering over the past few months, a hard swinging and very enjoyable quartet outing featuring Childs on drums with several of my favourite Canadian Jazz artists including Kelly Jefferson on tenor saxophone, Dave Restivo on piano and Jon Maharaj on bass.

Morgan was nice enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about his latest project and his music:
1) How did this recording project come about?

It actually started as a touring project more than a recording project. I had survived a “down” winter in 2011 with less gigs than I would have liked in the months of January and February, and when it looked like 2012 was going to be the same, I resolved to work hard to have something to do the next year. I started working on a tour for a band with personnel to be decided as it came together, and got some nice gigs on the calendar for 2013… gigs at the Yukon Arts Centre, Cellar Jazz Club, Hermann’s, Vernon Jazz Club, Columbia Valley Arts Council, Fernie Arts Station, Yardbird Suite etc… it grew and grew and I was lucky enough to get a Canada Council touring grant. I decided to record the gigs at the Cellar and Yardbird, because those were rooms I had recorded in before and always felt really comfortable playing in. It took awhile for me to decide whether or not I was going to release it—I tend to agonize over the quality of my own playing, which slows the process down. 

2) What's the overall concept for this album?

Since the album was recorded on live dates and nobody knew that it was going to become a record, there’s a sort of freedom to how we’re playing and a looseness… maybe a lack of pressure, the kind of pressure you put on yourself in a recording studio to get the “perfect” take. I like that. I like that the guys stretched out and expressed themselves. When I put the tracks in order for the disc, I thought about what I personally really enjoy as a listener, and tried to put everything in the order to represent what you might hear if you came to hear one really good set at one of these clubs. It comes in a little longer than a lot of records, but if you think about what you might hear in one set at a really great club with great acoustics like the Cellar or Yardbird, I think it is representational of that sound. I suppose the overall concept is intimacy; the sounds on the record are exactly how everything was played in the moment. There isn’t a single edit on the record. 

3) Why/how did you choose the musicians you played with? What unique qualities do they bring to your music?

When I moved to Toronto in 2009, I had kind of a mental list of people I hadn’t played much with but had always really admired and wanted to play with, and Kelly, Jon and David were all high up on that list! I started out playing saxophone trio gigs at the Rex with Kelly and Jon in the winter of 2010, which I loved, but some of the music I was hearing in my head I thought would sound really great with a pianist. Later that year, I toured with the great saxophonist Richard Underhill with a really nice quintet with David on piano and I really felt like we had instant rapport that developed really naturally. Kelly, David and Jon are all superb listeners. It’s really gratifying to play with people who truly listen to what everybody is doing, and make their next musical choice based on that empathetic approach. Of course they are all virtuosos on their individual instruments, but that is less important to me than that sense of musical unity and empathy. I value compelling musical statements above all else, and all these guys are so committed to getting the most out of everything they play. 

4) You begin the album with a beautiful ballad (this is rare....and takes serious guts!) What can you say about this choice and the other standards you chose to record?

Thanks for noticing! I’ve gotten a few compliments on my choice of opener, the title track being the Victor Young tune “On The Street of Dreams”. I like to think of ways to be unconventional… to maybe go against the grain of what would be de rigueur for compiling a set or album order. Many jazz albums (including many of my favourite jazz albums, I should mention) start with a track that functions as an “I can play” statement. I wanted something subtle to draw people into a mood. 

I think about how I can create a sense of flow and balance within a set, not just from tune to tune. Did I play brushes in time on the last ballad? Maybe on this one I will play mallets and play out of time, for example. Did the drums trade 8s in the last tune we played? Maybe this tune, the saxophone and piano can trade with each other instead, or solo at the same time and have that be a mood for a part of the set. Maybe the pianist could play something unaccompanied. Maybe I could play a solo with my bare hands, or play tambourine (actually that’s probably not a good idea!). These are not particularly original ideas (and one has to be careful not to become gimmicky), but every set can be a different, original musical statement because of how you choose to control the texture and pacing of a set of music. Those are important decisions as a leader. Some personal abstraction tends to translate to the listener as being intriguing, which I think is a desirable goal. 

5) Half of the tunes represented on this recording are your own original compositions. Can you speak to your influences and a process as a composer?

 I usually sing little ideas into my voice memo app on my iPhone, and then when I have the chance to write and flesh them out, I think a lot about what kind of song it might become and who is going to play it (or who I would like to play it). I think about how Ellington wrote for the individual voices of a Bubber Miley or Cat Anderson or Ray Nance or Johnny Hodges. I try to find interesting inner voices or basslines to accompany core ideas that I hope are strong melodically. I try to have each piece create a specific effect for me as a listener, and once I’ve achieved that by including some details, I hope that the people I’ve chosen to play it bring it to life with their individual voices and input… that’s very important to me. With everything I write, I try to make the melody the most important thing. The idea of harmony is, for me, something that is there to add nuance and colour to the melodic line. 

6) Any future plans/recordings for this group? 

It’s been awhile since I released a record so I am taking it slow and just trying to get people to hear it and enjoy it and hopefully I will be able to tour these guys again one day. I would like to take them overseas somewhere maybe. I have never played on any other continent, so that remains a goal of mine. 

7) What other projects do you have on the go at the moment?

I am on a new record by Amanda Tosoff called “Words” which is an extraordinary album I’m really excited for people to hear. I have a tour with the Griffith/Hiltz trio in November (Nathan Hiltz: Guitar, synthesizers, bass pedals, Johnny Griffith: Saxophones, bass clarinet, synthesizers), subbing for my good friend Sly Juhas. There is the organ group with Bernie Senensky, Nathan Hiltz and Ryan Oliver that plays every week. I did an August tour with saxophonist David French, Hiltz and bassist Jon Meyer that yielded a crop of new material (no originals, but many cool tunes), we’ll see if that band gets some more work at some point, I’d sure like to play with those guys again. I’m going into the studio with the great guitarist Lee Wallace to record some new material next week. Finally, I have immensely enjoyed the addition to the Toronto scene of organist/pianist Jeff McLeod and guitarist Ben Bishop and I think we will be planning to do more playing together in various contexts in the near future. 

8) Can you speak to your influences as a drummer these days? What kinds of things are you practicing?

I have just started writing out all the possible permutations of all the numbered rolls in the context of snare/bass drum combinations (assigning L to your left hand and R to your bass drum, for example) against the ride cymbal. When I say “all possible” permutations, I mean in every metric context that I could think would be useful, mainly ¼, 1/4note triplets, 8th notes (for the 3-beat rudiments, phrased over the barline until you reach 1 again in bar 4), 16th notes (again, for the 3 beat rudiments, phrasing them across the barline). The idea is that it starts very simple and gets more and more complex, with the feel of each phrase being a unique permutation against the ride cymbal beat. I continue to work on solos from the Wilcoxin book “Modern Rudimental Swing Solos”, and some of the Kenny Clarke book (I think I sent you that stuff?... the Renversements and triple paradiddle pages). My biggest influence lately has been early New Orleans funk music… Lee Dorsey, James Black, Neville Brothers, The Meters etc. 

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To learn more about Morgan's music check out his website www.morganchildsmusic.com and buy his album at www.cdbaby.com/Artist/MorganChilds.

Shirley Scott with Art Taylor

Some seriously groovy and swinging music today featuring the great Art Taylor on drums with Shirley Scott on B3 Hammond Organ and Harold Vick on tenor saxophone:

Kenny Plays Yaiba

I'm posting a little late this week but since I was out of town, better late than never I suppose.

Anyways, here's an entertaining one of the "Jazz Maniac" himself, Kenny Washington, demonstrating his new Canopus Yaiba drums ("Don't walk, RUN!!!" he says...):

(Thanks to Zion Afuang who passed along this gem via the Facebook.)

And just for kick's here's another clip of KW in action with the Bill Charlap trio from a recent hit in Paris at the Duc du Lombards:

*EDIT*

And here's Kenny playing another, different set of Canopus Neo-Vintage drums:

Ben Wendel & Jeff Ballard: The Seasons

More excellent saxophone and drum duet action today from Ben Wendel, this time featuring Jeff Ballard in Wendel's excellent on-going series The Seasons: