Joe LaBarbera recently visited the Avedis Zildjian Cymbal factory while sporting his brand new, limited edition 10th anniversary Four on the Floor t-shirt (and a pair of some nice new hi-hats!)
You can own one too! (I mean the t-shirt...you'll have to contact your local drum shop about the hi-hats...and only while supplies last!)
Drop me a line at fouronthefloorblog@gmail.com and I'll set you up asap (for ordering details please see my previous posts).
Some burning playing from Karriem Riggins on drums along with Mulgrew Miller on piano, Warren Wolf on vibraphone and Joe "Infinity" Sanders on bass, playing Gene Perla's "Tergiversation". What a great way to start the week!
These two clips are all too brief but totally awesome and worth it! Check out this blazing footage of Joe Lovano getting a double dose of some heavy drums with Andrew Cyrille and Billy Hart (recorded at the Knitting Factory in New York City, circa. 2000):
It's nearly Jazz festival season here in Canada and things kick off this week in my hometown of Calgary, AB with the annual JazzYYC Summer Jazz Festival running June 12-16 in various venues across the city. There is lots of great music happening this week and, in particular, many great drummers to check out.
So on that note, here's my very biased and drummer-centric picks of several not-to-be-missed shows to attend and the great drummers that will be performing this week (and in no particular order...)
- Toronto's Larnell Lewis has been making waves around the world with his deep pocket, grooves and chops to spare with artists such as pianist Laila Biali and the band Snarky Puppy. Last November's performance with bassist Mike Downes at Calgary's BuckingJam Palace was a real demonstration of sensitive dynamics and musical inventiveness from behind the drum kit. This guy can roar...but he can also whisper too.
This time Larnell is bringing his own sextet and original music to Calgary on the heel's of his recent Juno nomination to play at the Ironwood Stage & Grill on Saturday, June 15th starting at 7pm.
Larnell will also be offering a FREE drum workshop on Saturday afternoon starting at 2pm, appearing at the National Music Centre.
- Pianist Benny Green's trio featuring bassist David Wong and drummer Aaron Kimmel will undoubtedly be, for me anyways, the highlight of this year's Jazz festival.
Following in the footsteps of the many other great drummers that Green has played with (see Kenny Washington, Carl Allen, Lewis Nash, Jeff Hamilton, etc.) Kimmel's drumming and hard swinging style is no exception and will not disappoint.
Check out the discipline and control that Kimmel maintains at this breakneck tempo:
I know where I'll be on Friday evening starting at 8pm! (appearing at the Studio Bell)
Benny Green will also be offering a FREE workshop on Friday at noon (also at NMC) and I am quite looking forward to this as well.
As per always: when the Masters speak, we listen!
- Toronto's Stich Wynston has been grooving behind the Shuffle Demons for as long as I can remember and it's always a treat to hear him lay it down from behind the drums in his unique way:
Hear Stich and the Shuffle Demons at the Ironwood on Wednesday evening starting at 7pm.
- Montreal's Mark Nelson is a drummer I've long admired since I first met him at the Banff Centre ten years ago. Nelson is appearing with Elizabeth Shepard at the King Eddy on Saturday evening (930pm) along with a great band featuring Michael Occhipinti on guitar, Jacques Kuba-Seguin on trumpet and Calgary's own Jon Wielebnowski on bass.
Here's a brief clip of Nelson demonstrating some inventive rhythms on some nice Gretsch drums:
- Drummer Dan Brubeck, son of the late Dave Brubeck, will be appearing with the Brubeck Brothers Quartet at Studio Bell on Saturday evening (8pm).
- Cody Iwasiuk will be laying down some dirty grooves and greasy backbeats with the Dirty Catfish Brass Band out of Winnipeg on Thursday evening at the Ironwood (7pm)
- When I lived in Toronto I would often check out Glenn Anderson playing drums with a variety of trad Jazz groups including the likes of the Excelsior Dixieland Jazz Band at the Rex on Sunday afternoons. Anderson will be bringing his swinging beat to Calgary, backing up vocalist Alex Pangman on Friday evening at the Ironwood (7pm).
- I first met drummer Mackenzie Longpre at the University of Toronto while I was pursuing my Doctoral studies in Toronto circa. 2007-2009. Mack sounded really great back then and he now he's even better! Longpre will be performing with trumpeter/vocalist Tara Kannangara at the Ironwood on Sunday evening (7pm)
- Calgary tap dancer Kelly Steele has been making a name for herself around town over the past couple of years, faithfully attending jam sessions and gigs, initiating local audiences to the possibilities of Jazz & Tap. Check out Kelly's tap Jazz quartet at the King Eddy on Saturday evening featuring local young lion Harry Faunt on the drums (6pm).
- Once you've seen whatever concert you've chosen, make sure to head down to the Ironwood Bar & Grill Thursday through Saturday evenings (10pm) to hear pianist Dave Restivo and his trio host the late-night festival jam session. Local phenom Colin Adhikary will be holding down the drum chair and I'm sure there will be exciting things to come out of these sessions.
- While not officially part of the festival, but definitely most worthy of any serious Calgary Jazz fan's attention, is the Redline Trio featuring Jeff Sulima on drums at Betty Lou's in the basement of Devinish Building, just off of 17th Avenue and 8th Street SW.
Along with veteran saxman Mark DeJong, these guys have been holding court at this hip cocktail bar every week for well over a year now and it's a great place to relax, enjoy a nice beverage and dig some great music in a hip room. Check them out every Thursday evening starting at 7pm.
- Speaking of regular gigs, the very tasteful Nate Chiang on drums also leads a trio at the Deane House (809 9th Avenue SE) every Sunday night featuring the always well dressed Nate Waters on tenor saxophone. The band starts at 6pm, swings hard and the restaurant menu is awesome.
- And last, but certainly not least, here's a couple of notable gigs of my own coming up this week:
I'll be appearing with guitarist Joel Untinen at the Gravity Espresso & Wine Bar as part of the JazzYYC Jazz Walk on Sunday afternoon from 2-4pm (FREE admission!) Joel is home for the summer following his first year of graduate studies at New York University, studying with guitarist Peter Bernstein so this should be a fun one indeed.
And last, but certainly not least, I am also very excited to present my own "Tribute to Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers" on Thursday, June 13th at the King Eddy (930pm). I am very proud of the band and music I've assembled for this performance and hope that you can join us for this special evening of music.
For more festival and ticket information, visit the JazzYYC website at www.jazzyyc.com and remember, tell them that Four on the Floor sent you!
I have a cool gig coming up in a few weeks and I hope you can all make it.
Art Blakey has been a significant influence on me since I first started playing the drums and on this occasion I've put together a great band to pay tribute to one of Jazz music's most important band leaders and hardest swinging drummers (Blakey was born in 1919 and would have been 100 years old this year!) I've spent hours and hours listening to and studying Art Blakey's music of the years and his example as a hard swinging drummer that truly serves the music has long left an impression on me.
It's rare that I'm asked to put together a tribute project such as this (although recently I did present a trio project with pianist George Colligan and bassist Jodi Proznick to play the music of pianist Herbie Nichols last February at the Yardbird Suite in Edmonton, AB) but when I do it's because it is music that I believe in and has had a profound influence on me.
I never met Art Blakey or had the opportunity to hear him play live so I suppose musical opportunities such as this are my small way of saying "Thank You".
Presented by JazzYYC, we'll be playing at the newly restored King Eddy Hotel, now part of the National Music Centre, located in the East Village (Calgary, AB). I also have a great group of world-class musicians to play with and look forward to an evening of high-energy, hard-swinging music for you all to enjoy.
-------------------------------------------------
JazzYYC Summer Jazz Festival Presents:
Jon McCaslin's Tribute to Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
Some great footage that I hadn't seen before of Klook with the Martial Solal trio from 1958 featuring Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet:
This is a great opportunity to check out Klook's left hand and comping. In particular, dig how Clarke often digs into the quarter notes on the snare drum and the stick/brushes combination near the end.
And also...from Jazz Profiles, a wonderful, recent article on the legacy of Kenny Clarke.
As promised, my limited edition Four on the Floor 10th Anniversary t-shirts are now available!
Thanks again to the Grand Master Cymbalholic himself, Mr. Chad Anderson, for offering this very hip logo for my blog and t-shirt design.
These shirts are now available in medium, large and x-large sizes and are lightweight premium fitted 100% cotton tees.
The shirts are $30 each (+shipping)
If you are interested in purchasing one, please drop me a line asap at fouronthefloorblog@gmail.com or reach me through Facebook/Twitter/Instagram and I'll set you up pronto.
On the heels of his other recent book release "10 Snare Drum Etudes for Improvisation" Eric Binder has recently self-published another excellent book, this time specifically addressing the genre of Bebop drumming.
Eric was nice enough to take time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about his latest offering.
Eric Binder - The Four on the Floor Interview "An Introduction to Bebop Drumming: A Concise Historical Overview and Practical Exercises"
1) Tell us all about your book! What is it all about and what are the goals of your text?
This is a traditional 6x9 paperback book (which is unlike most drum methods); it is easy to carry around and reference. It combines historical material with exercises intended to introduce readers to Bebop. The main objective with this project is to clearly demonstrate that Bebop is a very specific style and genre that is separate from Hard Bop. Far too often the years between the Swing era and the Post-Bop years (1960 and later) get called “Bop”. It worries me when Tony Williams and Elvin Jones are called Bebop drummers. The truth of it is, most drummers (and musicians) don’t know the difference. I aim to identify what is special about Bebop and the drumming style.
2) What was the motivation and inspiration for putting together this method?
My motivation for this book was the term “Bop” being used to categorize all music that wasn’t Swing and wasn’t Post-Bop. Those folks calling Tony and Elvin Bebop drummers really motivated me (haha).
3) How does your book differ from other method books that deal with Jazz (or bebop) drumming? What makes it unique?
Truthfully, I don’t think there are any TRUE Bebop drumming books on the market today. There are books that touch on the drumming style, but don’t identify it as an entity of its own; it’s always “Bop” drumming. My book also provides background on where Bebop came from which is so important to understand. This book is unique in that there is a good amount of history, but also relevant playing exercises and a discography. In my opinion, it is a wonderful reference for all drummers, musicians, and educators.
4) How is your subject matter organized and presented?
The book starts with a concise but informative history on Swing and Bebop music, and drumming. The reader will learn where and how Bebop started and how the drumming evolved. After the history section, there is a large portion of exercises that cover everything from technique, rudiments, comping, melody, and more. The last section is a discography section of Swing and Bebop drummers, and other musicians.
5) Why is it important for drummers to study bebop drumming?
Bebop music created a whole new vocabulary that is still relevant today.The drumming style that was developed through the innovations of Bebop was the beginning of what we know as modern drumming. The way we play “time” on the ride cymbal, the way we play ideas between our 4 limbs, this all started because of Bebop.
6) Do you have any plans for any further books, dealing with other specific styles of Jazz drumming
The next book I am going to release is something I’ve been working on for a while. It is a technique book that is meant for students to use to gain the facility and technique necessary improvise freely. I’m a huge believer in practicing to gain the facility to play freely, rather than work on ideas that you place randomly. What you play should be based off of what is going on in the music, not what you planned on playing (but that’s a whole other discussion). As for books on specific styles, I would eventually like to do Hard Bop and Post-Bop versions.
A wonderful interview with the ever imaginative and inspiring Matt Wilson courtesy of the nice folks over at the Port Washington Public Library:
And here's a fun clip of Matt in action, performing a clever drum solo improvisation over the Carl Sandburg spoken poem "Fog" from his "Honey & Salt: Music Inspired by the Poetry of Carl Sandburg" project (highly recommended!):
I was very fortunate to study with Matt Wilson in New York City back in 2004 thanks to a project grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. I have many very fond memories of my time working together with Matt, mostly in the basement of his home in Baldwin, New York.
We spent hours talking about music and the drums. I was also very fortunate to follow him around with his band too, whether they were playing in a famous New York City Jazz club or a school gymnasium packed full of students. Hanging and learning from Matt was "all music, all the time" and there's not a day that goes by that I don't consider some aspect of our lessons together.
Thank you to Calgary's Jim Johnston who unearthed this cool little piece, featuring Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie, improvising on a multiple-percussion set-up:
Andrew Cyrille isn't a drummer that I'm nearly familiar with but I've been reading Val Wilmer's book "As Serious as Your Life: Black Music and the Free Jazz Revolution, 1957-1977" and this has prompted me to check out some drummers and listen to some new music lately.
Cyrille is, of course, a prolific artist and I am fascinated by his approach to rhythm and orchestration around the drum set. I also really enjoyed this up-close and personal solo performance:
Of course, watching this one led me down a YouTube rabbit hole last night and I discovered this 1969 solo recording of Cyrille:
And then there's this dynamic duo album from 1974 featuring Andrew Cyrille and Milford Graves:
I would also recommend checking out these interviews with this unique, creative mind:
Well, we're well into Spring here but you'd hardly know it where I live, given all the snow that keeps on lingering about (well I suppose it IS Canada after all, eh?) Anyhow, let's not let the weather get us down and instead focus on all the cool things that our hard working correspondents in the Four on the Floor office have compiled for us to check out this month:
- A spotlight on Baby Dodds & Zutty Singleton from Jazz Profiles.
- An audio interview with the great Billy Higgins from Heidi Chang.
- From Jazz Times magazine, Joe Lovano speaks about his favourite Paul Motian recordings:
- The Mel Lewis radio interviews are legendary and required listening for anyone serious about the study of Jazz drumming. And here they are compiled for your listening and educational pleasure.
And also an interview with Mel Lewis by Loren Schoenberg.
*Loren has also posted a number of Mel's radio interviews, featuring various different drummers, on YouTube. I'll get to those later!*
- Montreal drummer and McGill Jazz professor Andre White was a huge influence on me during the 90s while I was living and studying in Montreal (he still is in fact and I often think about his approach to the drums and musicianship...) Not sure where this one came from, but here's some grainy footage of White swinging nicely on a rhythm changes:
- Kendrick Scott also has an amazing new album release on Blue Note. Hear Scott's thoughts on his new music here.
- Jerome Jennings is a hard working drummer who's work ethic and attitude I greatly admire. Here's a cool drum solo piece of his entitled "Heart":
- Carl Allen is one of the busiest drummers on the scene today and I often reflect on my lessons with him, back in the early 2000s.
Here's a couple of interviews with Allen to check out:
- The ever musical Tina Raymond via The Working Drummer podcast:
- Ralph Peterson Jr. featured on the Meinl Cymbals Radio Podcast:
- Here's Keith Hall with a great ride cymbal lesson from his new YouTube lesson series:
- What am I listening to these days?
Keith Jarrett "Standards Live" - Jack DeJohnette (drums)
Bernie Senensky Septet "Re:Action" - Barry Elmes (drums)
Wayne Shorter "Speak No Evil" - Elvin Jones (drums)
Chick Corea "Trio Music - Live in Europe" - Roy Haynes (drums)
Elvin Jones "The Complete Blue Note Recordings" - Elvin Jones (drums)
Paul Chambers "The Complete Blue Note Recordings" - Philly Joe Jones/Elvin Jones/Art Blakey/Art Taylor (drums)
- And today's Final Word goes to the ever wise and swinging Joe Farnsworth (pay attention!):
"Must come from inside you. Like breathing. It has got to be the base from which all your drumming stems. Your quarter note. Not Elvin's. Not Higgins'. Not metronome. Not Red Garland trio. That quarter note must always be there. Start with just cymbal. Slow. Breathe. Make it smooth. Then add bass drum. Then hi-hat. Then snare quarters. Make it all one sound. It's mostly mental practice and sound. Your mind and body must have this down without thinking. Like breathing." - Joe Farnsworth (via Paul Lacotta on the Facebook)
Well, that's all I've got for now. Thanks again for checking in and see you in a minute. Until then, keep swingin' as always!
Some inspiring and creative solo drum and percussion work from Susie Ibarra:
The idea of presenting a concert of solo drum set & percussion music is one that has interested me and captivated my imagination for some time. I've played solo pieces before in the context of a concert with a full-band, but never really an entire concert on my own (not a successful one anyways!) Performances such as this from the likes of Ibarra (and others, such as Joey Baron, Gerry Hemingway, Antonio Sanchez and Ted Warren come to mind) are great examples of how to sustain musical percussive interest over extended periods of time without resorting to drum pyrotechnics or pointless demonstrations of chops and speed.
Actually, now that I think of it, I did actually try this once...during bassist Joel Kerr's "Fat Lamb" Music Festival during the summer of 2000 in Regina, Saskatchewan (incidentally being held across the street from the "Flat Land" Festival being held in Victoria Park!) I remember that I jumped on the opportunity when Joel asked me to fill a set for his nightly ad hoc improvised music festival (at the time Joel and I were touring with the critically acclaimed musical touring act "Saskatchewan Express").
However, I didn't really put any thought into it and basically just hit the drums for an hour straight with no attention to any musical structure, organization or musical development. There was a reasonable crowd present when I started my set and about 3/4 of the audience had left once I was finished an hour later. Perhaps some of the drummers in audience appreciated what I did but I imagine that most people in the audience probably got bored (in fact, I distinctly remember how bored that I personally felt about 10 minutes into the whole thing!) In terms of being a musically responsible solo Jazz drummer that evening, I would have given myself a solid of grade of F.
In retrospect perhaps that's a bit harsh but I do wish I had put more attention and pre-planning into how I structured my performance and I wish I had framed it on a more musical level as opposed to a random "drumming" one. It was certainly a learning experience and one that (even almost 20 years later!) I hope to revisit in the future...
It's been a minute since we've caught up with Chris Smith and his awesome series The Drum Hang. As always, Chris has put together many wonderful and insightful episodes with a ton of great information, covering all sorts of important aspects related to Jazz drumming. Take some time to check these out and learn something:
I'm happy to announce that today marks the 10th anniversary of Four on the Floor!
I started this blog on April 11th, 2009 in my apartment while still living in Toronto shortly before I returned to Calgary (where I've been living for the past 10 years).
I created Four on the Floor for numerous reasons: First and foremost, I was in the middle of studying for my candidacy exam towards my doctoral studies at the University of Toronto that spring and what better way to procrastinate and be counterproductive than by starting an on-line blog??? But in all seriousness, my reasons were actually far more specific (in addition to the convenience of a worthy distraction!)
I've always loved sharing my passion for Jazz drumming with anyone who's interested to hear me out and give me a few minutes of their time. I also consider myself a bit of a musical detective and, to a certain extent, a self-professed Jazz drumming "curator". Personally I get quite excited whenever I discover a cool youtube.com video, an illuminating article/interview or any obscure piece of information that I consider to be a little gem related to the art of Jazz drumming. For awhile I would send out a mass email to my select friends and colleagues, sharing whatever recent discovery that inspired me. I know that some people really appreciated this while some others just considered it to be spam, clogging up their inbox Lol.
However, I was also very inspired by the likes of bloggers Ronan Guilfoyle, Peter Hum, Ethan Iverson, Jesse Cahill, Todd Bishop, Ted Warren and Darcy James Argue (among many others), all of whom maintained excellent blogs and all had great information to share in their respective realms of Jazz music. These examples all inspired me to consider posting my various Jazz drumming finds on my own public, on-line platform.
Most significantly, however, was Chad Anderson's tireless work (along with his partner Patrice) in creating and maintaining the web forum Cymbalholic www.cymbalholic.com which remains one of the beacons in the on-line Jazz drumming community. This forum was a significant motivation for me to do my own thing as well. I first joined this awesome web forum in 2005 and consider it to be an invaluable and informative resource and a wonderful community for anyone who loves cymbals, drums and Jazz drumming.
My intention with Four on the Floor has always been to share various things related to Jazz drumming that inspire me about the art form. Furthermore, I hope that my posts interest other people as much as they excite me and it's my goal to continue to share this information for all to enjoy. At the end of the day, Four on the Floor is my small contribution to making the Jazz drumming community a better place by celebrating all the great things that have come before us, the great things happening today and all the great things we have to look forward to in the future. It's been a really fun ride so far and I sure appreciate all the connections I've made with drummers from all over the world.
Here's a quick shout out to some people who have encouraged me to keep this blog going over the past decade:
Chad Anderson
Adam Nussbaum
John Riley
Matt Wilson
Joe LaBarbera
Jeff Cosgrove
Ted Warren
Conor Guilfoyle
Scott K Fish
Tim Mah
To them, to the many, many others too (you know who you are!) and to all my readers out there I say this: THANK YOU!
Thanks again for all your continued support and here's to another fun ten years of blogging at Four on the Floor!
Onwards & Upwards
Jon McCaslin
Editor-in-Chief
Four on the Floor
btw - Hey check out this great unreleased recording of Charles Lloyd and Billy Higgins playing as a duet from 1993:
And I almost forgot...to celebrate Four on the Floor's 10th anniversary I will be printing a limited number of commemorative t-shirts (yes, for real!) featuring our hip logo (designed by none other than the Grand Master Cymbalholic himself, Chad Anderson!)
Specific ordering information and details will be made available shortly so please be patient while I sort this out. Shoot me an email at: fouronthefloorblog@gmail and I can keep you updated on what will surely be the fashion trend of the year.
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.
