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."

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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...