April 2002 - Modern Drummer Magazine

ContentsContentsBUDDY

A Photographic Portrait No use arguing, Buddy Rich was the king.

In this exclusive feature, MD takes you on aview through the lens of Buddy’s entire, amazingcareer. Special bonus: Contemporary jazz greatJohn Riley’s personal thoughts on the master.

Volume 26, Number 4

50Spock’s Beard’sNICK D’VIRGILIOLike his hero, Phil Collins, Nick D’Virgiliois out to prove progressive rock is morethan just odd times and faux-classicalmotifs. This is one drummer with soul.by Mike Haid

JOE LA BARBERAJoe La Barbera has backed the best inthe biz. Tony Bennett, Bill Evans—thelist is as deep as Joe’s jazz feel. Yeah,that deep.by Rick Mattingly

IN THE CLEARThe Past, Present, AndFuture Of Acrylic DrumsFrom Led Zeppelin to The ButtholeSurfers, some of the coolest bands inthe land have made a major visual state-ment with “plastic” traps. Thing is, theysound pretty darned great too! MD tellsthe tale of the great see-through drums.by Jim DeRogatis

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UPDATEPaul McCartney’s Abe Laboriel Jr.Lit’s Allen ShellenbergerThe Butthole Surfers’ King CoffeyEndangered Species’ Richie HaywardWilco’s Glenn KotcheHeavy Rock Maestro Tommy AldridgeSon Volt’s Mike HeidornColonel Parker’s Slim Jim Phantom

WOODSHEDA PERFECT CIRCLE’SJOSH FREESEGoing mobile with the notorious one man drum orgy.by Waleed Rashidi

FFIIRRSSTT PPEERRSSOONNJeff OcheltreeTeching For Bonhamby Billy Amendola

IN MEMORIAMROCK ‘N’ ROLL LEGEND

PANAMA FRANCISNot only was Panama there when jazz morphed into rock, he had a major hand in the transformation.by Rick Van HornMD Giveaway

Win One Of Twelve Fabulous Prizes, Including Canopus Drums, Wuhan Cymbals, New Sound Stands, Beato Bags, And AccessoriesFrom Groove Juice And Grip Peddler

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96 RROOCCKK PPEERRSSPPEECCTTIIVVEESSMirror-Image Exercisesby Rod Morgenstein

100 TTHHEE MMUUSSIICCAALL DDRRUUMMMMEERRUnderstanding The LanguageOf Music, Part 7: 6th And 7th Chordsby Ron Spagnardi

104 JJAAZZZZ DDRRUUMMMMEERRSS’’WWOORRKKSSHHOOPPThe Stripped-Down Kit Approachby Ron Spagnardi

106 CCOONNCCEEPPTTSSUndertow: A Good Mechanism For Your Timeby Billy Ward

110 OOFFFF TTHHEE RREECCOORRDDPuddle Of Mudd’s Greg Upchurch: Come Cleanby Ed Breckenfeld

114 TTHHEE JJOOBBBBIINNGG DDRRUUMMMMEERRThe Distance Factor:Projecting The Right Sound To Your Audienceby Ron Hefner

128 BBAASSIICCSSChoosing The Right Equipment:Tips For The Jazz DrummingNoviceby Steve Smith

132 SSHHOOPP TTAALLKKA Practical Guide To NoiseReduction, Part 5:Room Treatment For Optimum Soundby Mark Parsons

136 FFRROOMM TTHHEE PPAASSTTJazz/Rock Pioneersby Rod Fogarty

14 AASSKK AA PPRROOGene Lake and Joe Morello

18 IITT’’SS QQUUEESSTTIIOONNAABBLLEE

118 CCRRIITTIIQQUUEE

124 OONN TTHHEE MMOOVVEE

Departments

Education

Equipment30 NNEEWW AANNDD NNOOTTAABBLLEE

38 PPRROODDUUCCTT CCLLOOSSEE--UUPPMeinl Byzance Cymbalsby Rick Mattingly

40 Spaun 100% Birch Drumsby Martin Patmos

42 Istanbul Agop Mel Lewis 1982 Cymbals

And Alchemy Custom Hi-Hatsby Will Romano

44 Pearl CST-80 Cymbal Stacker

And BC-800W Boom/Cymbal Standby Chap Ostrander

46 Earthtone Natural Skin Drumheads by Chap Ostrander

8 AANN EEDDIITTOORR’’SS OOVVEERRVVIIEEWWYour Own Best Criticby Adam Budofsky

10 RREEAADDEERRSS’’ PPLLAATTFFOORRMM

148 BBAACCKKBBEEAATTSSPASIC 2001 and more

154 DDRRUUMM MMAARRKKEETTIncluding Vintage Showcase

160 DDRRUUMMKKIITT OOFF TTHHEE MMOONNTTHH

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Modern Drummer April 20028

As editor of Modern Drummer’s Critique department, each week Ireceive dozens of independently released CDs for review considera-

tion. Despite what all the “do-it-yourself” music-biz books say, publicizingyour own CD is about as fun as being stuck behind a garbage truck on amuggy day. I know, because I’ve done it for my own bands for years. Andit’s more than just the rejection. What really bums me out is when I get noresponse of any kind from an editor. I mean, a simple email saying,“Never soil my in-box with your hellish din again” would suffice. But,often, nothing. What ever happened to common courtesy, anyway?

Working at MD has given me a perspective from the other side of thefence as well. The music press doesn’t have it so easy these days. Playingand selling music has always been a business. But as the major labelsbecome increasingly run by marketers and accountants, popular musicbecomes more and more the domain of prepackaged acts and clones ofthe latest hit. This makes your average critic very cranky.

Perhaps more importantly, the rise of the home studio has resulted inthousands of sub-par recordings flooding the market. For every home-grown groundbreaker like Moby, there are a hundred artists with nothingnew to say. Again, more crankiness for those who have to figure out thedifference.

So what does this all have to do with you, humble drummer? Plenty. Ifyou have a self-produced CD that you want MD to consider reviewing, beaware that your competition is fiercer than ever. In the cold light of day,compare your CD to the best albums in your genre. But be honest with your-self! Because, frankly, you can’t trust anyone else to be honest with you.

So, does your music measure up? No? Well, that’s okay. At least now youknow what to do to improve it. You say it does compare well? Great! Sendit in, we’d love to hear it. Just do me a couple favors.

First, be patient; sometimes it takes us a little while to listen to every CDwe receive.

Second, if we reject it, don’t take that as a “ruling from above” that yourdisc, or your playing, are somehow unworthy. Rather, understand that weonly have room to publish a very small percentage of what we receive. Andof that number, we feel it’s our duty to dedicate a good amount of space tonew releases by readers’ favorite artists.

And last, if we do choose to review your album, remember us when youget to the top. But also remember that, ultimately, the only opinion worththe paper it’s written on is your own.

an editor’s overview

EDITOR/PUBLISHERCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICERASSOCIATE PUBLISHERSENIOR EDITOREDITORIAL DIRECTORMANAGING EDITORASSOCIATE EDITOREDITORIAL ASSISTANTSENIOR ART DIRECTORASSISTANT ART DIRECTORASSISTANT ART DIRECTORADVERTISING DIRECTORADVERTISING ASSISTANTEDITORIAL/ADV. ASSISTANTMARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONSWEB SITE DIRECTOROFFICE ASSISTANT

MODERN DRUMMER ADVISORY BOARD: Henry Adler,Kenny Aronoff, Eddie Bayers, Louie Bellson, Bill Bruford, HarryCangany, Jim Chapin, Dennis DeLucia, Les DeMerle, LenDiMuzio, Charlie Donnelly, Peter Erskine, Vic Firth, Bob Gatzen,Danny Gottlieb, Sonny Igoe, Jim Keltner, Paul Leim, PeterMagadini, George Marsh, Joe Morello, Rod Morgenstein, AndyNewmark, Neil Peart, Ed Shaughnessy, Steve Smith, EdThigpen, Billy Ward, Dave Weckl, Paul Wertico.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Michael Bettine, Robyn Flans,Burt Korall, Rick Mattingly, Ken Micallef, Mark Parsons, MikeHaid, Robin Tolleson, Lauren Vogel Weiss, T. Bruce Wittet.

MODERN DRUMMER magazine (ISSN 0194-4533) is pub-lished monthly by MODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc.,12 Old Bridge Road, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009. PERIODICALSMAIL POSTAGE paid at Cedar Grove, NJ 07009 and at addi-tional mailing offices. Copyright 2002 by MODERN DRUM-MER Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproductionwithout the permission of the publisher is prohibited.

EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: MOD-ERN DRUMMER Publications, 12 Old Bridge Road, Cedar Grove,NJ 07009. Tel: (973) 239-4140. Fax: (973) 239-7139. Email: [email protected]

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RONALD SPAGNARDIISABEL SPAGNARDITRACY A. KEARNSRICK VAN HORNWILLIAM F. MILLERADAM J. BUDOFSKYTED BONARSUZANNE HURRINGSCOTT G. BIENSTOCKMICHELE M. NEWHOUSEJOSEPH KINGBOB BERENSONJOAN C. STICKELBILLY AMENDOLADIANA LITTLEKEVIN W. KEARNSROSLYN MADIA

The World’s Most Widely Read Drum MagazineVolume 26, Number 4

Your Own Best Critic


readers’ platformBRIAN REITZELL AND KENNY WOLLESEN

The interview withBrian Reitzell in theJanuary 2002 issuewas great. When Ifirst saw the photoof Brian and hiselectronic kit Ithought, “Here’sanother technogeek.” But Brianreally impressed meas a dedicated and

innovative musician with a true apprecia-tion of the drumming tradition as well as agroundbreaking spirit. I was also pleasedwith the extended length of the interview;I was reading it for a good, long while.

David Richmanvia Internet

I want to express my joy in seeing yourJanuary articles on Brian Reitzell andKenny Wollesen. Brian’s work with ReddKross was nothing short of stunning. Thesoundtrack to The Virgin Suicides issheer genius. Kenny’s tracks with TomWaits ride my turntable at least once aweek to this day. These two drummerspossess more integrity, credibility, andoriginality than all the one-hit-wonder-band drummers of the current MTV gen-eration will enjoy during their entirecareers.

Bravo, MD. Maybe I’ll renew my sub-scription after all. Now, how about cover-ing Thomas Wydler (currently touringwith Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) for usartists, and knocking off the fanzine-fawn-ing over painted-faced clown rockers?

You know I still love ya, right?Michael Doskocil

Las Vegas, NV

BILLY’S MECHANISMSI couldn’t help but smile while readingBilly Ward’s January article on developingmechanisms to help maintain good time. Itput me in mind of a demo session I did afew years ago. The engineer kept stoppingthe session due to an annoying hum com-ing through the overhead mic’s. Aftertwenty minutes of trying to isolate theoffending piece of equipment, the engineerglared at me through the glass and asked,“Are you humming?” To which I had to

respond, “Uh, yeah.” It turns out that Ihave been humming the bass line for years.

So, fair warning, folks: Choose yourmechanism carefully! Thanks to MD forthe great series, and to Mr. Ward for hiscogent writing.

Todd HueneckeAurora, IL

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO SOUND REDUCTIONIt’s great to see you guys doing articleson how to reduce the sound in drumrooms. I live in the middle house of a rowof townhouses. Last winter I “sound-proofed” my garage to make a practicespace. With the invaluable help of Jeff S.at Auralex I was able to kill the transmis-sion of sound about 95%!

I used Auralex U-Boats to rest theentire room on, as well as staggered studs,Sheet-Blok, resilient channel, and manylayers of drywall. My friends laughed atme in the beginning, but since I couldn’tafford an additional three grand for some-one else to do the job, it was up to me. Ittook me about three and a half months,but I can now play from 8:00 AM until11:00 PM without disturbing anyone.

I wish I had been able to see articleslike the ones you are writing. I’m suremy project would have gone a great dealfaster and smoother. In any case, pleaselet everyone know that if you put in thetime and money required to do the jobcorrectly the first time, you will be suc-cessful.

Andrew Kuglervia Internet

As a practicing architect and drummer, ithas been a joy to read Mark Parsons’ serieson sound-reduction measures. The infor-mation presented is thoroughly researchedand well explained. This month I felt asthough I was reading a professional tradejournal article. One could not go wrongfollowing Mark’s advice.

Rob Davis, AIADenver, CO

BACKBEATS FEEDBACKOn behalf of the Warwick Summer ArtsFestival and Newman Taylor Baker andhis crew, I want to thank you for thewonderful January Backbeats report on“A Celebration Of The Drumset.” Artistscreate work, and producers bring it to the

JOEY JORDISONI was excited to hear that ModernDrummer had decided to interview JoeyJordison. Frankly, his intensity is the onlyreason that I bother listeningto Slipknot. Althoughat times his techniqueseems to act as a single-edgedsword, I think he’s thebest of the new crop ofmetal drummers thathas arisen over thepast five years.

With this in mind, Iwas anxious to readabout Joey’s drumsound, t u n i n g t e c h -n i q u e , h a r d w a r echoices, practice sessions, studio expe-riences, etc. Some of these subjectswere touched upon lightly, but by theend of the article I was clamoring for

something a little more in-depth. Forexample, what kind of Remo heads doesJoey use? How about mic’ placement?

Tuning techniques? Howdid he develop his over-whelming speed? Howdoes he manage to keeptime at that speed?

I couldn’t care lessabout what it’s like to playin a mask, and I think mostother drummers feel thesame. It seems as thoughMD was more interestedin picking up a few strayextra buyers by placingJoey on the cover than inproviding drummers with

insight or useful information. Please, don’tleave us hanging! Focus on the cakeinstead of the icing.

Shane Newsome

Edw

ard

Clo

ver

Modern Drummer April 2002 11

stage. But it is the writers and publisherswho spread the word to the general com-munity. This validation in print is critical-ly important to the growth of new ideas inthe arena of contemporary music.

I have shared your report with the NewYork State Council on the Arts, whichunderwrote this project. They will spreadthe good news around the agency. Wehope that Mr. Baker’s project can be seenand heard by more audiences. Your reportwill undoubtedly help to spread the news.

Jeanette Vuocolo Co-producer

Warwick Summer Arts Festivalvia Internet

FRISELL’S DIFFERENT VIEWKudos to Michael Parillo for his excellentinterview with Bill Frisell in the January 2002issue. Frisell’s unique musical style is nothingshort of sublime, and it was nice to read hisdescriptions of the relationships he’s had withdrummers past and present. I’ve been an MDsubscriber for nearly fifteen years, and theDifferent View column has been one of myfavorites since its introduction several yearsago. Keep up the good work.

Mark KaeferSomerville, MA

ISTANBUL REVIEW CLARIFICATIONChap Ostrander’s review of IstanbulMehmet Cymbals in your January issue con-cluded by saying, “Universal Percussion isthe exclusive US distributor for Istanbulcymbals....” Universal is indeed distributingIstanbul Mehmet cymbals. However, DRMusic is the distributor of Istanbul Agopcymbals. This brand includes the Alchemyand Traditional series that were so favorablyreviewed in the September and October2000 issues of MD. DR Music/IstanbulAgop are also the only licensed manufactur-ers of the Mel Lewis Signature Series. I justwant to make sure that dealers and con-sumers have the correct contact informationfor each brand.

Anthony CoronaDR Music (Istanbul Agop)

Emerson, [email protected]

www.istanbulcymbals.com

Editor’s note: Istanbul Agop Mel Lewis andAlchemy Custom cymbals are reviewed inthis issue’s Product Close-Up.

KUDOS TO KENNYLast night I had the privilege of seeingKenny Aronoff in clinic in Indianapolis.After a very nice introduction by HarryCangany, Kenny came out and wowed theattendees with his magic. He is, to say theleast, quite an impressive drummer. ButKenny really impressed me most after theclinic, when he took time to greet everyonewho wanted to speak with him. He signedsticks, cymbals, pictures, drumheads, andanything else that was presented to him. Andhe did it with grace, style, and his typicalself-deprecating humor.

Most pleasing of all was to see howKenny treated the kids in attendance—giv-ing them his full attention and lots of encour-agement. Next to meeting Keith Moonalmost a lifetime ago, this has to be my best“drum moment” ever.

Mike HansonIndianapolis, IL

THANKS TO TYLERThe Barenaked Ladies played in my home-town recently. I went to the venue early,hoping to meet Tyler Stewart and talk withhim about drumming. When I saw Tyler

about to board the band’s bus I yelled hisname, and he graciously walked over to me.I brought along the February 2001 MD thatfeatured him and I asked him to autographthe cover for me. We talked about his drum-ming and his Ayotte drums. He seemed verypleased to hear my comments about his kit.

My friends and I were lucky enough to getthird-row tickets for the show. Abouthalfway through the show, Tyler’s eyes metwith mine. He looked down from behind hisdrums, nodded his head, and smiled as if tosay hello. At the end of the show, when hewas tossing drumsticks out to the crowd, hewalked over to where we were standing,threw me a stick, and waved. What a coolway to end my night!

I hope Tyler reads this letter so I can thankhim for the wonderful day. It was somethingthat I’ll never forget.

Mike Intelisano

Reading, PA

Correspondence to MD’s Readers’Platform may be sent by mail:

12 Old Bridge Road, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009,fax: (973) 239-7139, or

email: [email protected].

HOW TO REACH US


Q I’m a huge fan of your playing, especially with Steve Coleman.How did you learn to groove so well in odd times? It sounds like

it’s effortless for you. Also, I saw you recently in Cambridge with TheScreaming Headless Torsos. Your touch seemed very light, yet yoursound was very big. Any tips on that? You’re an inspiration to alldrummers. Keep up the great work.

Jeremyvia Internet

AThanks for all the kind words. When I first joined Steve Coleman& The Five Elements, I listened to what Marvin “Smitty” Smith

had played in that band before me. There was a concept already inplace for me to emulate. That concept was that as the drummer I couldimprovise and complement the soloist however I wanted, as long as Istayed in the time signature of the tune.

Initially I’d try things and fall on my face. Then I started to grabother parts within the tune to anchor me, like bass lines or guitar partsthat I could play off of. Later, Steve introduced me to singing theparts in my head while playing. That was, and still is, a way for me toaccess playing in odd time signatures.

When you play in odd times a lot, you start to internalize the partyou’re singing in your head. It’s through this process that the playingbecomes smoother—at least for me. I don’t have to think about the

time as much as just about the music I’m dealing with. The longer Istayed with that group and got my execution together, the more I wasable to put my mind on what I wanted to play and be more creative.

As for my light touch and big sound, basically it comes down tostick control. I use a Vic Firth SD4, which is a very light stick. I useGorilla Snot to help me hold the stick, and I grip the stick at the endof the shaft to get a big sound. The stick is doing a lot of the work.Good luck!

QThe sound of your drums on Dave Brubeck’s legendary Time Outrecording is quite beautiful. I’m particularly amazed with the bass

drum on “Take Five.” How did you get such a sound? I can hear theroom, but tell me about the tuning—did you use any muffling at all?And how were your drums miked?

Denis BenarroshParis, France

AThanks for the kind words. “Take Five” was recorded close toforty years ago, and my memory is not perfect. But I’ll try to

answer your questions to the best of my recollection.At that time, I was playing a Ludwig kit with 9x13 and 16x16

toms, a 5x14 snare, and a 14x22 bass drum. I think I was usingplastic heads by then. In general, I follow no specific tuning pat-tern, but rather I try to tune each drum for maximum resonance. Forthat, the top and bottom heads on each drum should be in tune witheach other. Then I try to ensure that there is a musical pitch rela-tionship between all the drums. The sizes of each drum will some-what dictate the musical intervals between each drum in the set. Iusually tune the snare drum in an interval, with the snare-side headabout a fourth higher than the batter head. (Think of the first twonotes in the song “Here Comes The Bride.”)

As with the snare, I tune the front head of the bass drum tighter.That’s where the pitch comes from. I use a moleskin patch wherethe beater strikes, and I used a wood beater in those days. In gener-al, I prefer to use a one-piece or flat-footboard bass drum pedal, asopposed to one with a separate heel plate and footboard. I also pre-fer nylon straps versus chain drive. I bounce the beater off the headrather than “burying” it, and the strap-drive pedal gives me a morenatural rebound off the head.

ask a pro

Gene Lake O n T i m e A n d To u c h

Joe Morello Ta k e s F i v e

continued on page 16


The only muffling I use now—as I did then—is a standard feltstrip placed against the batter head, running from top to bottom ofthe drum, on the left side about halfway between the middle and theoutside of the drum. I can’t precisely remember how the drumswere miked for the “Take Five” session. However, I don’t recallthat anything different from what was typical for that day was donein terms of mic’ placement.

All of this being said, please keep in mind that different drum-mers can play the same kit and sound completely different. Thiscomes from the way the drummer plays, whether he hits the drumhard or softly, how much and at what angle he puts the bead of thestick on the head, whether he “buries” the beater or rebounds it offthe head, and many other factors.

I hope this helps. Thanks again for your question.

Would you like to ask your favorite drummer a question? Send it to Ask A Pro, Modern Drummer, 12 Old Bridge Rd., Cedar Grove, NJ 07009. Or you may [email protected]. We will do our best to pursue every inquiry.

RepeatBarA Classic Quote From MD’s Past

“I’ll bump into people who say, ‘Aw, I used to play the drums, but I sold

my set.’ And I think, ‘How could you do that? Are you insane?’”

Dave Grohl, March 2000

Lis

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Joe Morello


it’s questionable

PPeeddaall SSqquueeaakkssQ I purchased a Gibraltar Intruder II

double bass pedal about four yearsago. I really like its solid feel and virtually“bulletproof” construction. Although thepedal is still in like-new condition, I’verecently started noticing a squeak thatbecomes annoying very quickly. What canI do to get rid of this squeak?

TTiimm RRoosssseerrvia Internet

AMost pedal squeaks can be eliminatedby cleaning and lubricating the pedal.

We don’t suggest that you disassemble thepedal, but you can spray it with WD-40 toloosen and remove dust and dirt. Wipe thepedal thoroughly to remove the dirt (andthe WD-40). Use Q-tips and toothpicks toget into all possible cracks and crevices.

You may find that the WD-40 providesenough lubrication to eliminate the squeak.If not, we suggest an application of a sili-

cone-based lubricant. Don’t use Vaselineor any sort of heavy grease; they tend toattract and hold dirt.

CCoommbbiinniinngg EElleeccttrroonniiccPPeerrccuussssiioonn SSoouunndd SSoouurrcceess

Q Is it possible to access Roland TD5sounds from a Yamaha DTXPRESS or

vice versa using MIDI? I bought a TD5 kitand added a DTXPRESS module and hi-hat controller. I like the drum sounds onthe TD5 and the cymbal sounds on theDTXPRESS. Any advice would be greatlyappreciated.

JJaammeess EEvvaannggeelloossvia Internet

AMD electronic percussion columnistRick Long replies: “There are two

ways to accomplish your goal: the hardway and the easy way.

The hard way is to use MIDI to achieve

split control of two modules. For illustra-tive purposes, let’s use the generic names“CYM Module” for the module with thebest cymbal sounds and “DRUM Module”for the module with the best drum sounds.Let’s say you want to use the CYMModule for your main setup—the one towhich your drum and cymbal pads are con-nected. After doing a bit of reading in themanual, set up the CYM Module so thatyour cymbal pads generate the sounds youwant, while the drum pads are pro-grammed to “No Voice.” Run a cord fromthe audio output to your mixer or amp.You now have the cymbal sounds ready toplay.

The drum pads connected to the CYMModule should send out a MIDI note num-ber when you hit them, even if the voiceselection is set to “No Voice.” Run a MIDIcable from the CYM Module’s MIDI OUTto the DRUM Module’s MIDI IN. You’llneed to change the MIDI note numbers of

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one of the modules so that the drum andcymbal note numbers match. For example,let’s say that when you hit the snare drumpad connected to the CYM Module, thatmodule plays MIDI note number 36. Sinceyou set note 36 to sound like “No Voice,”no sound will come out of that module.The MIDI note will travel over to theDRUM Module and fire off note 36—which you just set to “phat snare 1.”

Remember to set the DRUM Module sothat the MIDI note numbers for the cym-bals are set to “No Voice.” This will keepyou from having cymbal sounds occurringfrom both modules.

The key to this entire operation is to firstmake sure your modules allow you tochange the MIDI note number assign-ments. This function is usually found in the“trigger settings” area. But it’s not avail-able on some lower-cost modules, andthere’s no guarantee that the MIDI notenumber assignments will match betweentwo modules of different brands. Theyshould match if you use preset “GeneralMIDI” kits, but they still might not.

The easy way to achieve your goal is

LLeefftt--SSiiddee RRiiddee PPllaacceemmeennttQ I put my ride cymbal on my left, next

to my hi-hats, and my crash cymbalon the other side. I’ve been thinking ofswitching the two, and I’d like to knowthe advantages and disadvantages ofeach positioning method. Also, do anyfamous drummers set up their kits withtheir rides on the left?

kkoorrnnbblloowwssvia Internet

ASeveral notable drummers set theirrides and hi-hats on the same side,

such as you describe. Most of them do itbecause they play ride patterns with theirleft hands (what’s known as left-handlead). Carter Beauford, Simon Phillips,Rayford Griffin, Billy Cobham, and LennyWhite play this way. Playing in this wayeliminates the need to cross the right handover to the left side, thereby opening up thedrummer’s access to other parts of the kit.

If you do not play left-hand lead, butrather cross your right hand over your left

to play the hi-hat (as most drummers do),there is no particular advantage to playingthe ride cymbal on that side as well. In fact,there might be a slight disadvantage, sincethe crossover is a somewhat awkwardposition, and can be fatiguing to maintainfor long periods of time. The reason mostdrummers play their rides on the right side(assuming that they are right-handed) isthat it is the most comfortable and accessi-ble position for sustained playing. A crashcan be almost anywhere, since you aren’tgoing to play it for a long time at a stretch.

In the mid-1980s Rayford Griffin, then drummingwith Jean-Luc Ponty, helped popularize the ideaof left-hand lead on the hi-hat and ride cymbal.

DANNY SCHULERBIOHAZARD

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for drum sounds, and the DTXPRESS forcymbal sounds. Just plug the drum padsinto the TD5 and the cymbal pads into theDTXPRESS. This arrangement even freesup some inputs on each module so you canadd more drums and cymbals to yoursetup. Very cool.

Vega’s China CymbalQ The late Carlos Vega used a riveted

China cymbal to record some of thebeautiful music on James Taylor’sHourglass album. Can you provide anydetails on exactly what that cymbal was?

Darren Ashfordvia Internet

AAccording to Paiste’s Rich Mangicaro,that cymbal was a 20" Signature thin

China with approximately ten rivets. Therivets were spread evenly around the cym-bal, set about 11⁄2" in from the edge.

20

update

AAbe Laboriel Jr. was floating on air shortly afterthe VH1 airing of the Concert For New York,

where he performed with Paul McCartney. “You willnever get that many amazing people on the stageever again—and I really hope there never is a reasonfor it,” Abe says. “There was such a feeling of cama-raderie. Everybody was there for the right reasons.”

Laboriel had already done the recently releasedalbum Driving Rain with the former Beatle, which hewas asked to do by producer David Kahne. “I hadnever worked with David,” Abe admits, “but we hadmet a few times and talked about music. Then out ofthe blue he called me up and asked how I’d feel aboutdoing a Paul McCartney record. It was an unbeliev-able leap of faith on his part to include me in such anamazing opportunity.”

Laboriel describes McCartney as an “absolute gen-tleman,” and says that within five minutes of meetinghim, the musicians were recording the first song. “Hepurposely didn’t send out any demos and said hewanted to go back to the days of his old band—showup, learn a song, and record it,” Abe says. “Paulshowed up with a little cassette recorder with a built-in speaker and played a song that was just him play-

ing guitar and singing. Then he said, ‘Oh, I’ve got towrite a bridge for it.’ So he ran upstairs, wrote thebridge, and came back five minutes later and played itfor us!”

Laboriel went a little retro on the gear for DrivingRain. “I used a Ludwig kit that Paul had,” he says. “Itwas a copy of one of Ringo’s old kits. It was a beauti-ful-sounding old-school drumkit.”

According to Abe, McCartney’s attitude in the stu-dio was remarkable. “I showed up and we were offand running,” he says, “maybe doing two or threetakes of each song and that was it. We recorded eigh-teen songs in a very short time. Paul’s attitude was sowide-open. He didn’t come in with any preconceivednotions. It kind of put us all on a level playing field.Everybody’s ideas were tried, and it was a purely cre-ative experience.”

A week before the New York concert, Laboriel got aphone call from Sting to promote his recent album,All This Time, Manu Katche’s last effort with the per-former. “Manu sounds wonderful on it,” Abe says,“so it’s been a blast learning his parts and trying tocopy his bits. So all of a sudden I’ve been with anoth-er one of my idols. Obviously Sting has had incredi-ble drummers, so the thing I try to add is just an ener-gy of joy. I’ve been having a blast. I’m the happiestI’ve ever been.”

Robyn Flans


WW hen MD caught up withAllen Shellenberger of Lit,

the band was taking a well-deserved break. Lit had been onthe road for nearly two years insupport of their hit album A PlaceIn The Sun. Now they’ve releasedAtomic, their fourth album.

Lit’s success is the result ofyears of hard work. Shellenbergerhas put in plenty of time perfect-ing the skill of blasting away atthe drums while keeping a solidgroove. “I think it was after werecorded our first record that Iheard myself and said, Oh Man!My timing sucks! I realized that Ineeded to work on that. So I wentout and bought a Dr. Beat and

started playing along. I learnedhow to stray from the click whileplaying with a band. If you prac-tice long enough with a click, youcan make it feel spontaneouswithout sounding like a machine.I enjoy playing with and withoutit. It just depends on the song.”

Allen’s drumming on Atomic isa primer for young straight-aheadarena rockers. The band pridesitself on its energetic, funapproach, and Shellenberger defi-nitely sets the tone.

Like many bands, Lit foundthemselves on the road the weekof September 11. The events ofthat day cast a shadow over theirtour, but the band actually found

solace for themselves and fanson stage. “We didn’t want to bedisrespectful. But at the sametime, it’s something that we loveto do, and it’s a release,” explainsAllen. “Right after we got offstage we went to talk to the kids,and they were just stoked to beout of the house for a couple ofhours.”

Shellenberger’s future drum-ming plans are indicative of hisback-to-basics approach. “I’mnot going to be a big jazz guy…Ilove jazz, but it’s just not what Ido. I still need to learn how toplay all the Zeppelin licks, youknow?”

Ted Bonar

K i n g O f O r a n g e C o u n t y

AALLLLEENN SSHHEELLLLEENNBBEERRGGEERRLLiitt’’ss

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Enjoying a few days offafter a six-month tour

with Little Feat, RichieHayward was pleased—and a bit surprised—to talkabout Endangered Species,a recent band project withAllman Brothers/Phil Leshguitarist Jimmy Herring,Dixie Dregs/Jazz Is Deadkeyboardist T Lavitz, andLittle Feat bassist Kenny Gradney. “Wedidn’t have any commercial intentionsfor this band,” Hayward admits. “Wejust wanted to get together and makesome music we liked; it was just aboutplaying. Honestly, I expected it to kindof fall between the cracks and never beheard. It’s nice that people might actu-ally be hearing it.”

Due to the players’ commitments totheir respective steady gigs, the band’s

self-titled debut album waswritten, recorded, andmixed in just nine days. OnTone Center Records, animpr in t o f Shrapne l ,Endangered Species’ nineinspired tracks bear unmis-takable Dregs and Allmancompositional markings, aswell as some strong, free-wheel ing grooves by

Hayward. “The material is all instru-mental, and not so ‘song-ish’ as someof the stuff I do. So it gave me a littlemore latitude to express myself,”Richie says. “The feel and the spacebetween the instruments was just love-ly. That was its allure. Also, they’resuch great players.”

Richie’s favorite track, aptly titled“Headstrong,” features some uncharac-teristically bashing drum work. “I got to

do my John Bonham impersonation onthat one,” he quips. “LockwoodFolley,” which starts in 5/4 and thenalternates between five and six, was thedisk’s most challenging tune for him,and another of his favorites. Othertracks on the stylistically diverse yetcohesive-sounding venture range fromthe fusion-y hoe-down “Justice” andslow, soulful “The Gospel Truth,” to theNew Orleans-flavored “Camel Lope.”

Although Richie’s professional planscontinue to revolve around Little Feat,he hopes that Endangered Species isn’ta one-time project. “There won’t be alot of road stuff, because all of us arebusy in our bands,” he explains. “Butwe’ll probably do more records. MikeVarney at Shrapnel Records is real sup-portive, and the door is open to us totour if we can all find the time.”

Rich Watson

SSppaarrkkiinngg TThhee WWeeiirrdd RReevvoolluuttiioonn

KingCCooffffeeyyH ere’s one for truth in advertising. On the Butthole

Surfers’ latest album, Weird Revolution, precise digitalediting replaces the band’s famous idiot-savant studio trick-ery, and sophisticated beat architecture holds sway wheregut-wrenching tom-thuggery once ruled. Somehow, thebeautifully skewed Surfers spirit remains.

“Loops can be hypnotic,” explains drummer King Coffey,who, as any longtime Surfers fan will testify, knows a thingor two about trance-inducement. “I find them soothing. It’salso nice to be in a situation where you have to find your partwithin the musical scheme, rather than dictate what therhythm should be. As a drummer it’s liberating too, becauseyou know that you can go off on a tangent and you won’tsabotage the groove if you come back in a little off.”

Coffey’s move to electronics is more accurately an evolu-tion, rather than an abrupt about-face. “Several years ago Ibegan my solo project Drain as a way to start working withcomputers,” King explains. “But the Surfers started doing thesame thing on our albums, which sort of made Drain obso-lete. So for the next Drain record,” Coffey adds with a laugh,“I think I’ll just be like the drummer in a psychedelic band—completely analog!”

Fat chance. After coming home from an “aural safari” in

India with over twenty hours’ worthof digitally recorded found sounds,Coffey seems as fascinated as ever withthe possibilities of sampling ’n’ sequenc-ing. “India is a very loud country,” Kingsays with a hint of awe in his voice. “Thereare so many PAs, street vendors, the traffic iscacophonous…. I also recorded some reli-gious ceremonies. I still wrestle with howto use this kind of stuff, though. It can be doneinappropriately. On the other hand, we’re all citizens of theworld. So I think it’s okay to use some things as long as you’renot mocking the sample’s source.”

Surfer fan alert: Make sure to see them on tour, as secondguitarist Josh Klinghoffer moves to drums on several songs.This allows the band to play material they haven’t touchedsince Theresa Nervosa left the group’s second drum seatempty a decade ago. And drummers, get close to the stage.King’s V-Drum setup is housed in industrial-looking “drumshells.” Visually, this neatly bridges the gap between technoand tribal, a musical zone the Surfers have ruled, in one formor another, for years.

Adam Budofsky

THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS’

Richie HaywardRecreational Rockin’

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FFFF ifty-year-old drum greatTommy Aldridge first

came to prominence with ’70sSouthern-rock hooligansBlack Oak Arkansas, althoughyou wouldn’t know that byvisiting his current Web site(www.tommyaldridge.com).B.O.A. is only grudginglyreferred to as “that band” inAldridge’s online biography.“I had some real problemswith that bunch when I left,”notes Aldridge from his homein Santa Barbara, California.“They tied me up in court forover a year, and caused meall kinds of problems. So I fig-ured I’d give them as littleexposure as possible.”

While Aldridge’s musicalcareer was made to sufferearly on from an unnamedmanager’s “Napoleon com-plex,” things have certainlybeen all positive from there.While backing some of thebiggest names in guitar-rockfrom the ’70s to today—including Pat Travers, OzzyOsbourne, Whitesnake, andlatter-day ThinLizzy—Tommyhas carved outa name for him-self as a playerto watch, par-tially due to hismastery of thedouble bassdrum setup.

Tommy devel-oped a thrashy,aggressive play-ing style thathas made hima favorite offellow drum-mers and hard-

rock fans alike, to the pointwhere he is much in demandas a drum clinician. Tommyrecently headed off toCanada to present a clinic atthe Vancouver InternationalDrum Festival. Clinics aren’tTommy’s favorite thing todo, though. “I guess it’s bet-ter than a jab in the ass witha frozen carrot,” he jokes. “Ilike going to them, but it’skinda pressurized, becauseall these drummers are thereand they’re kind of in‘impress me’ mode. I’mknown for flamboyant solosand things like that, so whenI go to those things, peopleexpect a lot.”

Although he had to under-go surgery for a torn rotatorcuff six months ago, rightafter touring with Thin Lizzy,Aldridge claims that he’s backin fighting shape as far as per-forming goes. “I’m up to fullvelocity and torque now,” hereports. “But it was a realexercise in patience for me,because I’d been working

solid for abouttwo and a halfyears without abreak, and all ofa sudden I wentfrom playingfive or six nightsa week andbicycling threehundred fiftymiles a week todoing zero. Sothat part of itwas a lot morechallenging thanthe pain.”

Steve Newton

TTTToooommmmmmmmyyyy AAAAllllddddrrrr iiiiddddggggeeeeDouble Bass L ives OnTTTToooommmmmmmmyyyy AAAAllllddddrrrr iiiiddddggggeeeeDouble Bass L ives On

Climb around theback of Glenn

Kotche’s drumset inWilco’s rehearsalloft/recording studioon the northwestside of Chicago, andwhat you’ll see is parthardware store andpart orchestra percus-sion pit.

“In-Glenn-tions,” bandleaderJeff Tweedy calls the array of high- and low-tech noise-makers. Recruited to expand the sonic palette of theleading band in alternative country, Kotche augmentshis four-piece kit with a specially made compact vibra-phone, contact mic’s linking the drums to effects units,floor tiles, gongs, a hub cap, crotales, ping-pong ballsfilled with shotgun pellets, and a length of rubber tub-ing feeding into the air hole on the floor tom. (Kotcheblows into it to change the pitch of the head for a tim-pani effect.)

A native of Chicago’s western suburbs, this inventivedrummer started playing as a tot, performed in drumcorps through high school, and studied percussion atthe University of Kentucky. He returned home to teachhigh schoolers by day while gigging with undergroundheroes like avant-garde guitarist Jim O’Rourke andsinger-songwriters Edith Frost and Paul Kaye by night.

“I played with a lot of singer-songwriters when Imoved back to Chicago, because a lot of drummerscouldn’t play quietly,” Kotche recalls. “I was usingbrushes and a two-piece kit—a snare and a floor tomwith the pedal underneath—but I would only playwith people whose lyrics I liked. There are a lot of badsinger-songwriters, and if I’m going to play minimallybehind somebody, I want it to be something I’mproud of.”

Hailed as a songsmith by none other than BobDylan, Tweedy certainly fits that bill. Kotche firstplayed with Wilco’s leader in an improvisational sideproject. Early in the recording of the band’s fourthalbum, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, he was asked to join thegroup. “I’ve always looked at whatever parts I play likea keyboard part or a guitar part instead of, What beatshould I play on this song?” the thirty-year-old drum-mer says. “I guess that comes from the orchestra stuff,and the most successful I’ve been at that is the Wilcorecord.”

Jim DeRogatis

Sam

Jon

es

Mike Heidorn’s Ludwig drumkitdates back to the year he was

born: 1967. In keeping withthose times, the drums are psy-chedelic red with white pearlinlay. “I got them in highschool,” he says, “and I’ve usedthem in some capacity on all sixalbums I’ve done—three withUncle Tupelo and three withSon Volt.”

While touring in support ofSon Volt’s latest, Wide SwingTremelo, Heidorn hooked up withMapex drums on the advice offormer Wilco drummer KenCoomer. “Mapex sent me abrand-new set from their OrionMaple series,” Mike says.“Having never worked with a newset before, I was astonished bythe sound quality. But we’re sortof known for playing vintagegear. I felt torn between using thenew gear or the old stuff.”

Well, the gear decision wasmade for Heidorn, when on thelast leg of Son Volt’s tour some-one broke into their van and stoleall of their instruments. “They gotour front line and backups—all ofit,” Heidorn says, clearly upset bythe theft. “I’m still kind of trauma-tized by it.”

Now Heidorn is back playing a’60s Ludwig kit and occasionallyusing an even older Gretsch set.“It’s got a jazzy 20" kick, 14" floor,and 12" rack. I can’t date it, though.I talked to the Memphis DrumShop guys, and they guessed it’sfrom the early ’60s.”

In other Heidorn career news,Sony/Legacy plans to reissueUncle Tupelo’s Rockville albumincluding bonus tracks and out-takes, beginning with an anthol-ogy scheduled for releaseshortly.

Chris Orlet

Russell Batiste Jr.The Funky Meters

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Allen ShellenbergerLIT


A lthough SlimJim Phantom’s

former bandmate BrianSetzer has kept theStray Cats name ingear since the banddissolved in the mid-1980s, the stand-updrummer best remem-bered for his simpletwo-piece kit in the“Rock This Town”video hasn’t kept outof the music scene. Onthe contrary, the fatherand club owner has anew assemblage of all-star rockers, calledColonel Parker, whichincludes former GunsN’ Roses guitaristGilby Clarke.

“I’ve known Gilby fora little while,” Phantomsays. “I was doing this

thing at my club onThursday nights—Iown a club onSunset Boulevardcalled The CatClub—and I wasdoing a jam night.One week the regu-lar guys couldn’tmake it, so some-one suggested I callGilby. I called, hecame, and it wasfun—so much sothat we decided tokeep doing it. I found akindred spirit withhim.”

From there, Phantom’snewfound bond withClarke turned into aband and, a little laterdown the line, ana l b u m o n I c o nRecords. “Icon came

down and took Gilbyand me out to dinner—and you never pass ona free dinner in LA.They said they wantedto capture what we dolive on record,” SlimJim says. “We werelike, ‘Basically we justkind of goof off.’ Wejust have fun up there.

But they sawsomething in itthat we didn’tsee.”

A l t h o u g h i tappears as ifPhantom jumpedon the idea, headmits there wereplenty of reserva-tions about form-ing another band.“Lee Rocker [for-mer Stray Cat

bassist] and I made acouple of records, andI’d been doing a lot ofsessions, running myclub, and raising mykid. But the last thing Iwas looking for was tobe in a band and dothe whole thing allover again. But I alsonever expected to get a

record deal from play-ing at my own club ona Thursday night, yaknow?”

Spawning from thenew act and album is anew drum—the SlimJim Phantom signaturesnare drum, to beexact. “Peace drums isa really cool, up-and-coming company, andthey worked on thesnare drum with me,”Slim Jim says. “Weused the old LudwigBlack Beauty as inspi-ration, but went in ourown direction. It’s kindof cool to start fromsquare one on aninstrument and seewhat you can come upwith.”

Waleed Rashidi

T h e C a t I s B a c k


MMaatttt SSoorruumm,, MMiicchhaaeell LLeeee,, SSccootttt GGaarrrreetttt,,NNiiggeell PPrreessttoonn,, LLeess WWaarrnneerr,, and MMaarrkkBBrrzzeezziicckkii can all be heard (and sometimes seen)on Pure Cult: The Cult Anthology 1984–1995.

KKeennnnyy AArroonnooffff has been recording with MeatLoaf. He’s also on recent records by WillieNelson, Michelle Branch, Black Lab, MickJagger, Alice Cooper, and Andy Griggs.

PPeetteerr EErrsskkiinnee is on Doug Robinson’sSitJazzDown. The disc is available atwww.dougrobinson.com.

PPeetteerr DDoonnaalldd is a busy jazz and studio drummerwho made waves most notably with JohnAbercrombie’s quartet. Donald makes a wel-come return with 3 Prime, featuring electricbassist Abe Laboriel and pianist Tom Rainier, onthe trio’s second eponymous CD.

BBeerrnnaarrdd PPuurrddiiee and RRiicckk MMaarroottttaaare on the reissue of R&B greatHoward Tate’s self-titled 1972album.

HHaarrvveeyy MMaassoonn is on the new album by RobertWalter’s 20th Congress, There Goes TheNeighborhood.

EEmmiill RRiicchhaarrddss has a new album out calledLuniana Afro Cuban Jazz with JJooee PPoorrccaarroo ondrums and a bunch of wonderful percussionistsincluding FFrraanncciissccoo AAqquuaabbeellllaa, LLuuiiss CCoonnttee,and EEffrraaiinn TToorroo.

AAll WWeebbsstteerr is in the midst of AmandaMarshall’s Everybody’s Got A Story world tourwith JJoossee SSaanncchheezz on percussion.

Recently out is a Classic AlbumsDVD of The Number Of The Beast, adocumentary about Iron Maiden’s1982 release, the first album withBruce Dickinson as leader. Drummer CClliivvee BBuurrrris on this album. (He left the band after the tourfor the album.)

BBrriiaann FFrraassiieerr MMoooorree is touring with JanetJackson.

SStteevvee RReeiidd recently released his fifth solo CD,Dream Scapes.

JJaassoonn BBoowwlldd is on Pitchshifter’s anticipatedApril 2002 debut release for Sanctuary Records.

AAddoollffoo ““FFooffii”” LLaanncchhaa is the drummer for a newUnivision Network show called Don Francisco.

RRooggeerr SSqquuiitteerroo is working with LutherVandross.

JJoonn BBeerrmmuuddaa SScchhwwaarrttzz is in the studio withWeird Al.

MMaatttt LLaauugg is on Carly Hennessy’s UltimateHigh.

FFrraannkk RRuussssoo burns on The PeteBarenbregge/Frank Russo Quartet’s newacoustic jazz long-player, PF Flyer.

MMBB GGoorrddyy has been working alongside KeithKnudsen in The Doobie Brothers since MichaelHossack’s terrible motorcycle accident last sum-mer. They’ve asked him to stay on even whenHossack is back in gear.

VViinnnniiee CCoollaaiiuuttaa and AAbbee LLaabboorriieell JJrr.. can bothbe heard on Chris Botti’s Columbia debut, NightSessions.

BBrreennddaann BBuucckklleeyy is on Shakira’s LaundryService, DMX’s Great Depression, and AlejandraGuzman’s Soy. He is also currently on tour with

TTiittoo PPuueennttee was born on April 20, 1923.

RRoobbbbiiee MMccIInnttoosshh (Average White Band) wasborn on April 25, 1950.

JJeeffff PPoorrccaarroo was born on April 1, 1954.

BBuuddddyy RRiicchh passed away on April 2, 1987.

CCoozzyy PPoowweellll was killed in a car crash on April 5, 1998.

CCaarrllooss VVeeggaa passed away on April 7, 1998.

CChhaarrlliiee WWaattttss and The Rolling Stones releasetheir debut album on April 26, 1964.

Deep Purple (with IIaann PPaaiiccee) performs their firstconcert on April 20, 1968 in Tastrup, Denmark,just outside of Copenhagen.

DDoonn LLoommbbaarrddii opens a teaching studio calledDrum Workshop in Santa Monica, California inApril of 1972.

MMaarrkk HHeerrnnddoonn joins country super-groupAlabama in April of 1979.

Happy Birthday!LLiioonneell HHaammppttoonn (April 12, 1909)

JJooee PPoorrccaarroo (April 29, 1930)CCllyyddee SSttuubbbblleeffiieelldd (April 18, 1943)

SStteevvee GGaadddd (April 9, 1945)SStteevvee FFeerrrroonnee (April 25, 1950)

NNaarraaddaa MMiicchhaaeell WWaallddeenn (April 23, 1952)IIvvaann HHaammppddeenn (April 1, 1958)

DDeennnnyy FFoonngghheeiisseerr (April 21, 1959)CChhrriiss MMaarrrrss (April 26, 1961)SSttaann FFrraazziieerr (April 23, 1968)

AAaarroonn CCoommeessss (April 24, 1968)

JJeerroommee DDiilllloonn canbe heard on NineInch Nails’ newrelease, Nine InchNails Live: And AllThat Could HaveBeen.

N E W S

DRUM DATESThis month’s important events in drumming history

RICHIE HAYWARDLITTLE FEAT

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Tommy Aldridge Model(PW2SW Japanese Oak, Wood tip)


new and notable

Dave Weckl is particular about every aspect of his drumming. So you had to figurethat when he hooked up with Sabian recently, he’d be working with them to createsome special cymbals. The result of that collaboration is Sabian’s new HHX EvolutionSeries.

The cymbals feature jumbo hammering, a lathed surface, a raw, unlathedbell, and a glossy brilliant finish. The model range is based on Dave’s personalsetup. It includes 7", 10", and 12" splashes, 13" and 14" hi-hats, 16", 17", and 18"crashes, and a 20" ride. The series also includes two new effect cymbals: The O-Zone crash is a thin model perforated by large holes, designed to produce a fast,shimmering sound. The Effeks cymbal is a thin/medium-thin model with a turned-downedge. Available with or without rivets, it has the flavor of a crash with oriental overtones.Y (506) 272-2019, � www.sabian.com.

Dave’s Canadian ConnectionSabian HHX Evolution Series

Drummers who are concerned with looking as well as sound-ing different might want to check out three new Pearl LimitedEdition Masters kits with special finishes and features.

LE Masters Custom Maple MMX kits are finished in a pur-ple/blue high-gloss lacquer called Purple Storm, and are fit-ted with matte satin chrome hardware, clear RemoAmbassador drumheads, Opti-Mounts, and die-cast hoops.The drums feature 4-ply maple shells with reinforcementrings. Standard kits include 8x10, 9x12, and 11x14 toms, an18x22 bass drum, and a 51/2x14 snare drum, at a list price of$5,490. Add-on toms in 8x8 and 13x16 sizes are available.

LE Masters Custom Maple MRX sets are finished in Piano

Black high-gloss lacquer and outfitted with black chromehardware over 6-ply maple shells. The LE Masters StudioBirch BRX line is finished in Millennium Silver high-gloss lac-quer with micro metallic flakes that change shade dependingon the light. The kit is outfitted with matte satin chrome hard-ware and 6-ply birch shells. Each kit comes equipped withRemo Masterworks–specification white-coated drumheads,Opti-Mounts, and die-cast hoops. Drum sizes include 8x10,9x12, 11x14, and 13x16 toms, an 18x22 bass drum, and a51/2x14 snare drum. The MRX kit is priced at $4,970; the BRXkit is priced at $3,800. Y (615) 833-4477, � www.pearldrum.com.

When You Want That “Something Special”Pearl Limited Edition Masters Custom Sets


After focusing on 100% maple drums for the pastthirty years, Drum Workshop has introducedCollector’s Series Birch drums. The new modelsfeature hand-selected, 6-ply, all-birch drumshellsmade in the DW factory. The shells are timbre-matched into individual kits, custom-manufac-tured with precision bearing edges, andfinished in a multitude of FinishPly,Satin Oil, lacquer, and Exotic options.

The new birch drums come standardwith unreinforced shells “to maximize thetonal characteristics of the alternative wood.”However, reinforcing hoops are available as anoption.

Also new from DW is a Gong Bass Drumdesigned in conjunction with MarcoMinnemann. The 20" drum features a 10-ply, all-maple shell with a 22" counterhoop and head.The tension lugs have spacers that allow thedrum to be evenly tensioned at a uniform 90°angle. The drum comes equipped with brackets

for mounting on 9000 series floor stands; floortom–style legs and brackets are optional. Thedrum is available in any FinishPly, Satin Oil, lac-quer, or Exotic finish. List price is $995 to $1,853,depending on finish and options.Y (805) 485-6999, � www.dwdrums.com.

New Flavor...Er, SoundDrum Workshop Collector’s Series Birch Drums And Gong Bass Drum

Remo has expanded the NuSkyn line to include a tucked Vintage-Wrap djembehead as well as a glued version. The head is currently available for 14" rope-tuned or

key-tuned djembes; 13" and 15" models are in production.And for marching drummers seeking the tonal qualities of Remo’s Suede drum-

heads, the company now offers the line in a crimped version. By employingRemo’s Crimplock hoops, the heads are reportedly able to offer increased stabili-ty and tuning range for high-register drum corps and marching band situations.

Heads are available from 6" to 16" in diameter and priced from $20.75 to $30.00. Y (661) 294-5600, � www.remo.com.

Get Your Head On StraightRemo NuSkyn Djembe And Suede Crimped Marching Heads


Variety Is The Spice...New Gretsch Snare Range

The folks at Toca have been busy upgrading their variousconga series. To begin with, the Traditional Series nowincludes a double conga set that combines an 11" quintoand an 113/4" conga on a heavy-duty stand that’s plated tomatch the congas’ antique-look brushed-chrome plating.The set is priced at $899.50. A 121/2" tumba drum is alsoavailable ($415.50), as is a set of matching bongos($229.50).

Elite Wood Series congas feature 28" sharp-taperedconga shells, Toca’s Easy Play hoops, and chrome-platedhardware, and come in a 10" and 11" set at $599.50. A 12"tumba is available ($295), as well as a set of matchingbongos ($179.50). Drums are available in Cherry Burst orHoney Brown lacquer finishes.

Elite Fiberglass congas and bongos feature the samespecifications as the Wood series, and are available inSilver Black Double Burst and Blue To Purple Burst finish-es. Conga set: $525.50, tumba: $275.50, bongos: $179.50.

The entry-level Player’s Series now includes a DoubleConga Set featuring a 9" quinto and a 10" conga drumoutfitted with EasyPlay hoops and four-bolt tensionplates. Barrel stands that feature height-adjustable rubberguards are included, and the set is priced at $369.99. Abongo set is also available at $109.99. The drums areavailable in Shiny Gel Coat Black Finish with plated blacktextured hardware. Y (860) 509-8888, � www.kamanmusic.com.

Bettering The BeatToca Percussion Conga Upgrades

Gretsch is now offeringsnare drums in a widevariety of sizes and mate-rials and made with origi-nal Gretsch design fea-tures. Professional metal-shell models are availablein brass, copper, stainlesssteel, and black chromesteel . Wood modelsinclude 10-ply mapleshells in natural gloss fin-

ishes, along with a limit-ed-edition Red CamphorExotic finish. Solid 1-plyshells are available in maple,black walnut, rosewood, andoak.

Auxiliary snares are

available in 8", 10", and 12"steel or basswood models,and inc lude a l l neces -sary mounting hardware.

Additionally, the KamanL e g e n d S e r i e s F r e eFloating snare drum will be

included in the Gretschsnare drum range. Alldrums come fitted withPermatone heads, high-polished chrome fittings,and die-cast or 2.3-mmPower Hoops. List pricesvary depending on materi-al and size.Y (860) 509-8888, � www.kamanmusic.com.

Elite Fiberglass

Elite Wood

Player’s

Traditional


LP has added Mini Tunable Congas andBongos to their LP Music Collection giftline. The drums are scaled-down repli-cas of standard-size, professional-quali-ty LP Galaxy Fiberglass Congas andBongos. They feature a gold-flake glitterfinish, gold-tone hardware, naturalrawhide heads, and LP Comfort Curve IIrims, and are priced at $69 each.

LP’s new Cyclops Shakers were creat-ed in collaboration with percussionistBashiri Johnson. According to the com-pany, “the uniquely shaped, multi-dimensional shakers offer many moresounds than traditional shakers.”

They’re available in black and redand come in two sizes: small ($24)

and large ($36). Y (888) LP-MUSIC, � www.lpmusic.com.

Make Mine A MiniLP Mini Tunable Congas And Bongos And Cyclops Shakers

Pro-Mark’s Autograph series now includes theTX725W Hilary Jones model (hickory, 16" long,39/64" in diameter, with a short taper and a round-ed triangular wood tip) and the SD721W MarcoMinnemann maple model. Marco’s stick (16" long,37/64" in diameter, with a wood tip) was introducedlast year as a hickory model, which is still avail-able. Both models are priced at $12.45.

In addition, Pro-Mark now offers their newAccent Brush. The model features oak handlesand stiff wire bristles designed to offer moreattack than traditional brushes.Y (800) 233-5250, � www.promark-stix.com.

Stick ’Em UpNew Pro-Mark AutographSticks And Accent Brush

For drummers looking to add that “special sound” to their kit,Pacific’s accessory snare drum line now includes 4x14 steel-shelland 5x14 hammered phosphorus/brass-shell drums. The steeldrum is priced at $238; the phosphorus/brass drum goes for $419.

Speaking of adding, owners of Pacific LX drumkits can nowadd a 7x8 rack-tom ($235), a 14x16 floor-tom ($530), and an18x22 bass drum ($899). The add-on drums are available in allPacific lacquer finishes, including Amber, Charcoal, PurpleMetallic, Cranberry, Natural, and Royal Blue.Y (805) 485-6999, � www.pacificdrums.com.

You Can Always Find A PlacePacific Metal Accessory Snare Drums And LX Series Add-Ons


If you like to capture your own sounds and build your ownloops and patterns, The SP-505 Groove SamplingWorkstation should interest you. It’s a compact sample-editing machine that features 16 sample pads, a 15,000-note pattern sequencer, storage for 250 individual sam-ples, 8-note polyphony, 124 seconds of mono sampling, 62seconds of stereo sampling, and 26 onboard effects. Theunit also includes ROM tones such as synths, drums, andbasses, which can be played without using memory. Listprice is $595. Y (800) 386-7575, � www.rolandus.com.

Wanna Shoot SomeLoops?Boss SP-505 Groove SamplingWorkstation

The MBNM-622 Ambient Drumset Mic’ from MBHO is a stereo PZM(Pressure Zone Microphone) designed to be placed on the floor ormounted on a wall about six to eight feet away from a drumkit or per-cussion setup. The mic’ features two omnidirectional transducers, andgives the engineer the option to add a “more roomy” drum sound tothe mix. List price is $545. MBHO mic’s are available through MusicTrade Center (MTC) in the US. Y (718) 963-2777, � [email protected].

Catch The RoomMBHO Microphones Ambient Drumset Mic’

Extreme Interdependence (Warner Bros.), byMarco Minnemann with Rick Gratton, is a methodbook that explores Marco’s techniques for mov-ing beyond the conventional goal of four-limbindependence to what he terms “interdepend-ence.” This concept allows drummers to coordi-nate their limbs in infinite combinations andswitch any rhythmic pattern to any appendage forultimate freedom and flexibility. The book includeswarm-ups, basicpatterns, melodies,flam patterns, andhi-hat patterns, andthe accompanyingCD allows drummersto hear Minnemann’stechniques andgrooves. List price is$24.95 (with CD). Y (800) 327-7643, � www.warnerbrospublications.com.

Jungle/Drum ’N’ BassFor The AcousticDrum Set, by JohnnyRabb, provides exer-cises, transcriptions,sound applications,and techniques forplaying this specificgenre of music on anacoustic drumset (Warner Bros.) The two includ-ed CDs contain examples and demonstrationsfrom each chapter in the 150-page book. List priceis $24.95 (with CD).Y (800) 327-7643, � www.warnerbrospublications.com.

Carmine Appice’s clas-sic Realistic Rock hasbeen revised and reti-tled Ultimate RealisticRock (Warner Bros.). It

includes over twenty new pages of material, aswell as a second CD containing three new play-along tracks and audio examples. List price is$24.95 (with CDs).Y (800) 327-7643, � www.warnerbrospublications.com.

Finale: An Easy Guide To Music Notation (BerkleePress) provides a comprehensive, step-by-stepexploration of the popular notation software’sc a p a b i l i t i e s a n dappl icat ions . Thebook comes com-plete with a CD-ROMcontaining tutorialsfor each of the hun-dreds of hands-onexercises in the text.List price is $49.95.Y (617) 747-2666, � www.berkleepress.com.

The Reference Shelf


PURESOUND‘s marching snares feature eighteen-strand premium-grade steel-alloywires and copper mounting hardware. They’re designed to fit most Dynasty, Ludwig,Pearl, Premier, and Yamaha marching snare drums. Puresound also offers two newmodels specifically developed for concert and orchestral snare drums, featuring pol-ished copper end-clips and stainless-steel alloy wires. The 12-strand and 16-strandmodels feature an extended coil pattern for a dry, dark tone designed for increasedarticulation. List price is $39.95. Y (310) 966-1176, � www.puresoundpercussion.com.

DRUMFRAME’s EZ model drumkit suspension device is designed to accommodate play-ers who want the benefits of the original DrumFrame’s reclined playing position but don’tcare for a rack-type setup. The EZ model mounts bass drums on a wing support connect-ed to an adjustable-position reclining seat, allowing the player to use an existing stand orrack system. Y (888) 410-8884, � www.drumframe.com.

The TurboTune Professional Drum Key from DEAN MARKLEY can be used by hand, orwith a supplied handle, cordless drill, or power screwdriver. The key is designed to cuttuning and head-changing time in half. Y (650) 589-2191, � www.deanmarkley.com.

NINO PERCUSSION’s new Bongo Stand is designed for kids to position bongos in rela-tion to their body size. Bongos can be adjusted from 31" to 45" in height, and can be tiltedup to 90°. List price is $89. Y (877) 88-MEINL, � [email protected].

UNIGRIP now offers 5A, 5B, 2B, and marching corps models in special red, white & bluedip patterns ($14.95 per pair). Part of the proceeds of the sale from these models will bedonated to the American Red Cross. Additionally, Unigrip’s Dipstick models are availablewith handles dipped in red, blue, white, yellow, or a mix of any two colors at $11.95 perpair. Y (800) 474-7068, � www.unigrip2000.com.

KACES DDrruumm GGiigg BBaagg PPrreeppaacckkss come in heavy padded nylon and vinyl Standard (10x12,11x13, 16x16, 18x22, 61/2x14) and Fusion (10x10, 10x12, 12x14, 18x22, 61/2x14) sets. All bagsfeature weather-resistant outer shells, tear-resistant lining, luggage-grade zippers, dou-ble-stitched edges, rubber handles, and an extra-long strap. List prices: padded nylonStandard—$312.75, padded nylon Fusion—$292.75, vinyl Standard—$183.75, vinylFusion—$177.75. Y (415) 492-9600, � www.aceproducts.com.

YAMAHA now offers soft cases designed for electronic and acoustic drumkits, snaredrums, cymbals, and sticks. Also included is a HipGig bag set with integrated wheels, afive-wheel hardware bag, a dual-zipper snare bag (with a replacement head pocket),and a dolly-style cymbal bag with colored dividers. All cases feature reinforced handles,Cordura black nylon on the outside, and interior foam padding. Y (714) 522-9011, � www.yamahadrums.com.

PEAVEY’s International Series II kit is an upgraded entry-level outfit that includes a newlug design, an eight-lug snare drum, 7/8" tom arms, and double-braced hardware. Kits areavailable with 10x12, 11x13, and 16x16 toms, a 14x22 bass drum, and a 61/2x14 snare. A basspedal, throne, and hi-hat and cymbal stands are included, as are an 18" crash/ride and 14"hi-hat cymbals. Finishes include Metallic Silver, Deep Ocean Blue, Metallic Dark Green,Metallic Wine Red, Metallic Claret, and Black. List price is $699.99. Y (601) 483-5365, � www.peavey.com.

THE JAZZ STORE offers T-shirts and posters that let you display your love for drumming.The Hot Drums poster is 24x30 and sells for $25.00 unframed or $129.95 in a black metalframe with plexiglass covering and hanger back. The 100% cotton Hot Drums T-shirt listsfor $19.95. Y (800) 558-9513, � www.thejazzstore.com.

And What’s More


Meinl Byzance CymbalsEast Meets West To Create A New Sound

One of the biggest surprises at Summer NAMM 2001 was Meinl’s debut ofa line of cast cymbals called Byzance. Up to that point, Meinl made all

their cymbals by starting with disks stamped from sheets of metal. Cast cym-bals are created by heating and rolling individual castings of cymbal alloy.That alloy generally has a ratio of 80% copper to 20% tin, whereas non-castcymbals are usually 92% copper and 8% tin.

Meinl’s casting is done at a foundry in Turkey, where the cymbals are alsohand hammered and lathed. The cymbals are then sent to the Meinl facility inGermany for finishing.

Most cast cymbals fall into one of two major categories. There is the hand-hammered type, represented by Zildjian Ks and K Constantinoples, SabianHH models, and cymbals made by Istanbul Mehmet, Istanbul Agop,Bosphorus, Turkish, and Wuhan. Then there is the machine-hammered type,which includes A Zildjians and Sabian AA models. Byzance cymbals fallsomewhere in between. Some have more “old K” characteristics than others.None are quite as bright-sounding as typical A Zildjian or Sabian AA models.So while they have characteristics that recall other cast cymbals, they ulti-mately have their own sound.

RidesByzance ride cymbals are available in six 20" models: light, medium,

heavy, Ping, Dry, and Flat. There is also a 22" Projection Ride.I’d classify the Byzance medium as actually being medium-light in weight,

and the heavy as actually being medium. Both have a good balance betweenstick definition and overtones, and both fall within a medium pitch range,with the heavy ride being a bit higher in pitch. I’d choose the medium ride for

jazz and the heavy ride for rock, butboth could work in either setting.On the other hand, the light modelhas a lower pitch and more of the“old K” sound.

The Ping cymbal reminds me ofcymbals that are usually designat-ed as “heavy.” It has the highestpitch and is the most metallic-sounding of the bunch, but it stillhas enough overtones to prevent itfrom being as anvil-like as someheavy rides. The Dry ride had moreovertones than I expected, butthose overtones fell into a narrowsound spectrum. This made thecymbal slightly more articulatewhen playing fast patterns.

I’m a big fan of Flat rides general-ly, but the Byzance Flat ride notonly looked flat, it sounded flat. I

product close-up

HITS22" Projection ride has a good balance

of overtones, undertones, and definition

13" medium hi-hats had a darker soundthat would be excellent for jazz or

low-volume settings

crashes generally sound fairly dark, with rich overtones

MISSESFlat ride would be too dry for some tastes

8" splash sounds like a toy

Photos and Text by Rick Mattingly

Ride Cymbals


mean it was really dry, to the point where some would notthink it very musical. On the other hand, the 22" Projection ridewas a nice surprise. Many 22" rides I’ve played have beenoverpowering, with an excessive undertone. But this one had agood balance of overtones, undertones, and definition. It alsohad a fairly low pitch and dark quality, so while it might be abit strong for an acoustic trio, it would sound great with any-thing from a jazz quartet to a big band.

Hi-HatsAs with the heavy ride, I was expecting the 14" heavy hi-hats

to sound pretty metallic. But they produced overtones thatgave them substantial body and character, while still allowingfor a crisp “chick” sound when I stepped on the pedal. The 14"medium hi-hats had a similar quality of sound, but at a lowerpitch. The 13" medium hi-hats had a darker sound and werenot as penetrating. But they would be excellent for jazz or low-volume settings.

CrashesAlthough the ten crash cymbals in the Byzance line cover a

wide range of pitches, I was surprised by the consistencythroughout the assortment. There’s generally quite a differ-ence in timbre between different sizes and weights of crashes.But these cymbals all sounded like members of the same fami-ly. With most models falling into thin and medium-thinweights, Byzance crashes generally sound fairly dark, with richovertones that provide more spread and color than projectionand power.

The 14" and 15" thin crashes sounded surprisingly full, andthey had a fast decay. These would be good in low-volume sit-uations where you might want the typical pitch characteristicof a slightly larger cymbal but with less volume and power.

There are three 16" crashes to choose from: thin, medium-thin, and medium. The thin model has quite a low pitch for a16" cymbal. Either of the others could serve as an all-aroundcrash in most setups, producing a fast attack and moderatesustain.

The 17" size comes in thin and medium-thin models, andboth had a good balance between power and pitch. Finally, the18" size comes in thin, medium-thin, and medium models. Likethe 16" models, the thin was really dark, while the other twocould make good general-purpose crashes.

All of the different models sounded very similar in timbre.But when it came to putting together combinations, I had the

best results when I matched weights. For example, the fivethin crashes had nice pitch relationships between adjacentsizes. But if I substituted a medium-thin or medium in one ofthe sizes, the pitch was usually pretty close to one of the oth-ers. The fewer sizes one is using, the more options there arefor getting good pitch relationships. For instance, in a setupwith only two crashes, if one were to start with, say, the 18"medium-thin, any of the 16" or smaller models could work asthe second cymbal.

SplashesTo me, the 12" splash sounded more like a small crash. It

had a lot more body and overtones than a typical splash cym-bal would. And although it wasn’t particularly loud, it hadsome cutting power because of its pitch.

The 10" splash sounded pretty much like I expect a splash tosound, but the 8" model sounded too much like a toy. Its ultra-high pitch and “tin-canny” sound might be useful for specialeffects, but for the most mainstream splash sound, go for the10" model.

ChinasMost China cymbals I’ve played can be classified either as

“trashy” or “gongy.” Whether used as crashes or as rides, theByzance Chinas are definitely in the gongy category. Thesound of the 16" model is particularly metallic. The 18" and 20"models have more overtones, but they’re still very dry, andtheir pitches are really low.

Two Worlds In OneBy combining old-world and modern cymbalmaking tech-

niques, Meinl hascreated a line ofcymbals that offersunique acousticperformance char-acteristics. It’s anew and viable setof choices, andwhen it comes tofinding one’s “per-fect” cymbalsound, choices arealways good.

THE NUMBERS

8" Splash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $14710" Splash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $16712" Splash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $18613" Hi-Hats (medium) (pair) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $39814" Hi-Hats (medium, heavy) (pair) . . . . . . . . . . . $45214" Crash (thin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $22615" Crash (thin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $26416" Crash (thin, medium-thin, medium) . . . . . . . $29917" Crash (thin, medium-thin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $32918" Crash (thin, medium-thin, medium) . . . . . . . $35616" China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $29918" China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35620" China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $41520" Ride (Light, medium, heavy, Ping, Dry, Flat) . . $41522" Projection Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $509

Y (305) 418-4520, � [email protected].

Crashes Chinas Hi-Hats Splashes

The Spaun Drum Company recently introduced a line of 100% birch drumsto complement their 100% maple line. Featuring the same well-thought-

out design as their maple cousins, these handcrafted birch drums look beauti-ful, sound fantastic, and are a joy to play.

It’s All About The Shell...Before the drums were even out of the boxes, I noticed how little they

weighed. Once I had them unpacked, I could see that their light weightstemmed from their shell construction and the elimination of unnecessaryhardware. Spaun’s 8-ply shells are just under 1⁄4" thick (5.5 mm) and have noreinforcement rings. The result is a shell that’s thin and light yet strong andresonant.

A notable feature on Spaun drumshells is the double 45° bearing edge.This design ensures that the flat of a drumhead makes contact with theshell—avoiding the edge and resulting in good drumhead contact all around.


Spaun 100%Birch DrumsGreat Sound, Great Look

by Martin Patmos

HITSconsistent timbre across the kit

great sound all around

simple, clean look

MISSESno protective pad on bass drum hoop


Spaun deliberately keeps their drum hardware to a mini-mum. Small, attractive lugs and unobtrusive badges, combinedwith RIMS mounts, keep the shell free of anything that mightimpede the sound characteristics of the drums. The resultinglook is very clean, and it really shows off the finish. Whetherfinished in the natural wood grain of the Blonde Satin stain onthe test kit we received, or the American Flag motif of the kitfeatured on the Spaun Web site, these kits will turn heads.

...And It’s All About The SoundThe Spaun kit came outfitted with Evans heads. The drums

sounded great right from the start, with a distinct attack andgreat tone.

What first caught my attention was the depth of the toms.They had more bottom than I expected, creating a full tomsound with fantastic projection. The decay was just right, let-ting me hear the note, yet avoiding unwanted boominess. Thetoms responded very nicely at different dynamics as well, play-ing evenly from Bonham loud down to some quiet smacks withbrushes.

When I tightened the heads up a bit I discovered that theacoustic characteristics of the toms remained consistentthrough an impressive tuning range. From a comfortable, fatlow, I was able to achieve a crisp, high tom sound without hav-ing anything sound choked.

The bass drum matched the sound of the toms very nicely,allowing it to function as the lowest note in the kit as well asproviding a great counterpart to the snare drum. With EvansEQ3 heads and an Evans EQ pad providing a little muffling, thesound was solid, deep, and resonant. From lightly featheringthe drum, to dropping bombs, to laying down a groove, thebass drum always produced a nice, satisfying “whump.”

The only thing I wished for on the bass drum was a smallpad of some sort on the wood hoop for mounting my pedal.I’m not a fan of clamps biting directly into the wood, whichafter a while results in a pretty shoddy-looking hoop. That’ssomething to avoid with nice drums like these.

Snap, Crackle, PopThe 5" snare we reviewed was crisp and sensitive—and I

loved it. The shell is made like those of the other drums, sothere was a nice, deep tone with the snares off and a greatfoundation for them when they were on. Spaun snare drums

are outfitted with the Nickel Drumworks Piston Drive snarestrainer, which allows an effortless, quiet throw of the snares,both on and off.

The drum had a clean, crisp attack, with a solid, warm tone,plenty of projection, and no stray ringing. And it had great sen-sitivity to ghost notes and chatter. As with the toms, there wasalso a nice range of tuning possibilities.

I was also sent a 61/2" snare to try. Its performance matchedthat of its 5" sibling, other than the expected lower pitch anddeeper tone produced by the deeper shell. These are beautifulsnare drums.

Lend ’Em An EarThere’s a lot to like about Spaun’s birch drums. With their

clean look and great sound, they could easily fit into a widevariety of playing situations. In particular, I suspect they wouldrecord very nicely. But what I appreciated more than anythingwas the consistent timbre across the kit. Taking the drumset asa whole, no drum sounded out of place or demanded any spe-cial tweaking to get it “into the chorus.” Instead, everythingworked together as one complete instrument. Perhaps this isdue to the uniformity of the shells used throughout the kit, ormaybe it has something to do with the attention to detail thatcomes from hand-crafting. Selecting hardware to get the mostout of the drums doesn’t hurt either. Whatever the case, basedon my time with the birch kit, it’s obvious to me that Spaunreally cares about howtheir drums sound.

Although the prices mayput a full kit out of reachfor some, these drumshave a lot to offer. A vari-ety of sizes and depths areavailable, and a goodselection of finishes,including custom jobs,make getting that “dreamkit” all the more likely. Soif you’re looking for a kitthat looks and soundsbeautiful, you may want tolend Spaun an ear.

•

THE NUMBERS

ConfigurationSpaun drums are sold individually and pricedby size. The list below reflects the drumsincluded in our review kit.

5x14 snare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 52561⁄2x14 snare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 5958x10 tom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 4959x12 tom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 52511x14 tom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 59518x22 bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,150

All shells are 8-ply (5.5-mm) birch, and featurestained or painted finishes. Toms fitted withEvans Genera G2 batters and G1 resonantheads. Snare fitted with Genera G1 coatedbatter and 300 Hazy snare-side head. Bassdrum fitted with EQ3 batter, EQ3 resonant logohead, and EQ pad inside the drum.Y (909) 971-7761,� www.spaundrums.com.


Istanbul Agop Mel Lewis 1982 Cymbals And Alchemy Custom Hi-HatsDistinct Voices For Jazz And Rock

Istanbul Agop is continuing to expand on all frontiers. They’ve augmentedtheir jazz catalog by introducing a signature line based on Mel Lewis’s per-

sonal “road models”—cymbals that Mel played while touring with his bigband in the early 1980s. Hence they are referred to by the company as the“Mel Lewis 1982 models.” The line features a ride, a crash/ride, and hi-hats.

At the same time, Istanbul Agop has introduced new Alchemy Custom 13"and 14" hi-hats. Targeted toward rock, pop, Latin, and hip-hop players, theAlchemy Customs continue the company’s expansion into non-jazz areas.

The Mel Lewis LegacyMel Lewis’s cymbal sound was a unique balance of darkness and warmth,

and of trashy and soft tones. Istanbul Agop took on the unenviable task ofhaving to reproduce those contrasting subtleties.

I played the Mel Lewis 20" 1982 ride in a few different settings, includingblues, light rock, and folky-jazz. The cymbal held its own under all circum-stances. It was pingy, with clear stick definition. But it also produced multi-layered overtones that ranged from very light to very dark.

When I laid into the ride to play a traditional swing beat, my attack chat-tered away clearly. However, to my surprise the cymbal also had incrediblespread, almost like a current of wind swirling under my wood-tipped sticks.(It would probably generate even more color with nylon-tipped sticks.) I wasable to keep time and add surging hisses to communicate with the band indynamic ways.

Next I used brushes to generate a sonic mist. And when I took mallets tothe cymbal, a pleasing cloud of dark noise hovered over the music like awarm blanket.

HITSMel Lewis ride is extremely versatile

Mel Lewis crash-ride is vibrant

Alchemy hi-hats have exceptional clarityand beautiful appearance

MISSESMel Lewis ride lacks distinct bell sound

13" Alchemy hats are too small to beeffective rock models

by Will Romano

Jim

Esp

osito


The ride also recorded well. Though a simple ADAT and two-mic’ setup was all we used, the ride simply shimmered. Onplayback, my patterns were clear and well defined. The onlydrawback was the virtually nonexistent bell sound.Nonetheless, this is a great cymbal that would work not onlyfor straight-ahead jazz, but also for big band and soft jazz.

Balancing ActI don’t know of too many cymbals that fulfill the promise of

being both crash and ride. I always believed that in order tokeep a proper balance, a crash/ride had to mute its ride ele-ments and beef up its crash characteristics. That could be arecipe for disaster.

The 18" Mel Lewis 1982 crash/ride is a different case. As acrash it’s larger—and louder—than I’m used to. Along with alight gonginess, the cymbal chimed with a piercing, high-pitched ring.

Used as a ride, the 18" crash/ride generated vibrant tones onthe high and low ends of the spectrum. (As on the 20" ride,moving closer to the bell added nothing to the sound.) Just tofurther test the cymbal’s versatility, I played it with mallets,achieving a “waves crashing in the distance” feel that rolled inand out very quickly.

As a rock cymbal, this model wouldn’t cut it. But we’re talkin’jazz here. It’s certainly strong enough to be a ride in the tradi-tional sense for a big band setting. Additionally, the pleasingcolor of its overtones make it perfect for being creative on ahard bop gig.

Got A Light?The Mel Lewis 1982 13" hi-hats were bright and capable of

holding their own within a musical context. While I generallydon’t like the light wash that smaller hats produce, these cym-bals produced a quick, penetrating sizzle. Their “chick” soundwas clean and loud, clearly stating the time for the entire band.Even under the “woosh” of the Lewis ride, it cut through.

At one point I played the hi-hat alone in a practice session. A

taut, quick response and a crisp “tsst” sound emanated whenthe hats were open and shut. I played single strokes and builtup to doubles. I loosened up the hats, letting out some steam.In so doing, I discovered a monster tone that was containablebut still capable of generating lots of power. That sound con-vinced me that these hats would be great not only for jazz, butalso for funk and hip-hop.

The Alchemist’s ArtTo start with, Istanbul Agop’s Alchemy Custom 13" and 14" hi-

hats rank among the most beautiful cymbals I’ve ever seen.They literally gleam with a golden hue that hints at the treasuresto be found when they’re played. The top cymbal is finished in abrilliant circular pattern. The bottom cymbal, an extra-heavyunlathed model, carries a subtle terrain of small hand-ham-mered marks that vaguely resemble medieval chain-mail armor.

I’m a fan of larger hi-hats, so I took to the 14" hats rightaway. The heavy bottom cymbal’s extra weight meant that Ididn’t have to stomp the floor to get a cutting “chick” sound.The cymbals did all the work for me.

According to Istanbul Agop, part of the reason that theAlchemy line sounds the way it does is because the cymbalsare made with an alloy that’s mixed with other, heavier metals.Then double-lathing and hand-hammering techniques addextra brightness. Whatever the reason, when I played 16ths or32nd notes, I could hear every beat. And when I played the hatsslightly opened, they produced a throaty, even wash withoutannoying rings. Just as the company had intended, these hatsworked well in a rock setting.

The 13" hats were a slightly different story. I was immediate-ly struck by how light these “skinny” cymbals were as com-pared to the 14" models. They simply had less surface area,and could not balance their natural brightness with their mass.So they lacked the body that would make them ideal as rockcymbals. On the other hand, they generated a very pleasing,quick-and-trashy sound. They also had a defined chick thatavoided an annoying metal-gulping-metal noise. Perfect, Ithought, for pop and hip-hop.

Talkin’ TurkeyWhile they have slight drawbacks, on the whole these new

Istanbul Agop models have great range. The Mel Lewis mod-els offer distinct character with surprising versatility. TheAlchemy Custom hi-hats are viable new contenders in the popand rock genres. They’re not cheap, but they are priced rea-sonably for hand-hammered pro models. My advice is to openyour ears and reallylisten. These newcymbals may changeyour perspective.They’re distributedby DR Music.

THE NUMBERS

Mel Lewis 13" hi-hats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $380Mel Lewis 18" crash/ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $305Mel Lewis 20" ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $405Alchemy Custom 13" hats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $402Alchemy Custom 14" hats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $450

Y (201) 599-0100, � www.istanbulcymbals.com.

Jim

Esp

osito

Pearl CST-80 Cymbal Stacker And BC-800W Boom/Cymbal StandSpace-Saving Can Be Hip

Ilove gadgets like Pearl’s new Cymbal Stacker. Not only does it look cool,but I’m intrigued with the potential of placing multiple cymbals on one

stand. I usually work in situations where space is at a premium, so I prefer tohave multiple arms off one stand wherever possible.

You need a Pearl cymbal stand in order to use the Cymbal Stacker.Models it’s compatible with include the C-800W, C-70W, B-800W, BC-800W,and B-70W stands, along with the CH-70 cymbal holder. Pearl sent us the BC-800W. Let’s check it out.

Take A StandThe BC-800W convertible boom/cymbal stand

is a four-section stand with a “disappearing”boom arm on top. As a straight stand, its foursegments allow it to extend to a height of oversix feet. (Does Shaq play drums?) The lower

three sections passthrough Pearl’s PowerProcollars, which provide asolid grip over a several-inch length. The legs aredouble-braced and end inrubber feet. Even so, thestand doesn’t weigh a ton.

The solid arm on toppasses through a geartilter. It’s controlled by asingle wing nut thatallows you to hold thedesired adjustment whileyou tighten it down. The rod is knurled so that thegear tilter gets a good grip. In my testing there wasno slipping or extraneous movement. This is one sta-ble stand.

Branching OutNow the fun starts. The CST-80 Cymbal Stacker

arrives in three sections. The bottom section is madeup of a half tilter and an 8"-long steel rod. The lowerportion of the rod is smooth, while the top 23⁄4" isknurled. Included on the lower rod are upper andlower position clamps and two cymbal felts. Theclamps are steel disks with drumkey screws to adjustthe distance between them.

The middle section of the Stacker is a 51⁄2" rod witha tilter mounted on Pearl’s Dual Action Connector.

HITSsolid design and construction

endless combinations of stacking

by Chap Ostrander

The top is another Dual Action Connectortopped off with a half of a tilter.

Your first step is to take apart the tilteron the top of the stand. Save the half withthe felts and wing nut; you’ll need themlater.

The bottom section of the Stackerattaches to the top of the cymbal stand.Now you have the 8" rod with the position-ing clamps in place, and you can place dif-ferent cymbals between the felts. You caneven use a set of hi-hats, due to thesmooth length of the rod. (You can set thepressure between the cymbals by pressingdown on the top clamp while tightening.)

Having employed the bottom section,you’re now ready to branch up and out,using the middle section. This is where theDual Action Connector comes in. Holes inthe bottom of the tilter allow the rod fromthe bottom section to be inserted straightinto the middle section, or offset, or at a 90°angle to the plane of the tilter. If you choosethe straight connection, you get another 9"of altitude gain over the bottom. The cool part comes if youdecide to offset the unit. You can rotate the middle rod over thecymbal on the bottom, plus tilt and angle it to suit your imagina-tion.

The final step is to go to the top section, which is another DualAction Connector with a half tilter. Remember the half you savedfrom the original cymbal stand? You use it, along with the halfon the Stacker, to assemble a whole tilter. Now you have a sec-ond tilting cymbal holder that can be mounted in two differentdirections.

At this point, the choices abound. I’d probably put the largerof the cymbals I planned to use on the bottom, but since the topone will be offset, you can do pretty much whatever you want.It’s particularly nice to have the option to place a set of hi-hatson the bottom section. My first choice was a set of 14" hi hatswith an 8" splash above. Thanks to the Dual Action Connector, Iwas able to offset the middle section and move the splash off tothe side.

The same dizzying array of choices awaits you when youattach the upper tilter on the end of the middle rod. You canchoose to offset the top cymbal holder and move it along the

middle rod. For example, the second configuration I tried was toplace my ride cymbal on the bottom and fly a crash above it. Itfelt very cool to rotate the crash above the ride until I found theperfect spot for it.

My last experiment was to “fly in” the hi-hat/crash combina-tion above and to the left of my ride using the BC-800W boom.The stand was, as I said before, very stable. Common sense willtell you if you’re branching out too far.

The CST-80 can’t employ memory locks, because you need todisassemble it to get the cymbals off and pack up the stand. Ifyou desire to combine it with another Stacker, you would thentreat the tilter on top of the first unit as if it were at the top ofthe stand, and build up from there.

The components of the CST-80 Cymbal Stacker are all welldesigned and solidly built. I found the whole system very flexi-ble and user-friendly.The potential configu-rations of stacking arelimited only by yourimagination...and grav-ity. Have fun!


THE NUMBERS

CST-80 Cymbal Stacker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 50BC-800W Convertible Boom/Cymbal Stand . . . . $119

Y (615) 833-4477, � www.pearldrum.com.


Earthtone Natural Skin DrumheadsOld Tonality Meets New Technology

Iremember waiting for an outdoor band concert to begin when I was avery young boy. Although it was a clear evening, it had rained during

the afternoon, so there was some dampness in the air. The group wasset up and about to play. I looked up at the stage and saw fire comingfrom the back row. Although I feared that something must be terriblywrong, I noticed that I was the only one concerned. So I took a closerlook. At the back of the band sat a percussionist holding a pair of bongosover a flaming can of Sterno.

I didn’t find out until years later that this was how players of the timedealt with skin heads. In fact, it had been a concern of drummers andpercussionists for generations. A skin head produces great tone andwarmth, but is subject to dramatic—and infuriating—tension changesdue to varying atmospheric conditions. This is why plastic heads gainedprominence so quickly after they were introduced in the late 1950s.There was also the matter of durability: Plastic heads were durable, skinheads were not.

Until now, that is. Goldtone Instruments produces a range of folkinstruments. They also make real skin banjo heads, which can be espe-cially prone to tuning problems. Goldtone found that their skin headswere 90% trouble-free as compared to a regularly mounted skin head.

HITSfull, rich, natural tone

pre-stretched for short break-in period

by Chap Ostrander

Jim

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Their experience in this area enabled them to move into theskin drumhead market. Thus, Earthtone Drumheads wereborn.

The new skin heads come pre-stretched and pre-mountedon an aluminum rim, just like a plastic head, so no old-fash-ioned “tucking” is required. Each head features a molded-incrown, also like a plastic head, to work with the bearingedges on modern drums. A proprietary process ensures theheads’ structural integrity, and their surface is naturally tex-tured for brush use. Because of their organic nature, theheads require a one- to two-day relaxing period, duringwhich some stretching will occur. After that they can betuned easily in a normal manner.

Although Earthtone heads feature mounting and moldingtechnology far superior to that used with skin heads in the1940s and ’50s, they are made of a natural material that’ssubject to the influence of heat and humidity. Still, I usedthem over a period of time when the weather changed pret-ty dramatically, and no head ever became unplayable oruntunable. At the most, I’d say that you might need to tunean Earthtone head a bit more frequently than you would aplastic head.

Next Of SkinI began my testing process with a fairly limited experi-

ment: I replaced the plastic batter head on my 16" floor tomwith an Earthtone head. The result was stunning. The drumchanged in character from decent-sounding to warm andround. The skin head warmed up the tone and made itexceptionally full. When I also replaced the bottom head,the sound was so warm and resonant that it literallychanged my concept of how to play the drum. I felt like Iwas playing into the drum rather than bouncing off the top.The body and sustain were incredible. I could hit the drum,go make a pot of tea, and come back to find it still ringing.

The bass drum was next. Again, I first changed only thebatter head. The result was a full, ringing sound from thathead. I could imagine clamping an old-fashioned muffleronto the hoop and adjusting it against the head. Re-installing the plastic batter head and changing the resonanthead to a skin head left the attack intact. But the drum’ssound out front also possessed the fullness that I had heardwith a skin head on the batter side. I could hardly wait toplay the drum with two skins. When I did, it sounded like aconcert bass. The bottom line is that the Earthtone heads

produced all the sound I could handle. I needed only todecide how much of it to use. I didn’t use much muffling,since I was enjoying the experience.

My rack toms gave the same response to the headreplacement. When the top head alone was changed, thesound was noticeably warmer and fuller. Changing the bot-tom head more than doubled the effect. Based on this fact, Idon’t think that a Mylar head on the resonant side of thedrum can realize the full potential of interacting with theskin head. When it comes to toms and bass drums, twoheads seem to truly be better than one.

Any reservations I had regarding a natural-skin headworking well on my snare drum were quickly eliminated.My “personal sound” comes from a 5"- to 51⁄2"-deep acrylicor metal snare tuned rather high and crisp. I found that theEarth Tone batter head could be tuned up to those heightsand still retain the warmth and depth that the nature of thehead imparts. (There is no snare-side head available fromEarthtone at this time.) When I tried the head on a 61⁄2"snare, the drum sounded warm and fat. When I played withbrushes, the sound was smooth and full, with great consis-tency. (And it felt great to play on, too.)

My wife, a classical percussionist, tried the head in a con-cert setting on an old Gretsch drum with cable snares, andalso on a single-ply wood drum with wire snares. They bothperformed beautifully, with terrific response and tone fromthe head.

Heads UpAlthough Earthtone skin heads come from a historic drum-

ming tradition, I don’t believe you need vintage drums inorder to have them work their magic. Their warmth and full-ness would enhance the sound of any drum, so it’s up to youto see where you can usethem. They aren’t as durableas heavy-duty, twin-ply plas-tic heads with dots, so theymay not be the best choicefor blistering speed-metalplaying. But they can holdtheir own against single-plyplastic heads in the durabilitydepartment. And they offermuch more character, both insound and looks.


THE NUMBERS

10" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 29.9911" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 32.99 12" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 34.99 13" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 36.9914" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 38.9916" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 45.9918" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 59.9920" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 65.9922" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 69.99

Y (800) 826-5482,� www.earthtoneheads.com.

April 2, 2002 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the passing of Buddy Rich, the greatest drummer

Even though Buddy would use many brands of drums throughout his career, he signed with Slingerland early on. This is a promo shot from 1940.

who ever lived. To honor this titan of the drums, we offer this look back at Buddy’s life.

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Buddy Rich’s name came up over dinner oneevening with the late, great jazz drummer

Arthur Taylor. Arthur told me, “My mother used totake me to see the shows at the Apollo Theater.When I was sixteen she took me to see TheBuddy Rich Big Band. We went to a lot of shows,though I was young and didn’t know who BuddyRich was. But the memory of that evening is per-manently burned into my brain.

“The curtain went up and the band startedplaying,” Taylor continued. “Buddy was totally incontrol of the band. Then at the end of the firstsong, Buddy played an incredible drum solo. Itwas during thatdrum solo that Irealized he had abroken arm and wasplaying with onlyone stick. What hedid with that onestick that night wasmore than I’veheard anyone play with two! His playing was sopowerful that I can remember it like it happenedyesterday.”

We’ve all heard stories about Buddy. Nonewere about “casual” encounters; Buddy alwaysmade a vivid impression. I’d like to share a coupleof mine.

I was fourteen years old and on a family vaca-tion in Florida the first time I saw Buddy Richplay. He was leading his big band in a concert ata large supper club. Earlier I had seen variousrock bands on television, and I had seen GeneKrupa do a drum clinic. But Buddy was the first“name” musician I saw play live. And WOW,what a way to start!

I was unable to absorb most of what Buddyplayed, but I can tell you that his playing waspowerful, passionate, and direct—and so was hisstage personality. Sonically and visually, hedemanded my attention; I was totally mesmerizedand knocked out.

After the set, at my father’s insistence—“Gotalk to him; see what you can learn”—I followedBuddy back to his dressing room, a large newmobile home parked behind the club. Buddy sawme but was involved in discussing how to deco-rate his mobile home. I didn’t leave, and eventual-ly, with the speed and power of his single-strokeroll, Buddy turned to me and said, “What do you

want, kid?” I stammered. “You a drum

“Be like Buddy,but don’t playlike Buddy. Findyour own voice.”

My Lessons From Buddyby John Riley

Buddy’s first foray into the world of jazz, at about age twenty, at the Hickory House in New York. That’sLouis Prima on trumpet, Sid Weiss on bass, Meyer Weinberg on clarinet, and Allan Reuss playing guitar.Note the absence of a hi-hat.

Tommy Dorsey (right), one of Buddy’s first employers, loved the young drummer’s playing. (From 1942.)

The cover shot of Metronomemagazine, from 1945, containing

the first write-up of Buddy’snew band.

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mer?” “Yes.” “What kind of music doyou listen to?” “Everything.” Sarcastically,

“Great. Jazz?” Sheepishly, “Yes.” “Okay kid,what’s the greatest two-bar break ever played?” Ihad no idea. “‘Queer Street,’ kid, Shadow Wilson,do your homework!” I was dismissed. Ouch!Lesson number one: Music is serious business.Get serious.

Well, I didn’t hear “Queer Street” until manyyears later, but Buddy’s direct manner andassuredness did compel me to check out moremusic more seriously. I bought his recordingSwinging New Big Band, and again was blownaway by his power, dexterity, and finesse. I prac-ticed with that recording. Buddy’s support of theband, his intimate awareness of everything thehorns were doing—not to mention his speed, pre-cision, and touch—became a measuring gaugefor me. Lesson number two: The drums are fun,but music is serious business. Get more serious.

Fast forward to my senior year of high school,when I studied with Joe Morello. Joe is a fantas-tic musician, teacher, and friend. When Joe spokeabout his favorite drummers, the names GeneKrupa, Jo Jones, Max Roach, and Roy Haynesalways came up. His admiration for these menwas profound. But to me, Joe seemed to regardBuddy in an even more cherished realm, at thehead of the table. Lesson number three:Musicians are serious, but great musiciansadmire each other. Playing music is not a compet-itive sport.

On to my years at North Texas. The hundredfifty drummer/percussionists practiced in an olddormitory building. There were about forty prac-tice rooms, and three or four students wereassigned to each room. During the day the roomsweren’t that busy; everyone had classes orensembles. At night the building was roaring withpracticers.

Those hundred fifty drummers came from allover the country and were into every kind ofdrumming known to man. I shared a practiceroom with three other students, and if I went topractice and my room was taken, I would just godown the hall and see who else was practicing. IfI heard something interesting, I’d knock on thedoor and ask that person to show me what theywere practicing, where it came from, and whythey were working on it. Access to a hundred fiftyserious players, with varied interests, was anincredible resource and stimulus for me.

I’ve always been curious about all kinds ofmusic, and I like to check everything out. I’llabsorb a little bit from over here and something

else from over there. Some people find theone thing that they love and stick

An all-star jam session on52nd street from around1945, with Count Basieand Lionel Hampton onvibes, Artie Shaw on clar-inet, Tommy Dorsey ontrombone, Ziggy Elman ontrumpet, Les Paul on gui-tar, Illinois Jacquet ontenor sax, and Buddy.

Buddy having the time of his life with hisfirst band, around 1946.

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One of the few records thatBuddy would publicly name ashis absolute favorites was theCharlie Parker With Stringsouting of 1949. This photo isfrom that session, with RayBrown on bass.

Despite his difficultrelationship with

Norman Granz, Buddy was a regular

on the Jazz At ThePhilharmonic troupeand on Granz’ Verve

Records. (From 1953.)

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with it forever. Jeff Crosby, from Cleveland,Ohio, and Ben Atkinson, from Houston, Texas,were the resident Buddy Rich experts, and theyturned me on to the intimate details of his playing.They set up their kits and tuned their drumsexactly like Buddy did. They knew every move onSwinging New Big Band and introduced me to adozen other great Buddy recordings. Whenever Ifelt in need of a high-octane boost, I would visitBen or Jeff and they would invariably lay a“Buddyism” on me that would kick my butt.Lesson number four: Music is serious, but there’smore than one way to skin a cat.

Jump ahead to my days with Woody Herman.Playing with The Woody Herman Band was a fan-tastic experience for me. It was my first road gig,and the band worked fifty weeks a year. Throughthat gig I learned a lot about music and life, and Igained a feeling of connection to the older musi-cians and bands of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s.

Woody’s band was one of those bands; likeBasie and Ellington, it started in the 1930s.Woody didn’t play very much during the sets, buthe was definitely a dynamic personality and thecenter of attention. However, as a bandleader,he was pretty loose. Not once did he tell me howor what to play. When he needed somethingmusically from me, he would mention it verycasually to one of the other guys in the band, andeventually the message would get to me.

Buddy’s band operated in a different manner;Buddy wasn’t shy about telling his band exactlyhow to play. While Woody insisted on our best, hetreated us as if we were his grandchildren. Buddyordered his sidemen around as if they wereMarines in boot camp and he was their drillsergeant. Buddy gave his all in every performanceand demanded nothing less from his sidemen.

Buddy loved to check out other drummers andcould often be seen in the wings. If he liked whathe heard he would listen all night. If he didn’t likethe drummer, he would split real fast. Luckily forme, he didn’t remember that young drummerhanging around his mobile home in Florida, andhe heard something he liked in my playing.Regardless of the time I spent studying his play-ing and the insights I gained from Jeff and Ben, Iplayed nothing like Buddy. But the few times Ihappened to be playing on the same festival ashe was, he was very encouraging to me.

I recall a gig at Disney World where Woody’sband, Buddy’s band, and Maynard Ferguson’sband, with Peter Erskine on drums, played con-secutive sets on three different stages around thepark. After the completion of their set, each

band would dash to the next stage to check

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out the other bands. Lesson number five: Belike Buddy—don’t play like Buddy. Find your ownvoice. Learn from everyone, but play yourself.

Now I’m in New York City a couple of yearsafter I left Woody’s band. I’m walking throughManny’s Music Store, going to the drum depart-ment, and I meet Buddy as he’s leaving. This timehe does remember me and asks, “Riley, what youbeen up to?” I told him that I had left Woody’sband and was freelancing in the city. He askedhow it was going. I told him that things were pro-gressing slowly and once in a while I was able toplay some good music. He said: “You should havenever left Woody. He was the best teacher youcould ever have.” Then he walked away.

I was taken aback by Buddy’s directness, andI thought, “That old guy is crazy.” Years later Iwas able to admit to myself that he was right;playing with Woody’s band was a very rareopportunity and experience. Maybe I did leaveWoody’s gig too soon. Lesson number six: Themusic business is rough. Don’t jump ship toosoon. Stay with a good gig until a better onecomes your way.

Buddy left us too soon. Fortunately he record-ed—and was filmed—often and in many differentsettings. Of his many big band recordings, I’m stillknocked out by Swinging New Big Band, Mercy,Mercy, and Live In London. But two of my favoriteBuddy Rich recordings contain no extended drumsolos. Charlie Parker With Strings is a classicrecording that most instrumentalists cherish butdrummers seem to overlook, and Ella FitzgeraldAnd Louis Armstrong is a recording that singerslove, with the fantastically swinging rhythm sec-tion of Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis,and Buddy Rich. Buddy plays beautifully, mostlywith brushes, throughout these recordings.

Listen to the way Buddy plays when he’s play-ing with his peers. While he plays with greatstrength on the two CDs, he seems to take on adifferent persona; he’s not the drill sergeantleading the troops. Rather, he’s more like an inti-mate confidant and best friend to all the othermusicians.

Lesson number seven: Lessons one throughsix are true.

John Riley’s career includes work with suchartists as John Scofield, Mike Stern, WoodyHerman, and Stan Getz. He has also written twocritically acclaimed books, The Art Of BopDrumming and Beyond Bop Drumming, publishedby Manhattan Music.

•

Here’s Buddy in 1967,with his classic setup,including the shell-mounted ride cymbal,splash cymbal, andtom-tom.

Buddy led a marveloussuccession of small

groups when, from time totime, he would leave theHarry James band. Herehe is in Chicago in 1957.

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Who says he doesn’t readmusic? Buddy makes a stabat it here, looking over theshoulder of Max Roach dur-ing the legendary RichVersus Roach recording ses-sion of 1959.

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www.promark-stix.com

EarnYour First Paid Gig.

Announcing the Pro-Mark/Modern Drummer Magazine Percussion Scholarship.

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One scholarship will be awarded to a candidate selected from all submissions received. Eligibility: Players of all percussion instruments who are performance, education and/or music industry majors. U.S. residents only enrolling in U.S. schools. New or returning college students are eligible, including graduate students.Winner must be enrolled as a full time student in an accredited college or university. $1,500 will be paid directly to the winner upon proof of enrollment in a legiti-mate music program at the school of his/her choice. Pro-Mark and Modern Drummer Magazine are not responsible for late or lost submissions. No submissions will bereturned. Scholarship winner is responsible for all federal, state and local taxes. Employees of Pro-Mark or Modern Drummer Magazine and their families arenot eligible.


Buddy’s band from the early 1970s,with Pat La Barbera on tenor. Thesnare drum, by the way, is not aSlingerland. (It looks curiously like a Rogers.)

From 1974 in England, Buddy againpulled out the Fibes snare (one of

his favorites), which infuriatedSlingerland management.

Later in the ’70s, Buddy switched to Ludwig. (Check out the concert toms!)C

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Like thousands of other young drummers who cameup in the late 1960s, all I wanted to do wasplay like Buddy, look like Buddy, andget a date with Cathy Rich.Gorgeous as she was (and is),my reason for wanting to meether was, of course, to get tightwith her father.

I made it my business toshow up whenever Buddy wasappearing within a hundredmiles of my Philadelphia home,even when I couldn’t actually affordto go in. Many nights, in fact, were spentwith my ear to the outside wall of whatever club he

was playing in. More than once, when the outsidetemperature was below freezing, my ear almost

stuck to the wall.Eventually, by the early 1970s, I lucked

out, as Buddy began to spend a lot of timein Philadelphia. The Riches had goodfriends here, and there was a lot of workfor the band at a comfortable club on theriverfront called Brandi’s Wharf. A friend

of mine was selling ad time for a local jazzradio station that Brandi’s advertised on,

and was able to get gratis front-row seats forus whenever Buddy was in town. By then I had

developed a nodding acquaintance with The Man.He had seen me around virtually everywhere, and I

had been drumming on and off with a dear old friendof his, saxophonist Charlie Ventura. Still, my dreamof hanging with Buddy wasn’t yet realized.

During a long stint as a newspaper editor duringthis period, I decided to use my power to at least tryto get an interview with him. It finally happened, andtruth be told, I was nervous. I knew he hated talkingabout the past, and that he had the reputation of bit-ing the heads off of less-than-knowledgeable inter-viewers. I certainly didn’t want to blow my one bigchance of getting to know my idol.

Our time on the telephone was beautiful, and hetold me some things I will never, ever forget. Someexamples?

“To be a part of history is bullshit. I’m not interest-ed in what I played yesterday or even today. I’minterested in what I’ll play tomorrow.

“Why should I listen to a drummer who’s imitatingsome other drummer? Why would I want to listen tosomeone who tries to play like me or these guys whowant to look like me? Why would I want to listen toRich Little impersonate Cary Grant when I can listento Cary Grant? To try to be original and to find your

Back toSlingerland,this is Buddyfrom 1969playing the#80N outfit.Note theNehru jacketand, yes, lovebeads.

Editor’s note: Dr. Bruce H. Klauber supplied many of the photos in this tribute. Besides being a recognizedexpert on Buddy, he is the biographer of Gene Krupa, co-producer/writer of the DCI Jazz Legends videos,series producer of the Hudson Music Classic Jazz Drummers videos and DVDs, and a working jazz drum-mer and recording artist.

More Rich Thoughtsby Dr. Bruce H. Klauber

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Everyone who knew Buddy says he “mellowed”when his grandson, Nick, was born in 1984.

Our sincere thanks go to Cathy Rich, Steve Arnold, and Dr. Bruce Klauber for their help in trackingdown many of these photos. For more on Buddy, be sure to check out www.buddyrich.com.

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own way is to be a man.”That last remark really hit home, especially when

he added, “I know you’re beginning to find your ownstyle now, aren’t you?”

I was floored. Subsequently, I found out thatBuddy had long been keeping “informal tabs” on theprogress of a virtual network of young drummersacross the country, including Butch Miles, DuffyJackson, Donny Osborne, Max Weinberg, CarlPalmer, and many, many others less well known.Apparently, the list included yours truly, as it turnedout that he had been checking in with CharlieVentura as to how well I was or was not doing.

These are the things people don’t know aboutBuddy Rich. This was a man who cared. Weekslater, when my interview with him was published, Ibrought some newspapers to him when he wasappearing at a music festival in suburbanPhiladelphia. Finally we were face to face, and heread every single word of my article—slowly andmethodically—right there in front of me. “You hitthe nail right on the head,” he finally said when hefinished. “Beautiful, man. Come on the bus.”

That was, at that point in my being, the certifiablehighlight of my life.

I was crushed when I heard of his passing in 1987.Like many others, I believed that when Buddy depart-ed, there was just no one left.

My emotions were mixed in the mid-1990s when Ientered into discussions with Cathy Rich, her hus-band, Steve Arnold, and Hudson Music’s Paul Siegeland Rob Wallis (then heading DCI Music Video), towrite and co-produce a two-part “video retrospec-tive” on the life and music of Buddy Rich. My con-cern, believe it or not, had to do with “what Buddymight think,” given his statement to me that “to be apart of history is bullshit.”

With encouragement from Mel Tormé, who nar-rated the videos, and my long-time “significantother,” singer Joy Adams, I went ahead with the pro-ject. I got to know Cathy and Steve, and Buddy’swife, Marie. I am more proud of the finished prod-ucts, Buddy Rich: Jazz Legend Volumes One andTwo, than anything I’ve ever done in my life. If noth-ing else, these videos are my legacy.

What Cathy and Steve have done to keep Buddy’s

name, image, and work alive over the years is unbe-lievable. By way of their determination and dedica-tion, they have accomplished the almost impossible:bringing the music of Buddy Rich to more than onenew generation.

Once, in a quiet moment, when we were almostfinished shooting the Jazz Legends videos, I tookCathy aside. We were both a bit emotional by thattime anyway, having talked for many hours about thelife and career of a person who she loved and I idol-ized.

“I have to know something, Cathy,” I said. “Whatdo you think your father would think of all of this?”

“He would have loved it,” Cathy answered.Whether it was true or not, that made me feel

good. What I know for certain is that Buddy Richwanted the knowledge, and above all, the music tocontinue and to reach younger generations. It has.Indeed, as Cathy once sang many years ago on thelegendary Big Swing Face LP, “The beat goes on.”And it will, as long as drums are played.

•

Buddy proudly led his big band forover twenty years. He’s shownhere in the early 1980s.

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Even late in life,Buddy pushedhimself hard onthe bandstand.

Airto Moreira(Legendary Percussionist)

Erik Hargrove(James Brown)

Mike Malinin(Goo Goo Dolls)

Poncho Sanchez(Latin Jazz Great)

Zoro(Clinician)

Stephen Perkins(Jane’s Addiction)

Bernard Purdie(Independent)

Bobby Rondinelli(Blue Oyster Cult)

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Vicki Randle(Tonight Show Band)

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Richie “Gajate” Garcia(Phil Collins)

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Talking Drums - Jesus Diaz,David Garibaldi, Michael Spiro

S t o r y a n d P h o t o s b y M i k e H a i d

PP hil Collins began his successful musical career as theexciting young drummer for an obscure prog band from

England called Genesis. He eventually worked his way outfrom behind the drumkit to center stage as the lead vocal-ist. With Genesis, Collins matured as a singer and song-writer as the group developed into a multi-million-sellingpop-rock group. Eventually Collins ventured off on his ownas a solo artist and became an international superstar.

So what does all this have to do with prog-rock drummerNick D’Virgilio, besides the fact that he was chosen to recorddrum tracks for Genesis’s 1997 album, Calling All Stations, oncePhil Collins left the band?

Over the past several years one group has been mentionedtime and again as the most melodic and listener-friendly of allprog bands on today’s scene. That group is America’s ownSpock’s Beard, and their drummer is Nick D’Virgilio. Nick’s solidpop groove, nearly perfect technique, and quality backing vocalshave helped propel Spock’s Beard to international recognition asone of today’s top prog bands. His fine playing has led the drum-mer to other work too, including artists like pop stars Tears ForFears and fusion-head Mike Keneally.

Now D’Virgilio is itching to step out front and show the worldthat he too can sing, write a good song, and keep the groove inthe pocket—just like his main inspiration, Phil Collins. With hisbrand-new solo debut, Karma (Inside Out Music America), Nick isready to take center stage.

MD: Are you pursuing a solo career withyour new release, or is this a personal goalbrought to fruition?Nick: Both. I’ve always wanted to do this,but for a host of different reasons I didn’tpursue it earlier in my career. The biggestreason was that I didn’t feel that my song-writing capabilities were where I wantedthem to be. I’ve always been a fan of greatmusic, and I always judged my songwritingagainst the bands that I respected and lis-tened to. My songs didn’t live up to any ofthem.

I’ve been singing since I was a little kid,and I’ve always been jealous of guitar play-ers, because I’ve always wanted to be out infront of the drumset. It’s funny because I’vebeen playing drums all my life. I don’t knowwhy I picked drums as my main instrument.

I finally put some demos of my musictogether, and the guys at the Inside Out labelin Germany said that if I wanted to put out asolo record they would set up a budget forme and release it. That was the big push Ineeded to finally go for it. I really do want topursue a solo career. I want to sing as muchas possible and get out from behind thedrumkit.MD: Does this solo effort allow you to dothe things that you would normally not get todo in Spock’s Beard?Nick: Yes. Spock’s Beard centers aroundNeal Morse. He writes the majority of thematerial and is the lead vocalist. So themusic of Spock’s Beard is really a sound thatbelongs to Neal. I wanted to do somethingdifferent that didn’t sound like Spock’sBeard. I’m a big fan of many styles of music.Spock’s Beard is a prog band, and I wantedto branch out and do a wider variety ofmusic.MD: In listening to Karma, I heard manyinfluences. The tune “Forgiven” brings tomind Rush, with a funkier vibe. Your voicealmost sounds like Geddy Lee at times. AreNeil Peart and Rush influences of yours?Nick: Rush had an influence on me for ashort time in the late ’70s. The first time Iheard Rush was when my brother broughthome the Hemispheres record from college.That was when I was into Rush and NeilPeart’s drumming. But I wasn’t really think-ing about Rush when I wrote “Forgiven.” Itwas more of a heavy, balls-to-the-wall rockvibe.MD: The drum sounds on Karma are wellrecorded. They’re very raw with not muchprocessing, which allows for the listener to


Drums: Mapex Orion seriesA. 5x10 maple Black

Panther snareB. 5x12 metal Black

Panther snareC. 10x12 rack tomD. 11x14 floor tomE. 14x16 floor tomF. 18x22 bass drum

Cymbals: Meinl1. 14" Byzance hi-hats2. 14" Byzance thin crash3. 12" One Of A Kind splash with

12" China splash stacked on top4. 16" Byzance medium crash5. 10" One Of A Kind splash with

8" China splash stacked on top6. 20" Byzance Ping ride7. 18" Byzance medium crash8. 18" Byzance China

Hardware: All Mapex, includingtheir double pedalHeads: Aquarian coated SatinFinish heads on tops of alldrums, with clear HighFrequency heads on bottoms,clear Force One model on bassdrum batterSticks: johnnyraBB Straightneck5A model with olive tip

easily understand what you’re playing.Nick: The credit for the recording of thedrums goes to the engineer, Mike Johnson,and also to Lawn & Garden Supply Studio.That studio, which belonged to the lateKevin Gilbert, has a certain sound for drumsthat is incredible. The ambience of the roomallows for a sound that doesn’t need muchprocessing. It also has an old Neve console,which gives the drums a warm, rich sound.MD: Did you record all of your drum tracksthere?Nick: Actually, a couple of the drum trackswere recorded several years ago. I recordedthe drums for the song “Anything” in 1997. Iwas planning on re-recording everything forthis record. But when I gave the demo of“Anything” to the other players, they askedme why I was going to record new drumtracks. They all felt that the original trackssounded great. There was a spontaneity andlife to those tracks, so I kept them. Thosetracks were recorded with my old Gretschkit. All the other tracks were recorded withmy Mapex kit using Aquarian drumheads.The cymbals were a mix of Paiste andMeinl, because I was still with Paiste when Irecorded the tracks.MD: Why was “Karma” chosen as the titlefor this release?Nick: First of all, I named the project NDVbecause I wanted it to come across as a bandrather than just me. Besides, D’Virgilio is

too hard to say. [laughs] After I wrote thetune “Karma” it just seemed to fit the wholeidea of what I was doing. I felt really goodabout it, and it seemed like the perfect titlefor the release.MD: The tune “Karma” has a cool MiddleEastern vibe. Are you playing all the percus-sion on this song?Nick: Yeah. The only part of the drumkit Iused was a floor tom. It’s actually four tracksof floor tom playing the same pattern, fourtracks of djembe playing the same pattern,bongos, a shaker, a tambourine, and a trashcan lid. It’s got an interesting vocal patternthat is kind of a superimposed time signatureover 4/4 that makes the groove sound likeit’s an odd meter, but the song is in 4/4.MD: Have you studied Middle Easternrhythms?Nick: Yes, in fact the guitarist on the project,Rick Mussallam, is from Lebanon. He intro-duced me to a lot of new ideas. Years ago Istudied at Dick Grove School of Music andbranched out into Middle Eastern, Latin, andAfrican rhythms. I played in an African per-cussion ensemble for a while, too. I loveexploring the combination of all of theserhythms.

The cool thing about the Middle Easternrhythms is that they sound more difficultthan they really are. The patterns are madeup of various parts that have differentaccents, which can lead to some very inter-

esting song ideas.MD: You had a long, close relationship withKevin Gilbert. There’s a track on Karmatitled “The Game” that he co-wrote and alsoplays piano and guitar on. The lyrics soundas though they were written with Kevin inmind.Nick: The lyrics are definitely about Kevin.“The Game” represents a gig, and theprocess of us going out to do a gig. I wasalways pushing Kevin to let me help writesome songs with him. He was always work-ing on new material, and everything hewrote sounded great to me. So I alwayswanted to write with him.

I finally got Kevin to take a few secondsand work on this piece that I brought in. Westarted working on it, and within a coupleof hours we had the whole song arranged.We never got to finish it with lyrics becausehe passed away. Because this ended upbeing the only song I ever wrote withKevin, I wanted the lyrics to be about him,as a kind of memorial.MD: Can you explain a little about Kevinfor anyone not aware of his achievements?Nick: Kevin began in the Bay Area and wasin a fairly popular rock band called Giraffe.He then formed the incredible pop band ToyMatinee with top producer Pat Leonard.Kevin was dating Sheryl Crow at the time,and she was the keyboardist in Toy Matineefor their live shows. He then brought Sheryl


These are the recordings Nick says best represent his playing.

Artist RecordingSpock’s Beard Beware Of DarknessSpock’s Beard Kindness Of StrangersSpock’s Beard Day For NightSpock’s Beard V

NDV (Nick D’Virgilio) KarmaKevin Gilbert The Shaming Of The True

Dave Baerwald & The New Folk Underground A Fine MessRoland Orzabal Tomcats Screaming Outside

And these are the ones he listens to for inspiration.

Artist Recording DrummerGenesis Selling England By The Pound Phil Collins

Yellowjackets Yellowjackets Will KennedyTony Williams Believe It Tony Williams

Bill Bruford One Of A Kind Bill BrufordThe Beatles all Ringo Starr

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin John BonhamLed Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II John BonhamLed Zeppelin Houses Of The Holy John Bonham

Steely Dan The Royal Scam Rick Marotta, Bernard PurdieTears For Fears The Seeds Of Love Phil Collins, Manu Katché,

Simon Phillips, Chris HughesJames Brown all various

Go to www.moderndrummer.com to check out a free MP3 download from Nick D’Virgilio’s CD, Karma.

into the studio and was very involved in herbig debut record as a songwriter and musi-cian. He was also a very in-demand engineerfor people like Madonna, Ice-T, and manyother artists. Sadly, he passed away in hisprime. He was an amazing talent.MMDD:: Are you still working with Tears ForFears?NNiicckk:: Yes I am. It’s been a while sincewe’ve toured, but I’ve already recorded thedrum tracks for a new record that they’reworking on now. I’ve also recently startedworking with Mike Keneally and his groupBeer For Dolphins. It’s extremely challeng-ing material and a lot of fun. Mike is anamazing artist, and I’m honored to be work-ing with him.MMDD:: We haven’t talked about your experi-ence of recording with Genesis. How theheck did that come about?NNiicckk:: I heard from a few friends that Genesiswas having auditions for the drum chairbecause Phil was leaving the band. At thetime, I was touring with Tears For Fears andhappened to be in London when I heard thenews, so I found out where Genesis’s man-agement company was located and wentthere with a Spock’s Beard CD, The Light,and told them I was playing with Tears For

Fears the next night. I invited them to theshow so they could see me play and said thatif there was any chance in the world that Icould get an audition, I would love one.

Well, I went through the whole TFF tournot knowing if they came to the gig orchecked out my playing. Then I think it wasthree months after that when I got a callfrom Genesis’s producer, Nick Davis, ask-ing me if I could send a DAT with somemore music so they could hear some differ-ent things. I did that, and they called back afew weeks later and said they wanted me tocome to their studio, The Farm, for an audi-tion. Needless to say, I was freaking out.Genesis was my favorite band in the worldwhen I was growing up. I played to theirrecords every day.

Anyway, I went on a short tour withJonatha Brooke, and right from there I flewto England and did the audition. I played toall of the tracks they had put together for thenew record, and they recorded what I playedto hear roughly what I might do. I was therefor three days, and then I flew home. I gotanother call from Nick Davis a little whilelater, saying they wanted me back to do therecord. As you might imagine, I was a veryhappy guy. I went back and recorded for

about a week, and that was that.About being in the studio with those guys,

well, it was amazing. They were very sweet.I almost didn’t believe that I was on aGenesis record until I saw the finished copy.As I’ve said, Phil was my favorite drummergrowing up, and to be on a Genesis recordwas exciting, fun, strange, and a little unbe-lievable. I mean, that was his band for twentyyears, and there I was, doing his job. It wasbizare for me, but very satisfying.MMDD:: Getting back to your project, where doyou get the inspiration for your lyrics?NNiicckk:: Most of my lyrics are very personal.Several of the songs are about relationships.Those come directly from personal experi-ences with my wife. We were having someproblems with our marriage around 1996,and a lot of emotions were coming out in mywriting at that time. The song “Forgiven”speaks directly about how I was feeling atthat time. The lyrics for “Anything” talkabout how I didn’t want to be like my fatherwhen I was a teenager. Now it’s ironicbecause I’m more like him than I thought Iwould ever be. It’s something you can’t hide.You are where you come from.MMDD:: Since you play so many instrumentson this release, how are you going to han-

Nick D’Virgilio

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dle these duties in a live situation?NNiicckk:: I’ll have another drummer play onmost of the songs, and I’ll play a lot ofguitar and sing out front. I’ll go back andplay drums a little, but mostly remain outfront as the lead vocalist.MMDD:: You do gigs already where it’s justyou and another musician, and you justplay guitar and sing.NNiicckk:: Yeah, Neal Morse from Spock’sBeard and I go to Europe and play in thepubs. We play in Germany at Irish pubs,which are very popular there. So Neal andI booked a tour. We play a variety ofcover tunes and even some Spock’s Beardtunes. I play guitar and sing. It’s reallyfun. I may have to start my solo career inthe same fashion, as an acoustic duo, untilI can build a following.MMDD:: You’ve mentioned that Phil Collinsis a big influence of yours. Who are someof the other drummer/artists that inspireyou to pursue your own solo career?NNiicckk:: In the specific way that I’m doingmy project, I don’t really know of anyother drummers who are doing what I do.MMDD:: Are you aiming for a pop career inthe direction of what Don Henley or PhilCollins have achieved?NNiicckk:: Don Henley has influenced memore as a singer/songwriter than as adrummer. The Eagles were more about asimple pop direction, so the drummingwas never really a focus of the music. Inaddition to singing, Phil Collins, especial-ly when he was with Genesis, played farmore intricately. So what I’m trying toachieve is more along the lines of whatPhil has done.MMDD:: The instrumental song “Untitled” isthe first track on Karma that clearly intro-duces the prog vibe.NNiicckk:: That tune came out of a jam sessionat Lawn & Garden Studios when I wasmessing around by myself one night. Ibegan the melody on guitar, added moreguitar riffs, and then built from there. Iwanted to include some music that wouldappeal to the fans of Spock’s Beard aswell. A lot of my roots come out of thattype of music.

The opening track, “The River IsWide,” is also a more prog-oriented songthan most of the other material. But Iwanted to kick off the record with some-thing that the majority of Spock’s Beardfans could relate to. Then I’d ease them

Nick D’Virgilio

into the pop stuff.MMDD:: “Paying The Price” has the Spock’sBeard vibe going on.NNiicckk:: Yeah, that’s my one epic. EverySpock’s Beard release has a long, epicpiece. I set out to try to capture that vibe.That’s also the only tune on the CD wherethe lyrics don’t come from a personalexperience. I was trying to come up with astory line that had some social value. InAmerica you hear so much about dysfunc-tional families. Being a father, I’vealways wanted to provide a solid familyfoundation for my kids so that when theycome home from school, they can justfocus on school stuff and having fun. Somany kids grow up with a raw deal intheir family lives, with lousy parents. Sothe lyrics on “Paying The Price” deal withthat unfortunate subject.MMDD:: There’s a climactic point in “PayingThe Price” that sounds like somethingKeith Moon would have done with TheWho.NNiicckk:: Yeah, it was a direct rip-off of thatWho vibe. I love that whole rock thingwhere the band builds the intensity andKeith Moon goes crazy on the drums.There’s a Mike Keneally tune on hisDancing CD that has the same thing.That’s actually what inspired me to addthat section, but even Keneally’s tune is adirect Who rip-off.MMDD:: It seems that you saved the heavydrumming chops for the last track,“Unknowing.”NNiicckk:: I guess if you’re looking for fancydrumming stuff, then that’s where you’ll

find it. The majority of the record isgroove-oriented. The groove is where myheart is ninety percent of the time whenI’m drumming. That song just seemed tofit the mood for stretching a little. I triedto pull off all my Mike Portnoy fills andreally ham it up.MMDD:: What are your thoughts on playingfor the music yet still being able to fulfillyour need to stretch as a player?NNiicckk:: Most of the time I’m thinking aboutplaying less rather than more. In Spock’sBeard they’re always trying to get me toplay more. When I do any type of record-ing session I instinctively try to play less.I don’t know why. Before I even thinkabout throwing in any chops, I alwaysconcentrate on what the song needs.That’s really what motivates me. Chops

are secondary for me. This attitude camelater in my career. I lived for fusion drum-ming for a lot of years. But now, simpleris better. And playing simple is not easy.You have to work hard to make it grooveand make it feel good through a wholesong.

MMDD:: Do you do a drum solo when youperform live with Spock’s Beard?NNiicckk:: Sometimes, but I don’t alwaysknow what to do when I solo. They’realways improvised, and I’ll try to find cer-tain chops that work and remember themfor the next solo. I’ve never been a hugefan of drum solos. They bore me. I wantto hear melody and music along withthem.

I remember going to see Van Halen inconcert, and Alex played a drum solo fortwenty minutes. His feet never stopped! Itwas unbelievable and it was a great solo.Watching Virgil Donati solo is amazingtoo. But I’ll never be able to play like thatin my entire life.

There’s a song that Spock’s Beard doeslive called “Jibberish,” and I’ll usually

solo in that song while they keep playing.I really stretch out and go crazy on thatone. I like having a musical base to workfrom. Sometimes I’ll listen to old recordsof live drum solos to hear what guys likeIan Paice and John Bonham used to do toget the crowd going in their solos, and I’ll

“I’m hoping that when people hear my record they’ll get a lot

out of it in a musical way. But I’m also hopeful that drummers

will get a lot out of what I’m trying to say as a player.”

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try to incorporate some of that into mine.MMDD:: What’s that little “sneak attack”instrumental piece at the end, after the lasttune?NNiicckk:: That was a jam that happened byaccident when we were setting up for oneof the tunes. I started doing this doublebass thing, and the rest of the guys joinedin. We all ended together, so we used itas a special bonus track. So don’t stopthe CD after the last song ends or you’llmiss it.MMDD:: Did you do all of the programmingof loops and sequenced drums on the CD?NNiicckk:: Yeah. “Dream In Red” has somedrum machine, and “Dysfunction” is allprogrammed with loops and things. I’mreally into programming that stuff morethan ever. I’m into the whole recordingside of making loops and manipulatingstuff on the computer. It’s a lot of fun.MMDD:: Did you record your own loops?NNiicckk:: Some I recorded myself and some Itook right off of the loop CDs that youcan buy at Guitar Center.MMDD:: In what order do you record yourparts for the songs?NNiicckk:: Typically I’ll lay down a click track

with a drum machine and record theacoustic guitar part first. Then I’ll laydown a scratch bass line. Next, I’ll recordthe drum parts and then go back and fixthe bass guitar track.MMDD:: Did you use a lot of Pro Tools edit-ing?NNiicckk:: The project was recorded onCubase because that’s what I have athome. I’ve been using it for years. It doesa lot of what Pro Tools does. The song“Karma” actually developed from mylearning how to use Pro Tools at Lawn &Garden Supply Studios. I was messingaround with different percussion groovesand started layering stuff. I got crazy andbegan doubling, tripling, and quadruplingcertain parts.

There are a lot of things that computerscan do that are helpful, but there’s also alot of things that can go wrong, and it caneasily take all of your musical inspirationaway. If you run into a glitch that youcan’t figure out, you can spend hours try-ing to pinpoint it—and then you’ve wast-ed valuable recording time on fixing com-puter problems. But the way you canmanipulate music and sounds with com-

puters is phenomenal.MMDD:: What would you like the listeners ofyour first solo release to come away with?NNiicckk:: I’m hoping that when people hearmy record they’ll get a lot out of it in amusical way. But I’m also hopeful thatdrummers will get a lot out of what I’mtrying to say as a player. I tried to make itas enjoyable as possible for any listener. Ireally hope that people realize that I cansing. I really don’t care that much aboutmy guitar playing on the record becausethat’s not my focus. I’m hoping they’llfocus on the music and my voice.

This record is not about my drumchops, even though there’s a bit of that allover it. It’s interesting to me that I startedplaying drums in the first place. I juststarted playing when I was a kid, and itcame easy for me. I never took a drumlesson until I was eighteen years old. Butthere’s always been a side of me that haswanted to be out front as an entertainer.This solo release has finally given me achance to try to do that. I guess now we’lljust have to see what happens.


Nick D’Virgilio

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SIMON PHILLIPSaanndd VVaannttaaggee PPooiinntt

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Groove Master

RICK MAROTTAwwiitthh WWiillll LLeeee && RRoossss BBoollttoonn

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Jazz/Rock Pioneer

BILLY COBHAM(Courtesy of Yamaha Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Remo, Inc., and Shure Microphones)

Prince’s Dynamic Funkster

JOHN BLACKWELL(Courtesy of Tama Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Vater Drumsticks, and Evans Drumheads)

N’ Sync’s Pop Powerhouse

BILLY ASHBAUGH(Courtesy of Drum Workshop, Paiste Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Evans Drumheads,

and Shure Microphones)

Broadway And Fusion Star

TOMMY IGOE(Courtesy of Drum Workshop, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks, and Attack Drumheads)

AND THAT’S JUST PART OF THE STORY! WE’LL ANNOUNCE THE FULL ROSTER IN THE MAY ISSUE OF MD. WATCH FOR IT!

Modern Drummer Magazineis pleased to announce that the

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Saturday, May 18 & Sunday, May 19Memorial Auditorium, Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, New Jersey

Doors open 12:30 P.M. • Show begins 1:00 P.M.

Modern Drummer’s annual Festival Weekend presents a stellar lineup of drum and percussion artists.Many of these drumming stars are accompanied by some of the world’s finest instrumentalists.

It’s two days of non-stop percussion education and musical excitement.

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Ticket orders must be handled on a first-come, first-served basis—so order yours today!

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www.moderndrummer.com

The Artistry OfJoeStory by Rick Mattingly • Photos by Alex Solca

ou have to be careful who you show off in front of, as JoeLa Barbera learned early in his career. “I was workingwith a singer named Frankie Randall,” Joe recalls. “He

had an offer to open for Buddy Rich in Las Vegas for a month. So Iwas playing Buddy’s drums with Buddy’s band while they backedFrankie, and then Buddy would do a set. One night we were doingthe show, and I got off a pretty good fill. Buddy pulled me aside laterand said, ‘Hey, kid. When you’re playing with my band, just goboom-boom,’” La Barbera says, cracking up at the memory.

“But Buddy treated me great,” Joe quickly adds. “I saw the otherside of the Buddy people talk about when they refer to those tapeswhere he’s ranting and raving. We were sharing a dressing room,and the guys would file by our room to get to theirs. He’d single acouple of guys out and give them all kinds of hell. But once they’dpassed, he’d turn around and give me a wink, like, ‘Don’t pay anyattention to this. I’m just tightening up the ranks.’”

Y


Woody Herman

John Scofield

Bill Evans

Kenny Wheeler

Tony Bennett

Gigs


“What really helped shape my drumming was the influence of non-drummers I listened to in depth,like Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, Miles, and Coltrane.”

A lthough Joe was barely out of his

teens at that point, he’d been a pro-

fessional musician since he was six years

old, playing in a family band that included

his parents as well as his older brothers

Pat and John. Pat went on to play saxo-

phone with such leaders as Rich and Elvin

Jones, and John became a noted arranger

and composer for such bandleaders as

Rich, Woody Herman, Bill Watrous, and

others.

Joe went on to work with Gap

Mangione, Woody Herman’s big band,

Chuck Mangione, and John Scofield before

joining The Bill Evans Trio, with whom he

worked until Evans’ untimely death in 1980.

Afterwards, La Barbera worked with singer

Tony Bennett for twelve years, and since

then has worked and recorded with such

artists as Conte Candoli, Bud Shank, Alan

Broadbent, Kenny Wheeler, and The WDR

Big Band. Since 1994 he has been on the

faculty of The California Institute For The

Arts (CalArts).

La Barbera has also been leading his

own group since the early 1990s, and

with that band he has recently released

his first album as a leader: The Joe LaBarbera Quintet Live on the Jazz

Compass label (www.jazzcompass.com).

Joe’s album is one of four initial releases

on the new label, of which Joe is a co-

owner. He also plays on new Jazz

Compass releases by The Tom

Warrington Trio (Corduroy Road) and

Clay Jenkins (Azure Eyes).

Joe’s playing is solidly in the mainstream

jazz tradition, and he is equally at home

within a trio or a big band. His level of

interaction with soloists is more that of a

partner in the improvisational adventure

than of an accompanist, and yet he is total-

ly supportive of the soloist throughout the

process. His own solos display plenty of

chops as he does variations on classic

bebop phrases. But it’s the musicality that

lingers in the memory after the specific

licks have passed by.

MD: I’ve always been impressed by theway you can project just as muchmomentum and intensity through thedrums when you’re playing softly with anacoustic trio as when you’re digging inwith a big band.Joe: It’s something I worked toward.First of all, when I was coming up in theclubs in the ’60s, bass players didn’t haveamplifiers, and pianos weren’t miked. Soyou were playing at a different volumelevel. You had to make it happen at allthe levels. It couldn’t just be intensewhen it was burning and be lukewarm atall the other dynamic ranges. You had tomake it intense all the time. Even on bal-lads, there’s an insistency, even thoughit’s not in your face. But it has the energyno matter what.

As far as how I do it, you’ve got to befocused on what you’re trying to achieve.When you concentrate on something, itautomatically comes out in your playing,although it may take a little while for youto refine it. Technically, I don’t knowwhat else to tell you, except maybe get acheap record player and play along withrecords.MD: In fact, once when I complimentedyou on your touch, you explained thatwhen you were a kid, your older brotherPat would pick out records he thoughtyou should play along with. You said youonly had a little record player and noheadphones, so you had to play soft tohear the record over your drumming.Joe: That’s absolutely true. Some ofthose really fast tempos, like on Miles InEurope or Four And More, were ridicu-lous, but I tried to do it. Somehow itworked.

The first jazz record I remember Patbringing home was The Lester YoungStory, and on that album there’s a tunecalled “Gigantic Blues” that featured JoJones. I really tried to play like Jo Jonesbecause Pat was trying to play like LesterYoung. But there are a couple of trackson that album that feature a more bop-ori-ented rhythm section with Connie Kay ondrums, so I was also hearing the transi-tion.

Then Pat got a record called BirdlandAll-Stars On Tour with Kenny Clarke ondrums. We wore that record out. WhatKlook [Kenny Clarke] did on that albumrelates to something about Philly Joe


“I’ve used the same basic setup for thirty years,”says Joe. “When I was coming up, all the greatdrummers were playing Gretsch, so that was thesound I was hearing out of the drumset.”

You can see one of Joe’s Gretsch kits on thecover of his new solo album. “That’s a 1960sround-badge kit that is the same vintage as myfirst Gretsch set, which was stolen in 1977,” LaBarbera says. “I also have a blue-sparkle round-badge set, and both of them have 18" bass drums,12" and 14" toms, and 5" snare drums. I’ve gotanother round badge set from the ’60s that’s mybig band set. It’s got a 20" bass drum, 13" and 16"toms, and a 6" snare drum. My newest drumset isone I got when I was with Chuck Mangione in the’70s; it has 10" and 12" toms, a 14" floor tom, andan 18" bass drum. If I’m doing a trio I’ll usuallytake a kit with two toms; if I’ve got horns to dealwith or it’s my own band I usually use the set withthe three toms.”

La Barbera uses Aquarian Modern Vintagedrumheads. “They’re very close to calfskin heads

in warmth,” Joe explains.Among the cymbals Joe chooses from are

some prized “old Ks.” He often uses a 20" old Kride, a new 18" K Constantinople crash, and 13" hi-hats with a K top and a Brilliant-finish A ZildjianNew Beat bottom. For big band work he adds a20" Zildjian Oriental cymbal. The hi-hats are 13"with a K top and a Brilliant A Zildjian New Beatbottom.

La Barbera uses Vic Firth SD4 drumsticks andCalato brushes with wood handles. His hardwareis DW. For the bass drum pedal, Joe prefers a DWnylon-strap model.

In his younger days, Joe had his drums andcymbals at extreme angles. “Back when I had mydrums at ridiculous angles, I was doing one of theMangione albums and Shelly Manne came by thesession. He sat down behind my kit and said, ‘Thisis great! If you drop a stick, it rolls right down thecymbals and drums into your lap,’” Joe recalls,laughing at the memory. “And he was right!”

Joe’s Drums

Jones on Bill Evans’ Everybody Digsalbum: They played those entire albumswith just snare drum, bass drum, hi-hat,and ride cymbal—no tom-toms. But the

music they made is amazing.They had control of the drumset in its

most basic form. And you’ve got playerstoday like Leon Parker who have made a

jump back to that kind of minimalistapproach. I think the idea from the bop-pers was that if you could make it happenwith these few items, then when you


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Jazz SpeakHere are the recordings that Joe La Barbera says best represent his playing.

Artist RecordingWoody Herman The Raven Speaks

John Scofield Live ’77Bill Evans Paris Concerts I and II

Pat La Barbera Deep In A DreamGary Foster Make Your Own Fun

Conte Candoli Portrait Of A CountBud Shank Silver Storm

Baseline (w/Hein van de Geyn and John Abercrombie) Why Really Kenny Wheeler All The More

Joe La Barbera Quintet Live

And these are the ones that he listens to for inspiration.

Artist Recording DrummerLester Young The Lester Young Story Jo Jones, Connie Kay

Various Birdland All Stars On Tour Kenny ClarkeShelly Manne Shelly Manne And His Men At The Blackhawk Shelly Manne

Dave Brubeck Quartet Jazz Impressions Of Chicago Joe MorelloMiles Davis Kind Of Blue Jimmy Cobb

Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers The Big Beat Art BlakeyMiles Davis Milestones Philly Joe Jones

John Coltrane Live At Birdland Elvin JonesMiles Davis Miles In Europe Tony WilliamsRoy Haynes Cracklin’ Roy Haynes

Joe La Barbera

added more drums and cymbals, you hadmore ways to express yourself. But to beable to do it with just a few things waskind of a test. [See this month’s JazzDrummers’ Workshop for an in-depthlook at “stripped-down” kit approaches.]MD: I assume that Art Blakey was one ofyour influences, judging by one of thetunes you wrote for your new album,“Message From Art (For Art Blakey).”Joe: One day this tune came to me and Ithought it sounded like Blakey. A friendof my brother originally turned me on toArt. The first record he played for me was“Caravan.” I couldn’t believe what I washearing—the amount of energy and soundthat Blakey got out of the drumset blewme away. Blakey’s The Big Beat albumwas on a jukebox, believe it or not, at apizzeria in our hometown. So we wouldgo in there every night and play it untilthe owner took it off the jukebox becausehe got so sick of us playing it. MD: In the recent Hal Leonard publicationDrum Standards, one of the transcriptionsyou did was Blakey’s solo on “PaperMoon.”Joe: That solo is constructed beautifully.

It’s simple but it builds very effectively,and the way he phrases across the down-beat of the bridge is great. He’s not boxedinto four- and eight-bar segments.MD: When you were coming up, did youmemorize solos note for note?Joe: I learned that Blakey solo because itwas just one chorus. But I didn’t generallylearn solos note for note; I would just copparticular licks. A lot of it was stuff thateverybody was doing. There’s a standardrepertoire of bebop language that all thedrummers played—Max, Philly, RoyHaynes—but they all sounded completelydifferent doing it. So I learned from all ofthose guys. There’s one lick I know I gotfrom Klook that I’ve used in a couple ofsolos that are on records. He did it with bothhands together on the snare and floor tom.

But I play the first note of the phrase asa flam between the floor tom and snare,and then finish it out on the snare drum.

I’ve learned from so many drummers.A friend of ours had a lot of ShellyManne records, and boy, when I heardthat it really took hold. So I listened to alot of Shelly’s drumming. And I’ve nevergone to see Elvin where I didn’t comeaway feeling better for it. To me, he justmakes playing drums the right thing todo, and I’m happy to be playing the sameinstrument.

But what really helped shape my drum-ming was the influence of non-drummersI listened to in depth, like Bill Evans,Sonny Rollins, Miles, and Coltrane.There’s a melodic flow to the way theyplay their solos that I try to emulate.Also, they all incorporate particularrhythms into their solos that have helpedshape my solos.

One comment I get from musicians alot is that they can hear the changes goingby when I play a solo. Well , that’sbecause I’m playing off the flow of thechord progression. That’s something Ipicked up from other instrumentalists. SoI always encourage my students to listento people other than drummers. You needto be aware of what each instrumentalist

brings to the music and how you canenhance that music from your standpointas a drummer.MD: That reminds me of another big-broth-er story. Elvin Jones told me that one of thegreatest lessons he had was when his olderbrother Hank told him to play along with asolo Bud Powell album.Joe: Ooooh, that would be a great lesson!The way guys like Bud Powell shaped theirsolos, they automatically left spaces for thedrummers to contribute. A lot of timestoday, in student performers, I don’t hearthat space being offered, because they’re notreally aware of what’s going on. When youlearn technique out of a book, you’re notreally taught how to make your part fit withsomething else. That’s something you canonly experience when you’re playing withsomebody. You have to learn how to reactto each other.

You can tell in about eight bars if asoloist is going to work with you or if he’sjust going to ride over the rhythm sectionand pay no attention to what’s going onback there. A lot of times my students getfrustrated because they don’t feel like

they’re fitting into the group. I’ll listen to alittle bit of who they’re playing with andrealize that they’re not getting an opportuni-ty to contribute. They’re being blocked out,and when that happens, I tell them to justpull back because there’s no space beingleft. If the soloist is filling every beat, thepoor piano player or guitar player has tofind space to get that harmonic informationin there, and that doesn’t leave any room atall for the drummer to contribute. So justplay the ride cymbal and wait for the nextsoloist. This is the kind of thing you learnwhen you study the whole band as opposedto just your instrument.MD: There was certainly space for you tocontribute within The Bill Evans Trio.Joe: Bill’s music let me play the full spec-trum of what I was capable of doing. WhenI got the gig, a couple of people said,“You’re going to have to play quiet withthat trio all night long, and you won’t get tostretch out.” That was absolutely false. Hegave me plenty of room to play, and dynam-ically it went from a whisper to a roar. So itreally was up to the player to take the initia-tive and make it what you could. We never

had to follow a certain rule or play within acertain set of parameters. It was about tak-ing the music wherever it could go.

Bill could set you up and give you spaceto contribute to the music so beautifully thatit elevated you automatically. But he couldalso use that space to instruct. If I was get-ting too repetitive or was boxing him in on amelody that had a specific space, he onlyhad to fill that space one time and I wouldrealize that he wanted me to get off it. So byexample, I was learning a lot from Bill. I gotbetter at soloing, although when I listen tosome of those records now I tend to feel Iwas repetitive. But I was growing in termsof what I was leaving out, too. That’s anoth-er thing I learned from Bill. Just beingaround him was a fantastic music lesson allthe time. He didn’t want to talk about themusic. He wanted to play it and let it evolve,which is the way it should be.MD: There is a high level of interplaybetween you and the other musicians on thethree new Jazz Compass albums you playon. And your brush playing is especiallynice on The Tom Warrington Trio’sCorduroy Road album.


Joe La Barbera


After Joe had been in The Bill Evans Trio forabout six months, he and bassist Marc Johnsongot a call from Evans, who told them they had tohave a rehearsal. “Marc and I thought we werein trouble,” La Barbera recalls, laughing. “Wewent to Bill’s apartment and he said, ‘We don’treally need to rehearse. I just wanted some com-pany.’

“But since we were there, he asked us to takea look at a way to shift tempo that he and bassistEddie Gomez had worked on, but that they hadnever brought into the music. The idea was toshift to a slower tempo by playing two bars of dot-ted-quarter notes, and the dotted quarters wouldthen become the tempo of the quarter note.”

Joe says that you can also start the dottedquarters on the downbeat. The last dotted quar-ter then falls on the “&” of beat 4 in the second

bar, providing an anticipated downbeat (or “pushbeat”) into the new tempo.

“To get back to the original tempo,” Joeexplains, “play two measures of quarter-notetriplets, and that becomes the tempo of the quar-ter note.”

Joe used this method of shifting tempo at theend of drum breaks in “My Romance” on the BillEvans albums The Paris Concert, Edition 1 andTurn Out The Stars (box set).

Tempo Modulation

JJooee:: I’ve been playing dance jobs since Iwas six years old, and you played the brush-es ninety percent of the time. So I had brush-es in my hands a lot. Shelly was the first guywho really knocked me out with brushes.Right through the history of this music therehas been some great brush playing: VernelFournier with Ahmad Jamal, Philly JoeJones, Ed Thigpen with The Oscar PetersonTrio—I just marvel at that brush playing.Have you ever heard The Lester Young Trio

with Nat Cole and Buddy Rich? Buddy doessome fabulous brush playing.MMDD:: In a clinic I attended, you emphasizedusing the whole surface of the brush, not justthe tips.JJooee:: It sounds fuller that way. This is noth-ing new; I’ve got a video of LouisArmstrong from 1933 recorded in Sweden,and I don’t know who the drummer is, buthe has absolutely the smoothest left-handsweep I’ve ever seen on the brushes, and he

has all the bristles down on the drumhead.So that’s what I go for. It helps get arebound, too.

A lot of kids today are really interested inbrushes, which does my heart good. What’sinteresting to me is that with this generationof drummers coming up, most of them havelearned matched grip from the start. Andinvariably when I get them they want toswitch over to traditional grip because of thebrushes. They seem to feel that’s the rightapproach for jazz. I always encourage themto stay with the grip they’re most comfort-able with. If you’re playing great withmatched grip, why mess it up? MMDD:: You’re known primarily as a smallgroup drummer, but you’ve had some bigband experience. A lot of drummers falleither into the Buddy Rich or Mel Lewisschool, but when I heard you with a collegebig band recently, I heard both of thoseapproaches in your playing.JJooee:: They both influenced me. I remembertalking to Buddy about big band drummersversus small band drummers, and he said,“You know, when I was coming up, youwere a drummer. You played big band, youplayed small groups, you did everything.”Fortunately for me, when I was getting intothe business there were still opportunities toplay with big bands. MMDD:: Drummers who have big band expe-rience seem to play with more awarenessof the form of a tune.JJooee:: Yeah. You realize the responsibilityof the chair that you’re sitting in. You’rethe drummer, and your job is to keepthings moving and to keep it together. Youhave to be stimulating, but make it securefor the rest of the band. That same conceptworked with Woody Herman and with BillEvans, too.


Joe La Barbera

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by Jim DeRogatis

The Past, Present, And Future Of Acrylic Drums

S ince its first widespread use in 1951 viaeverything from the ubiquitousTupperware to the sublime Eames chair,

“plastic” has been synonymous with “thefuture.” So while drums have always been themost traditional of instruments—aNeanderthal banging on a hollow log wasprobably the first drummer—it was inevitablethat someone would eventually build a “bet-ter” drum by turning from wood to synthetics.

Bill Zickos is generally acknowledged as thefather of clear plastic drums. The founder of the

Kansas City–based Zickos Drum Company builtthe first Plexiglass drums in 1959, though hedidn’t formally start production until adecade later. In the early ’70s, Fibes’Crystalite sets were the first acrylic drums towin significant popularity among rock play-ers. But it was Ludwig that built the mostfamous clear drums ever, thanks largely to aone-of-a-kind drummer, John Bonham, whoused an amber Vistalite set in the 1976 LedZeppelin concert film, The Song Remains The Same.

“I just want to say one word to you—just one word.”“Yes, sir?”“Are you listening?”“Yes, I am.”“Plastics!”“Exactly how do you mean?”“There’s a great future in plastics!”

—Mr. McGuire (Walter Brooke) and Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) from the 1967 film The Graduate


Though many other manufacturersbriefly hopped on the acrylic bandwagon(and just as quickly leaped off), these threeAmerican companies remained the biggestnames in the field until the late ’70s, whena number of unique problems combined tohalt production.

Now, after years when they were viewedas a historic novelty, acrylic drums areexperiencing a renaissance. There’s abooming market in vintage kits, as well asa thriving niche for new sets manufacturedby a revitalized Zickos and Fibes. And lastyear, Ludwig made headlines by offering anew Vistalite set for the first time in twen-ty-one years.

Are drummers experiencing a strangenostalgia for a now-outdated vision of thefuture—something akin to the craze forspace-age bachelor pad music or retro fur-niture that looks like The Jetsons? Or areacrylic drums really a viable alternative towood? Most drummers agree that they lookcool. But what do they sound like? And

how do you tune, clean, and care for them?We’ll look at all of these questions in

turn, starting with acrylic drums’ origins.

A Brief History Of Clear DrumsA former big band drummer and veteran

tinkerer, Bill Zickos was searching for abetter sound rather than a unique lookwhen he made his first prototype drumsfrom Plexiglass (a particular brand of clearplastic; “acrylic” is the generic name forthe material). Bill followed the samemethod everyone used, and which still pre-vails today. The plastic is cut from hugesheets, heated (most manufacturers usepizza ovens, though Cream’s Ginger Bakeris rumored to have made a set fromPerspex warmed on a kitchen stove),shaped, bonded at the seams with adhesive,and finished by hand.

It took a decade of on-again, off-againexperiments for Zickos to perfect a drumwith a strong, clean, and consistent tone, aswell as a “dry” but cutting sound free from

distracting overtones. But there was oneproblem: When he tested his see-throughdrums on small jazz combo gigs, the vol-ume blew his fellow musicians off thebandstand. Thankfully, musical styles werechanging. “We didn’t originally go afterthe rock drum market, but Bill found thatthe drums projected a lot better and had alot more resonance and life than most otherdrums, and that was perfect for rock ’n’roll,” says Zickos’ son-in-law, JohnBrazelton.

In 1969, Zickos sold its first professionalkit to Ron Bushy, the drummer with heavymetal pioneers Iron Butterfly. Every night,as Bushy performed the epic drum solofrom “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” his clearZickos set reflected a rainbow of differentcolors from the stage lights, and musicianscouldn’t help but take notice. Suddenlydrummers could be seen through theinstrument that had formerly hidden eightypercent of their bodies. By the early ’70s,Zickos was selling more than a thousand

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Bonzo and his classic amber Vistalites

Distributed by

Sonor’s Force 2001 stands heads aboveothers in its class. The drums are nowavailable in two new colors, Diamond Blue

and Stain Amber, in addition to Cherry Red andMidnight Black.

Since 1875, Sonor has combined precisionhandcrafting with modern technology to maketoday’s highest quality percussion instruments.Many of the same features and manufacturingmethods used for Sonor’s top-of-the-line modelsare also used for the Force 2001, which retails ata very reasonable $995.

Fantastic tone doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

CROSS LAMINATED TENSION FREE(CLTF) SHELLSUtilizing special oil-heated presses to produce shellsthat retain their shape, CLTF shells have the samestrength throughout, which results in consistentacoustic projection and resonance.

NEW FORCE LUGS WITH TUNE-SAFEA unique system that uses die-cast fittings tosecurely hold the tension rod, this special featureensures that the drum stays tuned even under heavyplaying.

Plexiglass kits a year. But competitors soonemerged.

Drummer Bob Grauso and plastics spe-cialist John Morena formed their companyin upstate New York in 1966, combiningthe words “vibes” and “Fiberglass” (the

material they favored) to come up with thename Fibes. C.F. Martin Guitars bought thecompany in 1970, and things really tookoff; among the more notable Crystaliteplayers were Alan Dawson, Billy Cobham(who can be seen with a double-bass set onhis Spectrum album), and the great BuddyRich, who endorsed other brands butfavored a Fibes SFT snare.

Then America’s biggest drum manufac-

turer burst onto the scene. Ludwig didn’tinvent plastic drums, and many aficionadossay the company didn’t do them best. But“Vistalite” became synonymous with“clear drums” the way the brand name“Kleenex” has come to mean “tissues.”

Ludwig’s primary innovation was cos-metic. When Vistalites debuted in late1972, they were available in clear as wellas five colors: in order of popularity, blue,amber, red, yellow, and green. (White,black, and an opaque “smoke” were addedlater, when green was dropped.) The drumswere striking in appearance—the next stepin flash and pizzazz after the sparkling psy-chedelic sets of the mid-’60s—but Ludwig

c co ou ur r

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K Kl la a

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Vital gear: Cobham on Fibes circa 1972

Clearly Pink: Nick Mason on his Fibes kit (with Ludwig mounts)

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kept upping the ante. In 1975, it intro-duced multi-colored Rainbow Vistalites(drummers could choose up to threecolors alternating in one of six stripedpatterns), and in 1978 came a set withbuilt-in Tivoli lights similar to those onChristmas trees.

Some of the most famous drummersin the world endorsed Ludwig, andplayers such as Keith Moon, MaxRoach, Carl Palmer, Nick Mason ofPink Floyd, Karen Carpenter, andJohnny Jackson of The Jackson Fivecould all be seen with Vistalite kits atvarious points in the ’70s. But no onedid more to popularize them thanBonham, who switched from a mapleBig Beat set to Vistalites for Zeppelin’stours in 1973 and 1975.

Bonham played an amber kit in14x26, 10x14, 16x16, and 16x18 sizes.(He usually stuck with an alloy snare.)“I remember those Vistalites with spe-cial affection,” Zep bassist John PaulJones says, though he underscores theoft-stated observation that it wasn’t aparticular instrument that gave Bonhamhis massive sound. “I saw Bonzo play-ing a tiny Ludwig kit that he had madefor his son Jason when he was aboutfive years old, and you still had to standwell back. Even the cases would soundgood in his hands!”

Nevertheless, the association withone of rock’s most powerful drummerssold many of the tens of thousands ofVistalite sets that Ludwig made in the’70s. But the drums also had their crit-ics. Among the charges leveled atLudwig were that Vistalites were frag-ile and could shatter if dropped on aseam, that they were often out of round,and that the bearing edges were uneven.Given the sheer number of sets pro-duced, it was inevitable that a few“lemons” would find their way to themarket. But that’s all it takes to taint aproduct’s reputation—just ask Fordabout the Pinto of the same era—andZickos and Fibes complain thatVistalites gave acrylic drums a badname.

The other problem that contributed toacrylic’s decline was global in scale. Akey ingredient in plastic is petroleum.In 1972, the price of crude oil wasabout $3 a barrel; by the end of ’74, it

had quadrupled to $12 as a result of theArab oil embargo employed after theYom Kippur War. The impact to con-sumers was considerable.

As quickly as acrylic drums hadboomed, the market disappeared. BillZickos left the company he founded in1971 after a dispute with investors, andit closed in the mid-’70s. Martin soldFibes in 1979, and the new owners, theCorder Drum Company, stopped mak-ing Crystalites. Ludwig ceased produc-tion of Vistalites that same year. Plasticdrums went from clear to invisiblealmost overnight.

Acrylic Drums ReturnIn recent years, interest in vintage

drums has exploded. Granted, whenmost players use the term, they’rethinking about something like a fabledRadio King snare from the ’40s. Butmany rockers in their late twenties toearly thirties first gravitated toward theinstrument while watching their heroesperform on see-through drums. It’sonly natural that they’d think fondly ofthese sets.

Lovingly restored vintage acrylic kitsare now a common sight onstage and inthe studio among players in under-ground genres such as stoner rock(Brant Bjork of Fu Manchu swears byhis mid-’70s Vistalites), post rock(John McEntire of Tortoise bought anamber set in homage to Bonham), andalternative or punk (Weezer drummerPat Wilson played blue Vistalites on arecent tour, and George Berz played aclear kit backing Dinosaur Jr.’s J.Mascis).

I scored my own mid-’70s amberVistalites in the spring of 2001 for$750; a matching 5x14 snare set meback another $365. (I justified theexpense to my wife by selling my ten-year-old cherry wood YamahaRecording Customs—a sweet set, but Ihaven’t missed them once.) I found myVistas via the online auction site eBay,though I knew I was buying from rep-utable dealers; established shops suchas Atlanta’s Vintage Drums or Iowa’sVintage Drum Center can also help findwhole acrylic sets or individual pieces.

My five-piece set was conventionallysized; an amber set in the Bonham con-

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figuration is the most sought-after item onthe collector’s market, along with greenVistalites and special-order Rainbow sets inBicentennial red, white & blue or the colorsof the Ethiopian flag (which was popularamong reggae drummers). These rarer kitscan sell for upwards of $2,000, sans snareand hardware.

The popularity of vintage acrylics hasinspired the original manufacturers to returnto the business. Bill Zickos and JohnBrazelton reopened their company in 1993,and a revitalized Fibes was launched byAustin, Texas drum shop owner TommyRobertson in 1994. Both companies nowmake an array of high-quality clear drumsto order in a variety of colors. Ludwig alsoreintroduced Vistalites last year, though in alimited capacity—a clear five-piece set isthe only option in what the company’s JimCatalano calls an experiment to testdemand. “I’m on the Net all the time,” hesays, “and all I ever hear is, ‘If Ludwig onlybrought back the Vistalites, you guys wouldmake a killing.’ If the clear takes off andwe get enough interest in the amber and theblue, then we’ll start doing things like that.”

A new acrylic kit from any of these man-ufacturers can cost in the neighborhood of$3,000—a steep tag that reflects the priceof materials and manufacturing. Given thatmany people associate “plastic” with“machine-made,” it’s ironic that acrylicdrums actually require more craftsmanshipthan wood drums. “It’s different and moreinvolved,” says Fibes’ Robertson, who per-sonally makes both types of shells by hand.“It’s a heavy investment, and it’s alwaysgoing to remain a niche market. There arespecific drummers who will buy and playan acrylic set—I have not met a person whodidn’t love the way they sound—but someothers will always go, ‘I just can’t seemyself sitting behind those drums.’”

Of course, that unique look is part of theappeal, along with the distinctive sound.Since new acrylic drums reflect all of theimprovements in manufacturing over thelast thirty years—from better lugs and rimsto higher-quality plastic shells—the classic,booming sound is stronger than ever.Looking to replace a rose-colored Fibes setthat was stolen shortly before he joinedRainbow in 1980, Bobby Rondinelli recent-ly purchased a new blue Crystalite kit touse with Blue Öyster Cult.

“Everybody that hears my kit freaks out,”Rondinelli says. “I can’t say enough goodthings about these drums. I think that asmore people get exposed to them, the moreyou’re gonna see guys using them again.And I think this time they’ll stay for awhile. I’m pretty much a purist. I love oldstuff, and I’m a vintage snare snob. Butgood is good, and if something sounds bet-ter, plays nicer, is easier to tune, and ismore consistent, I’m not stupid. I can useany drums I want. A lot of guys ask me,‘How could you go from your last kit toFibes?’ And I say, ‘Just listen to them.’”

King Coffee of psychedelic rockers TheButthole Surfers first played a Zickos drumin the mid-’80s, when he performed stand-ing up with a snare and an 18" bass as afloor tom. “I discovered that if you put areal cheap Radio Shack strobe light under-neath a clear drum, it just lights up like alight bulb,” he says. “We were really intostage theatrics, but we were also really low-rent as far as production, and for $20, thatjust looked incredible.”

Now Coffee is playing a new clearCrystalite set. “I think they’re better qualitythan the old Vistalites,” he says. “They

have a louder sound. There’s somethingabout the acrylic that just resonates all over,and if you hit hard, they sound extra boom-ing. Plus I appreciate the whole ma-and-pasetup of Fibes. With the film projections weuse now, clear is great because you can seethe images through the drumset, and anylights you put through them just make themglow.”

Despite their reputation for fragility,acrylic drums don’t need to be treated dif-ferently from a quality wood set. “Protectyour instrument; use cases and commonsense,” Robertson urges. “You’re not gonnabreak the drums by playing them. It’s thecartage—the handling—and that doesn’tmatter if they’re acrylic, wood, or any-thing.”

Clear drums do tend to show fingerprints.For cleaning, Robertson recommends a softcotton cloth and Trick drum cleaner orJohnson Wax’s Clean & Shine. My vintageVistas came with a few minor scratches,and I added one nastier gouge while replac-ing a dented badge. Many auto supplystores carry a line of plastic polish calledNovus 1-2-3, which performs miracles inbuffing out nicks and making acrylicsparkle. This is in fact one of several usefultips I learned from Vista enthusiasts on theNet. A quick Web search will turn up abounty of sites devoted to the drums’ histo-ry and care.

Wary of the volume and assuming they’dbe unduly “boomy,” I initially outfitted mykit with Remo Pinstripes, though I soonlearned from fellow acrylic drummers that Ishould have gone in the opposite direction,and the sets sound best with thinner heads.

“Acrylic drums are everything you’dthink they wouldn’t be,” Rondinelli says.“They’re less ringy, more focused, real pre-sent, and quick. There are not a whole lot ofharmonics you’re dealing with, and the vol-ume’s all up in the drum. It’s not like youreally have to hit them super-hard, becauseyou’ll have a lot of ambient volume onstageanyway. If your guitarist has an amp thatgoes to eleven, well, now you can hold yourown.”

At the end of The Graduate, BenjaminBraddock opted for true love rather than afuture in plastics. But then he didn’t playdrums in a rock band. If he did, he couldhave had both at the same time.

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The following examples consist of “mirrorimage” exercises. That is, one hand or

pattern moves around the kit in a clockwisemotion and the other moves counter-clock-wise. In addition to improving coordination

and independence, these exercises will strengthen the weaker sideof your body.

In examples 1–6, one hand plays a ride pattern for one beat(quarter note) while the other hand (and/or foot) moves around thedrums. On the second beat (quarter note) the hands reverse, withthe left hand playing the ride pattern and the right hand movingaround the drums. The parentheses around the ride cymbal and hi-hat in examples 1, 3, and 5 suggest playing these exercises severaltimes through, first with a quarter-note ride pattern and then withan 8th-note ride pattern.

Examples 7–10 have the handsgoing in opposite directions simultane-ously. Imagine drawing a circle, witheach hand/arm moving out-around-in.The right hand moves counter-clock-wise, beginning on the floor tom,while the left hand moves clockwise,beginning on the snare. In example7A, the right hand crosses over on 2and the “&” of 2. (The crossover isindicated with parentheses around thesticking.) In example 7B, the left hand does the crossing over.Once you’re comfortable with these, see if you can alternatebetween example 7A and 7B so that with each pass the oppositehand is crossing over. This can be quite challenging at first.

Examples 8A and 8B alternate the bass drum with the hands.

Examples 9A and 9B are identical to examples 7A and 7B,except that the hands are played as alternating RLRL singlestrokes as opposed to flat flams.


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Examples 10A and 10B add the bass drum to create a 16th-note-triplet figure.

Initially these exercises may be awkward and challenging, asthey are somewhat different from the norm. But, as with all newdrumming challenges, take things slowly at first, and then gradual-ly increase the tempo. To be continued….

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Over the past several months we’ve discussed triads and theirinversions. This month we’ll look at adding more notes to our

basic triad, starting with 6th chords.

66tthh CChhoorrddssTriads with the addition of the 6th degree of the scale to the

chord are called 6th chords. Look at the C major scale below.When we add the 6th degree of the scale to the triad, we create aC6 chord (1-3-5-6).

Here are the major 6th chords in every key. Try them all onyour keyboard.

MMiinnoorr 66tthh CChhoorrddssLike three-note triads, 6th chords can also be minor (1- 3-5-6).

By lowering the 3rd by one half step, and adding the 6th, we nowhave a minor 6th chord. See the examples of Cm6, Fm6, and Gm6chords below.

MMaajjoorr 77tthhssMajor 7th chords consist of the basic triad (root, 3rd, and 5th)

with the addition of the 7th degree of the scale (1-3-5-7). Look atthe following example. Notice that B is the 7th degree of the Cmajor scale. When we add the 7th (B) to the triad, we create aCMajor7th chord.

The symbol for a Major 7th chord can be CMaj7, CM7, or C 7.

Here are the Major 7th chords in all twelve keys.

DDoommiinnaanntt 77tthhssA Dominant 7th chord also consists of a major triad (root, 3rd,

and 5th), but the 7th degree of the scale is lowered by one halfstep (1-3-5- 7). Notice in the example below that B is the low-ered 7th of the C scale. The addition of B to our major triad givesus a C Dominant 7th chord. The sign for a C Dominant 7th chordis simply C7.

The following example shows the Dominant 7th chords in alltwelve keys.


the musical drummer

Understanding The Language Of MusicP a r t 7 : 6 t h A n d 7 t h C h o r d s

by Ron Spagnardi

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MMiinnoorr 77tthhssA minor 7th chord is simply a minor triad (root, 3, 5), with the

addition of the lowered 7th degree (1- 3-5- 7). Minor 7th chordscan be written as Cmin7, Cm7, or C-7. Try to find all the minor 7thchords on your keyboard.

HHaallff--DDiimmiinniisshheedd 77tthhssStill another 7th chord alteration is the Half-Diminished 7th.

This chord consists of a diminished triad (root, 3, 5), with the low-ered 7th added (1- 3- 5- 7). The symbol for a half-diminished 7thcan be C 7, Cm7 5, or C-7 5.

FFuullll--DDiimmiinniisshheedd 77tthhssThe last alteration on our 7th chord is called full-diminished.

The full-diminished chord is also made up of a diminished triad(root, 3, 5). However, the 7th degree is now lowered by one wholestep (1- 3- 5- 7). In terms of traditional music theory, the 7thdegree is flatted twice and referred to as B (double flat).

A much easier way to locate the note is to realize that the full-diminished 7th is the same as the 6th. Notice in the examplebelow that in the key of C, the full-diminished 7th (B ) is actu-ally an A, and A is the 6th degree of the scale.

The symbol for a full-diminished chord is C°7, or Cdim7. Try tolocate all of the full-diminished 7th chords on your keyboard.

77tthh CChhoorrdd IInnvveerrssiioonnssAs with triads, 7th chords can also be played in inversions.

However, 7th chords will have four positions since there are fournotes in the chord: root position, 1st inversion, 2nd inversion, and3rd inversion (7th on the bottom). The following example shows aC7 and a Cm7 chord in root position, 1st inversion, 2nd inversion,and 3rd inversion.

For added practice this month, experiment with all the 7thchords (major, dominant, minor, half-diminished, and full-dimin-ished) in all inversions in every key.

There’s quite a bit to absorb in this installment, so take your timeand practice daily. Next month we’ll look at musical form andstructure and why it’s essential for drummers to fully understandthis important subject.

Many years ago, as a young student at Berklee, I was called tosub on a three-night gig with a jazz trio at a hotel lounge in

Boston. After arriving with a basic four-piece jazz kit, I wasquickly informed by the bass player/leader that the small band-stand situated in the middle of the bar would not accommodate afull set of drums. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that I was toplay the gig with just snare drum, hi-hat, and brushes—and do itstanding up! (There wasn’t even room for a drum throne.)

Difficult as it was, I managed to get through each night, ulti-mately pleasing both my bandmates. More importantly, I learned alot that weekend. First, when you’re called to do a job, you dowhat you have to do regardless of the circumstances. In this case,it was having to make a jazz trio swing for three nights with a verylimited amount of gear—a situation I’d never had to face before.Secondly, it started me thinking about a method of solo practicethat I would continue to use for years afterwards, a method I callthe “stripped-down kit approach.”

TThhee PPrreemmiisseeHaving a lot of drums and cymbals at your disposal tends to

make you think more in terms of tonal variations and color, asopposed to rhythmic creativity and inventiveness. The more gearyou have, the more likely you are to focus on sounds and tones,rather than on creating interest purely from a rhythmic standpoint.Having less gear literally forces you to be more creative, simplybecause you don’t have the tonal variations of numerous drumsand cymbals to rely on. It’s kind of a “less is more” approachrelated to equipment. With that in mind, here’s how to make itwork.

TThhee PPrrooggrraamm

SStteepp 11::aa)) Using a standard four-piece kit (four drums, two cymbals,

and hi-hat), practice trading four-bar solos with an imaginary

soloist (four bars of time followed by four bars of solo).

bb)) Do the same thing trading eight-bar phrases.

cc)) Pick a tempo and play twelve bars of time, followed by atwelve-bar solo chorus. Try playing three or four solo choruses.

dd)) Pick a tempo and play sixteen bars of time followed by athirty-two-bar solo.

Practice the routine outlined above until you feel comfortableand confident about your playing. Then, follow the next steps, insequence.

SStteepp 22:: Remove the crash cymbal.

Follow the exact same procedure described in Step 1, but firstremove the left-side crash cymbal from the kit. All cymbal usageis now restricted to just ride cymbal and hi-hat.


jazz drummers’ workshop

The Stripped-Down Kit Approachby Ron Spagnardi


SStteepp 33:: Remove the rack tom.

Chances are you’ll soon become aware of how often you relyon that small tom strictly for tonal variation rather than rhythmicdiversity. Now that the drum is no longer there, you need to think alittle harder about every note you play.

SStteepp 44:: Remove the floor tom.

With no toms at all left to work with, you’re forced to structurepatterns and explore rhythmic possibilities between just snare,bass, ride cymbal, and hi-hat. You should begin to notice at thispoint how difficult it can be to structure a meaningful thirty-two-bar solo with the limited amount of gear at your disposal.

SStteepp 55:: Remove the ride cymbal.

Rhythmic inventiveness between snare and bass drum becomesincreasingly more important once the ride cymbal is removed.Tape-record these sessions and take note of how often you’rerepeating yourself.

SStteepp 66:: Remove the bass drum.

This one is really tough! Left with only snare drum and hi-hat,your rhythmic creativity is truly put to the test. You may start tonotice that those thirty-two-bar solo choruses are even harder toget through without being repetitious.

SStteepp 77:: Remove the snare drum or hi-hat.

You could end the program with Step 6 . However, for the reallydaring, step 7 is the moment of truth. Select either just the snaredrum or just the hi-hat, and see what you can come up with. Bepatient with yourself, as this can be extremely difficult.

TThhee OOuuttccoommeeIt’s been said that John Coltrane would practice soloing on just

one mode of a scale for eleven hours straight in an effort to exploreand ultimately exhaust all the possibilities. In a sense, this programoffers the same kind of creative musical discipline.

As you work your way through, you may find yourself playingrhythmic patterns you never thought of before. You may begin tostructure your solos in a totally different way by developing motifsand rhythmic fragments, through the use of the call-and-responsetechnique, and by employing shading and dynamics or tension &release. With the majority of the kit gone by the end, there’snowhere left to go but into the deepest regions of your creativity.And if you’re still being highly creative by Steps 6 or 7, just imag-ine how fresh and inventive your playing will be when you returnto the full kit! Good luck.


I’d like to share some thoughts on “undertow,” the contrastingrhythms that can help us play better. This is the stuff that nobody

talks about. Most drummers probably don’t even think about it.But we should. Here are some exercises designed to tune and pol-ish our “inner gears.”

Let’s start with what most would say is the simplest rock beat.

Play this sucker at a medium tempo. (If you have a metronome,set it at quarter note = 120 for a reference tempo.) This could be adrum track for Steely Dan’s “Hey Nineteen,” The DoobieBrothers’ “Takin’ It To The Streets,” or (you fill in the blank). It’sone of the easiest beats, and it’s one of the most common in popu-lar music. But it’s also a cool beat!

How can we make this beat feel great? With undertow. To getstarted, while playing this beat, set your “inner gears” at 8th notes.This is the easy, “default setting” for most drummers’ inner clocksbecause it follows the fast limb—in this case, your dominant handplaying the hi-hat.

Now play the same beat, but inside feel a 16th-note undertow.Don’t play the 16ths, just feel ’em. It’s the exact same beat, we’resimply changing the undertow we’re feeling inside. You’ll noticesubtle things start to happen to the groove when you do this. Forme, the hi-hat accents automatically change. It almost feels morelike a U2 track—or something heavier, like some grunge feels.

Let’s try this same concept with a shuffle rhythm. Start with thefollowing simple shuffle.

This beat reminds me of John Lennon’s “Instant Karma.” Nowgo back to it, but inside feel an 8th-note-triplet undertow. Checkout how naturally important each downbeat becomes with thattriplet undertow.

Apparently some younger drummers have trouble feeling tripletundertow. What’s up with all of you guys who aren’t as comfywith triplets as you are with duple rhythms? It seems that the leastcomfortable undertow (and groove) is triplet-based. Admittedly,there are a lot fewer songs these days with shuffle or swing feels.But, believe me, triplets are cool.

Triplet-based grooves are much more fun than duple rhythmslike 8ths and 16ths. Yes, they’re a bit harder. Sticking, for onething, gets confusing. And when you build more rhythms on top oftriplets, it quickly becomes more complicated. But let’s take a lookat this. Can you play “3 over 2”?

There are many different ways to learn to play 3 over 2. Theobvious way is to slow it down, start with one hand, and then havethat hand continue on “auto-pilot” while you add the second hand.Another way to look at it, though, is to see it from a “birds-eyeview,” as if it’s one thing.

Classical drummers will, when sightreading, frequently leadwith their strong (let’s say right) hands. (Lefties, just reverse whatI’m saying here; I know, you’re used to it!) So read the followingpattern and play it leading with your right hand on all downbeats.

concepts

UndertowA G o o d M e c h a n i s m F o r Y o u r T i m e

by Billy Ward

Ale

x So

lca


Now add the left on each downbeat as well, in unison with yourright hand.

Now move your left hand to a different ashtray or whateveryou’re near so it has a different sound from your right. You’renow playing 3 against 2. Try reversing this pattern and making it 2against 3. How about alternating the sticking?

Can you play this on your leg? Can you sing it? If so, go back toexample 1 (the even 8th-note pattern) and add a triplet undertowinside the 8th-note pattern. If you’re doing this, notice how thedownbeats feel differently and how you feel more confident oneach quarter note. Why? Because there are more details happeningbefore each quarter note passes.

When I’m in trouble with my time in the studio or on a band-stand, I’ll try a more complex undertow to help lock me into thegroove. I feel a greater “lock” with the tempo doing this. I haveabsolutely no idea if other drummers do this, but this works forme. If your singer bumps into your ride cymbal, and the guitarplayer rushes like crazy, if you use undertow you’re still going tobe able to “hold down the fort.”

Please spend some time playing grooves and not concerningyourself with more notes, faster tempos, and better fills. Insteadplay a beat and keep playing it. Go inside yourself and see what’sgoing on. What’s your undertow? Can you change it freely to

other types of subdivisions in time? Can you have a multiple, com-plex undertow going while you’re playing? Inside our guts arewheels and gears that could be helping us with our timing—orthey can lie dormant. I say get out the WD-40, grease ’em up, andturn ’em loose!

I think it’s crucial for all of us drummers to be able to comfort-ably swim in not only 8th-note and 16th-note undertows, but allkinds of triplet undertows. Even when I’m playing a simple 8th-note groove, I’ve got some triplet wheels turning inside as well.I’m truly comfy with tapping and feeling “3 over 2,” “3 over 4,”and even “5 over 3.”

These more odd subdivisions will probably only show them-selves in things like little press rolls that I might play on the snareas a small detail to the large groove, but it’s in there somewhere. IfI’m not playing it with my hands, it’s at least inside my stomach aspart of my undertow.

There’s more to this. The undertow is easier to find (and lessimportant to solely rely upon) when the tempo happens to be near thepace of our heartbeat. But when the tempo is either extremely slowor fast, we really need the undertow and all those little gears inside.

Think about it: When you’re playing a really slow beat, don’tyou add more subdivisions until the groove is ticking away nearyour heartbeat? Go back to example 1 and play it at an incrediblyslow tempo. Get it to groove with confidence. I’d bet the farm thatyou’re feeling 16ths under this tempo.

Let’s say the chorus goes to a quarter-note feel on the bell of theride. If you’re accomplished at playing, singing, and feeling 3 over2, add a triplet undertow inside while playing those quarter noteson the bell. This should make you feel really locked into thetempo and groove. Interesting stuff, huh?

How about playing quick tempos? Play example 1 at someridiculously fast tempo. Getting tired? Hard to keep up with confi-dence? Undertow can help with this too. Let’s learn how to applyundertow to this by first making the pattern a half-time groove.

“Inside our guts are wheels and gears that could be helping us with our timing–or

they can lie dormant. I say get out the WD-40, grease ’em up, and turn ’em loose!”


Now it’s somehow a bit easier to play, because we’re feelingour undertow more slowly. Here’s the cool part: Go back to exam-ple 1 at the same, ridiculously fast tempo, but feel it in half-time.It’s easier to play. Now how about feeling it in double half-time,twice as slow? Some jazz musicians I know call this feeling in“big time.” This is how they feel those extremely fast tempos.They’re only feeling each downbeat as the measures go racing by.Get it? Maybe if we remember this concept of big time, we’ll playthose fast tempos better.

I realize I’ve fished around a bit in trying to explain some ofthese time concepts, but I’m hoping this leads to some thought andstudy on your part. Maybe you’ll eventually experience animprovement in your playing with your band or with a click track.(I hate seeing so many drummers intimidated by click tracks!)Click tracks, rhythmic undertows, and other mechanisms canenable us to play with more confidence and accuracy. But evenmore importantly, they’ll give us piece of mind. Good luck.

Billy Ward is a successful session and touring drummer who hasworked with Carly Simon, Robbie Robertson, Richard Marx, AceFrehley, John Patitucci, Bill Champlin, and Joan Osborne. Billycan be reached at his Web site, www.billyward.com.

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off the record

P u d d l e O f M u d d ’s

Greg UpchurchC o m e C l e a n

by Ed Breckenfeld

L Li is s

s sa a W W

a al le es s

Puddle Of Mudd is off to a roaring start,with Come Clean setting a record for the

highest debut on the charts by a new band.The singles “Control” and “Blurry” have gen-erated tons of radio/video play for this KansasCity–based quartet. Mudd’s backbeat is pro-

vided by ex-Eleven drummer Greg Upchurch, who knows his wayaround alt/metal drumming.

““CCoonnttrrooll””As Wes Scantlin screams, “I…can’t control you!” in this song’s

chorus, Greg lays the groove down under a wash of ride cymbal.

This terrific sequence drives the band’s first single to its climax.Note the bass drum at the very end of the first measure setting upthe snare crash in the second measure.

““OOuutt OOff MMyy HHeeaadd””Here Greg ties his beat and fill together with bass drum offbeats

in both patterns.

““BBlluurrrryy””This funk beat sets a strong pocket for the guitar harmonics of

this tune’s intro.

““BBrriinngg MMee DDoowwnn””Here’s a great chorus set-up, with bass drum once again playing

an important role.

““BBaasseemmeenntt””This song’s pounding tom intro ends with a flashy triplet fill.

““SSaaiidd””The accents on the hi-hat make this groove. (Play the pattern

without accents and you’ll see what I mean.)

Mudd switches to half-time for the song’s chorus, with Gregpulling out the heavy funk.


the jobbing drummer

The Distance FactorP r o j e c t i n g T h e R i g h t S o u n d To Y o u r A u d i e n c e

by Ron Hefner I ’m not an acoustical engineer. But afterplaying professionally for about three

decades, I’ve figured out that, more oftenthan not, the sound heard from behind adrumset is nowhere near the sound that’sprojected out to the audience. This differ-ence in acoustic perception is what I call“the distance factor.”

How can a drummer hear what the audi-ence is actually hearing? One way is to putsome real distance between you and thedrums. Get someone else to play the set soyou can walk around the room and hear thedrums from another perspective. You’ll beamazed at the difference in sound.

Of course, it’s not always possible to lis-ten to one’s drums from out front.Drummers, therefore, need to develop anawareness of basic acoustic principles tohelp them deal with the distance factor.This, in turn, will help them create the bestpossible sound under any circumstances.(The following examples are intended fordrummers who are not normally miked.Miking presents another set of acousticaldilemmas.)

The basic rule of thumb is this: A“ringy” room with high ceilings, lots ofglass, and hard floors and walls requires adry drum sound. A “dead” room with lowceilings and lots of carpeting, drapes, orother acoustic dampening can tolerate amore open sound. Now let’s discuss thechoices you’ll need to make when it comesto performing in these very different envi-ronments.

From The Bottom UpI recently played a jazz gig in a medium-

sized club with hardwood floors and ceil-ings. The band was set up in a small, uncar-peted alcove, with a large picture windowbehind us. Knowing that the wooden floorwould cause the drums to sound a bit toobright (and would also cause my bass drumto slide), I put down a rug.

After setting up the drums, I played thefirst set. Everything sounded pretty normalto me. But during the second set, anotherdrummer sat in. I listened to the band fromabout twenty feet away at the bar, and I gota lesson in acoustics. My bass drum, whichfrom behind the set sounded compact with apleasant amount of resonance, sounded likea marching drum from out front! It wasbooming so badly, it blotted out the bassplayer’s notes!

I solved the problem by borrowing a can-vas bag from one of the other musicians andpropping it against the front head. Presto! Itnow sounded perfect from out front. Ofcourse, from behind the set it soundedawful—about as resonant as a pillow.

Why the big difference in sound frombehind the set versus in front of it? It wasmainly the glass window directly behind thedrums, combined with the fact that thesmall wooden alcove we were set up inacted as an amplifier, capturing the soundand throwing it out into the room.

The Appropriate Snare SoundI’ve also learned a lot about the sound of

my snare drum by getting some distancefrom it. Drummers naturally tune a snaredrum so it’s pleasing to their ears.Unfortunately, that sound can be anythingbut pleasing to the ears of others.

Case in point: I heard a drummer recentlyin a fairly large room without too muchacoustical dampening. He was going for aNew Orleans-type fatback sound. He had theheads tuned medium-slack, and the snareswere rather loose to get a sloshy effect.

No matter where he played, Buddy Rich

always considered how his drums sounded

to the audience, not just to himself.

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Tommy Igoe“Lion King”

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This snare sound might have worked wellin a recording studio with Dr. John. Butfrom out in front of his band, it didn’t workat all. The drum was completely lost amongthe frequencies of the other instruments. Thedrummer’s ghost notes and subtleties weretotally wasted. I advised him to crank thesnares tighter, which he did. He complainedlater that the drum sounded choked to hisears. But from out front, it sounded great.Now I could hear those ghost notes.

Nobody knew more about how the “dis-tance factor” affected a snare drum’s soundthan Buddy Rich. No matter where heplayed, Buddy always considered how hisdrum sounded to the audience, not just tohimself. In most cases he tweaked the tophead until it was extremely tight, then dialedup the snares until they were almost choked.Most drummers think he did this to facilitatehis speedy technique, and that’s partly true.But Buddy was also thinking about the audi-ence. He normally worked in large concertvenues, and he wanted the snare to projectcleanly.

Interestingly, Buddy would slack off thetension on his snare in smaller rooms. I onceheard him with a combo in a small, plushclub, and the snare drum was far less tightthan was normal for him. That was becausehe knew it would blend better with a smallgroup and would sound better in an intimateroom.

Tom TonesToms can turn to aural mush if they’re

not tuned appropriately for the room. A lotof drummers don’t understand the differ-ence between the fundamental tone of adrum and its overtones. They think that adrum that has a lot of ring and overtoneswill project a better sound to the audience.The truth is, an open, ringing drum will pro-ject farther, but it will also lose articulationin many acoustical environments.

Again, consider the room: If it’s acousti-cally dampened with lots of carpeting anddrapes, a wide-open sound will work fine,because much of the ring will be absorbed.If the room itself is “ringy” and has lots ofglass and hard wood, the toms need to bemore focused. And this doesn’t mean auto-matically deadening down the drums. I’mnot a fan of muffling. Sometimes a bit ofmuffling is needed, but diligent tuning isbetter and every bit as effective.

In a ringy room, tweak the top heads so

they are somewhat tighter than the bottoms.This “dries” the drum sound a bit and addsattack. The opposite happens when the topheads are looser than the bottoms: The tomssound “wetter” and develop more overtones.Tuning both heads to the same pitch makesthe fundamental tone more dominant, butwill create a longer sustain (more “ring”).

Cymbal SolutionsThe “distance” factor affects the sound

of cymbals as well as drums. I went to heara jazz group recently. The drummer hadthe quintessential jazz set, with an 18" bassdrum and small toms. He was also using avery dark-sounding ride cymbal and wood-tip sticks. The room was carpeted, but hadhigh ceilings and wooden walls. The bandwas set up in a small open area adjacent toa staircase.

I was sitting in front of the band, somefifteen feet from the drummer. From therethe drums sounded okay, but the ride cym-bal sounded like mud. Its sound was buriedunderneath the bass and piano, and its tim-bre was very low and unpleasant.

Drummers need to understand that acymbal’s sound is as much a function ofthe acoustic setting as it is of the cymbalitself. What this drummer had done was goto a music store and buy the latest hand-made dark ride cymbal in an effort torecreate the “old K” sound. He didn’t real-ize that in some rooms a brighter sound isneeded to balance the sound of the band.

What could this drummer have done toimprove his ride sound? He could haveused nylon-tipped sticks, which bring outthe higher tones in a cymbal. Due to thefact that the room was acoustically“absorbent” and the cymbal was so dark tobegin with, he would still have had anappropriate sound for jazz. Or he couldhave stayed with the wood-tipped sticksand switched to a brighter-sounding ridecymbal. The absorbency of the room, com-bined with the wood tips, would still havecreated the mellow sound he was after.

I think it was Charlie Watts who oncetalked about “the horror of the drumset,”with all of its difficult-to-control timbresand sounds. But a bit of tuning and selectiv-ity can go a long way toward projecting agood sound to your audience. All you needis an awareness of the “distance factor.”

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The Distance Factor

The Trey Gunn Band Live Encounter (www.firstworldmusic.com)Bob Muller (dr, perc, tabla), Trey Gunn, Joe Mendelson (Warr gtr), Tony Geballe (gtr)

King Crimson’s Trey Gunn is a pioneer of the Warr guitar, a finger-tappedstringed instrument with the range of a piano. The largely odd-time composi-tions on the Gunn Band’s Live Encounter, heavy on interlocking rhythms fromthe guitarists, feel a lot like ’80s Crimson (think the tune “Discipline”) with a hintof mid-’70s Gong. Another similarity between Gunn’s two groups is an unlimitedappetite for newer, wilder tones. Bob Muller usually plays straight man as the strings weave and bobaround him. He’s rock-steady and dynamic, and serves as a great colorist. Like the guitarists, who usesignal processing to make their axes sound different for each number, Muller switches often betweendrumset, tabla, and mixed percussion, sometimes in the same piece. Michael Parillo


critique

K I C K I N ’ O U T T H E N E W

Eagle Eye Cherry Present/Future (MCA)

Cherry’s latest release provesyou can never have too manydrummers. With a rotation of fourd r u m m e r / p e r c u s s i o n i s t s

(Magnus Persson, Dominic Keyes, Jim Bogios,and Raul Rekow), odds are in favor of rock-solidperformances. Present/Future’s slick, well-record-ed drum sounds possess a soulful overtone,inspired by Cherry’s songwriting and execution.

New End Original Thriller (Jade Tree)

New End Original’s CharlesWalker has all of the most desir-able drummer traits: great timing,a super sense of dynamics, lots

of power, quick hands, tasty fills—and he per-forms from the gut. Thriller is an album you’ll loveto play along to when sitting down at your own kit.

The K.G.B. The K.G.B. (Dreamworks)

Love ’em or hate ’em, you can’tescape boy bands. Cute andpeppy, The K.G.B.’s version ofextreme pop also happens to fea-

ture some serious drumming. Eclectic fills marchalongside drum samples, laying down a backbeatfor sing-song tunes. Tom Travesty’s simpleapproach works well in this radio-friendly release.

Fran Azzarto and Lisa Crouch

Various Artists Membraphonics (Monitor)

Membraphonics digs deep intorock’s underground, offeringworks by the skinsmen andwomen of Fugazi, Modest Mouse,

Will Oldham, and other college rock darlings.Highlights include Shipping News’ Kyle Crabtree’sairy but profound groove on “To Drown Is To Live”and Damon Che’s (Don Caballero) indie-chops feston “Oh Suzanna.” Though there’s not a lot in theway of song development here, listeners will bereminded that in terms of sound and texture, it’s oftenthe drummers who have the most interesting ideas.(www.monitorrecords.com) Adam Budofsky

R E C O R D I N G SR E C O R D I N G SKing Crimson Vroom Vroom (disciplineglobalmobile)

Bill Bruford, Pat Mastelotto (dr, perc), Robert Fripp (gtr), Adrian Belew (gtr, vcl), Tony Levin (bs), Trey Gunn (touch gtr)

The mid-’90s King Crimson Double Trio was absolutely lethal. Mixing the metallic with the melodic,it was one of the most inventive dual-kit bands ever to weigh down a stage. Of the short-lived

group’s many live releases, Vroom Vroom is thegem. Bruford and Mastelotto exploit their part-nership masterfully here, sometimes for maxi-mum power, sometimes to spin a dizzying wheelof rhythm. In either mode, they impart a valuablelesson in creating thoughtfully complementarytextures. Still, you might find your eyes dartingbetween speakers as you wonder exactly whateach of them is doing—and how they’re doing it.Highlights of the two-disc set are a killer “21stCentury Schizoid Man” and Bruford’s redefiningof “Indiscipline” with his thrillingly, um, disci-plined intro solo. Michael Parillo

Ozomatli Embrace The Chaos (Interscope/Almo Sounds)Andrew Mendoza (dr), Jiro Yamaguchi, Justin Poree (perc), Rene “Spinobi” Dominguez (turntables), Wil-DogAbers (bs), Asdrubal Sierra (trp, vcl), Raul Pacheco (gtr, vcl), Ulises Bella (sx, clr, vcl), Anthony “Kanetic Source” Stout (vcl)

Ozomatli set out to infuse their Latin-doused tracks with as much variety aspossible—and they’ve nailed it with Embrace The Chaos. The band’s largeensemble ranks high in versatility, combining elements of jazz, hip-hop, rock,and Caribbean. Andrew Mendoza’s authentic feel locks just about everythingin the pocket, notably on the upbeat rock/Latin fusion track “Guerrillero,” which flows seamlesslybetween straight-ahead rock verses and punchy Latin choruses. Though many bands have miserablyfailed to place a mix of ideas on one disc and make them interact, Embrace The Chaos is outstandinglycohesive. Waleed Rashidi

Herring, Lavitz, Hayward, Gradney Endangered Species (Tone Center)Richie Hayward (dr), Kenny Gradney (bs), T Lavitz (kybd), Jimmy Herring (gtr)

Mining the same greasy New Orleans funk grooves of his main band, LittleFeat, Richie Hayward sounds as solid as ever on this cool blend of The DixieDregs and the Feat. A perfect counterpoint to the heavy rock fusion chopsof the rest of this band, Hayward plays with a loose, dirty style with littlepolish but lots of grit. “Pickled Hearing,” “Cats Out Da Bag,” and “CamelLope” are all classic Hayward grooves that the drummer has built his reputation on. This is a realtreat for southern-fried fusion fans. Mike Haid

ratingscale poor

classic


Mark Levine & The Latin Tinge Serengeti ([email protected])Paul Van Wageningen (dr), Michael Spiro, Jose Luis Gomez (perc), Mark Levine (pno), Peter Barshay (bs)

Veteran San Francisco pianist Levine here serves up a smoldering set of Latinjazz. Drummer Paul Van Wageningen brings a dynamic Bay Area fusion style tothe proceedings, combining the Reyes family’s independent vibe and theEscovedo gang’s grounding in the street. McCoy Tyner’s “Effendi” is apolyrhythmic playground for this group, and Van Wageningen’s ride cymbal belltells a story all its own. Michael Spiro and Van Wageningen carve an unforget-table percussion line into the Stanley Turrentine classic “Sugar.” Spiro, quite

the craftsman himself, lays into some monstrous conga licks on Levine’s “Serengeti,” and takes it totimbales with the same vim and vision on Joe Henderson’s “A Shade Of Jade.” Robin Tolleson

Transatlantic Bridge Across Forever (Metal Blade)Mike Portnoy (dr, vcl), Neal Morse (kybd, vcl, gtr, mandln), Pete Trewavas (bs, vcl), Roine Stolt (gtr, vcl, kybd, perc)

This is an ambitious and entertaining sophomore effort featuring members ofprog rock bands Spock’s Beard, Flower Kings, Dream Theater, and Marillion.Incorporating the styles of classic art rockers Yes and Genesis, Transatlanticshows focus and proficiency in crafting these epic songs. Similarly, MikePortnoy could have easily turned this side project into a drumming tour deforce. Instead he picks his spots and even shows a bit of humility. (Check outthe beginning of “Suite Charlotte Pike”: Portnoy admits with refreshing honesty

how he misses his cue.) At times Mike plays tight, explosive fills that mimic a keyboard or guitar line,at others he lays back, painting colorful patterns during sweeping compositions like “Duel With TheDevil” and “Stranger In Your Soul”—each nearly a half hour in length. Ambitious? Without a doubt.Inspirational? Undeniably. Will Romano

Charles Lloyd Hyperion With Higgins (ECM)Billy Higgins (dr, perc), Charles Lloyd (tn sx, taragato), Brad Mehldau (pno), Larry Grenadier (bs), John Abercrombie (gtr)

One more reason to mourn the loss of the great Billy Higgins and to celebratethe music he’s left behind. Recorded a few months before Higgins’ death,Hyperion is culled from the same sessions as this quintet’s previous The WaterIs Wide. More energized than Water’s tracks, these cuts share Lloyd’s signa-ture spiritual boil. From straight swinging to wide-open improv, it’s an incredi-bly warm-toned, connected fellowship. Lloyd’s fluid phrasing is transporting,while the amazing young Mehldau spins more fresh ideas in a chorus than

most manage in an entire disc. And master Higgins is once again magic. He leads the dance with ele-gance and understatement. His incredible touch, melodic sense, and surging swing could only comefrom a great at peak maturity. Lloyd and Higgins came up together as teens, and these later-life ses-sions retain a sense of wonder that hasn’t jaded one calendar day. Jeff Potter

D R O P P I N ’ T H E B O P

While breaking no new ground, three newrecordings feature jazz alumni strutting theirwell-defined personalities—and showing whythe hard bop underground endures.

Duane Eubanks Second Take (TCB)

Trumpeter Duane Eubankschooses his drummer well inRalph Peterson, who matchesevery trumpet shout with

propulsive jabs, buzzing kicks, and wallopingright hooks. Second Take shows Peterson in avariety of grooves, including an Art Blakey-ishshuffle, a bluesy march, reggae, a light Africanrhythm, and the scorching bop of his own com-position, “The Enemy Within.”

John Tank Quartet CanadianSunset (TCB)

Mike Clark will forever beremembered for his inno-

vative fusion-funk with The Headhunters. ButMike has for years made his living playing thekind of breezy swing that permeates CanadianSunset. This is a simmering album that showsClark’s light, driving cymbal touch and sharp yetsubtle drum interplay. Always tasteful, Clarkdoesn’t get a chance to crank here, except onthe slow-boiling “Talk To The Hand,” where he

builds a relentless crescendo of rhythm.

John McLean Easy Go(Premonition)

McLean is a rising guitaristwho alternates between acoustic and elec-tric, summoning the spirit of Pat Martinothroughout. Adam Nussbaum’s billowing ridecymbal and atmospheric drumming is the string-man’s perfect foil, keeping the music from drift-ing into moody mannerisms. Nuss percolates onMiddle Eastern, organ trio, and spacey jazzstyles, though his soloing space is all too brief.When allowed, though, Nussbaum surges andswells like a mighty monsoon.

Ken Micallef

The Smashing Pumpkins Greatest Hits (Virgin)Jimmy Chamberlin, Matt Cameron, Matt Walker (dr), Billy Corgan (gtr, vcl), James Iha (gtr), D’arcy Wretzky (bs), others

This double-disc set is Jimmy Chamberlin’s showcase as one of the best rockdrummers of the ’90s. (Top three? Cameron, Grohl, and Jimmy? Yep.) Disc one,Rotten Apples, reminds that Chamberlin played some of the most intense partsof his time. Jimmy played with pure conviction and intensity on every one of thePumpkins’ hits, and there were many. Disc two, Judas O, is mostly filled withrarities and B-sides, and some of the drumming here is mind-boggling. (Checkout the insane fills on “Lucky Thirteen.”) There is a dog or two in this set,

including the tracks from the no-drummer Pumpkins era. Doesn’t matter. Chamberlin should beremembered and respected for his body of work, and this is a great place to get it. Ted Bonar


Prince The Rainbow Children (NPG Records)John Blackwell (dr), Prince (all other instruments), with Najee (sx), Larry Graham (bs)

On The Rainbow Children, Prince takes us on an exploration of his many tal-ents. Floating between jazz on the title track, to fusion on “Everywhere,” to histrademark funk on “The Work Pt. 1,” “1+1+1 Is 3,” and “The Everlasting Now,”Prince has come up with two of his most brilliant pieces of work—this record-ing, and drummer John Blackwell. Throughout Rainbow Children, Prince givesBlackwell the opportunity to shine. John plays whatever style he’s challenged to, as Prince himselfsays, magnificently. Whether dancing lightly on his cymbals, ferociously powering fills, or layingdown feel-good funky beats, Blackwell can claim this record to be as much his as it is Prince’s. Thetwo musicians complement each other wonderfully throughout The Rainbow Children, especially inthe trippy-funky “Family Name.” Check it out, Rainbow Children, it’s time 2 rise! Billy Amendola

Suicide Machines Steal This Record (Hollywood)Ryan Vanderberghe (dr), Jason Navarro (vcl), Dan Lukacinsky (gtr, vcl), Royce Nunley (bs, vcl)

Carefully molding their sound into a lightweight Rancid after aiming for thelighter, happy-go-lucky pop of their previous, self-titled release, The SuicideMachines have comfortably regressed into a position they know best: snotty,edgy skate punk with the occasional ska tinge. Though the songwriting andarrangements on Steal This Record are rather elementary and at timesredundant, drummer Ryan Vanderberghe performs consistently, sometimes creatively, and alwayswith purpose. Unfortunately, it appears as if Vanderberghe’s drumming is stifled by the aforemen-tioned minimal songwriting scope and depth. Waleed Rashidi

Sting …All This Time (A&M)Manu Katché (dr), Marcos Suzano, Haoua Abdenacer (perc), Sting (gtr, bs, vcl), Dominic Miller (gtr),Kipper (kybd), Chris Botti (trp), others

Maybe you had to be there (I wasn’t), but this live recording is an absolutebore. Painful, even. Manu plays appropriately enough, of course, but gone isthe magic that he brings to the table when given the chance to actually playthe drums. I’ve spent years defending Sting as one of the brilliant musicians ofhis time, and gone to great lengths to defend him as one of rock music’s bestbass players. Clearly, however, this is a man who has forgotten how to rock. It is possible to crank ata low volume, and in jazz-inflected or bossa-tinged arrangements of rock songs. But Sting doesn’t,and the band, while filled to the brim with talent and potential, has fallen into a dark hole of the anti-groove. Zzzz. Ted Bonar

Burning Airlines Identikit (DeSoto)Peter Moffett (dr), J. Robbins (gtr), Mike Harbin (bs)

Like its predecessor, Burning Airlines’ second album, Identikit, is filled withguitar-driven post-punk modern rock songs. From the opening song, “OutsideThe Aviary,” Peter Moffett pushes things along, throwing in some tasteful dou-ble-bass towards the end. “The Surgeon’s House” is propelled with brushes ina triplet feel, before Moffett switches and lays some nice hi-hat patterns onus. Throughout the album, it’s obvious that Moffett plays for the song. But the notable element in hisplaying is how he uses one idea as the foundation for each song, keeping other concepts in reserve. Ifyou’re looking for minimal but aggressive drumming, Identikit is a good place to start. Martin Patmos

On Sanjeev & Karuna’sInspiration Unfolding ,we’re treated to dreamyPersian love poems (ghaz-

als) all sung in Urdu in rhyming couplets(like Chaucer in English). These tributes topoets from the thirteenth to twentieth cen-turies (all original) feature guitar, sarangi,piano, and amazing tabla work by HanifKhan. (www.silvascreen.com)

Thione Seck & RaamDaan Live is a rockingSenegalese set recordedlive for the Djoniba label

(master drummer/dancer Djoniba Mouflet).Thione Seck, a griot (storyteller), has apowerful voice that soars above his bandRaam Daan, which is driven bySouleymane Diop on traps, and MedouneN’Diaye, Bara N’Diaye , and N’DiguelDieng on percussion. (www.djoniba.com)

The group 40 Fingers,led by percussionist PeteBarnhart, really cooks onMask Off . This quartetexplores new territories in

sound with traditional djembes and djundjun as well as found percussion and metalsculptures reminiscent of Harry Partch’sinstruments. Soothing and quirky.(www.40fingers.com)

Dhol Foundation’s Big Drum: SmallWorld, courtesy Johnny Kalsi of Trans-Global Underground and Afro-Celt SoundSystem, boasts lots of hot bhangra drum-ming and percussion layering, bothacoustic and electronic(a). Dance-a-rama!(www.shaktirecords.com)

On Sabor Profundo theincredibly lively Cubancharanga-style OrquestaAmérica (founded in 1942)preserves a classic sound

that still tastes fresh today. Check out thegreat rhythm section led by Orlando Perezon piano (Orquesta Aragón) and bongo play-er Francisco Oropesa Fernandez (SeptetoNacional), as they plow through danzon,montuno, salsa, bolero, and cha-cha-cha.(www.codmusic.com) David Licht

W H AT I N T H E W O R L D

Latin SpiritsCombine the rhythms of Cuba, Africa and the Caribbean with the soul of Detroit,

Philly and New Orleans, then add the exciting harmonies and improvisational

elements of jazz, and you have a sound unique to all of Latin jazz—the sound

of PONCHO SANCHEZ. With Latin Spirits Poncho embraces all of his musical

influences, resulting in one of his most eclectic and exciting recordings to date.

Special guest CHICK COREA lends his unmistakable jazz piano pyrotechnics to

two selections, igniting the title track (a new composition penned by Corea

specifically for this recording) and Wayne Shorter’s “Ju Ju” (which is propelled

by an incendiary Afro-Cuban six-eight groove). Vocalist and harmonica ace

Dale Spalding sits in too, firing up the party with some soulful blues and R&B

stylings that meld perfectly with Poncho's hard-grooving cha cha cha and

mambo rhythms.

The Zone(2-discs: CD & DVD)

Stretch Records and Carl Fischer are pleased to present The Zone, a special 2-

disc package highlighting the recordings and drumming techniques of one of

the most talented and awe-inspiring drummers in music today, Dave Weckl.

Disc One is an audio CD compilation of some of the best tracks from Dave's

three acclaimed Stretch Records? recordings, and features two tracks previ-

ously released only in Japan. Disc Two is a DVD video sampler containing

highlights from Dave's three instructional videos available from Carl Fischer,

in which Dave provides insights into how to play effortlessly and organically

(or "in the zone"), how to develop technique, how to practice, and how to

develop your sound. Together, this audio CD and video DVD special package is

an indispensable source of musical inspiration and valuable information for

all drummers and drum aficionados!

DAVEWECKL

THE ZONETWO DISC SET AUDIO CD AND INSTRUCTIONAL DVD SAMPLER

JAZZ IS COOL.P.O. Box 845, Concord, CA 94522 Phone (800) 551-5299 Fax (925) 682-3508 WWW.CONCORDRECORDS.COM

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Billy Ashbaugh Takin’ Care Of Business (Warner Bros.)level: beginner to advanced, $39.95

Spotlighting ’N Sync drummer Billy Ashbaugh, this third installment from the “Inspiring DrummersSeries” is less a chops-builder than a head shrinker. Through interviews with Ashbaugh, ’NSync’s Justin Timberlake and Joey Fatone, other players in the band, and Ashbaugh’s wife, Jenie(who also performs), this tape attempts to uncover what makes Billy tick. The focus here is onteamwork (dubbed “teamology"), managing your practice time, and such intangibles as creativityin a pop music setting.

What we learn about the quick-handed, fleet-footed drummer’s playing comes straight fromobserving him smoke on six remixed ’N Sync songs and four others written specifically for thisvideo by producer and host Bob Gatzen. Tight, nasty grooves abound, but Ashbaugh doesn’t oftenexplain the motivation behind them. However, because he humanizes the more mechanical

aspects of this insanely popular boy band’s music, his bubbling performances just might move you to think that—gasp!—’N Sync rocks.

Completing this package is a twenty-track CD that presents multiple takes of songs featured in the video, with andwithout drum tracks. Allowing the viewer to practice along to these tracks drives home the point that each drummer

The Nashville Number System For Drummers by George Lawrence (Drumroom Publishing)level: advanced, $20 (with CD)

Your initial reaction when inspecting this 60-page, spiral-bound softcover maybe, “Where’s the beef?” But packed within are meaty chunks of practical infofor drummers who wish to learn more about the number-based music notationsystem. For those unfamiliar with how the NNS works, Lawrence, a sessiondrummer and instructor, gives concise explanations. As the name implies, num-bers, usually configured in a row of four, are assigned to chords, notes, andentire measures of music. The rhythmic and harmonic structures are altered byusing symbols and markings such as diamonds, accents, and hash lines.Drummers make tiny marks on their sheet music to represent changes in feeland time. Lawrence gives examples of this by providing transcriptions of threesongs on the accompanying CD as well as actual hand-written charts used by

known and unknown session players. According to some Nashville drummers MD talked with, the real value of this newfangled approach is

having musicians with varying degrees of experience speak the same language. This book, along with aworking knowledge of music theory (even a limited one), will help make sense of all this methodologynow being used in Nashville and other cities. (www.drumguru.com) Will Romano

To order any of the books or videosreviewed in this

month’s Critique,24 hours a day,

7 days a week, call

at (800) BOOKS-NOW (266-5766) or surf to www.clicksmart.com/

moderndrummer.(A handling charge

may be added, according to

product availability.)

Mamady Keita: A Life For The Djembe with Uschi Billmeier (Arun-Verlag)level: intermediate to advanced, $40 (with CD)

Elvin Jones once advised anyone interested in jazz drumming to study WestAfrican drumming traditions. The book/CD package A Life For The Djembe byMamady Keita is a good starting point. Keita, who is originally from Guinea, is atitan of the popular goblet-shaped djembe and a walking encyclopedia of tradi-tional rhythms of the Malinke (the majority ethnic group in Guinea).

Here Keita presents complex interlocking patterns for drummers eager to diginto African polyrhythms; for djembe players the set is a resource of time-hon-ored rhythms and cultural background on the drum. These rhythms accompanyharvest festivals and rites of passage in Africa, and the traditional ritual settingof the music is discussed in the book.

Over fifty rhythms are transcribed, each with accompanying djembe, dunun (bass drums), and bellpatterns, plus brief “breaks” to cue each rhythm. These simplify the tricky business of picking apart thedense mesh of sounds. On the disc each part is isolated, then stacked up one at a time. Finally thelead djembe solos (not transcribed) over the complete rhythms. Using the drum’s three strokes, Keitaplays stingingly crisp bursts over the layered rhythms. Every rhythm in the set has parts for at leastfive players—something challenging for every level. (African Rhythm Traders, [503] 397-4343,www.rhythmtraders.com) John Adamian

Beatles Gear by Andy Babiuk (Backbeat Books)level: all, $40

Over the span oftheir almost fortyyears as popularmusic’s most influ-ential band, TheBeatles have hadcountless bookswritten about them.In Beatles Gear ,Andy Babiuk goes

the extra mile by writing a unique bookabout the equipment the band usedthroughout their career. Babiuk inter-viewed more than four hundred peoplewho worked with or were closely asso-ciated with the group. He also watchedmiles of film and listened to hundreds ofrecordings. Beatles Gear was clearlyworth the time and effort. First-handinsights and anecdotes from musicians,manufactures, roadies, engineers, andproducers teach us how the Beatlesachieved their sounds. More than 300jump-off-the-page photos, most ofwhich are seen here for the first time,bring their words to life. Check out the1962 Premier kit Ringo was using whenhe first joined the group, and, of course,his famous oyster black pearl Ludwig kitin 1963 (first with a 20" bass drum andthen later a 22" with Rogers Swiv-O-Matic drum mounts). One warning: Hidethis book from your bandmates; you maynever get it back. Billy Amendola

B O O K SB O O K S

V I D E O SV I D E O S


on the move

If you’d like to appear in On The Move, send us an audio orvideo cassette of your best work (preferably both solo andwith a band) on three or four songs, along with a brief biosketch and a high-quality color or black & white close-upphoto. (Polaroids are not acceptable. Photos will not be paidfor or credited.) The bio sketch should include your full name

and age, along with your playing style(s), influences, currentplaying situation (band, recording project, freelance artist,etc.), how often and where you are playing, and what yourgoals are (recording artist, session player, local career play-er, etc.). Include any special items of interest pertaining towhat you do and how you do it, and a list of the equipment

you use regularly. Send your material to On The Move,Modern Drummer Publications, 12 Old Bridge Road, CedarGrove, NJ 07009. Material cannot be returned, so please donot send original tapes or photos.

Joe BuscherThirty-two-year-old Joe Buscher hasparlayed playing in his collegemarching band and studying atMusic Tech in Minneapolis into avaried drumming career. That careerincludes stints with several pop/rockbands, a tour with ABBA tribute actABBA Salutely, and two years with ashow band called Atlantis.

“Atlantis played all over theMidwest at casinos, bars, and corporate gigs,” says Joe. “Wealso did a Caribbean cruise. But it wasn’t all fun and games. Ilearned that being in a successful band involves plenty of hardwork—a lot of which has nothing to do with music.”

Joe’s current gig is with a funk/blues band called Mojo. Thematerial varies from Chaka Khan, Etta James, and The Metersto Medeski Martin & Wood and Lenny Kravitz (along with afew originals). Joe’s demo reveals an expressive, funky stylethat’s influenced by Bernard Purdie, Peter Criss, and BuddyRich, along with Music Tech instructors Gordy Knudtson, DaveStanoch, Paul Steuber, and Jess Wheeler. Joe is also a teacherhimself, with a dozen private students. He plays a YamahaTour Custom kit with an Impact snare drum, as well as Zildjianand Sabian cymbals.

“Over the years,” says Joe, “I’ve found three things to bethe most important: a ‘less is more’ approach to drumming,the ability to play many styles of music, and getting along wellwith others. I’m confident that if I can master those threethings, I’ll have a long and successful career.”

Kevin SharpeSpringfield, Massachusetts nativeKevin Sharpe is a multi-threat musi-cian. A talented drummer, mallet per-cussionist, and drum programmer, he’salso accomplished on piano, organ,and bass guitar. Add singing and pro-ducing to his skills list, too.

Kevin began singing in his churchchoir at the age of seven. By the time

he was eleven he was drumming for the choir. Although pri-marily based in gospel music ever since, Kevin’s experiencealso includes jazz, R&B, blues, rock, country, Latin, classical,and show music. His varied influences include Max Roach, ArtBlakey, Tito Puente, Rush, Yes, The Gap Band, The SOS Band,and Prince. Since graduating with degrees in music educationand jazz performance from the University of Massachusetts,Kevin has performed with artists including Archie Shepp,Steve Turre, and John Blake, and has recorded with Blake, JoeSallins, Brittany Ham, and Charles Langford.

Kevin’s current focus is Fellowship, a contemporary gospelgroup for which he is drummer, vocalist, instrumentalist, andproducer. Their CD, By Faith (Prosperous Records, www.fellowship1.com), displays Kevin’s talents in all areas,including drumming that is tasteful, exciting, and always musical.

Kevin currently endorses Noble & Cooley drums. He alsouses Roland and Alesis electronics and Sabian cymbals. “Mygoal,” he says, “is to allow God to use my gift of music to exaltHim and to remove burdens from the lives of as many peopleas possible.”

“I started learning the drums when I wasfifteen,” says Chuck Cobb. “I studiedevery drummer I could to see what theirlimbs were doing. After two years of ‘airdrumming,’ I finally got to play on adrumkit. A few years later I bought aGretsch kit, on which I played along tothe sounds of my influences: Phil Collins,Max Weinberg, Tico Torres, and GilMoore.” Chuck went on to study for ayear at the Wilmington Music School inDelaware, and then took private lessonsfor another year and half.

Never wanting to join a cover band,Chuck looked for local musicians whohad original material and needed a

drummer. He eventuallyhooked up with Delawareband Urban Sprawl. “Amongother projects,” says Chuck,“we created a charity CDcalled Beyond The Bridges(www.urbansprawlband.com)with guest appearances byartists like Ike Willis (ex-Zappaband), John Young (ex-Asia), and KenHensley (ex-Uriah Heep). It was my firsttime in the studio. Needless to say, itwas quite an experience. It led me to theconclusion that I really wanted to be astudio musician.”

Chuck is still playing with Urban

Sprawl, as well as withlocal artists Elby Rogersand EMBS, both of whomhave CDs slated for mid-2002 release. He usesGretsch drums, Zildjiancymbals, and Yamahaand Roland electronics.

“I want to do more stu-dio projects, and perhaps go on tour topromote them,” Chuck concludes. “Inthe meantime, I’ll continue to drum atmy church while I seek out opportunitiesto create drum tracks for high-profileoriginal artists. My door is always opento that ‘big challenge.’”

Chuck Cobb

For most drummers, their practice spaceis their personal creation lair. It’s where

they hash out bits and pieces of a fill,

groove, or tune. Where they experiment withnew gadgets, different head combinations,alternate tunings, and cymbal placement.

But for Josh Freese, the monster drummeryou’ve likely seen backing A Perfect Circle,The Vandals, Devo, Stevie Nicks, The Indigo


woodshed

Going Mobile With TheNotorious One Man Drum OrgyA P

erfect C

ircle’s

Story by Waleed Rashidi • Photos by Alex Solca


Girls, or Guns N’ Roses, his practice locationallows none of that. In fact, despite Josh’sbeing one of the most in-demand playersalive, he doesn’t really have a place to prac-tice his drums.

A bona fide multi-instrumentalist, Freesedoes have the ability to practice, write, andrecord his music—right at home, in a modesthome studio setup. It’s just that when itcomes to playing his main ax, his role asfather to a newborn takes precedence. Butthis doesn’t mean the creativity has to stop.Though Josh says he does have plans tosoundproof his garage for an acoustic drum

setup, “For the time being,” he explains, “Ican play stuff using headphones or monitorsat a low level.” For now, Freese says, histrusty drum machine will do.

Freese began writing songs at the age ofthirteen, after he got a 4-track tape deck. “Ididn’t really have a drum machine backthen,” he recalls. “But I had a Dynacordelectronic drumset, which at the time wasthe shit. It had pre-programmed beats builtin, so I’d record those to tape. And since Ididn’t know how to play any chords on guitaryet, I’d play a couple of notes on bass guitarand make a really simple bass line. Then I’dsing stuff over the top.” Fast forward a fewyears, and Josh had advanced to the pointwhere he was able to record his debut soloeffort, The Notorious One Man Orgy (Kung FuRecords), almost entirely by himself.

But back to that acoustic drumming issue.Surely Josh aches to play at home? Notnecessarily. Josh says that, since he’s notexclusive to the drums, he doesn’t view theconcept of “practice” as most drummers do.In fact, he says he’d prefer to pluck somenickel, tickle the ivories, or write songsrather than grind out hour after hour ofbeats, rudiments, and patternsbehind the kit.

Given that his music-makingisn’t tied to a bulky drumset,Freese says that there are infact three places where he“practices.” The main locationis his Long Beach, Californiahome. The house is locatedjust a few miles from that of NoDoubt’s Adrian Young, a placeJosh has been known to visit when he mustjam drums alone. A well-kept, discrete sin-gle-family residence that he recently movedinto, the tastefully decorated pad is home toFreese’s girlfriend, his two cats and (ceram-ic) dog, his newborn son, and plenty ofbaby-related gadgets.

It also houses Josh’s own little studio,which you see here. The setup is situated ina bedroom painted in fresh green and bluetones and decorated with a vast array ofknick-knacks. The musical tools on handrevolve around a Roland VSS-1680Workstation, into which Freese plugs hiskeyboards, Les Paul guitar, drum machines,and whatever else he chooses to layer histracks with.

Josh explains that his second practicelocation is the tour bus. When he’s on theroad with The Vandals or A Perfect Circle,Freese will pack a full collection of musictools, and uses his time off to fine-tune hissongwriting techniques.

“I’ve got this little Yamaha QY-70sequencer, which can fit in my pocket,”Freese enthuses. “It’s amazing. It takes bat-teries, and you can use headphones with it.When I’m on the bus, or in a hotel room on aday off, I’ve got a guitar, a bass, a littleAlesis drum box, a couple of guitar pedals,and my Roland Workstation. It’s awesome.It’s all good enough quality that by the endof the day, I can take what I’ve recorded to aprofessional studio, dump the stuff down to24-track, and use the drum machine as aclick track to overdub live drums. All of asudden, a track’s done!”

Like most Southern Californians, Joshseems to spend a lot of his time behind thewheel, stuck in traffic. But Freese makes themost of otherwise wasted time. Actually,Josh considers his car to be his third studiooption—even if it’s not quite equipped withthe same technology he uses in the above-

mentioned locations. “I’ll put inmixes of songs I’m working on,or music I have to writemelodies to, and I’ll just humalong,” he explains. “I alwayshave a couple of taperecorders in the car, and I’llsing song ideas into them. Youcan hum something over andover in your head, but the sec-ond you turn on the radio, you’ll

forget it all.”So when does Josh practice his drum-

ming? Apparently never. Freese offers it up:“My off time consists of maybe one day aweek, and during the other six days I’m play-ing drums, whether I like it or not. I mean, Ialways enjoy doing it. But usually even ondays when I’m tired or burnt out, I still haveto play drums. So I try to find something elseto do when I’m not working. And when I dowant to play drums on an off day, I like play-ing with other people.

“I get bored hearing myself play drums,”Josh adds with smile. “After about eightminutes I’m like, This doesn't sound verygood—I want my bass player!”


I recently did a tour with an Indian tablaplayer named Sandip Burman. [See

February’s Percussion Today column.]

Before the tour Sandip came to my houseto show me some of the rhythms he’d be

using in his music. When we first playedtogether, he had trouble hearing himself,and I also had trouble hearing him. Itwasn’t because I was hitting the drumstoo hard or playing too loud, i t wasbecause the cymbals and drums I wasusing weren’t the right match to the soundof his instrument. As soon as I put up myflat ride cymbals and played a kit withsmaller drums, we could both hear thetablas. This was a graphic example ofhow important it is to have a variety ofcymbals and drums to choose from inorder to complement the sound of the dif-ferent musicians you play with.

I’ve been asked many times by youngdrummers what I think of a certain ridecymbal, snare drum, drumhead, or stick. Ican let them know what I think of theequipment relative to my musical needs.

basics

Choosing The Right EquipmentT i p s F o r T h e J a z z D r u m m i n g N o v i c e

by Steve Smith

The sound you get from your cymbals and

drums is very important. Choosing the right

equipment is the first step toward giving

yourself the best sound to work with.


But the more relevant question is: Whatare their musical needs?

Also, many drummers now practicewith earplugs or headphones. That’s goodin terms of protecting their hearing, but itcan have a tendency to make them playlouder and be less sensitive to the actualsound they are getting from the instru-ment. The true sound you get from yourcymbals and drums is very important.And while it mainly depends on yourtouch, choosing the right equipment is thefirst step toward giving yourself the bestsound to work with.

CCyymmbbaallssChoosing ride cymbals is very impor-

tant for drummers. This is especially truewhen playing jazz, because most of therhythms being played are based on theride cymbal. I’ve noticed that manyyoung drummers who ask me about cer-tain ride cymbals usually aren’t takinginto consideration the music they’ll beperforming and the other musiciansthey’ll be playing with. They talk aboutthe cymbal itself, using terms like “cut-ting through,” “projection,” and otherqualities that are actually the opposite ofwhat they need if they’re playing jazzwith acoustic instrumentalists.

If you’re playing with an acoustic bass,it’s important to have ride cymbals thatare not too loud and will blend well withthe sound of the bass. I think this is whymany jazz drummers prefer darker cym-bal sounds: They blend with the warmsound of the upright bass. I’ve told manyyoung drummers who are just starting toplay jazz to find ride cymbals that willsound nice in the room and will be pleas-ant for the other musicians to hear. Thisoften surprised them, because it’s verydifferent from the information they getfrom media advertising that makes drum-ming look like a violent act that requiresloud cymbals, powerful drums, and sticksand heads that won’t break.

The idea of “cutting through” may havesome relevance for big band playing. Butmore than volume, the clarity of the beatis what is important. While you may wanta brighter ride cymbal for big band than ifyou’re playing small group, it depends onthe band and what kind of venues you’ll

be playing. If you’re in a college big bandand are mainly rehearsing in a room atschool, you need to take that reality intoconsideration when choosing a cymbal.

The only times I’ve needed cymbalsthat “cut through” was when I’ve beenplaying with a rock group that uses highlydistorted guitars that cover every frequen-cy. Other than that, volume is not anissue, and neither is “projection.”

Cymbals tend to be loud to begin with,especially if they are not played with amature touch.

I generally use relatively dark rideswhen playing acoustic jazz, and rides thatare a bit brighter when playing electricjazz. When I’ve played with tablas or anacoustic instrumentalist in a small roomor club, I’ve found that the lightest flatrides give me the airy sound needed to

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blend with and not overpower the otherplayers.

I’ve also found that when playingsmall-group acoustic jazz, crash cymbalsare unnecessary. If you need a crashsound, you can get it from a good ridecymbal. I like to add crash cymbals whenplaying with a big band to accentuatesome of the band figures. Splash soundsand specialty sounds can be useful insmall group playing, but the overall musi-cal concept must determine whether ornot these sounds are appropriate.

If you have at least a few different ridecymbals and additional cymbal sounds(crashes and splashes), you can makechoices depending on the musical situa-tions you find yourself in.

DDrruummssI find it useful to have different-size

bass drums with my drumsets. A 22" bassdrum gives me a very different feel andsound from an 18" or 20" drum. I tend touse a smaller bass drum for jazz playing.

The way I set the drum up with headsand muffling is also very important. I usea head with no hole cut in it on the frontof the drum, and no pillow or “stuffing”

inside. The only muffling I use is a feltstrip on the batter head and sometimes onthe front head. This way I can play withmore dynamics, and the drum has a nicetone instead of just a flat thud.

Here’s an important fact for youngdrummers who may never have played abass drum that has no pillow in it: Thatsound and feel was designed for studioplaying. In my opinion, it doesn’t workfor acoustic jazz. A double-headed bassdrum, played with a nice touch (havingthe beater come off the head as opposedto “burying” the beater), will blend wellwith an acoustic bass and give the band awarm bottom-end sound and feel. If youneed to mike the bass drum, place themic’ on the batter head (as if miking atom) and you’ll get a great sound.

Choosing drumheads and tuning thetoms are also important factors whenplaying acoustic jazz. I tune my toms rel-atively high, and I like to use coatedheads because they produce a warmer andslightly softer sound than clear heads. Itend to stay away from heads with built-in muffling. Again, they were developedfor the dead “studio” sound.

SSttiicckkssStick choices are very important for the

jazz novice. With much of today’s musictaking place at extremely loud volumes,heavy sticks have become popular. Bysimply using a lighter stick, you can get amore musical sound out of your instru-ment. I generally use a stick that is basi-cally a 5A made of hickory, which is amedium-weight stick. But I carry lightersticks with me. If I’m playing in a smallroom with all acoustic musicians, I mayuse a light stick made of maple, whichwill help me play with a softer sound.Having a selection of brushes, mallets,and other types of “specialty sticks” isalso important in order to have the abilityto adjust your sound and volume to themusicians and the room.

This is just scratching the surface ofwhat to look for in choosing equipmentfor playing jazz. But I hope it gives yousome new ideas to work with.

Steve uses Zildjian cymbals, Sonor drums,Vic Firth sticks, Remo heads, and DW pedals.


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Steve Smith


shop talk

In our previous installments we’vefocused on how to adapt an existing

space, such as a basement, garage, or bed-room, into a sound-controlled environmentfor practice purposes. But for those of you

who seek the ultimate in sound reduction,there’s no substitute for the isolated room-within-a-room.

This approach will require starting witha surplus of square footage, ceiling height,

time, and money. But the results are aboutas good as it gets using typical residentialconstruction materials and methods. Therearen’t really any secrets or special tricks tothis method. It’s really just a very thorough

application of everythingwe’ve discussed so far.(Refer back to our previ-ous installments fordetailed explanations ofthe individual processesoutlined here.)

To BeginStart with a room in

which all six surfaces (thefour walls, the ceiling,and the floor) have beeninsulated and sealed, andhave had additional massinstalled. Now, build afloating floor in the roomthat stops shy of the exist-ing walls by several inch-es. On this floating floor,build four very efficientwalls (insulated/sealed/extra mass added). Fromthese new walls, suspenda new, highly insulatedcei l ing , wi th a gapbetween it and the exist-ing ceiling. At this pointyou have an insulated,sealed box inside anotherinsulated, sealed box,with several inches ofdead air between the two.(And, of course, with nopenetrations through thewalls for power and light-

A Practical Guide To Noise ReductionP a r t 5 : R o o m Tr e a t m e n t F o r O p t i m u m S o u n d

by Mark Parsons

}t’s a funny thing about drumsticks.

You really have to hold them in your

hands to appreciate them.You have

to feel the weight.You have to strike

a head. And after all these years,

even we have to test them by hand.

Because even though we use the

most technologically advanced

manufacturing equipment in the

world, we never forget that machines

are not human. But drummers are.

I

Every stick that passes through ourfactory is inspected by hand no lessthan eight times. And at each ofthe eight inspections, a chance

either to make it to the next level,or make firewood. Because we’resensitive to what you’re looking

for in a drumstick. Very sensitive.{

© 2002 Pro-Mark Corporation. We use only non-endangered wood. promark-stix.com

TM

ing, as discussed earlier.)All that’s left is to hang a pair of doors

with high STC (sound-reduction) ratings—one for each wall—making sure there is nomechanical connection between them thatmight transmit sound. Finally, install anisolated and insulated HVAC system to getfresh, temperature-controlled air in withoutletting sound out.

Voila! You’ve achieved the gold stan-dard of sound control: the total “roomwithin a room.” (See the diagram.)

Oops! One more thing.

Room TreatmentYour room is done and you’re ready to

’shed. Time for a pre-flight checklist:Drumset? Check.Sticks? Check.Progressive Independence to work out of?Check.Acoustic treatment? Huh?

If you forget the last item, there’s onemore thing you’re going to need: earplugs.Because inside of what amounts to asheetrock box, your drums are going tosound horrible—very loud and harsh. Andbesides being hard on your ears, drums that

sound like that aren’t very inspiring to play.You didn’t do all that work to end up with aroom that’s no fun to play in, did you? Let’slook at some ways to tame that beast.

For rooms that drums are being recordedin, I generally recommend a mix of diffu-sion, absorption, and reflection that resultsin a big, warm, ambient sound. The prob-lem is, that sound also requires a big,warm, ambient room. Apply similar treat-ment to the average bedroom-sized practicespace, and you’re liable to end up with anoverly bright, harsh sound that will fatigueyour ears during the course of a long prac-tice session.

In this situation I’d go for a more con-trolled sound. This means we go heavy onthe absorption end of the equation, and wedon’t try to purposely increase reflections.Besides being easier on your ears, the sortof treatment we’re talking about will alsoslightly reduce the amount of noise escap-ing the room.

Starting with the floor, we want to avoidhard, reflective flooring in favor of some-thing softer. In other words, pass on thestudio-standard oak flooring and go for thethickest carpet and pad you can find. (It’s

cheaper, too.)The answer for your walls is convoluted

foam (often referred to as “acousticfoam”), which is available from acousticsuppliers. (We’re not talking about foammattress pads here. There’s a difference.)Acoustic foam generally comes in 2", 3",and 4" thicknesses, with the most impor-tant difference being that the thicker thefoam the lower into the frequency spec-trum it will absorb. Since our primary con-cern is controlling sonic splatter, for thesame money you’re better off with a lot of2" foam versus a little 4" foam.

You can further economize by thought-ful foam placement. You don’t have tospring for full coverage (though if you’vegot the budget, 100% coverage in 4" foamwould certainly result in a dead room.) Ifyou’ve got the budget for 50% coverage,for example, you’ll get the most bang foryour buck by cutting the foam into 24"squares and placing those squares on thewalls in a checkerboard pattern.

Ideally you should treat your ceiling thesame way. However, don’t think you haveto treat the whole room at once. Funds maybe limited, or you may simply prefer a bit


more bounce to your beat. Do it in incre-ments, and stop when you’re happy.

I’d start with the wall directly behindyour kit and the ceiling area above. Needmore control? Work down one side wall.Now at least no two parallel walls areuntreated, which will help reduce the flut-ter/echo problem. Then, if need be, you canfoam the other side, the end wall, and theremainder of the ceiling.

The end result will be a room that is wellcontrolled. A room without harsh cymbalsplatter, slapback, and flutters. A roomwithout that cheesy bedroom sound we allknow and hate. A room you can play in allday, without causing any pain for you oryour neighbors.

Final ThoughtsSound control is still as much an art as it

is a science, and much of it is a matter ofdegree. There is no magic bullet for noise;you get incremental improvements forincremental expenditures of time, money,and effort. The most important part of theequation is you. You have to analyze yourindividual situation, and then apply enoughof the sound-control techniques we’ve dis-

cussed in this series as are required to keepthe peace.

Stay flexible, and remember that an“acceptable” volume level varies greatlywith the time of day. The use of the sim-plest of the techniques we’ve discussed—ifcarefully applied—should allow most of usto be able to practice at reasonable levelsduring reasonable hours. From there,depending on your needs and resources,you can take it as far as you want.

My series of articles over the past five

months has dealt largely with theory andgeneral techniques, along with some exam-ples generated from a room conversion thatI personally undertook a while ago. Nextmonth, in the final installment, a youngBritish drummer will outline how he didhis own homework and converted a veryacoustically unfriendly basement environ-ment into a pleasant and viable practicespace. It’s a real “how I did it” successstory that I’m sure you’ll enjoy!

ManufacturersAcoustic Sciences Corporation(800) ASC-TUBE, www.acousticsciences.com

Acoustics First(888) 765-2900, www.acousticsfirst.com

Auralex Acoustics, Inc.(800) 95-WEDGE, www.auralex.com

Netwell Noise Control(800) NETWELL, www.asknetwell.com

RPG Diffusion Systems, Inc.(301) 249-0044, www.rpginc.com

Silent Source(413) 584-7944, www.silentsource.com

Wenger(800) 326-8373, www.wengercorp.com

Wiremold(800) 621-0049. www.wiremold.com

BooksThe Master Handbook Of Acousticsby F. Alton Everest

Building A Recording Studioby Jeff Cooper

Modern Recording Techniquesby David Miles Huber

Resources

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from the past

In the waning days of the 1960s, beforethe dinosaurs of psychedelia were

felled by the broadsword of corporaterock, there arose in America a new beast:a musical hybrid that would cause contro-versy and growth not experienced sinceswing gave way to bop.

Prior to the emergence of this phenom-enon, jazz had been jazz and rock hadbeen rock, and whenever the twain hadmet the result was usually some serioushead-butting. But the late ’60s saw musi-cians of all different stripes forming larg-er bands that featured horn sections.These groups blurred the borders thatseparated styles in order to create a newmusic, much of which still sounds fresh

and exciting today. And the drummers inthese musical juggernauts would proveintegral in bringing “pop” music to ahigher level.

Bobby ColombyDrummer and Blood, Sweat & Tears

founding member Bobby Colomby wasone of the first to pioneer this new andfertile frontier. Bobby was predominantlya jazz drummer with a wealth of tech-nique and a sly wit when phrasing fills.But he was more than adept at rock andR&B styles. Packing tremendous creativ-ity and humor, Bobby could always berelied upon to play the unexpected.

Blood, Sweat & Tears was a nine-piece

outfit out of New York City. Under onebanner were Juilliard graduates, rockstars, and the cream of the Manhattanjazz scene—all of whom cooperated in aband of unequaled daring and virtuosity.Besides Colomby, other charter playersincluded trumpeter Randy Brecker andformer Blues Project members SteveKatz (on guitar) and Al Kooper (on keysand vocals).

BS&T’s first album, Child Is FatherTo The Man, featured some undeniablygood songs and loads of potential. But itwas clearly the work of a band finding itsway. However, if their first attemptseemed tentative, their second proved tobe a work of collective genius. The

Jazz/Rock Pioneersby Rod Fogarty

Chicago’s Danny Seraphine


eponymously titled effort is generallyregarded as the band’s masterpiece.

The record opened with orchestral varia-tions on Erik Satie’s “3 Gymnopedies” thatheralded a gelling of concept and musicali-ty. To paraphrase Forrest Gump’s mom, aBS&T arrangement was very much like abox of chocolates. What lay at the centeralways came as a surprise. Both “SmilingPhases” and “Spinning Wheel” conceal acore of molten jazz within a hard-rockinghead.

Colomby comps and plays shots in thetradition of the great big band drummersbut in a way so personal that it couldnever be duplicated. In “Spinning Wheel”he plays one of the hippest and mostidentifiable one-bar breaks ever.

The impressionistic brush work of“Sometimes In Winter” dissolves into thedown-home country honk of “And WhenI Die.” Before long you’re immersed inthe sophisticated bluesiness of BillieHolliday’s “God Bless The Child,” fea-turing a “Manteca”-like call & responsebetween Latin and swing.

Colomby takes a brief but engagingsolo on “Blues—Part II,” rounding out analbum that rivals Sgt. Pepper and PetSounds for sheer invention and historicalimportance. Though there was much greatmusic to come, no other BS&T releasewould receive as much critical acclaim orcommercial success.

Of the many fine recordings that fol-lowed, Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 and 4were particularly good. There were alsomore hits, such as “Hi-De-Ho,” “LucretiaMacEvil,” and “Go Down Gamblin’.”

In a 1995 interview, Colomby reflect-ed, “I would like for the band to belooked at historically in a more favorableway. When I see Rolling Stone or othermagazines come up with the ‘100 BestAlbums In Pop Music’ and we’re notmentioned—when I know we had such aprofound influence—it’s disheartening.”

Bobby need not feel disheartened,though. Blood, Sweat & Tears’ landmarkrecordings top the list for all of us whohad our ears and intuition tweeked by thisgroundbreaking ensemble. We revere

Bobby Colomby as a singular drummerwho inspired us with his playing anddirected us toward fresh creative hori-zons.

Danny SeraphineLate summer, 1968. The National

Democratic Party Convention in Chicago,Illinois. America’s youth takes to thestreets of the Windy City in a chargedoutpouring of social frustration and polit-ical distrust. Bristling with that samekinetic energy came the next great bandof the new movement.

With extended jams and slightly roughedges, Chicago was everyman’s hornband. At the helm of that great, roaringbattleship was a drummer of uncommonability and spirit. Danny Seraphine burstupon the scene with rhythmic conceptsthat were a siren’s song to rock drummerstired of simply “chopping wood.”

A drummer from the age of nine,Seraphine was one of the best-schooledplayers in rock at the time. He had put inthe hours with some of the greatest namesin teaching. Men such as Bob Tilles, for-

Blood, Sweat & Tears’Bobby Colomby

Dreams’ Billy Cobham

Artist Title DrummerBlood, Sweat & Tears Child Is Father To The Man Bobby ColombyBlood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears Bobby ColombyBlood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 Bobby ColombyBlood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears 4 Bobby Colomby

Chicago Transit Authority Chicago Transit Authority Danny SeraphineChicago Chicago II Danny SeraphineChicago Chicago VII Danny Seraphine

Chase Chase Jay BurridChase Ennea/Pure Music Jay Burrid, Gary Smith,

Tom GordonDreams Dreams Billy Cobham

The Pioneer Spirit10 Jazz/Rock Landmarks

mer Woody Herman ace Chuck Flores,and drumming icon Jo Jones filled andrefilled his cup of knowledge.

Chicago was a prime example of thatrarest of birds: a truly fine group ofmusicians who found mass public appealand critical acceptance. It is no exaggera-tion to say that Chicago was for manyyears one of the most popular bands inAmerica. Though they still record andtour today (with the talented TrisImboden on drums), it’s their late-’60sthrough ’70s output that remains requiredlistening for al l serious students ofmusic.

Chicago Transit Authority (as theywere first known, until the bus companyof the same name threatened to sue)released their debut album in 1969. It wasa time when young people were accus-tomed to hearing various styles of musiccombined and contrasted on their localFM radio stations. Offering everythingfrom acid-rock funkifizing to overtlyjazz-inspired improvisation, Chicago’scollection did not disappoint. Tuckedaway here and there, like treasures to beunearthed, are a few perfect little radio-friendly songs.

Chicago’s broad appeal embraced theyoung and the young at heart. Older lis-teners, raised on the big band sounds ofthe 1940s, found a comfortable middleground in musically turbulent times. As aresult, the band got a great deal of AMradio play. Top-10 hits when originallyreleased, these recordings have gone onto become classics. Much of this successis due to Danny Seraphine’s gift for cre-ating an original and perfect drum partfor each song.

Listen to “25 Or 6 To 4.” Seraphine

lays down one of rock drumming’scatchiest grooves. As arresting as it isstraightforward, it propels the other musi-cians to frenetic heights. (The song alsohas an infectious bass guitar line thatyour blue-haired granny probably knowshow to play.)

“Make Me Smile” is where the bigband and the rock group collide head on.Sporting horn voicings and a rhythmicforce that would soon be in evidence inthe writing for the Woody Herman andBuddy Rich orchestras of the day, thisone cooks. Seraphine’s energetic fills areequal measures of fire and precision.

“Does Anybody Really Know WhatTime It Is?” swings with an odd meterintro and settles into a 4/4 shuffle that sitsright in the pocket. Danny had that shuf-fle down.

An outstanding example of Danny’sversatility as a player can be found on thefirst three cuts of 1974’s Chicago VII.(Seraphine composed or co-composed allthree.) The musical voyage begins with“Prelude To Aire,” an Afro-Cubannaningo built slowly yet deliberately inlayers of congas and toms. WaltParazaider’s flute enters insistently forsome tribal exchanges that put one inmind of Art Blakey’s late-’50s collabora-tions with Herbie Mann.

“Aire” moves like the current of astream, and Seraphine establishes arhythm that’s as smooth as polishedstone. The first time that I heard it—as ayounger, less experienced drummer—Ithought it was in straight time. Thatbelief came to dust as I tried to play alongand kept coming up short. Yup. It’s defi-nitely in seven. (What can I tell you? Iwasn’t a real bright kid.)

Riding in on a Coltrane-esque intro-duction, “Devil’s Sweet” rains sheets ofdissonance that clear to reveal a tune asdark and moody as a city block aftermidnight. Listeners are treated to anunder-documented aspect of DannySeraphine’s mastery of the drums:Perhaps as a tip of the hat, soul-wise, toPapa Jo, Danny plays the brushes. Intremendously artistic fashion, he showsall of the passion and control one associ-ates with the greats of jazz. Always play-ing with his ears wide open, his way withdynamics is enviable. Hearing this trilo-gy always leaves me wondering what hemust be playing now.

The Drummers Of ChaseBill Chase spent most of the 1960s as

first trumpet in one of Woody Herman’sfinest Herds. But in 1970 Bill had anidea: He wanted to present the boldimpact of a big-band trumpet section sup-ported by a more contemporary rhythmicstructure. The group he formed took hisname, and their brassy sounds cut straightto the marrow. In a career tragically cutshort, Chase (the band) turned out threeLPs that have recently resurfaced in com-pact disk form. Aside from the odd carry-over track, each album rocked to a differ-ent drummer.

The group’s debut effort, simply titledChase, spawned the hit single “Get It On”and featured the drumming of Jay Burrid.Burrid’s playing brimmed with power,finesse, and great ideas. Though thedrummer had strong roots in rock, he hadalso worked with jazz giants Bill Evans,Benny Golson, and Clark Terry.

Admired for their extended and intri-cately arranged pieces, Chase here offers“Invitation To A River.” Transported toa bullring in old Madrid via a Spanish-tinged trumpet fanfare, the listener surfsthe ebb and flow of Burrid’s timpani-like tom rolls. As the rhythm melts intoa medium swing, his ride pattern sim-mers, pushes, and prods, inspiring every-one to play over their heads. You canpractically hear the gears turning asBurrid gives deep thought to every notehe plays. His grace on the instrumentwas unparalleled.

Though Burrid appears on two cuts, fol-low-up LP Ennea belongs to Gary Smith.Smith had chops ’til next Tuesday and an


“Bobby Colomby was really great. He was the first

drummer I heard that made some kind of transition

from jazz to rock and put the two together.”

—Buddy Rich, 1980

in-your-face, funk-rooted approach.After bowling the listener over with a

supercharged rendition of StephenFoster’s “Swanee River,” Chase burnsthrough song after song before arriving atthe album’s centerpiece. “Ennea Suite”presents six musical biographs, each ded-icated to a figure from Greek mythology.The level of intensity rarely lets up, andGary Smith’s playing must be heard to bebelieved. From the up-tempo jazz waltzof “Zeus” to the rapid-fire funk of“Hades,” Smith is awe-inspiring. He dou-ble-clutches the band through twists andturns as hair-raising as any Ozark moun-tain pass. Adventurous and strong…asfluid as a tap left running…rolls assmooth as distant thunder—Gary Smithhad the goods.

If Pure Music seems incomplete, that’sbecause it is. Production on the albumhad begun in late spring of 1974. Beforerecording was to resume, Chase went outto play what was to be a brief tour. Fullyhalf of the band was killed when theirsmall chartered plane crashed into afarmer’s field. Among the dead was BillChase.

Released posthumously (it’s now avail-able on a two-fer CD with Ennea), PureMusic gave strong evidence that Chasehad been eschewing pop songs in favor ofmore fusion-oriented instrumentals.

Drummer Tom Gordon, though totallyconversant with the vocabulary of mod-ern music in the 1970s, shows that he wasvery much his own man behind the set.At once technical and economical,Gordon was an exceptionally musicaldrummer. In the space of six tracks heflawlessly executes linear funk and pro-gressive rock patterns, as well as playingcool and spacious odd time.

Billy CobhamIt’s a sad fact that world-class artists

can sometimes vanish from the worldstage. But a man still highly visible onthat stage is Billy Cobham. Though hehas led his own band for some yearsnow, in 1970 Cobham belonged to a col-lective known as Dreams. At varioust imes featuring Randy and MichaelBrecker, the late Don Grolnick, andECMer John Abercrombie, Dreams was ascary bunch.

It was common practice for the playersin Dreams to improvise around thearrangements. This kind of risk-takingwas right up Cobham’s alley. Constantlyplaying in the moment, he was steeringthe bus all the way.

The band lasted only long enough torelease two fine albums. On Dreams,ideas spill out in cornucopic fashion.Cobham is never less than inspired,

whether tying the other musicians into atight groove or stretching out a bit, as hedoes on “Dream Suite.” There’s thatincredible single-stroke roll, ubiquitousand splendid. And on “New York” Billydisplays his effortless technique on anextended drum solo. This recording pre-sents Billy Cobham in a setting unlikeany other. It’s well worth some digging ata used record shop.

The next Dreams album, Imagine MySurprise, was produced by former BookerT. & The MG’s guitarist Steve Cropper.Though it’s not as adventurous as the firstrecord, Cobham finds numerous opportu-nities to catch fire. A case in point is thecompletely spontaneous tag ending of thetitle tune. Buoyed by Billy’s cookingsamba, Dreams chases their swan song toa close.

With Billy Cobham, the link to the newera would seem complete. The masterdrummer eventually left Dreams to joinThe Mahavishnu Orchestra, the mother ofall fusion bands. And so the next phasebegan.

To those unfamiliar with earlyjazz/rock, happy listening. The rest of uswill pull out our practice pads and extenda silent nod of thanks to the bands of thatnot-so-quiet revolution, and the drum-mers who made them go.


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first person

Back in the day, the only thing that roadieswere expected to do was…well, just be

there. Sure, they had to carry and set up theequipment. But one of their main gigs wasbeing a buddy to the stars. Talk about yourunsung heroes.

Jeff Ocheltree took his experience as aroadie and turned it into something more:becoming one of the first individuals to legit-imately lay claim to the title of “drum tech.”Eventually Jeff took things even further,applying his accumulated knowledge to thecreation of fine custom drums. (Jeff’s latestendeavor is Paiste’s new signature timbales,along with his Phantom Steel drumkits andsnares, and Spirit Of 2002 snares and drum-kits.)

Prior to becoming a drum builder, Jeffteched for many top drummers, includingBilly Cobham (with The MahavishnuOrchestra and solo) and Led Zeppelin’s JohnBonham. Today he’s still out there, workingwith Steve Smith.

Not long ago, I attended a Paiste receptionwhere I had the pleasure of speaking withJeff about his experiences with Bonzo.Here’s a rare opportunity to take a look backat some wild and crazy times with one ofrock’s greatest drummers.MD: How did you meet John?Jeff: I met John after The MahavishnuOrchestra broke up. It was 1974, and I was

on the road with Billy Cobham’s new band.They were playing at the Crystal Palace BowlParty, in London. It was an outdoor gig in aband shell with a pond in front of it. The rea-son that sticks in my mind is because twothings happened that day. In the pond therewas a hydraulic lift for the lead singer in theband Cockney Rebel. He was supposed towalk off the stage and onto this platform thatwould raise and lower him in the water. Butthe thing malfunctioned, and when he walkedoff stage it was lower than he thought, and itwent down quicker than it was supposed to.He almost tripped and fell into the water,while holding onto a microphone!

The other reason I remember the place isthat someone came up to me and said, “JohnBonham wants to talk to you. He’s in thattent over there.” When I went over to thetent, John greeted me with, “Come over here.Anyone who can roadie for that guy deservesa beer.” [laughs] So we talked and had a fewbeers. That was the first time we hung outand exchanged sarcasms. From then on wehad a nice relationship.MD: Was Zeppelin on the bill for that gig?Jeff: No, John was there to see Billy, LibertyDeVitto, and Carmine Appice. From that dayon I would see him when Zeppelin came toLA to play or record, or just to hang out.They’d always go to the Rainbow Bar &Grill, which was right next to the Roxy onSunset Blvd. That’s where all the roadies andartists would hang. I remember one time Iwas hanging with John and this guy jumpedoff a table right onto my back. So I threw himabout twenty feet in the air. John turned tome and said, “I think he’ll think twice aboutthat the next time. I hope you didn’t hurthim.” So then the guy came up to me andsaid, “I’m really sorry, I didn’t know it wasyou.” I said, “You don’t even know who Iam.” Then I realized that it was Keith Moon.I was like, Oh! Moonie, you’re up to your oldcrap. [laughs]

Jeff OcheltreeTe c h i n g F o r J o h n B o n h a m

by Billy Amendola

“Everyone thinks of John as a basher, but he was far

from it. He could make the drums sound loud

without hitting them hard. He knew how to hit

them. He knew where to hit that sweet spot.”


Later, in 1975, John was back in LosAngeles. He had a broken wrist at the timeand was relaxing at the Beverly Hilton hotel.We were hanging out at the Rainbow onenight. I told him about a custom Gretsch 6"snare drum that I had I reworked, with cablesnares on it. I wanted him to check it out,even though I knew he was totally into hisLudwig drums. He had no interest in thesnare, but he was intrigued by the fact that Iworked on it. The next day he invited me tohis hotel room and asked me if I wanted towork with Zeppelin. Even though I knewJohn was a great player, I didn’t have anyinterest at the time. I was happy working forBilly.MD: You were being loyal to Billy.Jeff: Absolutely. That was one of the mostincredible experiences of my life. I learned somuch from Billy. Back then there were noexperienced drum techs to learn from.Everything was trial and error. My tuningskills became better with each tour, becauseBilly let me go with it. He knew my earswould get better and better.

We were doing things back then that noone else was doing. We would carry our own

microphones and tools. It meant a lot to us toget the best possible drum sound we couldget. John watched me tune Billy’s drumsonce, and he thought it was funny that adrummer would need someone to tune hisdrums. But he appreciated the fact that some-one was taking such care. He saw that I caredfor the instrument. I would check for cracks,see what was loose—things like that. Johnliked this.MD: When did you actually start workingwith John?Jeff: I started with John in early 1977. I didsome work on the Physical Graffiti recordwhile I was in England. In 1979, I did the InThrough The Out Door tour. I went toSweden for just a little of the recording. Backthen the roadies were not a big part of theZeppelin recording process. I worked mostlyon live shows.

Mick Hinton was John’s main roadie. Johnwould always have adjoining rooms withMick when Zeppelin was on tour. Backthen—no disrespect to the English roadies—but they weren’t really looked upon as theroadies in America were. Here we worked alittle harder to perfect the craft. They were

there to take care of the drummer. They wereusually good buddies. Loyalty was muchmore important than honing your skills.MD: What would you talk about when youand John would hang?Jeff: It was incredible to talk with him one-on-one about drums and drummers. I mean,every night he dazzled me with his play-ing—but the best experiences were the fewtimes I hung out with him in his musicroom. We’d listen to records together andhe’d share his thoughts and opinions. It wasvery educational. He had an extensiverecord collection with all kinds of music—blues, folk, rock, fusion. He listened toeverything. He was especially into jazz. Itwas his favorite.

John was a rock drummer, but he couldswing. He really liked Max Roach and ElvinJones. He was also into Clyde Stubblefieldand Motown. John loved to talk drums, butno one would talk to him about it. The presswould just see the rock star. It used to makehim mad and crazy. No one asked him abouthis influences or his technical ability—likeplaying his bass drum heel to toe. He playedboth styles, but mostly heel up. His influ-

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John bustin’ a groove at home in his practice room

ences were a lot more sophisticated thanpeople knew. MMDD:: Did John practice?JJeeffff:: He did. But he was very discreet aboutit. John was self-motivated and self-taught.He’d try things he would hear on the radioand on different recordings—like Latin orCuban music. Steve Smith and I heard a DATrecording once of him practicing the “MobyDick” solo, and Steve pointed out to me thatit had the vibe to the Max Roach song “TheDrum Also Waltzes.” That doesn’t surpriseme, because I know how much John was intoMax’s playing. MMDD:: Did you work on John’s drums before ashow?JJeeffff:: John didn’t like anyone touching orfooling around with his kit, especially whenthey recorded. In the studio, I was there to setit up—and then get out of the way. Before ashow, he would check the bottom heads tomake sure I didn’t screw them up. [laughs] Ifhe let me tune them, he always checked mytuning. He liked to do it himself. He wouldtune to his ears—and John had great ears. Hewas very knowledgeable about how thedrums should sound. Everyone thinks of himas a basher, but he was far from it. He hadgreat technical ability. He could make thedrums sound loud without hitting them hard.He knew how to hit them. He knew where tohit that sweet spot.

Back in those days, roadies didn’t reallywork on the equipment, at least not liketoday. You never really knew if you wereappreciated. I think John appreciated me, butit’s hard to know because we never got therecognition. John had a good heart, though.He gave me a silver sparkle kit he used onsome recordings. But working for Zeppelinwas kind of stressful. [Manager] Peter Grantwas very tough. At times it could get crazy.Not many people will talk about those days.MMDD:: Tell us about John’s kit.JJeeffff:: John had the Ludwig stainless-steel kit,with coated Emperor heads. His amberVistalite [acrylic] kit had Black Dot heads,which were made by Ludwig, then later byRemo. He never used either of those kits inthe studio, though. For recording he alwaysused a Ludwig wood kit with Ambassadorsor sometimes coated Emperor heads. Hegenerally used a Supraphonic 61⁄2" steelsnare, although he did use a 61⁄2" BlackBeauty on some cuts. John had a stubborn-ness about his snare drums. We would

scratch his initials on the inside to see ifthey were brass or not, because he hated thesound of brass. He would say, “Not enoughbrightness to it.”

The tuning of the toms’ bottom heads wasvery important to John. He tuned them muchhigher than one would think. He would say,“The air moves from the batter head to thebottom head; how the hell does it do that ifyou have it tuned down so low you can’t hearit?” John liked both heads on his bass drum,and he generally miked it from the front andthe back. Sometimes he used a felt strip onthe bass drum, but not usually. I don’t knowwhere the rumor about the aluminum foil inthe bass drum came from. One time he gavehis first natural-wood drumkit to his brother-in-law, who later gave it to Paul Thompson ofRoxy Music. Paul still owns that kit. Paul andI were working together, and I took off thebass drum head and there was shreddednewspaper inside it. I never saw aluminumfoil, though.

John used a Ludwig Speed King pedal.Also, the idea of using big drums wasn’t toimpress or outdo anyone. It was because heknew those big drums would tune well andcut through. And of course he used all Paistecymbals.MMDD:: What kind of mic’s were on the drums?JJeeffff:: Live, it was Shure Professional Seriesmic’s. They were equivalent to today’s SM-57s, but this was before Shure used numbersfor their model designations. In the studio itvaried—C12s, RE 20s. Sometimes Johnclose-miked the snare and hi-hat, but a lot ofthe recorded sound was from the overheads,getting the room sound.MMDD:: Any final thoughts?JJeeffff:: I’ll tell you one last story. John was liv-ing on his family farm in a little village inEngland, outside of Birmingham. He wantedto build a stone barn behind his farmhouse.Instead of bringing someone in to build thisthing, John and his dad, who was a mason,literally brought in stone with wagons andbuilt this beautiful stone barn all by them-selves. He wanted to do it himself. I reallyliked that about John. He was larger than life.I wish we could have had more conversa-tions. We never got to talk about the old days,and that I regret. But I worked hard to getgood at what I do, and I’m thankful that myrole became a little more than just taking hisdrums in and out of their cases.


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in memoriam

Panama Francis

David Albert “Panama” Francis, who made his markas a big band and rock ’n’ roll drummer during a

career that spanned more than sixty years, died onNovember 11, 2001. He was eighty-two.

During the swing era, Francis powered the bands ofWillie Bryant, Lucky Milinder, Cab Calloway, and RoyEldridge. It was Eldridge who gave Francis his moniker,when the young drummer was subbing for Sid Catlett inEldridge’s band. Roy couldn’t remember the drummer’sname, so he looked at the wide-brimmed hat that Franciswas wearing and said, “Hey, Panama!”

In the 1950s Francis launched a second career,becoming known as the rock ’n’ roll drummer. Herecorded with such artists as Buddy Holly, Bobby Darin,The Four Seasons, The Coasters, Della Reese, NeilSedaka, the Platters, Frankie Avalon, Connie Francis,Jackie Wilson, and James Brown. He also recorded withvocalists ranging from Wayne Newton and JohnnyMathis to Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, and SarahVaughan.

Panama also played in several television orchestras,including those on the Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason, andDinah Shore shows. In the 1970s he returned to jazz,playing the festival circuit with groups that re-created theswing-era music he preferred. He worked with leaderslike Lionel Hampton, Illinois Jacquet, and Earl Hines.

Eventually Francis came back to the sounds of hisyouth: jazz music rooted in danceable swing. His philos-ophy was, “If you can’t dance to it, it’s not jazz.” Topromote the music he loved, in 1979 Panama formed theSavoy Sultans, a “small big band” dedicated to straight-ahead swing music. They enjoyed an eight-year stand atManhattan’s famous Rainbow Room, and toured jazzfestivals in America and Europe. The band also recordedon the Stash label, earning Grammy nominations for twoof their six albums.

In a March 1987 interview in Modern Drummer,Panama commented, “During the big band days, theyused to say that a band was no better than its drummer.The drummer is supposed to take charge; he’s the boss.Back then, drummers took pride in the way they madethe band swing. That was the job!”

Panama continued working with the Savoy Sultansand other artists until 1996, when he was forced to retiredue to illness.

Rick Van Horn

backbeats

PASIC 2001P e r c u s s i o n i s t s B e a t Te r r o r i s t s

While no one can deny that it’sbeen a scary time in the world,

all of the mayhem (including the crashof American Airlines flight 587 a meretwo days earlier) couldn’t deter drum-mers and percussionists from headingto Nashville, Tennessee this pastNovember 14–17 for PASIC 2001. Over5,600 people attended the annual per-cussion convention. A record numberof exhibitors—ranging from most of

the big drum, cymbal, head, and stickmanufacturers and publishers down tosmaller mom & pop operations—werealso on hand supporting the drum-ming community and displaying theirwares.

Over the course of four days, PASICshowcased some incredible talentfrom just about every area of percus-sion. Orchestral, marching, drumset,contemporary, and electronic (“Wired

For Percussion” was a theme of theshow) topics were all covered by vari-ous celeb artists in master-class, paneldiscussion, clinic, and concert settings.Some of the percussion heavy hitterson board included Keiko Abe, TonyCirone, Gordon Peters, Alan Abel,Mitch Markovich, Trichy Sankaran,Gordon Stout, Tim Adams, Kalani, andabout thirty others.

One of the best ideas of the showfor the legit percussionist was the“Orchestral Lab.” Each day anyonecould walk into the “lab” and havetheir playing—snare drum rolls, tam-bourine technique, cymbal crashes,timpani chops—evaluated by a big-name performer or educator.

As for fans of drumset playing, theywere treated to some fine perfor-mances. Here are a few highlights.

Describing his drumset as the“acoustic machine,” stick tricksterJohnny Rabb displayed a light touchas he played through a bevy of jun-gle/drum ’n’ bass grooves incorporat-ing ribbed sticks and effects cymbals.Rabb’s “Freehand Technique,” whichgives him the ability to play one-hand-ed rolls incorporating the rim of adrum, was impressive.

One of the highlights of the conven-tion was jazz drummer Matt Wilson’sexcellent masterclass on improvisa-tion. His delivery was lighthearted, butthe points he made were serious as heopened up a lot of minds to the impor-tant elements of improv.

Drummer Robbie Ameen ,conguero Richie Flores, and tim-balero Robert Vilera practicallyburned the place down with someincendiary Afro-Cuban playing. Allthree are masters of their instruments,and the interplay was inspiring.

Opening with a beautiful solo basedon Eddie Harris’s “Freedom JazzDance,” Lewis Nash proved why he

Akira Jimbo

Akira Jimbo performs before a packed house at PASIC 2001.

is one of the most-recorded jazz drum-mers in recent times. His beautifulbrushwork and deft touch with stickson drums and cymbals are the epito-me of taste.

Drum stars (and Zappa alumni)Terry Bozzio and Chad Wackermangave an interesting performance thathad the two men playing together(including a duet of the famed “BlackPage” solo) as well as individually. Itwas especially fascinating to see theroles they played when performingtogether, with Terry dictating themoment and Chad tastefully support-ing and adding counterpoint.

Prince’s John Blackwell gave a funand informal clinic that showed himsoloing in a fusion style, playing somehip-hop–inspired grooves, and incor-porating his own brand of over-the-topstick twirls. (He clearly explained hismoves—sort of a glorified baton twirl.)Blackwell then brought out percussion-ist Taku Hirano—and called veteranNdugu Chancler out of the audience—for a three-way rhythmic excursion.

Filling in for the Blade Brothers(Brian and Blady), who cancelled atthe last minute, Gregg Bissonettegave a solid clinic that was musicallyinspiring. (His impressive openingsolo, which covered a myriad of styles,garnered a standing ovation.) Greggwas also very open with tips about thebusiness: “Attitude is so important.You need to be persistent to make it,but be politely persistent.”

Like some mad scientist experiment-ing with complex theories, MikeMangini uses his highly developedtechnical ability and mathematicalunderstanding to explore advancedrhythmic concepts. Putting it simply,his clinic was a mind-bender. Manginiis also leading the field in terms oftrue four-way independence, seeming-ly able to lead from either side of hisbody.

The groovalicious Stanton Mooregave a very educational and inspiringmaster class on traditional NewOrleans beats and how he incorpo-rates them in a contemporary setting.

Robert Vilera, Richie Flores, Robbie Ameen

Stanton Moore

Mike Mangini

John Blackwell

Kenny Aronoff

Johnny Rabb

The full house was totally diggingStanton’s uniquely funky approachand light touch.

Nobody plays louder—or groovesharder—than Kenny Aronoff, and heproved it at PASIC 2001 by playingalong to several tracks he’s recordedrecently. Kenny’s bigger-than-life per-sonality shined through his perfor-mance, really connecting with theaudience. And his rap about studiowork was very informative.

’N Sync’s Billy Ashbaugh is a verytalented player who adds a lot of fireand intricacy to the boy band’s music.While playing along to several tracks(’N Sync and original tunes),Ashbaugh revealed some involvedpatterns and nice double pedal tech-nique, showing how creative a playercan be in a pop context.

Being able to witness the artistry ofRick Marotta in person was a treat.The studio legend’s clinic featuredhim “in concert” with big-time bassistWill Lee and guitarist Ross Bolton,performing all sorts of groovy covers(including a couple of Steely Dan

tunes that Marotta originally cut withthe band back in the day). It was obvi-ous to everyone in the room why thisman is on a bazillion records.

Performing on his trademark hugedouble bass kit, fusion/jazz/rock greatChester Thompson dueted with per-cussionist Glen Caruba. Going farbeyond just jamming, the two menplayed a couple of lengthy and verytight pieces. Chester played brilliantly,laying down some African-flavoredtribal grooves and playing an extend-ed solo that was both technically andmusically inspiring.

“I think of myself as an extension ofthe songwriter; I play for the lyrics.”So said Billy Joel’s Liberty DeVittoat his PASIC performance. DeVittooffered many real-world pointers forbeing a successful working drummer,and his delivery was so much fun thatthe audience seemingly spent most ofthe time laughing. Maybe Libertyshould consider moonlighting as astand-up comic.

A massive crowd turned out to seethe final artist of the event, Akira

Chester Thompson

Billy Ashbaugh

Liberty DeVitto

Matt Wilson

Lewis Nash

Gregg Bissonette

Rick Marotta

Terry Bozzio and Chad Wackerman

Jimbo. Akira’s stunning technicalprowess, mastery of many styles, andtrademark ability to perform completemusical compositions (even a JamesBond medley) using electronic triggersand pads placed around his acoustickit seemed the perfect act to capPASIC 2001.

Other noteworthy drumset eventsfeatured great players like Paul Leim(whose master class was packed),Tony Verderosa, Clayton Cameron,Yoron Israel, Tommy Wells & JerryKroon, and Brian Fullen. And one ofthe particularly fun moments at PASICwent down during Nexus’s thirtieth-anniversary concert, when PeterErskine joined the percussion group onstage for some tasty musical interplay.

The Percussive Arts Society alsoinducted a few percussion giants intoits Hall Of Fame at PASIC 2001. JoeCalato (inventor of the nylon-tippeddrumstick and the retractable brush,and the founder of Regal Tip sticks),

Mel Lewis (famed big band drummer),Babatunde Olatunji (African drumminglegend), Al Payson (long-time masterpercussionist with the ChicagoSymphony), and Tito Puente (Latinmusic star and mighty timbalero) wereall recognized for their immense con-tribution to our art form.

Drummers and percussionistsscared off by terrorist threats? No way.PASIC 2002 will be held without fail inColumbus, Ohio, November 13–16. Formore info, contact the Percussive ArtsSociety at (580) 353-1455, or go towww.pas.org.

Story by William F. MillerPhotos by Rick Malkin


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What are some of your favorite grooves?Steve Gadd on “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” (Paul Simon),Dave Garibaldi on “Oakland Stroke” (Tower Of Power), and JeffPorcaro on “Rosanna” (Toto).

What are some of your favorite grooves that you’ve recorded?Aretha Franklin’s “Until You Come Back To Me” and “RockSteady,” Steely Dan’s “Green Earrings,” “Home At Last,”“Deacon Blues,” and “Haitian Divorce,” and Hall & Oates’ “She’sGone.”

What books did you study when you first started playing? Haskell Harr’s Book 1, Ted Reed’s Syncopation, and books by JimChapin.

You’ve done so much in your career. Are there any songs you would like to have played on?Anything by The Doobie Brothers when Michael McDonald was in the band.

BERNARD PURDIE (STUDIO LEGEND)

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Drumset lessons through the mail. Forbrochure, send $1 U.S. to Horrigan Drum School,342 Centre St., Brockton, MA 02302.

Cleveland, USA, Planet. Books keep you stuckin patterns unrelated to spontaneous, creativedrumming. Enlightening information: Don’s DrumStudio, PO Box 41386, Cleveland, OH 44141-0386, or [email protected].

Drummers: Learn all styles of drumming on allthe percussion instruments, including drumsetand mallets. John Bock Percussion Studio, (914) 592-9593.

London, England: Study drums with JoelRothman. Tel: 020-7431-0873.

Drumset and Percussion. Private lessons. Groupconga classes. Jazz ensembles. ProfessionalMusic, 677 Passaic Avenue, Nutley, NJ 07110. Tel:(973) 661-4885.

NJ Drummers. Ray LeVier now teaching in FortLee. Accepting serious-minded students. Allstyles. Tel: (201) 585-1939.

NYC—Tabla. Study Indian classical drummingwith performer Misha Masud. All levels. Specialtraining for musicians of jazz, East/West fusioninterested in Indian rhythm. Tel: (212) 724-7223.

Baltimore-Washington: Grant Menefee’s studioof drumming. B.M. Berklee College of Music. Allstyles and levels. Tel: (410) 747-STIX.

Austin, Texas Drummers: Nick Marcy at Nick’sDrum Studio. All levels and styles. Tel: (512) 255-1786, www.nicksdrumstudio.com.

Drummers—Study with Jim Payne in NYC orWestchester. Author of three widely acclaimedinstruction books, including Give The DrummersSome. Tel: (914) 232-8075, or www.funkydrum-mer.com.

NYC Drummers: Study with John Sarracco, oneof the most knowledgeable pros in the NY area.Accepting only the serious-minded for druminstruction the professional way. Manhattan andStaten Island studio locations. (718) 351-4031.

WantedAny Gretsch, Ludwig, Leedy, Rogers, etc. Also, KZildjian (Istanbul) and Paiste. Cash or trade. BlairN Drums. Tel: (800) 733-8164, (616) 364-0604,fax: (616) 363-2495.

Vintage Drums—Immediate cash for Ludwig,G r e t s ch , R o g e r s , S l i n g e r l a n d , S o n o r, L e e d y, K Z i l d j i a n , a n d P a i s t e . C a l l :(800) 729-3111 or (641) 693-3611. Email:[email protected].

MiscellaneousNew! Video clips, free drum lessons, drumvideos, monthly giveaways at Dave Bedrock’samericandrumschool.com.

Please visit www.ezpercussion.com.

Musicians National Referral: Where pro musiciansand bands connect. World’s largest, most preferredreferral. Ask about our lifetime membership. Tel:(800) 366-4447. Www.musicianreferral.com.

Professional Musicians Referral—Musicians/bands: connect with the right group or player. CallPMR—America’s original national referral! Tel:(612) 825-6848.

Rio Grande Drum. Custom and vintage drums.Repair, refinish, marching mallet carts. Tel: (505)884-5987, www.riograndedrums.com, or email:[email protected].

The Disabled Drummers Assoc. Don’t jump,your life’s not over. We’re here for you. All specieswelcome, be part of our global family. Tel: (305)621-9022, or email [email protected].

Drum Bum: T-Shirts and gifts for drummers!Www.drumbum.com.

Group therapy for drummers. The Drum Forum,www.drumforum.com.


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We have an ear for sound. Blair N Drums, since 1987. We feature: Vintage Gretsch, and K Zildjian.Also, Ludwig, Rogers, Paiste, etc. 3148 Plainfield, N.E., Suite 250, Grand Rapids, MI 49525. Pleasecall only to buy sell or trade. Tel: (800) 733-8164, (616) 364-0604, fax: (616) 363-2495.

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Drummers history past and present trivia game. Fun and educational for the whole family. Send$19.95 plus $3.75 shipping, check or money order, to: Drummers History Game, PO Box 601,Necedah, WI 54646. E-mail: [email protected].

Wm. F. Ludwig II autobiography just released! Rogers book, Slingerland book, and other drum histo-ry publications. Rebeats Vintage Drum Products, PO Box 6, Alma, MI 48801. Tel: (989) 463-4757,www.rebeats.com.

Vintage Photo Catalog! Download from our Web site. Ludwig, Slingerland, and more. Money-backguarantee. Visa/MC, Discover. For free hard copy , call or write: Vintage Drum Center, 2243 IvoryDrive, Libertyville, IA 52567, tel: (800) 729-3111 or (641) 693-3611, fax: (641) 693-3101. Always buy-ing! Www.vintagedrum.com.

WantedVintage Gretsch, Ludwig, Leedy, Rogers, K Zildjian, Paiste, etc. Blair N Drums. Tel: (800) 733-8164,(616) 364-0604, fax: (616) 363-2495.

Immediate cash for Ludwig, Gretsch, Rogers, Slingerland, Leedy, K Zildjians, Paiste, Sonor. Call:Vintage Drum Center, (800) 729-3111 or (641) 693-3611. Email: [email protected].

MiscellaneousWww.vintagelogos.com. Vintage-style logos for kick drums. Free catalog. Tel: (513) 351-0075.

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AADDVVEERRTTIISSEERR .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. WWEEBB AADDDDRREESSSS .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. PPAAGGEE NNUUMMBBEERRAAhheeaadd DDrruummssttiicckkss.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..bbiiggbbaannggddiisstt..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7799AAJJ’’ss PPrroo PPeerrccuussssiioonn .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..aajjpprrooppeerrccuussssiioonn..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 111111AAqquuaarriiaann DDrruummhheeaaddss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..aaqquuaarriiaannddrruummhheeaaddss..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 8833AAttttaacckk DDrruummhheeaaddss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..uunniivveerrssaallppeerrccuussssiioonn..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 111155AAuuddiixx.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..aauuddiixxuussaa..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6600//6611CCaaddeessoonn DDrruummss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ccaaddeessoonnmmuussiicc..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 8800CCaarrll’’ss MMuussiicc CCeenntteerr.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..mmeeiinnll..ddee .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113399CClleeaarrSSoonniicc.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..cclleeaarrssoonniicc..ccoomm.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1122CCoolluummbbuuss PPeerrccuussssiioonn .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ccoolluummbbuussppeerrccuussssiioonn..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 9988CCoonnccoorrdd RReeccoorrddss IInncc.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ccoonnccoorrddrreeccoorrddss..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 112211,,115566DD''AAmmiiccoo DDrruummss.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ddaammiiccooddrruummss..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 115555DDoouugg TTaannnn.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ddrreeaammwwaatteerr..nneett//ddoouuggttaannnn .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 115555DDrruumm CCeenntteerr ooff LLeexxiinnggttoonn .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113399DDrruumm PPeerrffeecctt.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ddrruummppeerrffeecctt..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113355DDrruumm SSoolloo .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ddrruummssoolloo..cccc .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 115555DDrruumm SSuuppppllyy HHoouussee .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ddrruummmmaakkeerr..ccoomm.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 115566DDrruumm WWoorrkksshhoopp ((DDWW)) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ddwwddrruummss..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 8888,,8899DDrruumm WWoorrlldd .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ddrruummwwoorrlldd..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6688DDrruummaatt .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ddrruummaatt..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113300DDrruummDDiiaall .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..bbiiggbbaannggddiisstt..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1188DDrruummffuunn IInnccoorrppoorraatteedd .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ddrruummffuunn..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113399DDrruummss IInn TThhee WWiinndd .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..wwwwaannddbbww..ccoomm.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 115511DDrruummss OOnn SSaallee .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113300EEvvaannss.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..eevvaannssddrruummhheeaaddss..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 11EEvveerryyoonnee’’ss DDrruummmmiinngg .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..eevveerryyoonneessddrruummmmiinngg..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113399VViicc FFiirrtthh .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..vviiccffiirrtthh..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 22,,110099FFoorrkk''ss DDrruumm CClloosseett .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ffoorrkkssddrruummcclloosseett..ccoomm.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 9922GGiibbrraallttaarr .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..kkaammaannmmuussiicc..ccoomm.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 99,, 2288GGKK MMuussiicc IInncc.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ggkk--mmuussiicc..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1188GGrreettsscchh .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..kkaammaannmmuussiicc..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. CCVV33HHaarrddWWeeaarr IInncc.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..bbiiggbbaannggddiisstt..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 110022HHaarrtt DDyynnaammiiccss.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..hhaarrttddyynnaammiiccss..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6688HHQQ PPeerrccuussssiioonn .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..HHQQppeerrccuussssiioonn..ccoomm.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 8800HHuuddssoonn MMuussiicc .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..hhuuddssoonnmmuussiicc..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2211HHuummeess && BBeerrgg .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..hhuummeess--bbeerrgg..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 9955IInnssiiddee OOuutt MMuussiicc .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..iinnssiiddeeoouuttmmuussiicc..ccoomm.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113344IInntteerrssttaattee .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..iinntteerrssttaatteemmuussiicc..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7700IIssttaannbbuull AAggoopp CCyymmbbaallss .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..iissttaannbbuullccyymmbbaallss..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2200IIssttaannbbuull MMeehhmmeett CCyymmbbaallss.. .. .. .. wwwwww..iissttaannbbuullmmeehhmmeett..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1111JJooee MMoorreelllloo .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 115555KKOOSSAA .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..kkoossaammuussiicc..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 110088LLaattiinn PPeerrccuussssiioonn ((LLPP)).. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..llppmmuussiicc..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 9911LLoonngg IIssllaanndd DDrruumm CCeenntteerr .. .. .. .. wwwwww..lliiddrruumm..ccoomm.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 110088LLooss AAnnggeelleess MMuussiicc AAccaaddeemmyy .. wwwwww..llaammuussiiccaaccaaddeemmyy..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113355LLuuddwwiigg .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..lluuddwwiigg--ddrruummss..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. CCVV22MMaaggnnaa CCaarrttaa RReeccoorrddss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..mmaaggnnaaccaarrttaa..nneett .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7700MMaappeexx .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..mmaappeexxddrruummss..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6677MMaatttt’’ss MMuussiicc CCeenntteerr .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..mmaattttssmmuussiicc..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113355MMaayyeerr BBrrooss.. DDrruummss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..mmbbddrruummss..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113300

AADDVVEERRTTIISSEERR .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. WWEEBB AADDDDRREESSSS .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. PPAAGGEE NNUUMMBBEERRMMeeiinnll .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..mmeeiinnll..ddee .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1133,,1155MMeemmpphhiiss DDrruumm SShhoopp.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..mmeemmpphhiissddrruummsshhoopp..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113355MMeettrrooppaadd.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..eedduuccaattiioonnaallmmuussiiccaacccceessssoorriieess..ccoomm .. .. .. .. 113300MMiiddwweesstt PPeerrccuussssiioonn .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..mmiiddwweessttppeerrccuussssiioonn..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7799MMRRPP DDrruummss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..mmrrppddrruummss..ccoomm.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1199MMuussiiCCaarreess FFoouunnddaattiioonn .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ggrraammmmyy..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 112299MMuussiicciiaann''ss FFrriieenndd .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..mmuussiicciiaannssffrriieenndd..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 9944MMuussiiccLLoovveerrssAAuuccttiioonn..ccoomm .. .. .. .. wwwwww..mmuussiicclloovveerrssaauuccttiioonn..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113355MMuussiicctteecchh CCoolllleeggee.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..mmuussiicctteecchh..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7788NNYYPPTT .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..pprroottoooollssnnyy..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 115566PPaacciiffiicc DDrruummss && PPeerrccuussssiioonn .. .. wwwwww..ppaacciiffiiccddrruummss..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 112255PPaaiissttee AAmmeerriiccaa .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ppaaiissttee..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 33,,114455PPeeaaccee DDrruummss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ppeeaacceemmuussiicc..ccoomm..ttww .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 8822,,9933PPeeaarrll .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ppeeaarrllddrruumm..ccoomm.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 66//77,,9977PPeerrccuussssiivvee AArrttss SSoocciieettyy ((PPAASS)) wwwwww..ppaass..oorrgg .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 111177PPoorrkk PPiiee PPeerrccuussssiioonn .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ppoorrkkppiieeddrruummss..ccoomm.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113300PPrreecciissiioonn DDrruumm CCoo.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..pprreecciissiioonnddrruumm..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113355PPrroo••MMaarrkk .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..pprroommaarrkk--ssttiixx..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2299,,5577,,111166,,113333PPrrooffeessssiioonnaall MMuussiicc SSttuuddiioo .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 115566PPrrootteeccttiioonn RRaacckkeett CCaasseess .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..pprrootteeccttiioonnrraacckkeett..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7711PPuurreeSSoouunndd PPeerrccuussssiioonn .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ppuurreessoouunnddppeerrccuussssiioonn..ccoomm.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1122RReemmoo .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..rreemmoo..ccoomm.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5555RRoollii GGaarrcciiaa.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..rroolliiggaarrcciiaajjrr..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113399RRTTOOMM//MMoooonnggeell .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..rrttoomm..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113355RRuupppp’’ss DDrruummss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..rruuppppssddrruummss..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 115555SSaabbiiaann .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ssaabbiiaann..ccoomm.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3366//3377,,110033SSaamm AAsshh MMuussiicc .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..ssaammaasshh..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 114444SSaamm BBaarrnnaarrdd’’ss DDrruumm WWrraapp .. .. .. wwwwww..ssaammbbaarrnnaarrdd..nneett .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 115566SSaammssoonn ((SSlliicckknnuutt)) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..sslliicckknnuutt..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 113300SShhuurree BBrrootthheerrss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. wwwwww..sshhuurree..ccoomm .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 110011SSoonnoorr DDrruummss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 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AA DD VV EE RR TT II SS EE RR II NN DD EE XX


When Gene Dunn of Medford, NewJersey got into drumming in 1970,

Ludwig Vistalites were all the rage. (See“In The Clear,” on page 84.) But theycost more than the beginning drum-mer’s parents were willing to spend. AsGene got a little older, John Bonhambecame a major influence—providinganother Vistalite incentive.

As soon as Gene could afford it him-self, he bought a red Vistalite kit. Onething led to another, and today the twen-ty-five-piece kit includes twin 14x22 bassdrums, 12", 13", 14", and 15" mountedtoms, 6", 8", 10", 12", 13", 14", 16", and18" concert toms, 16" and 18" floor toms,four high and four low “Octobans”(made by Gene himself), and a 6x14snare drum. The ride cymbal is a 22" red(natch!) Paiste ColorSound 2000; the restof the cymbals are Zildjians.

drumkit of the month

PP HH OO TT OO RR EE QQ UU II RR EE MM EE NN TT SS1. Photos must be high-quality and in color. 35mm slides are preferred; color prints will be considered; Polaroids not accepted. 2. You may send more than one view of the kit. 3. Only show drums, no people. 4. Shoot drums against a neu-tral background. Avoid “busy” backgrounds. 5. Clearly highlight special attributes of your kit. Send photo(s) to: Drumkit Of The Month, Modern Drummer, 12 Old Bridge Road, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009-1288. Photos cannot be returned.

April 2002 - Modern Drummer Magazine

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Transcript of April 2002 - Modern Drummer Magazine