Four on the Floor *Live* featuring Jon Gordon on Instagram IGTV

 

Please join us for the next episode of Four on the Floor *Live* happening next Tuesday, May 4th at 7pm MST (9pm EST), appearing on Instagram Live IGTV @fouronthfloorblog featuring Jon Gordon.

www.jongordonmusic.com

"Jon is one of the greatest alto players ever!" - Phil Woods

A native New Yorker, saxophonist and composer Jon Gordon was born into a musical family and began playing at age ten. In addition to private saxophone studies he attended Performing Arts High School and won numerous competitions, among them the Julius Grossman, the Goldman Band and the Performing Arts Concerto competition. This led to performances as a soloist with the Grossman orchestra, Goldman Band and the Performing Arts Orchestra.

In his mid-teens Jon’s love for Jazz began to bloom. He began sitting in regularly with Eddie Chamblee at Sweet Basil and started lessons with Phil Woods. From 1984-88 he attended Manhattan School of Music. During this time Jon began working professionally including gigs with Red Rodney, Roy Eldridge, Barney Kessel, Al Grey, Eddie Locke, Mike LeDonne, Mel Lewis, Doc Cheatham and many others.

Since that time, he has worked with Maria Schneider, Ron McClure, Clark Terry, Benny Carter, Phil Woods, T.S. Monk, TanaReid and Bill Mays, The Vanguard orchestra, Bill Charlap, Ray Barreto, Mark Turner, George Colligan, Chico Hamilton, Harry Connick jr. and the N.Y. Pops Orchestra, among many others. Jon also appears regularly as a member of the Jazz Nativity, whose other featured artists have included Tito Puente, Ron Carter, Dave Brubeck, Savion Glover, Slide Hampton, and Harold Nicholas.

Jon has led his own groups at various European, Canadian and U.S. jazz festivals and clubs including, Ronnie Scott's and The Pizza Express (London), The Sunside, The Sunset, and La Villa (Paris), The Brecon Jazz Festival (Wales), The Oslo Jazz Festival, The Ottawa Jazz Festival, The Royal Caribbean Floating Jazz Festival, Savannah on Stage, The Savannah Jazz Festival, and The Wolftrap Festival. He has performed as a sideman at dozens of other festivals, clubs and concert halls around the world.

Recent appearances include stints at the Blue Note, Birdland, Visiones, Iridum, Smalls, the Jazz Standard, Jazz in July at the 92nd Street Y, the JVC Jazz Festival, the Village Vanguard, Fat Cat, And The Charlie Parker Festival.

In November of 1996, Jon won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. Judges for this important event were Wayne Shorter, Jackie McLean, Joe Lovano, Jimmy Heath and Joshua Redman. 

Terri Lyne Carrington: The New Standards

A series of instructional videos with NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington from the The Library of Congress (here's the direct link to the Library of Congress website):

 

And a recently streamed concert from The Library of Congress featuring her New Standards band with Kris Davis (piano), Linda May Han Oh (bass), Tia Fuller (flute and saxophone) and Devon Gates (electric guitar and voice):

Four on the Floor *Live* on Instagram IGTV featuring Joe Farnsworth

It's Time to Swing!

Please join me for the next episode of Four on the Floor *Live* happening next Tuesday, April 27th at 7pm MST (9pm EST), appearing on Instagram Live IGTV @fouronthfloorblog featuring Joe Farnsworth!

www.joefarnsworthdrums.com

One of the most highly regarded jazz drummers on the scene today, Joe is known for his blazing speed, precision, musical, and melodic playing.

Born in South Hadley, Massachusetts in 1968, Joe grew up in a musical family; his father was a music educator and he has four older brothers, two of whom became professional musicians.

He studied with Alan Dawson and Arthur Taylor prior to attending and graduating from William Patterson College in New Jersey in 1994 where he began playing with saxophonist Eric Alexander and guitarist Peter Bernstein.

Upon moving to New York City, he led the weekend jazz combos at Augie’s (now Smoke Jazz & Supper Club). He performed with Junior Cook, Cecil Payne, John Ore, Big John Patton, Harold Mabern, Eddie Henderson, John Jenkins and his brothers, John and James.

Joseph’s career includes recording over 100 CD’s as a leader and side-man, jazz festivals and world tours with Pharaoh Sanders, Horace Silver, Harold Mabern, McCoy Tyner, Cedar Walton, Diana Krall, Benny Golson, George Coleman, Johnny Griffin, Lou Donaldson, Benny Green, Barry Harris, Curtis Fuller to name a few.

The Monday Morning Paradiddle - April 2021

And...we're back.

Thank you to everyone who has been tuning into my weekly Instagram interview series Four on the Floor *Live* happening every Tuesday evening. I've really been learning a ton from all the artists who have generously taken time out of their daily lives to speak with me. Thank you for all your ongoing support.

Please tune in tomorrow Tuesday, April 20th at 7pm mountain (9pm eastern) on Instagram IGTV @fouronthefloorblog for my interview with Dr. Colleen Clark www.collendrums.com

Okay, so here's what's in the queue for this months column:

1) A pair of articles from Jazz Times magazine including:

- Carl Allen remembers Charli Persip

- Steve Swallow on Pete LaRoca

2) The Drum History Podcast featured this episode on Alan Dawson and big thanks to Steve Fidyk for also sharing this tribute to Alan Dawson:

3) Matt Wilson interviewed by the Happy Musicians podcast and here is Matt's excellent article from Jazz Times magazine on his favourite ride cymbal melodies!

4) Check out this free on-line concert and get your rhythm fix from CAP UCLA featuring Zakir Hussain and The Masters of Percussion with Marcus Gilmore on drums

5) Ted Warren recently featured by Toronto Jazz including a stellar drums/alto saxophone duet with Allison Au on his original composition O Fink Hoot E

6) Creative Conversations with percussionist Warren Smith:

 

7) Jack DeJohnette interviewed by Dekel Bor for "Speakin' My Piece":

8) A wonderful interview with Lewis Nash, interviewed by Bret Primack:

 

And thank you to Peter Erskine for reminding us of Nash's amazing solo drum rendition of Eddie Harris' Freedom Jazz Dance:

 

9) UNT's Professor of Jazz Drums Quincy Davis continues with his on-going and prolific Q-Tips series on YouTube. 

Check these out! 

Don't forget to check out Quincy's ongoing interview series Drummer 2 Drummer on Instagram @qdjazz

10) A spotlight on Ulysses Owens Jr. thanks to the nice people at the Avedis Zildjian Company:

 

Make sure to check out Ulysses' excellent book Jazz Brushes for the Modern Drummer!

11) Antonio Sanchez performs his original composition Leviathan with Chris Potter on tenor saxophone and Scott Colley on bass:

 

12) Pianist Rossano Sportiello featuring Kenny Washington on the brushes:

13) Jerome Jennings offers this informative webinar masterclass on The Art of Big Band Drumming:

 

14) Some rare recordings of British drummer Kenny Clare demonstrating some brushwork and uptempo timekeeping:

 

 

15) A rare recording of this beautiful trio featuring Geri Allen on piano, Terri Lyne Carrington on drums and Esperanza Spalding on bass:

 

16) Check out this rare Philly Joe Jones drum feature!

 

17) What am I listening to these days?

Dick Oatts "Standard Issue" - James Oblon (drums)

Thelonious Monk "Monk's Dream"- Frankie Dunlop (drums)

Steve Lacy "The Straight Horn of Steve Lacy" - Roy Haynes (drums)

Gary Burton "Like Minds" - Roy Haynes (drums)

Fredrik Kronkvist "Afro-Cuban Supreme" - Jason Marsalis (drums)

The Young Tuxedo Brass Band "Jazz Begins"

Various Artists "Batucada - The Sound of Favelas"

Patrick Boyle "LULL"

18) And today's Final Word goes to Dame Evelyn Glennie with this reminder and important words of wisdom:

*If you like what you are seeing/reading/listening to please consider subscribing to my mailing list. Just click on the subscription box on the right side of my page. Don't miss out and sign up to receive regular Four on the Floor updates to your inbox today!*

Four on the Floor *Live* on Instagram IGTV featuring Colleen Clark

Please join me for the next episode of Four on the Floor *Live* happening next Tuesday, April 20th at 7pm MST (9pm EST), appearing on Instagram Live IGTV @fouronthfloorblog featuring Dr. Colleen Clark!

www.colleendrums.com

https://soundcloud.com/colleen-clark-drummer

Drummer, composer, educator and bandleader, Dr. Colleen Clark is the only drummer and woman to earn a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Jazz Performance at the world-renowned University of North Texas, the oldest jazz institution in America. As a member of the Associate Graduate Faculty at the University of North Texas, Clark currently oversees the research interests of doctoral students in jazz studies.

As a player, Clark has been described as "someone to watch" and "someone who will be turning heads in jazz for years to come." Clark was invited by the ASCAP Foundation to lead her band, the Colleen Clark Collective, at the Kennedy Center. Dr. Clark has performed in prominent NYC venues including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland and the 55 Bar. Her debut album, consisting entirely of her original music, Introducing Colleen Clark, was produced by Gordon Stout and engineered by ten-time Grammy Award nominee/winner, Brian Dozoretz. Clark proudly joined the Sisters in Jazz Collegiate Combo on their premiere performance at the Jazz Education Network Conference in 2019.

Dr. Clark currently teaches at City University of New York's Borough Manhattan Community College and the University of North Texas Clark also serves on the advisory board for The BeBop Corporation and has been a lead teacher in the ChiCa Power program at the Jazz House Kids.

Clark can most recently be heard playing on SteepleChase record #900, Allegra Levy's Lose My Number: Allegra Levy Sings John McNeil.

Dr. Clark is extremely excited to be joining the faculty at the University of South Carolina in August 2021. As Assistant Professor of Jazz, Clark will teach a full drumset studio, jazz history and conduct/coordinate the big bands and small ensembles.

Backyard Afro-Cuban Grooves/Groves *Revisited*

Spring is here (apparently...) but I'm getting quite impatient as it's not really green around here yet (I'm right in the middle of Western Canada...but hey, at least the snow is gone!) 

Anyways, I decided to revisit this footage of my dear friends and amazing percussionists Raul Tabera, Luis Tovar and Mario Allende, recorded in my backyard last summer: 

 

 

There is no lack of green foilage and serious grooves (groves?) in this one!

Four on the Floor *Live* on Instagram IGTV featuring Allison Miller

Please join me for the next episode of Four on the Floor *Live* happening next Tuesday, April 13th at 7pm MST (9pm EST), appearing on Instagram Live IGTV @fouronthfloorblog featuring the incredible Allison Miller!

www.allisonmiller.com

NYC-based drummer/composer/teacher Allison Miller engages her deep roots in improvisation as a vehicle to explore all music. Described by critics as a Modern Jazz Icon in the Making, Miller won Downbeat’s 67th Annual Critics Poll for “Rising Star Drummer” and JazzTimes’s 2019 Critics Poll for “Best Jazz Drummer.” Boom Tic Boom, Allison’s longtime band, won Jazz Journalists Association’s 2019 award for “Best Mid-Sized Ensemble.” Her composition, “Otis Was a Polar Bear”, is included on NPR’s list of The 200 Greatest Songs by 21st Century Women+. She is also the first recipient of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation’s Commissioning Grant. In January 2020 Miller along with her band, Boom Tic Boom, tap dancer-Claudia Rahardjanoto, and video designer-Todd Winkler premiered this new multimedia suite, In Our Veins, with a seven show tour sponsored by Jazz Touring Network and Mid Atlantic Arts. The project explores multimedia performance as a vital form of knowledge production through the poetic interpretation of historical events and their association with the geography, ecology and flow of specific rivers.

Miller, a three time Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department, was Monterey Jazz Festival’s 2019 Artist in Residence, alongside bassist/producer Derrick Hodge. Simultaneously her band, Boom Tic Boom, celebrated itss 10th anniversary with the release of their 5th album, Glitter Wolf, which was included in many “Best Jazz Of 2019” lists, including NPR, Rolling Stone and Jazz Times magazine. NPR’s Kevin Whitehead says, “All the parts fit together like clockwork on Allison Miller's new album.” The band has toured extensively throughout the US, Europe and Asia as well as being featured on such programs as NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Tiny Desk with Bob Boilen, WNYC’s Soundcheck and New Sounds with John Schaefer, and Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride.

While breaking from leading Boom Tic Boom, Miller focuses on collaborations, co-directing Parlour Game with Jenny Scheinman and Science Fair with Carmen Staaf. Parlour Game’s debut album also made “Best Jazz Of 2019” lists, including LA Times, Boston Globe, The Nation and was recently featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition. Miller is also a proud member of the critically acclaimed Bluenote recording supergroup Artemis, and is the musical director for Camille A. Brown’s Ink.

As a side-musician, Miller has been the rhythmic force behind such artists as Sara Bareilles, Ani DiFranco, Natalie Merchant, Brandi Carlile, Indigo Girls, Toshi Reagon, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Patricia Barber, Marty Ehrlich, Ben Allison, and Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Allison teaches at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music (where she was recently named a Melba Liston Fellow), Stanford Jazz Workshop, Centrum, Geri Allen Jazz Camp, and is the Artistic Director of Jazz Camp West. She has been appointed Arts Envoy to Thailand for her work with Jazz Education Abroad and endorses Yamaha drums, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth heads, Evans drumheads and Sunhouse percussion.

Charles Lloyd Quartet - Belgium 1966

Here's some great footage that has been making the rounds lately of Charles Lloyd's quartet featuring Jack DeJohnette on drums with Keith Jarrett and Cecil McBee, filmed for Belgian television circa. 1966:

Four on the Floor *Live* on Instagram IGTV featuring Carl Allen

Please join us for the next episode of Four on the Floor *Live* happening next Tuesday, April 6th at 7pm MST (9pm EST), appearing on Instagram Live IGTV @fouronthfloorblog featuring Carl Allen.

www.carlallen.com

I've been looking forward to this one for a long time!

“My ultimate goal is to get to a level like Art Blakey, Art Taylor, Elvin Jones, and Billy Higgins…who every time they sit down behind a set of drums it’s swinging…”

With over 200 recordings to his credit, the gifted Milwaukee-born, New York-based drummer, sideman, bandleader, entrepreneur, and educator, Carl Allen’s profound and propulsive percolations provided soulful and syncopated support for nearly three decades.

Born on April 25, 1961, Allen grew up on gospel, R&B, and funk, but later turned to jazz after hearing an LP by the legendary saxophonist Benny Carter. He studied with drum instructor Roy Sneider and band director Robert Siemele. His first hometown gigs were with sax greats Sonny Stitt and James Moody. Allen studied at The University of Wisconsin at Green Bay from 1979 to 1981, and transferred to William Patterson College in New Jersey, where he graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Studies and Performance.

Allen joined trumpeter Freddie Hubbard a year before his graduation,  served as his Musical Director for eight years, and recorded several recordings with the trumpeter including Double Take and Life Flight. Allen also played with Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Benny Golson, Jennifer Holliday, J.J. Johnson, Rickie Lee Jones, Sammy Davis Jr., Branford Marsalis, Kenny Garrett, Lena Horne, Ruth Brown, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Bobby Hutcherson, Mike Stern, Nellie McKay, Terence Blanchard, Phil Woods, Benny Green, Cyrus Chestnut, Joe Henderson, Billy Childs and many others. Allen’s phenomenal sideman discography also includes Jackie McLean (Dynasty), Donald Harrison (Indian Blues, Noveau Swing), Donald Byrd (A City Called Heaven), and Art Farmer (The Company I Keep).

“Carl Allen is an international powerhouse. His sound and feelings have fueled the bands of Freddie Hubbard, Christian McBride and countless others as well as leading his own projects." – Joe Lovano

Piccadilly Square (Timeless) was Allen’s first CD as leader, released in 1989, followed by The Dark Side of Dewey (Evidence), The Pursuer (Atlantic), Testimonial (Atlantic), and Get Ready, his 2007 Mack Avenue gospel/Motown accented debut release with co-leader, bassist Rodney Whitaker followed up by Work to Do (Mack Avenue Records) featuring Kirk Whalum.

Education has always been part of my mission Allen says. Art Blakey taught me the importance of nurturing the next generation of musicians. “Every generation needs someone to help them get to the next level and this what I am hoping to do”. In May of 2012 Allen received an honorary doctorate from Snow College in Ephraim, Utah in Humane Letters.

Allen is also an accomplished businessman. He co-founded Big Apple Productions in 1988 with saxophonist Vincent Herring, produced several recordings for several Japanese labels with future stars Roy Hargrove and Nicholas Payton. Several years ago he created Nella Productions which produces projects and developed an education component to the company called The New York Jazz Symposium where he runs workshops around the world on jazz. Allen has also produced recordings for pianist Eric Reed, Dewey Redman. Pharoah Sanders, Freddie Hubbard, Kris Bowers and guitarist Lage Lund, the winner of the 2005 Thelonious Monk International Monk Competition and many others totaling nearly 70 credits as a producer.

Carl Allen’s multifaceted career provides the perfect template for what a modern musician should be. As Sid Gribetz of Jazz Times wrote, “more than just another fine drummer, Carl Allen has it all together as a bandleader, businessman, and producer, becoming a force in today’s jazz world.”

Allen maintains an exhaustive schedule of recording, touring and teaching. He remains active as a sideman with Christian McBride and Inside Straight, Benny Golson and others. As a leader most recently leading The Carl Allen Quartet as well as The Art of Elvin, a tribute band dedicated to his two drum influences, Art Blakey and Elvin Jones was started after the passing of Elvin Jones in 2004.

Brian Blade/Daniel Lanois - "Burning Spear"

Here's Brian Blade featured on Daniel Lanois' "Burning Spear":

What a great way to start the week. Let's go!

Four on the Floor *Live* on Instagram IGTV featuring Mareike Wiening

 

Please join us for the next episode of Four on the Floor *Live* happening next Tuesday, March 30th at noon 12pm MST (2pm EST and 8pm in Germany!), appearing on Instagram Live IGTV @fouronthfloorblog featuring drummer/composer Mareika Wiening!

*Please note the 12pm Mountain start time next week, to accommodate an 8 hour time zone difference!*

Make sure to check out Mareika's new live EP, Live at Bird's Eye Basel: https://mareikewiening.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-birds-eye-basel

https://mareikewiening.com

https://mareikewiening.bandcamp.com

Drummer, composer and bandleader Mareike Wiening has distinguished herself bringing “a planar modulating harmonic language and a propulsive drift” (Giovanni Russonello, New York Times) to the most compelling jazz music of today. Ms. Wiening’s music was described as “thoroughly modern, progressive jazz, Mareike Wiening’s album Crosswalk has many layers that unfold with each repeated hearing; she will most definitely become a leading part of the jazz scene in the years to come.” (All About Jazz)

Her new album, Metropolis Paradise, which was recorded as the last session at the legendary Systems Two Recording Studio, will be released on November 1st 2019 through Greenleaf Records.

Wiening is based in New York as well as Cologne, Germany and has performed with artists throughout the United States, Europe and South America. She has appeared with John Zorn’s COBRA, German Jazz Youth Orchestra and multiple Off-Broadway Shows. Wiening has worked with renowned musicians such as Rich Perry, Stefon Harris, Dan Tepfer, Dayna Stephens, Fabian Almazan, Johannes Enders, Ben Wendel, Florian Weber, Adrian Mears, among others.

Besides leading her own quintet featuring Rich Perry, Glenn Zaleski, Alex Goodman and Johannes Felscher, Ms. Wiening is also an in demand side-woman in the New York jazz scene and in Europe. Venues and festivals such as New York’s Winter Jazzfest, Atlanta Jazzfestival, Elbjazz Hamburg, Juan Le Pins, The Jazz Gallery, Blue Note NYC, German Consulate and the Carnegie Hall and Bird’s Eye Basel are only a few of her regular performance places. She is endorsed by Meinl Cymbals and Meinl Sticks&Brush exclusively.

A native German, Ms. Wiening received her bachelor of music degree from the University of Performing Arts Mannheim and the Rhythmic Conservatory of Music Copenhagen. She received her master of music degree from the University of Performing Arts Mannheim and New York University.

Ms. Wiening attended the Banff International Jazzworkshop and the International Annual Jazz Meeting with musical director Dave Liebman in Sao Paul, Brazil. She studied with Stefon Harris, Michael Küttner, Tony Moreno, Guillermo Klein, Henry Cole, Marilyn Mazur, among others.

The Monday Morning Paradiddle - March 2021

And...we're back. 

Thanks again for tuning in and there are lots of great jazz drumming related pieces, old and new, to check out today. Special thanks to those of you who passed along and shared many great articles and videos with me over the past month. If you have anything you'd like to share, please drop me a line at fouronthefloorblog@gmail.com and I'd love to hear from you.

*Just a quick reminder: please consider entering your e.mail address on the right side of the page to subscribe to my mailing list. Don't miss out, subscribe today and receive Four on the Floor directly to your inbox!*

*Click on a link that looks like this, located on the right hand side of the page!*

Here's what's been circulating around the Four on the Floor offices this month:

1. My weekly interview series Four on the Floor *Live* is still happening every Tuesday evening on my Instagram page @fouronthefloorblog at 7pm MST (9pm EST). Thanks to everyone who has been watching. 

Tune in this week (tomorrow night) for my interview with Ulysses Owens Jr.!

On March 30th I'll be featuring drummer/composer Mareike Wiening from Germany (at 12pm MST!) and on April 6th I'll be speaking with the great Carl Allen (7pm MST/9pm EST).

2. The second instalment of The Three Bloggers series continues featuring Four on the Floor, Ted Warren of Trap'd and Todd Bishop of Cruiseship Drummer collectively offering these thoughts on the seminal Miles Davis album "Milestones: 

The Three Bloggers - Part 2: Milestones by Jonathan McCaslin

The three bloggers listen to Milestones by Todd Bishop

The Three Bloggers Part 2 : Thoughts on Milestones by Ted Warren

Round #3 will be coming around the end of the month or so. Look out for our general thoughts about the idea of Technique (What does it mean? Is it even important? How much does one need?)

3. Jazz Portraits was a series produced for CBC Radio in 2008 and hosted by pianist Renee Rosnes. Click on the link and check out the episode featuring Canadian jazz drumming great Terry Clarke (well, listen to all of them!)

4. Cindy Blackman Santana on Tony Williams from SFJazz

5. The legacy of Milford Graves featured in WIRE magazine

6. Stanton Moore and Marcus Gilmore each sit down with Mike Dolbear and talk technique in these features from Zildjian cymbals

7. I've really been digging Adam Osmianski's blog lately, particularly his analysis and discussion of Brazilian rhythms in his regular offering That Drum Blog. 

Check out his transcription of Edu Ribeiro's solo piece Diddle Diddle:

 

8. The late Ralph Peterson Jr. was recently featured in the New York Times, on NPR radio and in Jazz Times magazine.

Here's a few clips of the master in action including a cadenza from a fiery version of A Night in Tunisia from the Mount Fuji Jazz Festival, recorded a few years back (playing double drums with Lewis Nash no less!)

 

...a more recent performance of "Steppin' in Minor" featuring Chris Potter, Orrin Evans and Buster Williams:

 

...and an example of Peterson demonstrating his unique approach to melodic drumming, recorded at the 2013 PASIC convention:

9. David Garibaldi, Mike Clark, Michael Shrieve, Lenny White and Greg Ericco have teamed up to create On the Corner with the Stick People. Check out this recent episode in which they speak with Peter Erskine:

10. Edu Ribeiro continues with his great, ongoing interview series through Open Studio, this time featuring the always inspiring Allison Miller:

 

11. Make sure to check out Allison Miller's wonderful webinar on creative music making as well:

12. Joe Chambers interviewed by Don Was, speaking about his latest album on Blue Note Records:

 

13. John Riley offers this lesson on uptempo time keeping:

 

...and this story about working with Michel LeGrand:

 

14. Lewis Nash trades with Hank Jones!

15. Quincy Davis continues with his incredible Q-Tips series, offering practical advice and insightful ideas to work on, no matter your skill level or experience. I play through all of these and learn something every time I watch them. I also think it's important that others know about them as well, so here they are. Thank you Quincy and keep up the great work!

 

Also, make sure to check out Quincy's excellent ongoing Drummer 2 Drummer live interview series on Instagram IGTV at @qdjazz

16. Speaking of which, I really enjoyed Quincy's recent IG interview with Marvin "Smitty" Smith and that lead me to find these two incredible videos, found on Smith's own YouTube page:

WOW!

17. Thana Alexa & Antonio Sanchez with a vocal + drums collaboration on Sanchez' Bad Hombre:

 

18. I'm not sure about you but despite being able to practice a lot of drums these days, I sure do miss playing with people. It will happen eventually! To that point, Steve Fidyk offers this useful advice on building behind a soloist in a big band:

 

19. I shared this one a long time ago, but here it is again. Billy Drummond demonstrates the groove to his original 7/4 composition Dubai:

 

I could listen to his ride cymbal beat all day!

20. Jazz Talk has been offering regular interviews on their YouTube channel, hosting contemporary jazz greats.

Check out these interviews with Nasheet Waits:

 

 Carl Allen:

 

 Jeff "Tain" Watts: 

 

...and Billy Hart!

 

As always, when the Masters speak, we listen!

21. The Ottawa Jazz Festival recently presented an online version of its Winter Jazz Fest and there was lots of great music and Canadian drummers to hear.

Kirk MacDonald's Generations Quartet featuring Toronto's Morgan Childs:

 

Montreal's Ranee Lee with Jim Doxas on drums:

 

And, also from Montreal, the JazzLab Orchestra featuring Michel Lambert on drums:

22. I've really been enjoying this ongoing, regular series from Joe Lovano (recorded last summer in his backyard) featuring the always dynamic Lamy Istrefi Jr. on drums:

Yeah!

23. And finally, here's some swinging organ trio music with Milt Buckner, Slam Stewart on bass and the one and only Jo Jones!

 

24. What am I listening to these days?

Charlie Christian & Dizzy Gillespie "Jazz Immortal - After Hours: Monroe's Harlem Minton's - Live" - Kenny Clarke (drums)

King Curtis "Live at the Fillmore" - Bernard Purdie (drums)

BPM Trio "Audi Alteram" - Mark Adam (drums)

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan "Live at WOMAD 1985"

Charlie Parker "Swedish Schnapps" - Kenny Clarke, Max Roach (drums)

Warren "Baby" Dodds "Talking & Drum Solos"- Baby Dodds (drums)

Artemis "ARTEMIS" - Allison Miller (drums)

Walter Davis Jr. "Scorpio Rising" - Ralph Peterson Jr. (drums)

25. And today's Final Word(s) go to Terri Lyne Carrington with her inspiring performance piece I am the Drums...

...and Matt Wilson, with this poem:

Human Moments - In the Moment (for Frank Kimbrough)

Rhythm is the result of sound and space.

Value and trust, the beauty of the sound.

Value and trust, the spirit of the space.

The space?

The space is where the mystery and faith resides.

Celebrate human moments - in the moment.

the sounds.

the spirits.

the rhythms.

the spaces.

Be grateful and rejoice.

Matt Wilson       January 2021

Four on the Floor *Live* on Instagram IGTV featuring Ulysses Owens Jr.

Please join me for the next episode of Four on the Floor *Live* happening next Tuesday, March 23rd at 7pm MST (9pm EST), appearing on Instagram Live IGTV @fouronthfloorblog featuring Ulysses Owens Jr.!

Heralded as a “legitimate jazz triple threat” (Critical Jazz) who “takes a back seat to no one” (The New York Times), performer, producer and educator Ulysses Owens Jr. goes the limit in the jazz world and beyond.

One of the most sought-after drummers of his generation, Owens sets the mark. From GRAMMY award-winning performances with Christian McBride’s acclaimed Trio and Big Band to world tours with Kurt Elling and Joey Alexander, Owens’s artistic command of percussion has earned him positions in some of the most successful jazz ensembles of the 21st century. Owens’s reverence for tradition distinctly manifests in his straight-away playing style, but it is the versatility of his talent— his unique ability to manipulate texture and create penetrating musical shapes— that attracts the attention of jazz’s heavy hitters. His performance catalog includes collaborations with Nicholas Payton, Wynton Marsalis, Monty Alexander, Dianne Schurr, Renee Fleming and Mulgrew Miller, just to name a few.

A burgeoning force in the industry, Owens has been named a Rising Star by DownBeat’s Critics Poll for five years straight. He is a recipient of the 2013 ASCAP Plus Award, a Gold Medal winner of the 2014 Global Music Awards, a 2015 Jazz at Lincoln Center Swing! Awards Honoree, and 2019 “3rd Runner-Up,” in Classic Jazz Category in the Modern Drummer Magazine Readers Poll. Still, most notable of Owens’s accomplishments are his performances on the 2010 GRAMMY award- winning Kurt Elling live album, Dedicated to You, and the 2012 GRAMMY award- winning Christian McBride Big Band album, The Good Feeling. His work with Joey Alexander, the Christian McBride Trio, and Gregory Porter have also received recognition by the Recording Academy, garnering GRAMMY nominations for the albums; My Favorite Things, Countdown, Out Here , Live at the Village Vanguard, Nat King Cole and Me.

At the heart of Owens’s work is a passion for creation and the desire to reach new audiences. On and off stage, music emanates from every inch of his being, and no performance goes unmarked by Owens’s signature smile. Owens is a gifted powerhouse of a showman” (Glide Magazine), and a drummer bandleader, claiming five successful albums of his own (It’s Time for U, Unanimous,Onward and Upward, Falling Forward, Songs of Freedom.) and four self-produced albums with the New Century Jazz Quintet (Time is Now, In Case You Missed Us,Arise, and Soul Conversion), a skillful group he co-leads with pianist Takeshi Ohbayashi in Japan. Owens’s band-first philosophy ensures that all conversations with an audience remain fluid and focused, another stamp of his seasoned expertise and professional sophistication.

Amidst touring, Owens is regularly involved in special projects. In 2015, he served as Artist-in-Residence at the Park Avenue Armory Conservancy where he presentedUlysses in 3. This multi-disciplinary performance piece showcased the literary masterpiece Ulysses by James Joyce, the work of celebrated choreographer Ulysses Dove and Owens’s own original compositions, weaved together through the mediums of music, dance, spoken word and visual art. That same year, Owens was commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art to compose a work for the Museum’s Summer Garden Series. The final result was a seven-movement suite entitled Stages of Us reflecting on the African American experience.

A strong believer in community engagement, Owens has ardently supported cultural institutions. From 2012 to 2015, Owens served as the Jazz Vesper Series Artistic Director at the world-renowned Abyssinian Baptist Church. He was also appointed Artistic Music Curator for the legendary Minton’s Playhouse, at the request of restaurateur Alexander Smalls, producing over 85 shows for the jazz club during its 2015 fall season.

Owens has also been making a name for himself in production circles, having accumulated over 40 producer credits in just a few short years. His production of Olivia Foschi’s Perennial Dreamer was described by JazzTimes as “fresh, innovative, and refreshingly uplifting...appealing to a new generation of listeners, while still honoring jazz as a tradition.” The Owens-produced Abiah album, Life as A Ballad, debuted at #20 on the Billboard charts, and his production of Candice Hoyes’s album,On a Turquoise Cloud, was named one of the best albums of 2015 by SoulTrain.com. Co-producing, GRAMMY winning singer, Alicia Olatuja’s albums “Timeless,” and her most recent album “Intuition, Songs from the Minds of Women,” having been released in February, 2019 and has been receiving rave reviews.

Owens’s steadfast belief that “music is a universal language with the ability to heal the soul,” coupled with his commitment to disseminating art, is encapsulated no greater than in his lifelong career educating music’s next generation of leaders. Owen’s C.V. includes positions at music schools across New York City and countless speaking engagements hosted domestically and abroad. In 2016, Owens was invited by Wynton Marsalis and Aaron Flagg of the Juilliard School’s Jazz Studies Program, Owens’s alma mater, to join the institution’s esteemed faculty as an instructor for small ensembles.

Despite spending the greater part of his calendar year on the road, Owens also remains tightly connected to his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida where his family founded Don’t Miss a Beat, Inc., a non-profit organization empowering young people to dream big and give back to their communities through a blend of musical, artistic, academic, and civic engagement programming. As DMAB Artistic Director, Owens has created programs for over 200 children and teens annually, including a cross- cultural exchange that gives students the opportunity to experience art and culture abroad. Having had the fortune of dedicated mentors throughout his career, Owens’s interest in investing in young people’s education and self-esteem is a deeply personal cause and one essential to his vision of pushing art forward.

As an educator Owens’ has delved into the realm of being the co-creator of his online jazz drum video course, “Finding Your Beat,” distributed and produced by Open Studio Network, and has amassed thousands of subscribers globally that desire to learn more about his performance and teaching philosophy. He has most recently been asked by Hal Leonard Publishing company, to write his first book “Jazz Brushes for the Modern Drummer: An Essential Guide to the Art of Keeping Time,” set for release by January 2020.

Owens’ most recent album, “Songs of Freedom,” features the music of Abbey Lincoln, Joni Mitchell, and Nina Simone; released by the Resilience Music Alliance record label. This album has been selected by JAZZIZ Magazine of one of 10 Jazz albums to listen to in March 2019. The album features bassist Rene Marie, Alicia Olatuja, and Theo Bleckmann as the featured vocalists, and David Rosenthal, Allyn Johnson and Reuben Rogers in the band.

Ulysses remains consistently in demand for new projects as an Artist, Producer, and Educator, remaining one of the most sought-after drummers and thought leaders of his generation. Yet what matters to him consistently is giving back and continuing to be grateful for a new day, to make a difference in the lives of others.

Webinar Announcement: The Evolution of Jazz Drumming

I've been invited by Calgary's BuckingJam Palace to present this educational webinar on Sunday, March 28th at 3pm MST.

The webinar will be presented via Zoom and is open to anyone (and it's also free for students and musicians!)

Register on Eventbrite via the BuckingJam website and you'll be sent a Zoom link via e.mail.

I will be talking about and playing music from many of my favourite jazz drummers from Warren "Baby" Dodds to Brian Blade and everything in between! 

Tickets and information are available here.

About the Webinar:

“The drum is the first instrument. And the drummer is the key – the heartbeat of jazz.” – Jo Jones 

Join Calgary jazz drummer Jon McCaslin in his guided tour through the evolution of jazz drumming. This webinar will offer a basic understanding and appreciation of how the rhythms of jazz drumming have changed and evolved over the past 100 years. Learn about drumming icons such as Warren “Baby” Dodds, Chick Webb, Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette and many more in this musical survey of jazz music’s masters of time and rhythm.

“Do you know why they call a drummer’s seat a throne? Because drummers are kings and queens!" – Ed Thigpen