Cover Photo by Lissa Wales

18 DINO DANELLI
As drummer for the Rascals in the '60s, Dino Danelli
brought a fresh approach to rock—one he based on big
band jazz drumming. During a recent Rascals reunion
tour, Dino reflected on his career, including his work
with Fotomaker and Little Steven & The Disciples Of
Soul.
by Robyn Flans

DAVE
24 MATTACKS
After joining Fairport Convention, Dave Mattacks played
a big part in merging a sense of groove with English folk
music. He discusses the overshadowing of English music
by American music, and talks about his work in the
studio with such artists as Jimmy Page and Elton John.
by Simon Goodwin

Photo by Lissa Wales

28 FRANK COLON
Although he is often called upon to perform as a Brazil-
ian percussionist, Frank Colon's background is actually in
the Salsa tradition. He explains the differences between
the various Latin cultures that make it difficult for musi-
cians to cross over between styles.
by Robert Santelli

32 INSIDE EVANS
With the advent of the CAD/CAM hoop, Evans drum-
heads have taken on a whole new life. We spoke with
Bob Beals, who traced the history of the 30-year-old
Evans company and explained recent advancements.
by William F. Miller

82 MD TRIVIA CONTEST
Photo by Lissa Wales

Win a set of Paiste cymbals autographed by Carl Palmer.

 VOLUME 13, NUMBER 3

ROCK 'N' MIDI CORNER

JAZZ CLINIC Syncing Drum
What's In A Note: Machines To Tape
Part 3 by Steve LaCerra
by Rod Morgenstein 64 PRODUCT EDITOR'S
42 CLOSE-UP OVERVIEW
MASTER CLASS Sonor International 4
ROCK Portraits In Rhythm: Drumkit
PERSPECTIVES Etude #17 by Bob Henrit
by Anthony J. Cirone
READERS'
Being Creative 38
92 Sonor And Remo PLATFORM
by Kenny Aronoff
6
46 Piccolo Snares
CLUB SCENE by Bob Saydlowski, Jr.
Apples In An Orange 40 IT'S
DRUM SOLOIST
Carlos Vega: "Oasis"
Crate: Part 1 Zildjian Piggyback QUESTIONABLE
by Rick Van Horn by Rick Mattingly 12
Transcribed by
96 40
Michael G. Kingan
Holz ASK A PRO
56
by Rick Van Horn
14
41
CONCEPTS
Working For Stars UP & COMING DRUM MARKET
Joey Baron SHOP TALK 10
by Roy Burns
by Bill Milkowski Building A MIDI THRU
60
48 Box
by Jim Fiore
UNDERSTANDING
SLIGHTLY OFFBEAT 58 UPDATE
RHYTHM 8
Learning Polyrhythms: Oil City Symphony
by Jeff Potter NEW AND INDUSTRY
Part 1
88 NOTABLE HAPPENINGS
by Peter Magadini
62
104 102
 S EDITOR/PUBLISHER MODERN DRUMMER
Ronald Spagnardi ADVISORY BOARD
Henry Adler, Kenny Aronoff,
Louie Bellson, Bill Bruford, Roy
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Burns, Jim Chapin, Alan Dawson,
Isabel Spagnardi Dennis DeLucia, Les DeMerle,
Len DiMuzio, Charlie Donnelly,
Peter Erskine, Vic Firth, Danny
SENIOR EDITOR Gottlieb, Sonny Igoe, Jim Keltner,
Rick Mattingly Mel Lewis, Larrie Londin, Peter
Magadini, George Marsh, Joe
MANAGING EDITOR Morello, Andy Newmark, Neil
Peart, Charlie Perry, Dave Samuels,

A Reader Profile
Rick Van Horn John Santos, Ed Shaughnessy, Steve
Smith, Ed Thigpen.
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Every two years, Modern Drummer conducts a readership survey. William F. Miller Susan Alexander, Robyn Flans,
The purpose of the study is twofold: First, it helps the editors Adam Budofsky Simon Goodwin, Karen Ervin
maintain a clear focus on the primary interests of our readers and Pershing, Jeff Potter, Teri Saccone,
offers us an opportunity to monitor the changing needs and wants EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Robert Santelli, Bob Saydlowski,
of the readership. The second reason for the study is to supply our Jr., Robin Tolleson, Lauren Vogel, T.
Cynthia Huang
Bruce Wittet.
advertisers with information on reader preferences, income, and
buying habits, among other data, which they use in structuring ART DIRECTOR MODERN DRUMMER Magazine
their advertising campaigns. Here are a few interesting points that Terry Kennedy (ISSN 0194-4533) is published
emerged from our most recent reader study. monthly with an additional issue
As expected, the overwhelming majority of readers are male in July by MODERN DRUMMER
ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER
with a median age of 25, and primarily drumset players perform- Publications, Inc., 870 Pompton
ing at the semi-pro level. Most are employed full-time and have Tracy Kearney Avenue, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009.
graduated or attended college. An impressive 22% have been Second-Class Postage paid at
playing between 10 and 14 years, and their musical preferences ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Cedar Grove, NJ 07009 and at
fall in the areas of rock, jazz, heavy metal, R & B, and fusion, in Joan C. Stickel additional mailing offices. Copy-
right 1989 by Modern Drummer
that order.
Publications, Inc. All rights
Of great satisfaction to MD editors was that most readers found ADVERTISING DIRECTOR reserved. Reproduction without the
our feature articles informative and well-written. The majority felt Kevin W. Kearns permission of the publisher is
that our editorial balance was on the money, though a significant prohibited.
percentage requested a bit more emphasis on new-product re- EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING/
DEALER SERVICE MANAGER
views. As a result, steps have already been taken to beef up our ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES:
Crystal W. Van Horn
coverage in this department. Modern Drummer Publications,
The rating of MD's columns remained pretty much in line with 870 Pompton Avenue, Cedar
previous survey results. Ask A Pro, Product Close-Up, Concepts, CUSTOMER SERVICE Grove, NJ 07009.
It's Questionable, Rock 'n' Jazz Clinic, and New and Notable Ingemarie H. Hays MANUSCRIPTS: Modern Drummer
were on top of the list with most readers. And among our artist/ welcomes manuscripts, however,
columnist roster, Rod Morgenstein, Peter Erskine, Kenny Aronoff, MAIL ROOM SUPERVISOR cannot assume responsibility for
and Craig Krampf scored highly with the largest percentage of them. Manuscripts must be accom-
Leo Spagnardi panied by a self-addressed,
readers.
stamped envelope.
The majority of the readership claimed that we've been cover- CONSULTANT MUSIC DEALERS: Modern Drum-
ing electronics in accordance with their current needs. Requests
TO THE PUBLISHER mer is available for resale at bulk
for additional information were mainly in the areas of miking, rates. Direct correspondence to
Arnold E. Abramson
amplification, triggering, and sampling. The survey also re-em- Modern Drummer, Dealer Service,
phasized the fact that most of you do read music, and find the 870 Pompton Ave., Cedar Grove,
examples and exercises very helpful and well-balanced. Our NJ 07009. Tel: 800-522-DRUM or
name-artist Sound Supplements and the MD Equipment Annual 201-239-4140.
also drew extremely favorable ratings.
A few miscellaneous facts also surfaced, which I'm delighted
to report: 61% of our readers look through their copy of MD six SUBSCRIPTIONS: $25.95 per year; $46.95, two years. Single copies
or more times; 96% save each issue for future reference, and 73% $2.95.
have ordered equipment or sent for further information after read- SUBSCRIPTION CORRESPONDENCE: Modern Drummer, PO Box
ing a manufacturer's advertisement. Finally, 95% consider Modern 480, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0480. Change of address: Allow at least
Drummer the most informative and entertaining of all the maga- six weeks for a change. Please provide both old and new address. Toll
zines they currently subscribe to, and number one in helping Free Phone: 1-800-435-0715.
them decide on important new equipment purchases. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Modern Drummer, P.O. Box
The reader survey was conducted by an independent research 480, Mt. Morris, IL 61054.
firm affiliated with the University of Maine. The research team
had complete control over all facets of our study. My thanks to all
those readers who participated in MD's survey by responding to A Member Of:
our somewhat lengthy questionnaire. Hopefully, the information
we've gathered will ultimately benefit everyone in the world of
ISSUE DATE: March 1989
drums and percussion.

Magazine Publishers of America

JEFF PORCARO good questions, and Rayford had the an- Ed Shaughnessy drum battle by contacting
Outstanding cover story on Jeff Porcaro! swers. The musical sidebar was a treat, G's Jazz, c/o Gary Alderman, P.O. Box
[November '89 MD] The best element of too. Nice job! 9164, Madison, Wisconsin 53715. Gary's
the interview was how it revealed Jeff as a Tom Verlaine phone number is (608) 274-3527. He has
very human drummer—not like many Baltimore MD a great listing of Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa,
people's concept of a studio musician as and other clips for drummers and fans, and
sterile, mechanical, or disinterested. Jeff RIKKI ROCKETT will make up a video of your choices!
plays from the heart obviously because I was all set to scream and yell about your Thanks for helping me pass this info along.
that's where he feels things. I would have putting Rikki Rockett in your magazine. I Ed Shaughnessy
given my favorite Radio King snare drum mean, Poison is nobody's Rush, and Rikki Woodland Hills CA
to have been in the studio during that first is anything but an exemplary drummer—
Ricki Lee Jones session! especially when compared to the company LP RESPONDS
William Piltner he was in in the November issue. But I I'd like to address a personal response to
Chicago IL must say, I was pleasantly surprised by his M.B., of Mt. Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania,
attitude. He may not be a great player, but who wrote to your It's Questionable de-
Thanks very much for the informative in- he seems like a serious one; he knows what partment in the December '88 issue re-
terview with Jeff Porcaro. I found it espe- is required of a drummer in an image-ori- garding a problem connecting the snares
cially enlightening when Jeff described the ented band like Poison, and he conscien- on a Cosmic Percussion snare drum. To
trials and tribulations of being in a touring tiously seeks better ways to go about meet- M.B.:
band—especially the financial ones. I also ing those requirements. I don't particularly Having read your question in Modern
was gratified to read that Jeff still feels like his band or their music, but I can still Drummer, I wanted to write and thank MD
compelled to go on "playing out" even respect the guy for expressing himself in an for their professional and informative an-
though it might not make him rich. My hat intelligent manner and approaching his job swer. I also wanted to offer a suggestion of
is off to a guy with this kind of talent who in a professional one. I have a feeling that my own. Having been a drumtech for some
savors the fun and emotional feedback of only a magazine like MD could have major drummers—and a hard hitter my-
live playing as much or more than the brought out this side of Rikki; most fanzi- self—the one thing I found that solved the
admittedly lucrative environment of the nes would have played up the bad-boy, problem for me and other drummers that
studio. I've always enjoyed Jeffs work with macho-pucker image instead of concen- I've worked for is plastic-coated aircraft
Toto, and I'm glad to know that Jeff does, trating on Rikki's approach to his job and wire. The Hinger Drum Company used this
too! his instrument. wire both to affix the snares to the drum
Cynthia Billings Paul Bleyer and for the snares themselves. I'm sure that
Butte MT Redding CA if you check your local Yellow Pages, you
could find a wire distributor who could be
RAYFORD GRIFFIN INFO FROM ED of help to you. If you continue to have
Thanks for the long overdue story on Ray- Many drummers around the country have trouble, please feel free to write to me at
ford Griffin in your November issue! This asked me for some years now how they LP Music Group, 160 Belmont Avenue,
guy has been a monster for years, yet no- could get a copy of Buddy Rich and myself Garfield, New Jersey 07026.
body seems to have been aware of his in- in a "drum battle" on the Tonight Show in Todd M. Jensen
credible talent. I appreciated the insight 1978.I recently played the S.S. Normandie Customer Service
that Rayford shared regarding his differing "Jazz Cruise" week, and met the man who LP Music Group
attitudes toward pop and fusion. He's been is the best source for videos on drummers Garfield NJ
there with both, and he really knows what from past TV shows, movies, etc. Inter-
he's doing. William F. Miller asked some ested drummers can buy the Buddy Rich/
Jim Capaldi beautiful. Then I got Eric to
play the end, which is a big
Cozy explains: "I had two re-
ally disastrous years. After the
album, which promises to be
the most likely vehicle to bring
dramatic playout, and it's a E.L.P. demise, I had to turn the drummer to America in
vintage Clapton solo. I would down a lot of work because of 1989. The two had worked to-
love the song to be a single. I some business problems. I got gether on Cozy's solo albums
think it could be a smash be- caught in the middle of a mess several years back, as the duo
cause it's the sort of single you through no fault of my own. make a striking combination in
don't hear every day." Next came the John Sykes proj- the studio. "What's interesting
For the most part, Some ect [ex-Whitesnake guitarist]. I is that Gary has been working
Come Running was recorded spent more than six months on with drum machines in the stu-
with programmed drums. "It that, only to be dissappointed dio for a while," he comments,
was done on 16-track, and the by what came about after he "so it's gone full circle at last.
basic shape of the songs was so was signed to a record deal." Gary and his producer had pro-
good that we wanted to keep Cozy was then brought in to grammed the whole LP, but
that feel. Then we went to a play on the latest Cinderella Gary felt it needed more feel.
digital 32-track and had to re- album. "Andy Johns was pro- So he brought me in initially to
program and write out the ducing the LP at that time, and do just one track. I ended up
According to drummer/artist parts. As it turned out, the way he's got definite ideas of how doing six. When I heard the
Jim Capaldi, Some Come Run- we programmed it sounded he wants drum tracks to machine parts I said, 'If I can't
ning is his best solo effort to very good for the songs as they sound," offers Powell. "After I do better than a machine, then
date. Why does he think that? were. So I wound up triggering came in, he also brought Tony I may as well retire.' We just
"I'm getting much better AOR the snares and bass drums, and Thompson and Denny Carmassi gave the tracks a blast, and they
radio response than ever, be- playing fills and cymbals on top in, so I don't know what's mine did sound better than the ma-
cause of the songs," he states. of the rhythm tracks. Usually in on that album. I don't think any chine." So has Cozy cured
"That and maybe having a lay- the past I played drums with a of us do." another guitarist of that nasty
off and recharging the battery." click, but it just seemed to work Cozy also worked with Jack habit of using computers
Capaldi says he had two of better this way." Bruce, although that project instead of drummers? "You
the songs completed over a Capaldi hopes to be on the never made it past the record don't want to let these guitar
year before the album's release, road as soon as possible, and execs. "Jack, Pat Thrall, and I players get away with too
and actually had no intention plans to have a Phil Collins-like did a demo together earlier this much, otherwise drummers are
of putting the album out on situation, with two kits and him year, which we thought was gonna get walked all over," he
Island Records. He was pursu- alternating between one of the very good, but the record com- laughs with a wink.
ing a production deal with kits and the front of the stage. pany who brought us together Will '89 be the year that Cozy
Island when label head Chris He says he's quite at home tak- passed on it because they felt it comes back to the States to play
Blackwell, upon hearing the ing the lead, since he was a wasn't 'commercial enough.' some long-overdue live dates?
completed record, insisted Ca- singer before a player, and he What do you expect when you "I don't attempt to predict what
paldi re-sign with them. never felt restricted by the title put guys like us together? Too will happen to my career any-
"At the same time, I was get- of drummer. bad it fell on deaf ears." more," he responds cautiously.
ting offers from some other la- "There aren't too many suc- Another project, which "The minute I say I'm going to
bels. But having spent most of cessful drummer/artists, but I Powell just recently completed, do something, something crazy
my time with Traffic on Island, think that proves that if you do was his work with the ever- happens. I will say that '88 was
it was always a strange thing it and it is good, it really does evolving Black Sabbath, a turn a good year, and '89 will be
going out into the wilderness, come across. I wouldn't say I of events that surprised a lot of even better because I will defi-
so to speak. It never really was an out-and-out drummer his fans. "I got into that as part nitely be out on the road with
gelled somehow, so now it's who did nothing but drums and of the rhythm section for the Gary [European and Japanese
back home, and I think I have sessions. My drumming was new LP," he quickly points out. dates have been confirmed for
the best album I've ever made. always based on feel. On stage "Then I got more involved; I the spring], which will be an
It's just incredible how every- I'm quite comfortable in front, had a hand in the writing and explosive tour, to say the least."
thing has turned around." and then I can go back and the production. Just forget —Teri Saccone
Jim says that, apart from the play the kit. I just want to give a about the name of the band
first single, "Something So good evening's entertainment,
Strange," his favorite cuts on lay some really good grooves
and check out the album."
When we spoke to Cozy in Steve Riley
the album are "Some Come down, and really get off and see England recently, he had just
Running," "Take Me Home," the people get off. That's what finished the new Gary Moore
"Voices In The Night," and es- it's all about."
pecially "Oh Lord, Why Lord." —Robyn Flans
"That's the one with Eric [Clap-
ton] and George [Harrison] on
it," he explains. "I think it's the Cozy Powell
most dramatic track on the al- Last year was prosperous for
bum. George played the arpeg- Cozy Powell. He made seven
gio and slide guitar, and I have albums, did a film soundtrack,
him swapping licks with Eric in and is now in the midst of pro-
the solo, which is beautiful. ducing a new band. This flurry
They didn't intend it; it's just of activity—and the enthusiasm
that George's second lick didn't that Powell radiates in recent
work out and Eric's first one conversation—follows on the
wasn't so hot either. Yet they fit heels of some rather precarious
perfectly side by side. It was career moves. These days, Steve Riley has
settled in with L.A. Guns—the that's why I go where I'm and ended up wanting to play and I can feel the song, but one
latest entry in the whole L.A. needed and just adapt. I've on because he liked it. There of the things I've learned from
"sleaze movement," which fa- been at this for so long that I were things I wanted to do in working with so many different
vors grit, almost punk guitars, can easily switch to any format. Sabbath that I was too timid to people is that I want to talk the
raspy vocals, and thrashing I played fusion for a while in do, so it was great being able language as well. I figure that if
backbeats over production- the mid '70s, and it was a real to say, 'I think this is going to these guys can talk the lan-
concious "corporate rock." blast, but I couldn't make a be okay,' and having other guage, why should I be so
Steve was once part of living from it. Sure, I like to people say, 'It worked!' damn different? I think there's
W.A.S.P., a group for which he play music that's more chal- "I don't even know what my been a lot of ego on my part
doesn't exactly hold fond lenging than rock, because rock music is," says Bill. "It doesn't and also a lot of laziness, so
memories. "Around the time I can be really one-dimensional. necessarily have to be hard I've taken the plunge!"
left W.A.S.P. a couple of years But when I play rock I add my rock. It comes out of me the —Robyn Flans
ago," says the Boston-born, Los
Angeles-based Riley, "I had
personal touch while playing
exactly what the songwriter
way it comes out, so this
album encompasses blues, News...
been looking for a way out. hears in his mind. The secret is jazz, and just about everything. Frankie Toler is playing drums
And when Blackie [Lawless, to get total satisfaction out of Recording-wise, I wanted to with the Gregg Allman Band
leader of W.A.S.P.] wanted to the drums, if not the music." focus on a lot of low ends. I while Chaz Trippy is on percus-
go solo, I knew it was time to —Teri Saccone love a lot of bottom stuff, so I sion...
make the break." filled it with a lot of cellos and Drummer/percussionists Reggie
How did he fall in with the bass—anything with a lot of Nicholsen and Bobby Sanabria
Guns? "I started doing sessions Bill Ward depth." recently returned from perform-
ing at the Salfelden Jazz Festival
again as soon as I was out of Bill Ward laughs as he says that Not only has working on this
W.A.S.P., and one day when I working with Black Sabbath project been a thrill for Bill in in Austria...
was at S.I.R. Studios, the band was easy in comparison to re- the past year, but so has the Tiffany Smith is the drummer in
was also there. I had known cording his first solo project. "I fact that the Englishman finally the house band on Arsenio
Tracii Guns for a couple of had 28 guests on the album; got his green card, allowing Hall's new TV show...
years, and he invited me to go just the footwork alone in trying him to live legally in the Tommy Wells on albums by
out on tour. They had just let to find Jack Bruce was incred- United States. "I had been Ronna Reed, Deborah Allen,
their drummer go after ible. In the end, I found him trying to live here for eight Foster & Lloyd, Jay Patten, Jo-El
recording L.A. Guns, so they through Charlie Watts. But the years, but when I was young, I Sonnier, and Squire Parsons...
needed someone to fill in. I project was a real good got arrested for possession of Chad Wackerman on Ed
came in as sort of like a merce- experience for me. I wanted to drugs, so the U.S. didn't think Mann's new LP...
nary—I've done that before— see what I was capable of doing too kindly toward me. I fought Pat Torpey winding up a tour
and when there's a space that outside of Sabbath and see it, though, and I'm really with Robert Plant...
seems to fit, I just go for it. what my limitations were and happy to be here. There was Jonte on drums with A Flock of
"This is not as pretentious as how far I could take it. really nothing for me in Eng- Seagulls...
W.A.S.P.," is how Steve de- "It was an area of frustration land. I love the country, but all Michael Blair in the studio with
scribes his present band of for me as well, though," he my family is gone, and I Laurie Anderson, Eric Anderson,
gypsies. "It's a little bit more admits. "I don't know if it's my wanted to live here. I have kids and Haiimi Misoguchi. He can
realistic, whereas W.A.S.P. was perfectionism, but everyone in school, and these last two to also be heard on the new
more of a novelty act, espe- else seems to like the album. three years have been the first Disney tribute LP; he and Jim
cially towards the last year I I'm in the middle of it, and until time I have really gotten into Keltner play on "Stay Awake"...
was with them. We'll see how I really reach the place where I knowing what a home life is. I Vinnie Colaiuta doing a variety
things work out with this band, want to go, however many al- even know the postman and of recording, including two
how far they are willing to take bums that might take, then I the water man. I never knew films—Hunchback Of UCLA
it. I think it will have some guess I'll just say it was a good this kind of life existed, and to and Beaches—records with
longevity and I think the next beginning for me. tell you the truth, I like it a lot. Wang Chung and Klaus Oger-
album—we've got a really big- "I learned a lot, actually," he I've been in hotels for over 20 man, and an overdub on one
name producer for this—will continues. "I filled the tracks up years. I knew what the inside cut of Julian Lennon's newest.
surprise a lot of people." a lot, and sometimes it worked. of a hotel and a bloody Live, he has been doing a smat-
When he is reminded of his Then I'd take the tracks back airplane looked like, but I tering of performing with Lee
jazz background and asked if out and like the simplicity. I never knew what it was like to Ritenour, some fill-in gigs with
playing with his recent acts is wanted to see what the effects have a real proper family life." Allan Holdsworth, and one gig
satisfying, Riley replies, "First would be of just holding one In his spare time, Ward with Chick Corea. Around the
and foremost, I'm a drummer, note on the keyboard, for in- writes children's books. He is L.A. area you can catch him
not a 'rock drummer.' I never stance, and there were people also enjoying studying drums playing in a trio with Alan
even listen to rock when I'm in the studio saying, 'Bill, we for the first time in his life. "It's Pasqua and Chuck Domanico...
not playing it; I'm strictly a just can't do this kind of stuff,' taken me 33 years to finally get Sandy Gennaro has joined Joan
jazz fan. The problem is that and I said, 'Let's do this kind of to the point of saying, 'I think Jett & The Blackhearts,
I've got to make a living, and stuff.' We did it, and it turned I'm going to learn how to play replacing Thommy Price...
out really well— drums.' So I've contacted Roy Kenny Aronoff recently did a
just droning notes, Burns, and I figure that's a short tour with Richard
holding them and good start. When I write my Thompson...
piling stuff on top music, I know what drums I Zoro recently touring with
of that. There's one want to put there. However, Bobby Brown...
track, called Tink when I'm playing sessions, or Earl Bennett recently on tour
Clouds An Island,' simply as a drummer, I find with Saved By Grace.
that Ozzy's lead myself somewhat inadequate. I
guitar player heard know where to put the stuff
Q. I am interested in purchasing the Neary Drum Torque tuning as the hole is large enough to allow the air to escape sufficiently,
tool, but have been unable to locate a source. Could you provide sound should not be affected.
some information? While it is not unusual to have wood grain plies running per-
R.H. pendicular to the bearing edges of a drum, it is unusual to see
Mt. Home AFB ID those plies on the outside. Most drum companies arrange the plies
A. The Neary Drum Torque is distributed in the U.S. by Herco in such a way that the inner and outer plies run parallel to the
Products, 135 W. 29th Street, New York, New York WOOL They bearing edges. This allows the inner and outer edges to be ma-
are a wholesale operation and do not normally sell to consumers, chined more easily. While this method may not affect the shell's
but you should be able to contact them to obtain the name of a strength, it is possible that the plies may be more likely to split or
retailer near you that handles the Drum Torque. If it turns out that chip if the bearing edges are reworked or handled. Be sure to
there is no such retailer, then it's possible that Neary Products protect those edges as much as possible during head changes, and
might be willing to ship you a Drum Torque directly. seek skilled help if you plan to have any work done on them.

Q. Could you tell me what positive or negative results a drummer Q. Could you please give me information as to where I may order
could get out of a weightlifting program? I'm just interested in videos on Afro-Cuban percussion?
working out to tone up my muscles—not to get big and bulky. T.S.
Does weightlifting slow down a drummer's speed? Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
A.S. A. A new instructional video on Afro-Cuban percussion entitled
Turlock CA Latin-American Percussion features European percussionist Birger
A. Generally, a weightlifting program can be beneficial to a drum- Sulsbruck. It is available from DCI Music Videos, 541 Avenue Of
mer, by increasing hand, wrist, and arm strength, overall stamina, The Americas, New York, New York 10011. MD reviewed this
and—as you suggest—general muscle tone. The key to success is video in the January '89 issue.
a program tailored to achieve those ends. Obtain a good book on A performance video entitled Babatunde Olatunji And His Drums
weightlifting and/or seek the assistance of a qualified instructor, Of Passion is available from Video Artists International, Inc., Box
and map out a program of exercises with appropriate weights and 153 Ansonia Station, New York, New York 10023. The video fea-
numbers of repetitions for toning the muscles rather than building tures Olatunji and a group of African drummers/singers/dancers in
them up. Check out the Modern Drummer feature/'Weightlifting a 1985 concert, and was reviewed in the August '88 issue of MD.
And Drumming" in the Dec.'80/Jan.'81 issue. You may obtain a Another performance video, entitled The LP Jazz Ensemble Live
copy of that article by contacting MD's back-issue department. At Montreaux, features Tito Puente and Carlos "Patato" Valdez.
This video is available directly from Latin Percussion (LP Music
Croup), 160 Belmont Avenue, Garfield, New Jersey 07026.
Q. I recently bought a set of two-headed drums of an unknown
brand, and I noticed that the shells don't have the vent holes
usually seen on quality drums. Should I drill them myself? If so, Q. In the past, I have consistently turned to Modern Drummer for
where? Should the hole size vary with the shell size? Will the size advice and have always found the publication very helpful and
of the hole affect the sound? inspirational. There is one issue, however, that I would like you to
I've also noticed that the wood grain of the shells runs perpen- address directly, and that is: How can a reasonably talented and
dicular to the bearing edge instead of parallel—as in quality drums. dedicated drummer like myself move on up into the more serious
Is this a drawback? Will it affect the sound? music world? I feel that I am ready to join the ranks of drummers
H.C. who are involved recording albums and touring. How does one
Buenos Aires, Argentina hook up with other good musicians? Does it involve relocating to
A. Vent holes are placed in double-headed drums to allow air com- another, more music-oriented area? What are some of the "roads
pressed by the impact of the drumsticks on the top head to escape to success" for a ready and willing drummer? Any suggestions or
from the shell. Without this feature, the heads are prevented from guidance on these subjects would be greatly appreciated.
moving properly by the trapped body of air inside the drum. This J.B.
results in a very "choked" sound from the drum. To maximize the Potomac MD
sound of your drums, you should put such a vent in each shell. A. There is no sure-fire formula for success that we can pass on to
There is no scientifically determined "proper" size for a vent any drummer. As you will find from reading the interviews of
hole, but most major drum companies drill a hole approximately various artists featured in MD, the "road to success" has often
1/2" in diameter. You can do this yourself quite easily with a stan- been very different for different drummers. However, MD has
dard hand or electric drill, but be sure to start with a smaller- presented articles offering suggestions from people who have
diameter pilot hole, and work up to the final diameter in perhaps achieved success as artists, and from successful music business
two or three steps. This will help to prevent the shell from splitting personalities. Check out Sandy Gennaro's "Your First Big Break" in
when the final hole is drilled. It would also be a good idea to place the Sept. '84 issue, Michael Stevens' "Guide To Full-Time Employ-
several layers of masking tape on either side of the shell, to further ment (Parts 1 and 2)" in the Sept. and Oct. '86 issues, and Karen
protect the inner and outer surfaces from damage during drilling. Pershing's "Breaking In" in the Dec/87 issue.
The vent hole in a drum is normally placed at a point that is You might also want to consider getting help from a personal
centered between the top and bottom edges, and also centered manager. If so, check out the article "Neil Appel: Manager On
between the tuning lugs on either side. (The exception to this is Management" in the November '84 MD. Contact our back-issue
some bass drums that feature the hole opposite the tom-tom mount, department for the availability of specific articles.
and thus a bit closer to one edge than the other.) A metal grommet
is generally installed in the vent hole to protect the edges and give
a finished look. You can contact a hardware store for the proper Q. I'd like to know why Ludwig and Fibes stopped making clear
size and type of grommet to fit. acrylic drums. Was there some problem with the sound or the
A different size hole is not required for different sizes of drums. material?
It may be a practical matter when it comes to drum manufactur- J.C.
ing—one drill bit size for one operation—but drum companies Oak Ridge TN
seem to use one size of vent hole for all the drums on a kit. As long Continued on page WO
 achieve that.
TERRY BOZZIO In terms of playing in the studio as
Q. I recently spoke with some- opposed to live, I think I play a little
one about rimshots in studio less "destructively" in the studio—in
drumming. I was told that engi- other words, lighter and with a bit more
neers disapprove of such play- control. Normally, in a live situation, I
ing. Based on your recording ex- use Remo Ebony black dots, which are
periences and training, how pretty thick, because they're the only
should one play the snare drum things that will last through a show for
in the studio, as opposed to live me. But in the studio I always use Am-
playing? In light of your answer, bassador or Emperor coated heads, be-
how do you position your snare cause they have more resonance and
drum? more of a crack to them, and they re-
Dwain Hamilton cord better for me.
Tallahassee FL I position my snare the same way
A. I think out of all the work I've whether live or in the studio. Because
ever done, I've only been in two I've always played matched grip, I tilt
or three situations where engi- the drum slightly towards me. I sit pretty
neers have told me not to play much with my thighs parallel to the
rimshots. Basically, I think it's the ground or slanted down slightly, so I
engineers' job to make your play- don't have my snare set particularly
ing sound as good as possible. low. It's about at waist level. It's mainly
It's the drummer's job to play what's appro- shots on the backbeat, because I like that a matter of what's comfortable, and it var-
priate for the music. Other than in jingle extra "crack" that it gives the sound. I ies sometimes. If I find that I'm constantly
situations, or the kind of sessions where I haven't had anyone "disapprove" of that in hitting the rim instead of the head when
was asked to kind of bend into another at least the last ten years. But then again, if playing backbeats (or hitting only the head
mold, I was always asked to bring my per- you're playing a lighter sort of music, and when I want to hit rimshots), I'll adjust the
sonality into it, and that involves pretty you want more of a beefy sound without snare level accordingly. I want the drum to
loud bashing. I almost constantly use rim- the crack, you should play appropriately to be where my stroke naturally ends.

so parts are always evolving—especially

RICHIE MORALES within the percussion section.
Q. A few years ago I had the As far as the percussion solo went, Ma-
chance to see you perform with nolo and I would draw from our common
Spyro Gyra. That concert was knowledge of Afro-Cuban rhythms—such
more inspiring and musically as songo, mozambique, or 6/8—as a start-
exciting than any other form of ing point. We then would stretch as far as
music I had been into before! possible, ending on a prearranged musical
I'd like to ask you what it's like cue or unison break. I always likened this
to work with two other dyna- part of the show to walking on a tightrope:
mic and talented percussion- incredibly exciting, but also potentially dan-
ists. I could tell that the con- gerous if one should slip! Fortunately, we
cert was very well-planned; generally pulled it off.
musically, it moved well from The biggest contrast between studio work
the drumset, vibes, marimba, and live performance—generally speak-
Photo by Rick Malkin

and the congas and percussion ing—is that in the studio you have a sterile,
accessories used by Manolo controlled environment with a producer in
Badrena. Do you first create the charge who has a very specific goal in
basic solo and let the other mind. Through studio technology (MIDI,
players continue building on overdubbing, isolation booths, etc.), the
that foundation? I'd also like producer can set about attaining his or her
your comments on the contrast between challenge and additional playing room his goal in a very meticulous fashion. In a live
the studio work involved in making an al- absence has created. The band is burning context, there are lots of other stimuli that
bum and the freedom you and the rest of more than ever; I hope you get a chance to make a band play in a different way. You're
the band have on stage. check us out soon! trying to put on a show, the crowd is
Todd White Working with two other great musicians screaming (hopefully), and the adrenaline
Oregon WI like Dave Samuels and Manolo was a great level is high. These factors combine to make
A. Thank you for your compliments and experience. Sharing the responsibility of for a looser, more exciting feel. You know
enthusiasm. It's always gratifying to know keeping time and maintaining a vibrant, you have only one chance to get it right-—
that someone out there is listening to and swinging pulse between three percussion- to go out there and "kill it."
enjoying our music. Before I deal with your ists could be sheer pleasure or total chaos, When contrasting studio and live situ-
questions, I feel obligated to bring you up depending on how well we heard one an- ations, you're basically talking about two
to date on Spyro Gyra, personnel-wise. other acoustically or through the monitors. separate disciplines. To develop proficiency
Manolo Badrena is no longer with the band; We also had to respect each other's rhyth- at either one requires a lot of time spent in
we've been performing and recording with- mic and harmonic space by listening. Al- that environment. I enjoy both types of work
out Latin percussion for over a year now. I though Spyro's shows always have the same very much, and my personal goal is to
miss Manolo's spirit and musical input; basic format, there is room for creative become equally adept in both areas.
however, I greatly welcome the musical expression on the part of all the members,
 by Robyn Flans
I couldn't wipe the silly grin from my face as Dino Danelli
twirled his sticks in the rented rehearsal hall in Nashville. The
Rascals were my favorite American group when I was growing
up, and I had been very aware for many years that a lot of
people were trying to get the group back together—but I also
knew how unlikely a reunion would be. After the band had en-
joyed such hits as "Groovin'," "Good Lovin'," "How Can I Be
Sure," and "People Got To Be Free," a reunion had been the
subject of dissention between the two lead writers, Felix
Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati.
But here they were in front of me, Brigati—guitarist
Gene Cornish, organist and vocalist Cavaliere, and drummer
Danelli, along with auxiliary musicians, to bring the sound
from the "60s into the "80s. I had run into Danelli a few years
back when he was touring with Little Steven & the Disciples
of Soul, but seeing him in this context, playing these songs—
still so poignant in our troubled times—it seemed
to make an almost inexplicable sense.
As we talked after rehearsal, it was obvi-
ous that musical progression was of utmost
importance to him. Twenty years had passed,
and he was no longer the same kid who had
appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967.
 Dino's musical evolution began around 1958. Being the re- have wound up in jail, because I was hanging out with a lot of
sourceful youngster he was at age 12, he cleaned out the coal bins older kids who were stealing cars, and they would have led me
beneath his Jersey City apartment house, set up a stage with a down the path of drugs, violence, and whatever.
speaker and his drums, and played to records, calling it "Dino's At that point, I was having a lot of trouble in school. I was one of
Casino." As the kids in the neighborhood began to frequent the those kids who would stay in the hallway during the day. My
"club," Dino offered two sets a night until the place was raided father and mother had broken up, and even though there was a lot
and closed by the police. At the next place he played, a dive of love in our family, a broken home can't help but affect you.
called The Transfer Station, he met Ronnie Speakes, with whom My mother had been a jazz freak when she was younger—a
he joined and played rock 'n' roll for the first time. Playing the bobby-soxer who would go see Frank Sinatra at the Paramount—
Metropole with Speakes was a thrill for Dino, who had spent so she was really into it when I said I wanted to play drums. She
many a night standing outside its doors listening to his idol, Gene knew all about Gene Krupa and Benny Goodman and told me
Krupa. In fact, the people who ran the club remembered Dino and these stories, and she was really encouraging. I guess she was
took him under their wing, so much so that they allowed him to thankful that I had found something.
live upstairs in one of the dressing rooms. RF: Benny Goodman is a far cry from "Groovin'," so where did
It was during this time that Dino became interested in art, at first you learn how to do that sort of thing?
because museums simply were a place to keep warm and hang DD: That was all just evolution. When I first started playing in
out for hours. Dino's interest in art became more serious in time bands, I was playing jazz. I started playing with King Curtis, and
(he went on to be involved in the design of Rascals album covers), he was playing kind of rock 'n' roll/jazz stuff. I was never really
and he discovered such art- hip to R&B until I went to
ists as Marcel Duchamp and New Orleans.
other Dadaists, whose atti- RF: What brought you
tude he adapted to his play- there?
ing: Anything goes. DD: After the Metropole,
It's with this same philoso- I heard about this gig
phy that Dino attacks music down there, the Dream
today—-always staying open Room on Bourbon Street,
and current. Going over the which was supposed to be
old recordings, it was fun to happening. I got a band
talk about where he's been together and went down
and where he's going. there, and we got the gig.
RF: Max Weinberg talked It was just amazing. In
about Dino's Casino in his those days, there were no
book, but it doesn't seem tourist shops; it was all
that how you learned to play strip, burlesque, funky,
drums has been covered funky music that never
anywhere. stopped. It went around
DD: I was totally self-taught. the clock; there was no
I used to get the old big band curfew. So we would go
records—Benny Goodman, from 9:00-4:00 at the
Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich— Dream Room. At 4:00 the
and I'd play along with them Dream Room turned over
and learn all the licks. You and became this black,
really learn by doing that. I funky place, and a guy
Photo by Lissa Wales

learned all jazz songs, so named Danny White

when Dino's Casino came came in. He was an old-
along, I was into all that. time guy like Ray Charles
RF: You never had a lesson? and Bobby Blue Bland,
DD: In the Metropole days I with this big orchestra that
went to this guy who was a played incredible funk,
drum teacher from the old days and kind of an eccentric character. and they had singers. So we would stay up and watch his set until
I went to him about four or five times. 8:00 in the morning.
RF: What did you learn from him? RF: What was your band like?
DD: I learned that you shouldn't go to people who try to sell you DD: It was cross-over Top-40 stuff, whatever was popular. There
all these books that they've written. I'd pay five dollars for a les- wasn't any Beatles yet, so it was Fats Domino, Roy Orbison, Elvis
son, and he would try to sell me like $40.00 in books. I didn't Presley. We did all cover tunes. They liked us, so I stayed down
learn anything about playing at all. there for close to a year. We played some other little clubs on off
RF: How old were you? nights, and I just stayed there to get into what I was hearing.
DD: About 16. RF: What did you learn?
RF: And you were how old when you actually started? DD: I learned everything about R&B, about Fats Domino, about
DD: About 11 or 12. Clarence Frogman Henry; there were just unknown guys that
RF: What made you start? were...forget it! There were drummers whose right foot was in-
DD: I saw Krupa and Rich on TV doing one of those drum battles. credible! I had never heard anything like the off-time things they
I was really a street kid, into all kinds of gangs and stuff. Jersey City were doing, and I just soaked it all up. I never wanted to go home.
was happening in those days with that kind of thing. And I remem- RF: Did you practice the stuff you were hearing? What did you do
ber I was getting ready to go out that night, standing there in my with it?
little leather jacket, and these two guys came on with their drums DD: I would steal everything I could get. I would meet them all,
set up right against one another. They started playing, and I said, and they would teach me stuff. They were guys who had like 18
"This is what I want to do!" I was so turned on by that. Krupa and kids and who didn't want stardom or anything; they just wanted to
Rich together were great. I wish there were video tapes of all that make a living and groove. And it was fabulous. I learned all kinds
stuff. of stuff—rhythms and approaches—and I put all that black stuff
RF: Did that change things for you and give you a direction? into the white music we were playing. We played black music,
DD: It changed my life. If it hadn't been for that, I definitely would too. We were heavily into James Brown. I had a couple of horn
players—a saxophone player and a trumpet player. Ray Charles DD: Not until after a couple of hits. We had "I Ain't Gonna Eat
was happening in our band, so it was a combination of things. But Out My Heart Anymore," which was written by Pam Sawyer and
I had never utilized all of that stuff that they were doing, so once I Laurie Burton, and "Good Lovin'," which we found in a record
heard all that, our music was changed immediately and it became shop. Felix and I used to go out and find all these cover records
much, much more R&B. like "Good Lovin'" and "Mustang Sally."
RF: What was your aspiration at this point? Was there a game RF: Was the cymbal part in the original version of "Good Lovin'"
plan? the same as the part you played?
DD: The only game plan was that I wanted to make it. In those DD: Oh no, nothing like it. The drum part from that song came
days, being a star meant getting to Las Vegas with a band, making from "What'd I Say," by Ray Charles. It's different than that, but it's
a good salary. Recording was foreign to me at that point. I had the basic idea—the cymbal and tom-tom.
done a little bit when I did some work with Little Willie John, and I RF: How was that song brought into the band and molded?
had done some sessions at King Records, which was the hot black DD: I loved it the moment I heard it. I said, "We could do this, but
label. I was at the Metropole, and I we have to change it." We did
was working free-lance around New thai with everything. Felix and I
York. Agents would call and ask if I both had the jazz background,
wanted to do this gig or that: "Here's and we would just screw with
the money; get four guys together things. It was, "Let's slow that
and do it." It was a whole different down," or "Let's put this little
world in those days. Sometimes they jazz thing in here." One idea
would say, "You can't have four guys would hit off another, and all of
tonight, you can only have two," so a sudden we had something.
I would call up an organ player, and RF: You started at a time in rock
it would be the two of us. When 'n' roll when there really wasn't
you're so young, it's all just wild to much history and nothing to re-
you; everything makes sense. You ally emulate, so you were really
have a goal; I wanted to be Gene in on the ground floor.
Krupa, I wanted to be Buddy Rich, I DD: My style came from Lionel
wanted to be on that TV show and Hampton and Sonny Payne.
do the same thing myself. Nothing Sonny Payne was the most in-
was going to stop me from doing credibly flashy player who ever
that. lived, bar none. Unbelievable. I
RF: When you get famous, does the never missed him whenever he
joy of doing a gig change? played. I took all his jazz stuff
DD: It's a whole different world. I and made it rock 'n' roll—the
liked trying to get famous better than bass drum accents, the way you
being famous. I like it now better hit cymbals, and the way you
than when it was happening. I like move your sticks and throw them
trying to get back better than being up. All of that stuff melted right
there. into rock without any problem
RF: Why? at all.
DD: I like the challenge. It's new RF: What was it like recording
and fresh and it still brings me joy. the first album?
When I play, I still get off. Our thing DD: We had met two producers,
now is just made for what I'm feel- Tommy Dowd and Arif Mardin,
ing. who were just incredible. In our
RF: When did you meet Felix? contract they gave us an incred-
Photo by Lissa Wales

DD: I always went back to the Met- ible situation: The studio was
ropole; that was my home base. Fe- free, and we could have access
lix had heard about me, and I had anytime we wanted to rehearse
heard about Felix, who was sup- or play. And Arif and Tommy, to
posed to have this incredible "black" their credit, knew the rawness
voice. We used to hang around with we had, and they wouldn't screw
the same clique, but we had never met. So he came down to the with it. They could have made us slick and could have been the
Metropole, and we hit it off immediately. At this same time there kind of producers who wanted to put their own mark into it, but
was this woman coming through town who had a gig in Las Vegas they let us be what we were. That takes a lot of wisdom and
and wanted a youngish band to back her up. She was auditioning patience. They guided us great; I'm not saying they didn't add
everybody around the city, and Felix and I made it. It was pretty anything.
weird because this girl would do imitations of Zsa Zsa Gabor and RF: Your contract said that you could produce your own albums.
Mae West with all these costume changes and stuff, but she gave That was amazing for back then. You were just four kids.
us a song or two to do in the show so we were cool. DD: We were four kids but we were co-producers. They were the
While we were in Vegas, the Beatles arrived, and we just said to experienced people with all the knowledge of how to get things
one another, "We have got to do something like this. Let's get a down. So we worked hand-in-hand, and the ideas would just flow
couple more guys and do something." So we made a pact that that around. You couldn't say that anybody really told us, "This is the
was what we were going to do. Felix got drafted, so he had to way it's going to be" and had us play it. It was a creative process.
leave. When he got back home, he found Eddie and Gene, and he It's the same exact way that the Beatles did it with George Martin.
called me and said, "I've got the guys. Come back." It was a real collaboration that was beautiful.
RF: What was that first time playing with them like? RF: I listen to the first album and I think to myself, "How did these
DD: The four of us were in Felix's basement, and we learned like guys get a deal?" Someone obviously had the foresight to know
50 songs in four hours. Eddie and Felix sang gorgeous together, what you were capable of, but I wonder if it's obvious on the first
Gene fit in like a glove—these great little rhythms he was play- album.
ing—and I was all over the place. It just worked. It was special. DD: Well, "Good Lovin'" was on it. In those days, one song made
RF: When did the original material start coming into the picture? an album. Even "Slow Down," as crappy as it was, had a raw .
ergy that, in those days, was happening. "Do You Feel It" had the straight feel, and all of a sudden there was a place for a break. I
same kind of thing, as well as "Mustang Sally" and "In The Mid- had the habit of changing the feel of a song when a break would
night Hour." I would give this band a deal. In those days, it was come. It shouldn't work; it should be stupid, but it worked. We
happening. Today it might not be. went into a shuffle, and Tommy said, "What the hell is that? That's
RF: I was noticing the other day, at rehearsal, how hard you hit, great." He was so open and so positive, and he just loved it. If
and wondered if you always hit so hard but you just can't hear it somebody had said, "Man, you can't do that," maybe that song
on the records. wouldn't have happened like that.
DD: In those days it couldn't be captured. I've played like that RF: So many of the songs had two or three distinctly different parts
from day one, though. Sonny Payne and those jazz guys who to them.
kicked big bands in the theaters smacked the hell out of the drums, DD: Records aren't made like that anymore with the advent of
and I did the same thing. You have to remember—and this is not in drum machines and perfect time. You don't jolt people out of their
any way to play down the importance of Eddie and Felix's writ- seats like that, and you don't change the rhythms on people who
ing—we didn't get signed because we were a writing band, we are dancing. People recording nowadays won't take those kinds of
were signed because we were an incredible live act with great risks.
voices. I don't want to sound conceited, but we were a killer rock RF: "How Can I Be Sure" is a waltz. How did that come about?
band. There was nobody around at that time who could touch us DD: The melody dictated it. I remember them singing the melody
live. On the record you don't hear it, because it couldn't be and Felix playing it, and it had to be a waltz, although it could
translated in those days, but live you had to dance and move. have been 6/8, which is how I'm playing it now. I don't play the
RF: You're playing brushes on "I Believe"? waltz anymore, even though the waltz feel is there. It's just one of
DD: No, I played mallets on tom-toms on that song. You want to the things that doesn't work for me now. I like the 6/8 feel now.
know why? Because it looked great. I had these big white mallets, RF: Were you the one playing congas on "Groovin'"?
and nobody was playing like that. It was different to begin with; it DD: Oh yeah, it's some of the most amazingly bad conga playing.
was a ballad and this big production thing. I've always been I had no concept of how to play them. I just smacked them really.
impressed with people who played timpani and things like that. It There are no drums on "Groovin'" either. The concept of the song
had that inspirational kind of feeling to it. I wanted to make it was that everybody works all week long, and the only day they
sound like timpani, so why not use timpani mallets? I was a ham; I have to spend with their girlfriends is Sunday, so they go to a park,
really was. I don't know how we and it's groovin' on a Sunday
started doing that song. Eddie had afternoon. There are always

"I LIKED TRYING

this background where everybody drums in a park, people playing
in his family had great voices and little congas or bongos or tim-
sang in church. bales. So we thought, "Let's get
RF: It's weird to look back at some
of the songs he did on the al-
bums, like "More."
TO GET FAMOUS a pair of congas." [DJ] Murray
the K was instrumental in that
song. Atlantic didn't want to re-
DD: Now that was different. That
was our Eas Vegas thing. We tried
BETTER THAN lease that song, and Murray lob-
bied for us on it. We were this

BEING FAMOUS."
to make it sound like a big pro- raw-energy kind of band, and
duction with four people playing all of a sudden here was some-
it. Felix tried to be an orchestra thing else. And Atlantic said,
with his organ, I tried to be an "Don't mess with the formula."
orchestra with my drums. "I Believe" is as weird as "More." RF: And it was a #1 single. What about "Mickey's Monkey"?
Eddie just sang those songs great. You know what's funny? DD: "Mickey's Monkey" was a Motown song, and again, that was
When we go out now, the show almost has the same elements. my Ray Charles/"Good Lovin'" thing—cymbals and tom-toms and
There are a lot of different things in the show. It's all our music, but a Bo Diddley kind of thing. There are a lot of influences there for
there's "See" and "Ray Of Hope" and "Good Eovin'," which are that one.
three bizarrely different songs. But they're all together in this show, RF: "Too Many Fish In The Sea" is almost a Latin kind of thing.
and it's working. DD: That's Motown also. There was a little Latin influence there,
RF: How did your style accommodate all those different things? but all of that stuff had it. "Good Lovin'" was Latin, and Ray Char-
DD: Because I had a feel for all those different styles. les' "What'd I Say" was Latin, and that's where I got all that stuff.
RF: Did you have a preference? RF: You co-wrote a song, "1956."
DD: My preference was R&B, but when "More" came about, my DD: Oh yeah, that was me and Gene just playing around in the
preference immediately went to big band jazz. "A Girl Like You" studio, having a good time. It was just one of our rehearsals, and
was always the fly in the ointment to me, and I thought about it we wanted to write some lyrics. Eddie and Felix were writing, so
this time and wondered, "How can we possibly do that song? we wanted to write.
There's no groove to it. It's gonna be like a big band arrangement, RF: The way you describe the creative process in the studio, it
and what the hell am I going to do?" I tried to change it and make seems that all four of you should have had writer's credits for
it like a real funky rock thing, and after I toyed with it a while, I creating.
thought, "I'm going to do this like a big band song again, like I ap- DD: It's a funny thing about that. Some people say that that's not
proached it 20 years ago." And I'm doing it now, and it's rock 'n' really writing, but it's arranging. Some people say it's much more
roll and it's got a funk feel to it, but it's a big band arrangement. of a creative process than arranging. We felt that all that was
RF: Tell me what that means from a drummer's standpoint to ap- shared in publishing anyhow, and it was an equal situation. The
proach it that way. writers were Felix and Eddie. No one could take that away from
DD: You figure out what you want to do with it—how you want it them; no one would have wanted to. But publishing was some-
to feel. "More" was a pop-show kind of song, and I thought, "I thing lucrative we could all share. Everybody was aware of what
want to approach it like Sonny would with Count Basie, but we're everybody else was creating. My contributions to some of those
a rock 'n' roll band, so I have to make that work." And you just things were very, very important, so no one ever said, "We don't
figure out things. You play a feel, and all of a sudden, there's a want to share publishing." As far as everyone sharing when you're
little space, so you do a big band riff and then come back to your all creating like that, a part of me says yes, that's part of writing,
feel. "You Better Run" happened like that. I don't know if there and another part of me says no, it's not.
were any songs like "You Better Run" before we did that. RF: Are there songs that you can recall where you might have had
RF: Can you explain what that was? more of an influence over how they turned out, either because of a
DD: Starting it out, we were playing the groove, which was a part you played or an idea you had?
DD: Sure, "You Better Run," which we've already talked about, some of it was just silly. We weren't in control of it like the Beatles
was one in particular, because that dictated the whole song. I was were. They had a handle on that stuff; we were copiers. I can't re-
a very forceful player, and where I went, they would follow. It's member one record that we did technology-wise that was great.
hard to say which ones I was more responsible for, though, be- RF: You once said that you weren't as comfortable with that aspect
cause we jammed so much in the studio. Everybody was so much as much as the other things.
a part of all of them that it would be unfair to say that I was DD: I loved Jimi Hendrix when he first came over. The night we
stronger than anyone else in any of the other songs. When Chuck played Central Park with Jimi was like the turning point of every-
Rainey was involved with us, he and I would play around with so thing. He had never really played America yet. I had jammed with
many things on the bottom end of all the songs, turning them him years before at the Scene, which was a club in New York
around and coming up with things that would dictate other parts— where you hung out late at night, and whoever was there would
like rhythmic things that Gene would play. It was such a collabo- get together and play. There was a real camaraderie among people.
rative thing with us. I'd play with Jimi, and I remember Buddy Miles coming in, Rick
RF: Speaking of Chuck Rainey, live you didn't have a bass player, Derringer, Jim Morrison—everybody. And we just all jammed. I
but in the studio you did. remember Jimi, although he wasn't Jimi then. I don't remember
DD: In the studio we had to, because Motown had changed the what he was calling himself then. I don't know what happened; he
bass world forever. Luckily Atlantic had access to these incredible went to England, and this other guy came back. What was he
bass players like Chuck Rainey—who our bass player now, Steve doing?
Mackey, learned from. Will Lee worked with us later on. If there's He opened the show for us at Central Park, and how do you
one thing that holds up musically on our records, it's the bass. follow him? When he finished the set, the place was on fire—
Those lines are incredible. literally, too, because he
RF: Did that change the used to set his guitar on
way you approached fire and do all that stuff.
things in the studio, as The sounds coming from
opposed to live? his amplifier while he was
DD: Having a bass player biting his guitar and play-
definitely changed things, ing it on his head—this
because I would work with was the beginning of
the bass player. Felix al- something else. Some of
ways played bass with his the shows we did at the
organ pedals, but it was a Fillmore West with the
whole different feel. It was Doors were pretty wild,
a much more open kind of too. We played with the
thing, and we were always Doors and Santana, and it
in and around each other's was just incredible.
patterns—me with my foot RF: Compared to that, you
and him with his foot. It guys were mom and apple
wasn't such a dominant pie.
factor in the music, so it DD: But it fit and people
worked. But on record it loved it. Don't forget, we
was crucial to be articu- played songs like "Cute,"
Photo by Lissa Wales
late with what the bass and which is like a jazz/rock/
bass drum were playing. psychedelic wild combi-
Chuck was great. The nation of music. It was all
grooves he would get into rhythmic structures of rock
were incredible. I would 'n' roll into jazz. It was a
do something and he musical odyssey. We did
would follow, and it was great. it in California at the Wiskey A-Go-Go, and Iron Butterfly used to
RF: Once Upon A Dream was your concept album—your Sgt. come watch us, and I know "Cute" definitely inspired those guys.
Pepper, with all the little intermission things and the weaving RF: Were any songs on Freedom Suite particularly creative for
together of songs. you?
DD: The Beatles really influenced us. The psychedelic era was DD: From a drumming point of view, it was the only record I did a
happening, and that's where all that came from. We just did our solo on, on the song "Boom." I had been influenced a little bit by
interpretation of what the hell was going on at that point. Max Roach. He used to do these melody things that were really
RF: Was there a period you remember as being more creative than nice on drums, and I really picked up on it, so I did one on
any other? "Boom." It was really long, the kind of thing you'd want to listen
DD: Not really. This band was creative from the day we got to once and never listen to again.
together at Felix's house, whether we were writing our own songs RF: Did you do a solo live?
or not. Look what we did with those things. You don't have to DD: I don't think I ever did that. I was never into long drum solos.
agree with what they sound like, but we did wild things. That I thought they were boring.
process was always there. We just went to the height we could go RF: So why the indulgence on vinyl?
to. Drugs led us different ways, and people started thinking differ- DD: Because there was room for me to be a writer on this record.
ent things, and that was the beginning of the end. "A Ray Of Hope" is also on this record, which was a reaction to all
RF: Freedom Suite. Where did the technology changes come into the terrible things that were happening in the '60s, trying to get
play? positive energy across.
DD: Again, we were so influenced by what the Beatles were RF: What about "Nubia"?
doing. I remember when we used to wait for their new singles to DD: "Nubia" was from See, which was the beginning of the
be debuted on the radio, and every time we heard one, they decline. Felix and Eddie were into all that Eastern stuff. It's jazz,
would have done something different with technology. We'd hear but there's that Eastern flavor to that, too.
the tape going backwards or some kind of echo we had never RF: We forgot to mention "Satva" off of Once Upon A Dream,
heard before. So we'd try to do little things like that. Technology where you play tablas.
was moving ahead, although it wasn't like the '70s explosion. Arif DD: Yeah, it was all the Ravi Shankar influence of the time.
and Tommy knew a lot about that stuff, and we did some of it, but RF: What did you know about tablas?
 Dave Mattacks is a drummer whom I have Fire and Leather Jackets albums, including
wanted to interview for some time: not least the single "Nikita"; he has also played with
because he comes from the same part of George Harrison, Joan Armatrading, Alison
the world as me, and we have a few mu- Moyet, Greg Lake, Nick Hayward, Rick
tual friends. One of these, a fellow drum- Wakeman, Chris Rea, Loudon Wainwright
mer who could at times have been ac- III, Brian Eno, Peter Green, Chris Spedding,
cused of being something of a "Mattacks and many others.
bore," was often saying things like, "Forget Fairport Convention split up in 1979.
Rich and Cobham, and listen to what Dave Three years of annual reunions generated
does on the new Fairport Convention al- so much interest that it seemed worthwhile
bum." There wasn't the least suggestion for them to reform on a regular basis. So
here that Mattacks was outplaying the great now there is a regular Fairport again. The
jazz drummers in terms of technique; what only original member is guitarist Simon Ni-
I had to listen to was the freshness of col. Other "senior" members are Dave Mat-
Fairport's music and the beautiful taste and tacks and the bass player, Dave Pegg. They
inventiveness that Dave brought to it. And are joined by a new generation of Fairport
I'm glad I did. You see, Fairport Conven- members, violinist Rick Sanders, and multi-
tion developed their own unique musical instrumentalist Martin Alcock. Dave Pegg
style: a blend of rock music and English has also been a member of Jethro Tull for
folk music that came to be known as elec- some years (Fairport supported Tull on their
tric folk, folk/rock, or English country rock; Fall '87 tour of Europe and America), and
and although there have been other bands more recently, Martin Alcock has also been
who have used a similar blend of influ- drawn into the Tull fold, which means that
ences, it is Fairport that always springs to the two bands now have two members in
mind first in this context. common. This increased exposure has given
Dave Mattacks' success away from Fair- fresh impetus and optimism to a band that
port, as a free-lance and studio player, in- was originally formed 21 years ago.
dicates that he would certainly have made SC: Could we begin by discussing the na-
a name for himself with or without Fair- ture of English electric folk music, and per-
port. However, the event that happened to haps giving the reasons, as you see them,
give Dave his first step up the ladder was a why it has remained something of a minor-
tragic road accident in May '69, in which ity taste?
two people traveling in the band's van were DM: I think we can link both parts of that
killed. One of these was the original Fair- question to the media explosion over the
port drummer, 18-year-old Martin Lamble. past 50 years or so. As American-style mu-
It was the reformed band that included Dave sic and its derivatives have come over to
Mattacks and violinist Dave Swarbrick that this country, it has become so ingrained in
settled on the style of music that made the British psyche that there has been a
Fairport famous—but not rich! Although loss of understanding of what the indige-
they became almost a household name, nous music is. American music kind of sat
and had many passionately dedicated fans, on English music, to the extent that, from
their supporters were in a minority when it the '20s and '30s onwards, English musi-
came to buying the records and the con- cians just copied American musicians and
cert tickets, so the financial rewards were the American form. There wasn't anything
not there. The lineup of the band was con- English about it. So in the '60s you would
stantly changing. When Mattacks left in find that bands who were considered to be
1974, he was replaced by ex-Joe Cocker
drummer Bruce Rowland.
"typically English," like The Who or The by Simon Goodwin
Kinks, were actually English bands playing
That wasn't to be the end of Dave's in- music with an American form.
volvement with Fairport; but after pioneer- This isn't any kind of sad xenophobia on
ing the drumming end of a new style of my part. It's just that American music, from
music, he went on to become one of an blues to jazz, is so strong that it has tended
elite group of "hot" studio players in Lon- to obliterate other musical forms. Because
don. Here are just a few of the things he of this, people are used to hearing a type of
has done over the years: It's him you hear singing, a type of chord change, and a type
with Jimmy Page on the soundtrack of Death of melody line that has its roots in Ameri-
Wish 2; he's on Paul McCartney's "The can music. So when they are confronted
Long And Winding Road" from Give My with people who don't sing in American
Regards To Broad Street and on tracks on accents, and whose music doesn't have
his Tug Of War and Pipes Of Peace al- American-style chord changes, it's a little
bums; he appears on Elton John's Ice On hard for them to take. Even when you
modernize it, the way Fairport did, it is still largely responsible for pioneering that style precedence. The first thing I think of on
difficult for many people to relate to. of playing. hearing a tune is, "How can I make the
An obvious facet of this is the typical DM: [laughs] I liked something that Peter drums complement this, so that we've still
English rock singer, the geezer who talks Erskine said about being a pioneer: They got whatever makes this a good tune?" What
like, "'Ow's it goin' then, mate?" Get him are the people with the arrows in their we are talking about is a gentle reinforce-
behind a microphone and it's all "He-ey backs! I wasn't consciously setting out to ment. It might mean playing nothing for
Ba-aby"! Things that are sung in an English be a pioneer; I was putting rhythms on the three quarters of the song and then sticking
way become almost novelties. drumkit to songs that were in the English two bass drum beats in; it might mean play-
SG: A couple of points that strike me about folk style. The groove, if we want to call it ing cross-stick all the way through and no
this: One is that American country music that, is difficult to describe in words. I sup- drum fills; it might mean doing some semi-
has its roots in British country music. Also, pose you could call it a fairly basic feel for flashy syncopation. It's whatever makes it
there has been a successful "marriage" of the stuff that's got an even number of sound right. The format, for me, is every-
American music and Latin music, so beats—an obvious example being the dance thing.
couldn't it have happened in a similar way tunes, the reels. When Dave Swarbrick first If you take that example of "Cat On The
with English music? played these tunes to me, I realized that Mixer," there isn't a bar of 4/4 anywhere in
DM: I agree about American country mu- there were two possible places for the back- it. It's got fives and sevens and threes and
sic. It developed out of British music, and beat: There was the more folky feel on the tens and eighty-threes in it. [laughs] I don't
is now more widely accepted in Britain "&'s" between the beats, and there was the think there are more than two consecutive
than British music is. It's sad that there isn't standard rock feel on 2 and 4. I decided to bars with the same time-signature in the
more acceptance for the British equivalent emphasize the faster folk beat with the hi- whole thing. The way I approach some-
of American country music; but mention hat, while playing the rock backbeat on thing like that is to look at the tune in terms
"country music" to the average English- the snare drum. I wasn't the first person to of bar lines, and once I have an idea which
man, and he'll immediately think of Nash- combine these two beats, but I was proba- way it's going, I ignore that and listen to
ville, rather than East Anglia. bly the first to do it in this particular con- the tune in terms of the melody line. I then
I consider Latin music, and all its off- text. support the melody line, as opposed to
shoots, as being fairly closely related to SC: But it was never a case of finding a saying, "I'll play a bar of three, a bar of six
American music. It's not literally related, formula and sticking to it. There are the followed by a bar of..." and putting bass
but it's a lot closer in form to American jigs, which are in some sort of compound drum beats on every downbeat. That can
music than English music is. There's some- time. And then there are numbers like "Cat be nonsense when it has got nothing to do
thing ostensibly "un-hip" about English On The Mixer"; I couldn't even work out with the tune, or the way the chords are
music. It hasn't got a groove in the same what the time signature is, but it has an going.
way that American music and Latin music obvious folk flavor and it rocks along beau- SG: Something that sums up Fairport
have. tifully. Convention's style to me is "Matty Groves."
SC: But there is a groove in the type of DM: Whatever time signature we are deal- There is a very folky melody with a story-
electric folk that Fairport play, and you were ing with, the tune, the song, the lyric takes line lyric, which sounds medieval, but you
are driving it all along with a very strong
rock beat.
DM: "Matty Groves" is definitely one of
the old favorites. It's strong because it works
so well as a piece of music, and of course
there's that great lyric. It's a powerful num-
ber, and the powerful beat does, I hope,
enhance it. It could seem incongruous hav-
ing that heavy beat in a song like that, but
musically and dramatically it fits.
SC: Can we talk about your own entry in
Fairport? You have been quoted as saying
that you knew nothing about folk music at
the time. But Fairport wasn't originally a
folk band. It developed slowly up to Liege
And Lief, by which time you were in the
band.
DM: Well, Fairport was a good band. In
'67 and '68 they were doing their own
material, but they were also doing covers
of other people's stuff. There was a feeling
that when it came to doing the American
stuff, they weren't as good at it as the Ameri-
cans were. They had Sandy Denny in the
band, and she had a folk background. There
was a conscious decision to make an al-
bum with electric guitars and drums, but
all English material. They were taking some
of their own material and some traditional
material and marrying the two. It wasn't
dissastisfaction with American music; it was
a feeling that Americans do that better, so
why don't we come up with something of all I'd have to do was play the drums. I
our own, which owes something to English thought it was fantastic; I didn't have to
music. And it worked. Liege And Lief was a worry about anything, I just had to play.
moderately successful album. And I would get paid more for half an hour
SG: How did you fit in, at this stage? From doing that than I'd get in a week with Fair-
reading other interviews of yours, it seems
that you joined Fairport because it was a
job.
port.
SC: You seem to be criticizing an attitude
in people who are still your friends and
"It's
DM: Absolutely. Before I joined Fairport I
was playing in a Lawrence Welk-type of
dance band. Like most young musicians, I
colleagues. Has this attitude changed as
people have gotten older?
DM: Absolutely. Everyone has grown up
good
had aspirations to do better things. The
dance band was alright, but it wasn't ex-
actly what I wanted to do. I was interested
now. Although it wasn't entirely a case of
us being immature before; it's just that old
thing about you have to go through a whole
to lean
in jazz and rock, but when I got the job
with Fairport I approached it in a semi-
literal way. I would listen to the music and
bunch of crap before the good stuff starts
happening. Like with all musicians the
whole world over, you have to have one or
towards a
come up with a beat that was appropriate.
It wasn't like, "I'll do this, but I'd rather be
playing jazz." I did it to the best of my
two bad things happen: a bad management
deal, a crooked contract, you're let down
by a promoter. Something bad has to hap-
particular
ability and tried to come to the music on its
terms. I was able to come up with suitable
drum parts for the songs, which worked.
pen for you to come to your senses and
decide not to let anything like it happen
again.
style.
But aesthetically I wasn't really aware of
what they were about until almost 18
months later. It dawned on me what they
These days the band pretty much runs
itself. Dave Pegg and his wife, Chris, have
a lot of control, and there are about half-a-
There's
were trying to do—the whole thing about
English and American music. That com-
pletely changed my outlook on my play-
dozen outside people who we know very
well and trust. It's great because we take
charge and assess our own risks as we go
too much
ing, and turned me around as far as my
approach to music was concerned.
SG: Many people, myself included, thought
along. I think it's illuminating to see that
many of the younger musicians have got
the business side of things together earlier
emphasis
of Fairport as a folk band who went elec-
tric, but they actually were a rock band
who went folk.
in their careers, probably because they saw
what happened to people like us. We
learned the hard way. The negative side to
on the
DM: Yes—or found folk music and decided
to marry the two. That's always been a bit
of a problem. People think of us as being
all this is that you have to be part player
and part businessman; and that can be a
drag. Musicians tend not to be business-
idea that
very folky, but I like to think of us as a rock
band that plays folk-influenced music with
a respect for lyrics. It certainly isn't a folk
minded, but if you don't get the basics
together, you are going to lose out—unless
you have people you can really trust. And I
you have
group as such; and it always bugs me that
it has that folk tag.
SG: You left the band in '74. Was this due
don't think there are that many trustworthy
music business people around.
SG: The recent albums have come out on
to be able
to the lack of any real commercial success?
DM: It wasn't just the lack of success. We
were having horrific management problems.
the band's own label. Are these financed
by the band?
DM: Yes. We financed Gladys' Leap and
to play
Also the band wasn't adult enough to be-
have responsibly when problems occured.
So it wasn't all the fault of management.
Expletive Delighted, and there's another one
on the way. The recent live album, In Real
Time, was done as a one-off deal with Is-
everything
There was an attitude of, "We're just gonna
play our music, man"; and then before you
know where you are, you've got these huge
land Records.
SG: That's the one you produced.
DM: Yes, I produced that one, and I play
from a
debts. There was a combination of that and
the feeling that things were going sideways:
There was no lift; we were continuing on
keyboards on three of the numbers.
SC: To the exclusion of drums?
DM: Two of the numbers with keyboards
polka to
one level. I wasn't enjoying it anymore,
and this was crucial. I was so worried most
of the time about things like the gate re-
don't have any drums, and Dave Pegg plays
drums on the third.
SG: This brings us to the subject of your
AC/DC."
ceipts, whether we were going to have career as a studio musician. A lot of people
enough money for a hotel that night, finding themselves dissatisfied with the band
whether the new record was being they were in wouldn't be fortunate enough
promoted. The last thing I was thinking or good enough to switch to sessions. What
about was music. qualities do you think you had at the time
Also I was starting to do some sessions. to enable you to do this?
I'd just roll up and someone would say, DM: It's a difficult question, because I would
"This is the music. This is how it goes," and have said that the reason I was able to
 You have to believe that if Frank Colon had his
way, the world would be a better place to live,
thanks to the bonding power of music, particu-
larly percussion. "Look at history,' he says, sit-
ting in a midtown Manhattan recording studio
on a gray autumn afternoon. "Music has played
a major part in most societies. Music brings
people together. And percussion makes people
more aware of the vastness of music. Its most
basic sounds are sounds that have been around
a long time."
Colon, the percussionist for the Manhattan
Transfer, knows what he's talking about. Few
contemporary musicians who have not been
academically trained in the history and philo-
sophy of music are as knowledgeable or as
passionate about percussion and its relation-
ship to culture as Colon. To chat with him
about his views on percussion is to learn a few
things. Here's a musician who's logged time
with Weather Report, Pat Metheny, Flora Purim
& Airto, Olatunji, Milton Nascimento, Gato
Barbieri, and Wayne Shorter, to name just a few.

by Robert Santelli
Photo by Lissa Wales
 Colon has also played the Montreux jazz Festival and RS: Is that healthy?
performed in an HBO special with Harry Belafonte. A FC: Well, musicians from countries far from the States or
few years ago he participated in an historic recording of Europe now have the same opportunity to get the latest
Yoruban religious music with mentor Julito Collazo's advancements in technology and equipment. I'm all for
Afro-Cuban Drum Ensemble. The performance was com- spreading information. The exchange of information is a
missioned by the National Foundation of the Arts and big issue in South America. Information down there is a
the Smithsonian Institution's Music Archives. commodity that is highly prized.
Colon says he plays percussion with melody in mind. RS: But how does all this effect the "primal" part of
"When I play, I establish and maintain the rhythmic "techno primal percussion"?
pulse, creating a platform for the music, while at the FC: I'm very, very interested in the roots of drumming,
same time constantly expressing myself in relation to right down to the basic concepts of skin on skin. This
what is being projected through the melody of the tune." comes from the hand drummer having direct contact with
A listen to any of the albums he's played on reveals that the skin of his drum. So "techno primal percussion" is
Colon is true to his words. about the interaction of roots drumming with the very
"Too many people today approach percussion play- latest technology. I'm blending the old and the new. I'm
ing as setting up a table full of bells, shakers, and rattles, marrying the two, if you will, and producing an offspring
that has traits of both parents, but also has
its own identity.
RS: It's a fascinating concept. But you're
one who has studied many percussive styles
as well as the culture and history that have
given birth to percussive instruments. Do
you find the world of music less exciting
now that it's gotten smaller and more ho-
mogenized?
FC: Well, I really believe that percussion
the world over has hardly been explored.
Even though the world is smaller, there is
still so much to learn. There are thousands
of percussive sounds out there yet to be dis-
covered and explored. So, from one side, I
take the technology that's available to me
and control volume, textures, and the beat
of the sound projected. But from another
side, I take the primitive aspects of percus-
Photo by Lissa Wales sion and incorporate them into my perform-
ance. I need to do this because if I rely
solely on contemporary sounds, I find that I
often wind up with a very clinical sound.
RS: Did you ever feel threatened by the on-
slaught of technology over the past decade?
There have been many drummers and per-
cussionists who felt absolutely overwhelmed
and simply making different noises whenever they feel with the advances made in electronic instrumentation
like it," Colon continues. "Before you attempt to play and digital sound. After all, these were musicians whose
and interpret percussion, you must first have full com- instruments had changed very little in the past.
mand and complete ease at playing a drum, whether it FC: Yes, at one time I felt a little blown away by comput-
be traps, congas, or timbales. It doesn't really matter ers and their capabilities, and by the opening up of new
which one it is; what does matter is that a percussionist sound frontiers. Most important, though, with the intro-
must first know and understand skins." duction of drum synthesizers and sampling, people other
Colon speaks from experience. A meaningful appren- than drummers now had the ability to create percussive
ticeship years ago under the guidance of Julito Collazo sounds. That was scary. Let's face it, with sampling, some-
ignited his fascination, and continued study into the one could take the sound of a drum played by me or a
world of drums and percussion keeps Colon a perpetual prominent drummer and utilize it in a very musical way.
student of music. "I'm fascinated with sound," he says. And it would come out sounding very precise within a
"There is so much of it out there in the world. It's pretty musical structure. That was threatening, but only for a
exciting to explore it and try to incorporate it into one's while.
own view of music." RS: What did you do to alleviate the fear and the threats?
RS: The term "techno primal percussion" is one you've FC: Well, I'm very much into computers now. I use a
used to describe your approach to percussion. Could Macintosh to do a lot of writing—and not just music writ-
you explain precisely what the term means? ing. I'm working on a couple of books. So, basically,
FC: With all the technology that's available to musicians computers don't scare me. I understand how useful they
these days, music is becoming homogenized. The differ- can be to a creative person. Also, by studying tai chi
ences in equipment and sounds are becoming less and chuan for the past 20 years or so, I've been able to build
less every day. The barriers have been broken down. confidence within myself and achieve the goals I want to
When I travel to Australia, for example, I find that musi- achieve in life.
cians there have available to them the same kind of RS: Is your interest in tai chi chuan somehow related to
digital equipment and technology that I have available your interest in the Brazilian martial art form, Capoeira?
to me here in New York City. The same is true when I go FC: Capoeira is more musical than tai chi chuan. Tai chi
to Brazil—or almost anywhere else in the world, for that chuan doesn't go with music. It's an internal martial art in
matter. The result is that the musical world is becoming which the student strives for inner peace, relaxation, and
smaller. a harmony among all things interacting in one's life. I
apply the concepts of tai chi chuan to my music and my physically. It's a tonal drumming that has to do with the
performance. It also helps to keep me in shape. The Nigerian language. There's no improvisation. It uses the
sense of balance and precision that tai chi chuan teaches same rhythms that have been used for 200 years or so
is also crucial for a percussion player. and in their primitive state. All the drum rituals are those
RS: And what about Capoeira? I know you've studied the great, great grandfathers back in Nigeria used to
that as well. know.
FC: Yes, I have studied Capoeira. Capoeira has to do with RS: You're a bata drummer. Did you go through this ap-
an instrument called a berimbau. This form of martial prenticeship early on?
art, which was taken from the Angolan slaves who were FC: Oh, yes. I worked and studied with Julito Collazo. I
sent to Brazil, was married to the musical function of was his last apprentice, actually. We met in Washington,
society. Going back to traditional societies, you have to D.C. when I was going to the American University. Be-
remember that music had a specific function. It wasn't lieve it or not, I studied political science and wasn't
just a means of entertainment. There was music for mar- really involved in music at all, except as a sort of side-
riages, for funerals, for preparing for war, for births—you line thing. But I used the library resources in Washington
name it. Music was used to cure sickness. Anyway, to dig into the ethno-musical thing. Anyway, I'd travel
Capoeira was married to music by the slaves to hide its up to New York whenever Julito called me. I went up for
martial art nature. Slaves were not permit-
ted to practice fighting techniques, so they
had to disguise them. They did that by in-
corporating music into the form. They would
sing and dance and play a berimbau, which
is a stringed bow with a gourd attached to
the bottom, and at the same time, they would
practice their fighting techniques or even
settle a score.
RS: It's interesting that you've taken the time
and effort to dig into all this.
FC: I think it's very important to know what
has come before and what has influenced
you and your music. It's good to have a
sense of history. All that knowledge can only
enrich you and your ability to create. It also
gives you the authority to push on into the
unknown and to explore previously un-
known sounds and sound ideas.
When I began playing percussion, I was
Photo by Lissa Wales

practically obsessed with finding out as much

about the instruments I was learning to play
as I could. I even took it to the point where I
learned how to build my own instruments.
In my youth I carved a bunch of drums
myself. I just had an incredible appetite to
know as much as I could about what I was
doing and where I was going, musically speaking. lessons, which were highly valued. I was willing to
RS: That's a great philosophy. It's a pity more musicians make all the sacrifices, and I did. Then one day he said
don't adopt it. that he needed another player in the band. He asked me
FC: Well, it brings up a lot of points about drummers. if I was ready and willing to move to New York. Of
Like in the Caribbean we have the bata drummers who course I said yes. So I went back to D.C., packed up
are originally from Cuba, via Nigeria. We consider some everything I owned, and moved to New York. He got me
of the most intricate drumming to be shared among indi- an apartment in his building. We worked for about four
viduals. You don't get any more intricate than Indian and a half years together, basically doing bata drum-
tabla drumming, in terms of rhythm, tonality, and per- ming.
sonal expression by one guy with two hands. So many RS: I'm curious about the secret nature of the bata drum-
sounds come out of the tabla player. And like the bata ming techniques. Can you expound on them further?
drummer, a tabla drummer has to be able to sing the FC: Well, there's a thing between conga players and the
whole rhythm before he can play it on the drum. Some- bata drummers about releasing these rhythms to the gen-
times it takes an entire year just to learn one complicated eral public and reproducing bata rhythms on other drums
rhythm. Then, what you've learned with your tongue, that are not sacred. These cats would feel guilty if they
you transpose into your fingers. did that or let it happen, whereas after studying the
RS: And this same tradition is found among Caribbean folklore of the drum and gathering information in places
percussion players? like the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., I
FC: Yes, among conga players and more so among the found out that, because of the hierarchy situation, drum-
traditional bata drummers. Actually, there's a whole sys- mers were of the highest order. A lot of them felt that
tem of apprenticeship a bata drummer must adhere to. they could do whatever they wanted to. It's like they
He starts off caring for the needs of the drum. Essentially, went so far right that they were allowed to cross over to
that means being the first person at the gig and the last the left from the right side. That's why and how I was
one to leave. Then you care for the needs of the senior able to incorporate the philosophy and principles of
drummers. All through this period, the drummer who bata drumming into my musical behavior. Some people
has chosen you as his student is teaching you vocally in may think I'm a renegade in a sense. I don't abuse that
private sessions. You see, this form of drumming isn't sense of authority I have, but I apply the concept and the
taught to everyone. It has a societal and religious pur- sense of time I learned every time I play.
pose. So you learn it vocally and then you learn it RS: What sort of stage setup do you need to get the
 Evans owner Bob Beals with one of his large bass drums.

Story and Photos by William F. Miller

Dodge City, Kansas. Yes, it's that Dodge City, one of the most famous towns in
American history. The home of western folklore, where thousands of heads of
cattle were once brought via the cattle drive along the Santa Fe Trail, and then
shipped by rail across the country. Where men with names like Wyatt Earp and
Bat Masterson once shot it out with outlaws, and cleaned up the town. Many of
these badmen were "buried with their boots on," up on Boot Hill.
Today, Dodge City is a modern community, but signs of the old west are still
there. Part of old Dodge has been preserved, and Boot Hill is still there. And, on
the outskirts of town, thousands of heads of cattle still graze. It seems a bit ironic,
then, that one of the first synthetic drumhead companies got its start in this city
over 30 years ago.
The Evans Drumhead Company is located only about a mile from Boot Hill. The
gentleman responsible for Evans drumheads, and one of the original co-founders
of the company, is Bob Beals. During my short stay in Dodge, it became clear to
me that Bob Beals is the kind of man who takes pride in his community. He
showed me around the town and gave me quite a history lesson. Bob also
showed me that he is the kind of man who takes great pride in his work. Bob Beals
As he took me on a tour of the factory, I was amazed at the extremely high-tech operation Bob has been develop-
ing at Evans over the years. What was also amazing was Bob's in-depth knowledge of machinery and electronics.
While he walked me through the steps of putting together an Evans drumhead, Bob explained the different proc-
esses and machinery (much of which he designed himself). His enthusiasm and love for what he does came out as
he explained the inner workings of the factory.
Bob Beals is also responsible for one of the most exciting new innovations in drumhead design: the CAD/CAM
hoop. Over the last year, Evans' CAD/CAM hoops have been receiving rave reviews from many drum experts and
publications, and many heavyweight players have jumped on the Evans bandwagon since the CAD/CAM hoops
were introduced. Players like Peter Erskine, Mark Herndon, Steve Ferrera, and Neil Peart have all been attracted to
the resonance, brightness, durability, and overall quality of the heads with the CAD/CAM hoops. In the following
interview, Bob tells how he came up with the CAD/CAM design, and gives us an interesting overview of the history of
drumheads.
Before we get into the interview with Bob, I'd like to relate a story that he told me, which I think tells a lot about the
man. Years ago, Bob was
approached by the direc-
tor of the McDonalds
Marching Band to use
one of Bob's large bass
drums. (Over the years,
Bob has constructed
large bass drums for
marching bands as sort of
a hobby.) McDonalds
wanted to use Bob's 7'-
diameter drum for the
Macy's Thanksgiving Day
Parade. However, since
the date was too close to
Thanksgiving for any
professional movers to
guarantee on-time deliv-
ery, Bob decided to rent a
truck and personally
deliver it across country to
New York City. How's that
for service! Bob Beals, with long-time employee and Sales Manager Sue Vogel, outside the Evans factory.
 skin heads. When the change it.
idea of the synthetic BB: After 30 years, it's pretty well known
head came about, I throughout the world.
knew it would be suc- WFM: What were the original heads like
cessful. that you made?
Over the years, all BB: The original product was made with a
of the original found- reinforced fiberglass hoop. Evans, in his
ers of the company experiments back in the early days, had
pulled out. The first made metal-hooped heads. In fact, some of
man to leave was the first heads were actually made with a
Chick Evans, next was wood hoop, very similar to the wood hoops
my brother, who went that the skin head used to be tucked onto.
back to finish up his We would split those hoops, and then roll
degree at Purdue, and the film around them and tack it on, which
that just left Larry was a very laborious job. Looking back on
Drehmer and me. I some of those heads now, they were quite
eventually bought Larry primitive.
Drehmer's interest out. The way we promoted our heads in the
I've had it ever since. early days was interesting. We would go
WFM: Any particular into a music store and pour a glass of water
reasons why certain on our drumheads. We would then beat on
people pulled out and the drums or stand on the drum. This was
why you stayed? unheard of because no calf head could
BB: Drehmer pulled stand up to that kind of treatment. If, let's
out because he had say, a marching band would get caught in
The CAD/CAM hoops are stacked after being formed other business interests. the rain, the calf heads would just lose
on specially-designed machinery. As for me, I felt there their pitch and get soggy. So we came up
was a unique opportu- with the term "all weather," which placed
nity here. Remo actu- the emphasis on the waterproof, moisture-
ally began one year proof properties of the synthetic head. That
WFM: How did Evans get started? ahead of us, as far as setting up a business. was the biggest improvement about our
BB: Originally, we started with four people. However, Evans was the originator of the heads over calf. Today, nobody even thinks
The originator of the plastic head was M.L. type of head that is being used in the world about it.
"Chick" Evans, who was an itinerant drum- today, using Dupont's Mylar, or polyester WFM: Has the material that your heads are
mer from Santa Fe, New Mexico. I first met film. There were other synthetic-head made out of changed over the years?
him through a representative of Ludwig, a manufacturers, but Evans was the first. BB: Yes, there have been different types of
man by the name of Sandy Belfield, one of WFM: Why didn't you change the name of materials used. Mylar, as everyone refers to
the old-timers. Belfield first brought the the company from Evans to Beals, consid- it, is Dupont's trademark. The generic name
heads to me and said, "If you're interested ering Chick Evans left so soon after the for Mylar is polyester film. And actually,
in doing something in manufacturing, this company was started? Dupont is paying homage to other people,
is a new innovation. This guy [Evans] has BB: I guess I wasn't enough of an egotist to because they didn't invent it. It was actu-
developed a new type of synthetic drum- put my name on it. ally developed by a firm in England called
head, and we should do something about WFM: Now it's been too long; you can't ICI—Imperial Chemical Industries. There
it." That was the first time I'd seen any- were other manufacturers that we used
thing of this type. So, the four people in- film from. We now use film from about
volved in the beginning were Chick four different sources.
Evans, me, a local insurance broker by WFM: Do you get the same type of film
the name of Larry Drehmer, and my from each company, or do you use each
brother, Harold Beals, who was at Pur- company's film for different applica-
due working on his Ph.D. He took a tions?
leave of absence to come out and work BB: We use them for different types of
for about a year. He's now at Auburn heads. There is a difference in strength
University, where he's in the wood-prod- and brittleness and softness. The blue
ucts lab. I still go to him for research on film, which we're probably best known
scientific things. We started Evans, Inc. for, has the closest "feel" to a natural
here in Dodge City, December 1, 1958. skin of any polyester film. It gives a
WFM: What prompted you to start a little bit more and it's softer.
drumhead company? WFM: What else can you tell me about
BB: I was in the retail music-store busi- the first heads the company made?
ness at the time we started the company. BB: When we first started out, every
My background was in machinery and head we made was white and had a
watchmaking. We did quite a lot of busi- coated surface for brush playing. We
ness repairing instruments, which I found were trying to emulate calf heads; we
I was well suited for. I was always inter- couldn't sell a head unless it looked
ested in the drums, and the whole con- like a calf head. The heads also had to
cept of the synthetic drumhead really have the feel of calf, especially when
interested me, especially after having played with brushes. To make that
tucked hundreds of skin heads. I knew coated-surface effect, we sandblasted
there had to be a better way than calf- Heads being stamped with the Evans logo. the material to rough out the surface.
The brush surface on the calf is where the
hair has been removed from the hide. So
we would simulate this surface on the syn-
thetic heads. It's always been a compro-
mise deal. Today, we have a surface that's
far more practical, more durable, more
consistent, and better sounding than any
calfskin head. It's been long years of devel-
opment and experimentation.
WFM: What made you decide to start
manufacturing the colored heads?
BB: Actually, the first kind of colored heads
produced were what we called sparkle
heads. The clear heads evolved from them.
WFM: What were sparkle heads?
BB: The sparkle was metal flake, which
was actually anodized aluminum sprayed
onto the surface of the head. We had to
have clear heads to make the sparkle heads.
Sparkle heads proved to be a disaster, but
they were unique. It was the beginning of
the psychedelic era. We also made heads Evans employee cleaning and inspecting the heads.
called "psychedelic heads," which had a
swirling effect on them. When the sparkle them a wider selection of sound options. faces gives the head a little over 30% more
heads died, they died. We ended up with WFM: How did the two-ply head come strength than you would have with a single
thousands of pounds of clear film left over. about? piece of 1400-gauge film. Also, you have
We had to come up with some way to use BB: It developed from the point that we the flexibility, and you don't have the stiff-
the film, so we made some drumheads that needed a heavier head to eliminate pock- ness. If you have a single-ply head with a
were clear. Those originated back in the eting. In the early days, the film was not as thickness of 1400 gauge film, which we've
'60s. strong as what we have today, and we had tried, it's like beating on a steel drum. That
We gradually got into the first unusual a lot of problems with pocketing. So the surface is extremely hard. With the two-ply
heads, the metalized heads, which we call two-ply heads came about by various com- head you get the flexibility.
the Looking Glass heads. I think the first binations of the thickness of film. One of We have a head that we make called the
big exposure we had with those heads was the easiest ways of explaining this is by Super Tough, which is a different type of
when the drummer in Alice Cooper's band comparing a two-ply head to the leaf spring film. It's a white film that has the ability to
used them, back when Alice was in his on an automobile. With a leaf spring, you stick together on its own very tightly. In this
heyday. Kiss was another band to use the have multiple layers of steel, and this gives process you can hardly tell it's a two-ply
chrome heads. From the chrome heads the you strength and flexibility. It holds the head. We have players who are convinced
different colors just started to evolve. I think weight of the car and allows it to move up it's a single-ply head, and I've had to cut
we've been known to have more colored and down. There is a similar thing with the heads open to prove it.
heads than anybody. two-ply head. The strength of the film is WFM: Another original invention that you
The black heads were a problem in the mainly in the surface of the film—not in came up with was the oil-filled head. Where
beginning. The film was extremely expen- the thickness. So, for example, take a two- did that concept come from?
sive. The dyeing process was very involved, ply head with each ply having a thickness BB: We had a customer years ago in Kan-
and because of this I held off a year and a of 700-gauge film. Since we have four sur- sas City who was making transparent drums,
half before producing them. I didn't think faces on the two-ply head, the four sur- and he was using our two-ply blue heads
anybody would buy them be- on them. This guy mistook the
cause they would be too high oil-like appearance of the head
priced. When we finally brought for what he thought was oil be-
them out, they proved to be a tween the plies of the head. Ac-
success, regardless of the cost. tually, there is a light refraction
Then other manufacturers fol- that occurs when two layers of
lowed our lead. I think we started film are together. You get a
a few trends in drumheads. breaking up of the color spec-
WFM: While we're talking about trum because of light refraction,
different colored heads, why is and the scientific term for this is
there such a difference in the "Newton's Rings." It gives the
sound produced by, let's say, a effect of oil between the plies,
red head and a black head? just like fuel oil on a river. This
BB: That film starts as a clear company in Kansas City was ac-
film. In the dyeing process, the tually writing an article about
tremendous heat that it takes to it, and saying our heads had oil
dye the film changes its physical in between the plies. We started
properties. This is why they getting quite a bit of publicity
sound different, and there's not about it, but it was something
a whole lot we can do about it. that was not true. But, this
So the coloring is not just a cos- prompted me to experiment, so
metic thing. I think this benefits This machinery bends and forms the film into I stuck some oil between the
drummers because this gives Evans' uniquely-shaped profile.
 Sonor International Drumkit head seating where the rim doesn't come
into contact with the shell at all.) Inexpen-
sive bass drums don't normally have as
many tensioners as this, but Sonor's atten-
tion to detail demanded it. The drum is
equipped with "T-handled" tension rods and
pressed steel claws, and is fitted with metal
hoops inlaid with plastic. The spurs revolve
on a cast boss that contains a sprung ratchet,
and are telescopic—with an optional rub-
ber- or spike-tipped end. Reasonably large
wing bolts set the length of the spur and its
angle of incidence to the floor, and the
whole thing was pretty stable. The com-
pany puts a strengthening plate behind the
spur block, just as they do for the double-
tom holder mounted to the bass drum and
the single receivers mounted to each of the
smaller toms.
The double-tom holder is fixed conven-
iently close to the front of the bass drum for
comfortable, close-together tom position-
ing, and is surprisingly well-made. It's cast,
of course, with a pair of jaw-type clamping
systems where one end is held by a
drumkey-operated screw with a spring,
while the other has a "T-bolt." It's a tried-
and-tested system that works. The actual
tom holder bracket itself consists of a pair
of tubes (one short, one long) with one part
of a cast ratchet at one end. These ratchets
lock securely together with a medium-sized
"T-screw." Memory clamps are fitted to each
tube. These lock with a standard square-
headed drumkey. Square-headed lugs are
also used on the bottom four tension rods
on the bass drum, and the bass drum pedal
Though the vast majority of Sonor drums fleck finish (like you see in the hallways of must also be adjusted by them. This is in-
are made in their Aue factory not too far apartment buildings) they used to use. The consistent with German-made Sonor drums,
from Frankfurt, the International sets are bearing edges are a great deal better than which use all slotted screws for tensioning.
made under license for Sonor in Taiwan, those frequently seen on cheaper Taiwanese And since the other drums on this kit do
by a company called KHS. It's amazing drums. They're set at roughly 45 degrees, use the slotted style, I don't understand
that, though the sets are shipped from the and are smooth and almost totally free of why Sonor chose to use any square-headed
Far East, they still arrive at their destination the imperfections that normally character- screws at all on the set. But to be fair, they
at a more attractive price than if they were ize these products. The main reason for do supply the owner of the set with keys to
actually produced in the Federal Republic this is that Sonor is adamant that, even fit both sorts. The bass drum with the set I
of Germany. This gives drummers the op- though the International is a low-price played was fitted with a simple felt strip
portunity to buy one of these more afford- drumset, it still has to be made properly. damper that just took away the booming
able kits at "entry level." Sonor's hope is They simply won't sacrifice manufacturing edge of its sound. These aren't standard,
that, having been well and truly hooked, techniques. This, of course, has meant a but Sonor tells me they'd send you one if
the embryonic player will move on, in the certain amount of coming and going be- you asked for it specifically.
fullness of time, to one of the company's tween Germany and Taiwan. But the re- The Tom-Toms
much more up-market—and presumably sults seem to be well worth the trouble. On
more profitable—products. first sight of the International kits amongst Three "power" toms come standard with
The International is a five-drum set that several German-built ones, I wasn't con- this set, although other sizes are also avail-
comes complete with a straight cymbal vinced that I was actually looking at a Tai- able. The ones I played were a 10 x 12, an
stand, snare drum stand, hi-hat stand, and wanese product! 11 x 13, and, of course, the ubiquitous 16
bass drum pedal. It uses the usual "power" x 16. The two smallest drums were mounted
The Bass Drum to the bass drum, and each had 12 of
sizes for this type of set: 10x12, 11x13,
and 16 x 16 for the toms, 16x22 bass The International set's bass drum features Sonor's slightly shaved nut-boxes. The floor
drum, and 6 1/2" deep metal-shell snare 20 of Sonor's internally sprung nut-boxes tom had 16 of them. All the toms have
drum. The shells (apart from the snare) are (which are actually manufactured in Ger- medium-gauge, pressed-steel, triple-flange
made from six plies of what looks like Ori- many, then shipped out to Taiwan). They're hoops and Sonor's usual screwdriver-slot-
ental mahogany (but will probably turn out made slightly shallower than the ones fit- ted tension screws. No dampers are fitted,
to be an Indonesian wood called nato). ted to Sonor's normal German drums in so the interiors of the shells are clean and
The interiors are sealed with a very thin order to allow for the fact that the Tai- uncluttered. The receivers bolted to the toms
coat of emulsion-looking white paint, wanese-built drums are ever-so-slightly have the same clamping mechanism as used
though I understand that there's a possibil- larger. (For some years now Sonor has made on the bass drum to locate and lock the
ity Sonor might revert to the spotted porta- an undersize shell to create a timpani-type tubes of the holder arm. The leg blocks on
the floor tom have an eye-bolt inside to strip damper. However, its overall sound to the adjustable basket mechanism). The
locate and lock the double-bent leg in po- was still thumpy, round, loud, and most locking action of the basket arms is ad-
sition. (The legs aren't exactly massive, and acceptable. (I said earlier that the standard justed by a capstan nut that tightens a steel
neither are the rubber tips fitted to their heads on this kit could change, because I collar beneath the basket. Obviously the
bottom ends. But they're knurled for extra discovered recently that Sonor is now mak- snare drum stand, too, comes under the
grip where they enter the block, they get ing their own heads in Germany from My- heading of "you-get-what-you-pay-for."
the job done, and the eye-bolt can, of lar. It might just be that they'll eventually Slightly wider tubing and thicker-gauge steel
course, be changed if its thread strips.) be fitting these to their International series for the holding arms would help. But it
drums.) wasn't that bad. It did what it was sup-
The Snare Drum
posed to do and certainly shouldn't put
The Accessories
At one time, Sonor used to ship German- you off buying the drumset.
built, bent and joined metal shells out to All the stands have double-braced legs The only other thing to mention is the
Taipei to be fitted with a foreign snare that are made from not particularly sub- bass drum pedal. It's a twin-post job with a
mechanism and hoops. (I understand that stantial steel. In a gallant effort to make single adjustable expansion spring, a two-
this was because they weren't happy with them more stable, Sonor has spaced the piece footplate to match the hi-hat's (com-
what they could get in the Orient at the two halves of each leg further apart by plete with toe stop), a chain link (although
time.) However, all this seems to have been using a plastic washer on each side of the it's not a chain drive), twin spurs tapped
resolved now, and they're satisfied with strut that joins them to the collar fixed to into the framework, and a rather large, cast
what they're getting from Taiwan. Basically, the very bottom of the lowest tube. These beater retainer block that fits to the steel
it's a medium-gauge steel shell with four tubes are not mammoth either, but they're rod axle. A pair of drumkey-operated screws
centrally located strengthening beads and what you'd expect to get with a budget kit, fix the position of the retainer on the axle.
an inverse, slightly rolled flange set more and do have a couple of useful refinements. These don't just tighten against it; they're
or less at 45 degrees. A dip in the bottom The height-adjustment points on all the actually tapped into it too. For a moment I
bearing edge allows the snares to touch stands have an internal, wear-resisting plas- thought that this would mean you couldn't
evenly over the whole head. The drum tic/nylon ferrule where they touch the tubes change the beater's angle of stroke relative
comes with triple-flange hoops, an internal and a quick-release lever mechanism that to the bass drum head, but this was not so.
damper made from spring steel with a felt sets the height (and may be fine-tuned by The accelerator cam, fixed to the end of
pad, 20-strand snares joined to a side cam way of a knurled thumbscrew). A drumkey- the shaft (to which the expansion spring at-
mechanism by plastic strips, slotted ten- lockable memory clamp not only recalls taches), has alternative holes in it so that
sion screws, and ten double-ended Sonor the height you set it at last time, but also— the spring can actually be moved—thus
nut boxes. Not many "cheapo" snare drums by virtue of its shape—remembers the po- putting the beater closer or farther away.
have ten tensioners per head, nor do they sition it's supposed to be in relative to the The height of the beater is adjustable in the
have such a positive snare throw-off. (The player. This is handy, since it ensures that usual way. This pedal, although inexpen-
lever of the strainer itself is rubberized, as the cymbal, hi-hat, or snare drum playing sive, actually wasn't a bad piece of gear
is the thumbscrew that controls tension on angle will always be the same (providing and was very usable.
the snares. The butt-end clamp, where the the leg position is consistent). Because the International really is an
other end of the snares locate, is made The straight cymbal stand has three "entry-level" set, and the chances are that
from the usual pressed steel.) stages, with large rubber feet for its legs the proud owner may well want to add to
and a cast, sprung, splined ratchet tilter it, Sonor offers an expansion package. It's
The Heads
with a reasonable collection of felts and comprised of 9x10 and 12x14 toms, a
The set I took apart was fitted completely washers and a smallish wing nut. double stand to support them, and a cym-
with Taiwanese-made heads, but this could The hi-hat has the same tripod legs and bal boom stand, and sells for $495.00. A
change. Both sides of its toms and the bat- height adjustment as the other stands, with second bass drum is available for $385.00.
ter of its bass drum had double-ply heads, the shaped quick-release lever to lock its Many Taiwanese-built drums feature the
which were glued for the first inch or so height. There's an inverted "U"-shaped cast same nut-boxes and fittings, simply because
around their circumference, similar to a framework beneath the bottom tube, and there's a single factory there that makes a
Remo Pinstripe. The snare drum had a it's here that the non-adjustable center-pull great many of these things reasonably well
brush-coated medium-thick head, while on mechanism joins—via a motorbike-type (and, presumably, very cheaply). But this
the front of the bass drum was simply a chain—to the two-piece, sand-blasted has resulted in all Taiwanese drums look-
shiny black plastic head emblazoned with footplate. A reversible flat spur is also joined ing more or less the same. Sonor has not
the Sonor logo. I was surprised by the toms, to the framework where it touches the floor. fallen into this trap. Aside from certain
because I've never felt that double-ply heads To be activated, it needs only to be flipped obvious items—like toms holders and
fitted at both the top and bottom works. over and locked with a drumkey. The foot- spurs—they seem to have their own "look"
Such a setup has always given too little plate is joined to the center of the hi-hat by together on the International series. The
response for my taste, especially on an ex- a bent rod stretcher. The bottom cymbal appearance of the set was much better than
tra-deep drum where you need a thinner cup is adjustable in angle, though not par- that of an average Taiwanese kit, and looked
head below to return the vibrations quickly. ticularly large, and the typically Taiwanese not too dissimilar to a German-built set.
However, the system worked just fine in cymbal clutch is slightly bigger and better (The only thing that gave its origins away
this case, and gave a clear and strong sound. than most others of its kind. In terms of was the chroming. In Germany, the article
(This leads me to believe that the two plas- playability, even though this hi-hat isn't ad- to be plated is always polished before it
tic plies being used must be thinner than justable, it still felt okay. goes into the solution, and it shows.) The
usual.) The snare stand was a bit more of a International kit is available in four plastic
Within the limitations of "you-get-what- problem. Even though it boasted all the re- finishes: black, white, wine red, and mid-
you-pay-for," the snare drum was also rea- finements of the other Sonor International night blue metallic. The suggested retail
sonably good. It had a tight, bright sound stuff, it didn't seem to be as stable. Maybe price is $1295.00.
without too much "zonk," and was as good its legs weren't widespread enough. The —Bob Henrit
as I've heard in this price range. I men- angle adjustment used a larger-than-usual
tioned that the bass drum's sound was given sprung ratchet tilter mechanism (with one
more definition and less ring by the felt part joined to the down tube and the other
 (read: high) price tag, which, without a sides of the strainer have fine-tension knobs.

Sonor And Remo doubt, is out of the spending range of many

players. The drum retails at $1,300.00. (If
When released, the throw-off lever drops
the entire assembly to an almost 90 degree

Piccolo Snares you really want to go all out, Sonor is also

producing a copper-finish Signature snare
angle, to fully drop the snares. The strainer
is extremely simple, but worked quite
stand, with a hinged tripod leg base and smoothly and didn't bind up. Twenty-strand
lever-operated basket, at $430.00 retail.) wire snares are used, and are held with
plastic strips. The drum I tested came
with a coated Ambassador batter and
an Ambassador snare-side head.
The MasterTouch piccolo had
good volume, with an alert, snappy
response. It wasn't too thin-sounding
and was capable of a reasonably wide
dynamic range. In fact, I was content
to use this piccolo as my primary
snare drum. With the snares off, it
gave a tight, timbale-like sound. Dip-
lomat heads would probably enable
Sonor HLD593 Signature Bronze Piccolo the drum to be tuned up to a higher
pitch and "pop" more.
Sonor recently unleashed what could be Sonor D420 Piccolo
A mirror-gold Quadura covering was on
termed "the world's most esoteric snare Don't despair from what you've just read, the drum I played; other Remo colors may
drum" with their new Signature Series because Sonor hasn't forgotten the "poorer be available by special request. Suggested
Bronze piccolo snare. The Signature Bronze people," and also offers a 3 1/2 x 14 chrome- retail list price is $224.00.
is a 4 x 14 drum, with a one-piece cast finish piccolo snare, made of ferro-manga- —Bob Saydlowski, Jr.
bronze shell. All fittings (hoops, lugs, rods, nese steel. The D420 piccolo also has 20
etc.) are copper-plated to give the drum a lugs with slotted rods, and the same strainer
golden appearance. This all makes for one as the Signature (but chrome-plated).
weighty drum; the Signature Bronze is Practically all other design specs are
probably the heaviest snare I've ever lifted! the same as the Signature Bronze, ex-
The drum has 20 lugs (ten per side), with cept of course for the plating and shell
the standard Sonor slotted rods. Heavy- material.
gauge flanged hoops are used for more Being a half-inch shallower than
effective tuning and a solid sound. To the Signature, the D420 sounded a
dampen the drum, Sonor includes a match- bit higher than the 4 x 14, as one
ing copper-plated clip-on external muffler. would expect. The steel-shell drum
A stick-shift lever cross-throw strainer is still retained its sensitivity, and maybe
mounted to the shell. The butt end con- even has a touch more volume. It
tains the fine-tension knob to adjust the was more "open"-sounding than the
snare wires. Cording is used to hold the bronze-shelled Signature, and perhaps
24-strand snares (which, by the way, have livelier. But it still had the capability of a
chromed ends, clashing with the drum's
Zildjian Piggyback
delicate response when needed. Sonor is
golden look. Call the Fashion Police!) The renowned for its high standards; the D420
strainer works extra-smooth, and is virtu- is certainly no exception. Retail price is In recent years, it has become popular to
ally silent, with no snare "rap" when switch- $490.00. mount two cymbals together, producing a
ing on or off. dry, short sound best described as a "splat."
The drum I received to test came Terry Bozzio mounts various combinations
with a coated Ambassador batter and of cymbals in this manner, and Dave Weckl
a transparent Ambassador snare-side has a China mounted over a crash, which
head. Even without a thinner Diplo- he uses for punctuation. But there has been
mat bottom head, the piccolo man- no particular standard in terms of what
aged to present an extremely sensi- cymbal combination produces the best re-
tive, crisp sound. Any delicate pas- sults.
sages played were perfectly audible. Zildjian has attempted to standardize
During heavier playing, the drum things a bit by introducing a cymbal spe-
didn't choke up at all, and had good cifically designed to be used in conjunc-
volume. Rimshots were solid-sound- tion with another cymbal: the EFX Piggy-
ing and rang right out. Latin-style rim back. The cymbal is 12" in diameter, has a
clicks were round and not boxy- China-type profile, and is very thin and
sounding. In every situation I tried it in, the Remo Master Touch Piccolo
lightweight. Its size and shape make it ideal
drum's sound was clear, undistorted, and Remo's new MasterTouch line includes for a variety of mounting applications. You
distinguishable. the company's first 3 1/2 x 14 piccolo snare. can mount it right side up on ride or crash
I'll keep this short and simple by saying Like all other Remo drums, it has an Acous- cymbals, or you can invert a ride or crash
that the Signature Bronze piccolo is of the ticon phenolic shell, and Quadura cover- and mount an inverted Piggyback inside of
utmost professional quality, engineering- ing. The drum has ten double-ended lugs, it. You could also mount a larger cymbal
wise and cosmetically, with top-of-the line a single venthole, and no internal muffling. over the Piggyback, or mount a small splash
sound characteristics. Unfortunately, A newly-designed strainer throws off from inside an inverted one.
though, it carries an equally professional the center via a large thumb lever. Both
 There are no hard and fast rules when it opt to use small metal nuts that would fit
comes to matching a Piggyback with an- Holz the existing bolts.)
other cymbal, and experimentation is defi- In terms of sound, the Holz added solid-
nitely called for. Generally, when mount- ity to the heads at the cutout, where an
ing two cymbals together, you'll get that unreinforced head can sometimes sound
basic "splat" sound, but within that you weak and "flappy." This situation can often
can get some variation. The pitch will be become worse if the edges of the hole are
affected by the cymbal that you are using wrinkled or torn due to impact with micro-
with the Piggyback. We tried a Piggyback phones or hands adjusting muffling inside
inverted inside an 18" A Zildjian crash as the drum. Holz prevent that wrinkling or
well as inside a 17" K Zildjian. While the tearing from happening, thereby giving the
overall character was the same, the pitch acoustic impression of a single vibrating
was significantly different. body—closer to that of an uncut head.
We also found that the sound could be A cutting tool, called a Speedcutter, is
varied quite a bit by how tightly the cym- also available from the makers of Holz.
bals were held together by the wing nut. Here's a nifty little accessory device that Although it's certainly not a necessity (many
We experimented with an inverted Piggy- can improve both the sound and the cos- drummers cut perfectly fine holes in their
back mounted inside an inverted 17" crash. metic appearance of your bass drum. A bass drum heads quite regularly), it does
When angled and screwed down tightly, Holz is a plastic reinforcement ring de- make cutting a neat, round hole quick and
there was very little sound. When mounted signed to fit into the front head of a bass easy. It's basically a compass-like device,
fairly flat with little or no tightening of the drum where a sound hole has been cut with a movable point (adjustable for differ-
wing nut, the cymbals would vibrate against out. The major function of the Holz is to ent hole sizes) and a cutting wheel. You
each other for a couple of seconds. Various reinforce the edge of the head where it has stick the point into the head at the desired
degrees of tightening the wing nut produced been cut—thereby preventing damage and location, spin the device around a couple
various effects, ranging from a fairly nice improving the sound. The Holz also im- of times, and—voila!—you have a nice,
sizzle effect to a rather annoying rattle. proves the overall appearance of the front clean hole of exactly the desired diameter.
There were also differences in sound de- head by giving the sound hole a finished The Speedcutter is designed to cut either 4"
pending on whether we struck only the appearance, rather than the exposed edge or 6" holes, in order to correspond to the
edge of the 17" or both cymbals together. of the drumhead—which can often be existing Holz sizes, and lists at $7.95. If
We had interesting results when we somewhat ragged-looking if the cutting job you aren't expert at cutting holes in drum-
mounted a Piggyback underneath a 20" K was not done well. heads, this device might very well be worth
Light Ride. By placing a very thin piece of The Holz unit is comprised of two plas- the investment. (A high-tech version that
felt between the bells and angling the cym- tic rings that fit on either side of the drum- cuts holes from 2" to 22" is available as
bals just a little, we were able to get just a head, sandwiching it in between. The side well. Useful for drumtechs, drumshop serv-
hint of a "trash" sound when playing on that faces front is rounded and smooth, ice people, and others who might be doing
the ride cymbal. I must mention that it took and contains eight small bolts that extend a lot of hole cutting, this device is available
quite a bit of experimenting on our part to back into the drumshell. The backing ring for $99.95.)
determine the optimum thickness of the is flat, and has eight holes to receive the The existence of Holz is not, in and of
felt and the right amount of tilt on the cym- eight bolts. Plastic nuts, shaped like the itself, a reason to cut a hole in a bass drum
bals. tops of tuning lugs and operated by a head if you would not normally do so. But
We encountered one potential problem. drumkey, hold the two rings together once if you do normally cut such a hole, or if
We borrowed three Piggyback cymbals for the device has been placed. you have been considering doing so, the
review, and one of them was slightly We tested both the 4" and the 6" models addition of a Holz could very well give
warped. That was only a problem in cer- of Holz under a variety of playing applica- you a stronger, more attractive look and
tain applications, where we were trying to tions. They were easy to install, and cer- sound. Suggested retail price for Holz is as
get one cymbal to vibrate evenly against tainly did give a finished, professional look follows: 4" black, $14.95; 6" black, $15.95;
the other (as in the above example of the to the bass drum head. (A choice of flat 4" chrome or brass, $18.95; 6" chrome or
Piggyback mounted under the ride). Given black, chrome, or brass finish is available brass, $19.95. For further information, con-
the thinness of these cymbals, it's easy to for cosmetic variety.) We did find that we tact Holz, 2370 S. Redwood Road, Salt
see why they could be prone to warpage, had to be very careful when tightening the Lake City, Utah 84119, or call 1-800-223-
so you might want to check for that before plastic nuts onto the metal bolts. It was 3208.
you make your purchase. very easy to strip the inside threads of the Rick Van Horn
Zildjian's promo for this cymbal states nuts, thereby rendering them useless. Yet it
that it can also be used as a small China. was very important that the nuts be secure,
The MD editors who tried it felt that it was since the Holz had a tendency to rattle if
too thin and high-pitched for that use, and the two halves weren't firmly joined. (As a
preferred it in combination with another matter of fact, we had problems with rat-
cymbal. But that's not to say that someone tling on a couple of the devices, no matter
else wouldn't be able to use it by itself and how we tightened them.) This made us a
be pleased with the sound. bit dubious about how many times a Holz
The EFX Piggyback has a list price of could be taken apart and used again before
$164.00, which is comparable to what you the nuts would become totally useless. (But
might spend on a 17" crash. Considering then again, how often does one need to
that the Piggyback can be used in several change the front bass drum head?) In fair-
different ways—depending on what you ness to the makers of Holz, they do pro-
mate it with—it might not be a bad invest- vide very specific instructions for installa-
ment if you're looking for something differ- tion, and those instructions include clearly
ent. indicated cautions regarding overtighten-
—Rick Mattingly ing the nuts. (Personally speaking, I might
 by Rod Morgenstein

What's In A Note:

Photo by Rick Malkin

Part 3
In my last article, we played exercises that com-
bined various 16th-note patterns followed by ex-
ercises that involved broken-up triplet patterns.
Let's see what happens if we play 16ths and trip-
lets back-to-back. The first two examples present
the basic differences in feel between triplets to
16th notes and triplets to 8th notes. Your job is to
be able to comfortably subdivide each beat into
the respective note-value. Remember, be sure to either tap your
foot to quarter notes or use a metronome.

The following six examples are tricky in that the 16th-note

patterns and the triplet patterns may end up sounding the same,
when in fact, they should not. When you subdivide the 16ths and
triplets with conviction, you will experience two very different The following examples differ from the previous ones in that
feels. they begin with triplet figures.

The next few examples consist of random 16th-note and triplet

combinations.
 The next example contains 16th-note and triplet patterns lasting for two beats each.

The last example is a random mixture of 16ths and triplets, with each pattern lasting only one beat. In this exercise, you will find
yourself having to subdivide 16ths or triplets (back and forth) on almost every beat.

The focus of this three-part series has been to develop the split-second ability to play and hear the many different note/rest combina-
tions. Understanding the difference in feel between 16ths and triplets will greatly improve your command of time, while at the same time
enhancing your drumming.
 by Kenny Aronoff

Being Creative

Photo by Rick Malkin

When I play the drums, I try to apply the concept I tried to be creative with the basic beat throughout the song, in a
of "less is more" to the music I'm creating. I've way that would support the music from beginning to end. I experi-
talked about this before, but I can't stress the mented with playing fewer notes at the beginning of the song and
point enough. Instead of detracting from the music adding more as the song developed. This song started very softly
by overplaying, I try to support the song by play- with few instruments, and then continued to build throughout
ing just enough. Lots of flashy licks do not neces- until it reached a climax. The song began with Gregg playing
sarily help a song. A drummer needs to supply guitar and singing the first verse alone. Then the drums and bass
the basic foundation to a song by playing the entered for the second verse. I played a simplified version of the
right beat, keeping solid time, making that beat feel good, and basic beat of the song, in order to leave room to build. I played
finally, by adding creative ideas. These creative ideas should add this beat for eight measures and then added a cross-stick part on
excitement and interest, without distracting or taking away from the backbeats.
the song. Creating a simple, perfect beat can be just as challenging
and difficult as mastering a complex one.
I recently recorded a song called "The World We Love So
Much," for an album by a new artist, Gregg Alexander. The basic
beat to the song was a 1 2/8 or triplet feel that went like this:

I then began to add creative ideas to the beat with my bass drum
and ride cymbal.

I tried to play with more intensity, building to a fill that finally

brought me to the basic beat of the song. For the rest of the song, I
tried to add creative ideas to the basic beat in a way that added
excitement, but didn't detract from the beat, feel, or concept of the
song.
Here is an example of some creative ideas that I played on the
song:
 Practice Routine
1. A good way to develop your ability to be creative with a beat
is to first pick a beat and play it for five minutes relentlessly,
without altering or changing the beat. The desire to add something
to the beat will be great, but focus on playing just the beat itself.
This is important because you are developing the foundation on
which you are going to be creative, the same foundation you
should establish when you're playing a song. To help concentrate
while playing for five minutes, try singing a melody to yourself as
you play.
2. After five minutes, start to add creative ideas with just your hi-
hat or ride cymbal, while keeping the rest of the beat the same. Do
this for at least five minutes and continue to sing a melody.
3. Next, go back to the original beat. Play it for a short while,
and then start experimenting with just the bass drum for another
five minutes.
4. After that, return to the original beat and play it for a while.
Experiment with just the snare drum for at least five minutes as you
keep everything else steady.
5. Finally, start combining all of your ideas. Be creative with
your hi-hat or ride cymbal, bass drum, and snare drum all to-
gether. Be sure not to lose focus of the original beat. Keep singing
the melody and start adding fills.
When you're playing the drums and making music, everything
is based on what kind of song you're playing. The song will
determine what beat you play, and also what creative ideas or fills
you can add to the beat. Hopefully, this short lesson will help you
develop this important concept.
 Joey
chewed sticks in favor of the hands-on-
drumheads approach of a conga drummer.
He'll play with fingers on the cymbals,
windup toys on the snare, or whatever it
takes to keep things interesting. Or, if in the
service of singer Carmen McRae or guitar-
ist Jim Hall, he can provide entirely ego-
less, uncommonly sensitive, and relentlessly
swinging accompaniment.
BM: Can we talk in general about your
approach to drumming?
JB: Sure. I never really related to the tech-
nical side of the instrument. When I first
started playing, I didn't have a full set of
drums. I had one little snare, and I'd pre-
tend that different areas of the snare were
different parts of the set: The edge would
be the cymbal, the side would be the bass
drum, and so on. And that kind of attitude
has carried through to my playing today.
My basic concept now is to get the most
out of the least. I feel much more at home
on a very simple set than I do on an elabo-

Photo by Aldo Mauro

rate kit that has everything you'd ever need
right there in front of you. So basically it
doesn't really matter what I play on. When
I play tours in Europe, I never carry my
own drums. Within the past two or three
years I've begun to move in that direction.
And it's taken me over 20 years to finally

S ome drummers are known for their

signature strokes. Billy Cobham's
double bass drum pumping is unmistak-
ing drummer who is constantly seeking
ways to enhance the environment he's thrust
into. In short, Joey Baron is an artist as
work through all the stereotypes that drum-
mers have always had to work through—
being dumb, being insensitive, being crazy,
able. Joe Morello's brushwork is like no opposed to a craftsman. or whatever—to get to this attitude I'm at
other's. Steve Jordan's tight, crisp snare I once saw him play a copy of the New now. And part of the reason was that I
crack is his calling card. There's Tony Wil- York Post in a duet performance with Frisell. started to connect with people who en-
liams' signature tom fills, Bill Bruford's tone, He flipped through the newspaper, ripping couraged me to do what I liked to do.
Stewart Copeland's precision, Steve Gadd's each page in time as a backdrop to Frisell's BM: Kindred spirits like Bill Frisell, for in-
patented hi-hat/snare/bass combinations... acoustic extrapolations. On another occa- stance?
the list goes on and on. sion, during a solo performance, he did a JB: Yeah, he's a major figure for me in that
Joey Baron has no signature sound or piece that was based solely on belly laughs. department. Playing with him is so great
patented lick. Yet there is a quality to his At times with Frisell's quartet, he has es- because there's no judgment, there's no ex-
playing that does distin- pectation, there's no...
guish him among his peers. BM: Cliches?
All the people he works JB: Right. I mean, we all
with these days—guitarist have our little things that
Bill Frisell, saxophonists we rely on from time to
John Zorn and Tim Berne, time, but it's not a major
trumpeter Herb Robertson, issue when we sit down
cellist Hank Roberts, pian- to play. We just really re-
ists Bill O'Connell and Fred late to each other through
Hersch, guitar great Jim our instruments. And
Hall, and harmonica ace that's what I've always
Toots Thielemans—all wanted to do—to be able
point to one thing as Joey's to work with the best
distinctive trait: his creativ- people in that context.
ity. He can always be BM: What is it that you
counted on to come up enjoy about playing with
Photo by Aldo Mauro

with something fresh, Frisell and musicians like

something clever, some- Tim Berne and John Zorn?
thing wholely unpredict- JB: That it's such a liber-
able. He listens and he ating experience. With
reacts. He's a thinking, feel- those guys, you can bring
 Baron
by Bill Milkowski

your background experiences to the situ-

ation, and nobody is going to judge you for
it. We all have a background in traditional
jazz, and yet we don't play by those rules.
In a straight-ahead setting there are certain
rules you must abide by. You violate the
rules and you're out of line. And for a
drummer, that's a real tough issue. People
like Max Roach did so much to knock those
walls down, but today in the late '80s I feel
that the walls have been built back up.
BM: By what?
JB: By stereotypes and just by the way things
are run. Drummers, for the most part, still
have to be some superstar or be in political
fashion somehow before getting accepted
on their own as leaders or instigators of a
certain direction. I think a lot of it's got to
do with the physical aspect of it; guitar
players get to move around, they stand up,
they're up front. Drummers are always sit-
ting down, always in the back, and people
kind of take them for granted. And that's
why I really admire people like Max and Jo
Jones and Han Benick—people who bucked
the system and tried to say something else.
BM: How did you arrive at this very liber-
Photo by Aldo Mauro

ated attitude?
JB: I'm sure it's got everything to do with
my background. I come from a real work-
ing-class Jewish family. We just dealt with
what was in front of us. I'm from Richmond,
Virginia, born June 26, 1955, and when I
was nine, my father got two drumsticks radio and hear a lot of Sam & Dave, Ray but just being in an environment where
and showed me a real crude press roll. I Charles, Booker T., and organ groups like other kids were thinking about drumming
would practice on furniture and things, and Jimmy Smith, Don Patterson, and Jimmy and listening to the same records. One of
then one summer I saved up, cut grass for McCriff. I took all of it in. I was never told my most inspiring experiences there came
the neighbors, bought a snare drum, and by somebody, "Hey, this is jazz, this is from playing with this bass player named
started playing along with the radio and rock, this is ethnic music...." It was all just John Nebbs. We'd hide out in the school
television. Some of my earliest drum influ- music and fun to play to. And because it after they'd lock up and just play all night
ences came from the shopping market ads was fun for me, I never thought of playing long. Nobody knew we were in there. John
I'd hear, where they would have somebody drums as being hard. I just loved the drums was the first upright player that really en-
playing brushes in a quick swing tempo so much—I focused all my attention on couraged me to interact beyond the tech-
and a voice-over would be talking in rhythm them from the age of nine—that I didn't nical point of playing drums. I read all the
about what was on sale that week. No realize how hard I was working to assimi- books on the rudiments, but I got more
music, just brushes and voice—"Turkeys late the things I was hearing on records, inspiration and learned more about my own
for sale...20 cents a pound...fat and which is basically how I learned to play. playing from just taking chances and doing
juicy...golden brown." It was actually pretty BM: You've never had any teachers or what I really felt.
hip, like swing rap or something. So I'd mentors? BM: What professional experiences did you
hear that and stuff like The Wild Wild West JB: I've had teachers, but what I've gotten have following that Berklee summer ses-
theme song on TV, things on the Ed Sulli- from them has mostly been from a techni- sion?
van Show, records by Sandy Nelson, Booker cal point of view—the rudiments of how to JB: I started playing in rock 'n' roll bands
T. & the MG's, Mongo Santamaria, hold the sticks and read rhythms and that and Dixieland groups around Virginia be-
Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture—-just a weird sort of thing. But in terms of relating to fore I went to Berklee. When I came back
mixture of things that filtered in. I'd go people on a small group level, interacting, to Virginia after Berklee, I wanted to drop
from one to the next and never put any and feeding people ideas, I was getting that out of high school and devote my full at-
judgment on anything—that this was Latin on my own from records and from playing tention to playing. So I finished high school
music and this was Dixieland and this was gigs. a year early, moved back to Boston, went
Jewish music or whatever—I just soaked it When I was 16, in the summer of 1970, I back to Berklee for about a semester and a
all up. did attend Berklee's summer program in half, then went on the road with a lounge
BM: What about rock? Boston. It was a great experience, not so group that played all over the country. We
JB: Yeah, Hendrix, Cream. Richmond is in much because of what I learned about were in Denver when we decided to break
the Southern belt so I could turn on the coordination and other technical matters, up. This was in the early '70s, and at that
time my really big goal as a drummer was dom and introducing myself. Through that, to her house in Beverly Hills, looking kinda
to play with Carmen McRae. I would've I met people like Donald Bailey, who I weird with my long hair and beard. The
done anything to work with her at that became very close with, and Frank Sever- Beverly Hills cops must've thought I was
point. So a friend of mine, a bass player ino, who has since passed away. Both of weird too, because they followed me up to
named Chip Jackson, told me he heard those guys were great drummers and great the door like I was going to burglarize the
through the grapevine that Carmen was people who helped me a lot when I first place. Carmen comes out, the cop looks at
looking for a drummer. I got all excited and came to L.A. in 1975. And through them I me, then looks at her and says, "You know
sent her a telegram. But the weird thing met people like Hampton Hawes and Art him?" She looks me up one side and down
was, she thought I was somebody else— Pepper and Blue Mitchell, but my goal was the other, looks back at the cop, and after a
some jerk she had met in a club the night still to play with Carmen. long pause, she says, "He's okay." The cop
before with a similar name—so she never Eventually the word got out that I wanted leaves, and I'm shaking as I'm loading my
returned my calls or my telegrams. But I to work with her, so one night she came to drums from my van into her house. I mean,
was determined to get this gig. this club I was playing in. We made a I'm freaking out! This is one of my big
I ended up going to LA. to seek Carmen connection, and she invited me to her house idols, and I'm in her house! So I set up, and
out. I didn't know a soul out there. I was for an audition. I was so nervous. I knew I don't know the bass player or the piano
living in a room about the size of two tables. all her arrangements because I had been player, and she calls off "Clear Day." We
Eventually I got so desperate I started call- listening to her since I was 15, but I was start playing, and she cuts the tune off after
ing people out of the union book at ran- still really nervous about it. So I drove up four bars. And, man, I'm thinking to my-
self, "I must really suck!" And she's stand-
ing there staring at me, her head tilted and
her tongue in her cheek, and finally she
says, "You got the gig." I couldn't believe
it. It was one of the happiest days in my
life. I jumped off the chair. She must've
thought I was nuts.
BM: Was it a satisfying gig?
JB: It was one of the best gigs I ever had
because I really wanted to be there and
was ready to please her. We had a great
relationship, and I got a real insight into
the thing I wanted to get at that time—
complete discipline. At that time everybody
was into Mahavishnu and Headhunters and
funk. And I grew up with that, so it never
seemed that hard to get that kind of groove
going. To me, the swing thing was the real
challenge. How could these guys play four
quarter notes and get it to feel so full? So it
was my goal to really investigate that, and I
got the hands-on view of it from working
with Carmen.
BM: How long did that gig last?
JB: Two and a half years. We went all over
the world and did a record that Dizzy
Gillespie played on [Carmen McRae at the
Great American Music Hall, Blue Note],
which was another big thrill for me. When
I listen back to it now, I wish I could go
back and do it all over again. I got a chance
to play with her last year. She did a gig at
Michael's Pub here in town that her drum-
mer couldn't make, so she called me. I
hadn't played with her in ten years, but it
was just like home—really fun. We had a
ball.
BM: What happened after that stint with
Carmen?
JB: I had a trio with Andy Simpkins on bass
and Dave MacKay on piano, but it didn't
work out. So I free-lanced around. I subbed
on the Merv Griffin show sometimes when
Nick Ceroli couldn't make it, and when
Jake Hanna couldn't make the gig over at
Dante's, he'd send me over to play with
Herb Ellis. So I got to play with a lot of
guys during that period. Then Al Jarreau
called me. I worked with him for three
years, but for Al it was a period of transi-
tion. He was changing direction, and the
band was slowly being manipulated out of
the picture. I never got to record any al-
bums with him, but I did appear with him
on a PBS special, Up From jumpstreet. I sometimes get frustrated that I didn't have I had played with them in L.A., so they
continued free-lancing after that and even- that, but I was on the job because I wanted asked me to join their East Coast band.
tually met guitarist Lenny Breau in L.A. to play the music, and if it was with Lenny Then there was a period where I hung out
That was a real valuable experience for Breau in some small club in North Holly- a lot at this place called 55 Grand, where a
me; he was another kindred spirit. We wood, who cares? I got to play with Lenny lot of musicians came by. I played with a
formed a trio with floating bass players, Breau! And that was worth a million bucks lot of people there—Scofield, Emily Rem-
and we'd play a club there every week. He to me. Same with Carmen. So my rep was ler, Stanley Jordan, Mike Stern, Kenny
was just a beautiful player. with some of the musicians in town like Kirkland, Harvie Swartz, Daryl Jones, Steve
BM: Looking back, how would you sum up John Scofield and Joe Lovano and some of Slagle.
your experiences in L.A.? the older cats, but I was never on the tip of BM: What were some key hookups for you
JB: I spent seven years out there, and that's everyone's tongue. at that time?
when it started to hit me that something BM: Who did you first hook up with in JB: Red Rodney and Ira Sullivan. That was
was wrong. I needed to have more support New York? the first gig I had where I felt really encour-
for what I wanted to do. I needed more of JB: First it was strictly club dates. One of aged to play the way I felt within that bebop
an outlet than just working other people's the first gigs I did was with bassist Marc idiom. Ira is basically a frustrated drummer
gigs functionally. I liked doing that for the Johnson and pianist Fred Hersch at Griffs himself. He's really into drums. And every
first few years, but later I was trying to do on the East Side. And right after that, Lew night he would just sit back and go, "Yeah,
something else and I didn't know what. Tabackin and Toshiko Akyoshi moved here. play another one." He'd really listen to
The whole studio scene in L.A. has such a
strong influence on a lot of players that
everyone seems to stress craftsmanship.
There are incredible players in L.A., in-
credible craftsmen, and their only outlet is
that of a craftsman.
It slowly dawned on me what was miss-
ing for me; I needed to be around people
who had a different perspective, people
whose main thing was to maybe do some-
thing that was a complete experiment, that
they didn't know if it was working or not
but still went ahead and tried it. And the
real kick in the pants out there for me was
Carl Shroeder, a pianist who had played
with Sarah Vaughan for many years. He
had been involved with Free Life Commu-
nications back in the '60s with cats like
Dave Liebman, Steve Grossman, Bob
Moses, and Wayne Shorter—that whole loft
jazz scene happening in New York then.
He really lit the fuse for me to try and get
me going, thinking about things in different
ways. He has such a philosophical ap-
proach to playing, almost like a Talmudic
scholar. We had a trio with bassist Bob
Magnusson and we did a tape that nobody
was really interested in at the time. But
working on that project kind of gave me
what I had been looking for and had been
frustrated without. So I started to feel that
maybe I should leave L.A. and come to
New York, where more people played music
with this approach.
BM: What adjustments did you have to
make in going to New York from L.A.?
JB: I don't want to get into saying "better"
or "worse"; it's just different. I had to go
through the ropes, start at the end of the
line. I remember calling people, begging
them to play a club date. I had to beg this
guy to hire me to play a gig in a catering
hall out in Jersey.
BM: Didn't your reputation in L.A. carry
any weight in New York?
JB: Not really. It's weird, but I never seemed
to get in groups where I was in a visible
position. Over the years I've had people
following me or enjoying what I do, but I
was never on a "hip" gig. Some gigs are
just built-in; no matter who the drummer
is, you're automatically on the front cover
of every magazine. Weather Report is a gig
like that, or Chick Corea's gig. I would
what everybody was doing. And when you I try to tie it in with the acoustic sounds. So
have that kind of attention on you when I use that plus some weird programmed
you're creating, it's the best thing in the sounds on a basic Casio 101, and I'm basi-
world. That's what I've always valued, cally just reacting to the electronics, taking
which is probably why I've never gotten a possible disaster and sculpting it into
into the studio scene. I think I could've something to propel the music forward, to
done that. I have the skills to. I can read get to the final point of making a statement.
and all that, but giving people something And, hopefully, what I'm doing with these
and getting an immediate reaction from solo performances may inspire some young
them—that's what I really want. If they hate kid to see that there is something other
it or love it, I feel I've done what I really than the big rock star drummer trip. I want
wanted to do. For instance, I just did a gig to make visible an alternative direction.
in Germany as part of the Avant Garde In I'm not creating the direction, really. Solo
New York Festival. I did a solo piece, and drumming has been around since Baby
right in the middle of it I began hearing this Dodds. But the way I put it together, I feel
chanting from the audience. I found out like I'm getting in touch with making it
later they were yelling, "Go back to New personal.
York!" and I kind of liked that because they BM: Like the laughing piece.
were reacting to what I did. But Ira was a JB: That basically came from when I was
real confidence builder for me. He would nine years old. I always laughed a lot. I
turn around and go, "Yeah, more, more!" remember my brother had this little reel-to-
That was around 1982, and it was a kind of reel tape recorder, and I would record about
start for me of bringing that risk-taking qual- three minutes of laughter. I don't remem-
ity to my playing on the gig. ber what I was laughing at, but I would
BM: How did you meet Bill Frisell? play this tape back to my dad and mom. I
JB: It was at a recording session for Kenny always loved to make them laugh. They
Warner, with a cast of thousands. I was had a pretty hard life, and it made me feel
playing one tune with Kenny, Marc Johnson, good to see them laugh. So in this new
Tim Berne, and Frisell, and it just wasn't laughing piece, I'm going back and reclaim-
going anywhere. It was supposed to be this ing something from the past. It's funny how
real kind of sensitive thing, and right in the when you go through a period of getting
middle of it I just figured, "What am I here really involved with jazz, as I did, some-
for? I wanna play what I think should be times you tend to close off other influences.
played." So I just hit this real obnoxious Now I'm wide open to all my past influ-
backbeat. I looked up and noticed that ences—country & western, society club-
Frisell was across the room staring at me, date music, whatever it is. So it's real inter-
smiling. After the session we took each esting and challenging to use that and not
other's numbers, and later we got together be ashamed of it.
and just played duo a lot. We have a lot in BM: What current projects are you focus-
common in that we grew up listening to a ing on?
lot of different types of music and we feel JB: I'm mainly concentrating on the stuff
comfortable playing many kinds of music. with Bill Frisell's band, the solo stuff, and
BM: The solo thing is something you've the group Miniature, which is a coopera-
just begun developing. What does that rep- tive band with alto saxist Tim Berne and
resent to you as an artist? cellist Hank Roberts. I also play occasion-
JB: It represents being able to take my past ally with Berne and John Zorn, doing the
and channel it in a way that I can't do in music of Ornette Coleman, and I have an
any other situation, and to hopefully create ongoing relationship with Jim Hall and with
something that's musical with it, yet not so Toots Thielemans.
extremely serious as solo gigs tend to be. BM: Can you detail your kit?
It's just the way I hear drums a lot, and JB: Sure, it's an old Sonor that I got back in
sometimes what I hear doesn't belong in 1978. It has an 18" bass drum with both
other contexts, but fits in the solo context. heads on it, a 14 x 14 floor tom, and a 5 1/4
And I'm trying to develop that to where I x 14 snare drum. My cymbals are made by
become a musician playing music rather a really good friend of mine, Roberto Spiz-
than a drummer playing by himself with- zichino, who I met a few years ago in Italy.
out a band. They're pretty odd, a prototype model that
BM: And the solo thing also allows you to I was going to throw out. I have a 16" ride,
deal with triggers and delay loops and key- a 16" crash, 14" hi-hats, and a 16" sizzle,
boards. which is kind of a psuedo Chinese swish
JB: I'm fascinated by being able to create a cymbal. When I travel, I don't take the
wash or a sustaining sound, and have that cymbals or anything. I'm trying to make
to build on without tying my limbs up. And what I'm playing the focus rather than the
the electronic system allows me to do that. sound of what I'm playing. I mean, as long
I have a really crude setup. All I use are as the cymbal is not cracked, I'm very
sensor pickups attached to the cymbals. happy. And I'm also happy not to be lug-
They pick up the overtones, and the proc- ging 70 pounds of cymbals on my shoulder
essing that I do is really elementary. The through airports. So I concentrate on draw-
signal goes through a Digitech 8-second ing the sound out of what I have to deal
delay pedal. I don't try to set up patterns with. It's a weird challenge that I enjoy.
and play over them, like a sequencer or
something. I like the randomness of it, and
 Transcribed by Michael G. Kingan

Carlos Vega:
Photo by Lissa Wales

"Oasis"
This month's Drum Soloist features ace session drummer Carlos Vega, playing on a recording called C.R.P. Live, In
Session (GRP Records, CRP-A-1023). The song is a Latin-flavored piece entitled "Oasis," and on it, Carlos plays some
tasty licks. He incorporates the cowbell with some syncopated Latin-funk riffs, and his fills include a healthy dose of
technique. Carlos does some good playing on the album, and a great job on this solo. The drum solo begins near the
end of the tune, following the piano solo.
Arthur C. Clarke once said that any suffi-
Building A MIDI
how a digital reverb unit simulates an would you expect a novice to grab some of
ciently advanced technology is indistin- acoustic space? Yeah, I know what some of Bill Bruford's drum parts at first listen?)
guishable from magic. Seeing how much you are thinking now: "Who cares? Might What's needed is a confidence-builder—a
progress has been made in the technical as well be a circuit made with lime Jello for nice, simple (and preferably useful) project
sophistication of musical instruments over all I care, just as long as it works!" to get started on.
the past ten years (and how few musicians There is something to be said for "getting A MIDI THRU box fits the bill. If you've
hold electrical engineering degrees), me- in a bit deeper." Usually, the extra knowl- been following along with some of our past
thinks there's quite a bit of magic out there. edge gained can help you get the most out discussions, you know that a THRU box is
Did you ever look at a MIDI drum interface of your existing equipment. You might avoid the MIDI equivalent of the audio Y-chord.
and wonder how the thing figures out how a repair bill or save a few bucks by creating In essence it is a signal splitter—a digital
hard you hit that pad? Or, for that matter, something useful on your own. The do-it- version of a distribution amplifier. THRU
yourself route often has unseen boxes are used whenever a given control-
benefits. For example, if you hap- ler needs to feed a number of different
TABLE 1 pen to be the person who built a voice units simultaneously. While this can
given circuit, chances are you're be accomplished via a daisy chain con-
IC1 PC-900 or H11L1GE opto-isolator not going to be too timid about nection in most cases, the THRU box ap-
IC2 4050 CMOS non-inverting buffer taking it apart and repairing it if it proach is more versatile and allows a larger
IC3 78055-volt regulator (JO-220 case style) happens to break! number of units to be serviced.
D1 1N4148 or 1N914 signal diode There are typically two false MIDI communicates via an "optically
C1 470 uFd, 25-volt electrolytic capacitor starts people fall into when at- isolated current loop." This is considerably
C2 1 uFd, 15-volt tantalum capacitor tempting build-your-own proj- different than the sort of interface that ex-
R1-R14 220-ohm, 1/8-watt carbon film resistor, 10% ects. First, some people bite off ists between, say, a mixing board and an
tolerance more than they can chew. (An effects device. The opto-isolated current
J1-J7 5-pin DIN chasis jack RISC-based graphics workstation, loop approach is reasonably easy and in-
S1 SPST power switch for instance, is not a good first expensive to implement (one of MIDI'S chief
For onboard power supply: project.) The second false start is goals), and is less susceptible to certain
T1 120 VAC primary to 9 - 2.6 VAC secondary, not starting at all. Some people kinds of interference. This construction also
200 milliAmps are just a tad too fearful of fail- eliminates most problems with ground
D2-D5 N4001 rectifying diodes ing, and say things like, "I can't loops.
do that technical stuff; I'm an Art- The heart of the MIDI IN is a device
If a dual input is desired: ist." Hogwash. If you mastered called an opto-isolator. This device uses
J8 5-pin DIN chasis jack the physical dexterity needed to the input current pulse to produce light,
S2 DPDT switch play an instrument, wielding a which is picked up by a light-sensitive tran-
Other: soldering iron should be a piece sistor. This transistor can then be used to
Case, fuse holder, misc. hardware, wire, sockets for of cake. (No, your first solder job drive other circuitry in the normal fashion.
IC1 and IC2, AC power cord, etc. won't be perfect. But then again, (Actually, a number of devices other than
the transistor can be used
for the conversion.) Our
circuit, then, must have an
opto-isolator at the front
end. Optos are graded by
speed and a current trans-
fer ratio (essentially a
measure of efficiency). We
need a device that is suffi-
ciently quick and efficient.
Typical optos for MIDI use
are the Sharp PC-900 or
its compatible brother, the
H11L1GE. There are a
number of other suitable
devices around, but these
guys are very easy to work
with.
Once we apply power
to our opto-isolator unit (it
wants 5 volts) and hook in
our two MIDI wires, a rep-
lica of the MIDI signal will
appear at the opto's out-
put. (Yeah, I know the
cable has five pins, but
THRU Box
by Jim Fiore

only two are used for the current loop. obey the polarity markings on the diodes,
One more is used for the ground shield, the capacitors, and the two ICs. (Resistors
and two simply aren't connected to any- are not polarized and can be inserted into
thing.) What we need to do now is split this the circuit in either direction.) I recom-
signal into a bunch of different paths, each mend using sockets for the two ICs.
with its own output jack. This is very easily Table 1 lists all of the components that
done by attaching the opto's output to the you'll need. All of these parts should be
inputs of a hex buffer (a chip with six little available at your local electronics store. If
digital buffers on it). A buffer simply serves you can't find them locally, try one of the
as an isolation device; its output signal looks many mail-order houses like Digi-Key (dial
just like its input signal. The output of each 1 -800-DIGIKEY and ask for their catalog).
buffer leads through a pair of 220-ohm cur- The one that might be a bit tricky to ob-
rent limiting resistors (as defined in the MIDI tain is the PC-900 opto-isolator. If you
spec), through the jack, and up to the 5- have no luck locally, try Xerbitron, 5644
volt power supply. That's all there is to it. Kearny Mesa Road, Suite R, San Diego,
In order to get a nice, stable 5-volt power California 92111. The H11L1GEmay be
supply, we'll use an industry-standard volt- ordered from dissidents, 730 Dawes Ave-
age regulator, the model 7805. This circuit's nue, Utica, New York 13502. Check with
sole reason for existence is to smooth out both companies for price and ordering
supply variations. It can be driven from a info. (Ready-made PC boards for this proj-
simple 9-volt DC "battery eliminator," or ect were under development by dissidents
from a simple AC-to-DC transformer/recti- as of press time. Check with them about
fier/filter. (If you've never fiddled around availability before you get started.) By
with 120-volt AC before, use the battery shopping around, you should be able to
eliminator.) You can use a 9-volt battery, get everything you need (electronic parts,
but life expectancy isn't very long for a case, etc.) for around $25. To put this in
fully loaded system. perspective, a typical commercial unit may
Figure 1 shows a detailed schematic run three times as much.
drawing of our complete one-input/six-out- Be sure to use a low-wattage (15-25
put MIDI THRU box. If you'd like, you can watt) pencil-type soldering iron and a good
add a second IN jack and a DPDT switch quality 60/40 rosin-core solder. Also, if
in order to flip between two different con- this is your very first project, I suggest that
trollers. For those of you with access to you enlist the help of a friend who has
printed circuit board fabrication equipment, done this sort of thing before (and who
a solder-side artwork pattern and associ- just happens to have the tools
ated stuffing guide are shown in Figures 2 that you'll need). In any case, a Computer Art by Terry Kennedy
and 3, respectively. If you don't have ac- good reference for the begin-
cess to this equipment, you can make the ning do-it-youself electronic
circuit on a perf-board (like the ones they drummer is Craig Anderton's
sell at Radio Shack). Make sure that you book Electronic Projects For Mu-
sicians. It contains a good bit of
introductory material on com-
ponent identification and rudi-
mentary soldering technique, as
well as safety precautions.
So there it is. I wish you the
best with it, and have fun! Re-
member, the sooner you start this
project, the sooner you'll be
THRU. (I just love bad puns.)
 Working For Stars
by Roy Burns

Working for "stars" can be very reward- security is also above average. Since these player Zoot Sims said to me, "Roy, play the
ing—especially financially. However, the gigs pay well, you will usually be working sticks. You're up by the trumpets, and we're
experience can be quite different than work- with good players. Most singers travel with way down in front by the piano. We can't
ing in a group where each member makes a rhythm section, and often a conductor as hear a thing. We're walking on eggshells
a contribution. When you work for a star, well. (Occasionally a singer will employ a down there." I had such great respect for
there is one leader, period! And that is al- horn section, but in most instances the or- Zoot that I started to play sticks on the
ways the star. chestra will be made up of local musicians sextet number. After a few days, Benny
Stars can be bandleaders, comedians, TV plus the conductor and the rhythm sec- caught me in the hotel after the concert
show hosts, or singers. Singers are, in most tion.) The opportunity to work with a con- and said, "What are you playing on the
cases, the most temperamental. When you ductor and the experience of playing with sextet number?" I replied, "Sticks, but very
work for a singer, it is generally made clear a big band or an orchestra is another bene- softly." Benny said, "Why are you doing
that you are there to support the star. You fit to this type of playing. It can be very that?" I replied, "I thought it might hold
are to play your part exactly the same way valuable if you have the desire to do studio things together a little better since we're
each night. You are not to experiment or work at a later date. sort of spread out on stage." Benny said,
stretch out. The insecurity of the "star" can be one of "No, you don't need to do that. Just play
One of the advantages is that these gigs the more difficult things to deal with. For the brushes." I said, "Sure." I felt that Zoot
often pay very well. Usually the travel ex- example, there is a famous jazz singer who was right, but I wasn't about to argue.
penses are paid for, and you stay in quality instructs her pianist to "Just play chords After a few more concerts, Zoot began to
hotels and eat in good restaurants. The job behind me. No single-note fill-ins or runs complain again. So, I went back to playing
of any kind. I don't like piano players to sticks. Sure enough, Benny caught me in
show off!" In other words, do not do any- the hotel after the concert and asked, "What
thing that might take attention away from are you playing on the sextet number?" I
the star. I guess the rule is "Play good...but said, "Sticks, but very softly." Again Benny
not too good." inquired, "Why are you doing that?" This
The great bandleader and trombonist time I said, "If you remember, the last time
Tommy Dorsey (so the story goes) used to we talked, you said play sticks, but keep it
polish the bell of his trombone until it was soft." Benny's eyebrows went up, and he
like a mirror. This way, he could see what said, "I did?" I responded, "Benny, you
the band members were doing behind him know I wouldn't change anything unless
when he was playing a solo. In that same you said to do so." He smiled and said,
band were Frank Sinatra and Buddy Rich. "That's good, kid. Keep up the good work."
Sinatra and Buddy had some famous argu- To say that I was relieved after this ex-
ments, because Buddy would make faces change would be an understatement. I had
while Sinatra was singing. Although they had a close call, believe me. I learned that
wound up becoming friends later on, their my job was to please the star, not necessar-
disagreements were well-documented. ily the other members of the band. Zoot
"Nose-picking" is a term used to describe was great, but Benny was signing my check
someone in the band doing something to every week. He was also signing Zoot's
distract the audience from the star. (It's not check every week.
hard to figure out how the expression came Avoid people in the band who make fun
into being.) Some singers are paranoid if of the job or belittle the star. Just remember
someone in the band moves or turns a this thought: How many people would
page of music at the wrong time. To be fair, show up if only that band member's name
these things can disturb the mood of a soft was on the sign in front of the concert hall?
ballad. So, it is best to try to conduct your- Not too many! I found out very quickly
self in a professional manner. As they used who the star really was when I left Benny's
to say in big bands, "Just play your part and band. Although I got a lot of attention when
keep your mouth shut!" I was in the band, I got very little when I
You never win an argument with a star left. The phone just didn't ring. I realized at
or bandleader. (If you do win the argu- the tender age of 23 that stars are stars for a
ment, you lose the job.) If you disagree very good reason: People want to see and
strongly about something, you must learn hear them. They work under a lot of pres-
to be tactful and diplomatic whenever pos- sure; your job as a drummer is to help
sible. For example, when I was on Benny them by playing well, having a positive
Goodman's band, I quickly learned who attitude, and being as professional as pos-
was boss. If he said "Play brushes," I played sible. Don't create problems.
brushes. One did not make suggestions on Remember, if you get tired of playing the
Benny's band. Benny knew what he wanted, same music the same way every night, you
and you played it the best you could. If he can always leave and look for another job.
didn't like it, he would tell you so! However, as long as you accept the check,
We used to play a sextet number on give it your best. That's what being profes-
concerts, and Benny liked brushes on that sional is all about.
tune. However, the late, great tenor sax
 Learning Polyrhy
Some time has passed since I wrote my first book, Subsequently, I learned that the most simplified way of under-
Musician's Guide To Polyrhythms (Vol. I). I began standing, counting, and performing polyrhythms is to learn the
the book at the end of the summer in 1965. I had mathematical ratio of the top rhythm as it applies to the bottom
just graduated from the San Francisco Conserva- rhythm. Then, write that rhythm so you can visualize it. At this
tory Of Music in the spring, and I had gone on to point, all you have to do is learn to play the two rhythms together
study a summer of tabla drumming with Mahapu- so you can hear them.
rush Misra, the North Indian tabla master. This Even today, most drummers who talk to me about polyrhythms
great musician taught a summer course as part of miss the point, because they fail to separate the two rhythms from
an Ali Akbar Khan summer music program in Berkeley, California. each other. Many drummers, and various other musicians, think of
One of my instructors from the San Francisco Conservatory, polyrhythms and polymeters as a subdivision of the basic pulse,
composer Robert Erickson, told me about the East Indian music and not two separate entities. Others seem to be confused as to the
program. He knew of my interest in all kinds of ethnic drumming difference between polyrhythms and odd meters, and still others
and drummers. Before enrolling in the Ali Akbar Khan program, seem to feel that playing polyrhythms means throwing in odd
my total experience with polyrhythms and layered meters was rhythmic patterns whenever they think about it. Understanding
limited. It was while studying with Mahapurush Misra that I began polyrhythms is none of the above. What I hope to do with this
to fully understand the limited knowledge I had about rhythm in series of columns is explain exactly what polyrhythms are, and
general. Fortunately for me, I was allowed to stay after school, and how to learn to use them. I have come up with a system that is an
the gracious master, Pandit (learned one) Misra, would give me easy way to learn how to add the concept of polyrhythms and
some extra time to sit with him after class and play. Pandit Misra polymeters to your musical vocabulary, one step at a time.
would open up on the tabla, and then I would repeat what he
The First Step
played on a drum pad. There was no way I could get together with
him on the tabla drums. The class was still learning how to make The first requirement when learning polyrhythms is to have a
the drums speak with one clear tone. From that experience, I came solid understanding of how to read and count in 4/4 time. By
to realize that I knew very little about the possibilities of rhythmic refreshing this area, you already benefit from the study of
improvisation, and that there was a whole new world of rhythmic polyrhythms, in that you get a chance to sharpen your basic 4/4
expression waiting to be explored. reading skills and perhaps add to your knowledge as to exactly
The first thing I learned about polyrhythms was that I loved how 4/4 works. This may seem basic at first, but it is important to
exploring the different possibilities of one time over another. I also understand this fully before getting into the more complicated
learned that understanding polyrhythms was not that difficult, as areas of polyrhythms. One other attribute to looking over 4/4 is
long as I could hear and understand what the rhythmic mathe- developing a steady time feel, or, as Dave Weckl puts it, an "inner
matical ratio was of the two meters being played. For example, clock." Polyrhythms, in order for them to work, require a solid
one of the first rhythms I began to explore and really understand foundation.
was 6 over 4, translated meaning 1 1/2 beats to 1: The bottom Let's begin this re-evaluation of 4/4 time with some exercises to
rhythm would represent four beats to the bar, the top rhythm sharpen your sense of time. First, evenly play and count the
would represent the quarter-note triplet. Both rhythms, when played following exercise. Play exact, perfect time, and use a click track
at the same time, accommodate exactly the same space between or metronome to check yourself. Play this at a variety of tempos.
bar lines. Simply put, we identify the rhythm as a quarter-note
triplet over four beats, and it looks like this:

This is called either three over two or six over four:

The previous example demonstrates the one-to-one concept of

mathematical ratio. This concept is the relationship of one beat to
another, which I consider the foundation of this polyrhythmic
study.
 by Peter Magadini

thms: Part 1
Next, count and subdivide each quarter note in 4/4 in the
following manner:
Quarter notes to 8th notes

Quarter notes to triplets

Quarter notes to 16th notes

Quarter notes to 16th-note triplets

These are just a few examples of counting and playing in 4/4

time. I also suggest that you continue to sharpen your understand-
ing of 4/4 playing and reading skills on your own. Understanding
4/4 (one to one ratio) will enable you to have a much easier time
of developing and working with polyrhythms.
While it may seem that some of these basic subdivisions may not Once again, I emphasize the fact that it helps to understand our
need reviewing, I suggest that you go through them anyway and notation system and how it works when learning how to read (and
practice each exercise until you are confident that you know it. then hear) the polyrhythmic combinations. This does not mean,
We will be using all of this material for our polyrhythmic studies. however, that you must be a good reader to learn how to hear and
Practice playing and counting the following mixed exercises, play polyrhythms. That can be done by hearing them first and then
which are again in 4/4 time. Be sure to count when playing these discovering how to apply them later. Next month we will focus on
exercises. Knowing how to count rhythms is an important tool understanding and playing polyrhythmic ratios.
when learning how to use polyrhythms.
 Syncing Drum
by Steve LaCerra

Machines To Tape
Drummers who own a drum machine may two outputs, but are working with 16 tracks Roland SBX-80, which is becoming a stan-
have noticed that their unit has a feature or more, "sync to tape" will help you get dard piece of gear in recording studios.
known as "sync to tape." This mode of the individual drums on separate tracks. Although using the SBX-80 takes a bit more
operation allows the machine to record a On the first pass of the tape, you can re- time than the drum machine's internal sync,
sync tone onto a tape. By playing the sync cord the kick and snare drums only, on the SBX-80 is dead accurate. It locks up
tone back into the drum machine, the ma- separate tracks, by panning one left and exactly the same every time you run the
chine will run a program while being the other right and pulling the other drumkit tape. With the drum machine's internal sync
"driven" by this tone. This makes it pos- components out of the drum machine's ste- tone, I cannot promise you that it will lock
sible to print only the sync tone on one reo mix. Since the machine locks to tape in up the same, time after time, since these
track, use all the remaining tape tracks for musical time, on the second pass you can internal clocks have a tendency to drift
other instruments, and never actually put pan the toms left to right, pull the kick and somewhat. Let's take a look at how the
the drums onto the multi-track master tape. snare out of the drum machine's stereo mix, SBX-80 operates.
Through use of the sync tone, the drums and record only the toms on two more The SBX-80 generates and reads SMPTE
can be recorded "live" into the two-track tracks. You can do the same for the cym- and "clock in" or "sync in" on the drum
mix. There are advantages and disadvan- bals or whatever else you have. You now machine. Adjust the SBX-80 clock knob to
tages to this approach, and they must be have six or seven tracks of drums from a the same pulse number that your drum
known to the drummer/programmer before drum machine that has only two outputs. machine can read. Even using the clock
using this technique. You can process these sounds with EQ or interface, the lockup of the SBX-80 will
Why would one not want to just record reverb as you are recording them, or you still be accurate. You can then print the
the drums in the first place? If you are can print them dry and process the sounds two-bar pattern temporarily and record the
working in an eight-track format, the drums in the mix. other instruments to this reference. Do not
may be allocated only one or two tracks. Before discussing exactly how to sync to record drums on the track next to the SMPTE
This means that once the balance and tape, there are some disadvantages that track or you will have problems driving the
equalization between the individual drums must be mentioned. First, playing the drum drum machine. If the song is to be worked
is recorded on tape, it cannot be changed. machine live to the mix means that the on over a number of days, save the SBX-80
That can be a big problem if, for example, studio must have a recording console with program using its cassette interface.
the snare drum is not loud enough in a enough inputs to handle all the tape tracks, You do not have to record a reference
certain section of the song. Also, what if all the "live" drum tracks (i.e. individual drum track. You can simply drive the drum
you're not sure about how loud to make inputs for kick, snare, tom 1, tom 2, tom 3, machine live while doing the overdubs.
the tom fills? Remember, if the drum pro- hi-hat), and all the outboard gear (delays, However, it is easier not to have to deal
gram is laid down first, as it must be under reverbs, and processors). But that really with starting and stopping the drum ma-
normal procedures, you will not be hear- shouldn't be a problem, since even small chine when punching in on a bass track,
ing the other instruments for comparison. studios are often capable of handling 32 or for example.
You may also be faced with percussion more inputs on remix in this MIDI age. When all the empty tracks are used up,
sounds (i.e. shaker, tambourine, etc.) and Another consideration is outboard gear. you can erase the reference drum track
gated reverb sounds. If the gated reverb on At this point, the drums are coming off the and finish overdubbing with the "live" drum
the snare drum is recorded too short or too machine dry. You will want one reverb unit machine. At this point, there is no need to
long, it cannot be isolated and changed exclusively for the snare drum, at least. get involved with equalization and reverb.
without changing the rest of the kit as well. You will probably also want a different A rough mix from one output of the drum
Even if you're working with 16 tracks, the reverb for the toms; and don't forget the machine will do nicely.
band may only be willing to give you two other instruments. For the best sound qual- All this extra effort allows you more con-
or three to work with. ity, use each reverb unit for as few sounds trol in the final product. Since the drums
If you own a drum machine with only as possible and avoid putting any vocals are not printed, you can wait to hear what
through a reverb unit that is handling drums. the bass player has done and then lock in
The whole process that follows may or your kick drum pattern to the bass. You can
may not be time-consuming, depending on also change a drum fill easily. Using the
how prepared you are with the program. If "SMPTE offset" function of the SBX-80, you
you have been hired to write the program can even put the "drummer" a hair ahead
in the studio, you can print a repeating of or behind the beat, if the feel of the song
two-bar pattern, record the other instru- dictates it.
ments, and then write your program last Now that the whole band is recorded,
and tailor it to the song. you can go for the perfect equalization and
There are two ways to actually drive the reverb settings for the context of the song,
drum machine from tape. The first is to without guessing. In addition, the drum
print the machine's internally generated sounds will naturally have more punch,
tone on a tape track and then play it back because they are skipping a generation of
into the machine to drive the drums. The tape recording (the multi-track master) and
other way is to use a SMPTE-to-MIDl or are being played directly into the mix.
SMPTE-to-clock converter, such as the
DD: Absolutely nothing. I went to someone who used to play with say, Gene, he was known as a great rhythm guitar player, and
Ravi Shankar and tried to learn as much as I could in as short a pe- people might have said, "If he left, okay." But that's not true,
riod of time as possible. I did it to whatever degree I could, just like because he had his own way of doing things, and we would not
I approached the congas, which I knew nothing about. I watched have been the same band without him.
the guy for three or four concerts, got some tablas, and I just did it. RF: Let's talk about the musical direction of the current focus.
If you listen to it, it's pitiful. DD: We're staying pretty close to the arrangements that existed.
RF: Who did the hand percussion on the tunes in the studio? You've got to think about the audience that's coming to see you. I
DD: I think I did some of that finger-cymbal stuff, and Eddie would don't want to slight those people at all. They're going to expect to
do things on maracas and tambourines. hear certain things, and there are drum signatures on certain
RF: When we started this conversation, I asked you how your songs. If I give them 65% of what they are used to and maybe 35%
attitude toward playing might have changed when you became of a fresher approach, I think they'll buy it.
famous. At this point you were famous. Were you enjoying it? RF: Speaking of a fresh approach, you did something in rehearsal
DD: I was enjoying it, but not in the same way anymore. The the other day that I've never seen anybody do. You took both your
pressure of, "Make your hit records, go on tour, play the 20,000- hands and bashed a cymbal on the complete other side of you.
seaters, do interviews, do television," was immense, and every- DD: I got that from Jimmy Connors. That's how he plays tennis. He
thing was all planned out. There was no spontaneity anymore, and was one of the first guys to use that double-hand thing, and I saw
there was no room to leave things to chance. The curiosity I still him and thought, "Wow, what if I do that on a cymbal? That would
had towards music just wasn't able to realize itself, because there be wild and would look great." Yeah, those are the kinds of things
was no time anymore. I'm going to try to come up with. The "anything goes" approach.
RF: Was the later stuff creative for you with the new players and RF: How did you feel about playing all the old stuff again?
slightly new direction? DD: At first I wasn't thrilled because I don't approach music that
DD: Oh yeah, Felix and I had a ball doing those two albums, The way anymore, drum-wise. When I played with Little Steven, it was
Peaceful World and The Island Of Real. The story of how we left much more simple and more dance-oriented, with not as many
Atlantic and how Eddie left and then Gene left is common knowl- fills. That's how I would play with most anybody nowadays. Now
edge by now. Clive Davis then signed us to CBS Records, expect- The Rascals are coming back together, and those records are a
ing us to write Rascals songs and do Rascals music, and Felix little bit busier, so "How busy am I going to be?" became the
turned it around and put together all these jazz guys. We didn't question. Actually, it became fun when I started putting it all
want to do the Rascals anymore; we wanted to do something together. I can be a little bit open and I won't play as many fills on
different, and we were still heavily influenced by jazz. We did two this song, but when it comes to that one, I'm known to maybe do a
records, but there was just no audience for that. It wasn't the band certain thing, and people will expect that, so I'm going to do it.
anymore. Eddie and Gene were gone, and once one guy is gone Like with "A Girl Like You," I'm going to have the guts to approach
from something like what we had, it's over. I can't look at it like it like a big band thing, but with a funk kind of groove to it, the
one guy isn't that important, like a lot of people do. They played funk groove being a more modern approach to the song. It's an
down Ringo's importance in the Beatles. Forget it. The guy is phe- open kind of feel with a triplet hi-hat thing that I never played; I
nomenal. First of all, his style is great, but while he was maybe the played a swing feel on the cymbal in the old days. Now I'll play it
least musically creative person in the band, without him it would more like a dance version. The two feels create old and new
have been a different band. If you look at our band and look at, together, which makes the song work. I'm trying to do that through-
out our whole set and still be a little flashy here and there, because
people expect that.
RF: So are you telling me that drumming styles changed or that
you changed?
DD: Both. There are parts of the past that still hold up for me, like
the rhythm structure on "Good Lovin'." There are three or four
songs that I can listen to on the radio and not get turned off, even
though technologically they sound bad to me. But "Good Lovin',"
as bad as it sounds, still works because of the magic of the
rawness. It almost sounds like a punk record.
RF: What else do you like?
DD: I can listen to "Groovin"' and "People Got To Be Free" and
"Lonely Too Long." Those are the ones I can deal with. "How Can
I Be Sure" is still gorgeous to me, but when it comes to that middle
section where Eddie and Dave [Brigati] are singing together, it's so
loud in the mix that I lose it and I have to turn it down.
RF: What equipment are you using now?
DD: I'm using all Pearl equipment and some Simmons stuff. I'm
not playing electronics much at all. I'm pretty much staying to an
acoustic kit. The guys like that. I played nothing but electronics for
the past four or five years. I said to myself, "I'm going to try to do
this acoustic, because that's what they like, and I think that's what
the people who are coming to see us are going to relate to, so I
won't be too wild or space-age as far as my drum approach. Let
me be a little bit traditional." As long as my hands hold out, I'm
fine. It's just that process of getting the calluses.
RF: You went machine-crazy for a little while with Little Steven.
DD: Well, Steven went machine-crazy. It wasn't my choice. He
got into machines so much that it obliterated his whole band. I
hope he goes back to the live players again. We had a ball,
though, when we were together. That was a conglomeration of
musicians that was really wild—one of the guys from the Plas-
matics, me, Steven from Bruce Springsteen, one of the guys from
Rainbow, and the bass player from Adam Ant. We had a good
time.
RF: Bulldog, the band you put together after the Rascals, didn't do
too much live playing, did it?
DD: No, we did two records, although one What can you think of and make work?
didn't get distributed properly. We had the Curiosity is the thing. If this works this time
song "No," which was a Top-40 hit, but it out, it's not going to remain the same. I'm
didn't work out. The people in that band going to change it.
didn't really gel, so we didn't stay together. RF: What do you want from this reunion?
Fotomaker came closer, but we were out of DD: I want this to be the best reunion that
time. We were doing something like an has happened, and I want people to have a
English pop band. I liked Fotomaker and good time hearing this band again. Once
thought it was a hot band. It had all the that works, I would like to work with Felix
elements, but we didn't stick it out. It was and Gene in the studio and do some new
costing us money to do it. music.
Then I started another project in the late RF: What are your current goals?
'70s. I had heard English ska music in my DD: I kind of take it day-by-day. I always
travels overseas and I loved it. I had this look forward to what's coming around the
wild idea to do what the Police were doing. corner, although one never knows what's
They married reggae with rock 'n' roll, and coming around the corner. I just try to keep
I wanted to marry ska music with rock 'n' really open to everything and continue to
roll. It never did materialize. We were on learn all the time, and I try to get better at
our way to go out and showcase when I everything I do. When I stopped playing
met Steven and got swayed. It was a wild with Steven, it was the first year I stopped
band, though, and I created a whole differ- in 25 years, and it was a year that I guess I
ent way of playing in that band. I hardly needed, because I came back with a re-
played drums at all; I played bass drum newed vigor. It just so happened that the
and rims, and I miked the rims and the Rascals thing started up again right when
shells of my drums and would play on the everything had settled down, and I got back
shells with all these weird stick things—a into playing again and came back really
lot of reggae things, but rock 'n' roll beats strong. I got into practicing and working
and rhythms combined. It was very unique, things out, and exploring new approaches
and I was really onto something that I could and new music. That's what I want to con-
have made work if we had stayed together. tinue to do.
RF: Was this your needing to find new crea- I don't know what is happening as far as
tive ways of doing things? the Rascals go, but there are so many things
DD: That was a large part of it, sure—new we can do with it. I would love to make
approaches. I'm always into that. some new records if we could get the
RF: Like your attitude about art: Anything people back together who could make the
goes. thing happen. I'm still hopeful that some-
DD: Anything goes. Yes, that's the beauty. how things could be worked out with Felix
and Eddie so the vocal trio of the Brigati
brothers and Felix could happen again. I
think we'd come out with some really in-
teresting records. Plus, I'm looking forward
to working with Steven again if that hap-
pens and putting together another band. As
far as one specific dream, I kind of don't
have that anymore. I just live daily and stay
positive and make any situation the best I
can possibly make it.
RF: It's got to be difficult to go from having
stardom to not having it anymore.
DD: That was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. A
person is lucky to have that happen once.
Even if I were to be with a big successful
band, I couldn't see it happening in the
way the Rascals happened, because it was
a different time and a different time in my
life. You look at things differently when
you're 40 years old than when you're 20.
When you're 20, you know everything.
When you're 40, you realize you know
hardly anything. You hopefully get a little
bit wiser. It's that "eyes of a child" kind of
thing that Picasso had. Those artists always
see the innocence of everything, and it's
important to me never to lose that. It's so
easy to become jaded by so many years in
the music business, but I will never let that
happen to me. People always say it was
better in the old days, but I never see it like
that. There's always more. You just have to
dig to get the beauty out of it. There's al-
ways beauty if you look for it.
make headway was that I put the song first, SG: You were obviously at the Vinnie Co- people, and you like it that way. So you
as I had done with Fairport. But in every laiuta clinic in London this year. shouldn't expect me to keep the same band
interview I read these days the person says, DM: Yeah! And I'm sorry, but I thought the all the time, because the only way I can get
"I'm a song drummer. I put the song first." questions were absolutely pathetic. I would to play with other people is to have them
So if everyone is doing it, what's so special like to have asked him about the wonder- play with me." And ever since then, if I
about me? I don't know. Perhaps I'd devel- ful Jennifer Warnes album he did, Famous work with someone and they don't call me
oped some sort of musical character. You Blue Raincoat. The 19/16 thing is great be- the next time 'round, obviously it's disap-
see, I don't think that artists or producers cause he does it so well, but I'm sure he'd pointing, but I just tell myself, "They want
ought to approach finding a drummer for a be the first to tell you that that's not the to work with someone else. That's okay."
session by saying, "We need some drum- point. I love hearing Vinnie playing like And actually, Joan has called me again.
ming on this. Who can perform the func- that, because at that level it's so musicianly. I've done some tracks on a new album,
tion?" Some do, but the sensible approach I can't do it! But you can get someone like which will be out when this interview ap-
is to say "We'd like to have so-and-so; he Vinnie on a ballad, something straightfor- pears.
can put a certain character that we like ward, and he'd play that beautifully too. SG: You mention imperceptible changes in
into the song." Many drummers are not so interested in style. Do you tend to notice this happening
I suppose I've got something to offer that that, though. more in retrospect, when you listen to things
other musicians and songwriters appreci- SG: That 19/16 is famous by now. You say later?
ate. I'm certainly not a "drummers' drum- you couldn't play it, but "Cat On The Mixer" DM: Yes, definitely. When I heard what I
mer." There's this "Who's got the crown at contains similar complexities. did with Jimmy Page for the soundtrack of
the moment?" attitude; it's the state-of-the- DM: Yes. That is fairly complex, but it hasn't Death Wish 2, I could hear myself playing
art approach to drumming. I love these got Frank Zappa's name on it. [laughs] what I thought I ought to have been play-
people; they are wonderful, wonderful play- SG: Your keyboard playing knowledge must ing. It still sounds like me, but you adapt to
ers. But it just seems to me that young help you to bring a wider musical under- your surroundings. The album I did with
players coming up often want to play like standing to things than if you were "just" a Bill Nelson, Red Noise, was very quirky; I
that for the wrong reasons. These state-of- drummer. sounded different on that. You have your
the-art drummers are great musicians, but DM: Well, I don't mind being "just" a drum- own character and approach, but other
all the fans see is the chops. Drum clinics mer, but the keyboard knowledge is help- people can sit over you. This isn't in an
are not about music. They are about being ful. I understand where a song is going and oppressive way, but it makes you think,
impressed with the person on stage and why all these things happen. "Now, if they're doing this and I'm doing
maybe learning some licks. The sort of SG: Which came first, the keyboards or the that, and if they're leaning this way and I'm
questions that get asked are never, "How drums? leaning that way..." and you add it all up
do I play in this situation, when there's a DM: The keyboards came first. I learned and hope that something good comes out.
bass player who's doing such and such?" piano before drums. But I never really pur- SG: To state the obvious example: You don't
It's always, "Can you play the thing in sued the keyboard thing. I don't think Gary think, "This is Jimmy Page, so I should
19/16 that you did on such and such a re- Husband's got anything to worry about! sound like John Bonham"?
cording?" Now, there's a drummer who can call him- DM: There was definitely an element of
self a keyboard player, too. What I do is that, because Bonham was such a strong
really only in a supportive role. The lure of musical personality. But I realized that I
the drums was too great for me to get par- wasn't going to be able to play like him
ticularly involved in keyboards. It goes back and sound like him, so I concentrated on
to seeing Tony Meehan behind his Gretsch making it sound strong. This didn't mean
kit. trying to get the Bonham drum sound or
SG: Picking up your earlier point about a anything like that. I tried to get a clearly
player's character: It's interesting that Joan defined sound, with some push behind it.
Armatrading has used both you and Richie Another point is that if Jimmy Page had
Hayward. One would normally think of wanted as close a facsimile of John Bonham
your "characters" as being quite different. as he could find, he wouldn't have used
DM: That's down to Joan. She is able to me. There are other people around who
influence the people who play with her. are much closer to being Bonham clones
I'm not saying that it comes out the same than I'll ever be.
whoever does it, but you make these al- SG: There is the question of balance be-
most imperceptible changes in your play- tween having your own musical character,
ing to suit the artist. You hardly realize you which might imply specializing in a par-
are doing it; you just respond in a particu- ticular style, and being adaptable and ver-
lar way. satile.
Richie Hayward is a great player. It was DM: I think it's healthy for drummers to be
interesting for me to see him on a TV show encouraged to listen to as many different
playing "Love And Affection." I had played types of music as possible, take it all in and
on the record, but what he was doing was be aware of the styles. But I'm not con-
completely different. What he did was great, vinced of the merits of trying to cover all
but it was a different approach to the song. those things. There are some excellent all-
Joan Armatrading is very broad in her 'round players who really can cover every-
outlook. She hears a lot, and appreciates thing, but they are in the minority. Special-
different styles. It's interesting, she was one ist players are used within their own spe-
of the first people I worked with on a free- cialist fields more than all-'rounders: If a
lance basis, but for a fairly long tenure. I country artist is recording a country album,
did an album and then about nine months he's more likely to call a country drummer
on the road. At the end of that she said she than an all-'rounder; if a jazz saxophonist
wanted to change the lineup for the next is going to make an album, he's more likely
album, and I was terribly hurt! But Joan to call a jazz drummer than an all-'rounder.
said to me, "Look, you free-lance, don't There are exceptions to this rule, but I think
you? You can go off and play with different the divisions you get are clear from the
categories in the Modern Drummer poll. a contained sound. But I try not to make are so many really well-made drums with a
There are more and more categories: Elec- too many rules with them. In other words, much greater choice of heads; and when
tric jazz, Fusion, Metal, all these things. the live-sounding kit can be closed down you're working with a sound engineer,
And all these people who win are really and slackened off, and I can go the other there's such a wealth of technology at his
good in their own style. They sometimes way with the deader kit. disposal. All you have to do is to give him
cross over a little bit, but you don't often You can tune a drum in a way that you a good drum sound to work with.
find an all-'rounder winning different cate- wouldn't normally tune it, and you hear it SG: You mentioned just now about experi-
gories. There are not too many Vinnies, back and it sounds like a million dollars. menting with tuning, and finding that you
Dave Weckls, or Steve Gadds around; they So you decide to try to get all the drums can't get all the drums sounding as you'd
are in the minority. sounding that way. All your usual parame- like. Another problem with changing things
Sure, learn to be adaptable, learn differ- ters go out of the window, and you get to is that you can get more snare rattle when
ent techniques, learn to read, but I think it's work on retuning the rest of the kit. Then you play the toms.
good to lean towards a particular style that you find that they all sound rubbishy, ex- DM: Yes, that's a problem, too. You can
you feel comfortable with and enjoy. Don't cept the original one. So you change them never get away from it completely. It's in
try to fight it and say, "I must ignore my all back. Then you say, "I wonder if they'd the nature of acoustic drums that you're
favorite music while I concentrate on de- sound better with a thinner head on the going to set up sympathetic vibrations.
veloping," and learn African polyrhythms, bottom," and that doesn't sound any good. When I'm involved in soundchecks and
and when you've got that down you switch It's endless; but we all go through it. I used we are testing the drums one at a time, I
to Japanese music. You could go on for- to have clearly defined ideas about tuning always leave the snares in the off position
ever. I think that there's too much emphasis drums, but I find that the older I get, the while I do the toms. I switch them on when
on the idea that you have to be able to play less I know. These days I'm always pre- they ask me for the whole kit. If they then
everything from a polka to AC/DC. Yes, it pared to break my own rules, and I'll look say that the snares are rattling, I say, "See
can all be useful, but I like players with at other peoples' rules and the ways they what it sounds like when the other instru-
character. Give me a Jim Keltner any day. might break them too. The only rule I stick ments are playing; if it's still a problem I'll
SG: As a teacher, I find that most teenagers to is to make sure that the head is ten- change it"; but I hardly ever need to, be-
are only really interested in heavy metal. sioned evenly on the drum to start with. cause the rattle gets lost in all the other
But they need to be encouraged to be adapt- There are so many things that affect your sounds.
able, because their taste and their musical approach to tuning: the type of heads, There's a trick I sometimes use if the
requirements are likely to change. whether you are playing live or in the stu- snare rattle is worrying me: Bearing in mind
DM: Yes. I'm talking about a later stage in dio, if live are you miked up, and in what that it is the smaller toms that make the
a player's development. I'm not talking way, the place you are playing in and its snares rattle—because they are on a simi-
about the guy who's been playing for three acoustic properties.... If you have rules, lar frequency to the snare drum—simple
years and thinks that Metallica are the great- you must be prepared to adapt them. fills 'round the toms can often be played
est thing since sliced bread. Having a blink- I think it's easier to get a good drum with the right hand on its own. I can rest
ered view of things before you have had a sound today than it was ten or more years the tip of the left stick on the snare drum
chance to explore all the possibilities—that's ago. If you're playing acoustically, there batter head, with a little pressure. That
not healthy! For instance, John Bonham
knew a lot about other styles. He was a big
Al Jackson fan. He really dug all the Stax
and Motown stuff. So I think that it is after
you have become aware of the various
possibilities, and have developed some
musicianship, then you can channel your
energies towards the style that suits you.
You see, Zeppelin for me were some-
thing of a paradox. I have always thought
they were great musicians. I've got all the
albums, and they cover so much. There's
one thing they did in 9/8, "The Crunge,"
and I asked John to show me how he
counted it. He sat down at his kit and dem-
onstrated, and he lost me after two bars.
They were tremendous players, but they
also gave birth to this terrible monster at
the same time. [laughs] A lot of the kids
today who are into heavy metal don't even
know who John Bonham was, let alone
players in other styles!
SG: Can we talk about the equipment you
use? You seem to have quite an assortment
of drums.
DM: I've got quite an assortment of snare
drums, but the main drums I use are all
Yamaha. I've got two live kits and two stu-
dio kits. For the live playing there's one
Yamaha 9000 series kit and one 8000 se-
ries. They are both fitted with the RIMS
tom-mounting system and the May EA inter-
nal miking system. The studio kits: There's
one "deadish"-sounding one, and one that
is a bit more open and "live"-sounding.
That one has got bigger drums with less of
damps the snare drum and cuts down on center to get a lot of overtones. But for
the rattle considerably. It isn't something I conventional work, there's something about
do all the time, but it is useful occasionally. a brass shell. I tried the Ludwig bronze-
SG: Apart from your May EA system, what shell drum, and for me there was a bit too
other electronic gadgets do you use? much attack. I love the sound of a brass
DM: Well, I've got a Dynacord ADD-one shell. I'm waiting for the deeper Yamaha
and Yamaha RX11 and RX5 with interface. brass drums to be available in England.
I'm working on triggering the Dynacord I've used the piccolo, and that's really great.
sounds off the acoustic kit at the moment. SG: I sometimes wonder whether the fash-
I'm finding out what the best pickups are ion for piccolo snare drums has something
and the best interface and so on. I don't to do with manufacturers saying to them-
really want to get into 12-foot high racks selves, "We've sold everybody a deep snare
and all that sort of thing. All I'm interested drum; what can we get them to buy next?"
in is having a really good sound source, a DM: [laughs] I wouldn't really agree; I think
really good drum machine, an interface, it's more to do with the influence of rec-
and some outboard gear—and that's it. You ords. A specific example would be Alan
can have multiple sound sources, but how White's snare drum sound on Yes's "Owner
many can you drive at once? You can put a Of A Lonely Heart." Trevor Horn, who pro-
lot of sounds into something like the Dyna- duced that, told me that he got a hell of a
cord and bring them up as you need them. lot of flak about it. There were people from
There's a limit to the number of things you the record company phoning him up in the
can trigger at any one time. middle of the night to say that they were
I don't get asked for electronic sounds worried about the snare drum sound. But
that much, so I don't need to get too heav- Trevor said, "Actually, the only way we
ily involved. The studio people who are could get that drum sounding good at the
always doing programming and electronic time was to wind it up tight." That was one
things—like Jimmy Bralower, in America— of the first of a whole run of hit records
they are the ones who have the use for a with a high-sounding snare drum.
lot of electronics. Then there's Bill Bruford, SG: What about your taste in cymbals?
and the way he uses it; but that's a different DM: It's Zildjians all the way. I owned a
thing again. I love what he does, but I don't great many Zildjians before I was fortunate
do anything like it myself. enough to get an endorsement deal with
SG: We haven't mentioned drum sizes, al- them. I haven't got a particular cymbal
though you said that you have two studio setup; it really is a case of a different cym-
kits with different-sized drums. bal for every occasion. I've got some lovely
DM: I use whatever size of drum seems to old Zildjians as well as some of the newer
suit the job I'm doing at the time. I've got ones. I really love thin crashes. That was
20", 22", and 24" bass drums—only using something that Kenny Clare turned me on
one at a time, that is—and my tom-toms to. Ages ago I asked him, "How do you get
range from 10" to 16". They are all RIMS that crash cymbal to produce a choked
mounted. I use three or four tom-toms at sound like a splash cymbal?" and he got
any one time, depending on the range of out a 15" extra-thin crash and bent it al-
sounds we need. most double. That was a revelation for me.
Snare drums? I've got, I think, around 25 I've got some of Kenny's old Zildjians now.
at the last count. But I don't collect them There's everything from nice bright sweet
for the sake of collecting them. They've all pingy ones to trashy ones with lots of over-
got their own sounds, and I find the heads tones. It's the whole gamut.
and the tuning that will bring the ideal SG: Kenny Clare was something of a friend
character out of each drum. Then I can use and mentor?
whichever drum is appropriate; but there DM: Yes. He and Johnny Richardson were
are some standard ones that I find myself big influences on me when I started out.
using for most things. The wood-shell Yama- Johnny was manager of Drum City in Lon-
has cover a lot of ground. I normally use a don, when I worked there in the '60s. He's
5 1/2" or a 7"; the 8" is a little bit deeper than still playing in and around London. He's a
I need for most things. Another regular snare wonderful player; but not only that, he has
drum is a 5 1/2" brass-shell Gretsch—one of some really good ideas about the drumkit
the old ones with the round badge. I've and tuning, how to set it up, choice of
taken off the cast hoops and put the triple- cymbals.... He's really musical. I owe him
flanged type on. That's because I play all and Kenny a lot.
my backbeats with the rim, and I find it SG: Can you cite any other influences?
sounds too boxy with the cast hoop. I like DM: Well, there are masses of favorite
the old Ludwig Black Beauty too—not the drummers, but for somebody to be an in-
new ones; they're made of bronze, not fluence you need to analyze what that per-
brass. son is doing and allow it to affect your own
SG: Does it make that much difference if it playing. This isn't a matter of copying licks,
is brass or bronze? it's being influenced by a player's approach.
DM: There's definitely something warmer Steve Gadd is often quoted by people, and
about brass. There are less overtones. It I'm no exception. To understand why he's
depends on what you want: If you want a so great, you have to look beyond the chops
really ringy, Kenny Aronoff type of sound, and hear how sympathetic he is to the music
then you'd go for a steel shell with some- that is going on around him. Like every-
thing like a Diplomat on it, and play it off- body else, I loved all the Chick Corea stuff,
but then there's the album he did with Di-
onne Warwick, Heartbreaker. Now that
really is simple, but I'd say it's depth of
groove. That's what he gets just right every
time. Other drummers whose playing af-
fects me in the same way are Andy New-
mark and Levon Helm. They combine the
technique with the groove. Then there are
some marvelous players who are not known
for their technique at all, like Ringo, Char-
lie Watts, and Neil Young's drummer, Ralph
Molina. There are some great jazz drum-
mers who never let their superb technique
get in the way of good tasteful supportive
playing; among my favorites are Shelly
Manne and Mel Lewis. There's also a Brit-
ish jazz player called Tony Oxley. He plays
a lot of avant garde, but he has this quality,
too. There's the ECM drummer Jon Chris-
tensen, but my all-time favorite has to be
Jim Keltner, for the character we spoke
about earlier. On that level I also admire
Bill Bruford, who I see as a sort of "con-
temporary jazz" Keltner.
One other English drummer, who is some-
times overlooked, is Gerry Conway. He was
with Sandy Denny's band, Fotheringay, and
he played with Jethro Tull and Cat Stevens.
He's done all that, but he can play well
outside the "English" thing, as well. His
time is absolutely wonderful; he's got great
feel.
SG: For obvious reasons, I'd like to finish
with something about Fairport Convention.
You seem very happy with the way things
have been going since you rejoined in '82.
DM: It wasn't exactly a case of rejoining,
because there wasn't a band to join. They
were doing annual August reunions at Cro-
predy, and I joined in with the other drum-
mer, Bruce Rowlands. All that was happen-
ing was that once a year we would get
together and play for a bunch of people,
but that event got bigger and bigger so that
there was a move to come up with some
new material and try to take it a bit further.
This coincided with Bruce's moving to
Denmark and more or less giving up play-
ing; so when we did Gladys' Leap, I was
the only drummer. The reaction to that al-
bum was so good that we decided to start it
up again and see what happened. From
there, the band started working again fairly
regularly. So now the reunions are no longer
reunions; it's an annual festival, featuring
Fairport.
One of the things that really pleases me
now is that we still get a lot of the old fans,
but on all the gigs a good third of the
audience is young kids of 18 or so. They
don't know about the old days and the
history of the band; they just come along
because we are a good band. When they
get into it, they might go back and say,
"What's all this old stuff, Liege And Lief
and so on?" People do that when they dis-
cover something new. But this is good,
because we are not trading on memories; it
isn't a nostalgia thing. We're growing with
a new audience, and that's healthy for us.
 cuicas. I'd also have is different. I know Brazil has a different
shekeres, which are, I pulse than its neighbors. The Brazilians'
guess, my trademark. clave consciousness is a whole different
They're sure to be on thing. In the Caribbean, we often accent
any gig I play. with space. The absence of a sound actu-
RS: How did shekeres ally impulses the beat, while in Brazil, things
become your trade- are played on the downbeat, and musi-
mark? cians there don't relate to anything but that.
FC: It's the instrument They don't relate to an accent coming in
I like the most. It works between from nothing being played. The
great during interna- language has something to do with that.
Photo by Lissa Wales

tional types of musical Brazilians like to think they understand

presentations. I also Spanish, but they really don't. A lot of Span-
like the berimbau. But ish words have totally different meanings
I'd incorporate in Portugese [the official language of Bra-
shekeres into my style zil]. So, going back to your question, it's
even before it was in usually not a smooth transition when you
vogue to do so in the go from musical culture to musical culture.
sounds you do when you perform live? Latin scene. RS: Where do you see yourself in all this? I
FC: For a normal performance or a typical RS: Is it difficult for a percussionist like mean, you're Latin, yet your Brazilian ex-
gig, say, in a club in New York City—not a yourself to move from a Brazilian slant to perience isn't something to take lightly.
gig with the Manhattan Transfer—it used to an Afro-Cuban one? FC: I think I see myself as an international
be whatever I could fit into a cab. But FC: The "system" used to dictate that progressive percussionist. On the stage, I
nowadays I have a pretty standard setup. I everything had to be set up in one vein. .I don't usually reflect where I'm coming from.
use a table, which I face toward the audi- can remember Airto telling stories about My delivery is, very often, a blend of all my
ence. I usually set up two congas and bon- when he first came to New York and wanted influences. I can do a strictly Brazilian gig.
gos on stands, and cymbals on the right to sit in with Latin salsa players. They And many people say I'm the non-Brazil-
and left of the table. Also on the left of the couldn't relate to his array of sounds and ian who plays Brazilian better than many
table I'll put a woodblock and cowbell and instruments. This still happens; sometimes Brazilians. I also have full command of
some chimes. To the right of the congas it happens in reverse. Sometimes salsa play- Portugese. I've been married twelve years
would go some timbales. Behind would be ers want to sit in with a Brazilian band, and to a Brazilian. That's helped, as has my
a drum computer. I might have along my they meet the same dead end. All South natural curiosity. Plus, I lived in Brazil for
own P.A. system, depending on the venue Americans and Spanish-speaking Carib- many years. I did a lot of recordings down
I'm playing that night. On the table are beans are Latin, but there's a difference in there, commercial and otherwise. I worked
instruments that deal with sound colors and the background information pertaining to with Milton Nascimento, who is the avatar
hand effects. On the floor might be some music that other Latins have in contrast to of contemporary artists from Brazil. We did
instruments for Brazilian accents, like Brazilians. Plus, the pulse of each country a lot of work together, including three al-
bums.
RS: And what about your salsa background?
FC: Well, I haven't recorded that much in
the salsa vein, but it's in my blood. Salsa is
my roots. You can't get closer than that. I
mean, the conga came from the bata and
the Afro-Cuban ritual in its totality. But all
this has been blended within me with the
latest computer technology and sampling
possibilities, and the result is something
that is really very difficult to define.
RS: Were you born in Puerto Rico?
FC: No. Many people think that I was,
though. I was born here in America—in
Washington, D.C., to be exact.
RS: But you are of Puerto Rican descent?
FC: Yes. If you see the Manhattan Transfer
show, because they found me in Brazil,
they announce that I'm from Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. I don't mind. I'm not about that. I'm
about the music.
RS: Do you see yourself as a percussionist
who is, perhaps, breaking new ground and
helping to set new standards?
FC: I think so. I think it comes from my
philosophy and from my freedom in per-
formance more than anything else. A lot of
critics have commented on the physicality
of my performance. The truth is that the
music just takes me. That might sound
weird, but it's true. Most of the time, I don't
even realize there is an audience out there.
I throw myself into the music. It's a 200%
thing. I usually lose between two and three
pounds a night from all the energy I burn
and the emotion that goes into the music.
RS: Do the physical attributes of your per-
formance have a direct impact on your
music?
FC: Yes. The movement very definitely
contributes to the musical output. I'm not a
dancer. People have come up to me after a
show and said, "Oh wow, I love your danc-
ing." The music makes me move, and that's
it.
RS: But surely you must be aware of the
visual impact you have on your audience.
FC: Oh, sure. That can't be helped. But
today, people want you to move and be
affected by the music. They want to see
and hear that total commitment. If you give
yourself totally to your music and your
audience, you're going to get the feedback
you deserve. And that inspires you the next
time you step out onto a stage.
RS: It's no secret that the '80s has been a
monumental decade for drummers. Not
only has drum technology and equipment
increased in leaps and bounds, but the
drummer has rejected the old connotation
of merely being the guy in the back of the
band with little else to do but keep the
beat. Do you see the role of the percus-
sionist in contemporary music expanding
and taking on new shape much like the
role of the kit drummer?
FC: Yes. Percussion adds that "danger" to
music. But more important, percussion isn't
something that you can sample and always
be successful with. Some percussive sounds
work with sampling, and some don't. Per-
cussion is not all hits, where something is
striking something else and producing a different sides of myself. Some of the work composition. Wayne just doesn't do eight-
sound that is rather short. I can show you I did with Milton Nascimento is a good bar blues. His compositions are like a broad
drums that are not struck; instead they're representation of my percussive style. I think painting. His style is more symphonic than
rubbed. There's something called friction the Missam dos Quilombos album is very you might first expect.
percussion. The kinds of sounds these and good. That album was Milton's interpreta- RS: What artists might you be interested in
other percussion instruments create are not tion of a black mass. The inspiration came working with someday?
the kind that are easily reproduced. Per- from the interior of Brazil, not the coast, FC: There are definitely a few contempo-
cussion is about fingers. Plus, there's still a where Rio is located. The musical roots of rary artists that I'd love to work with. Some
multitude of sounds out there. There are the interior of Brazil are really quite un- of them might surprise you, like Eddie Van
nature sounds, which are vocal percussion. usual. There are a lot of European influ- Halen. I'm very much into the kinds of
There's a lot of virgin territory. How far can ences, plus heavy African. It's not about sounds he gets out of his guitar. You know,
we go forward before samba at all. The work on that album saw I grew up listening to rock in Puerto Rico.
we're a marriage between my Afro-cultural back- There used to be a stigma about rock musi-
ground of the Caribbean and this thing from cians. It would be that they played too
"Percussion adds Brazil. Again it was a union of loud or too crazy. Nowadays, a lot of rock
that danger to music." Caribbean ritual drumming, artists, including Eddie Van Halen, are first
which I represented, and ritual drum- class, international musicians who are good
ming from three different sects of religion. on any stage and in any setting, and they
forced to go back We also had a fifth drummer on traps for consistently produce good music. I'd love
to the roots? I mean, there are that album. A lot of the stuff that we actu- to work with Sting someday, too. I really
still birds we don't know about. There are ally wanted to include on the record didn't look up to him for the way he's treated
plenty of insects in the world that make work. I had to do a lot of patching up in the percussion in his music. He's given it some
sounds and produce light and create heat, studio. importance in the way he places it in the
which affects the air like music does. This My work with Tania Maria on her live context of his music. Bruce Springsteen is
is why I like David Van Tiegham so much. album is, I think, a good example of the fu- another one I wouldn't mind working with.
In his own right he is showing that the per- sion of the modern Brazilian elements and I admire his music, especially for its inten-
cussionist can also be a serious composer the New York Latin scene. Work that I did sity.
in both the classical and pop sense. And recently on Wayne Shorter's new album, RS: What about fusion? Do you ever see
then there's Airto. Every percussionist owes Joyrider, reflects a totally different thing. yourself returning to that mode of music?
a lot to him. He's opened very many doors Music critics have viewed the record in Your time spent with Weather Report must
and helped define the percussionist's place terms of Weather Report and that band's have been rewarding.
in the music world. musical accomplishments. I don't exactly FC: Yes, it was. And yes, I'd like to do more
RS: If I asked you to pick a series of songs agree with that. But that's the way it is. work in the fusion field. A band like Spyro
that best represent your most creative work, Wayne and I would see percussion as stra- Gyra is pretty interesting. Recently in Bra-
which ones would you choose? tegically placed sounds and strategically zil I was working with Wagner Tiso. We
FC: There are a handful of things that show placed feelings within a semi-jazz/classical did a project that dealt with Brazilian clas-
sical music. I wasn't even aware of the
music until I got involved with the project
with Wagner. At the time we were both
part of the Milton Nascimento Band in 1981
and 1982. Wagner sort of grew up listening
to Milton. His technique is fantastic, and
his sense of modern harmony is just fabu-
lous. Wagner turned me on to Villa Lobos,
who at last count had some 7,000 cata-
logue compositions. Second to him is Aaron
Copland with about 3,000. Villa Lobos must
have been the original sequencing com-
poser or something, because what he did
with percussion and the available melodic
instruments of the time, which was about
100 years ago, was simply amazing. He
interacted traditional Brazilian sounds from
all parts of the country. You have to under-
stand that Brazil is like India. Each state
has its own distinct personality and musi-
cal flavor. People dance and sing to differ-
ent kinds of beats. What you hear from
northern Brazil and what you hear from
the Amazon region is much different from
what the typical music listener knows of
Brazil, namely samba and bossa nova. Villa
Lobos managed to get musical pieces of
every single place in Brazil and put them
all together with world classical composi-
tional knowledge.
RS: Has Villa Lobos had an important im-
pact on your development as a percussion-
ist?
FC: Oh, yes. Absolutely. I admire the man
for the vast amount of musical knowledge
he had and the way he put everything to-
gether so that it really seemed like it be- appreciate that. FC: I rehearse every day. But I don't prac-
longed together. RS: You're obviously a serious student of tice the same instruments every day, al-
RS: Do you write music? percussion. When you're off the road and though there are times when I'll concen-
FC: Yes, I'm a writer. you're not in the studio, what's an average trate on one instrument for a period. I want
RS: Should we expect a solo project from day like? Are you so immersed in the world very much to keep my chops up. Plus, I try
you someday? of percussion that you rarely leave it? to get a lot of my percussion ideas down
FC: It's quite possible. Actually, it's in the FC: I love what I do very much. I'm very on video. I'm working on an instructional
making now. I've done some tracks down appreciative whenever I have the chance percussion music series.
in Sao Paulo in Brazil. I'm also working on to perform. I try not to take gigs for granted. RS: And when might we see the results of
some music up here. I'll start to write some- I try to be thankful whenever I can relate to that?
thing with a drum machine, believe it or my profession. The reason why I feel this FC: Hopefully soon. I'm in contact with
not. I'll work with that until I get another way is because 20 years ago my profession some companies that distribute instructional
idea and go to the keyboards. From there didn't really exist—certainly not the way it videos. They've expressed interest in some
I'll pull one of my friends into the studio exists today. When I'm home, I read about of the ideas I have, which is encouraging. I
with me to work on some harmonies. When percussion. I study the masters. I read all need to edit all the material I have into a
we feel good with what we have, then the magazines I can get, and I'm always form that people can grasp easily. I also
we'll call in other musicians. taking books out of the library. have a strong desire to put something to-
RS: For years, too many music fans viewed RS: Do you practice every day? gether for children. I'd like to make them
percussion as strictly a supplemental addi-
tion to the music. Are audiences becoming
more educated when it comes to the value
of percussion and the presentation of per-
cussive sounds?
FC: I think so. I say that from all the experi-
ence I've had playing all over the world. I
think people are becoming acutely aware
of percussion and what it does to music. I
think these people also expect something
of a performance from percussionists as
opposed to those musicians who must re-
main stationary. I think some people sense
a sort of musical danger in what percus-
sionists play.
RS: You use the term "musical danger."
Can you explain that a bit further?
FC: Well, I work off a road map, which is a
musical chart. But not all the hits are writ-
ten per se. I'm expected to incorporate my
impressions as a percussionist. Of course
there are accents that I'm required to do
within the framework of the whole band.
So I'm keeping a beat or a pulse, but within
that I'll try to inject elements of surprise.
RS: And how do you do that?
FC: By sounds, of course, but more impor-
tant, by where they are placed and what
sort of impact they make. I like when my
audience hears something, and when they
look for it again, it's no longer happening. I
like to be unpredictable.
RS: But there must be some sort of risk you
take by being "musically dangerous."
FC: Musical unpredictability can bring on
problems. If what I play is placed awk-
wardly, it can, in a worst-case situation,
destroy the entire performance that night.
But I take this approach to percussion be-
cause it is what I instinctively feel is right
for the music. I believe it enhances the
music, or else I wouldn't attempt it. But I
must be careful, because if I make the band
look bad, I've done a great disservice to
the other musicians on stage. If you make
the band look bad more than once, chances
are you won't be playing with it too long.
But you know what I like to inject into the
music? Humor. It's very effective in making
the performance come across sympatico.
The best thing I can do in that capacity is
put a smile on people's faces. There should
always be an element of relief in the mu-
sic; I really believe that. I think people
sound-conscious before they get into mu-
sic appreciation. They need to be made
aware of the sounds all around them: the
sounds of the city, the sounds in their apart-
ment—sounds they can use in a construc-
tive way to relate musically. The rhythm of
daily life is something they should be aware
of.
RS: Where does Frank Colon want to be
five years from now? What are your most
important musical goals?
FC: I think I can answer that best by de-
scribing what I think I am and always hope
to be: a communicator. More than that, I
want to continue to break down cultural
barriers when it comes to percussive com-
munication. I see music as my first lan-
guage. Idealistically, I hope that my music
brings people closer. Another part of me is
Buddhism. This is reflected in my desire to
want to use music to bring people closer
together and show how sound affects the
world in a positive sense. As Buddhists we
chant with the belief that sound will be im-
pulsed in a direction that will cause some
good and bring world peace. So, I see my-
self as a producer of sounds that affect
people in a positive way and bring cultures
closer together. Other musicians are in-
volved in the same sort of thing, although
they might not be fully aware of it. Music is
a unifier. The global village is getting smaller
and more peaceful, and I think musicians
should take some credit for that.
plies, and it worked! The oil changed the search. It was kind of an accident and it chanical standards, certain tolerances, and
whole characteristic of the head; it killed just developed. We still produce the blue it didn't change. But we found that the
the overtones. heads, the red heads, and the glass heads drum manufacturers, for economic reasons,
I think the first fame we had with those in the Hydraulic series. would take the same shells for natural fin-
heads was in France, where they started WFM: I'd like to talk a little bit about the ish drums and place pearl coverings on
using them in the studios. Drummers didn't flexible hoop, the white hoop that you used them, which made the shell diameters too
have to tape up the heads and put an over- on your heads for years before the CAD/ large. Also, the bearing edges of drums
coat in the bass drums. The engineers CAM was developed. Explain how the flex- back in the '60s and early '70s were abso-
thought it was great. Now we've had ad- ible hoop was developed and why it was lutely atrocious, never consistent. The flex-
vances in electronics to the point that the designed. ible hoop allowed the head to conform to
studios can handle the brighter types of BB: The flexible hoop was a reinforced fi- these irregularities of the shell. You could
sounds, with more overtones and all. The berglass composite hoop. I think there was put on an Evans head with our flexible
whole trend has changed because of this. a time when drums were not as standard- hoop and tension it up above the pitch you
We still have a lot of customers who love ized as they are now. You see, the heads would normally play, and let it sit over-
that dry sound, and probably some of our were always made far more accurately than night. Then you would back it off, tune it,
biggest sales are still in Hydraulic blue the drums. Once we made a die for, say, a and that drum would sound good. The head
heads. Some people love that dead, funky 14" head, our 14" heads did not vary, be- would actually conform to the shell.
sound. So, it really wasn't any great re- cause this die was made by certain me- WFM: Are there other places where the
flexible hoop is appropriate?
BB: Yes, out-of-round drums for instance.
And the flexible hoop will settle into the
shell of the drum that has bad bearing edges.
We also found that, with the fiberglass hoop,
we've had drums in millimeter sizes where
the heads didn't fit. Drummers would actu-
ally cut a piece out of the hoop and, with-
out even fastening it together, put it on the
drum—and it worked. So, for some drum-
mers, the flexible hoop is one way of deal-
ing with these problems without having to
replace the drum.
WFM: How does a fiberglass hoop affect
the sound of a drum, or does it have any
effect on the sound?
BB: Oh yes, it affects the sound. The fiber-
glass hoop, because of the mechanicals,
has the tendency to roll in towards the
shell and make contact with it. This dead-
ens the sound. This, too, adds to the dry-
ness of our heads with the flexible hoop.
Our CAD/CAM hoop's design and construc-
tion allows for greater resonance.
WFM: I think most people have thought of
Evans over the years as the company that
makes the "deader"-sounding, studio heads.
Then, over the past couple of years with
the CAD/CAM line, you're covering the
whole other end of the spectrum now.
Everything's resonant. I read an article by
Neil Peart where he talked about how he
loves your heads because they're so reso-
nant.
BB: Well, we've always made single-ply
heads, which were a bit more live sound-
ing, but we never did push them. Every-
body refers to us as the Hydraulic head
company. Now that things are changing,
we're trying to cover a broader scope of
the market with the Uno 58 line, which is
all single-ply heads.
WFM: You're selling more single-ply heads
than ever before.
BB: Yes, we're selling more single-ply heads
now, mainly because the trend has changed.
The drummers want a brighter sound. They
want a more resonant sound. We have
come out with the Resonant head, which
has been quite successful. We have a trade-
mark on the Resonant name, which is a
good, catchy name. It's designed for the
bottom of the tom-toms and the front of the
bass drum.
WFM: Let's talk a little about the specifics what I want done, and then we have an actual production. I'm also involved in
of the company. How many employees do engineer who custom-designs the machines. sales. However, most of our sales are
you have? I was fortunate to find a man who was an handled by our sales manager, Sue Vogel.
BB: We're not labor intensive. This is be- expert in the bending of metal. The design She's been with us 20 years. But, as for me,
cause of the machinery we have. We're of the dies is very crucial. For instance, I those things I mentioned are what I spend
continually developing and installing new went to about four different manufacturers most of my time doing.
equipment for automation. We're doing this to show them what I wanted in a hoop WFM: That covers a lot of ground.
not to eliminate workers, but to have more design, back when I was coming up with BB: Well, I guess that's the only way it can
consistent quality of the product. Hand- the CAD/CAM idea. They all said it couldn't happen. In large companies, they hire the
crafting is fine in a lot of things, but in be done. The design I had for the hoop was specialists for each particular department. I
manufacturing and production, when you're too complicated to shape. think it can become very inefficient that
making thousands of items, it's very hard to No other drumhead manufacturer was way, though. I think we can develop new
get precision in repeatability. producing anything near the quality of metal products and get them out on the market a
WFM: How much of the process of the hoop that I wanted. Their machines for lot faster and cheaper than the real big
making of the head is done here, at your shaping the metal for the hoops is very companies.
factory? primitive. I had visualized something that WFM: It sounds like you personally have
BB: Just about all of it. We buy the film, was a vast improvement, but I was having the ability to do just about everything here
with the majority of it slit to the width we trouble finding an engineer who could help if you had to.
want for different diameters of heads. Some me design the machinery I needed. I finally BB: Well, I think that's probably possible. I
of it we have to slit ourselves. We buy the found an engineer with a lot of experience wouldn't do the job as well as some of my
aluminum for the hoops and slit for the in aluminum, and he designed a machine. employees, but yes, I guess I could do most
widths for the different drums. We buy the He worked with us until we got the fin- of it.
aluminum already painted with the polyes- ished product. It was a long and difficult WFM: Do you think that's a plus?
ter coating that is applied at 500 degrees, process, but I wanted to make the best BB: That's probably a plus for a small com-
which gives it a very tough finish. We buy drumheads possible, so it took a lot of time. pany. It may not be a plus for a developing
the resin for the various blends that hold WFM: What is your position in the com- company. Maybe I'm the type of individual
the film. We buy the raw material and we pany? who can't run a big company. I have to be
mix the coloring ourselves. We do not dye BB: I'm Chief Executive Officer, but in a able to do it myself. I think any company
film—that's a very involved process—and small company, you wind up wearing a lot reflects the personality of the person run-
we don't metalize the film. But everything of different hats. ning it. And in the music business tradi-
else we do here. We have designed and WFM: What are your different responsibili- tionally, many businesses have been devel-
made about 85%-90% of the specialized ties? Give me some examples of what you oped by individuals. We had Bud Slinger-
machines we have here. do. land from the Slingerland Company, Bill
WFM: How involved are you personally in BB: In the development of a new product, Ludwig from the Ludwig Company, and
the design of this machinery? I'm involved in the designing of the prod- Fred Gretsch from the Gretsch Company.
BB: I lay out the design and specifics for uct and some of the machinery, and the These were individual and dedicated men
who put out their products with their com- can be proud of. gan to see the trend changing to brighter
panies, and they cut through a lot of red WFM: Let's talk about CAD/CAM. How did and more resonant sounds in acoustic
tape to get something done. In a large cor- the whole thing come about? drums. We had various people telling us
poration, no one person can make these BB: Well, we made the decision to do some that we should produce a head with a metal
decisions and get things done. I think it market research a few years back. It came hoop, and not the flexible hoop that we
makes a big difference. about because of a slowing down of drum- had been producing for years. We felt that
WFM: I'd like to talk about your background head sales when the electronic drums were we had to come up with something that
briefly. You said you were a watchmaker introduced. They started out selling great, would be more readily acceptable with the
and you somehow got into the drumhead and it really began to affect our business— new trend. Drummers wanted a brighter
business. What is it about making drum- mainly because the drumshops were in- sound. So, with various research, we de-
heads that is satisfying? vesting so much money in electronics. They cided to make a mechanical, vastly supe-
BB: I started out with a retail jewelry store neglected to inventory other accessories that rior product, and a better looking product.
where I was a watchmaker. Then I got in- they really made money on, like drumsticks So I started out designing a hoop that I
volved in the music business through the and drumheads. They let their inventory felt would be better all the way through. I
repair shop. We started out by repairing drop down, which obviously affected us. carefully examined all the different hoops
instruments, and then we started selling As I saw it, drumshops would be trying on the market, looking for flaws and prob-
musical instruments. It was called Dodge to sell a $3,000 set of electronic drums. lems that I wanted to overcome. Then, as I
Music & Jewelry. Then the supplier would come along and mentioned earlier, I had to go out and re-
For me, one of the satisfying things about say, "Hey, I've got a great new set of elec- search and find out how it was going to be
this business is developing the machinery. tronic drums that just came out. It'll do made. We ran into problems, but we just
Designing and building intricate mechani- 50% more and is 30% less in price." The kept at it. Inflation has drastically increased
cal machinery and electronics is really the guy in the shop would say, "Yeah, but what the price of aluminum—from $1.47 to $2.64
challenge to it. I want to have an efficient do I do with the old one?" Traditionally, in one year. But now that we are behind
factory to the point where we're repeatedly drumshops were not used to dealing in vola- this product, we are becoming more firmly
making high-quality products. tile merchandise like this. If they had a established in the drum world as a superior
I've also been involved in music, but I'm couple of sets of acoustic drums in their product—not only in sound, but in me-
not a performer myself. I'm not a drummer, shop for a year, in most cases, at the end of chanics. Because of its design, the CAD/
so I have to depend on other people who the year it would probably be worth more CAM head is very consistent and is very
are experts in that field. But I think I have money than when they bought it. So they easy to tune. It's been very exciting to see
abilities that make up for my not being a were never really concerned about turn- how it has caught on.
drummer, and I am fortunate that some of over of this type of merchandise. However, WFM: Besides the new hoop design, are
the greatest drummers playing today are with electronics, many of them got into there any new designs in the heads?
involved with Evans, like Peter Erskine. deep trouble. They were tight on money BB: Yes. We have some new film that we
These drummers are helping me and advis- and got in trouble, which affected their have found is harder. Essentially, though,
ing me. But for me personally, the satisfac- drumhead purchases. That affected us. the total line is the same as it was with the
tion of this job comes from producing goods When things began to clear out, as far as flexible hoop, which we are now referring
that I think are the best—products that we electronic drums were concerned, we be- to as the Classic hoop. With the creation of
the CAD/CAM hoop, the characteristics of We very laboriously made some solid metal over of their film into their hoop, which is
the heads have changed dramatically. They hoops made by hand on a lathe. If you're an inconsistent design that you can easily
all have become brighter, and they have talking actual time, these prototype heads see just by comparing their heads with ours.
become more responsive. cost about $500 to $600 apiece, which is a And if you look at their smaller heads, like
Now we are in production on our CAD/ pretty expensive drumhead. But it was nec- the 6", 8", or 10" sizes, that point where the
CAM bass drum heads. When we started essary before we could come up with the film meets the hoop is very bad. What that
the CAD/CAM, the machinery could not final design of the machinery. means is that those smaller drumheads that
accommodate the larger bass-drum-sized WFM: What is it that people like Peter Er- our competitors manufacture are impossible
heads. Six months ago, we finally were able skine and other drummers find so interest- to tune! We avoid those problems with our
to produce the CAD/CAM heads in bass ing about the CAD/CAM heads? heads.
drum sizes, and since then the response BB: Well, I think it comes down to the fact Another plus to our heads has to do with
we've gotten has been tremendous. We have that these people are looking for something the internal clip that holds the seam of the
been getting calls from name drummers who different in the sound and performance of a hoop. It's designed so there is nothing to
have tried the bass drum heads, and they've drumhead. A plus that the CAD/CAM head gouge the finish on the shell of the drum.
been telling us how amazed they are at the has, which I have been told about by many All this means is that the heads are easier to
difference in the sound. drummers and is something that has been tune, and they stay in tune longer, and they
WFM: CAD/CAM—what's the whole idea documented in reviews of the heads, is that are more durable. I know that's a long an-
behind it? How is the computer involved? the CAD/CAM heads are very easy to tune. swer to your question, but I guess those are
BB: CAD/CAM, of course, means "com- Also, the heads are so precise in size that some of the reasons why drummers have
puter-assisted-design computer-assisted- they fit very well on the drums. been getting excited about our heads. It's
manufacture." The design of this hoop is I'd like to talk about the forming of the very gratifying to me.
laid out with the CAD system. The engi- head, which is something that is done dif- I recently received a patent on the CAD/
neer also put it on his CAD system. So the ferently on our heads than by other manu- CAM design, which I'm very proud of. So
design of the hoop was actually laid out facturers. We form the head before we put the system and design is unique.
with a computer. As far as computer-as- it into the hoop. You will notice on our WFM: What's in the future for Evans drum-
sisted-manufacture, the machinery is com- heads that there is a distinct bend at the heads?
pletely controlled by computers; it handles edge of the head, before the film reaches BB: Well, we're starting to break out of that
the actual construction of the hoop, as well the hoop. In the bending process, the film image people have of us as a sleepy little
as maintaining the machinery itself. For in- has to be placed in such a way as to make company. We've been doing a lot of adver-
stance, it even indicates when it's time to it pull evenly into the hoop. Thanks to the tising to increase people's awareness about
oil the machine. Today, we have very excit- computer design, the film is placed into the us, and we're definitely going after a bigger
ing things that can be done, which physi- hoop in a very orderly fashion. By looking piece of the market share of the drumhead
cally were almost impossible five years ago. at any of our heads you can see the even- business. We want to do this by producing
WFM: How long was the research and de- ness of this design, and this consistency the best drumheads that we can—the type
velopment of the CAD/CAM heads? really gives the head a great look besides of heads that will help musicians enjoy play-
BB: I would say it took a little over two making it a good functioning head. Our ing more.
years before we actually made anything. competitors' heads have a very uneven fold-
Hundreds of laughing participants are gid- coached by Miss Reeves, the band's teacher
Oil City
split a gut. For drummers, watching "Deb-
dily twirling about, dutifully doing the and guru of musical happiness, grooming, bie" behind the set is a riot. Debra Monk
hokey-pokey as the band eagerly directs and good manners. Oil City High is a place not only knows about the timing needed to
their every move. One of the band's mem- where, perhaps, Andy Griffith and Don play drums, but is also a master of comic
bers, they are told, is a champion hokey- Knotts might have visited in pressed sheriffs timing. She has the drumming background
poker. The setting is a "recital" at the Oil uniforms and gleaming badges to deliver necessary to handle the music, but it is ulti-
City High School gymnasium. Institutional crossing guard safety speeches to students. mately her acting and comic experience
brown folding chairs are lined in rows over Although the show features very "hip" that makes her drumming/musical satire
the floorboards emblazoned with the school humor, it manages to retain that Mayberry successful. Much like a stand-up master
logo. Above, colorful streamers decorate element. We never laugh at the characters, who knows how to deliver a good punch
the rafters and unlit scoreboards hang si- but rather come to truly like them, thereby line, Ms. Monk knows just where and how
lently waiting for the next bout with school opening ourselves up to enjoy the charac- to misplace an accent or misjudge a dy-
rivals. ters' innocence. The result can miraculously namic to make an audience howl. Her
On the makeshift stage, a middle-aged bring some of the most jaded New Yorkers approach is constantly clever and never
woman in a pink prom dress and over-obvious. Whether it's her
bouffed-up hairdo beams behind grandiose orchestral mallet
the drums. As the hokey-pokey work on toms and cymbals in
ends, the crowd cheers and col- the curious quartet arrange-
lapses back into their folding ment of "Exodus," or her over-
chairs. The band sighs, tickled that serious approach to copying
they have pleased their audience. the "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
After the band performs some drum solo, each musical se-
original numbers, such as "Bea- lection holds witty moments of
ver Ball At The Bug Club" and physical/aural comedy that
"Ohio Afternoon"—a ballad that could only come from a sharp
sings the praises of that ever- comic talent who also under-
humble state—the crowd is stands the fabric of music.
brought to a standing ovation. The One particular multi-percus-
drummer emerges from behind the sion method that is probably a
kit for her final bows, her left foot world first—a total innovation
in a pink high-heel and her bass on "Debbie's" part—is some-
drum foot in a floppy white Ree- thing you most likely won't
bok. As the audience files out, the want to try in public. "Beaver
band is waiting in the lobby to Ball At The Bug Club" portrays
serve them punch and cookies. an animal party, and Debra's
After refreshments and exchanged use of sqeaking toy hammers
greetings, the audience swings in place of sticks creates an
open the lobby doors—onto the oom-pah-pah-squeak texture
bustling streets of Greenwich Vil- that simultaneously suggests
lage, New York City! busy beavers and drives the lis-
The imaginary theatrical oasis tener nuts.
of Oil City High School is a de- I must commit a cardinal sin
lightful world created by, and star- of journalism by using the
Photo by Steve Singer

ring, four talented New York ac- phrase, "It's hard to explain;
tor/musicians: Mike Craver (syn- you just have to see it!" Be-
thesizers and vocals), Mark Hard- cause, in Oil City's case, it's
wick (piano, accordion, and vo- true. This also explains why the
cals), Mary Murfitt (violin, flute, show was so hard to sell to
sax, and vocals), and Debra Monk producers when it was first co-
(drums and vocals). An Off-Broad- created by the four gifted col-
way hit, the show has been playing to de- to shed their big-city defenses at the en- laborators. "We love it, but it will never
lighted houses and strong press response trance. After all, what else but manipulat- work in New York," insisted several pro-
since its New York opening (November 5, ive brilliance could bring New Yorkers to ducers. The show first evolved when De-
1987) at the Circle in the Square Down- their hokey-pokeying feet? bra, Mark, and Mike began composing and
town Theater. Satire of small-time performers has been playing zany arrangements of cornball pop
Debra Monk's character, "Debbie," is a attempted many times before, but has too tunes for their own enjoyment. Debra was
slightly dizzy—but lovable—isolated, small- often been smarmy in this Saturday Night called to sing in a benefit show, and, in an
town homemaker whose part-time passion Live-influenced generation. In contrast, the inspired moment, suggested that her "band"
is cutting loose behind a kit. The "Oil City members of the "Oil City Symphony" truly appear. "We had no idea what the reaction
Symphony" is, we learn, a band formed 20 want to serve you punch and cookies. The would be," recalls Debra. The oddball
years ago in high school, and this show is show is extra-delightful for musicians. The group arrived at the benefit, which took
their reunion recital. Each member had arrangements and lyrics are often so skill- place in a New York club, and performed a
been a star music student, personally fully misdirected as to make a musician four-song recital in mock seriousness. The
Symphony
by Jeff Potter

audience was taken by surprise. "They my character, I didn't want playing badly how hard it is, this might sound strange.
screamed; they were hysterical," recalls to be the joke. I wanted to play as well as I But it is a specialized role. Both of the girls
Debra. "At that point, we decided, 'This is could." Recording pro Luther Rix helped who are doing the part are like me: They
going to work.'" And the beginnings of the Debra sharpen up on the kit. "When Lu- love the drums; you can see it in their
notorious Reebok? "I actually tried playing ther came to see me, he appreciated that faces."
in heels, since it was part of the costume, he should leave what I do alone but help Oil City Symphony gathered strong word-
but it wouldn't work. So, I decided I would me facilitate my technique. He also be- of-mouth audiences and went on to win
wear the heels, then quietly change into came the drum teacher for my understudy." The Outer Critics Circle Award for best off-
the sneaker so nobody would see. I got so When Debra was involved in casting the Broadway musical, and the Drama Desk
excited about this recital that, when we "Debbie" role for understudies and future Award for Outstanding Ensemble Acting. A
finally took our bow, I came running out productions, she discovered that drummers summer company was set up in Rochester,
with my one tennis shoe on. I was morti- who were loaded with technique and had and an album is to be released soon on
fied! Everyone laughed and I thought, a preconceived "legitimate" idea of play- DRG Records. Openings are also in the
'Maybe I should keep this in.'" ing drums were usually not right for the works for companies in Chicago, Boston,
Sensing that their curious crea- and San Francisco.
tion had potential, the quartet Debra had previously co-au-
mounted their show for a two- thored and appeared as singer/
week run at the Westside Arts actress in the hit show Pump
Theater, a small venue in New Boys And Dinettes, which she
York where they showcased for nurtured from a small workshop
possible backers. A long struggle presentation to a Broadway hit
for producer interest ensued, and nominated for a "Best Musical"
finally enough money was raised Tony Award. Pump Boys has
to give the show a trial run in since run all over the U.S., Eu-
Dallas. It was during this run that rope, and Australia and has the
the group evolved the concept distinction of being the longest-
into a whole show and perfected running musical in Chicago. It
their individual characters. Pre- was during the Pump Boys years
senting the show as a reunion that Debra developed her drum-
recital was a key development in ming as a side interest. Having
the show's evolution. "We real- always been fascinated by
ized that, if you set up who these drums, she realized that a thea-
people are and why they're there, ter space posed the perfect op-
then the audience will accept portunity for practicing. She
why this music sounds the way it made a routine of arriving early
does and be able to enjoy it," ex- when the theater was dark to
plains Debra. "Before that, they kick around on a kit. As her
were sometimes nervous about interest grew, she studied with
laughing because we approached Sue Evans. By the time Pump
it so realistically." The work in Boys had a post-Broadway run
progress moved on to a run in in St. Louis, her contract speci-
Baltimore before finally being fied that the theater must keep
given space at the Circle in the a rented kit on the side for her
Photo by Steve Singer

Square. "We were all terrified," practice. She eventually played

recalls Debra. "Nobody knew drums on some New York club
what was going to happen. Luck- gigs with an offshoot Pump Boys
ily, we got wonderful reviews all band, and also performed with
across the board. They really got Harry Chapin in a benefit con-
it; they understood that, even cert. Finally, her husband—stu-
though we were 'making fun' of dio bassist John Miller, who acts
these characters, it was not for the wrong role. "Asking some of the more trained as Musical Consultant for Oil City—planted
reasons. They got the point that we really drummers to do some of these things was a kit beneath their Christmas tree. From
loved these characters." abhorrent to them. I was so jealous when I that day, Oil City was inevitable. Debra's
Although Debra is the first to admit that heard many of those good women drum- three loves of acting, singing, and drum-
she doesn't play like "a serious pro," she mers play. But we ended up casting people ming converged into her ideal vehicle in
certainly handles her job well, and her who had perhaps played in high school or this offbeat, unique theater piece. Although
onstage enthusiasm proves that her love of had very little drumming ability; then they most artists would bathe in the prestige of
the drums is very much real. "Having a studied to learn what they needed for this co-authoring a hit, Debra's first comment
middle-aged woman in a prom dress play- role. This character has to be a sort of host- on her good fortune is, "I still can't believe
ing drums wildly was already pretty funny," ess for the evening, so it's really important I get to play drums every night!"
she says, "but I really do love the drums that she can handle the crowd and speak From the tight, close, a Cappella harmo-
and I wanted to be a good drummer. So, to them. For all those wonderful drummers nies of "Count Your Blessings" that opens
even though there was a comic element in who studied for years and years and know the show with its heartfelt message, to the
 "Debbie" On Drums
I thought it would be fun to do an MD- ladylike. D: Oh, I just sort of hit 'em and they usu-
style interview with "Debbie," Debra JP: Like the cello. ally sound just right. There's a couple of
Monk's stage alter ego. Ms. Monk agreed, D: Yeah! Exactly. The cello thing always knobs on them I twist a bit here and there.
and the following interview excerpt is from bothered me. I didn't like that because you But mostly, I have pictures of Tammy that I
her totally improvised answers to my ques- could actually see their knees. But behind paste on the drums. On my tom-tom, I
tions. Instantly, Debra assumed "Debbie"'s the drums, you really can't see that, so it have a little baby picture, and on the next
voice, gestures, and mind-frame. "Deb- doesn't bother me as much. I'm always biggest tom, I have one when she was in
bie" speaks in a fast, high-pitched patter very careful about the outfits I wear. I think second grade—you know, one of those
with quickly rising and falling tones that you have to be a lady no matter what you school pictures. There's something about
carry a hint of a Midwest/Southern hybrid do. the tape and the sizes of the pictures that
accent. She is confident, comfortable, dis- JP: But you must turn some male heads just makes the tuning right. If I take those
armingly unpretentious, and certainly when they see you handle some pretty pictures off, it doesn't sound right.
never apologetic about her small-town macho tunes like "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." JP: So, it's for muffling and tuning—but
place in this big world. Even when she D: Oh, I love that "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." also like having family pictures on your
may sound simple, her words usually hold That's really one of our favorites. That was work desk.
wisdom. a song that we played in high school, and D: I like having her there. I don't hit her; I
JP: During the song "Introductions," Mary we won a big contest—the choral meeting put her up on the side where I won't hit her
reads off of a card that tells about your in Oklahoma City. in the face.
background, while you stand at attention JP: Miss Reeves seems to be a big influence JP: I imagine there aren't many talent scouts
before the crowd. Could you reiterate some on the whole band. How did she help you coming through Oil City. Do you think that
of that? grow as a drummer? if the band had evolved in some larger city
D: Well, I studied drums in high school D: Miss Reeves is great. She was a profes- that you would have had a shot towards
with Miss Reeves. She taught all of us to- sional', she had worked with a band that the big time?
gether. Between the time I graduated from had played in a Holiday Inn near New D: I think so. Everybody in high school
high school and now, I've been working York! thought we were going to be big stars. For
professionally as a drummer with The Mel- JP: Near New York? example, we would have been great on
ody Shoppers. That's a band that plays ev- D: Yes, I think it was in New Jersey or Perry Como Christmas specials.
ery Saturday afternoon at the entrance to something. So, she was, like, the biggest JP: You have a ritual of serving punch and
Sears. It's four women, and we dress up in thing to hit town. She taught us to be pro- cookies at every show. Do you think that
different outfits; Sears gives us the outfits fessional. We learned about bringing our brings the audience closer to you and your
to wear. We also model in between sets, own equipment. We all had to set up our music?
so it's sort of a double thing. We get to own equipment; we never relied on people D: Oh yes, I think it's really important. For
keep the outfits for a discount—10% off at for those kinds of things. Also, she just one thing, it's a recital, and that's one thing
Sears. taught us that all professionals have fun. we always did. Miss Reeves said food and
JP: When you say "double thing," do you You can't really think about making a lot of music go hand-in-hand. I agree with her,
mean like a double-scale job? money as a professional in the music busi- because it's a party—a gathering together.
D: No, it's not scale. We just get the out- ness. But if you have a lot of fun, that's Of course, I baked those cookies too. I
fits, which is all we really want. They've what being professional is really all about. bake them every night.
got some cute things there. They've got We just embraced that to our hearts. She JP: What if you did make it to the big time?
this new Christy Brinkley line that's really also taught us about clothes and what to Would you continue that ritual?
nice. That's my most professional gig. I wear. She said it's important to have colors D: Oh, I think we'd have to do that too, no
have a set of drums in my basement that that don't clash—that are in our color pal- matter where we were. I mean, if we were
Bucky set up for me. ettes—and to always have a theme. So in at Radio City Music Hall, we should serve
JP: Who's Bucky? this particular recital, we did pink and punch and cookies. I think it's really im-
D: Bucky's my husband. He's a very suc- purple, which are the school colors. portant.
cessful dentist. Sometimes Mike and Mary JP: Tell me about the kind of equipment JP: That's a lot of baking.
and Mark come over, and we practice in you use, including your choice of sneaker D: It's a lot of baking, but I have some
my basement. We got a real Coke ma- for best pedal action. friends. The women at the church help
chine there. D: My sneaker is Reebok. It's the running sometimes. I tell you what, if we needed
JP: Does Bucky encourage your music, or shoe with the real big fat end, because that many cookies, we'd come up with
does he worry that music might take you when you're hitting the bass drum, there's them!
away from the home? an impact so you really have to get some- JP: You've probably seen some of the new
D: Oh no, no, I'm a very good housewife; thing that's solid. I don't tie it too tight so technology in drums. Have you thought of
I have a daughter, Tammy. She has a little that I can slip it on and off. I polish it once using electronics?
baby drumset set up right next to mine a week with that nurse's polish to keep it D: Gosh, I don't think I could do that. I
and she plays, too. In fact, she has all the nice and white. My drums...I always pick have trouble plugging in a toaster. We don't
same outfits that I have. It's real cute; she white drums, with that pearly thing in 'em, even own a VCR or a microwave. I just
wears the same outfits, and we play the you know? I clean them with Fantastik. don't like that new stuff. You know, I sweat
drums together. Once, I had red drums, and they just didn't when I get nervous, and with all those elec-
JP: It's good to see you're encouraging sound right. My cymbals...I like to polish tronics around me, I'm afraid I might get
your daughter. There are too few female them and keep them nice and shiny. I don't electrocuted. The drums are not electrified,
drummers. When you were young, were like when they get too dark. and I like that. I have a fear of electricity. I
you ever discouraged from playing a tra- JP: Why shiny? think you're foolin' around with nature
ditional "male" instrument? D: Well, to tell you the truth, I'm on stage when you add these things. God gave us
D: I think so. I think people thought it was the whole time, and I don't have time to skins and frames to play on. With this other
unfeminine. To tell you the truth, I really check my appearance. So I like to be able stuff, you're pushin' something. Like, when
think the reason was that women were to look into those cymbals and make sure they start making bombs? It's just like that.
afraid to wear dresses and sit behind the that my lipstick is right and my hair is not JP: Are there any drum machines in Oil
drums because you have to sit with your sticking up and stuff. City?
legs apart, and that was thought to be un- JP: How do you tune your drums? D: Oh, gosh, no, there are few machines of
 rollicking "My Old Kentucky Rock and Roll
any kind. We're old-fashioned here. We Home" finale, the show reminds us of
feel that you should work hard and work simple, homespun pleasures that we may
up a sweat to get things done. If you have have forgotten. It is especially eye-opening
machines do everything, you get lazy. I for us competitive musicians. Oil City Sym-
make Tammy do everything in her room. I phony reaffirms for us the wonderful folk-
make her clean, I make her dust.... art message of musical gatherings: Music
JP: How are you able to keep up home- belongs to us all. "When auditioning drum-
maker and mother chores and still find mers," says Debbie, "I have had all kinds
time for practice? of people come in—little prissy women,
D: I get up early. My day is: I get up at old women—and you can see it in their
7:00. First, I always put a load of wash in. eyes: 'God, I just love to get behind the
Then I get Tammy ready for school and drums!' I had this vision of doing a work-
Bucky off to work. By that time, the wash shop: getting 60 sets of drums in a big hall,
is done. Now I can put the wash in the and having these women come away from
dryer and set that timer for 30 minutes. their husbands and children to get behind
Those 30 minutes are for me and the drums. the drums for a while—and just bash the
The washer and dryer are right next to the hell out of them!"
drums in the basement. And it's like a
rhythm that happens with that dryer! It goes
da-dun-da-dun, and I play with it.
JP: Sort of like a metronome.
D: Exactly! I play with the dryer for those
30 minutes and it's just amazing. It has
really helped me. Then I take a break and
fold up the laundry; it gives me a chance
to get my wrists relaxed.
JP: Who are your drumming influences?
D: I always watched Johnny Carson, if I
could stay up that late, and I loved when
Buddy Rich would be on there. He was
great. And you know what I saw that I
never thought I would go to see? I'm sort
of embarrassed to tell you this: I went to
see that Prince movie and saw that Sheila
E. play? She's great. I don't like what she
wears; it's too skimpy. It's sort of—sugges-
tive! I think if I could talk to her and get
her to be just a little more feminine....
Also, I saw James Taylor and I like Russ
Kunkel. I like the fact that he's really on
the beat every time.
JP: Do you have any advice for young
drummers out there who are trying to learn
drums and form their own groups?
D: First of all, you've got to get permission.
Because it's loud. This can be a problem. I
had very understanding parents. They put
me up in a garage and I was able to work
out there. Get permission, get a good
teacher, and practice. We were blessed by
having a great teacher. Miss Reeves taught
us so many things about manners, about
clothes, and making sure your drums look
good. You want to have a good appear-
ance. And I think there's no reason why
you can't be a nice person. You do not
have to be mean. I think you should be
kind to your elders and think about the
kind of people you're playing for. You may
not like all the music you play, but you
gotta play it. The reason you're playing is
for other people. You've got to learn some
tunes that maybe you just don't like but
that maybe your parents would like. After
all, they're paying for all the lessons and
they've put a lot out there! Make 'em feel
good. When I play drums, I just feel like I
don't want to leave them. I think this is
really important: If you really love the
drums, then you, by God, should play 'em.
 by Anthony J, Cirone

Portraits In Rhythm: Etude #17

To some students, rhythms with constant mixed-meter changes 32nd note is counted as a 16th. For example:
such as Etude #17 can be a nightmare. Most of our early training is
with 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 time. When something other than these
standard meters is presented, it looks very difficult. I am in favor of
teaching mixed meters to very young musicians. What students
learn when they are young will stay with them always.
Without early training in mixed meters, music such as Etude
#17 may look unplayable, when in fact it should be no more of a
challenge than 2/4 time. I encourage all students, especially those
not previously familiar with mixed-meter time, to make a thor-
ough study of this etude. The following are a few basic rules for
counting mixed-meter time.
1. The bottom number of the time signature determines which
note-value will be counted as the main beat. For example, in 4/4
time, it will be the quarter note; in 3/8 time, it will be the 8th note.
In the case of this etude, which is in 3/16 time, it will be the 16th
note. In 3/16 time, the 16th note gets the main beat, the 32nd note is
2. Always count the proper number of beats as determined by counted as an 8th, and the 64th note as a 16th.
the top number of the time signature. In 3/16, there will be three
counts, in 5/16, five counts, etc.
3. Use the counting relationship between quarter notes, 8th
notes, and 16th notes with other note values. For example, in 2/4
time the counting is:

Etude #17 only uses time signatures in 16th time—that is, 2/16,
3/16, and 5/16. Therefore, the relationship in counting the rhythms
will be constant. The 16th note gets the main count, and the 32nd
note is counted with the use of "and." Also, remember that an 8th
note gets two counts and a dotted 8th note gets three counts. I
In 3/8 time, we use the same relationship; that is, the 8th note gets hope that by following these rules the mystery of mixed meter will
the main count, the 16th note is counted as an 8th note, and the be simplified and no longer seem unusual.

Observations
1. Between measures three and four in the first line is the symbol 16th note = 16th note. This is telling us that the speed of the 16th
note in the 3/16 measure is the same as the speed of the 16th note in the 2/16 measure. When the note values are equal, as these are, the
relationship between the note values are the same. In future etudes, we will deal with mixed-meter with differing values.
2. In line eight, notice the roll is not tied into the last measure of this line. Since the last measure begins with a flam, the roll must be
separated so that both hands can set up for the flam.
3. Beginning in the second measure of the last two lines is a series of 32nd notes. Notice the accents are not always lined up with the
division of the notes. For instance, in the 5/16 measure, the notes are divided into groups of three beats and two beats, yet the accent
comes in the middle of the group of three. This is written so a feeling of syncopation will result. However, if the performer beats his or her
foot on the accents, this feeling will be lost. Therefore, I suggest the following pattern for tapping the foot so the proper syncopation can
be felt.
 Interpretations
1. The first four measures make up one phrase, which is then immediately repeated. Therefore, the natural accents should fall on the
first note of the first and fifth measures. Another way to effectively bring out these phrases is to think of the four measures as one subtle
diminuendo. The following would be a more accurate way to notate this.

2. At the end of line three, there is a series of short rolls with a dot over each roll. This normally denotes a crush roll. However, in this
case, my intention is for the performer to place a subtle accent on each roll, thereby providing a fresh attack.
3. Following these rolls in line four is a series of 32nd-note rhythms that should be played near the edge of the drum and phrased
according to their groupings.
4. There is no such thing as one way to "stick" any given passage. However, I do like to follow certain rules when performing in an
orchestral manner. For instance, beginning with the last measure of line six, I would suggest the following sticking for a right-handed
player. This sticking follows the basic rules of alternating into flams and leading with the strong hand.

5. The final measure has a fermata over the rest on the first beat. This is strictly for dramatic purposes, and the length of this fermata is
left up to the performer. What this accomplishes is a moment of silence before the final roll. If the fermata is too short, the roll will not
stand out. If the fermata is too long, the dramatic effect will be lost.
Music © 1968 Belwin Mills/Columbia, Hialeah, FL. Used with permission.
 by Rick Van Horn

Apples In An
Orange Crate: Part 1
Playing in a club band can be one of the We did two shows a night, opening with As long as we performed in reasonably
most comfortable gigs in the entire music three band numbers, and then bringing on "classy" rooms where theatrical-style shows
business. That's because club bands gener- the two "front" artists for the next 45 min- were familiar—or at least comprehended—
ally perform in rooms for which their mu- utes or so. Our first booking was a tremen- we were very favorably received. But we
sic is appropriate, their performance fits dous success, and we were elated, since learned another lesson on this second
the requirements of the room, and their this was the first time any member of the "tour," which was that sometimes a room
own personalities are compatible with those act had ever been "on the road." can be too casual to accept a polished
of the clientele. And because club bands That elation was short-lived, however. show, (Or, perhaps, your presentation can
often work the same rooms for extended At our very next booking, the manager in- be too slick for its own good. It all depends
periods of time or for multiple repeat en- formed us that he was happy to have the on which side of the stage lights you're on,
gagements, a certain sense of "homey-ness" two 45-minute shows each night. Then he I suppose.)
can often come with the gig. asked what sort of music the band did dur- We left a tremendously successful en-
That is, of course, until you get a book- ing the dance sets in between shows. Dance gagement at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in
ing for which all the wonderful characteris- sets!? Who said anything about dance sets? downtown Denver, and were rejoicing at
tics listed above don't apply. This doesn't We were a show act! We weren't prepared the fact that our next booking was only a
happen often—thank goodness—with full- to do anything "between shows." Needless little over 100 miles away, in Colorado
time, professional club bands, because they to say, there was a bit of consternation as a Springs. (We were used to 14-hour treks
generally have a pretty good idea of their result of this unforeseen development. between gigs; specialty acts are sometimes
own musical and visual image, and either Should we insist on doing things our way, hard to route.) The club we were to move
book themselves into appropriate rooms, and perhaps lose the gig altogether? Or into was called "The Godfather's," and we
or rely on agents who share their under- should we swallow our pride, woodshed thought that sounded like a good omen,
standing and will do the same. Unfortu- like crazy, and see how many songs we since we had a gangster theme to our show.
nately, weekend bands, or club bands just knew between us that could be whipped It wasn't to be.
getting themselves off the ground, may not quickly into a couple of acceptable dance When we arrived at the club in mid-
be so organized, and as a result may en- sets? Economics won out, and we did our afternoon, we found it all but deserted. The
counter inappropriate bookings with alarm- best to come up with the dance music. stage was adequate in size, but the only
ing frequency. The nasty thing about that I wish this story had a happier ending, source of illumination was two floodlights
is, a pro band is more likely to have the but it doesn't. The fact that we hadn't gone dangling from the ceiling by their cords.
experience necessary to cope with such a out prepared to do both dance music and And they were yellow! The club itself was
situation; a semi-pro or newly-formed band our show turned out to be a fatal flaw. large, and probably would have accom-
may be really thrown by it. Although we struggled through that one modated a large crowd of dancers and/or
I've been playing in clubs for almost 25 gig, we were unable to get any further book- seated audience members—were it not for
years now. And I mean all kinds of clubs, ings within a short enough time to keep us the four pool tables placed directly across
with all kinds of bands. I've played in situ- solvent. Consequently, we had to return the dance floor from the stage. As a matter
ations that weren't to my personal liking home and disband. This was a simple situ- of fact, from stage level, we were looking
any number of times. (That sort of goes ation of taking too much for granted, and not at our audience, but straight into a row
with this business.) But fortunately, I've only not being prepared to react to unforeseen of imitation Tiffany-style pool table lamps
been in situations where the whole band situations. Had we communicated better emblazoned with Coca-Cola logos.
felt like "apples in an orange crate" a very with the various employers at the time that Undaunted—well, almost undaunted—
few times. Some were humorous, some our bookings were lined up, we would have we set up our equipment (which included
were quite serious—but all of them were understood their requirements and could a great deal of stage decoration and props)
learning experiences. I thought I might share have taken steps to meet them. At the very and prepared for the evening's engagement.
some of that learning, in the hope that I least, we could have informed them in We were told that the crowd liked fairly
may help you to avoid having to get it "the advance that we did only a show, and dis- loud rock music, which was okay with us,
hard way." cussed each booking further on that basis. since the band was now prepared for that.
However, the experience was not with- What we were not told was that the "crowd"
The Show Must Go On...?
out educational value. Eight months later, I generally consisted of a dozen or so
In 1975 I joined a theatrical show called got a call from the leader of the Bonnie & hardcore pool players and their dates, two
Bonnie & Clyde & The Hit Men. It was an Clyde show. He had put together a new or three passing truck drivers, and five
act that was born in an environmental din- band—complete with dance material—and "regular" ladies—who turned out to be
ner theater, where the show's characters had updated the show, as well. Bookings topless dancers from the go-go bar down
were "on" from the moment the audience were already lined up across the country, the block. None of these people had ever
came in the door until they left. In other and things looked great. Would I come seen a nightclub act before.
words, it was "showtime" all evening long. back out on the road under those circum- We opened our first night with an opti-
When this act was taken "on the road," stances? mistic outlook. The band played every rock
however, it was booked into hotel lounges I did, and we had a wonderful time for tune we knew, and seemed to go over well
trying to promote themselves as nightclubs. the next ten months—generally speaking. enough. Nobody danced, but we did get a
certain perfunctory acknowledgement from can happen at any time in a band's career, As we scurried into a booth in the rear,
the patrons that we interpreted as approval. a booking fell through at the last minute. one of the band members spotted us. Rec-
When it came time for the first show, we Now, when you're at home and can just sit ognizing the panic in our eyes, he came
asked the manager how we could turn out tight for a week, a situation like this gener- over to our table, and asked if we were the
the lights over the pool tables and direct ally is inconvenient, but not disastrous. incoming band. When we said—weakly—
the audience's attention more toward the However, when you're out on the road, as that we were, he replied, "Thank God! We
show. He looked at us as though we'd asked we were, it can be catastrophic, since you thought we'd never get out of here!" When
him for directions to Mars. have to put yourself up at your own ex- we commented that we thought his band
Suffice it to say, we played the rest of the pense on top of not making any income. had been held over, he told us that they
engagement to accompanying whacks, As a result, one tends to jump at any life- had been "requested" (in no uncertain
clicks, and thunks from the pool tables, line that is offered. terms) to stay when the band booked to
and pretty much to the backs of our "audi- Our "lifeline" came in the form of an replace them had taken one look at the
ence." If they understood that we were 11 th-hour offer from a club about 100 miles club and kept on driving. He went on to
trying to do a show, they were keeping that away from where we were (which hap- say that if we were smart, we'd do the
understanding to themselves. We took our pened to be Yakima, Washington). Our same.
leave at the conclusion of the week, secure agent informed us that it was a small club He informed us that the "clientele" of
in the knowledge that we had failed to in a lumbering town called The Dalles, on this club consisted of two factions: white
raise the cultural level of Colorado Springs. the Columbia River, in Oregon. He couldn't lumberjacks and Indian lumberjacks. Most
But we had also learned an important les- tell us too much more about it, except that of them were "bikers," and all of them
son, which was that our booking agent it wasn't attached to a hotel, and we would hated each other. He also warned us against
needed to understand the nature of the clubs have to put ourselves up in a motel while trying to make polite conversation with any
he was putting us into a good deal better we played there. He did know that they woman in the room, since, as he put it,
before signing us up. had a trio performing in the club at the "Every woman here has a husband, an ex-
present time that had been "held over" for husband, a boyfriend, and an ex-boyfriend.
The Little Band That Wasn't There
a second engagement. That sounded en- And they're all here, too!" As a matter of
Following my experience with the Bon- couraging—and besides, we were a little fact, the keyboard player had had his bath
nie & Clyde show, I took some time off at desperate. So we agreed to take the gig, interrupted one night when his motel room
home. Then in 1976 I joined a Top-40 trio, even though it wasn't exactly what we were door was kicked down and three massive
consisting of acoustic and Fender Rhodes used to. individuals stormed in with a greeting that
piano, bass, and drums. We all sang, and We closed our Yakima gig on a Saturday went something like: "Stay away from my
we could cut a surprising variety of mate- night. The club in The Dalles ran bands woman if you want to stay alive!"
rial quite well, due primarily to the talent Tuesday through Sunday. So we had the Our newfound friend's story was inter-
of the keyboard player and a certain cocky opportunity to drive to The Dalles, check rupted when a scuffle arose on the dance
confidence that we all shared. Basically, into a motel, unpack, and go out to the floor. Someone broke a bottle, threatening
we were willing to attempt almost any- club to catch the departing band's last night. a patron with the jagged end. It turned out
thing, putting our own arrangement to it (This was quite a novelty for us, since we to be the manager—a lady who looked as
and coming up with our own sound. were used to coming into a new room if she did this regularly—putting a rowdy
Owing to the small size and musical ver- "cold," after the previous band had left.) customer out of the bar! Somehow, we
satility of this group, it should have been I'll never know what beneficent spirit was knew that our first-set opener of "Java
fairly easy to book us into small to me- watching over us and made that situation Jive"—and probably our last-set closer of
dium-sized hotel lounges. And that proved possible, but I'll be forever grateful. "Free Ride" as well—wasn't going to make
to be the case—except in one instance. As As I said earlier, we were a lounge trio. it with this crowd. We thanked our musical
We did not use synthesizers, we had no compatriot for his sage advice, and quietly
lead guitar, and we put our vocals through left the club. We returned to our motel,
a Shure Vocal Master RA. system—not packed and checked out, and drove 100
exactly mega-wattage or stadium volume. miles toward Seattle. Only then did we
We played rock music, to be sure, but it stop and call the club to let them know that
was lounge-oriented rock, tempered by tasty we could not accept their booking after all.
arrangements and polished presentation. This was the only time in my career that
We were nobody's hard rock band. I, or a band in which I was a member,
When we arrived at the club, the first literally walked out on a booking. But the
thing we noticed was the number of mo- prospect of a week's stay in that threaten-
torcycles parked in front of it. They ing environment seemed to justify our de-
stretched, side by side, for the better part of cision. In this instance, we learned that
two blocks. From where we parked, at the "desperation" is a relative term, and that
far end of that two-block distance, we could even though we were desperate for a source
hear the band. Clearly. As clearly as though of income, we weren't desperate enough
we were standing inside the club. We were to risk our personal safety for it.
almost afraid to go inside the club, but we Not all bookings that turn out to be dif-
did. ferent from what the band expects are as
Our agent was right: There was a trio dire as this last one. Not all are negative
playing there. But having three musicians experiences that result only in lessons
in the band was where their resemblance learned "the hard way." In fact, some even
to us ended. You could hardly see them offer opportunities to overcome a challenge
behind the mountains of equipment they and emerge victorious. In my next column,
were using, including a P.A. system that I'll relate the story of such a booking that
would do justice to a 5,000-seat arena and my current band played recently, and how
synthesizers stacked to the ceiling. We en- we were able to turn what could have been
tered at the end of an ear-splitting, pre- a very unpleasant weekend into a success-
break closing number—just in time to hear ful and enjoyable gig. See you then!
a burly patron shout from the dance floor:
"Hey, can't you guys get heavy?!"
A. There were several reasons why acrylic
drums went off the market—mostly related
to economics. Acrylic drums tended to be
somewhat "trendy," due to their non-tradi-
tional appearance, and as such were sub-
ject to the whims of fashion. When the
novelty wore off, drummers tended to re-
turn to the more familiar look of wood
shells with lacquered or covered finishes.
Acrylic drums also gave a very loud, bright,
high-projection sound. This was popular
for a while, but lost its appeal in the mid-
'70s when the flat, wet, "studio sound" be-
came the norm. At that same time, petro-
leum prices went sky-high (remember the
gas shortages of 1973?), and products that
were petroleum-based—such as acrylics—
became very expensive to produce. With
diminished sales and increased manufac-
turing costs, Ludwig and Fibes found it
impractical to continue production.
The only problem ever attributed to the
acrylic shells was the possibility of crack-
ing. The material was quite brittle, and
could be damaged by rough handling, over-
tightening of lug screws, etc. However, care
and precaution could avert this problem,
and many of the clear (and colored) acrylic
sets are in use today. In recent years, a
demand has arisen for the sets since drum-
mers are once again seeking "different"
sounds and looks from their drumkits.
PEARL EXPANDS Berklee students, along with percussion
department chairman Dean Anderson and PROSOUND'S
MARKETING faculty member Skip Hadden, were
treated to a tour of Zildjian's manufactur-
DRUMLAND
DIVISION ing facility. They were shown all aspects ANNOUNCES 5TH
of the cymbal-making process, from the
artisan nature of the hand-hammering INT'L DRUMMER
used in making the K Zildjian range, to the
state-of-the-art sophistication of the
MEETING
computer hammer that shapes the sound Prosound's Drumland, of Koblenz, West
of the Z series. The day finished with Germany, one of Europe's largest percus-
Louie Bellson performing on the drumkit sion-oriented retail operations, recently
in Zildjian's cymbal selection room, announced its fifth International Drummer
impressing the students with his outstand- Meeting. A day-long series of clinics and
ing soloing abilities and ably demonstrat- performances by world-renowned drum-
ing the sounds of Zildjian's extensive mers, the event will be held February 5,
range of cymbals. 1989. The following address is given for
the venue: Kulturfabrik, Mayer-Alberti-
Strasse 11, 5400 Koblenz, West Germany.
PRO-MARK NAMED Artists already confirmed include Chester

EXCLUSIVE U.S. Thompson, Sonny Emory, Jojo Mayer, and

Alex Sanguinetti; other artists are yet to be
(Left to right): Pam Haynie, Ken Austin,
Tak Isomi (President, Pearl International),
AGENT FOR TEM- added. (Previous drummers who have par-
ticipated include Alex Acuna, Simon Phil-
Karl Dustman, Bob Morrison, Terry West. PUS INSTRUMENTS lips, Gerry Brown, Louie Bellson, Vinnie
(Not shown: Ray Tregellas and Eric Hall.) Colaiuta, Billy Cobham, Bill Bruford, Roy
Tempus Instruments, Canadian-based
maker of professional fiberglass drums, Burns, Jon Hiseman, and many other
Pearl International recently announced the
has appointed Pro-Mark as its exclusive world-class performers.) For further
arrival of Karl Dustman as new Director of
U.S. agent. In announcing the appoint- information, contact Prosound's Drum-
Sales and Marketing. Dustman is well-
ment, Tempus President Paul Mason said, land, Andernacher Strasse 90, 5400
known and respected within the percus-
"We're very excited about this new Koblenz, West Germany. Prosound's
sion industry, having previously held man-
arrangement. Pro-Mark has an excellent phone number is 49-261 -83011; their FAX
agement posts with Ludwig, Gretsch, and
reputation for marketing quality products number is 49-261-83020.
most recently HSS, Inc.
Ken Austin will undertake the responsi- and, as percussion specialists, will help
bilities of Marketing and Public Relations
Manager, which includes direction of the
give us the increased market penetration
we've been looking for."
BOSTON UNI-
Pearl Artist Relations program. The Re- Pro-Mark President Herb Brochstein VERSITY ALUMNI
added, "Tempus Instruments is a young
gional Artist Relations management team
will now consist of Pam Haynie (corporate and aggressive company. They are BAND TOUR
headquarters, Nashville), Ray Tregellas
(Pearl East Coast, Fairfield, New Jersey),
building drums of exceptional quality. The
sound is rich and pure. Discriminating
YUGOSLAVIA
and Eric Hall (Pearl West Coast, North musicians will recognize and appreciate
Hollywood, California). Terry West is the extraordinary nature of these drums.
Advertising and Art Director, while Bob We know Tempus will complement our
Morrison will handle marketing for established lines of drumsticks and
Marching and Educational Percussion. percussion accessories."
Both are based in Nashville. Mason concluded by saying, "Tempus
Photo by Boston University Photo Service

Instruments has enjoyed steady growth

over the last three and a half years
ZILDJIAN because we offer the customer a real

AND BERKLEE value at reasonable cost. Our shells are

covered by a lifetime warranty and are
Armand Zildjian, president of Avedis guaranteed to be perfectly round. Since
Zildjian Cymbal Company, was recently they are almost totally unaffected by
awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of temperature and humidity changes, tonal
Music by Berklee College of Music presi- inconsistencies become nearly non-
dent Lee Eliot Berk. The award took place existent. Collarlock hardware and RIMS
during Entering Student Convocation cere- mounts are available as standard equip-
monies at Berklee's campus in Boston. ment. We will also supply our customers
(Left to right): Frank M. Toperzer, Jane
The award was presented to Mr. Zildjian with shells that have not yet been drilled
Mahoney, and Lloyd McCausland, mem-
in recognition of his contribution to the for mounting. They can then select their bers of the Boston University Alumni Band
field of percussion and to percussion own mounting hardware. Finally, because percussion section.
instrument manufacturing. the US/Canadian dollar exchange rate has
In a return gesture, Armand Zildjian re- remained extremely stable, our prices Frank M. Toperzer, President of Drums
cently hosted the members of Berklee's have not increased like those of other Unlimited, Inc., in Bethesda, Maryland,
Percussive Society at the Zildjian factory drum makers. For more information on and Lloyd McCausland, Sales and
in Norwell, Massachusetts. Long-time Tempus Instruments, contact Pro-Mark, Marketing Vice President of Remo, Inc.,
Zildjian artist/endorser Louie Bellson was 10707 Craighead Drive, Houston, Texas recently participated in a six-city tour of
also on hand as a guest host. Over 50 77025. Yugoslavia as members of the Boston
University Alumni Concert Band. The
band, which plays a range of concert
music, performed in Dubrovnik, Sarajevo,
Split, Opatija, Bled, and Zagreb, in
celebration of the band's ten-year anniver-
sary. The members of the band are
graduates of the university's School of
Music who reunite quarterly to present
concerts primarily to University and Boston
area audiences. Many, like Toperzer and
McCausland, are either professional
musicians, music educators, or members of
the musical instrument industry.

STANDARD FILE
FORMAT
DEVELOPED FOR
MIDI SEQUENCERS
Lachlan Westfall, President of the Interna-
tional MIDI Association, recently an-
nounced that the MIDI Files standard file
format is now part of the MIDI 1.0 Specifi-
cation. The format, originally developed by
Dave Oppenheim of Opcode Systems, was
ratified recently by the MIDI Manufacturers
Association.
According to Westfall, "MIDI Files al-
lows MIDI sequencers, music printing pro-
grams, or composition software to easily
share data with other programs. MIDI Files-
compatible programs allow the MIDI user
to greatly expand the scope of software-
based performance or composition. No
longer does a user need to be tied to a
single program to compose, edit, tran-
scribe, or perform MIDI sequences.
Through the use of MIDI Files, music can
be written in one program, edited in
another, transferred to a printing program
for transcription, and sent to yet another for
playback. The universal nature of MIDI has
finally been extended to MIDI software.
"Since MIDI Files was originally devel-
oped for use with Apple Macintosh-based
software, the first companies to jump on
the bandwagon (Opcode, Intelligent Music,
Passport, Digidesign, Southworth) have
done work with the Mac. However, many
companies that focus on other computers,
such as Hybrid Arts (Atari) and Voyetra
Technologies (IBM), are planning to
support MIDI Files."
For more information, contact the Inter-
national MIDI Association at 5316 W. 57th
Street, Los Angeles, California 90056, (213)
649-6434. The official MIDI Files specifica-
tion is available from the IMA for a slight
charge.
 40, of interest to drummers with multiple
NEW BEATO BAGS L.I. LAMINATES instrument setups, self-miking systems,
DRUMSHELLS samplers, and drum machines with
multiple outlets. The three stereo mixers
are lightweight, multi-purpose units in an
affordable price range.
The BX-80 features eight inputs with
separate controls for input gain level, bass
and treble EQ, panning, and volume. Two
master level faders control left and right
channel volumes that can be monitored
with the seven-segment LED level meter.
An effect send and return offers a separate
effect level control for each channel. For
private monitoring, a headphone jack with
a level control is provided.
L.I. Laminates offers undrilled maple The BX-60 offers six inputs with a gain
drumshells to companies or individuals control, effect send, panpot and volume
wishing to create their own drumkits. All control for each channel. Master volume
popular sizes are available, and thick- controls permit individual volume adjust-
nesses range from 6-ply to 10-ply. L.I. ment for the left and right channels. An
Laminates offers personal customer effect send and stereo return are also
service and has no minimum order available for stereo effect processing
requirements, making the company a without using up additional channels.
source for the do-it-yourself drummer as Peak indicators notify users of an overload
well as the low-volume custom drumshop. condition.
For more information, call Harry David at The BX-40 has four channels with an
1-800-221-5454. (In New York call [516] attenuator switch on each for choosing
Beato Musical Products has expanded its 234-6969.) microphone, line, or instrument input lev-
line of musical instrument bags with the els. A peak indicator warns users of over-
addition of a totally new series called Pro
II. The new bags are made of the thickest, BOSS MIXERS load, making the unit useful for keyboard
mixing, home recording, or submixing.
heaviest vinyl available, and feature the Boss has recently introduced three com- For more information on any of these
same elements of craftsmanship and detail pact mixers, the BX-80, BX-60, and BX- mixers, contact RolandCorp US, 7200
as the company's original Pro I series, but Dominion Circle, Los Angeles, California
at 40%-50% lower cost. Sizes for all stan- 90040, (213)685-5141.
dard and power toms are available, as
well as cymbal and stick bags.
Also new from Beato are conga bags in POLYBLOCKS
the original Pro I series. Made of Tolex II
and padded with half an inch of cushion- SYNTHETIC
ing material, the new bags are available to
fit congas, tumbas, and quintos. The bags
TEMPLE BLOCKS
are black with red webbed handles and According to their manufacturer, Rythmes
double-reinforced zippers. et Sons, of France, Polyblocks are an inno-
Finally, Beato has introduced The Gig vative percussion instrument made of syn-
Pouch, a belt-style zippered carrying thetic materials, which give the percus-
pouch for keys, wallet, accessories, etc. sionist more power and sound stability
For information on any Beato product, than traditional wooden temple blocks.
contact your local dealer or contact Beato Said to be unbreakable, the blocks are
at P.O. Box 725, Wilmington, California designed to be used in all kinds of music.
90748, (213)532-2671. Sets of five, six, or nine blocks are
available, as are stands and carrying
cases.
Claude Walter, who set up Rythmes et
Sons, has long been the technical director
of Les Percussions de Strasbourg, one of
Europe's premier percussion ensembles.
Rythmes et Sons specializes in the study
and production of new products suited to
the present requirements of musicians.
Further information on Polyblocks or on
Rythmes et Sons can be obtained by
contacting the Alsace Trade Office, 6380
Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1608, Los
Angeles, California 90048, or calling (213)
651-4741 and asking for Terry or Luc.
ADVERTISER'S
INDEX
Mike Balter Mallets .....................................85
Sam Barnard ...............................................87
Calato/Regal Tip ......................................... 72
Caruso Music............................................ 107
Corder Drum Company ..............................80
DC1000 Percussion ....................................68
DCI Music Video ..............................46,95,97
ddrum ...........................................................15
Drummers Collective ..................................47
Drum/Keyboard Shop ..........................86,100
Drum Workshop ..................................53,100
Dynacord ....................................................94
Evans Products ............................................83
Explorer's Percussion ................................ 107
Chas. E. Foote, Ltd. .....................................47
Gon Bops....................................................51
Grant's Drum City ......................................91
Gretsch Drum Company ....Inside Back Cover
Hot Licks Productions .................................50
Imperial .................................................... 107
Jemm Company ..........................................87
Kaman Music Distributors ...................13,103
KAT ............................................................71
Latin Percussion ..........................................84
Ludwig Industries ......... Inside Front Cover, 73
L.T. Lug Lock ............................................107
MD Back Issues ..........................................99
Music Connection Products ........................86
Musician's Institute .....................................75
Musician's Organizer ..................................66
Noble & Cooley ..........................................67
Paiste .............................................. 36/37,101
Pearl International ..........................16/17,105
The Percussion Center ................................98
Percussion Paradise ....................................41
Precision Drum Co. .................................. 103
Premier Percussion USA ...............................5
Pro Mark...................................... 68,70,76,80
PureCussion .................................................. 7
Remo ..........................................................11
Resurrection Drums .................................... 77
RIMS ...........................................................78
Rimshot America ........................................77
Sabian................................................... 54/55
"Set The Pace" Pedal Practice Pads .......... 107
Select Snare Drums.....................................69
Shark ..........................................................74
Shure Bros. .................................................79
Simmons Electronics USA ...........................81
Sonor Percussion ........................................61
Tama ...........................................44/45,52,67
Thoroughbred Music ..................................91
Thunderstick ............................................. 107
Valley Drum Shop .................................... 107
Vater Percussion .................................... 10,98
Veneman Music ..........................................60
Vic Firth, Inc. ................................................1
Vintage Drum Center................................ 107
Waddell's Cymbal Warehouse ................. 107
Glenn Weber Drum Studio ....................... 107
The Woodwind & The Brasswind ............. 107
XL Specialty Percussion ..............................74
Yamaha .....................................................6,9
Zildjian .................... 108, Outside Back Cover