CONTENT

Steve Gadd
36
The streets could have been a more dangerous
Place in the '70s and '80s; after all, that's when
thousands of drummers holed themselves up in
practice rooms with the singular goal of playing
just like Steve Gadd. But we all know there can
only be one Gadd, and on the eve of a tour with
Eric Clapton, MD and Steve sat down to talk about
the cuts that inspired legions to practice, practice,
practice.
by Rick Mattingly

The Drummers Of
Hip-Hop
62
No. this isn't an oxymoronic drummer joke, it's the real thing. As
rap grows up, it's biggest acts are learning that a monster groove
is better achieved with hands and feet than with buttons and
chips. Drummers with the Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill, Digable
Planets, Arrested Development, and others tell the tales.
by Eric Deggans

Inside Premier
84
The first image that comes to mind when you hear the name "Premier" might be
Keith Moon kicking his drumkit into the crowd at the end of a Who concert. But this
drum maker is by no means an anachronism. Innovative, high-quality percussion
products are being pumped out of Premier's British factory every day, giving
Japanese drum makers - and drummers in general - good reason to take notice.
by Teri Saccone

Photo by Ebet Roberts

Volume 2O, Number 4 Cover photo by Ebet Roberts

education equipment
96 OFF THE RECORD 26 NEW AND NOTABLE
Jimmy Chamberlin:
Melon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
30 PRODUCT CLOSE-UP
Goetz Purple Heart Snare Drum
98 RUDIMENTAL SYMPOSIUM by Rick Mattingly
The Buzzle Family
by Chet Doboe
31 UFIP Splash Cymbals
by William F. Miller
100 ROCK 'N' JAZZ CLINIC
Phrasing With Broken Doubles: Part 2 94 ELECTRONIC REVIEW
by Paul DeLong Metrophones
by Brad Schlueter
110 TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
Reading Between The Lines Of
Drum Book Publishing: Part 2
by Rich Watson
news
12 UPDATE
123 IN THE STUDIO Robben Ford's Tom Brechtlein, Sepultura's Igor Cavalera,
The Drummer's Studio Survival Guide: Bobby Rock, and Paul Deakin of the Mavericks, plus News
Part 13, More Studio Drumming
Round Table
by Mark Parsons 130 INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS
Highlights of PASIC '95

profiles departments
102 TEACHERS' FORUM 4 EDITOR'S OVERVIEW
Richard Wilson
by Robyn Flans
6 READERS' PLATFORM
114 ON THE MOVE
16 ASK A PRO
115 A DIFFERENT VIEW Anton Fig and Jeff Ocheltree
Jeff Berlin
by Bill Milkowski
20 IT'S QUESTIONABLE
120 PORTRAITS 106 CRITIQUE
Brendan Hill
John Scofield, Jaco Pastorius, and Jethro Tull CDs,
by Ken Micallef
self-published drum books, and more

34 132 DRUM MARKET

Including Vintage Showcase
MD GIVEAWAY
Win a $15,000 dream package: DW
drums, UFIP cymbals, May micro-
136 DRUMKIT OF THE MONTH
phones, and Beato bags
 MD's Instructors Directory
I think we would
all agree that
taking time to
offers a comprehensive listing of drum
teachers from around the world. Along
with the standard contact information,
deal of thought. It's always essential to
meet with a potential instructor first to
discuss your needs, the methods used, and
study with a qual- every profile also includes details on how the means by which you both plan to
ified instructor is long each instructor has been playing and achieve your goals. Three articles on the
one of the most teaching, and how much instruction subject of selecting the right instructor,
important things they've had themselves. A synopsis of written by Roy Burns, Peter Magadini,
you can do to their formal music education and profes- and Rob Wallis, are also included in the
enhance your sional playing experience are also an Directory. Each of these gentlemen have
musical growth. A knowledegable, sup- essential aspect of every profile. We also had extensive teaching experience, and
portive teacher can supply the informa- thought it would be helpful to supply their advice is invaluable.
tion and skills you need, and motivate you specifics on each instructor's teaching Whether you're at the beginner, inter-
to achieve the goals you've set for your- practice. So you'll also find the student mediate, or advanced stage as a player,
self. An experienced instructor can also level each teacher specializes in, the devoting some serious time with a rep-
play an important role in how far and how styles of drumming that are emphasized, utable, qualified teacher can certainly
quickly you advance as a player. whether instruction on other percussion make a difference. Hopefully, MD's
For the past several months, we've instruments is offered, whether teaching International Drum Instructors Directory
included an instructor's questionnaire in aids like electronics or video are used, will aid you in narrowing down the selec-
MD, in an effort to gather information for and other relevant information that can tion process. Look for it advertised in an
our upcoming International Drum help you make the right decision. upcoming issue of the magazine.
Instructors Directory. Available soon as a Obviously, making a final choice on
separate MD publication, the Directory who to study with should be given a great

The World's Most Widely Read Drum Magazine

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EDITOR/PUBLISHER RONALD SPAGNARDI Kenny Aronoff, Louie Bellson, Bill Bruford, Harry Cangany, Jim
Chapin, Alan Dawson, Dennis DeLucia, Les DeMerle, Len MODERN DRUMMER wel-
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MARKETING AND PATRICIA DONNELLY OFFICES: MODERN DRUMMER Publications, 12 Old National Association Of Music Merchants
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PUBLIC RELATIONS E-mail, [email protected]. Percussive Arts Society
OFFICE ASSISTANT DIANA LITTLE Music Educators National Conference
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 swing era, a teacher who's working with die each year from the effects of second-
2OTH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE today's drummers but who never really hand smoke alone.) I drink Twinlabs brand
I'd like to congratulate was a major player himself, and another Ultra-Fuel after my workouts in the gym
you—not only for twen- dead drummer from the early days of jazz. and my performances with my band. Ultra-
ty years of information (I'll admit that Akira Jimbo is a contempo- Fuel adds complex carbohydrates (glucose
and inspiration to the rary drummer—but how many American polymers) and rehydrates and rebuilds the
drumming community, drummers have heard enough about or body—helping it to reach and maintain
but for a fantastic 20th from him to really be interested in him?) peak efficiency. I hope we'll hear more
Anniversary Issue as Your Update section was filled with about fitness and drumming in future
well. I have subscribed older drummers like Simon Kirke (you issues of MD.
to your magazine for years, and I don't mean Bad Company is still alive!) and Jeff David Rodway
think I have ever enjoyed a single issue as Hamilton, your Ask A Pro department fea- Albuquerque, NM
much as this one. From your interesting tured Simon Phillips (along with only
"Evolution Of The Drumset" article and slightly less "veteran" players Dave
your feature tribute to John Bonham to Abbruzzese and Mark Zonder), and the
your notable quotes from some of the best Drum Soloist transcription was from—lord MD ON THE NET
drummers of all time, your Anniversary help us—yet another drummer who died I'm sure I'm not the first one to suggest
Issue kept me engrossed until the wee years ago. this, but how about creating a Modern
hours of the morning. Thanks again for all There's nothing wrong with covering Drummer magazine on-line? One of the
of the education and inspiration you have veterans or historic players. But let's see obvious advantages would be the ability to
provided me over the years. some really modern guys in the magazine listen to the exercises in your various
Danny Williams to balance the established (or dead) drum- departments, possibly even played by the
Key West, FL mers. Where's Carter Beauford, for crying artists who created them. This would be an
out loud? Where's Brendan Hill of Blues enormous benefit to drummers who don't
Congratulations, you've done it! The 20th Traveler? What about the drummers from read music. Another possibility would be
Anniversary Issue is one of the best, if not Hootie & the Blowfish, Live, Smashing sound clips from your feature story. Maybe
the best, issue you guys have ever pub- Pumpkins, or even more obscure bands that your reporters could start taking videos of
lished! I speak as a long-time subscriber, are generating interest right now? How their interviews, and selected parts could
and the nostalgia of the writing, the photos, about getting modern, Modern Drummer? be available for downloading and viewing
et al is a complete thing of beauty. I Vince Williams at the customer's leisure.
couldn't put this issue down before reading Chicago, IL Links could be created to advertisers and
it cover to cover. It's especially good for service providers. Three-dimensional
the younger drummers, to show them views and sound clips could really show-
where they came from. What a learning case a product, and customers could con-
experience! A FITNESS REGIMEN nect to get as much information as they
Marv Gordon I liked the editorial by wanted. Of course the manufacturers
North Miami Beach, FL Ron Spagnardi in the would need to create this type of advertis-
December '95 issue ing, but wouldn't it be worth it?
titled "A Fitness Reg- Of course, not all of your current readers
imen." Congrats on have daily access to the internet, and there
OF COURSE, YOU CAN'T PLEASE EVERYONE your routine, Ron! I've may be some production obstacles. But the
Okay, okay...so you've been around for been training with idea of an on-line publication like this
twenty years. That's great, really. But why weights, martial arts, excites me so much that I thought it was
did your 20th Anniversary Issue have to and cardio-vascular exercises like yours for worth writing to you about.
reinforce the fact that after twenty years years. To your recommendations about Tom Singer
you're still not living up to your title? I C/V exercises and weightlifting, I'd like to via Internet
mean, look at the features in that issue: a add the importance of proper rest, diet,
retrospective of quotations from past arti- plenty of vitamin C, and other vitamin and Editor's note: Tom, you've been reading
cles, a look at the history of the drumkit, mineral supplementation. our minds. We are currently developing a
and a cover story on a drummer who's I also suggest that drummers consume a World Wide Web site for MD, and we 've
been dead for fifteen years. What's modern "sports drink" to replace what their bodies been discussing many of the possibilities
there? Then look at the inside profiles: a lose while playing in poorly ventilated, you've suggested. You're right—there are
lady drummer whose heyday was in the smoke-filled rooms. (Thousands of people some production obstacles we have to
 overcome. But you can look forward to
seeing a comprehensive on-line package
from MD in the very near future.

SPANISH CONNECTION SOUGHT

I'm a Spanish MD subscriber, and I'm real-
ly interested in buying records, method
books—absolutely anything to do with the
world of drumming. My problem is that
not an awful lot of that kind of stuff reach-
es Spain. I'm looking for an honest and
honorable person who would be able to get
a hold of Double Bass Drumming by Joe
Franco, the last Mojo Bros. album, the
Burning For Buddy album, the Dixie
Dregs' Full Circle, and Will Calhoun's
Housework for me. Of course, I will look
after all the costs involved (by check).
Anyone interested in giving me a hand may
contact me at:
Antonio F. Cobo
Avenida de Villava 20 A 3-Dcha
31015 Pamplona (Navarra)
Spain
Tom Brechtlein
Drivin' Tlie Blue Ford
Recording Handful Of Blues was a new experience for Robben Ford and The Blue Line, according to Tom
Brechtlein. The difference on this, their third GRP release, was the presence of producer Danny Kortchmar.
"We produced the last two records ourselves," says the drummer, "and if you're consciously aware of it or not,
it's another responsibility that's in the back of your mind. This time we could be the band, just a bunch of guys
in the room playing. Taking that hat off allowed us to just play. We did twelve tracks in about four days and
had a blast."
One event in particular stands out in Tom's memory about the benefits of having a producer. "I remember
when we played 'Rugged Road,'" he says. "I walked into the control room and said, 'Well, do you think we
should do it again?' and Danny said, 'What, are you nuts? Listen to that. If there's something wrong with that
then I'm going home.' So he saved us from ourselves in a lot of ways."
Handful Of Blues features a subtly wrenching Ford remake of the Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood,"
with a heavy half-time verse. "Danny suggested we rock it up a little bit, and I went, 'Boom-boom.. .baaap, boom-boom.. .baaap.' After the half-
time in the front we agreed to play regular time, then go back to the half-time on the verse. It was a short discussion and then we tracked it."
Tom is amused by how quickly grooves and tunes solidify for the group after their six years together. "Runnin Out On Me" has a toneful
groove that Brechtlein claims was partially Al Green-inspired. "It's the tom-toms out
front," he says, "just taking a mambo-type idea and smoothing it out. Then Robben
suggested a drum lick from the Beatles' 'I Feel Fine' to play at the beginning. I
Sepultura's knew the exact Ringo Starr lick that he meant. Other people would think
we were talking in riddles, but no. Sometimes all he has to do is

Igor Cavalera
mention a record. 'Do that Bernard Purdie-Aretha Franklin
thing.' 'Do the Muscle Shoals thing.' 'Okay.'"
Brechtlein wasn't raised in the thick of

Back To His Roots the Austin blues scene as was Blue Line
bassist Roscoe Beck. Tom learned his
Igor Cavalera is very pleased with the Igor admits the room at L.A.'s Indigo double shuffle from a Thad Jones/Mel
recording of Sepultura's new album, Studios scared him at first. "We're Lewis Big Band album when he was in
used to recording our albums in huge high school. He created a Latin-blues
Roots. "On every record before," the
rooms, but the room at Indigo was hybrid on 1992's "I'm A Real Man,"
drummer states, "I would get my drum
small. I played very tiny 20" kick and expounded on it this year on
sound the way I would want it and "Strong Will To Live," what he calls
then I would fight to get that sound on drums, but it was sounding really big
a "mixed-salad blues rumba." "I
tape. It was nuts. I would be feeling inside this little room." remember asking Roscoe what I
something and when I walked into the For this album Cavalera and compa- should play on 'Real Man,' and he
room to listen to it, it was something ny wanted to bring in some other influ- said, 'Play a rumba.' I said,
totally different. If you want to hear the ences besides their trademark aggeres 'You've got to be kidding me.'
drums sound like an explosion, sion and double bass blaze. So they So I switched the groove up and
you have to make it; you can't expect your recorded percussion jams in a canyon tailored a rumba according to
soundman to push the reverb every with Brazilian percussionist Carlinhos what everybody else was play-
time you touch the drums so every- Brown. Producer Ross Robinson ing. I found out that was how to
body will be scared. If you want climbed down into the canyon to place play a blues rumba, going to the
microphones two hundred feet down. bell of the cymbal on the chorus."
to hear it powerful, it has to come
Then they placed mic's three hundred Brechtlein shares his six years
from you." of experience with The Blue Line
feet back, recording the reflection off
on DCI Video's Blues One and
the mountain and the canyon.
Blues Two. "I want to get the
"There were all sorts of Brazilian younger drummers learning how
instruments," Cavalera explains. "And to play grooves," he says. "I was
we would swap a lot. Carlinhos would an offender when I was a kid—
get on the djembe, I would go to the you become a chopsmeister and
surdos. Sometimes we'd play with forget about the groove. The
sticks, sometimes with hands. It start- videos are also for the players
ed out as just jamming a little, then who don't have aspirations to
suddenly we were on the same page. become pros but still like playing
their weekend gig. It's geared
Kevin Estrada

We'd all drop to a level and then come

back strong. It was communication towards that too, just so you can
through our hands." play and have fun."
Robin Tolleson
Robyn Flans
BOBBY ROCK
Clinic King
After seven months, 35,000- As Paul Deakin puts it—with a laugh—what a terrible situation it was when What A
plus miles, and 110 Peavey- Crying Shame was selling so much that the Mavericks had to delay the release of their
sponsored "Rock Across new album Music For All Occasions.
America" drum clinics, "This album is a lot mellower than some of our others," says Deakin, who admits the album
Bobby Rock is ready for a was inspired by listening to Ray Coniff. "This album is more about moods. One
break. He and his two song we did with Flaco Jimenez is a Tex-Mex rave-up tune, and there are
drum techs recently a couple of rockabilly shuffle things, but there's a lot of almost stan-
wrapped up one of the dard-sounding stuff. This one seemed to go back more to what I
most aggressive clinic learned in jazz school than the other records, which was fun."
tours in the industry. Deakin says the press's description of the record as "cocktail
In mid-March, Rock country" is apt, although it is not indicative of a future direction.
jumped on the road "The band was derived on the concept of our love for the late '50s,
with the tour in the early '60s country," he says, "which had so many influences then.
United States and The King of rock 'n' roll had more country in him than just about
Canada. The three-man anybody, and Johnny Cash had a lot of rock 'n' roll in him. What
outfit set out in a motor was Buddy Holly? Rockabilly, country, rock, or pop? People say,
home loaded with 'You know, you're not exactly country.' but we are. That's exactly
what country is. It's all American roots music.
Bobby's sixteen-piece,
"One thing we've always strived for is getting more into what this
quadruple bass, maple- band is live on stage," the drummer asserts. "When we first recorded our
finished drumkit, making independent album, it was drums and bass, and then we added stuff on top. On every record since
appearances in thirty-six we've tried to overdub less and less. This record is still not quite what we are live, but it's getting
states and four Canadian closer."
provinces. Midway through For Deakin, the Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute album the band contributed to was even closer, as
the tour, drum customizer was the cut of "Matchbox" they did with Carl Perkins and Duane Eddy for Red Hot &
John Douglas put the final Country. "Nothing has topped being in the studio with Carl Perkins—not winning these
touches on Bobby's awards, not selling a million and a half records," Paul states. "It was such a thrill to
"Renaissance kit," allowing him to look in the booth next to me and see Carl! We only did two takes of the song,
finish up the tour with the style and which was the only disappointing aspect. There was not one overdub—all
finesse of a true Renaissance Man the solos were live. But that track was a little bit closer to what we
(the nickname Bobby picked up along do live."
the tour). Robyn Flans
Due to popular demand, the number of per-
formances grew as the tour progressed.
According to Bobby, "If they'd told me before the tour
started that I would do over one hundred dates, I wouldn't
have believed them!" On September 25, Leitz Music in
Panama City, Florida hosted the landmark 100th clinic.
According to Phillip Leitz, owner of the store, "Bobby was a
real hit. The drums were beautiful, the sound was good, and
it was as educational as it was impressive."
Most of the clin-
ics were sponsored Carlos Vega cutting tracks Disease.
by and held at the with Vince Gill. Steve Ferrone on self-titled
stores of Peavey Jimmy DeGrasso on Dave debut from a band called BFD.
dealers. However, Mustaine's recent release. He Deen Castronovo working
Bobby states, "This has also been doing live dates with Geezer Butler in a con-
with Y&T. figuration called G/Z/R. Their
tour was remark- Adam Kary on the road, album Plastic Planet was
able. Not only did supporting God Lives recently released.
the dealers spon- Underwater's debut LP, Kenny Aronoff currently
sor the clinics at Empty. on the road with Bob Seger.
their stores, but Eddie Bayers cutting tracks Bruce Gary is featured on
some even booked with Lorrie Morgan, Doug Drum Vocabulary, a CD
ballrooms, the- Stone, Etta James, the Beach library of looped rock beats.
aters, sound Boys, David Ball, Sammy Gary Mallaber is on Bruce
stages, and clubs Kershaw, Billy Dean, and Springsteen's newest, The
for the performance. We were also able to play at a few high Hank Williams, Jr. Ghost Of Tom Jode.
Rocco Bidlovski on 1000 Congratulations to Cheryl
schools, colleges, and music conservatories—places ordi- Mona Lisas' debut EP and and Joe Franco on the birth of
narily overlooked by events such as this." forthcoming album, New their daughter, Sarah Nicole.
Jeff Ocheltree
MD's January cover story on John Bonham got me wonder-
ing about his live miking setup. Since you teched for Bonzo,
can you tell me if he had his drumkit mic's gated when play-
ing live? If so, in what year did Bonham start gating? Was it with
the advent of close-miking his drumkit? And were the mic's EQ'd
separately? Also, it sounds like his kit has been tuned with the
bottom heads tighter—is this correct?
Steve Parsons
Mt. Pearl, Newfoundland, Canada

A
John never used gates; they didn't appear on the scene until
the late '70s. He did believe in close-miking for live perfor-
mances. He also believed in tuning, and in hitting the drums in
their "sweet spots" to get the best possible acoustic sound out
of them before the mic's were even involved. We used
ShowCo Sound Co. on tours; here's a list of the
mic's they used:
snare drum: a Shure SM-57 on the bottom
Anton Fig
I watch The Late Show With David Letterman
and a PE-545 on the top almost every night because I enjoy listening to
kick drum: an SM-57 and a PE-545 you. I think you're a great player. But as hard as I try
"Y-ed" together out of phase, in the to see what you're playing, they don't give us enough viewing time of
center of the front head the band. I really like the way your cymbals sound, and I'm very curious to
toms: PE-545s know what they are.
timpani: one PE-545 between Andy McMichael
the two West Hartford, CT
overheads: AKG mic's (I'm

A
afraid I don't know the model Thanks for your support. On the Letterman show
number) I use a setup of Zildjian cymbals that includes 13"
(Note: Shure SM-77s were K/Z hi-hats, a 14" Oriental China Trash with an
sometimes used in place of 8" K splash mounted on top, an 18" K medium-thin
the PE-545s, but the latter Dark Crash, a 16" K thin Dark Crash, a 20" K
were the ones used predomi- Custom ride, a 22" China Boy High, a remote hi-
nantly.) hat with a 12" Oriental China Trash top and a 14"
I believe that all of the Oriental China Trash bottom, and 10" and 12" K
mic's were separately EQ'd, splashes. It sounds like a lot, but it's basically hi-
but that was not the secret to hats, ride, two crashes, and a China—with some
John's sound. Again, he extra colors thrown in. I need to cover a wide
believed in tuning. Much variety of styles, so I have the varied sounds in
attention was put on bottom- there.
head tuning, for example, and The particular sizes and thicknesses of my
here's why: With big drums it cymbals work well in that theater for that gig.
takes longer for the air to travel to The cymbals you should pick are largely
the bottom of the drum upon dependent on the type of music you play and
impact. In order to get a whole-drum where you play it. For example, if you were
sound we tuned the bottom head up to playing bashing rock in a stadium you might want
a lot higher pitch than normal. John to use big, heavy 20" crashes. In the studio, on the
would sometimes check my bottom-head other hand, you might want something bright that disappears
tuning before shows—especially in humid quickly, so you might choose a paper-thin 16". It all
areas. depends on your situation.
 Packing Drum Lugs Cymbals And Temperature sense you should handle them very careful-
In "The Drummer's Studio Survival I'm concerned about whether the effects ly while they are cold, since it is possible
Guide: Part 9, Equipment Selection And of temperature variations will harm a for them to become slightly more brittle
Preparation" [December '95 MD], the cymbal. During a gig my cymbals are at or and prone to breakage if they are super-
"Drum Doctor" mentioned packing the above room temperature. As colder weath- chilled. You should also allow them to
bass drum lugs with cotton to minimize er approaches, my cymbals are exposed to "warm up" to room temperature before
non-musical sounds. Could you please cold temperatures from the drive to the playing them (a process that shouldn't take
explain this procedure? next gig. Does this change in temperature any longer than your normal set-up time).
Curtis Cude have any effect on the metal molecules
Portland, OR within a cymbal—one that might cause a
weakness within the cymbal? Atlas Cymbals
The procedure for packing hollow drum John Spaine I recently came across an old-looking
A lugs (on bass drums or any other drums) Mt. Morris, IL set of hi-hat cymbals, called Atlas
is quite simple. 2000s. I've asked several percussionists in
1. Remove at least one head from the drum. In purely scientific terms, cold does have my area about who makes Atlas cymbals,
2. Remove each of the lugs from the Aan effect on the molecules of metal with- but they just shrug their shoulders. I'd like
drumshell in a cymbal—just as it does on the mole- to know who makes (or made) these cym-
3. Fill the hollow cavity within the lug with cules of any material. It slows down their bals, and what their value might be.
cotton, packed fairly tightly. movement, and makes the material more Adam Brown
4. Replace the lugs on the shells. solid. This causes a dramatic change in a Fairfield, OH
5. Replace the drumhead(s). substance like water, which is liquid to
The reason for doing this procedure is begin with and becomes solid when Atlas was a brand name given to cymbals
that many lugs contain springs that hold the chilled. It's a less dramatic change in a A sold from the mid-1980s to the early '90s
swivel nuts in place. Others have specially material that is solid to begin with—like by Jim Atlas Sales, an importer and distribu-
cast "shelves" to hold the swivel nuts with- cymbal bronze. tor based in Levittown, New York. The cym-
out the need for such springs. In either case Assuming that you're talking about the bals themselves were manufactured in Italy
the swivel nuts themselves can vibrate sym- sort of low temperatures encountered in a by UFIP. The Atlas name was dropped when
pathetically when the drum is struck—caus- normal winter environment—even in the UFIP changed U.S. distributors in 1992.
ing annoying rattles or buzzes. Packing the Midwest—your cymbals should suffer no The Atlas 2000 series was a budget model
lugs deadens the vibrations and prevents ill effects from being transported in the offered from around 1988 through 1990. At
these problem noises. cold. However, as a matter of common that time a pair of 2000 hi-hat cymbals sold
for $90. Since there is no particular col-
lectible value attached to Atlas cymbals of
Omar Hakim Recordings any period, your hi-hats are probably worth
I recently heard Sting's Bring On The Night album, which was great—mainly between $30 and $50.
because of Omar Hakim's playing. Could you suggest any other recordings that
Omar has played on? I'd like to hear more of him.
David Padgham Playing With Larger Sticks
via Internet I used to play with 5B model sticks, but
after several weeks of practicing on a

A Here are some Omar Hakim recordings that Omar lists as his own favorites: pad with a pair of 2Bs (in an effort to
improve my control and technique) I've
Album Artist Label/Cat. # grown to really prefer using the larger
Procession Weather Report Columbia 35DP46 sticks. But I'm a little concerned about
Domino Theory Weather Report Columbia 35DP140 playing with them at the drums—especially
Sportin' Life Weather Report Columbia CK 39908 in regards to damaging my cymbals. All of
Let's Dance David Bowie EMI CDP7 46002-2 my crash cymbals are of medium and
Dream Of The Blue Turtles Sting A&M 32XB-30 medium-thin weight; my ride is medium-
Still Warm John Scofield Gramavision 18-8508 heavy, and my hi-hats are 14" Zildjian New
Rhythm Deep Omar Hakim GRP GRP-9585 Beats. I'm not a real hard player, but I do
Urban Knights Urban Knights GRP GRD-9815 play in a fairly loud modern rock, country,
and blues band. What is your advice?
In addition, a new solo effort from Omar is scheduled for release soon. Watch for it! Vic Steeles
Parma, OH
A Potential damage to your drums and
cymbals has more to do with the force—
and the technique—with which you strike
model snare from the 1950s. The eagle
badge was the predecessor to the two
Rogers script logos, and was still being
them than the size of your drumstick. used on lower-end drums when the first
There are many very heavy players who script logo was applied to the higher-end
use sticks smaller than 2Bs, and there are Holiday series in the late '50s. (The script
many not-so-heavy players who use sticks logos were followed still later by the large
as large as 2Bs. Louie Bellson and Tony "R" logo—which was followed by obliv-
Williams, for example, both use signature ion.) In 1959 your drum listed for $42.50;
model sticks based on a 2B design. on the outside and painted flat gray on the since it's not a highly collectible drum, its
Obviously the potential for stick-related inside. The drum was fitted with Rogers value today would not likely be higher than
damage exists with a larger stick, but the plastic heads and 12-strand Rogers wire that."
cymbals you list should withstand the snares. One of the tension rods has a little
impact of 2B sticks if you play on them angled piece with a hole in it; my guess is
properly. that it's an attachment point for a marching
strap. The badge is oval, features an eagle
design, and reads: Rogers since 1849. The
Vintage Rogers Drum hardware is chrome-plated, rather than

Q
I'd like some information on a snare nickel. What can you tell me about this
drum I found in my neighborhood drum?
dump. It's a 5x14 Rogers, with six single Sean Sylvain
screw lugs. The tension rods have claws at Nashua, NH
each end to hold the hoops—which have
no holes to accommodate modern-style
individual tension rods. The hoops are not AMD's ace drum historian, Harry
Cangany, replies: "I can hear the rallying
flared. The shell is 3-ply with 3-ply rein- cry now: 'Drummers, to your dumpsters!'
forcing rings. They are stained mahogany What you have, Sean, is a Rogers Banner
Legend Toms, Bass Drums, plated in 24K gold), Remo Fiberskyn 3 heads stamped with the
50th Anniversary logo, and specially cut snare beds. Each drum is

And Free-Floating Snares The Legend

numbered and signed by the members of the Yanagisawa family
(founders and owners of Pearl).
Pearl's new Export ELK lacquered drumkit features 7-ply shells
brand of snare with high-density inner and outer plies for improved "cut" and
drums has now projection. The kit is fitted with newly designed lugs and special
been expanded to hardware components, and is available in black mist, emerald
include toms and mist, and new burgundy mist high-gloss lacquers. The Export ELK
bass drums. features a 5½xl4 wood snare drum as standard; popular kit con-
Nineteen sizes figurations and individual components are available.
and six colors are A newly redesigned Export kit features 8-ply shells with a
available for the denser inner ply "for improved brightness and cut," transparent
drums, which are batter heads on the toms and bass drum, key rods on the bass drum
manufactured by for precision tuning and ease of transport, and newly designed lugs
Kaman and hardware components. Available colors include jet black, pure
Percussion white, silver flash, and red wine.
Products in Bloomfield, Connecticut and finished at Ovation According to Pearl, the new
Instruments in Hartford. (Both are divisions of Kaman Music P-101 Power Pro is "the
Corp.) The drums are said to be "world-class, American-made, fastest and smoothest basic
professional instruments," yet are priced competitively with mass- pedal ever offered by Pearl."
produced drums from the Orient. All toms and bass drums are sold It incorporates Pearl's Uni-
as separate items, rather than as packaged kits, and are backed by a Lock infinitely
three-year warranty. adjustable beater
The Legend Free angle system and is
Floating snare drum fitted with a Quad Beater that combines plastic and
line has been com- felt and features two shapes—point-contact and
pletely revised. The line-contact—to produce four sounds:
shells are now made slap with sharp attack, slap with fat
completely of wood, attack, thump with sharp attack, and
giving the drums a thump with fat attack. An "in-line" ball-bearing spring system
sound different from minimizes "waggle," and the footboard features a traction-control
other free-floating surface that provides "slickness for speed, with tactile feedback for
snares. (Phosphor superior control." A silent-action, close-tolerance hinge integrated
bronze and into the footboard is designed to assure straight-line tracking for
carbon/fiber synthetic shell inserts are also available.) Legend 10" precise and accurate playing.
and 12" drums are 7" deep with 2.3mm rolled hoops; 13" and 14" Pearl's Power Shifter pedals feature the Quad Beater, Power
models are either 5" or 7" deep and feature die-cast or rolled Plate stabilizer, ball-bearing spring system, and close-tolerance
hoops. Wood drums come in natural stains and are priced between hinges described above. They also feature three-position movable
$599.00 and $799.50 retail. footboards and a side-mounted clamping system said to facilitate
Finally, "Victoria Rose" and "Aspen Blue" high-gloss stains are easy attachment and removal of the pedal (and to permit low foot-
now available for all Legend snare drums; 13" and 14" drums can board angles without "bottoming out"). Moving components on
also be purchased with either rolled or die-cast hoops. Kaman double pedals (such as the drive shaft, cams, and beater hubs) are
Music Corp., P.O. Box 507, Bloomfield, CT 06002-0507, tel: crafted from aluminum to minimize weight.
(203) 243-7941, fax: (203) 243-7102. The S-985W snare stand is fitted with double-braced legs, Uni-
Lock basket angle adjustment, and reversible spike/rubber tips for

Pearl Introductions
Pearl's 50th Anniversary Snare Drum is hand-crafted from solid
slip prevention. Pearl has also upgraded its hi-hat line: The H-
985W Vari-Link hi-hat features an adjustable linkage that allows
precise angling of the footboard for comfort, speed, and ease of
maple, with solid-maple glue rings. The shells are hand-polished switching between multiple pedals. The new CL-98P clutch fea-
in black mist see-through lacquer. The drums also feature tube tures conical rubber spacers that allow the top cymbal to vibrate
lugs of solid brass and straight-flanged hoops with claw hooks (all freely; the bottom cymbal is suspended on curved rubber ridges to
cradle the cymbal and provide "greater tonal purity." Additional als is a new Maple Bass Drum Beater ($18 retail), which is
features include an easy-to-reach spring adjustment knob, rotatable designed to have the same mass as DW's 707 two-way and 702
double-braced legs for use with multiple pedals, and reversible felt beaters to make switching from one to another easier. The
spike/rubber tips for slip prevention. beater's compact size and increased curvature is said to provide a
H-885, H-855, and H-850WN hi-hats now feature the same foot- sharper, more pointed attack sound and more rebound.
board used on the H-985W and the Power Shifter bass pedals. The DW has also announced the introduction of their True Pitch
CL-98 clutch, featuring a metal lock nut and direct contact wing drum tuning system as standard on all DW snare drums and tom-
bolt, is now standard. The optional DCL-90 drop clutch features toms. The system incorporates tension rods and receivers
rubber spacers (instead of felts), for improved sustain and clarity redesigned with a finer thread pitch, which DW claims results in
of tone. increased tuning accuracy and more dependable tuning due to
Pearl now offers two lines of cymbals. Pearl Pro cymbals increased metal-to-metal contact. True Pitch retrofit packages are
(aimed at beginner or semi-pro player) are crafted from B-8 for- available. The company has also made the May Internal Miking
mulation (92% copper, 8% tin). Circular hammering is used to System a factory-installed option available on all DW drums.
improve sensitivity and tone. Pearl cymbals (aimed at budget-con- Drum Workshop, Inc., 101 Bernoulli Circle, Oxnard, CA
scious consumers) are crafted from brass and feature full lathing 93030, tel: (805) 484-6999, fax: (805) 485-1334, e-mail:
on both surfaces. Both lines are available in pre-packaged sets and [email protected].
as individual cymbals.
Finally, Pearl's new TK-100 practice drumset features a height-
adjustable bass pad and four fully tiltable and positionable upper Kart-A-Bag Super 600 and
pads on a newly designed stand. The TK-200 practice set is a dou-
ble-bass version of the TK-100. The BD-10 practice bass drum pad
features a hinged design for easy transport and a "super-quiet"
Tri-Kart800
Kart-A-Bag has recently introduced two new musical equipment
rubber surface for silent practicing. It also features spiked anchors. transport devices, both designed for
Pearl Corporation, 549 Metroplex Dr., Nashville, TN 37211, heavy equipment. The Super 600
tel: (615) 833-4477, fax: (615) 833-6242. ($148.50) weighs less than 6 kilo-
grams, carries up to 136 kilograms

New Sabian HH Cymbals Sabian has added sev-

of weight, and features a single-
motion open-and-close mechanism,
a trolley that extends to 121cm and
eral new models to its collapses to 60cm, and a 31x40cm
Hand Hammered line base. The Tri-Kart 800 ($191)
(recently re-designated weighs less than 8 kilograms, car-
from the previous HH ries up to 136 kilograms of weight,
name), including a 20" features a three-step open-and-
Bounce ride ($309 close mechanism, moves on either
retail), 21" Raw-Bell two or four wheels, and has a
Dry ride ($336 retail), 12x31x40cm base. Kart-A-Bag, 510 Manhattan Road, Joliet, IL
8" and 10" China 60433, tel: (815) 723-1940, fax: (815) 723-2495.
Kangs($ll4and$l23
retail), 14" Dark hi-hats ($378 retail), 16" and 18" Dark crashes
($228 and $267 retail), and a 20" Dark Chinese ($309 retail). Each
of the cymbals is stamped with a new, highly visible "Hand
SKB Cases
SKB offers drum, cymbal, and hardware cases made from "ultra-
Hammered" logo. Sabian Ltd., Meductic, New Brunswick, high molecular-weight
Canada EOH 1LO, tel: (506) 272-2019, fax: (506) 272-2081. polyethylene."
Construction features

New DW Products
The 9700 Throne ($189) is said to offer
include rigid aluminum
valences, moisture-proof
neoprene O-ring gaskets,
"the stability of a barrel throne with the porta- high-density foam where
bility of a tripod." It features double-braced rims and hardware rub,
legs, a contoured seat top, and locking height riveted heavy-duty rubber
adjustment. feet on larger models, and
DW's Balancer bass drum weight heavy-duty locking hardware. Cymbal and drum cases start at
($16 retail) fits on any 1/4" beater $99.95. Hardware cases (36x11, 48x12, and 48x16, starting at
shaft. It's adjustable vertically, hor- $219.95) feature strong polyfabric interior straps and heavy-duty
izontally, eccentrically, and lateral- wheels; the largest model has a domed top for more room. Also
ly, and is drumkey-controlled. Also for bass drum ped- available is the Cymbal Vault ($119.95), which clamps cymbals
together for safe transport. All cases are guaranteed for life. Freed
International, 2751 S.E. Monroe St., Stuart, FL 34997, tel:
(407) 288-7200, fax: (407) 288-7299.
Amati Cymbals
Amati is a
new brand

Remo Pad, Heads, And Percussion

Remo's new Ed Thigpen Brushup practice pad is a 14"
of cymbals
priced for the
first-time buyer. The
Fiberskyn 3 head mounted on a rim with foam backing. It's cymbals are made by
designed to provide an authentic drumhead surface for practicing, Europe's largest manu-
and fits on top of a snare drum or on any other surface. It sells for facturer of brasswind
$29.95 retail. instruments. Sizes
New heads available from Remo available include 12",
include Mondo conga and bongo 14", 16", and 18"
heads. The heads are crashes, a 20" ride, and
created by mount- 14" hi-hats. A 2-pack
ing Remo's set (14" hi-hats and 20" ride) is list priced at $130; a 3-pack set
FiberSkyn 3 (14" hi-hat, 16" crash, and 20" ride) is priced at $177. Geneva
head film on a International Corporation c/o Gregory T. Schoeneck, 29 East
flesh hoop, are Hintz Road, Wheeling, IL 60090, (800) 533-2388.
sized for Afro,
Toca, LP, and other
instruments, and are priced from $49 to $59. Also new are
Powerstroke 77 marching snare drum heads in 13" ($26), 14"
Diamond Tip Wood-Tip Models
JoPo Music now offers seven wood-tip models in their Diamond
($27), and 15" ($30) sizes. The 2-ply, 7mm (with 7mm built-in Tip drumstick line. JoPo's Joe Porcaro says, "The new 5A, Super
underlay) heads are designed to offer a more traditional sound and 5A, 7A, 8A, 2B, 5B, and Rock models offer more mainstream
to allow the snares to vibrate more freely than Falam II heads. sound and feel with the advantages of our uniquely shaped tip."
From Remo's percussion line comes a 48"-tall Standing Ngoma The sticks are list priced at $10.25 (hickory) and $10.50 (maple)
hand drum (with FiberSkyn 3 head and West African FabriFinish, per pair. JoPo Music, Inc., P.O. Box 4416, North Hollywood,
$395 retail) and a 28"-tall Asonga (said to be similar to an Ashiko CA 91617, tel: (818) 995-6208, fax: (818) 981-2487.
drum and resemble "the classic sound of Cuban congas"). Drums
are available in 10", 12", and 14" shell sizes with medium-weight
FiberSkyn 3 heads and "Ceramic," "Earth," and "Tropical Leaf
FabriFinish, and are priced from $225 to $305.
Toca Additions
Remo has also introduced their VenWood finish on Mastertouch
drums. VenWood offers a hand-crafted maple appearance on
Acousticon R shells. Remo, Inc., 12804 Raymer St., N.
Hollywood, CA 91605, tel: (818) 983-2600, fax: (818) 503-0198.

Mapex Saturn Pro Series

The Saturn Pro series from Mapex offers 6-ply (7.8mm) North
American maple and mahogany shells with 45° bearing edges,
minimum-contact
Gladstone-style chrome
lugs, omni-directional Toca has introduced several additions
telescoping tom hold- to its line of percussion. In the Limited
ers, double-braced Edition series of congas ($499.50-$609.50) and bongos ($359.50),
stands, and either high- a deep purple custom finish is now available. New items include
gloss lacquer or natural the Traditional series 3800 conga set ($739.50) and single quinto
wax finishes available and conga drums ($349 and $369.50)—based on Afro-Cuban
in several colors. A designs with a sharply tapered lower bowl for strong bass tone.
five-piece kit with 500 Also new are 13" Custom Deluxe wood ($559.50) and 14"
series hardware carries Premiere fiberglass ($469.50) djembe drums, and Player's Series
a list price of $2,099.90. bongos ($189.50) and congas ($599.50/set). Kaman Music Corp.,
Mapex, c/o Washburn Int'l, 255 Corporate Woods Pkwy, P.O. Box 507, Bloomfield, CT 06002-0507, tel: (203) 243-7941,
Vernon Hills, IL 60061-3109. fax: (203) 243-7102.
 Beato Attitude Drum, Cymbal,
And Hardware Bags Attitude bags are a new series from
Beato available in sixteen different
"African," "Caribbean,"
"Splatter," and "Paisley" prints.
The bags are fully lined and
padded for reliable protection in
professional situations. They are
priced between $68 and $182
retail. Drum Workshop, 101
Bernoulli Circle, Oxnard, CA
93030, tel: (805) 485-6999, fax: (805) 485-1334, e-mail:
[email protected].

Porcaro Ethnic Percussion Covers

A new line of ethnic drum covers in an exclusive "World" cordura
print is available
from Porcaro
Covers. The green-
and-black-pat-
terned bags feature
3/4" foam padding,
fleece-lined black
3

interiors, and dou-

ble-stitched seams,
handles, straps, and zippers. Porcaro Covers, P.O. Box 4416,
North Hollywood, CA 91617, tel: (310) 532-2671, fax: (310)
532-4253.

Noble & Cooley SP Snare Drum

The SP snare drum is Noble & Cooley's effort to design a drum
with qualities in sound and feel reminiscent of some of the vintage
snares so popular today. The feel is said to be "soft and spongy" as
a result of flanged hoops. The sound is claimed to be warm, with
rich overtones in the lower tuning ranges and a dense, "notey"
tone in the upper ranges. The drums utilize Noble & Cooley's
patented nodal-mount technology, making this snare line
"extremely versatile by being able to create a 'classic' or a 'mod-
ern' sound, depending on the tuning" (according to the company).
SP drums are available in 12" (6-lug), 13", and 14" (both 8-lug)
diameters (all 5 3/4" depth), as well as in a 7x14 (10-lug) model.
The drums are offered in ten color finishes, and feature solid-brass
tube lugs in either chrome or black powder coat. Noble & Cooley
Co., 42 Water St., Granville, MA 01034-0131, tel: (413) 357-
6321, fax: (413) 357-6314.

Wincent Correction
Wincent drumstick rods (introduced in January '96' s New And
Notable) are not available in the U.S. due to patent restrictions.
The rods are available in all other countries.
 Goetz Purple Heart Snare Drum
by Rick Mattingly The shell was thick (about 3/8") and featured 45° bearing edges
that were very smooth. It had one air vent centered in a rather
large nameplate, which contained a serial number along with the
Goetz logo.
Besides sounding great, this drum offers The tuning lugs come from Rhythm Tech and feature the iT sys-
tropical beauty. tem, which stands for "index Tension." Each lug has its own ball
bearing, and the collar around it is notched so that as you make
one full revolution with a drumkey, you can feel sixteen "steps" as
Add the name C.W. Goetz to the list of those who consider snare- the balls settle in the notches. This is designed to prevent the lugs
drum making to be an art, and who are applying principles of qual- from slipping and to allow more precise tuning. A special washer
ity woodworking to the shells of their drums—resulting in instru- with a right-angled tongue holds the bottom ball-bearing collar in
ments that are distinctive in both looks and sound. For this review, place.
MD received a 4x14 drum made of purple heart, which is one of Each head had ten tuning lugs that threaded into machined
ten tropical hardwoods used by Goetz in the construction of his brass, tube-style tension casings. The casings were mounted onto
drums. A hand-rubbed shellac finish allowed the natural grain to the shell with two brass screws each. The drum's die-cast hoops
show through, and the drum had a dark purple tint that was beauti- resembled Gretsch hoops—with large "ears" for the tuning lugs.
fully offset by 24k gold-plated hardware. The drum was fitted with a Remo white coated Ambassador batter
Goetz shells are constructed with a "radial stack" design, which head and an Ambassador snare head.
employs strips of wood that are stacked and staggered. The drum The snare throw-off and butt plate were also die-cast, with the
we received had five "layers" from top to bottom, each made of snare-release mechanism being a standard lever action that was
several strips. The strips are glued together, and hardwood dowels smooth and quiet. Snares were standard 20-strand steel, held by
are inserted vertically to further strengthen the bonds. Our test plastic-coated steel cable.
drum had twelve such dowels. According to the manufacturer, the Thick, heavy shells generally favor higher overtones, and that
radial-stack design ensures rigidity and shape retention. was the case here. The drum was at its best when cranked up pret-
ty high. With tight heads and its
narrow depth, the drum could sound
choked when overplayed. But
between the high pitch and the
drum's natural ring, it cut though a
pretty loud band without having to
be struck too hard. (Rimshots were
especially penetrating.) The 4"
depth also gave the drum a reason-
able amount of body. Tuned high, it
would be excellent for funk playing,
for an auxiliary snare in a loud rock
setting, or in a recording studio.
With the heads loosened up some-
what and the snares relaxed a bit,
the drum worked well in low- to
medium-volume acoustic situa-
tions—although it did need an O-
ring muffler to cut out some of the
ring. The drum was extremely sen-
sitive, with good snare response to
the very edge of the head. Tuned
 WHAT'S HOT able in 12", 13", and 14" diameters in depths ranging from 3 1/2"to
• versatile tuning range 8". Prices range from $755 to $1,030.
• excellent snare sensitivity A final note: C.W. Goetz says that two of the woods he has been
• unique and beautiful aesthetic appearance offering—African ebony and Honduras rosewood—have recently
been added to the endangered species list, and once his current
down, the drum would sound great in jazz settings, in low-volume supply is used up he will no longer offer those woods. He is, how-
pop settings, or (again) in a recording studio. ever, currently investigating other non-endangered tropical hard-
The 4x14 Goetz purple heart snare drum with 24k gold-plated woods and plans to add one or more in the near future. He assured
hardware, as reviewed above, sells for $815. Goetz snare drums MD that he will not be using woods that contribute to the destruc-
are also available with Brazilwood, bubinga, cocobolo, African tion of the rainforests. For further information, contact C.W. Goetz
ebony, Brazilian ebony, jacaranda pardo, kingwood, Honduras at Midwest Custom Drum Repair, R.R. #1 Box 53, Arlington, IL
rosewood, and Indian rosewood shells, and with all-chrome, all- 61312, tel: (815) 643-2514, fax: (815) 643-2101.
brass, and combination chrome/brass hardware. Shells are avail-

UFIP Splash Cymbals

by William F. Miller
WHAT'S HOT
almost all models are very "splashy," with lots
of sibilance and few annoying overtones
top-quality, hand-crafted construction
Feeling a bit Copeland-esque, Katche-ish. or large selection
Abbruzzese-y? Well then. UFIP has some
hand-crafted beauties you might get excited WHAT'S NOT
about. You may end up loving a few of these models,
which will force you to buy more cymbal stands!

The nice thing about cymbals—splash cymbals in particular—is

that they can bring a fresh change to your kit without your having make cymbals in much the same way their forefathers did: a small
to spend a lot of money. There's something about having the group of artisans handling each individual cymbal from start to
"color" of a new cymbal to experiment with that can make a tired finish—nothing mass-produced. Working this way produces cym-
old drumset seem like new. bals that are very "individual" in nature, and this was borne out
If you've got the bug to add a new cymbal to your kit, you may when UFIP sent twenty-one of their splash cymbals to Modern
want to check out a cymbal company that has been around for a Drummer for review. While there were similarities among models
long time in Europe but that isn't very well-known here (due within certain lines, each cymbal had a unique, individual sound.
mainly to inconsistent distribution). Now, with Drum Workshop The sheer quality of the cymbals, though, was undeniable.
acting as its U.S. distributor, UFIP cymbals are
beginning to create a bit of a stir in the States.
Quite frankly, these fine Italian instruments are
on a par with anything being produced today by
the "majors."

The Italian Connection

The UFIP (Unione Fabricanti Italiani Piatti)
cymbal company came into existence over sixty
years ago in the small town of Pistoia, not far
from the city of Florence in the Tuscany region
of Italy. The three founders of the company—
Mssrs. Biasei, Tronci, and Zanchi—combined
their talents and experience in hand-crafting
cymbals, coming up with what they felt was the
best way to manufacture cymbals.
Today, descendants of these men reportedly Rough Series
 Experience Series
Experience is UFIP's more "open-ended" series, meaning their
more experimental models come from this line. Splashes in the
Experience series come in two basic lines: Brilliant and Samba.
As the name implies, the Experience Brilliant splashes have a
brilliant finish, the cymbals having been (according to the com-
pany) hand-polished to a point where the finish is almost reflec-
tive. While this causes the cymbal to look more brilliant, it actu-
ally does just the opposite to the cymbal in terms of sound. It
mellows the cymbal, warming the sound. The 8" Experience
Brilliant splash had less high-end than you would expect, and
there were more overtones to the sound. It's a more controlled
sound than that of the Rough series. The 10" and 12" sizes were
Experience Brilliant Splashes very similar, although the general pitches of the cymbals were a
bit deeper. These would be more appropriate for a mellower type
of musical setting. The 8" retails for $123, the 10" for $135, and
the 12" for $164.
UFIP's other splash-type from their Experience series is what
they call their Samba splash. It comes in 10", 12", and 14" sizes,
with the 12" and 14" looking a bit like small China cymbals.
They have an upturned edge, are very thin, and produce a loud,
extremely short, and somewhat abrasive crack—excellent for
loud, short punctuations in the music.
The 10" Samba splash is paper-thin and sounds similar to the
others, although it's even higher-pitched and has shorter sustain!
(I actually had the most fun with this series by mounting the
cymbals on top of larger Chinas or crashes, a la Terry Bozzio;
that, in fact, might be the best application for them.) The 10"
Samba retails for $154, the 12" for $188, and the 14" for $245.

Natural Series
Experience Samba Splashes
I was looking forward to checking out the Natural series splash-
es, as I own a ride cymbal from this series and it's one of the best
18" rides I've heard. In case you're not familiar with them, the
Rough Series Natural series have the look of an older, weather-beaten cymbal.
UFIP offers cymbals in four different series—Class, The tops of these cymbals are exposed to a special tempering
Experience, Natural, and Rough. The Rough series is essentially process (i.e., heat) that darkens the appearance as well as the tone
designed for louder applications, and the actual finish of the cym- of the cymbal. (The underside of the cymbal looks clean and unaf-
bals from this line is quite shiny. UFIP designed a different way of fected.) As I mentioned, this process on a ride cymbal is very
shaving cymbals for the Rough series—something they call interesting.
"micro-cutting"—that shaves a micro-fine groove into the cymbal. As for splashes, I expected the sound of the Naturals to be mel-
It supposedly helps in creating a brighter tone and
"splashier" sound.
Well, the splash cymbals from the Rough series were very
bright—both in tone and finish. They are beautiful-looking
cymbals, the finish being very glossy and the hammer marks
rather distinctive. More importantly, though, the cymbals
sounded even better than they looked. The 10" was very
"splashy," with no annoying overtones and plenty of cut.
And unlike some splashes, it didn't produce an overly loud,
painful sound. The 12" splash was similar to the 10" (in that
it was very splashy), but was a bit more full-bodied. These
two cymbals seemed the most versatile among our test
group, and were my personal favorites. The 10" retails for
$120, the 12" for $140.
Natural Series
 of sibilance and tone. (Each size is available in different
weights, which affects the tone a bit.) The larger sizes
(12", 13", and 14") were particularly nice, with good
splash sounds without too many annoying overtones.
They actually had enough presence to make them excel-
lent small crashes. The 8" retails for $116, the 9" (yes, an
odd size!) for $121, the 10" for $128, the 11" for $144,
the 12" for $156, the 13" for $188, and the 14" for $203.
Also available in the Class series is something UFIP
calls their China Splash. To be honest, the name is a bit
confusing because they don't have the traditional China
shape (the up-turned edge). They do, however, have a
Class Series Splashes
unique bell shape: It comes away from the body of the
cymbal and then flattens out.
Not only is the shape of these cymbals distinctly un-
China-like, the sound isn't the traditional China effect either. The
China Splash has a very clean, almost "airy" sound that is nice and
polite but not too cutting. It's a very pretty sound that might work
well in softer, more exotic settings. The 10" China Splash lists for
$128, the 12" for $156.
So there you go—a whole lot of splashes to check out. If you're
looking for an alternative to some of the other cymbals available
on the market, give UFIP a listen. They're the real deal. For more
information on UFIP cymbals contact Drum Workshop, 101
Bernoulli Circle, Oxnard, CA 93030.

Class China Splashes

low and maybe a little flat. Wrong! The two cymbals from this
series were actually among the "splashiest" of the bunch. The 10"
had good cut and was fairly quick. There was just a hint of that K-
like trash to the sound, which really made it unique. The 12" was
cool as well, and it wasn't clunky like I thought it might be. It had
plenty of sibilance—that "sss" sound. Both of these splashes
would be perfect for someone looking for a quick crash effect that
is just a bit different than your normal splash sound. The 10"
Natural lists for $128, the 12" for $156.

Class Series
UFIP's Class series is designed to be a "universally applicable
line," meaning it's their general-purpose series. Sound-wise, the
splashes from this series fall somewhere between the Rough and
Experience series. Class cymbals feature a lot of good high-end
cut and splash, similar to the Rough models, but also have a bit
more tone, similar to the Experience cymbals. The Class 8" to 11"
models were all basic, good-sounding splash cymbals with plenty
I
n the midst of listening to over a dozen associated with leading studio players such as Hal Blaine,
tracks he had played on throughout his Earl Palmer, and Gary Chester. Most of their work was
career, Steve Gadd remarks, "It's amazing anonymous and their names seldom appeared on album
that after all the albums I've done, when I credits. For most young drummers coming up in those
hear something I played on, I can really years, the goal was to be part of a band, because it was the
remember the way things went down." drummers in the bands that got all the attention and fame—
The music must have meant a lot to him even though in some cases it was actually people like
when it was being made. Blaine, Palmer, and Chester who were playing on those
"Yeah, it did," he says. bands' albums.
Gadd may not be the most-recorded drum- But largely because of Steve Gadd, a lot of drummers in
mer in history, but he's certainly near the top the '70s aspired to careers as studio musicians. Who
of the list. More significant, though, is the wouldn't want to do what Gadd was doing, getting to
fact that he has made so many truly memo- play on so many great albums and coming up with
rable—and downright legendary—recordings over those great parts and grooves?
the past two decades. Gadd certainly did his share of Ask Gadd himself about his accomplish-
routine studio work such as jingle sessions, but he also ments and he'll tell you how lucky he feels
participated in projects that brought him high visibility and to have been given so many opportunities to
offered him opportunities for creativity and self-expression. participate in great music. He never brags
Gadd also crossed stylistic barriers. Although his first about how he came up with some great lick or
exposure came within the jazz world, Gadd could also play pattern; his overall approach can be summed
high-energy funk and fusion or supply simple, fat R&B up in one simple comment that he's been
backbeats. And just for good measure he could throw in heard to utter on numerous occasions when
some military-sounding licks on a pop tune and make that asked about a particular track: "I just listened
work. to the music and tried to play something that
In the '50s and '60s, there was no particular mystique fit."

By Rick Mattingly Photos by Ebet Roberts

 Easy to say—not so easy to do provide a better lifestyle for his wasn't always evident in the early
with the level of creativity that has family. '80s, when he was rushing from one
been a hallmark of Gadd's musi- But he is still very involved with studio date to another, maintaining
cianship throughout his career. the music business, and besides an insane schedule. He has always
In recent years Gadd hasn't been doing several recordings each year enjoyed variety, and continues to
as active on the recording scene, he has also been part of successful seek new experiences. "Have you
both because there is less studio tours with Paul Simon, Al Jarreau, seen the show Stomp ?" he asks.
work these days and because he and Eric Clapton—with whom he "We took the kids to see that before
chose to leave the pressures of liv- will be touring again early in '96. the holidays, and I loved it. I highly
ing and working in New York City Gadd seems more relaxed these recommend that people go see that.
to return to his boyhood home of days, and there is a light in his eyes If I ever had the opportunity to do
Rochester, New York, and thereby and an enthusiasm in his voice that that show I would do it in a
minute." "St. Thomas"
For this article, Gadd and I listened
together to a variety of tracks he had Chuck Mangione Quartet: Alive!
played on. Obviously, we only (Mercury; recorded 1972)
scratched the surface of his entire T he back of the album shows a clean-shaven drummer with a mane of curly
recorded output, but the tracks we dis- hair hunched over behind a four-piece drumkit, and most of the music bears wit-
cussed cover a wide variety of styles ness to this heretofore unknown drummer's jazz chops. But Steve Gadd doesn't
and situations, and provide a good play the Sonny Rollins' standard "St. Thomas" with the typical ride cymbal-
based approach that characterizes the Latin-jazz style of so many jazz drummers.
overview of a remarkable career—one Rather, he takes a very "drumistic" approach to the tune, sounding like a one-
that certainly isn't over yet. man Cuban percussion section as he plays deft but aggressive patterns on his
toms and a muted snare drum, pulsing quarter notes with his hi-hat.
When it's time for the drum solo, Gadd gradually becomes more rhythmically
complex. He stays very metric for his first three choruses, but then begins build-
ing tension by playing phrases over barlines. The tension is released as his final
sixteen bars return to the feel of the original groove, setting up the band for the
final statement of the "head."
"That's just the way I always played that song," Gadd recalls. "I'd heard other
guys do it similar ways. With other Latin songs we did, sometimes they would
go into straight-ahead time after a couple of choruses of the Latin feel.
"That brings back good memories," Gadd says. "That band played the
Montreaux Jazz Festival. Stan Getz, Chick Corea, Tony Williams, and Stanley
Clarke played together at that same festival, and Tony Williams played my
drums! I had a little set of Gretsch drums then with an 18" bass drum and 8x12
and 14x14 toms. I still have that set.
"After we played Montreux we went to London, where we played at Ronnie
Scott's club for a couple of weeks. I remember they had good Chicken Kiev at
Ronnie Scott's, and I remember Tony Levin and I would play Foosball during
the breaks. I also remember meeting Peter Sellers when he came in one night; he
said he liked the band."
Alive! is a good documentation of some of Gadd's musical roots, not only in
terms of his command of both jazz and rock, but also in terms of two prominent
musicians that Steve played with during his formative years: Mangione and
bassist Tony Levin. "Chucky and I are both from Rochester, so I had played with
him off and on since I was a kid," Gadd explains. "Tony and I went to school
together at the Eastman School of Music, and we were in most of the school
ensembles together. We also played in Gap Mangione's trio while we were at
Eastman, and besides the Alive! album we played on Chuck's Friends And Love
and Main Squeeze albums. We made a lot of good music together."

"You'd Be So Nice To
Come Home To"
Jim Hall: Concierto
(CTI, reissued on CBS; recorded 1975)
A t the time this album was recorded at the studio of legendary jazz-record
engineer Rudy Van Gelder, almost everyone on it was an established jazz heavy-
weight: guitarist Jim Hall, pianist Roland Hanna, bassist Ron Carter, trumpet
player Chet Baker, and alto saxophonist Paul Desmond. The only member of the
group who was still unfamiliar to many listeners was drummer Steve Gadd. But
if anyone doubted this drummer's worthiness to be in such company, those
doubts disappeared with the very first track, the standard "You'd Be So Nice To
Come Home To," on which Gadd displayed a confident, aggressive straight-
ahead approach that was firmly rooted in the mainstream jazz tradition. It was a
clean style, without much "bro- "Silly Putty"
ken-up" time on the ride cym-
bal. Rather, Gadd played a lot
Stanley Clarke: Journey To Love
of straight quarter notes on the (Epic; recorded 1975)
ride, supplying "swung" 8ths They called music like this "jazz-rock fusion" in
on his snare drum. the mid-'70s, but today it would be labeled pure
As the tape played, Gadd funk. Some of the synthesizer sounds are a bit dated
stretched out on the hotel- now, but Clarke's popping bass groove sounds very
room sofa. "It's nice to hear contemporary twenty years after it was recorded.
that music again," he says as Likewise the drum groove is very spacious and linear,
the piece ends. "I haven't combining fat
heard that in a long time and
had forgotten that we played
that song. That was a nice
ride cymbal; it was an old K
that I bought at Frank
Ippolito's Professional
Percussion Center when it
was on Eighth Avenue around
50th Street. I played it so much it cracked and I
couldn't use it any more, but that was a nice-
sounding cymbal.
"The thing I'll always remember about this
album is that after it was done, I got a note in
the mail from Jim Hall saying thank you. Not
many people take the time to do something like
that. A lot of people say thank you in the stu-
dio, but he went out of his way to send a note
afterwards saying how much he appreciated
the music. I thought that was real nice and I'll
never forget it."
I remarked that all those quarter notes on
the ride cymbal reminded me of Jimmy Cobb.
"I'll tell you, I like the way Jimmy Cobb
plays," Gadd replys. "I liked those Miles
Davis albums Friday and Saturday Night At
The Blackhawk. Jimmy Cobb played on that
stuff with [pianist] Wynton Kelly and
[bassist] Paul Chambers. I love that groove,
and anything I've heard that I liked comes
out, whether it's conscious or subconscious.
So I can understand why it reminds you of
Jimmy Cobb because I sure love the way he
plays."
Given Gadd's obvious expertise with
jazz and the people he was recording with,
was he envisioning a career as a jazz
drummer at that point in his life?
"I was thankful to have a chance to play
straight-ahead, because I love playing that
way, but I don't know that I would have
been happy only doing that," he says. "I
really like variety, and I was so excited
about the calls I was getting from all
these different people playing all these
different types of music, from straight-
ahead to pop to R&B. I love it all."
snare hits, open hi-hat barks, cymbal bell colors, and syncopat- "It's a challenge to work with him," Gadd says. "Paul is an
ed bass drum accents. inspiring musician and person. He always seems to be growing.
"We did that at Electric Ladyland Studios in New York," He's always looking for something different and doesn't settle
Gadd recalls. "We spent a lot of time on tracks. Nowadays, the for cliches. With some of his songs, you could have played
state-of-the-art of recording has gotten so that everyone can go them like you played other songs, but he kept going for some-
in and do their part separately, but back in those days, if one per- thing different.
son made a mistake, everyone would have to go back out and do "At the time, I was doing a lot of sessions and would try
the track again. So I remember playing the stuff a lot." many different things. And I was lucky enough to have the
There is a lot of space in Gadd's playing on this track. Was opportunity to do that, because there were other players who
there a click track going, or was he thinking about 16th-note did a lot of sessions who didn't have the chance to get that
subdivisions in his mind as he played? much variety.
"No, we weren't using click tracks," he says. "We were "Paul always let me come up with different things, like using
just going in and playing. I don't remember specifically two sticks in each hand on 'Late In The Evening' [from One
what I was thinking about, but usually I'm concentrating Trick Pony, recorded 1978]. Sometimes I did parts using a rub-
on the quarter notes. That's where my focus has to be to ber pad on the snare drum with the snares off and using rubber
keep the tempo locked. Whatever subdivisions I play in mallets, just to get a different sound. On 'Stranded In A
those spaces, I make sure they're locked in with the quarter Limousine' [1977] I did knee slaps and they miked my feet
note so that I don't rush them." stomping on a wooden floor.
"I can't say enough about the work I've done with Paul. It's
been heard by a lot of people and I feel thankful and lucky.
"50 Ways To When '50 Ways...' first came out they played it all the time on
Leave Your the radio."
Where did that "50 Ways..." drum part come from?
Lover" "I used to practice that kind of stuff in the studio; if the mic's
Paul Simon: Still Crazy After All These Years were off I could warm up by noodling around with stuff like
that. I don't remember if I suggested it or if Paul heard me do it
(Columbia; recorded 1975) and suggested we try it. We would usually spend a day on a
I f there is a single most
famous Steve Gadd recorded
performance, this is it. The
tune's signature drum groove
was absolutely unique in pop-
ular music, combining a mili-
tary-type beat with a funky,
linear feel. As with much of
Gadd's drumming, the secret
was as much in the feel as in
the actual licks, and while the
pattern was easy to transcribe
and notate, making it feel right
was another matter.
Often, when musicians have
a big success early in their
careers with a particular piece
of music, they gradually grow
to resent the constant requests
to play the song or talk about
it. But although Gadd has dis-
cussed "50 Ways..." at clinics,
in interviews, and on his Steve
Gadd Up Close video, he
never seems to resent demon-
strating or answering ques-
tions about the part he created,
and expresses gratitude to Paul
Simon for giving him the
opportunity to be creative.
 had made since a string of successful
albums with his band Return To
A good road job Forever, and so the album received a
lot of attention from the moment it
is something to was released. In fact, Gadd had been a
member of RTF for a while, but never
cherish. Some road recorded with the band, so the record-
buying public wasn't aware of the
things are rough, musical chemistry that existed
between Gadd and Corea.
but there are studio When The Leprechaun was released,
even listeners who had grown accus-
things that are tomed to the percussive excesses of

rough, too. You just drummers like Billy Cobham with the
Mahavishnu Orchestra, Lenny White

have to try to stay with RTF, and Alphonse Mouzon with

Larry Coryell's Eleventh House had
up for whatever never heard so many notes played with
such precision, feel, and finesse as
you're doing. what they heard Gadd play on tracks
such as "Nile Sprite." Forget "less is
more." Notes were everywhere, creat-
ing an incredible drive that was all the
more remarkable in light of the complex-
song and try it a lot of different ways. ity of the arrangement. But for all its inten-
We'd try something, then go in and listen sity, the drumming also had a lightness of
to it, talk about it, and try something else. touch that was lacking in much of the
We'd get it to where one guy's part was heavy-handed fusion drumming of the
working, then work on another guy's part, '70s. Every one of Gadd's million-some-
and then work on the performance. Every odd drum notes moved the music forward.
artist worked at a different pace. After "Chick's music was always so great to
working with someone for a while you got play," Gadd says. "The parts were so long
familiar with the pace, so you didn't go in that I had to devise ways so that I wouldn't
there thinking that you were going to get have to turn pages. I'd have the first page
anything sooner than you were going to get taped to the wall on my left, and then it
it. would go across the front of my drums and
"Paul was constantly putting the tunes around. I'd tape it up between a couple of
under the microscope, so you had the mic' stands or have it hanging from cymbal
opportunity to try them different ways. I stands. The music was all over the place."
always enjoy working with him. It's Were these parts that Corea wrote or was
always a challenge, and it's always worth Steve writing out his own drum parts?
the challenge." "None of the drum parts were written,"
Gadd replys. "I always read Chick's piano
"Nile scores, which had everything on them. I
would always know what he was playing
Sprite" and then I could pick and choose what
accents I would play. That was my contri-
Chick Corea: The Leprechaun bution to the composition.
(Polydor; recorded 1976) "But his music just brought that stuff out
of me because it was such good writing. As
A s much airplay as "50 Ways..." hard as his music is, the rhythms he played
received, a lot of drummers cite Chick just flowed, so it was good for drums. It
Corea's The Leprechaun as the album that was challenging music in an inspiring
first made them sit up and take notice of way—not just because it was difficult. The
Steve Gadd—and, in many cases, that sent music just played me."
them running to the practice room. For
starters, it was the first solo album Corea
 "Foots" the rough times; I just remember how
Stuff much fun it was."

(Warner Bros.; recorded 1976)

Featuring both Gadd and Chris Parker on "Aja"
drums, Stuff was primarily a New York Steely Dan: Aja
club band made up of prominent session
players including guitarists Cornell Dupree (MCA; recorded 1977)
and Eric Gale, bassist Gordon Edwards, "That's nice music," Gadd says as the
and keyboardist Richard Tee. With any track faded out. "I was in L.A. to do some-
music they played, the groove was undeni- thing, and sometimes in those days if peo-
able as Gadd and Parker reinforced and ple heard that I was in town they would
complemented each other's parts. On call me to do something else. I remember
"Foots," which is credited to the whole hearing that Becker and Fagen had been
band (although Gadd remembers it being going back and forth trying to get these
mainly Eric Gale's composition), you can tracks, and they weren't satisfied for one
hear one drummer playing straight 8th-note reason or another. A lot of the musicians
time while the other plays 16ths on the hi- weren't very optimistic that they were ever
hat, or one playing ride cymbal while the going to get these things done. But that day
other plays hi-hats, or one doing fills while we just sort of sailed through everything,
the other keeps straight time. and Becker and Fagen seemed to go for it."
"I loved that band," Gadd says when the Reportedly, Steely Dan's Walter Becker
tune ends. "I played with them for years and Donald Fagen had brought in a succes-
and just loved the music and the grooves. I sion of rhythm sections; the album's seven
don't think the real magic of that band was tracks feature six different drummers:
ever captured on record. Some nights, man, Gadd, Paul Humphrey, Bernard Purdie,
were so intense and exciting that they felt Rick Marotta, Ed Greene, and Jim Keltner.
spiritual. That album was recorded at a Even on the most straightforward tracks
time when there was a lot of turmoil in my Becker and Fagen were known for doing
life, and I think the joy of the music in that endless takes, so more than a few jaws
band helped me get through some of the dropped at the rumour that the "Aja" track
things I went through in the '70s." was a first take—especially considering the
Why two drummers? nature of the composition.
"Stuff started out as just a club band, and The challenge of the title track had more
Chris Parker was the drummer," Gadd to do with the complexity of the arrange-
explains. "Everyone was doing a lot of ment than in its technical demands—
work in the studios, and you'd start out at although there are spots in which Gadd rips
ten in the morning. If you played the club off licks that would challenge just about
that night you'd go until four the next any drummer's chops. Much of the piece
morning. So I told Chris, 'Man, if you ever has a relaxed groove, but there are frequent
need a sub with this band, I'd love to do it.' (and subtle) tempo and feel changes requir-
So he started calling me. It didn't start out ing absolute precision as well as a solid
with us playing together; we would alter- groove in every measure. Sometimes the
nate jobs and tours. drums keep a pulse, sometimes Gadd sup-
"But when we did the album, they want- plies mostly cymbal colors, and here and
ed to include everyone, so after that we there the drums contribute aggressive
would use both drummers whenever we accents and fills.
could. It was nice. We'd come up with dif- "That was another session with music all
ferent things and try not to get in each over the place," Gadd recalls. "I don't
other's way. It was good with two drum- remember exactly what the parts looked
mers, but it also sounded great when Chris like—probably some kind of lead sheet
played alone and it was fun when I played that everyone was using so we would know
alone. It was a simple band, but the music the form of the song. Sometimes I would
got real intense and exciting. Towards the make notes. It was real important to get
end there were some business problems something together that I could use as a
involving the group, and the band just piece of music so I knew where we were,
finally ran its course. But I don't think of because we just went right through it. That
was so different from other things I had Compared to most of the albums Corea
done with them; I remember going in alone made during the '70s, Friends was more
on other occasions and just hitting a snare straight-ahead jazz than fusion, featuring a
drum over and over. But this time we did a quartet composed of Corea, Gadd, bassist
bunch of tracks live." Eddie Gomez, and saxophonist Joe Farrell.
What kind of parts does Gadd write for But it was still a far cry from the standard
himself if he's not given any music at a head-solos-head arrangements of the bop
session? era. Tunes such as "Samba Song" mixed
"It depends on how complicated it is," composed and improvised sections freely,
he says. "Sometimes you don't really need and required the musicians to blend rock,
any music and you can keep it in your jazz, funk, and Latin styles into a seamless
head. Other times the stuff changes a lot whole while maintaining an improvisation-
and you need something. I read a lot in al attitude and sense of adventure.
those years and my reading got real good. Gadd's drumming isn't as constantly
Reading is a funny thing. If you don't do it dense as on "Nite Sprite"; here he alter-
all the time, you don't forget it but you're nates between busy, aggressive playing and
not as sharp at it. But when you do it every simpler drumming, sometimes driving the
day, it's like you've got a system. So I music forward with just his hi-hats. Near
remember that kind of flow in those years; the end he solos over a piano vamp, dis-
I was reading so much that I was fast." playing mucho chops, but also taking
advantage of the opportunity to leave space
"Samba between some of his phrases, thanks to the
rhythmic continuum supplied by the piano
Song" vamp.
"That was a nice album, and when we
Chick Corea: Friends did it, I thought it was going to make some
(Polydor; recorded 1978) noise," Gadd says. "I hadn't done any
straight-ahead stuff for a while, so I was
excited about that album coming out; I had
the feeling that people were going to like it.
Those years were good for me because I
was doing a lot of different things—not
just a lot of sessions, but a lot of good ses-
sions."
Whose idea was it to have the drum solo
occur over a piano vamp? "I think it was
Chick's idea," Gadd replys. "He was the
first person I worked with who played a
vamp while I soloed. I had done solos that
way on songs like 'Spain' when I was
playing live with Return To Forever years
before the Friends album. So it was his
idea, but I really enjoyed soloing that
way."

"Unchained
Melody"
George Benson:
Livin' Inside Your Love
(Warner Bros.; recorded 1979)
ot many drummers would likely name
this track as one of their favorite Steve
Gadd recordings, as the drumming is
extremely simple. The drums don't even
play until well into the track, and even
then, at first you can only hear a soft hi-hat
on backbeats. Very gradually the drums
become more prominent, but still stay very
simple, with minimum fills that never get
faster than 8th notes. It's the kind of track
one would associate more with someone
like Jim Keltner than Steve Gadd—mini-
mum chops but great feel. One drummer
who does, however, consider this one of
his favorite tracks is Steve Gadd himself.
"I had listened to George Benson as a
kid," Gadd remembers. "He used to come
through Rochester with organ trios and I
would sit in with him. So I felt very proud
to have gone from that to being asked to
play on an album with him."
Some jazz "purists" criticized Benson
for making albums that were too slick and
commercial-sounding, with vocals and lush
string arrangements. Some wondered how
a musician like Gadd could enjoy playing
music like Benson's, which seemed to
demand very little creativity and offered
minimal opportunity for self-expression
compared to music such as Chick Corea's.
But Gadd has always maintained that he
enjoys meeting the challenge of any type of
music and playing what's right for the vengeance, bashing and crashing his cym- remember particularly trying to mimic
song. bals very much in the style of Elvin Jones. Elvin when I was playing that. I was just
"I thought 'Unchained Melody' was a One hearing this track back-to-back with trying to play what was right for the
real nice track," he says. "It grooved very the Jim Hall track would be hard pressed to music."
nicely. That's a good example of making identify the drummers as being the same
something grow and grow but changing person, except for the fact that they both
what you are doing very minimally—not have strong drive and swing. "Woody
getting real busy, but just letting it build. I
really liked it and thought it was a great
"I think that was one of the first sessions And Dutch"
done at Chick's Mad Hatter studios in
piece of music." L.A.," Gadd says. "We went out and did a Rickie Lee Jones: Pirates
little bit of touring after that. When I hear (Warner Bros.; recorded 1981)
"Quartet that, I think the music and the writing are
really good. And people have referred to T his track has a real street feel, with
No. 2, that album a lot; it touched a lot of people. Chuck Rainey's hip bass line and Jones'
That was one of the last albums I did with
Part 2" Chick."
vocal supported by finger snaps, handclaps,
and some very funky brushwork from
Chick Corea: Three Quartets Did the very strong Elvin Jones influ-
ence evident in Gadd's drumming on this
Gadd, who is credited with playing "boxes
and thighs."
(Warner Bros., reissued GRP/Stretch; track assert itself simply because the com- "That was the second record I did with
recorded 1981) position is so much in the style of John Rickie," Gadd says. "I was getting out to
Coltrane? L.A. quite a bit, doing a lot of different
E ven if the album sleeve didn't identify "I don't know if that brought it out of me things. And her stuff was good; I got to do
this track as being "dedicated to John or if it's just that I've listened to Elvin so some interesting things on Rickie's
Coltrane," the influence is obvious in the much that it comes out second nature. If albums. On that track I thought it might
music, as Corea, Gadd, bassist Eddie I'm playing straight-ahead stuff, I think sound good to play brushes on a tape box,
Gomez, and saxophonist Michael Brecker there's always a little bit of Elvin and Tony and then I overdubbed playing on my
achieve a classic Coltrane Quartet sound. [Williams] there subconsciously, because I thighs."
Gadd in particular attacks the music with a like the way they play so much. But I don't The brushes-on-box groove provides
convincing evidence that it's the musician eaturing former Stuff members Cornell and it's my favorite one. We had a lot of
who brings the instruments to life, not the Dupree and Richard Tee along with Eddie fun doing it, and I like everything on it. I'm
other way around. These days, many studio Gomez, the Gadd Gang was devoted to sometimes sorry that I didn't stretch out
drummers talk of the importance of bringing pure groove, and nowhere was that more more on that album; some of the stuff was
a dozen different snare drums and scores of evident than on this shuffle-driven track really burning and I could have gone on
cymbals to sessions. Did Gadd's cartage that combined the Bill Doggett '50s instru- longer. I wish that I had, but who knew? I
company ever have to haul that much stuff mental hit with one of Ray Charles' classic still love the album. People come up a lot
around to the sessions he was playing? tunes. Gadd delivers an uncluttered, dri- and ask about it."
"No. I had a few different cymbals and a ving shuffle feel that steadily builds Gadd said that some of his affinity for
couple of snare drums, but in those days I throughout the track. It's a perfect example shuffles probably came from sitting in with
didn't have to do that. Maybe now they of how something is played being more a lot of organ trios when he was growing
want more choices, but back then, if the important than what is being playing. up in Rochester. "I'm sure it came from a
one you had didn't work they might ask "I've always loved that track," Gadd combination of organ stuff, straight-ahead
you to try a different one, or they might says. "And I love that kind of groove. That things, and just liking those grooves. They
have one in the studio they would ask you version of 'I Can't Stop Loving You' that can get very intense when you lock them
to try. But it was never like ten snare we did at the end is a tribute to both Ray in. They feel great."
drums; I've never done that." Charles and Count Basie, because I asked At his PASIC '95 clinic, Gadd demon-
[arranger] Dave Matthews to cop the way strated a shuffle beat at the request of an
Basie did it. It was fun to do music of peo- audience member. You could hear the
"Honky ple that I had always listened to and liked. whole shuffle rhythm on the hi-hat, but
Tonk/I Can't "I like 'Duke's Lullaby' on that album Gadd's right hand was maintaining straight
too. Duke is my son and I wrote him a quarters; the third note of each triplet was
Stop Loving drum lullaby," Gadd says, laughing. "It being played by his left foot on the hi-hat
You" was nice. I like doing percussion stuff and
playing different grooves, so I just over-
pedal. Once again, it was a quarter-note
pulse that provided the framework for
The Gadd Gang dubbed a bunch of times and did a few everything else he was doing.
(Sony/Epic; recorded 1986) grooves and soloed over some of them. "If you start out that simply, making
"That was the first Gadd Gang album, minor changes in what you're doing can
really lift the music. One
way would be to keep
the hi-hat on the third
note of the triplet but
move the right-hand
quarter notes to the ride
cymbal. Then at some
point you can change the
hi-hat to quarter notes
and leave it open a little
bit. That's one of the
things I like about this
track—the way it subtly
changes gears and keeps
building. That track real-
ly puts a smile on my
face."

"Love
For
Sale"
Burning For Buddy
(Atlantic; recorded
1994)
add has performed
at several of the Buddy
Rich tribute concerts over the past few that was often overshadowed by his phe- "That arrangement Buddy did of 'Love
years, but unlike some of the drummers nomenal soloing abilities. On the Neil For Sale' is one of my favorites that he
involved who used the occasion to display Peart-produced Burning For Buddy album, did," Gadd says. "I wish I could have
every bit of chops they possessed (and Gadd displays his formidable big band played it better. With any music situation,
some they didn't), Gadd always chose to chops, setting up ensemble figures with if you can go out on the road for a week or
honor Rich's memory by giving the band a solid, simple fills and driving the time with two the stuff really starts to burn, and that's
solid foundation—a facet of Rich's talent quarter notes on the ride cymbal. the stuff you wish you could get on tape.
That's what Buddy's version sounded like makes it so much easier for us." Like the George Benson album, much of
to me—like the band was on fire. Buddy "That was really nice of him to say that," the music required a minimum of chops,
played the shit out of it. But they were out Gadd says when told of Shew's comment. but all the tracks are strong on feel, as is
there playing live for hundreds of nights in "I don't know—I just try and be part of the especially evident throughout the strong
a row. For the last two years I was in the foundation. Everyone in the band can play; samba groove on the opening track, "Mas
army I was playing in a band like Buddy's, all you have to do is give them something Que Nada."
sight-reading charts every day and touring. strong to play over and it'll be fine." One wonders, though, how live work
So having done it in the army, I have compares to studio sessions. For so many
years Gadd was experiencing the stimula-
something to compare it to, and I just wish
we could have been out on the road for a "Mas Que tion of recording new music practically
while playing that music before we record- Nada" every day. Why would someone give that
ed it. up to go on the road and play virtually the
"But it was a great experience and it was Al Jarreau: Tenderness same show night after night?
an honor to be part of that tribute. I'm (Reprise; recorded 1994) "The recording business isn't what it
grateful that they allowed me to play the used to be," Gadd explains. "What was
piece I wanted to play, because it was uring most of the '90s Gadd has spent happening in the '70s and '80s in terms of
something I listened to as a young drum- more time on the road than in the studios, recording and free-lance work has changed
mer and was inspired by. I would fantasize and this album recorded live on an L.A. immensely. There are a lot more self-con-
about playing that song with a band like soundstage in front of an audience is a tained bands, and with state-of-the-art elec-
that. And I finally got to do it. That was good representation of his gig with Al tronic instruments one guy can do a lot of
great." Jarreau, whom Gadd toured with on and stuff. So there's not as much work. Also, I
After one of the Buddy Rich tribute con- off for over a year. Having become the don't live in New York anymore. With stu-
certs, Louie Bellson spoke to trumpet play- only singer to win Grammy awards in three dio work, a lot of it is not only that you can
er Bobby Shew, who told him, "When different vocal categories—pop, jazz, and play, but that you're available—sometimes
Steve Gadd plays, the rhythm section locks R&B—Jarreau wanted to make an album on pretty short notice.
in so great that the rest of the band knows that combined all three genres, and Gadd "Right now, living in Rochester, I can go
right away that there's the authority. It was the ideal drummer for such a project. into New York to do a project for a few
days and then come back home. But then Gadd said he enjoys any situation in better than others, and some of them can be
I'm always running back and forth. It's which he can be part of making good pretty painful. But I've been lucky enough
kind of nice if I can line up a tour that lasts music, and doesn't necessarily prefer the to be involved in some that have been real-
a couple of months, and then I come back studio to a road gig. ly nice. Working with Al Jarreau has
home and have a little bit of time off to "A good road job is something to cher- always been great—very professional, very
spend with my family." ish," he insists. "Some road gigs are run organized, good people, good music. I
spent most of a year on the road with Paul
Simon about four years ago, and that was
good. And the touring I've been doing with
Eric Clapton has been really nice.
"Some road things are rough, but there
are studio things that are rough, too. You
just have to try to stay up for whatever
you're doing. One of the challenges when
you're playing live and doing the same
show every night is to stay inspired to go
out there and do the show the best you can.
That's part of the gig, and it's a challenge
that has to be met. The thing you like about
any situation you play in is the camaraderie
between the people you're playing with
and the energy that everybody puts into the
music to make it happen.
"I'm a professional musician. I do free-
lance things in the studio and I do touring,
and I've always done that. I have to main-
tain a certain level of professionalism to do
either one, and one way to do that is to not
let my head get into thinking that one is
better than the other. I try to be challenged
by whatever I'm doing, and be thankful
that I'm working and making a living play-
ing music. That's what I do."
P op a slamming rap jam into your CD player, and it's the first
sound you'll hear blasting from your speakers—at once
muscular and propulsive, forming the backbone of the song
that soon follows. It doesn't take long to discover that drums
and percussion are at once the heart and soul of rap music, pro-
viding a meaty framework for artists ranging from Kool Moe
Dee to the Notorious B.I.G.
So it seems ironic to note that a style of music that values
drums so much should have so few drummers actually playing
the beats. As a test, try to name a few famous rap drummers.
Stumped? If so, you're not the only one; of
the six drummers interviewed for this
article, only one or two could name
more than one other drummer who
worked with a successful rap artist.
None could name more than two. Ask
the drummers themselves and they'll
tell you that gigs for live drummers in
the world of hip-hop—a percussive
universe ruled by sound-sampling
sequencers like Akai's MPC-60—are
few and far between.
"It's a total money thing," says Andy
"Funky D r u m m e r " K r a v i t z , a
Philadelphia-based drummer who looks
like he should be headbanging for a band like
Stone Temple Pilots, but has played on and pro-
duced cuts for artists like Kris Kross, Cypress
Hill, Buju Banton, and Spearhead. "Why pay a
drummer between $400 and $800 when you can
just loop some drum tracks for nothing?" says
Kravitz, referring to a technique where producers sample short
sections of a drumbeat from a record or CD and endlessly
repeat (or "loop") the part—building a song around it. "And
there's hysteria about copying what's already successful on
the radio...they think, 'I don't hear TLC using a drummer,
why should I?' They don't realize that if they got me to come
in, they'd have a lot more options."
 for inspiration. "You're not going to learn hip-hop
drumming from Brandy or Da Brat. Listen to (Da
Brat's hit) 'Funkified'...that's a bit of Sly & the
Family Stone there. You've got to know the roots."
Unfortunately, many drummers working in rap are
relegated to fairly obscure roles, playing only behind
an artist's live performances or acting as a human
sampler—going into the studio for marathon sessions
to recreate drum parts from classic albums, allowing
the producer to use the newly-recorded tracks without
paying fees to those who originally performed the
song.
But six of hip-hop's leading drummers agreed to
talk about their unique status as players in a style that
often doesn't value musicians—or drummers, in par-
ticular. Though each musician found a different road
to their current gigs and use drastically different
means to execute them, they shared a deep respect for
Because so many successful rap songs are built on
and love of the form—while remaining determined to
samples of older R&B and soul tunes, often the study
prove there's room for a human touch amid the mech-
of rap drumming involves going back to the source of
anized fury of today's hip-hop music.
those sampled parts, suggests Cheron Moore, one of
several drummers for mega-successful gangsta rap
producer Dr. Dre, rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, and
Ore's record label, Death Row Records.
"One of the best sources is James Brown. The stuff
they call new jack swing today, he was doing in the
'50s and '60s," says Moore, noting that dozens of rap
producers have used the singer's famous tune "Funky
Drummer" as the rhythm track for hit songs. "It's all
built on ghost notes. I use a piccolo snare on the left
side, hitting the 2 and 4 on the big snare and playing
ghost notes on the piccolo. The bass drum doesn't
need to be busy, because the ghost notes make it sound
busy. The bass drum drives it, and the 2 and 4 pounds
it."
For Moore, the biggest mistake an aspiring drummer
can make is to only listen to contemporary rap artists
 underrated Extremely
Live! record knows
his talent for adding a "You have
supple, sinewy jazz/ to learn how
funk groove to music to play on the
traditionally consid-
ered a hip-hop con-
beat, behind
fection. For him, the beat, and
there's a simple trick ahead of
to Grafting an effec-
the beat. I sat
tive part for a live
Steve Williams concert, based on the down and
Digable Planets, Vanilla Ice, P.M. Dawn artist's recording— practiced with
which often involves a metronome
When Steve Williams was studying the moves of master jazz numerous samples
drummers at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, and later at and sequenced tracks. and a click
the prestigious Berklee College of Music—rubbing shoulders "When you listen track for two
with fellow students like Will Calhoun, Jeff Watts, Cindy to hip-hop, the tracks years, which
Blackman, and Terri Lyne Carrington—the last thing he thought are very simple, but
those tracks will con-
really helped."
he'd wind up playing was rap music.
Ten years later, from early gigs with artists like the Family tain four, five, or six - Steve Williams
Stand and Zhane to his latest position as musical director for drum loops that are
New York-based Digable Planets, Williams has found a home in running together," he
hip-hop—a rare feat for a drummer. says. "To make it swing, you have to be able to hear what's
Ask the thirty-two-year-old sticksman how he carved a career going on and pick out the parts that work. After a while, you can
in a genre where most artists would rather just plug in a drum hear—'Oh, that's the 'Impeach The President' beat or the 'Funky
machine, and he'll tell you a trade secret. The key, according to Drummer' beat. I may put a little twist on it—change a snare
Williams, is in his approach towards the gig. beat here or there—just to make it all work better live."
"Especially playing with Digable, the music is a lot more ver- Much of Williams' rap work has involved helping artists
satile than just playing break beats," says the energetic drummer.
"It's a matter of feel as opposed to technique. Most rappers use
the same break beats over and over... they're from the same '60s
and '70s records. But most of the people who come to our shows
are musically literate, so they expect us to do stuff that's better."
Anyone who's heard Williams' playing on Vanilla Ice's often-
 records without paying the original artist hefty licensing fees.
Williams' many duties with Digable included one such ses-
sion. "They took the dirtiest set of drums they could find and put
one mic' on it, just like all the old albums were recorded," he
says. "I played everything from Partridge Family beats to the
Modern Jazz Quartet...almost every pop act from the '60s, like
they pulled out every record in their collection. These kids have
huge ears, so you just have to figure out how to give them what
they want to hear."
When it comes to the communicating he does onstage,
Williams' gear isn't much different than what he used when
recreate their records on the concert stage. With one-hit wonder backing R&B and jazz acts like Mica Paris and Will Downing.
Vanilla Ice, that meant playing behind a Digital Audio Tape con- At its heart is a six-piece Pearl MLX drumkit with a 16x22 kick
taining the rest of the music—from bass lines and guitar parts to drum and 8x8, 10x10, 10x12, and 14x14 toms. He cracks the
record scratching and beat box stuff—adding live flavor and beat on a Pearl 7x12 maple piccolo snare, though he's thinking
power to canned tracks. of switching to brass "because the wood is too warm." To his left
With Digable, the drummers' role fits a more traditional space.
Here, Williams is part of a real band—including an upright bass
player, a two-man brass section, a keyboardist, and a DJ—hop-
ing to bring the muscular feel of a spot-on jazz combo to the hip-
hop arena.
"Last year, we had drums, turntables, and an upright bass play-
er—we used wax on the turntables instead of DATs, so there was
still a live element there—but we had organ parts, tenor sax
parts, a Roland 808 [drum machine] kick sound, and some addi-
tional ride cymbal patterns there," he explains.
"Now, everything is live...they [Digable's core trio of rappers]
want it to sound like a band, with things coming out in sponta-
neous ways," Williams says. "I've heard a lot of different hip-
hop acts that get a band together to occupy space. But the Planets
feed off the live music. It's like playing jazz.. .the two of you are
communicating."
Beyond live concerts, hip-hop drummers often help artists
recreate drum parts from their favorite records—allowing DJs
and producers to use the newly recorded tracks for their own
sits a 3x14 piccolo used mostly for trigger-
ing.
beat," he says. "I learned the hard way—I
used to play with the Family Stand, but my
Ahmir - Khalib
To recreate many of the traditional hip-
hop percussion sounds—including wide,
time was inconsistent and as a result, I lost
that gig. After that, I sat down and prac-
Thompson
fuzzy kick drum sounds, thin handclaps, ticed with a metronome and a click track TEE ROOTS
fingersnaps, and similar synthetic percus- for two years, which really helped." Named by Rolling Stone magazine as
sion—Williams has a variety of sound Often Williams' work backing rap artists one of the nation's best cutting-edge rap
samples loaded into a Roland TD-7 tone in concert involves acting as a traffic cop groups, the Roots have bum-rushed the
generator, with kick and snare drum trig- of sorts, playing grooves that would unite hip-hop nation with a funky, jazzified
gers on his acoustic drums. live players with sequenced material, often sound that combines drumset and acoustic
"You can't do any kind of hip-hop pro- culled from samples of records twenty or bass sounds with turntable scratching and
ject without those sounds," he says thirty years old—a tough task, if your tim- amazingly complex rhymes.
emphatically. "Part of the reason Digable ing isn't razor sharp. Still, drummer Ahmir-Khalib Thompson
became so successful in combining the two "When you're playing hip-hop music, has found that the band's painstaking effort
sounds [jazz and rap] is because they knew nine times out of ten you're going to be to maintain an authentic feel on record has
the history of both musics. A lot of jazz playing with a loop, and certain parts may left some wondering if he actually played
artists are jumping on the bandwagon to do be out of time," he says. "You have to on the album at all.
something like this, but something's miss- know where to play on the beat, behind it, "I've gotten into arguments with journal-
ing because they don't know what instru- and in front of it. A lot of those records ists who couldn't believe it was me behind
ments are indicative of the style." were recorded in the '60s, so when DJs the kit," says Thompson, citing relatively
And when hopeful young drummers ask sample them the first bar may be fine and restrained cuts from their debut album Do
about the most important skill needed to the next two will be out of time. You have You Want More?!!??! like the percolating,
get and keep a gig in the rap world, to play something that brings it all togeth- bass-drum-powered groove "Distortion To
Williams has an equally direct answer: er." Static." "But I've been playing drums since
good time. I was two years old," he asserts, "and I'm a
"You have to learn how to play on the student of hip-hop drums. All the break
beat, behind the beat, and ahead of the beats that are turning up on records now
are things I was shedding when I was eight less." stopped using breaks—they just take snares
years old." In accordance with his new vision, the and kicks from different things and pro-
Listen to Do You Want More?!!??! and kit Thompson has taken on the road is gram their own patterns. On Jeru's 'The
the evidence of Thompson's mastery is equally streamlined, featuring a 26" Sun Rises,' DJ Premier used every break
readily apparent. On tunes like "Mellow Ludwig bass drum, a 13" piccolo snare, beat that was considered wack in the indus-
My Man," where his insistent bass drum 10" Zildjian hi-hats, and a 24" Zildjian try—stuff like Michael Jackson's 'Billie
licks add power to rapper Malik B.'s lyrics, ride. Jean' and the Funk Family's 'Cool Is
the drummer's spot-on snare licks and "We did a show with Buckshot Back.' But he reconstructed everything and
flawless time bring an inspired groove to LeFonque in Europe, and their drummer disguised it so heavily, you wouldn't
the party. couldn't believe I was gigging on a two- know."
In "Datskat," Thompson stretches a bit, piece kit," he says, calling from a pay tele- Growing up in Philadelphia, Thompson
offering some sinewy fills and James phone in Italy, where the band is appearing wound up backing his father's doo-wop
Brown-style accents to match the rappers' with Gil Scott-Heron. "It helps me stay band, Lee Andrews & the Hearts, at age
singsongy delivery. So it's more than a lit- focused on simple playing...but it could seven. Later at the fabled High School for
tle surprising to hear the twenty-something also be that I'm too lazy to carry the set at the Performing Arts, his inspiration came
sticksman admit that the loose, complex the end of the day." from funk master drummers like Steve
groove on that song no longer represents Ever the student of hip-hop and drum Ferrone of Average White Band.
his current playing style. sounds, Thompson offers his own unoffi- "Early on, I mastered Steve Ferrone's
"That was me creating a drum break cial history of drums and drum sounds in sound," he says. "My dad would make me
kind of beat," he says. "Sometimes when I rap. "From '79 to '83, there was the live shed for five hours a day, so I played with
practiced, I would play to a click track and band sound. From 1983 to '85, that was the Donny Hathaway's second album, any
try to make myself sound like an SP-1200 Roland 808 period—big, boomy bass Average White Band stuff, and Keith
[drum machine]...and now I'm taking that drum sounds and chintzy percussion. From LeBlanc and all the Sugarhill Gang stuff.
to the hilt. Every other drummer is trying '85 to '87 the SP-1200 took over. And '88 Bernard Purdie once told my dad, 'The
to hit fills every twelve seconds. But we're to '90 was the overuse of the MPC-60 and only way I keep food on the table is the 2
trying to get the best sounds out of our the use of breaks like 'Funky Drummer.'" and 4,' so that's what my father asked for.
instruments, and I know I can do more with And now? "A lot of producers have But I didn't realize how true that was until
recently." notes that the drum production could have Eric Correa,
Hooking up with rappers Malik B. and been more focused.
Black Thought, joined by bassist Leonard "For the first month of recording, I a.k.a. Bobo
Nelson Hubbard, Thompson worked on wasn't really knowledgeable about what
CYPRESS HILL, BEASTIE BOYS
developing the Roots' distinctive brand of my signature sound would be," he says. "I
jazz/funk-flavored hip-hop—watching as was using brass snares and getting a lot of If the name of Cypress Hill's percussion-
friends like bassist Christian McBride and ring from my drums. I didn't cover up my ist sounds familiar, there's a good reason.
the members of Boyz II Men made a huge kick drum...I definitely didn't do my Using the stage name Bobo, Eric Correa
impact on the industry. homework on how to get sounds. Back pays a silent tribute at every performance
By early 1993, the Roots were perform- then, the type of hip-hop drums you heard to his now-deceased father, legendary
ing on the streets of Philadelphia's cos- were lots of loops from old records, so that Latin percussionist Willie Bobo.
mopolitan party neighborhood, South explains some of it. But when I hear it Now twenty-six, Correa learned the
Street—entertaining shoppers and night- now, I just cringe.. .I can't believe I played basics of percussion at his father's feet,
clubbers while honing their unique that loose." trudging to gigs across Los Angeles. But
approach. But Thompson knows he's not alone in his current job is taking him to places his
"We were a wolf in sheep's clothing," his ignorance. Because there are so few father never imagined, stepping on stage as
Thompson adds. "We got to play establish- drummers working in hip-hop, young per- one of the first percussionists to perform
ments that wouldn't let the usual hip-hop cussionists who may want to enter the field with a hardcore, true-to-the-roots hip-hop
act in. It wasn't until our last week on may find precious little room for inspira- outfit.
South Street that [jazz bass virtuoso] tion. "At first [Cypress Hill member] DJ
Jamaaladeen Tacuma took us to Germany "I really wish I had more peers," he says, Muggs wasn't really into the live percus-
and helped us make a record." ruefully. "You can hear Max Roach or sion and musicians onstage—he thought it
That CD, called Orgcmics, caught the ear Dave Grohl or Stewart Copeland if you're would take away from the traditional hip-
of executives at Geffen Records, and into jazz or rock. But for good funk or rap hop feel," Correa says. "It's like one-on-
before long the band had a major-label drumming, where can you go?" one combat. The DJ is doing his thing and
deal. But as Thompson looks back on the we're listening to each other, but you have
recording of Do You Want More?!!??!, he to help the foundation. If the bass line is
swinging and the drum loop is swinging,
you have to go with that, because none of
that will change for you."
With Cypress Hill, Correa is often the
only musician onstage, working with
turntable scratches, drum loops, and
sequenced bits of music offered by the DJ.
It's a bit of a change from his earlier work
with the Beastie Boys on the Check Yo'
Head tour and the recording and tour
behind their latest record, Ill Communica-
tion.
For the Beasties—which often played as
a band, with the three rappers jumping on
bass, guitar, and drums—Correa found the
leeway that comes from working with a
flesh-and-blood band.
"They hired four different percussionists
at different times and couldn't click with
any of them," he says. "In part, it was per-
sonality conflicts and part of it was them
playing all over the place and not settling
into the groove. I'd always been a fan,
even though my background is Latin jazz,
so I thought I could add some flavor."
For examples, check out the instrumental
groove "Sabrosa" from Ill Communication.
There, Correa sets up the jazz/funk groove
laid down by the Beasties with tasty bursts
of bongos and shaker parts. Or spin
through "Ricky's Theme"—a groove pow-
ered by Correa's trapset playing.
"With my training in jazz, I learned that
style—I learned how to put the flavor in
without playing too hard," he adds.
"Sometimes drummers just want to put that
heavy backbeat in there with the snare.
With old drummers, especially, that's the
first beat they'll play behind a rapper. But
if you listen to the rappers, they have a
rhythmic flow of their own...stopping and
starting just like bebop horn players."
With both groups, Correa has found his
stage setup constantly changing and grow-
ing. These days, he uses 13" and 14" wood
congas, Generation II bongos, and Tito
Puente model timbales, all by Latin
Percussion. Cymbal-wise, he holds forth on
a 12" K splash, a Custom thin crash, and a
China Boy, all Zildjian.
Correa also finds time to throw in a
curve ball or two, using a djembe to
approximate the booming sound of a
Roland 808 kick drum, or sneaking in a bit
of talking drum on a track. The percussion-
ist has found, in general, that traditional
Latin rhythms like meringues and songos
work well with traditional hip-hop grooves, my own age and do something. He'd be
along with certain 6/8 fills and triplet happy with the fact that I stuck with music
feels—for instance, figures phrased and made something of it. I was fortunate
between the congas and bongos. enough to go places where people know
"On a song like 'We Ain't Goin' Out him, but he was never able to go...I feel
Like That,' I play timbale and cowbell— like I can represent him now."
closest to the role of an actual drumset," he
explains. "A song like 'Liquor Shot' has Andy "Funky
room for more of a traditional Latin feel,
and on a song like 'I Wanna Get High' I Drummer"
can turn around and play a traditional
rhythm, too. Being a fan of the music Kravitz
makes a difference...that's what tells you
KRISS KROSS, BUJU BANTON,
when to play and when to lay back."
SPEARHEAD, SCHOOLLY D
Correa's training started at age five,
stepping onto a stool to play his father's
timbale at a show in North Hollywood. Sure, there are a few drummers lucky
After that, the young percussionist-to-be enough to make a living in hip-hop, but
became a fixture at his legendary papa's how many are so accomplished they've
shows, watching as William "Willie Bobo" even had a rap song written about them?
Correa helped put Latin jazz on the map, Drop the needle on Steady B's mid-'80s
performing with Tito Puente, Mongo jam "Funky Drummer," and learn the
Santamaria, Machito, and George answer. Written about Philadelphia-based
Shearing. Andy Kravitz, the song stands as a lasting
But when the younger Correa was just tribute to one of the unlikeliest names in
fifteen, his father died, and the percussion- rap drumming.
ist faced a tough choice: find his own "He actually wrote lyrics like: 'Can you
musical path or follow his father's legacy. believe that he's white?'" Kravitz says,
"I took over his group and went to laughing at the memory. "But I really owe
California State University and the those guys a lot. They gave me a shot when
University of Southern California, major- nobody else would."
ing in jazz studies," Correa says. "I played Take one look at Kravitz, with his long
the jazz clubs to empty houses...paid my brownish-blonde hair and dress-down
dues, knowing that music was always what demeanor, and you'd swear he was a play-
I wanted to do. But I hadn't established my er with some up-and-coming modern rock
own thing." band. And while Kravitz has done his share
Then fate intervened in 1992 through the of those gigs—including uncredited ses-
Beasties' MC, Adam Horovitz (a.k.a. sions as a stand-in for Urge Overkill's
Adrock). Horovitz was a fan of the elder Blackie Onassis on 1993's Saturation—
Bobo and hired the son's band to play his many of his most remarkable moments
wedding. After hearing of the Beasties' have come while backing rappers.
trouble retaining percussionists, Correa As a friend of legendary Philadelphia
offered to come along on the last leg of producer Jon "The Butcher" Nicolo,
their Check Yo' Head tour—for which Kravitz got his first crack at session work
Cypress Hill served as an opening act. in 1984, providing funky backbeats for
Within the space of a few weeks, Correa songs by area artists like DJ Jazzy Jeff &
had made professional connections that the Fresh Prince, Three Times Dope, and
would keep him working for nearly three the Hilltop Hustler Crew.
years straight. "It was mostly early funk beats, mixed
Now, with sessions for David Was, the up with Led Zeppelin beats and a very
Black Crowes, and Proper Dos also under ambient sound—basically a Bernard Purdie
his belt, Correa is poised to enter the kind thing mixed with Zeppelin," he says.
of playing situations even his legendary "You'd listen to James Brown and go in
father might never have contemplated. and play stuff they [the rappers] had grown
"My dad would definitely approve of up with. I basically taught myself by listen-
this," he adds without hesitation. "He ing to records."
always told me I should get with people Breaking into the business in 1984,
Kravitz found Nicolo was one of the few leader] was on the mic'," Kravitz says.
well-known producers still using live musi- "All of a sudden, we looked at each other
cians. "We were the only people doing this. and decided to put it on tape together. It
I asked him, 'Why are you letting us play was a first-take, live feel, with one mic' on
on the records like this?' He would say, my drumset. I was using a 20" Radio King
'This stuff needs a live feel.' And before kick, a 6 1/2xl4 Leedy Broadway Standard
long, people were coming up to us and ask- snare, a Zildjian K cymbal with rivets, and
ing 'How did you do that?'" a beat-up set of hi-hats. Everybody else
For Kravitz, nailing the playing style uses machines, so when they hear some-
required listening to a lot of early funk thing like that, they wonder how we did it."
drummers, like James Brown's Clyde But how do you get a quality drum
Stubblefield and the Meters' Zigaboo sound with just one microphone on an
Modeliste. Often, the drummer would find entire kit? For Kravitz, it's all about the
himself trying to fit those funky, syncopat- player taking control of his own instru-
ed drum parts over sequenced keyboards ment.
and sound samples provided by the artist— "When someone walks into a club or a
with landmark tracks like Schoolly D's room and listens to you play, their ear isn't
"Smoke Some Kill" as the chart-busting right on top of your kit—they're hearing
result. the whole thing from one source," he adds.
"It took a while to get used to playing "You have to mix the kit as you play. If the
against loops while really trying to mesh cymbals are too loud, play lighter. If you
with them," he says. "You want to bridge can't hear the ruffs on the snare drum,
the gap between the machines and the live lighten up on the backbeat. It's something
musicians. If it's not meshing, you might you have to do anyway, because if you're
want to play a shaker separately, recorded using separate close mikes and the drum-
along with the live drums, to help blend it mer's leaning too hard on the cymbals, it
all together." still won't sound right."
Considering his background in such a hi- After several years with Nicolo, Kravitz
tech style of music, Kravitz's approach to began developing his own production
playing, producing, and engineering is skills, first learning how to program an
remarkably low-tech. While other drum- Akai MPC-60 drum machine/sequencer
mers pose in magazine ads with sleek- and later assembling his own recording stu-
looking, modernized drumkits, he relies on dio. True to form, most of the gear that fills
equipment from the 1930s and 1940s to his space is from an older time, when
provide a unique recording sound. superstars like James Brown were record-
"I've actually got a collection of thirty- ing on two- and four-track machines.
five snares and old kick drums ranging Over the years, Kravitz's playing and
from the 1840s to the 1960s, and I play production credits have multiplied—
some of them on records," he says. "On including work on remixes for superstars
Joan Osborne's record (Relish), I used an like Sting and the Rolling Stones, sessions
old Leedy 5 1/2xl5 snare, and I used an old for the Goats, Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., and
calfskin kick drum regularly until it broke. Skatemaster Tate, along with work fixing
Some people look at my stuff and think tracks for bands like Urge Overkill and
it'll be tough to record, but I'll sometimes Dandelion.
put up a squeaky bass drum pedal just to While he sees studio work opening up a
hear the squeak. If you're playing a great little more for live musicians—even in the
sound on a great song, it doesn't matter— hip-hop nation—Kravitz says rap produc-
and sometimes, the weirder the sound, the ers still routinely dismiss the option of
better." using flesh-and-blood players, hoping to
Kravitz's retro philosophy extends to save a little money while crafting records
tracking sessions, where he often prefers to to sound just like the last smash hit or sonic
record the rhythm section on a song live— fad. "Drummers in particular are always
a habit fostered during his early years in getting the short end of the stick...with
Nicolo's studio. "On the Spearhead record, people saying, 'It's just a drumbeat.' We
there's a song called 'Of Course You Can,' did sessions back in the days when we
where Chuck Treece was on bass, I was on didn't know about publishing, where we
drums, and Michael Franti [Spearhead wrote all kinds of stuff as a band for these
artists and never got a dime. Now we know with a touch of the new. A Remo endorser,
to ask for a piece of the writing credit— he uses 10", 12", 14", and 16" toms, along
because that's what we're really doing." with a 3x14 piccolo snare and a 6x13 snare
by Orange County Percussion. "With that
Larry drum I get the pop of a piccolo, but the
depth of a regular drum," he adds. "It's a
Washington tight little snare drum."
In the cymbal department, he uses
WARREN G Paiste's Signature series, with 13" hi-hats,
14" and 16" Fast crashes, a 16" Full crash,
At age thirty-nine, you might think a 14" Sound Formula crash, a 16" China,
drummer/producer/actor Larry Washington and a 21" ride cymbal. For electronics, he
is a little long in the tooth for a gig backing uses a drumKAT and Latin Percussion's
one of the hottest young rappers in pop Spike triggers hooked into an Alesis D-4,
music. while also using an MFC 3000 and Tascam
You'd be wrong. DA-30 DAT players to recreate the sound
As proof, consider this: When Warren G samples and pre-taped parts.
hired the California-based drummer to "Most of Warren's kick and snare
back his live gig, Washington not only sounds come from the D-4...it's got some
learned the entire show from behind the fat sounds," explains Washington, who
kit, he constructed all of the DAT tapes, places a high premium on finding the right
sound samples, and sequenced synthesizer sound for his rap artists. "Sometimes I've
sounds that form the backbone of the con- used eight different snare drums to get a
ceit performance. Clearly, this old dog had sound. One time, I threw a bunch of loose
a few new tricks for the youngbloods. keys on the snare and sampled that, and I
"Live, I played on top of everything, recorded my brother-in-law chopping pota-
putting me in control instead of the toes for another sound. With sampling,
sequencer," he adds, laughing. "We had even the drop of a bag of cans can become
thirteen songs for the tour and I sequenced a snare drum."
everything on eight of them. One time, we Ask Washington for the rules he follows
had a section of the show where everybody in assembling parts for Warren G, and
walked off stage, and the bass player had you'll hear a surprising answer. In his
trouble getting back—I pressed a button, mind, there aren't any. "Rap varies so
and there were all the bass parts, playing much—every day it changes," he says.
until he could get back on stage." "The tempo everyone's using could be at
For Washington, backing rappers like 98 beats per minute one week and 106 the
Warren G—stepbrother to superstar pro- next. I basically put my beat down and then
ducer Dr. Dre—is as easy as his earliest add the drama—lots of major and minor
gigs backing R&B singers like Laura Lee, chords combined. If it's a smooth hip-hop
David Peaston, and James Ingram. Mostly thing, like Warren's 'Regulate,' then I
it's because the music at the root of these might just have the beat and a few chords. I
young rappers' sampled compositions is might even use the bass drum as the bass,
the very stuff Williams was knocking out too; tuning it to pitches to make simple
in smoky clubs twenty years ago. bass lines."
"I came up playing shows opening for To help other drummers find the right
the people they're sampling now—the groove, Washington has created a CD
Isley Brothers and Sly & the Family filled with loops and pre-recorded beats
Stone," he says. "I'm working with a lot of called—what else?—Larry Washington's
young rappers right now, and what bothers Big Fat Beats And Loops. "What makes a
me is that they don't even know how to great loop is the feel, and all my stuff is
count bars. With all the new people coming created by me [to avoid licensing prob-
up, you need to go back to the book—the lems] and very close to the original feel.
old school, you know? That's what I like I'm from Detroit, so I've got stuff going
about Warren. He'll ask, 'How did they do back to the P-Funk years, Clyde
this?' or 'Why does that work here?'" Stubblefield, Max Roach, Tony Williams,
Washington's equipment matches his Billy Cobham—all these influences."
playing outlook: plenty of old-school vibe, The technique for creating the samples is
fairly simple. "I'll use an MPC-60 or a "If you don't keep up, you can get left out. drum machines like the Linn Drum and
3000 to put voices and different rap sounds There are drummers who can go out and Sequential Circuits units—Washington is
into the sequencer and create my own play—and that's cool—but if you find encouraging young rappers to forego
loops," Washington says. "It's all original, somebody who can put it all together and machines for a live sound with flesh-and-
even though it's influenced by all those finish it—that's great." blood musicians. "I say throw all the
guys. Still, as much as he enjoys fiddling with machines away and get a live band. I went
"I just like to keep up with what's going drum machines and sequencers—he says to a promotional party featuring Warren,
on technology-wise," the drummer adds. the next CD of sounds will feature old Mokenstuf, and Montell Jordan, and every-
body was singing to DAT tapes. But some-
thing was missing. A lot of these young
artists don't even know how to work with a
live band. But if you incorporate a live
band with the DAT...then you've really
got something."

Donald Jones,
a.k.a. Rasa
Don
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT,
DIVINE FRUIT

When Donald Jones first moved from his

New Jersey home to Atlanta, he was plan-
ning to study art and tag along with his
fiancee, Dionne Farris—who had just
joined some bohemian rap group called
Arrested Development.
But before long, the band realized it
needed a drummer. And Jones, who had
played since age six for his evangelist
father's Trenton, New Jersey churches,
offered to tackle the job.
"I told [rapper] Speech and [DJ]
Headliner I could play, and they laughed at
me," recalls the drummer, now twenty-six, of a song going constantly," he says. "But Speech couldn't understand why I did it—
who was then working as a dancer for the Arrested helped me become the my kit was set up more like an R&B drum-
group. "I told them I used to play in my Metronome Man, learning how to keep that mer—but when we did Lollapalooza and I
dad's church and they laughed some more. pocket, too. Being the only instrument on began giving them the full flavor, they saw
But we drove around and found a kit and I stage, sometimes I could get too wild, and what I was doing."
played some stuff for them. Suddenly, they this gig helped me calm down a little." Most amazingly, Jones used no electron-
weren't laughing any more." From the beginning, Jones looked to add ic percussion equipment on stage, though
At the end of that day, it was official: as many tones and colors as possible to his Headliner ran sound loops, sequenced key-
Jones—who began calling himself Rasa drum setup. Following the success of the boards, and pre-taped backing parts from
Don, in honor of his love for reggae—was group's 1992 debut, Three Years, Five his perch in the DJ booth. "We didn't even
Arrested Development's first drummer. Months & Two Days In The Life Of..., have any drum triggers," Jones adds. "We
It was an unusual move for a rap band to Jones nabbed an endorsement with were going to try it once, but people just
hire a live musician, but Arrested Yamaha drums—allowing him to piece got used to the acoustic sound—especially
Development was always an unconvention- together the kind of drum setup he'd as we moved into bigger and better
al group. With a revolving door of person- always wanted. venues."
alities and performers, A.D. pushed its Using a Yamaha Recording Custom kit, Though Jones never played on any of
infectious blend of R&B and rap like a reli- Jones used mounted toms sized 8", 10", A.D.'s studio records—he does appear on
gion of hippie-tinged equanimity, at times 12", and 14", with no floor toms. The snare the band's 1993 Unplugged album—he
sounding more like a contemporary soul was a 13" piccolo and his cymbals includ- pressed bandleader Speech to bring in
group than a hip-hop collective. ed 13" hi-hats, one heavy ride, two 12" more live musicians for the group's con-
So it comes as no surprise that Jones China Boy highs, a 16" China Boy high, certs, resulting in a brief stint working with
based his playing style on the funky and two 18" crashes, all Zildjian. bassist Me'Shell Ndege Ocello, later
approach of his favorite R&B and jazz- "I wasn't a hard hitter, so I would play replaced by former Miles Davis sideman
fusion drummers, blended with his gospel really light and they would have to mike Foley.
roots. the drums really well," he says. "When we "We wanted to add a little more fla-
"Most church drummers have a fast foot, first started out, I just had a five-piece kit, vor... and I might have complained about
and they know how to keep the momentum but I eventually added a lot of drums. being the only musician," Jones says of the
additions, which came when the band per-
formed on NBC-TV's Saturday Night Live
and before 1993's Lollapalooza tour.
"With Arrested, adding people was a
given. Every time you saw us, we had
somebody different in the band."
For Jones, the secret to success as a hip-
hop drummer is simple: Find the pocket.
"Hip-hop is a pocket, a groove, where the
drummer doesn't do a whole lot or get
fancy," he says. "After a while, when
you've been playing with tracks for a long
time, you get to the point where you've
always got that pocket. I've got the ability
to switch up now—I can go off and play a
lot of showy stuff or just sound like a drum
machine, depending on the situation."
Following the disappointing sales of the
group's sophomore studio release,
Zingalamaduni, bandleader Speech opted
for a solo career—putting an effective end
to the band, at least for now.
"Speech is the kind of person who
knows what he wants to hear and do, which
can be a problem when you're working
with five or six other people," Jones says,
explaining rumors that the bandleader's
headstrong tactics prompted Farris's early
departure and eventually tore the group
apart. "It's one of those things that was
brewing from the very beginning."
Now Jones is back in his native New
Jersey, with a new band called Divine Fruit
and a new attitude about performing.
Taking the mic' as a singer and rapper in
front of the group, he hopes his experi-
ences as Arrested Development's musical
backbone will prove adequate preparation
for this new venture into the music indus-
try's murky waters.
"When you think of Atlanta, you know
there's a music scene there already, but not
many people know about this part of New
Jersey," he says. "The area I grew up in
was no fantasy land, but we always knew
we could work hard and get what we want-
ed. Now I'm hoping to make things happen
in my own hometown."
 By Teri Saccone

veryone has heard of London, keting departments, and the 100,000-square-foot

one of the world's most celebrated factory—is housed within this one complex.
cities and the capital of England. Every instrument that Premier Percussion
Most people are also familiar with Limited manufactures—drumkits, marching
the British city of Bath (aptly drums, marimba, timpani, vibraphones, xylo-
named for its underground Roman phones, tubular bells, glockenspiels, chimes,
baths) and Liverpool (birthplace of drumheads, and hardware—is skillfully construct-
the Beatles and once a thriving ed, with quality and consistency a top priority.
maritime center). But Leicester, But what's truly unique to Premier Percussion
located in the industrial north of Limited is that nearly all of the 11,000 compo-
England, is not so well-known. On nents that comprise the entire line of instruments
closer inspection, however, one are manufactured at the expansive factory. On-
finds that Leicester has earned a site production also includes wood machining,
modest measure of notoriety press work, general metal machining, metal pol-
(albeit for some rather dubious ishing, metal spraying, assembly and electronic
claims to fame). tuning of pedal timpani and mallet instruments,
Leicester is the underwear capi- drumhead manufacture, military and orchestral
tal of the United Kingdom—and, drum assembly, and drumset assembly.
somewhat ironically, is also the
hometown of singer Engelbert
Humperdinck. Leicester even has
something for hard-core history
buffs: It boasts the site of the only
unmarked grave to contain the
body of an English king—Richard
III—purportedly resting under the
local Holiday Inn.
All of this, charming as it may be,
carries little relevance for drum-
mers. However, Leicester does
have a legitimate attraction for
drummers in that the Premier
Percussion Limited factory and
headquarters are located there. To
be precise, Premier Percussion
Limited is located in Wigston, an
area immediately adjacent to the
underwear capital. The entire oper-
ation—management, sales, mar-
 factor of an American drumkit. With
HiSTORY trends being predictably of a cyclical
Premier was founded in 1922, when nature, Premier eventually fell back
drummer-turned-entrepreneur Albert into favor.
Delia Porta decided to start a small In 1983, the company—managed
drum-making business in London. He by three sons of founder Albert Delia
promptly called it The Premier Drum Porta—was under stringent economic
Company Limited, and soon recruited pressures, and unfortunately went into
the services of his younger brother, receivership. Premier management
Fred. The two began making drums bought out the company, and things
for the burgeoning London music progressed smoothly for nearly four
scene. years, until Yamaha Corporation pur-
The '20s was the era of the Jazz chased the business in 1987. By this
Age, and suddenly more and
more amateur drummers
began to turn professional as
clubs sprung up all over
London. Premier drums were
Premier drumshells are made to a in demand, and the small
wide range of different specifications business began to expand its
best suited to their type and to their reputation and sales.
ultimate uses.
In 1941 the company made
a move north to Leicester
due to war-time bombing
damage. Over the next thirty
years, Premier's reputation
grew as its classically
designed, precision-crafted A great deal of work goes into the construction and
drums swelled in popularity finishing of each drumshell to ensure that its appear-
ance will be immaculate both inside and out, and
internationally. that the bearing edges will be set and cut precisely.
During the '60s, Premier's
standing within the industry
languished to a degree. The
first wave of the so-called
'British Invasion' (the expor-
tation of English rock groups
such as the Beatles, the
Rolling Stones, the Kinks,
the Yardbirds, and the
Animals) encouraged
American drum companies
to export their products to
The high standard of Premier's Europe, especially to the
lacquered finishes is due to the amount growing British drum mar-
of work and care that goes into their
preparation. Each coat of lacquer is ket. Premier drums were
cut-back and smoothed before the next considered to be slightly
coat is applied. antiquated, and many of the
Before assembly of the drum hardware (tension lugs,
up-and-coming drummers of snares, tom holders, etc.) each shell has the appropri-
the '60s desired the prestige ate holes cut into it.

factory photos by Neville Chadwick

 time, the company had products have remained
become known as Premier consistent in quality and
Percussion Limited. status. In Britain, Premier
Yamaha invested a con- is the number-one-selling
siderable amount of capital drum and percussion
into the company, which manufacturer. Due to its
helped Premier enor- huge marching drum out-
mously on a financial put, it is also the main
level. At the same time, Yamaha supplier to the govern-
didn't interfere with the company's ment's Ministry of
direction or identity, which remains Defense (serving the
intact to this day—and utterly British. Royal Airforce, Royal Premier uses a number of different types of counter-
In 1993, Yamaha, which was expe- Marines, British Army, hoops on its diverse ranges of drums. Here, the univer-
riencing internal problems (the com- and guards at Bucking- sal-style triple-flange steel hoops are being part-formed
in a specially designed press. By making and designing
pany had sudden changes on their ham Palace). Premier is all its own components, Premier is able to ensure that
board of directors, with a new chair- also the world's biggest every part of their products is optimized for the best
man heading up the corporation, plus manufacturer of pipe function, sound, response, and overall performance.
trouble with the Japanese labor drums.
unions), decided to pull out of all their In addition to its U.K.
European operations. Premier stronghold, Premier Per-
Percussion Limited was then pur- cussion is a top name
chased by former director Tony throughout Europe, South
Doughty in a management buyout. America, Japan, Aus-
Next, with the financial backing of tralia, the Middle East,
a larger corporation being a more the fast-growing U.S.
desirable condition for Premier, market, and Russia. (The
Doughty decided to sell the company. former Red Army, the
So in 1995, The Verity Group, a Moscow Conservatory,
British-based hi-fi equipment manu- and the Bolshoi Ballet
facturer, purchased Premier. Company are long-time
The entire Premier line is construct- customers of Premier Each drum is assembled individually and complete-
ly checked before being boxed for shipment.
ed and assembled in the U.K., and drums and percussion.)
except for a brief spell in the late '60s It seems that Premier is
and early '70s, when the company doing better than ever.
encountered some problems with Over the last year the company has Both Gould and White-
quality control, all Premier Percussion experienced the most prosperous peri- land concede that the tide
od in its seventy-three-year has turned away from mass-
history. marketed drums to the skill-
fully produced, individually
PERSPECTiVE crafted drum. "I think it has
"The company was start- come around again," com-
ed over seventy years ago ments Whiteland, "espe-
on the basis of building cially with companies like
high-quality, relatively ourselves and DW, who are
expensive drums and per- proving that there are com-
cussion," says Paul Gould, panies who are not Japanese
commercial manager with making really fine drums
Premier Percussion Limited. with modern methods. It's
"Worldwide, Premier still made a big difference in the
has the reputation of hand- perception of acoustic
crafted quality and the drums.
Premier has been making plastic drumheads since British-made standards that "The excitement over
their introduction (in place of calf skins) in the '50s. are so unlike the Japanese electronic drums in the mid-
Some of their model designs—particularly in the tim-
pani, drum corps, and pipe-band markets—are unique mass-produced equipment," '80s—the short phenome-
to Premier. adds Karen Whiteland, non that it ultimately was—
Premier Percussion's export died pretty quickly in the
manager. U.K., and today only exists
 widgets, and electronic stuff.
Making really fine-quality
acoustic drumkits is obvi-
ously our strength."
"Value for money is also
appreciated hugely by
Premier," remarks Gould.
"For what you get, the quali-
ty is excellent and the prod-
uct lasts a long time. So it's
a wise investment. There is
nothing garish or flashy
about Premier drums. The
emphasis is on subtlety, and All the company's hardware and accessories are
although the perceived designed, engineered, manufactured, and assembled
image of the company is in England, with, each item put together by hand.
changing from one that is a
bit old-fashioned, there is
Here, the channel that forms the metal
"flesh hoop" of each head is being still a way to go." "We tend to apologize for what we do
rolled into shape. This will be combined Until the late '80s, Premier never rather than promote it," adds Whiteland.
with the plastic head material and a seemed particularly adroit at self-promo- "But that's all been swept away, and
solid insert hoop to form one of the
strongest and most stable head tion. They have recently begun to take a over the last ten years the attitude here
designs available. more aggressive approach to marketing. has changed dramatically. We've had to
"We used to be very backward in terms become more competitive marketing-
as add-ons for most players," she contin- of promotion," Gould explains, "and that wise."
ues. "So when people came back to is very British—that parochial approach The largest market of drummers
acoustics, they began to insist on good that's a colonial legacy of the past and a Premier wishes to target consists of those
acoustic kits rather than all the bells, national trait that we tend to have." in the U.S. (which also happens to be the
 that the company was going in
a forward direction. We sell an
awful lot of Signia and Genista
kits in the U.S."
Whiteland contends that the
boom in U.S. sales of the
Signia and Genista series can
be attributed to the well-
informed nature of American
drummers. "The impression we
get from our American col-
leagues is that American drum-
mers are very discerning—
more so than British ones," she
Timpani bowls are spun in copper in one piece, and asserts. "They tend to look for
then finished and polished to a high-gloss finish. real quality, and they will actu-
ally disassemble a drum to
company's fastest-growing market). Two check the quality of the shell before buy-
of the latest enticements offered by ing it. That also happens in Germany, but
The popularity of Premier's orchestral
Premier that have sold well in the U.S. it is quite unusual everywhere else. chimes/bells can be seen by this small
(as well as internationally) are the Signia People will often say, 'I took the head selection of bells waiting to be hung on
and Genista series. off and I checked the bearing edge.' their frames. As with all Premier's
orchestral tuned percussion, there's a
"Those two lines came after the end of Most drummers in France or England customer choice of tuning to suit player,
our relationship with Yamaha," cites will just look at the bearing edge through orchestra, or local needs.
Gould. "They demonstrated that we the head. The Americans take the drums
could design and produce very high- and break them down to pieces, going The Signia and Genista series were
quality drumkits at the top and middle through them carefully when they buy developed collaboratively between the
points of the market. It sort of reinforced them." U.K. and U.S. Premier staffs. Additionally,
there was a considerable amount of input do with the shells and went to undersize come to terms with how to tune it and
from various drummers such as Rod shells for ease of tuning, which was a how to work with it. What we were try-
Morgenstein, Nicko McBrain, and David technique that we use on our timpani. ing to do was to move Premier forward
Beal. We also needed to try to come up with a and really make a break from the past."
The Genista is a birch-shell kit, which mounting system that would let the Improvements have been made to the
is a move up from the APK/XPK lines to drums resonate freely, so we came up pre-existing XPK and APK lines. The
a more professional kit. Says Steve with a design that mounts off the tubes." new XPK series is, according to Jordan,
Jordan, director of marketing at Premier, As with all the Premier series, colors "a kit that falls into the price point below
"With Genista, the idea was to look back and finishes were an important consider- Genista, but is a kit that is better than a
at how the market had developed. There ation for the Signia and Genista lines. learner's kit, and is designed for the
was a definite trend within the market "The finishes for both those series fea- player who is approaching a semi-pro
that we could see, going back to single ture hand-stained lacquer finishes," level.
lugs instead of the one-piece, high-ten- explains Jordan. Although most of "The new XPK shell construction is a
sion lug that we had pioneered some Premier's competitors also offer lacquer birch/eucalyptus/birch shell sandwich,"
years ago. We also didn't want to have a finishes, hand-staining is a process that Jordan explains, "plus it has new low-
lug that was reminiscent of anything we Premier specializes in. mass lugs." The smaller amount of metal
had done in the past, and therefore we Due to the success of the new lines, used in these ultra-small lugs means
wanted a look that would have symmetry the older series—the Projector and there is little contact with the shell,
with the drum itself, hence that rounded, Resonator lines—have been dropped. allowing for better resonance. Also
oval shape. We also used under-sized The Resonator series (which was unique available within the XPK line is a match-
shells for ease of tuning." within the industry in terms of its shell- ing wooden snare drum. "Normally, at
The Signia series marks Premier's first within-a-shell design) proved to be rather that particular price point in the market-
venture into using maple wood, targeted expensive to produce. "The Resonator place, there would only be a steel-shell
at the professional and semi-pro player. series wasn't always readily accepted, snare drum," Jordan says.
"To simply produce just another maple although a lot of people absolutely loved "We've deleted the usual T-handle
series wasn't our goal," offers Jordan. it," says Jordan. "Some people just had a type bolt from our bass drum and
"Therefore, we looked at what we could lot of difficulty with it and couldn't replaced it with a conventional square-
headed drum bolt," he continues. "A "We felt that from a design and aesthetic
number of players have commented to us standpoint we wanted to end up with a
over the years that with drumkey-operat- full range of kits that were modern in
ed lug bolts, once you tune your bass appearance. The APK and XPK had been
drum you don't have to constantly keep around for a long time in that old design.
changing it. T-handles can damage cases It was also opportune for us to build in
or covers, so by having the reduced bolt one or two improvements to those kits,
there's no protrusion over the edge of the such as the shell construction. So it was
bass drum rim and there's a cleaner the ideal opportunity to basically re-
line." The XPK series is, incidentally, launch those products."
available in a choice of six stained and As previously mentioned, Premier
lacquer finishes. manufactures all of its hardware in-
Officially launched in the autumn of house, and there are two main ranges
'95, the new APK series has also under- available: the 3000 series (single-braced)
gone some modifications. "We have a and the 4000 series (double-braced).
merranti and eucalyptus shell combina- "We describe it as functional hardware,"
tion," begins Jordan, "and the same low- says Jordan of the two lines. "It's not all
mass lug as the XPK, but a steel-shell bells and whistles, but it is good, sturdy
matching snare instead. Again, there are hardware. The 3000 series is lighter in
no T-bolts on the bass drum." The APK weight than the 4000 and is ideally suit-
is available in three plastic-covered fin- ed to the club-gigging drummer who has
ishes. to carry his own hardware. The 4000
"Both the APK and XPK lines have series, being double-braced, is for the
been very successful in all markets," heavier type of player. It's also well-
continues Jordan, who mentions that the designed, sturdy hardware."
decision to make modifications was sim- Premier Percussion Limited also man-
ply down to updating the equipment. ufactures heads, available in an extensive
range of choices. Says Jordan, "We have "It's interesting because, like a lot of us,
everything from a single-laminate white- they have stayed with Premier through
coated head up to the specialist heads for its ups and downs and ownership
marching band players. One particular changes. Those of us here at the head
line we are proud of is the Rod office really respect those drummers
Morgenstein Signature Series heads, because it would be easy for them to say,
which we developed with Rod himself 'I'm off to go to another drum compa-
and primarily with the Signia series ny,' but they haven't. We have a long-
drums in mind. They are fitted to Signia standing relationship with them. They
and work very well with them, although are a really great bunch of guys and we
the heads work equally well with our are very proud to be associated with
other series and with other makes of them.
drums. They are very good, reliable, "We have a very family-type approach
responsive, and very durable heads made to everything," continues Jordan, "and
with a mechanical locking feature on the that goes from the shop floor of the fac-
head, not resin-bonded." tory right through to the endorsers. I
Endorsees such as Rod Morgenstein, always say to endorsers when they come
David Beal, Nicko McBrain, Charlie here for the first time, 'Welcome to the
Morgan, Virgil Donati, Tommy Igoe, Premier family,' because it really is that
and Joe Franco have long been faithful to kind of a company."
Premier, an exceptional achievement
when you consider that the vast majority
of professional players switch endorse-
ments almost as often as they replace
drumheads. Jordan—himself a thirteen-
year employee at Premier—readily
appreciates the loyalty of the endorsers.
 Metrophones
by Brad Schlueter
WHAT'S HOT
• convienent music/metronome audio
combination
Here's a device that lets you play with music, • good exclusion of outside noise
play with a click—or just play—and keeps
everything in the safety zone. WHAT'S NOT
• built-in metronome is not accurate to
specific tempos
Drumming can be a dangerous business. Carpal tunnel syndrome, * can be uncomfortable for lonq-term wear
tennis elbow, bone bruises, tinnitus, and deafness are among the
occupational hazards of the professional player. Fortunately, as detachable 8' stereo cable (3.5mm plug to 1/4" plug) included for
drummers have become educated about these dangers, manufac- just this purpose. The metronome runs off of a 9-volt battery that
turers have begun to respond with products that are designed to is included.
minimize them. Metrophones are just such a product. At its maximum setting the volume of the click is very loud, so
A pair of Metrophones is actually several products in one. First, the user must be sensible when adjusting it. Fortunately, the timbre
they are stereo headphones designed for listening to music. of the click is short and sharp and is audible at low and moderate
Second, they are headphones with a built-in metronome for drum- volumes.
mers to practice with. Finally, they are ear-protect- In my tests, the metronome ran fast. When set at 40 bpm
ing isolation phones that reduce outside it actually played 42 bpm. At a setting of 120, the
cymbal and drum leakage. Of course, test unit played 144 bpm. At a setting of 260 it
the big question is: "How well do they output 276 bpm. The tempo knob has no
work?" detents to indicate a precise setting.
The audio output jack is a thoughtful
Operation feature, but remember that when using
At first glance Metrophones it with external speakers you will
look just like any over-the-ear- need additional amplification.
style headphone. However, in Powered monitors are the simplest
the center of the right ear cup solution. However, there is
is a knob used to control enough signal power to plug an
the tempo of the built- additional set of headphones
in metronome from directly into this jack and hear
40 to 260 beats per the click clearly. Fortunately,
minute. On the bot- the volume knob has no effect
tom of this ear cup is on the level of the click output
another knob that from the jack, so you can
turns the metronome change the volume in the
on and off and controls phones and it will not affect what
the volume of the click. the rest of your band hears.
Next to this is a 2.5mm
audio jack to output the Sound Quality
click to external speakers. The sound quality of these
On the other ear cup is a phones was very good. They are
3.5mm audio jack that allows on a par with the Sony MDR-V7 and
you to input music. There is a AKG 141 phones in my recording stu-
dio. They reproduced both low and high frequencies well without
any harshness. The Metrophones have two separate speaker sys-
tems (one each for the click and one for music) in each ear cup.
This design obviously contributes to the sound quality. The manu-
facturer claims a frequency response of 15-25,000 Hz, which is
greater than any drummer is capable of hearing.

Comfort And Isolation

Comfort is of prime importance to everyone who wears head-
phones. Isolation headphones are usually not as comfortable as
regular headphones since they must make solid contact with one's
head in order to exclude external noise. Metrophones are no
exception to this. They fit firmly on your head, and you won't for-
get you have them on. (Think vise clamp.) However, since a stur-
dy steel band goes from one ear cup to the other, you might try, as
I successfully did, to gently bend them upward to reduce clamping
pressure. This made a big improvement to my comfort while not
affecting how well they excluded noise. Water-filled rubber cush-
ions on each ear cup further reduce noise while increasing com-
fort.
How well do Metrophones exclude noise? Very well.
Metrophones are built into what are essentially shooter's hearing-
protection earphones. And while the manufacturers of the
Metrophones don't advertise them as hearing protection devices
(but rather as practice-convenience tools), the original manufactur-
ers of the shooter's phones claim 29 db of sound reduction. (This
was before the phones were altered to accomodate the
Metrophones' electronics, however.) The drum sound that does
leak through is rich in bass frequencies, and sounds good. When
practicing with the Metrophones I was able to play rimshots on my
Trick 4x14 snare drum (a very loud drum) and a Premier HTS 200
pipe band snare drum (if you haven't heard one, think gunshot!)
with plenty of sound reduction. On drumset, nothing I played
required turning the click volume into the danger zone. (For those
drummers who don't think they need to protect their hearing, let
me just mention that the alternative is sign language.)

Conclusion
Metrophones are a great idea. They exclude outside noise well,
allowing drummers to practice and perform while protecting their
hearing. Furthermore, they are good-sounding stereo headphones.
In addition, they are very solidly made and feature a one-year war-
ranty. (My hair did keep getting caught on the large lock nuts on
the headband, though.)
Regrettably, Metrophones aren't comfortable enough to wear
for hours on end. More significantly, the built-in metronome is not
accurate. If you just want to work on patterns with a click for ref-
erence and you don't need to set a specific tempo, they work fine.
Unfortunately, they are not trustworthy enough for situations
where you need to accurately determine a specific tempo. Of
course, you may run a digital metronome into the Metrophones
through the audio input if you need a more reliable click.
Since Metrophones replace several products that, if purchased
separately, would cost far more than their modest $114.95 list, I
count them a bargain. If you don't find them in your music store,
contact Big Bang Distribution, 9420 Reseda Blvd., Suite 350,
Northridge, CA 91324, (800) 547-6401.
The Smashing Pumpkins'
Jimmy Chamberlin
Mellon Collie And Jimmy Chamberlin has garnered good reviews for his work

The Infinite Sadness

with the Smashing Pumpkins in the past. But now with the
release of Mellon Collie, Jimmy has proven his abilities as one
of the best—and more importantly, most original—rock drum-
mers playing today.
This two-disk, twenty-eight song epic requires Chamberlin
to cover a broad spectrum of emotions, from ultra-sensitive
ballads to over-the-top aggression. Throw in the Pumpkins' penchant for odd phrases and
you've got some challenging drumming required. Jimmy covers it all with aplomb. The
following excerpts give just a few examples of some of the cool beats he plays. (Pick up
the record to hear them in context, along with the fills!)

"Jellybelly"
Check out the swaggering groove Chamberlin sets up with the following pattern from the
intro/riff of the song. It's a drumming onslaught that Jimmy peppers with a lot of 32nd-
note fills.

"Zero"
Here's a deceptively simple-looking, two-bar groove that Jimmy gives a "bouncy" sort of
feel that lifts the song. (He gets away with some fun fills on this one as well.)
"To Forgive"
For this ballad Jimmy creates the right mood by using Blasticks on the following two-bar
pattern. He gets just the right sound and feel.

"Cupid De Locke"
On this particularly hip tune Jimmy plays a simple, pulsing floor-tom groove that doesn't
disturb the mood of the song. The accented notes—and how they're phrased—are key
here.

"Tales Of A Scorched Earth"

This is the opening section of the song (it's repeated elsewhere in the tune), and it shows
the aggressive side of the band. Jimmy displays some healthy single-kick chops by keep-
ing this type of pattern up for the duration of the song.
 The Buzzle Family
by Chet Doboe

It's always fun to expand our drum vocabulary and discover new drum worlds. An exciting contribution of the '90s generation of corps
drummers is the development and expansion of the rudiment dictionary. The result is a stimulating new set of ideas known as "hybrid
drum rudiments." The "buzzle" is one of these many exciting, new-generation concepts.
Simply put, the buzzle is a buzz played on the second note of a double or a diddle (indicated by a "z" replacing the notehead). The
buzzle can be applied to a variety of rudiments and rhythms to create the buzzle family of rudiments. The following exercises showcase
some of the buzzle rudiments.
1. The Buzzle

2. Buzzle Invert

3. Parabuzzle (with and without accents)

4. Double Parabuzzle (with and without accents)

5. Parabuzzle-buzzle (with and without accents)

6. Buzzletap
 Here's a short musical passage demonstrating the buzzle concept.

Chet Doboe is well-known to drum corps and rudimental drumming enthusiasts as the founder and leader of the innovative corps-style
quartet Hip Pickles. He is also author of several drumset books.
 Phrasing With Broken Doubles: Part 2
by Paul DeLong

Last month we looked at a system for applying broken doubles to playing rhythmic phrases on the drumset. In this
article we'll take it a step further by utilizing this broken-double concept to play some odd groupings in 16ths and
triplets.
To play these groupings it is a prerequisite that you have a knowledge of how the odd phrasings work. If not,
here's a bit of a review. A grouping of five—divided as two and three (with accents on the first and third note of the
five)—superimposed over 16ths in 4/4 looks like this:

It is important for you to be able to count solid quarters through this and not get lost! (It takes five bars to resolve back to beat 1.)
Now we're ready to apply the broken-double system. Here's the five-note grouping played over two bars:

Next, we'll look at a seven-note grouping (divided as two, two, three) superimposed over 16ths in 4/4. Remember, you must be able
to count the basic pulse underneath the rhythm.

Now here it is with broken doubles:

My favorite way to play this is with the turnaround on the bass drum instead of the snare:

Now try combining the odd phrases at random to create a really interesting rhythmic motif. The following example has a group of
seven, followed by two groups of five, and then two groups of seven, with an extra 16th note at the end of the second measure.

Also try playing some of these phrasing ideas in time signatures other than 4/4. As mentioned in Part 1, you can also play all these
broken-double phrases over continuous double bass 16ths, and remember to try different sound sources as well.
Now that some of the 16th-note possibilities have been examined, we can apply the same formula to triplets. For example, a five-note
triplet grouping (phrased two-three) could be played:

Here's a nine-note triplet grouping (two, two, two, three). It resolves after three bars.

Again, try playing some of these hand patterns over continuous double bass triplets. And then the next step would be to try combining
the triplets and 16ths.
As you work on these ideas remember not to get too caught up in the "math" of it all. Once you've learned how the phrases feel, forget
the numbers and concentrate only on playing phrases that sound and feel good, letting the ideas flow naturally.
 Richard Wilson
Broadening The Limits
by Robyn Flans By age ten, Wilson had studied with two world-famous com-
posers, Ernst Krenek and Eric Zeisl. But Harlem beckoned the
young Wilson, because that's where he could watch the masters
play drums, which stirred his soul. Since then, Wilson has played
For drummer/composer/teacher Richard Wilson, the problem with drums with such artists as Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Zoot
most drummers is elemental: They don't know how to play their Sims, Hampton Hawes, Dexter Gordon, Chet Baker, Don Ellis,
instrument. Gary Peacock, Victor Feldman, Dave Mackay, Clare Fischer,
"When someone comes to me," Wilson says, "I ask him to play Rosemary Clooney, Irene Kral, Shani Wallace, Buddy DeFranco,
a few fundamental strokes—simple things. Within five seconds I Warne Marsh, Frank Rosolino, Richie Kamuca, and Paul Moore's
know just where they are. What drummers usually need to know— big experimental band. Wilson also led his own orchestra called
and it sounds really strange—is just how to hold the sticks. the National Endowment, which used the latest development of
Because if they don't, they are forcing everything out in an ineffi- twentieth-century music—harmonically and linearly—retaining
cient way. Why was Buddy Rich faster than other people? It was ethnic rhythmic influences. (The group was so named because the
because he was more efficient with his motions, which enabled National Endowment helped Wilson get the project started with
him to get more speed. The whole idea is: half the effort with the two Composition Fellowship Grants awarded him.) Aside from
twice the speed." putting together a retrospective of his recorded catalog, though,
Wilson began playing drums at age two, violin at age four, andtoday Richard says he attempts to give something back through
teaching.
concert piano at age six. He played violin at Carnegie Hall at nine.
"Before you get into tricks or things professionals need to know
to excel conceptually," Wilson says, "the first basic element to
cover is the essential seventy-eight rudiments, because they're the
scales and arpeggios of the instrument. Some teachers know thir-
teen rudiments, and some know the twenty-six, as the books show.
There are small, uncomplicated strokes that I'll join
together into longer, more complicated strokes as the
"Technically, students' hands develop and technique becomes appar-
I teach from the ent, and this happens without their even realizing it.
Technically, I teach from the standpoint of floors, bal-
standpoint of ances, and fulcrums, teaching dynamics, phrasing, and
floors, balances, musical form, observing the conclusions of Archimedes,
Galileo, and Isaac Newton—using the acceleration of
and fulcrums, gravity and the theory of mass."
observing the Wilson talks in depth about specific grips: "There are
conclusions of four grips. Each grip will have a different fulcrum. The
fulcrum is the point of support on which the lever
Archimedes, changes direction, pivots, rocks, turns, or rotates. If
Galileo, and we're talking about matched grip, the fulcrum is the first
knuckle of the middle finger. That's the cradle over
Isaac Newton— which the lever—or stick—turns. The crack of the first
using the accel- finger and the flat of the thumb guide the stick. If you
eration of gravi- need more leverage or volume, you'll use the fourth and
fifth fingers as well. To build a grip, you establish a ful-
ty and the theo- crum and a guide, and the fulcrum leads the fourth and
ry of mass." fifth fingers.
 "Most everybody plays half turned over,
which is slightly rotated out, which moves the
fulcrum between the first and middle finger.
The Pros On Wilson
When you go to French grip, which is thumbs Ten years before Murray Spivak died, the famed drum teacher took Richard
up—the timpani grip—the stick rotates over the Wilson aside and said, "I am going to die soon—you are the only one left
first finger, or index finger, which is the ful- with the knowledge. Don't let it die." Wilson undertook the responsibility,
crum. With traditional grip, the fulcrum is in the passing down the knowledge to his students, many of whom were top profes-
crotch of the thumb. The first finger lies over the sionals eager for his wisdom. But what have these pros learned from Richard
stick." Wilson?
Besides technique, Wilson has certain opin- Carlos Vega: "Do you have a week? I feel very fortunate and honored to
ions about learning to improvise on one's instru- study with Richard. He is not only master of the drums, but he is also a
ment. "In North American history," the teacher composer.
explains, "drums and drumset playing was tradi- "There was a student before me recently, asking whether or not he should
tionally an ethnic experience created by the be practicing groove playing as opposed to some really hard stuff for your
mother, who is instantly and outwardly emotion- hands. I was telling him it all relates. You have your stroke, your wrist turn,
al. To be a good improviser, it's essential to and your rebound, and it's a combination of those three things. If you're prac-
express your ideas immediately. The changing ticing one thing, it's only going to help the other. I find that my groove stuff
social mores of the '60s and '70s and the accep- feels more relaxed and snappier. The hi-hat will be nice and relaxed if I'm
tance of indigenous musical forms, however, doing something like 16ths. My backbeat can be nice and tight because I've
have allowed everyone the opportunity to relate been practicing my rolls and getting that accent, like if I do a five-stroke roll,
emotionally on drums." making sure that the four strokes before the accent are nice and even.
Wilson contends that technique should not be "He's a real knowledgeable cat about a lot of stuff. You can talk to him for
the premier concern. "Drums are a matter of an hour and a half about food. He's a very unique man."
feeling, so if you use intellect to learn first, you Vinnie Colaiuta: "What I got out of it was a combination of things-
will not be as good an improviser. The student understood the mechanics of body motion and efficiency on a physical level.
should learn how to intellectualize after. It was a whole-handed kind of a thing—the body mechanics of how the fin-
"Drummers feel they don't need to know their gers, wrists, and arms interact and how the strokes gradually blend into one
instrument," he continues. "If they play the licks another, depending on the velocity and volume you play. He also understands
du jour—the licks of the day—and they have composition, so on a musical level, some of the exercises he wrote to utilize
enough talent and good feel, they can be suc- the techniques of body mechanics were pretty brilliant. Dick is coming from
cessful. They can be klutzy on their instru- the perspective of someone who can write. It's a whole other world."
ment—unlike with such instruments as the vio- David Garibaldi: "I only studied with Richard for a very shot time, within
lin, oboe, piano, or trumpet, where, if you want the first couple of years of my living in Los Angeles. Richard was really great
to be on a virtuoso level or even competent in that he kept asking me, 'What is it that you want to do? Why are you here?'
enough to work in a symphony orchestra, it which I thought was really important. It's something I now ask my students.
takes ten years to learn the fundamentals. When He was very good at getting me to think about exactly what it was that I need-
the periods end, only the drummers who have ed to focus on."
done something unusual with their talent are Michael Barsimanto: "Richard is an experience unlike various other ways of
remembered. receiving knowledge. None have such a deep-rooted effect as plugging into
"It's a good idea to learn your instrument, not the source. Richard's understanding of balance, fulcrum, economy of move-
so you can imitate other people, but to express merit (half the effort, twice the speed) is astonishing. Most of his lesson are
yourself easily and see if your natural talent and compositions that include such totality as far as drumming goes that you can't
originality emerge. Since the quill pen, writing help but be positively influenced."
hasn't gotten any better; it's probably gotten
worse. Now that videotapes are available and drummers can watch motion up and an upstroke, or one or more strokes made on the
their favorite star play their favorite licks—and get the recordings, motion up," Wilson says, "because then you're making strokes on
too—it creates more copying and less individuality. the up as well as the down, resulting in half the effort with twice
"Of all the names out there, who was the most influential drum- the speed. That's important if you're going to play one-handed
mer as far as playing his instrument? Buddy Rich. There's no new series of singles, whether you pull your fingers or bounce the wrist
Buddy Rich coming along. Who out there can play the snare drum, on the upstroke. The final result of studying technique, besides
the core of the whole discussion? Of course there's Louie Bellson, one-handed playing, becomes crescendo strokes. Once the student
but I'm talking about young people coming up. Who will be the has learned to play rolls, then he learns to play crescendo rolls and
next person to play the instrument? I'm not talking about a partic- singles, raising approximately ten inches above the surface with no
ular playing style, because twenty years from now that style is wrist, only arms and shoulders, with a flat stroke for ultimate
going to be passe. If you can play your instrument, though, you power and speed. What I've described is the end of the fundamen-
can transcend styles, as Buddy did, through all the periods. tals. The student has ultimate power, speed, endurance, and finesse
"It's important for students to know the difference between a to play whatever he or she wants."
 A Wilson Exercise
To give you an idea of some of the types of things Richard Wilson writes for his students, MD asked him to compose a few exercises. The
examples that follow give a good indication of the creativity of this talented educator.

1. Here is a warm-up exercise that applies rebounds. The slurs notated under the sticking indicate which notes are to be played as rebounds.
(Tap your feet with the pulse of the metronome.)

2. The following is a paradiddle exercise that utilizes accents to outline an ersatz clave.

3. Next is another good technical exercise. Note that the two 2/16 measures are in the speed of 16th-note triplets, in five motions. (Be sure
to observe the following "a tempo.")

4. Finally, this exercise presents a poly-metric setting, utilizing throws and rebounds. The notes written on the "a" space in bass clef repre-
sent the part to be played by the feet (to be tapped in unison with a metronome). The term "up" written in this example refers to upstrokes.
(An upstroke is a means of going from a low position to a high position while in the process of making a tap or rebound.)
 RECORDINGS
JOHN SCOFIELD
Groove Elation!
(Blue Note CDP 243 8 32801 2 4)

Idris Muhammad: dr whom Scofield calls

Don Alias: perc his favorite drummer
John Scofield: gtr to jam with. Well,
Larry Goldings: kybd these are more than
Dennis Irwin: bs jams; they are com-
Howard Johnson: tb, bs clr, sx plex songs with
Steve Turre: tbn funky harmonic
Billy Drewes: sx, fl changes, hummable
Randy Brecker: trp, flghn leads, great solos and
After a long association with Blue Note Records and a complete horn licks, and some
change of direction musically—first the funk band with of the best parade
Chambers, then the New Orleans band, and finally the four snare work ever
records with Joe Lovano (which set a whole new vocabulary for heard outside of a New Orleans funeral!
guitar music and brought us Bill Stewart)—Scofield leaves Blue Songs include the pulsating "Lazy" (it isn't!), the strangely
Note with three bangs: his first writing for horn section, more grooved "Peculiar" (a highlight for Muhammad's technique), and
New Orleans rhythms, and the genius playing of the great Idris the horn interplay of "Bigtop." All songs are by John Scofield,
Muhammad, with whom Scofield is presently touring. with arranging to make Peter Erskine and Gil Evans cry.
Muhammad is one of the underrecognized masters of the drum- Looking forward to next year's Verve Records debut, Sco!
set, playing with a twisty feel and pulse similar to Elvin Jones, Adam Seligman

JACO PASTORIUS here, but that's only half of the JETHRO TULL typically brilliant guitar play-
The Birthday Concert story. Acting also as a produc- Roots To Branches ing, while bass virtuoso Steve
(Warner Bros. 9 45290-2) er, remix supervisor, and liner- (Chrysalis/EMI 7243 8 35418 2 9) Bailey is brought in to share
note writer, Erskine helped res- duties with former Fairport
urrect this historic live date as a Conventioneer Dave Pegg.
labor of love. As he recalls, it On Roots Doane Perry's
was a night of music he will parts are often out front and
always cherish. The occasion kicking, and he's always fleet
was a 1981 club gig in Jaco's of foot and provocative. His
home town of Fort Lauderdale. slightly orchestral percussion
In honor of his thirtieth birth- take on the title track serves it
day, Jaco assembled musicians well, and while Anderson plays
from all phases of his career romantic balladeer on "Beside
into a giant version of his Word Myself," Perry is succinct and
Peter Erskine: dr Of Mouth band for an inspired Doane Perry: dr light. When the mood changes,
Don Alias, Bobby Thomas, Jr., two-show night that blazed into Ian Anderson: vcl, fl, gtr he's right there changing with
Oscar Salas: perc the wee hours. Martin Barre: gtr it. "Dangerous Veils" further
Othello Molineaux, The mammoth group took Steve Bailey, Dave Pegg: bs indicates the depth of his talent,
Paul Hornmiiller: steel dr the stage with minimum Andrew Giddings: kybd as the band shows off the
Jaco Pastorius: bs rehearsal, lending a risky edge Twenty years ago, Jethro polyrhythmic chops that
Michael Brecker, Bob Mintzer, to the night. It paid off; every Tull sang of being "Too old to inspired legions of progressive
Dan Bonsanti, Gary Lindsay, bar bristles with the sound of rock and roll and too young to rock heads in the '70s, when
Neal Bonsanti, Randy Emerick: players having a blast. In one die," but they prove that the Barriemore Barlow was pound-
sx/wdwns highlight Erskine, Alias, body is still warm with this ing the skins. And "Valley"
Brian O'Flaherty, Ken Faulk, Mintzer, Brecker, and Jaco new release. Leader Ian unfolds like a good novel, with
Brett Murphy, Melton Mustafa: trp approach melt-down through Anderson had his knees each section stylishly and sepa-
Peter Gordon, Jerry Peel, eighteen high-tempo minutes of ' scoped in order to continue rately punctuated by Perry.
Steve Roitstein: fr hn "Invitation." This joyous trib- touring, and he seems to have The instrumental prowess of
Russ Freeland, Mike Katz, ute captures the bassist's bril- hit his stride as a recording stu- Doane Perry heartily shines
Peter Graves: tbn liant, untethered spirit perhaps dio craftsman. Longtime side- throughout this CD, a smooth
Dave Bargeron: tbn, tb better than any formal retro- kick Martin Barre displays no glue to a typical Tull melange.
Master Erskine is in top form spective could. signs of energy loss either with Robin Tolleson
Jeff Potter
SUPER JUNKY MONKEY standout. And throughout the situation head on, always play- with diverse South African
Screw Up disc, a crisp, slammin' back- ing with as much melody and musicians. They struck a moth-
(TriStar/Sony- Japan WK35015) beat and subtle touches on the shape as rhythmic drive. erlode; the tapes rolled for two
cymbals keep the Monkey The duo creates a wonderful weeks, resulting in a three-CD
jumping from tree to tree, tension on "Magic Mirror," and series. Over fifty musicians
always on the prowl for another Gallivan is charting a course participated, contributing
stylistic limb. alongside the pianist, though everything from ritualistic
Unlike Japanese female trio somehow completely free of invocations to slick contempo-
Shonen Knife, Super Junky his expressive playing. On rary jazz solos. And it's a bal-
Monkey doesn't yet have the "Intensity," Cuomo lays anced shared effort rather than
pop sensibilities to become an groundwork, but leaves the a leader's album.
American cult favorite. But the space for Gallivan, who
chops are there. And if the unleashes a frantic assault.
Monkey can be mistress of her Again, on "Internal
Matsudaa!!: dr own tree instead of trying to Directions," Cuomo's part is
Mutsumi: vcl conquer the jungle, the songs almost a vamp over which the
Keiko: gtr will certainly follow. drummer hurls a magnificent
Kawaishinobu: bs Matt Peiken phase-altering skins-and-cym-
It would be easy to dismiss bals barrage. Gallivan offers a
this all-girl Japanese band as a JOE GALLIVAN/ free jazz cadence on
marketing gimmick. But BRIAN CUOMO "Evolution" between cymbals
beneath the cloak of kitsch are Night Vision and bongos. Vol. II, Healer's Brew, has
talented musicians who, by (No Budget Records) Gallivan builds up Cuomo the most folkloric, raw feel of
comparison, make the girls in with cymbal wash and enticing the series, with its twenty-
L7 look like the Go-Go's. brushwork on "Round minute ceremonial centerpiece
Super Junky Monkey blends Midnight," tastefully mixing in featuring a troupe of spiritual
pieces of Primus, Helmet, and hand drums in flourishes. "I've healers. Vol. III, Jazzin'
the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Got It Bad" is played straight Universally, is a more polished,
this schizophrenic record, made and very slow, but as Cuomo compositional set showcasing
all the more helter-skelter with offers a fine-fingered reading an exquisite mix of local
lyrics that jump from song to of "In A Sentimental Mood," jazz/pop sounds. Vol. I, Free At
song between Japanese and Gallivan colors and shades the Last, bridges the other discs,
English. It's not an easy listen, edges with soft humor and adeptly mixing the modern and
though it's at times entertain- grace. traditional.
ing—even humorous. And Joe Gallivan: dr, perc Joe Gallivan has obviously There's inspiring drumming
though Super Junky Monkey Brian Cuomo: pno, kybd accumulated a wealth of expe- galore with Airto's brothers-in-
doesn't pave any new territory, Those interested in free rience; thankfully, he's devel- rhythm, including percussion-
the band deserves attention music played in a forceful, oped an avant-bop style that's ists Mabi Thobejane, Pops
simply for its technical accom- heartfelt way might find this quite a kick to listen to. Mohamed, and Valerie Naranjo
plishments. live-to-DAT recording from Robin Tolleson as well as ace kit players
Because the band insists on Hawaii a real pleasure. Joe Sibongiseni Shange, Babes
covering several musical Gallivan, a former member of VARIOUS ARTISTS Ndamase, and British visitor
styles—from shuffles and '70s the Gil Evans Big Band and Outernational Meltdown Andrew Missingham. The
soul to guttural metal—Screw Larry Young's band, and side- (B+WBW076/7/8) drums and marimbas of the
Up affords drummer man with the likes of Pepper percussion group Amampondo
Matsudaa!! several chances to Adams, Ira Sullivan, and are also a constant treat. This
show off her versatility. Taking Kenny Wheeler, plays with a In September '94, Airto ambitious gathering miracu-
a fairly straight yet lively trusting abandon, right in sync Moreira, guitarist Jose Neto, lously succeeds in sounding
approach to rhythm, her ghost- with his partner's inner clock. and British jazz trumpeter like a lively open-air celebra-
filled funk groove on "We're He's equally aggressive and Byron Wallen set off on a quest tion rather than a "studio pro-
The Mother" is a particular dynamic on sticks or brushes, to South Africa. Their mission: ject."
swelling to meet the musical to jam, record, and share ideas Jeff Potter

SIGNIFICANT OTHERS RATING SCALE

You say you've been waiting too long for VINNIE COLAIUTA to let loose some of his legendary Excellent
chops on disc? Guitarist and Vinnie/Zappa cohort Warren Cuccurullo's Thanks To Frank (Imago) might
be just the scratch for your itch. The Rolling Stones' Stripped (Virgin) might expose warts and all, but Very Good
the golden moments this very cool, "unplugged"-style disc highlights—including that timeless
Good
CHARLIE WATTS feel—are well worth the inevitable flubs. NDUGU CHANCLER slyly slips and
slides on some groovin' funk/jazz, as he re-joins early-'80s musical mates Patrice Rushen and Ernie Fair
Watts on the Meeting's Update (Hip Bop). And speaking of funky, GERRY BROWN does it up good
on Stevie Wonder's new Live In Concert (Motown), featuring lots of his classic '70s cuts. Poor
 now re-released their self-pro- Cruel Sun, which all appeared Sure enough, the band's own
RUSTED ROOT duced first album, Cruel Sun. in slightly more developed talent, voice, and infectious
Cruel Sun "Primal Scream" kicks off forms on When I Woke. songs persevered to the point
(Rusted Root-777) the album with the strong Cruel Sun, which was first that, now, newer bands have to
rhythm/vocal combination that released in 1992, offers eleven work their way out of Live's
has become their trademark tracks of aggressive, strongly shadow. Seven Mary Three is
Jim Donovan: dr, perc sound. "Tree" and "Scattered" rhythmic, and melodic music, among the crop, hoping to
Liz Berlin: vcl, perc both feature Root's pulsing up- and is a solid first effort by this make it big on the modern rock
John Buynak: wdwns, perc, vcl tempo sound, combined with energetic and creative young wave of earnest, soulful song-
Patrick Norman: bs, vcl, perc, sitar slower, haunting sections that band. writing.
Jenn Wertz: vcl, perc give the band's music depth Harriet L. Schwartz
Mike Glabicki: vcl, gtr and atmosphere.
Blending styles of high-ener- Root's percussion line-up SEVEN MARY THREE
gy dance rock and strong, com- includes congas, djembe, talk- American Standard
plex, ethnic hand percussion, ing drum, and drumset. While (Mammoth/Atlantic 92633-2)
Pittsburgh's Rusted Root is one much of the album is driven by
of the most unusual bands to hand percussion, two tracks,
emerge on the popular music "Won't Be Long" and "!@#*" Citi Khalsa: dr
scene since the Talking Heads are paced by the drumset. J. Pollock: gtr, vcl
(a group to which they are Rusted Root fans will also Casey Daniel: bs They have a good start, at
often compared). Following the enjoy hearing earlier versions J. Ross: vcl, gtr least from a commercial sense,
highly successful release of of "Send Me On My Way," There was a time when crit- reaching radio in late 1995 with
their major label debut, When I "Cat Turned Blue," "Martyr," ics blasted Live as merely a the hook-friendly "Cumber-
Woke (Mercury), the band has and "Back To The Earth" on knockoff of R.E.M. and U2. some." But musically, there's
not a hint of the creativity and
dexterity that propelled Live to
BOOKS commercial and critical suc-
cess.
SELF-PUBLISHED DRUM BOOKS superimposing doubles, accents, ghost notes,
paradiddles, and other rhythmic ideas over the Khalsa's strengths are a solid
Beyond The Standard Groove by Glenn W. snare hand and a feel for
Meyer (60 pages, $13.95) is written for players basic rhythm. There are also interesting sections
who already possess basic drumset technique on phrasing in threes and fives, and on half-time dynamics within the course of
and coordination and who wish to further refine shuffles.The book has a generous amount of text laying down simple rhythms.
their skills. The book is not focused on any one and enough exercises to fully illustrate the princi- His tribal romp on "Punch In
topic but deals with a variety of subjects such as ples, but its main value is in conveying an Punch Out" is a highlight. But
paradiddle inversions around the set, rock and approach that can be applied to a variety of
rhythms rather than in simply presenting a bunch on the whole, the drummer
jazz fills, reggae and Latin beats and fills, shuffles, isn't nearly as inventive as the
jazz brush playing, and 3/4 funk shuffle grooves. of exercises to be played as is.
While many of the exercises take a "Stick Control Book One of Chris Miller's Contemporary music allows, ignoring the sub-
for drumset" approach by applying a variety of African Drumset Styles (book and cassette, tle cymbal timbres or well-
hand-and-foot patterns to a single rhythmic idea, $25) focuses on the Soukous rhythm, presenting placed tom strokes that give
there are also a reasonable number of practical a wealth of variations on the basic Soukous Chad Gracey his signature with
patterns that one could apply in actual playing sit- groove including funk-style patterns and fills. The
book includes a cassette tape on which Miller Live. Khalsa generally glues
uations. Some of the material is fairly easy, while himself to the basic rhythm of a
sections such as the one on Latin/Jazz Rock Fills demonstrates each of the patterns, which helps in
will take some time to master. The book doesn't terms of achieving proper balance between the given song so strongly that he
follow any particular progression, so one could different elements of the drumset and in under- drives it into blandness.
work on the material in any order. standing that unaccented hi-hat notes should be Khalsa's shortcomings,
Andrew Nucci's Flexibility In Drumming (64 nearly inaudible. The book probably contains though, are symbolic of those
pages, $9.95) is a snare drum reading text that more variations of the Soukous beat than most
drummers will need, but the end result is a very with American Standard as a
begins with basic whole, half, and quarter notes whole. There's nothing here to
and advances to intermediate-level etudes with complete understanding of the Soukous feel that
16th notes and triplets. The book moves some- will enable one to play very freely and creatively set the band apart from its con-
what slowly, but would be good for younger stu- within that style. temporaries. Sure, Seven Mary
dents who need a lot of repetition of basics. Every The Progressive Beat by Mark Cella (76 Three could potentially blaze
etude in the book is written in 4/4, but the author pages, $7) is a graduated method for learning its own fork in the road with
suggests also counting in cut time, 2/2, and 1/1— rock drumming. Along with typical 8th-note, triplet,
and 16th-note patterns in 4/4, the author includes future offerings. But the artistic
the latter of which doesn't come up often in the
real world, but it makes for an interesting exercise studies in 6/8, 7/8, 9/8,11/8,15/16, and other growth had better come quick-
in concentration when you try to count 8th notes time signatures, as well as a few "getting around ly—the door of opportunity in
"1-a-E-a-&-a-A-a" as Nucci suggests. The manu- the kit" studies with triplets, 16ths, quintuplets, pop music doesn't stay open
script is hand-written and somewhat sloppy in 16th-note triplets, septuplets, and 32nd notes, for long.
spots, with irregular beaming of 8ths and 16ths. written for snare, small tom, and floor tom. The Matt Peiken
But students who have only studied from profes- various 4/4 patterns are nothing new, but they are
sionally engraved method books are often bewil- all very practical, and the inclusion of relatively
dered when they first encounter hand-written simple odd-time patterns early in the game could
parts and charts on a job, so some early exposure help contemporary drum students avoid the fear
to less-than-perfect manuscript could be justified. of odd times that seems to develop among drum-
Applied Variations For Drumset by Martin mers who spend their first several years playing
Vaquero ($11.99) devotes much of its 41 pages to nothing but 4/4.
explaining how to use fairly simple rhythms as the Rick Mattingly
basis for more complex beats and patterns by
 Reading Between The Lines Of
Drum Book Publishing: Part 2
by Rich Watson If the self-publishing road from inspiration to remuneration is so
long and bumpy, why does anyone choose it? Some fly solo
because they are unable to interest a major publisher in their con-
cept. An author should view rejections from numerous publishers
Last month we discussed the various aspects of creating a drum as a red flag of warning that his or her proposal needs to be care-
book. This time, we'll take the next logical step and discuss the fully and objectively re-evaluated. Then again, with the "big boys"
different methods of turning that book from concept to reality— being inundated with unsolicited books and book ideas, now and
and getting it into the hands of potential consumers. Essentially, then even worthy ones can be turned down or "fall through the
this falls under the heading of "getting published," and there are cracks."
basically two ways to go: doing it yourself, or having it done by a Advanced Funk Studies was passed over by numerous major
major publishing house. Let's examine each method in detail. publishers when Rick Latham first unveiled it. After its sales went
through the roof, however, many publishers approached Rick to
Self-Publishing handle his second book. This time, he declined—for two reasons:
Encouraged by his teachers at North Texas State University to First, he was worried about losing control over the book's content.
write down his ideas, Rick Latham scribed every note of Advanced Second, he was dissatisfied with the cut the majors offered him—
Funk Studies by hand with calligraphy pens and rulers. After hav- which also happens to be the second big reason many authors
ing the text produced by a typesetter, he cut and pasted each exer- choose to self-publish. By self-publishing his books, Latham
cise and paragraph of text. (He even glued the page numbers on claims, "If the book costs $15, I make $10 instead of $2." (The
the pages.) Then he had a printer make negatives of the pages. industry standard royalty for authors working with major publish-
Years later, Latham replaced pens, rulers, scissors, and glue with a ers, says Dave Black, is 10% of domestic retail sales and 5% of
computer and Finale (a notoriously difficult sequencing/notation foreign retail sales.)
program) to produce The Contemporary Drumset. And this time Of course per-book profit margin shouldn't be confused with
he farmed out the layout to Finale overall profit. Because of their pow-
users-group chairperson (and fellow erful marketing and distribution
percussionist) Bonnie Janofsky. "A celebrity's name on operations, major publishers will
Making a music book look good is almost certainly sell many more
still painstaking work—even despite
technological advances. But, as Russ
the cover will lead to books than can any individual. And
then there are the substantial initial
Miller discovered with his Drumset
Crash Course, writing and producing
some quick initial production expenses (including lay-
out and printing), as well as the costs
a book is probably the easy part of
self-publishing. Because after the
sales, but a good book and considerable time required for
advertisement and distribution. The
provocative, fresh idea, after the
manuscript notation, after the music
by an unknown can do financially motivated decision to
self-publish, then, depends almost as
and text editing, the art, and the lay-
out—then comes the hard-core busi-
just as well over time." much upon the author's marketing
and business savvy as in his or her
ness of sales, warehousing, shipping, book's sales potential.
billing, accounting, collecting royalty Russ Miller had faith in The
payments, etc.—skills that may not come naturally to Drumset Crash Course. Its concept and content were
folks who've spent most of their study time behind a based on the drumset, music-theory, electronic-percus-
kit. sion, and hand-percussion curricula he designed for the
"When I held the first published copy in my Miami Percussion Institute (which Russ co-founded in
hands," Russ Miller exclaims, "I thought, Wow, we 1992), as well as on years of performing and teaching
finally did it; we're finished! It turned out that that wasn't the end, experience. But even with such a promising foundation Miller was
it was the beginning!" smart enough to seek the expert advice of some of the industry's
most talented individuals. ods, which one would you buy?"
After receiving expert layout work from Gay Ann Gagliardi, Regardless of who writes a book, promoting it is a complex,
Warner Bros.' Joe Testa gave Russ further tips on the book's time-consuming process. Rob Wallis describes Manhattan Music's
design, and Warner's Sandy Feldstein helped him edit it as a multi-pronged attack: "We try to create an interest through ads in
favor. All this assistance was invaluable, but it was still up to magazines such as Modern Drummer. We also have a program
Miller to put up all the money. And his biggest challenge was, and where certain music stores sign on and get one or two copies of
remains, promotion. "If nobody knows about your book, it's not every drum product we come out with sight-unseen—and they get
going to sell," he explains. "Even getting it into the stores is no extra discounts. So we know from day one that X-number of shops
guarantee; if they don't move within a certain time, the stores will are going to receive the product automatically. The sales team
send them back to the distributor." goes to work on the rest of them. We have over twenty salesper-
Sales of Crash Course in Florida have been strong due to sons calling on the phone ten hours a day."
Miller's exposure in various bands there, and the clinics he has Judging a book by its cover is an accepted reality in modern
done for Yamaha and Zildjian. He acknowledges the need for dif- drum-book publishing, and each house has its own editorial poli-
ferent marketing strategies out of state. "I try not to gauge the suc- cies for graphic and layout elements. Hal Leonard Corporation's
cess of the book by what happens in Florida, because I have such a John Cerullo says, "We don't use 'cookie-cutter' templates,
strong following as an artist here—whereas I don't in Idaho," Russ because every book has unique concepts whose layout and design
laughs. One plan is to point out to other dealers the book's strong need to be equally unique."
sales in major retailer outlets such as Thoroughbred Music, This flexibility does not, however, include new notation sys-
Resurrection Drums, and Steve Weiss Music. Russ has also adver- tems. Some companies are pushing for the entire industry to adopt
tised in Modern Drummer and other magazines. Norm Weinberg's guidelines for standardizing drumset notation.
Latham agrees that promotion is especially important to Rick Mattingly, also with Hal Leonard Corporation, remarks,
self-publishing authors, saying, "I can't stress enough how much "There is no way that the guy who buys the book wants to have to
the ads in Modern Drummer helped." He also received some great figure out which line the snare drum and the ride cymbal are on."
recommendations and endorsements, which he had printed on his John Cerullo offers some tips on layout that should be consid-
book's inside cover. ered by self-publishers as well. Design and copy should be
eye-catching, he says, and the introductory pages hip—or at least
The Big Houses in some way compelling. But whereas flash can be effective up
Product promotion is also the name of the game with the major
publishers. The easiest books to promote are the ones written by
"star" drummers, both because of the attention those artists draw
in music stores, and because of their frequent proximity to likely
drum-book buyers. Dave Black calls David Garibaldi's Future
Sounds a publisher's dream-come-true. "First of all, you have a
book that has never been done before: linear funk." (It's a style
that, Black reminds us, Garibaldi almost singlehandedly defined.)
"Then you've got David Garibaldi's visibility, which means great
sales right away. Then you've got somebody who does a fair
amount of traveling and clinics. If drummers ask him, 'How do
you do that?' he's obviously going to say, 'It's right here in my
book.'" Black calls this "built-in promotion." He adds quickly,
though, that sales of books that rely on name recognition alone
depend upon the "star's" public visibility. "As soon as their star
dims," he says, "the book's sales fall right off."
Hal Leonard's John Cerullo agrees. "A celebrity's name on the
cover will lead to some quick initial sales," he says, "but a good
book by an unknown can do just as well over time."
Even books that aren't written by celebrities should come from
what Manhattan Music's Rob Wallis calls "a good valid source,
including respected educators or players who have had a signifi-
cant impact on drumming." Citing West African Rhythms For The
Drumset, Wallis submits, "It's natural for Royal Hartigan, an edu-
cator whose lifelong study has been African rhythms, culture, and
history, to have written this book." This "validity" not only per-
tains to an author's musical talent, but to that talent's appropriate-
ness to the book's subject. Dave Black illustrates, saying, "If John
Beck [Eastman School of Music percussion department director]
and a big-name heavy-metal drummer both wrote timpani meth-
front, a book's page-by-page layout—right manuscript. [Rick Mattingly adds, formance.
down to the typeface, kerning, line leading, "Defining what 'editable' means usually Publishers' substantial investment of
and line length—should contribute to its involves a long conversation with the resources in each book makes them very
readability. "Concepts should be presented author."] From that point on, everything picky about which ones they select. The
in a progressive manner that doesn't sud- else is optional. Some authors don't want immutable bottom-line criterion is: Will it
denly overload the student," he warns, to see that book again until it's been print- sell?
"and text should be broken up by musical ed. Others want to be involved in the entire Rick Mattingly believes that the
examples or figures. Large, unbroken process: editing and proofreading with our strongest-selling books are the ones that
blocks of text can start to look scary and editorial team, working with our layout work for drum teachers. "If you sell an
un-user-friendly." team all the way until the book goes to individual on your book, you've sold a
Publishing deals vary from one house to press. Then we do all marketing, promo- book; if you sell a teacher on your book,
the next, and in some cases, certain details tion, and distribution of the product. the next ten years can bring fifty or a hun-
can be dictated by the author. Although Authors might get involved on the tail end dred sales. The teacher requires that his
Rick Latham published his first book him- by doing clinics, workshops, and perfor- students buy the book, and makes sure that
self, CPP Belwin (now owned by Warner mances. We have a full-time clinic depart- the music store where he works keeps it in
Bros.) produced and owns the rights to his ment, which—in addition to supplying the stock. Also, the students talk among them-
instructional videos, and Warner Bros. product—helps authors coordinate their selves, saying, 'This is a really good book,
Publications now distributes both of his tour or clinic schedules and 'pump up' the I've learned a lot from it.'"
books on a non-exclusive basis. This, he local market." Dave Black contends that books for
says, allows him to benefit from the power While most publishing houses have beginners far out-sell intermediate or
of their distribution network, but nets him a "standard" services, contracts don't nor- advanced ones. The reason is attrition.
larger profit than if Warner Bros. published mally stipulate a minimum expenditure for "Everybody starts off by studying from a
the books as well. marketing, such as, "Publisher agrees to beginning book," he explains. "But many
"When we enter into a contract," says run four quarter-page advertisements in never progress to an intermediate or
Hal Leonard's John Cerullo, "the author's major music magazine." Instead, additional advanced book. Some quit music altogeth-
responsibility is to deliver to us an editable promotion is earned by a book's sales per- er, some choose another instrument, some
decide to continue playing but to quit helps illustrate the book's concept, that is
studying out of books." But don't assume recommended as well." In short, he pleads,
from this that beginning books are easier to "Let us know what you're thinking."
write or to foist upon publishers. Their Publishers will suggest ways to develop
inherent lack of "new" ideas and their rela- promising ideas that still require more
tive simplicity make them harder to distin- work. For example, Mattingly has on occa-
guish from the hundreds of functionally sion asked an author to "talk him through"
similar books already on the market. a proposed book, and then worked with the
The big houses generate the vast majori- author in writing text that filled in the con-
ty of their own book ideas, and they seek ceptual blanks. John Cerullo adds, "By
out a suitable author for each project. (One doing this we also find out if an author is
publisher estimated that less than 1% of willing to collaborate and cooperate with
unsolicited material submitted is accepted.) us in making changes."
They do, however, welcome the gems that Whether dealing with a major house or
occasionally surface from the oceans of publishing on their own, authors benefit
unsolicited material they receive. With this from many such dialogs. Editors, layout
in mind, both Hal Leonard Publishing artists, typesetters, printers, and the many
Corporation and Alfred Publishing people responsible for promoting, distribut-
Company, Inc. offer these guidelines for ing, and selling books can provide invalu-
aspiring drum book authors: Proposals able perspectives on a book's concept and
should include a full presentation of the promotion strategy, its step-by-step execu-
book's concept and a strong, solid outline tion, and its launch into the marketplace.
or table of contents. One of the concepts The entire process is all about communi-
should be fully "blown out" to represent cating—to the people who bring the book
the core teaching philosophy, presentation, into being, and, ultimately, to all the drum-
and usefulness of the material. Keep in mers it may teach, influence, and inspire.
mind the critical Three C's: Clarity,
Coherence, and Completeness.
Rick Mattingly recommends typing or
word-processing the text, but doesn't
expect authors to do the layout. If the pro-
posal is accepted, he says, "We'll redo it
anyway. We're judging content. But in
order to judge content, we've got to see
content. We have imaginations, and we
have art departments, but for illustrations,
at least provide a sketch. If the sample
chapter will have a photograph, include at
least a Polaroid. Don't just tell us there will
be musical examples, write them out.
Likely as not, I'm going to play them to
check them out. And if a piece of audio
 Marcelo Petrelli Scott Christensen rock, and R&B." This perspective explains
Twenty-six-year-old Marcello Petrelli Scott Christensen of Calgary, Alberta, influences from such diverse drummers as
has been a drummer since 1984, but feels Canada began studying music seriously at Kenny Aronoff, Eddie Bayers, Simon
that his career really began when he the age of six. Now twenty-five, he's Phillips, and Buddy Rich. "The main thing I
started studying seriously in 1990. backed such artists as Curtis Grambo and like in a drummer," says Scott, "is solid
Today, he devotes his talents to playing Lindia Scott (each Canadian Country Music groove and musical playing that compli-
jazz and funk with a group called Trio Award nominees), and he's currently work- ments the song." Scott's own style is cre-
Balayage in the clubs of his home town ing with Canadian country recording artist ative and tasteful, with the power and con-
of Limeira, a suburb of Sao Paulo, Brett Barrow. Scott's drumming helped viction needed to make the music work.
Brazil. The high-energy band performs Barrow win the 1993 Big Scott employs a Masters
the music of artists like Wayne Shorter, Valley/Jack Daniels Custom kit, drum rack, and
Horace Silver, and Miles Davis, along Country Band Showdown hardware from Pearl, a
with material of their own. They're in the (in front of 30,000 peo- double bass drum pedal
process of expanding their scope to large ple). Since then, Barrow and a hi-hat from DW,
cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, and his band have opened Zildjian cymbals, a
and they hope to record their first CD for such country stars as drumKA T trigger pad, a
shortly. Tracy Lawrence, Travis DW EP1 trigger pedal, and
Marcelo has Tritt, Holly Dunn, and an electronics rack fitted
also performed Tracy Byrd, and have criss-crossed Canada with a Roland R8 drum module, an Alesis
with nationally headlining club shows and appearing on HR16 drum machine, and a Mackie 16x4
famous numerous TV and radio programs. Scott is mixer (among other goodies). In terms of
Brazilian also in Barrow's video for the single "Take goals, Scott hopes to continue furthering his
vocalists This Love." drumming skills while learning more about
Moacyr But Scott doesn't define himself as a the business of music—and hopefully mak-
Franco, Lady "country drummer." "I love all styles of ing a positive contribution to the music
Zu, and music," he says, "from country to fusion, industry.
Jairzinho. His
diverse drum- to Fats' personal style: a
ming influences (Weckl, Gadd, Colaiuta, Fats Gallon blend of showmanship,
Rich, Chambers, DeJohnette, and Atlanta, Georgia's Fats intensity, and gritty
Brazilian percussionists such as Gallon is the drummer, groove.) Fats has also
Rubinho) have helped him develop a writer, arranger, producer, recorded for the T.K. label
style that is a dynamic amalgam of mod- and leader of the Sea Hunt in Florida and for Sugar
ern jazz, funk, and South-American tech- band. The group specializes Hill Records in New Jersey.
niques. This style—along with an in a combination of hard Fats' drumming arsenal
impressive technical expertise—has funk and rock 'n' roll that features an 11-piece Tama
made Marcelo an in-demand teacher as includes both original mate- kit (including three snare
well as a performer. rial and covers of songs by and Europe. In addition, drums) with Zildjian cym-
"It's a great pleasure for me to play Parliament/Funkadelic, Fats has toured and/or bals. His goals are to take
this music style," says Marcelo, "because Fishbone, Jimi Hendrix, recorded with the the Sea Hunt band to bigger
one must have technique and knowledge, Living Colour, Buddy Manhattans, Millie Jackson, and better places, and to
and one must also keep informed and Miles, Van Halen, the Dells, Regina Bell, and further his own solo career
study a lot to play it well." Marcelo plays Metallica, Soundgarden, rapper Melle Mel. He with projects such as a
it well (as evidenced by his demo tape), and the Rolling Stones. The recently completed a tour in recent funk/rock album he
and he does so on a Pearl Export kit fit- band has toured extensively Switzerland with blues completed under the super-
ted with Zildjian and Sabian cymbals. throughout the U.S., the artist Theodis Ealey. (A vision of Anthony Lockett
Caribbean Islands, Japan, video from that tour attests (formerly of Camco).
If you'd like to appear in On The Move, send us an audio should include your full name and age, along with your you do and how you do it. and a list of the equipment
or video cassette of your best work (preferably both solo playing style(s), influences, current playing situation you use regularly. Send your material to On The Move,
and with a band) on three or four songs, along with a (band, recording project, free-lance artist, etc.), how Modern Drummer Publications, 12 Old Bridge Road,
brief bio sketch and a high-quality color or black & often and where you are playing, and what your goals are Cedar Grove, NJ 07009. Material cannot be returned, so
white close-up photo. (Polaroids are not acceptable. (recording artist, session player, local career player, etc.). please do not send original tapes or photos.
Photos will not be paid for nor credited.) The bio sketch Include any special items of interest pertaining to what
 Jeff Berlin
by Bill Milkowski could rock. His bass playing was heavy, let me tell you."
Born in Queens, New York on January 17, 1953 Berlin began
studying violin at age five, and by age thirteen he was chosen as
one of the top five violinists at the Long Island String Festival. A
Jeff Berlin is a virtuoso of the electric bass guitar. His work in the couple of years later, he switched over to electric bass guitar and
late '70s with Bill Bruford's high-powered fusion group (also fea- put the violin on the shelf forever. He attended Berklee College of
turing guitar god Allan Holdsworth) established his reputation as a Music, where he studied with Gary Burton and Michael Gibbs. In
chopsmeister of the highest order. Since then, Jeff has performed 1975, Jeff left Berklee to begin a fusion gig with drummer
with a dizzying array of artists, from guitarists George Benson, Carmine Appice. A few months later he played in a power trio
Kazumi Watanabe, and John McLaughlin to pianists Bill Evans with drummer Tony Williams and guitarist Holdsworth, and
and Jerry Lee Lewis. He did one tour with rock supergroup Yes, toward the end of that year he flew to Switzerland to record with
played one gig with Isaac Hayes, and was once asked by Eddie another power trio, this one with drummer Alphonse Mouzon and
Van Halen to join his band. He has played with some of the great keyboardist Patrick Moraz.
drummers in rock and jazz and is one of the few bass players Upon returning to the States in 1976, Jeff joined a quartet led by
around who can deal in both worlds in convincing fashion. As jazz guitarist Pat Martino and featuring drummer Anton Fig (of
drummer Neil Peart of Rush once said, "Jeff's reputation is mostly Late Night With David Letterman fame). His other work through
in jazz, but when we played together I was amazed at how hard he the '70s included gigs with big band leader Gil Evans, salsa star
Ray Barretto, flutist Herbie Mann, and saxophonist Dave
Liebman. And from 1977 through 1980 he was a member of the
great fusion band Bruford, appearing on albums like Feels Good
To Me, One Of A Kind, Gradually Going Tornado, and The
Bruford Tapes.
Through the '80s, Berlin taught at the Bass Institute of
Technology in Los Angeles and released two albums as a leader
(Champion and Pump It!, both on Passport Jazz). During this peri-
od he also toured and recorded with the cooperative band Players,
featuring keyboardist T Lavitz, guitarist Scott Henderson, and
drummer Steve Smith. In recent years, Berlin has learned to tem-
per his astonishing soloistic chops somewhat to better facilitate the
music. This team-player approach landed him gigs with such
unlikely artists as k.d. lang, Jerry Lee Lewis, Isaac Hayes, and
Jermaine Jackson.
"I came out of '70s fusion, that busy bass-playing era," says
Berlin. "But I began to find that a lot of people who needed a bass
player didn't necessarily want someone playing lots of notes. So I
began developing a sideman mentality: 'What does someone want
when they hire me to play?' This led me to focus in on good solid
time, good feeling, good tone, and good note choices. I began to
get work in areas that before were not really available to me. And
besides all of these sideman gigs I also managed to keep my own
particular approach, to bass playing alive too. So I felt like I kind
of grew up a little on the instrument."
Berlin recently settled in Clearwater, Florida, where he estab-
lished the Players School Of Music. "I opened the school because
I wanted to do a proper service for people who really wanted to
learn how to play," he explains. "It seems to
me that a lot of the popular teaching concepts
really didn't help people to learn their instru-
"I've always felt that the drummer
ments the way that they thought they would is the leader of the band. Not the bass
through those teaching methods. I've been a
student of music on and off for a long time, player, not the guitarist, not the singer,
and I've found that there are certain principles but the drummer."
of learning that are really successful; people
who follow them can't help but get better on
their instruments. I still travel and play with people, but my focus about time anymore. It's not even an issue, it's just a feature of
now is on the Players School." their great drumming. So for me, it's not an effort—it's just
Berlin spoke candidly about the art of rhythm-section playing instantly one, two, three...go. We agree on what the time is. And I
and about some of the great drummers he has worked with in his find that the drummers who make the greatest impact on me are
twenty-year-career. drummers who I never have to work hard to learn how to play
BM: Playing both rock and jazz must require a whole different set with. I usually know within four seconds if the drummer and I are
of circumstances for a bassist. going to relate well. And it's usually a drummer who doesn't listen
JB: Well, it's an interesting thing. I do have a weird diversity of to me for the time. Rather, I should listen to him, because I've
players in my credits. I was asked to join Van Halen, but I also always felt that the drummer is the leader of the band. Not the bass
used to play with Bill Evans in New York—doing jazz standards player, not the guitarist, not the singer, but the drummer.
like "Stella By Starlight" and "I Love You." But I like many dif- BM: It seems that in general, jazz drummers imply the time, while
ferent styles, and I found that I was comfortable playing them. rock drummers more or less state the "one" pretty solidly. Does
And the styles came easier once I really knew my instrument. that change what you're hearing and what you're cueing off of?
BM: In terms of drummers, what are you listening to in a rock JB: No. I believe I know what the requirements are to be a jazz
context as opposed to a jazz context? musician in a wide sort of sense. Rock drummers lay it down.
JB: Very obviously I need good time from a drummer—just as a That's the requirement of rock, so I just function within that
drummer would need it from me. When I play with great jazz requirement. I only played with Alex Van Halen a little bit, but
drummers like Billy Hart or Tony Williams, it's the feel and the he's one of the greatest rock drummers I ever played with because
time that they will automatically present. These guys don't think his time is so amazing. And all the great jazz drummers that I
played with have fantastic time. It's something we just automati-
cally agree on.
BM: So you don't tend to focus on specific parts of the kit—such
as ride cymbal for jazz, or bass drum for rock.
JB: No, it's just the overall drumming. In the same way a drum-
mer wouldn't just key in on my G string instead of my D string, I
don't feel the need to listen to a bass drum rather than a hi-hat. It's
the combination of four or five instruments that a drummer plays
that creates the total representation of their time. And that time is
essential to me. I can't play with someone who has bad time, and
I'm sure they couldn't play with me if I gave them a bad bass feel.
You know who taught me a lot about that? Narada Michael
Walden. Years ago I played with him at his house—and he didn't
like what I did. He felt that my time wasn't there and that I didn't
play deep and hard. And I couldn't figure out why he didn't like
me because...gosh...look how fast I can play! But later on I rec-
ognized exactly what Michael was talking about. Even though we
only played that one time, I actually appreciate very much what he
showed me about how to play good time.
BM: Who is one of the greatest groove drummers you ever played
with?
JB: Billy Cobham, unquestionably. He's incredibly solid and deep.
I played in a trio with Billy and T Lavitz. I remember one night
when we played "Boogie On Reggae Woman"—the old Stevie
Wonder tune—at a place called Catalina's. Billy's pocket was so
heavy! People think of him as a soloist, which he is. But his pocket
is unbelievable. It's the same with Alphonse Mouzon. He's one of
the greatest jazz drummers I ever played with. We went to Europe a
couple of years ago, and he was swinging incredibly.
 BM: What rock drummers have inspired you? brought that quality out in my playing—which is wild, because
JB: Definitely Alex Van Halen. He probably has the greatest shuf- I'm probably the least funky person you'll ever meet. I walk like a
fle rock thing going, which you can hear on "Hot For Teacher." goofy guy; I have no rhythm and no time at all as a person. I'm
Alex is probably the heaviest rock drummer in the world—one of really kind of stiff and gawky—and more Caucasian in my body
the top three guys—and it amazes me how underrated he is. motions than most Caucasians are. But when I put a bass on I get
Obviously the light's on Eddie, as it should be. But Alex flips me smack dab in the middle of the groove and the punch of great funk
out. I'm a huge fan. and great rock. I really transform in those places. And with drum-
BM: Name some other drummers who were helpful to you in your mers with great time, like Mike Clark...it's bad, man! It's the
developing years. greatest physical sensation to play with a drummer who is just
JB: To start with, there's Anton Fig, who plays in the house band hell-bent on creating a great time environment...softly, loudly,
on David Letterman. We played in Pat Martino's band together in swinging, funk-wise, or rock-wise.
the mid '70s. I had just come out of music school and he was one BM: What can you tell us about your gigs with Buddy Miles?
of the first drummers to show me that you have to have a good, JB: The guy's heavy, man. We had a band together for a while,
strong quarter note and swing hard in jazz. When we were on the and he sang on my second record [Pump It!]. Buddy's a legend.
road he used to talk to me a lot about time and interaction. He's an early-James Brown/Bernard Purdie-kind of drummer. He
Steve Smith used to sit me down when we went to school just hit harder than Bernard.
together at Berklee and put on tapes of Paul Chambers and some BM: And you worked with the late, legendary Larrie Londin.
early Stanley Clarke. Then he'd say, "Listen to the time, listen to JB: Yes, we did some studio gigs together. He had that sort of
the time." I didn't understand until later on what he was talking right-in-the-center, simple, great feeling in the studio. I've done a
about. So Smith taught me a lot. lot of anonymous studio gigs with great drummers like
Of course, I owe my entire career to Bill Bruford, because he's Larrie...just playing songs behind singers or movie dates. Larrie
the guy who took me out of music school and put me in a situation was wonderful because the time was there. So the gigs were very
that allowed me to grow. He really opened my head up about how satisfying in that regard.
to play music. He would want to do certain things and I would say, BM: Some people might be surprised to learn that you also played
"Well, you can't do that because this note clashes with that one," with the great big band jazz drummer Louie Bellson.
thinking strictly in terms of theory. And he would say, "But I like JB: Louie and I played in L.A. with Tommy Tedesco, who's prob-
the way they sound together, so I'm going to do it." That really ably the most-recorded guitarist in history. We used to do NAMM
made an impression on me. As a drummer, Bill has his signature shows together. Louie was fantastic because he would say,
style: a very British, King Crimson-y/Yes-y approach to the kit.
But I'll tell you, when we played together in Yes [Berlin subbed
for Chris Squire on one tour in 1989], he was swinging his ass off
in a rock context. He's a fabulous drummer and my greatest
teacher to date.
BM: Is there any one drummer that you've played with who you
consider to have perfect time?
JB: The absolutely greatest metronomic-time drummer that I ever
played with is Steve Ferrone. When we played with Jermaine
Jackson, what he put down was the heaviest time gig I think I ever
played. I could lay an air mattress on the guy's time and go to
sleep on it. You get a great time drummer like Ferrone and you
can do magic.
BM: Let's talk about some of the greatest funk drummers you've
played with.
JB: I played with David Garibaldi once in Tower Of Power. Of
course, he influenced a whole generation of players. And Mike
Clark is simply amazing. He should've been more highly touted.
Some of the stuff he did on Herbie Hancock's Thrust... I mean, the
guy redefined the bass drum. People like to identify different
instruments on drumset and give credit to innovations—like Bill
Bruford and the snare drum sound he invented, or Ginger Baker's
use of double bass drums. You have to give credit to Mike Clark
for that single upbeat funk bass drum thing of his. The cat is just a
great drummer. I met him on the road when I was in Bill Bruford's
band and he was playing with Brand X, and we just hit it off. We
finally got to play together in a quartet with Bill Frisell and Mike
Stern. We used to play together in Boston quite a bit, and it was
just the greatest. Mike and I were very funky together. He really
"Here's the time right here...bang!" And whatever he did, we ly tough. Strong, powerful...there's a banger, man. Novak should
always agreed on the quarter note. So when we played it was just be one of the next great names in drums because he's phenomenal.
so swinging because his whole focus was on great time. BM: Harvey Mason?
BM: Let's have your thoughts on some other players you have JB: I went out with him, Bob James, and Earl Klugh—with
worked with, like Kenwood Dennard. Richard Tee on piano—around the time when Bob was having his
JB: He's really a slamming young fellow. I play very strong bass, success with the theme from Taxi. I was a little afraid of Harvey
and I realized early on that people don't necessarily want to have because of his reputation for being so perfect and so grooving and
that kind of strength from a bass player. They'd rather have a more so heavy. Harvey is a consummate pocket player. What he and
supportive role. So in the last couple of years I began to lay back. Paul Jackson laid down on Herbie Hancock's Headhunters was
But when I played with Kenwood Dennard, he jumped on it so fantastic. This was among the gigs I've done where I thought,
hard that I felt like I was permitted to jump on it too. We both "Man, I'm in way over my head." But Harvey was awfully nice to
started to lean heavily into it, and I realized that on certain gigs me. And we hit hard, too. I was just an unknown then, coming on
that's permitted. But we hit hard, man. Kenwood is heavy. the gig and trying to do a good job.
BM: What about Gary Husband? BM: You also played some with Vinnie Colaiuta?
JB: I played with him in Allan Holdsworth's band. We played JB: Yeah, we had a band that was like a virtuoso group—every-
some pubs in England. Gary's very aggressive and very prolific on one playing a million notes per minute. Vinnie is like the virtuoso
the instrument. He understands polyrhythms and the variety of of all time, but inside that guy has dead-center time. That's his real
powerful events you can do on the drums. And he also obviously genius. Have you noticed that all the great drummers have that?
can play time, because Level 42 is a strong pop band with Mark BM: Do you have any advice for aspiring players on how to prac-
King's great bass playing. tice?
BM: Gary Novak? JB: I'm a real big believer in not using metronomes when you
JB: I played with Gary in L.A. with Mike Miller, who is probably practice—especially on new music. Because when you're working
the greatest guitarist I have ever played with in my life. Gary hit really hard on learning your exercises, if you're playing with a
real hard, so that was a gig where it was permitted for me to turn metronome all you're doing is concentrating on good time; you're
up the jets. By the end of the night, Novak was just spent because I not trying to concentrate on the exercise for what it is. Besides,
was hitting super hard. I wanted to push him over the cliff a little metronomes don't teach you good time. You know why? Because
bit. And it was great because he hung. This cat's tough—physical- great musicians don't play metronomically. Some people say that
to have good time is to play metronomically, but I disagree. If you
need to have exactly 120 beats per minute, put a click in my head-
phones and I'll give it to you. I don't think Tony Williams ever sat
on a quarter note in his whole career. He's shifted; he's moved. I
don't think Alex Van Halen, Neil Peart, or Steve Smith ever sat on
the quarter note without ever shifting somehow. Their playing is
fluid—and at the center of it is great time. So it isn't metronomic
time that drummers need to concentrate on, it's great time in the
flow of music. Yes, in the studio they want exactitudes. But that's
what the click track is for—because 99% of us don't have perfect,
metronomic time.
BM: For the music that you're hearing now and the new stuff
you're writing, who would be the best drummer?
JB: That's a great question. I have mulled that over and over,
thinking of guys like Tom Brechtlein, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Gregg
Bissonette. I want a drummer who can hit both hard and soft and
can do a variety of styles, and these are the guys who can do these
things. I also wanted to use Alex Van Halen on certain things and
Neil Peart on others. I'd love to use Alphonse Mouzon on some
stuff. I'd love to use Dave Grohl, who played in Nirvana. What a
great rock drummer he is! I like Aaron Comess, who plays with
the Spin Doctors. I also want to play with Ginger Baker.
BM: Is there any playing situation that you haven't had yet that
you still dream about?
JB: If I ever got on stage where I could go through a whole bunch
of Marshall stacks and rock out, I think it would be something
really special to hear—especially with a great rock drummer. I
never had a chance to do that because I'm sort of known as a tech-
nical bass player. But who knows? I'm still young.
 Blues Traveler's
Brendan Hill
by Ken Micallef KM: All of the members of Blues Traveler are originally from
New Jersey. Has traveling around the country helped give you
more of a blues feeling?
BH: Blues, with the harmonica as the lead instrument, is where
Gathered in VH1 's Manhattan studios for an acoustic perfor- the idea of Blues Traveler came from. We're really more of a rock
mance of their hit "Run Around," the members of Blues Traveler 'n' roll band. Touring with other bands has given us the chance to
huddle in chairs as if on some Mississippi front porch. As the hear a lot of music and absorb influences that way.
song's guitar strum cues front-man John Popper to begin his KM: Who were the biggest influences on your drumming?
vocals, drummer Brendan Hill sits behind his kit, staring blindly BH: I grew up listening to the Police. I loved how Stewart
into space. With his spine ramrod Copeland would play polyrhythms over very simple guitar and
straight, his left hand snaps a deter- bass lines. Then I got into the Who and how Keith Moon was non-
mined yet subtle motif of rim clicks, stop fury all over the place. Then came Pink Floyd, which is com-
slowly building the song's intensity. "Any musician pletely different—very simple drumming, yet very memorable.
As his bass drum punches into place who thinks he Then I got into Zeppelin via a friend who had all these bootlegs
and the groove deepens, Brendan's has succeeded that really intrigued me. On the
expression remains dispassionate. has lost the records Zeppelin was very con-
Cracking the snare drum midway energy he needs, trolled, but out of the studio there
through the verse—suddenly explod- You have to was an excitement—things were
ing the song to life—Brendan nar- keep some distinctive every night. Then I got
rows his gaze and bites his lip. With excitement: into jazz—which is when I went to
the volume rising through the ring- 'Am I gonna the New School in New York. I
ing chorus, Brendan drives the band make this fill? listened to Art Blakey and Philly
hard with the whip of his wrists and Is this groove Joe Jones, and I studied with
his pumping bass-drum rhythm. gonna work?'" Bernard Purdie and Kenny Clarke.
Stoic to the end, Brendan never They gave me the view of playing
flashes a grin or confirms any senti- with the soloist. In Blues Traveler I
ment. have John Popper to follow, so I
Though he may not show it, Brendan Hill tried to make that "play with the
is passionate about making music. A native soloist" approach my own. I try to
of Princeton, New Jersey, Hill has toured create an environment for him to
the country for over ten years, spreading explore in.
Blues Traveler's pungent blues-rock to an KM: You mentioned that you
ever-expanding audience. Opening for studied with Bernard Purdie. What
everyone from the Grateful Dead to the did you learn from him?
Allman Brothers, the scrappy quartet BH: Well, one thing Purdie always
learned the value of persistence, even when success seemed a stressed was knowing how to write and read music so you can
hopeless promise. express to other musicians your thoughts and goals within the
That persistence paid off when the band leapt to multi-platinum music. Sometimes being a drummer is kind of lonely. It can be dif-
prominence with the release of Four in September of 1994. Its ficult to express what you want. But mainly what impressed me
twelve tracks run from simple, up-and-down blues to brain-rat- about Bernard was that when he sat at the drums he had a huge
tling funk. Hill's drumming follows the legacy of the blues drum- personality. He made the drums sound really sweet. That affected
mers of yesteryear, keeping the music alive and robust. Never me a lot—how such a big man could make the drums sound so
flashy or voluble, he sustains a diamond-hard pulse that can gal- nice. Playing the drums tastefully is really what I learned with
lop like a horse or simply clear a way through the thicket. him.
 KM: I asked because your drumming recalls Purdie's
hard pocket—very deliberate and solid.
BH: Learning to play in the studio helps that. When
you're out live you've got the energy of the crowd to
play off; you can push tempos a little bit if the soloist
is going for it. But when you're documenting some-
thing, you want to be able to listen to it in a year and
still think it's a good track. I don't listen to a click
track when we record. But a friend of mine,
Danny Seratek, always sits in the room and
listens to me and helps me with my perfor-
mance. You can't always trust the producer. A
friend who knows your style can give you
some good feedback. The best album for me
was the one we did in 1993, Save His Soul.
It's got good songs and interesting drumming
on it. We produced it ourselves, which gave us
the opportunity to work on our own stuff with-
out time constraints.
KM: The drum sound on Four is very flat and
true. You can hear the stick definition—the
brightness of the bead—clearly on the hi-hat.
Was that intentional?
BH: Yeah. We recorded up in Bearsville. They have a really
big room, with floating baffles in the ceiling. We got an open
drum sound without too many effects. The drums came out
really booming. I've always thought that less hi-hat on a then dramati-
record is better, but the airiness of the room let me play the hi-hat cally bring it
pretty hard. back down, so
KM: You play close to the song, very strictly, which works as to draw the
because you're very solid. When you do veer from the song struc- whole crowd in.
ture, you play some interesting bell accents on the ride cymbal. I think [guitarist]
BH: I love the ride variations, and I think that the kick drum is my Warren Haynes has added a new
favorite part of the kit. A lot of people just play a solid kick— dimension and new life to the
keeping it the same, measure after measure. But being able to Allman Brothers band. I'm proud to
accent with the ride and the kick, and doing some paradiddle-type say I've sat in with them a few times.
alterations with the snare, ride, and kick makes it interesting. Playing with other musicians is one of
Pushing the bell figures—gank, da-gank gank gank, da-gank the joys of being a musician. With the HORDE Festival we had up
gank—doing that in a chorus or bridge is better than always fol- to six bands on different stages for six weeks. We heard everyone
lowing exactly what the bassist is doing. from Ziggy Marley to the Black Crowes to the Dave Matthews
KM: Is that something that also came from studying with Purdie? Band.
BH: Maybe through osmosis, 'cause I didn't study with Purdie for KM: Has the band outgrown the Deadhead tag you were pegged
that long. It was mainly from playing with this group. I've been with early on?
with John Popper for ten years—since I was thirteen years old. BH: That tag came about because people didn't know how to
Every night I've tried to challenge myself to find something new pigeonhole us. We took certain elements from the Dead, but the
to play. That's how this group has stayed together for so long and music is entirely different. Bill Graham told us that you have to do
gone from playing high schools to playing 4,000-seat theaters. everything to make the crowd happy so they'll want to come back.
We're always trying to improve ourselves. We're never satisfied We learned a lot from the Dead and from Bill Graham.
or complacent, and that's brought us a long way. Any musician KM: Like taking chances when playing live?
who thinks he has succeeded has lost the energy he needs. You BH: Definitely. With songs like "Run Around" or "Hook" we'll
have to keep some excitement: "Am I gonna make this fill? Is this stick pretty close to the record. But on "Failable," we take it way
groove gonna work?" As long as that energy, that nervousness, is out there. We try to raise the excitement level. We like to get the
within you, then the crowd will respond to it. Always changing crowd really up and yelling. It feels like an old New Orleans-
and trying new things is the way to go. We really learned about brothel jam session. Everyone's just letting it loose, which so few
that when we opened for the Allman Brothers. If you want to suc- people get to do today. It's such a conservative society; you have
ceed in this business, one of the best things you can do is to open to look cool at a concert or wear the right clothes. At our shows
up for your idols. We learned how to bring a crowd to a peak and we see some pretty straight college kids really let it all out.
 And while we're talking about our shows, I want to say that a Zildjian snare drum with Noble & Cooley hardware. The snare
lot of the freedom we have to do things on stage relates to the effi- sounds like a shotgun going off. It's on most of the records. Other
ciency of our crew—particularly my drum tech, Colin Speir. He times I use an Ayotte drum with wooden hoops.
was never a drummer but he really enjoys music. That's the best KM: John Popper's harmonica is a focal point for the band's
kind of tech you can find—a guy who enjoys music and is a team music. Is it hard to hear and follow? Do you boost the harmonica
player and will really defend you to the teeth. Our crew is family. in your monitors?
We can take criticism from them and we can give them criti- BH: John goes through a Mesa Boogie cabinet and a trirectifier—
cism—but we know they're all going to be around for many years which is unusual for a harmonica player. And his amp is really
to come. That's what has enabled us to be out here for so long. loud, with a lot of crazy effects. I don't need that much monitor,
Rich Vink, Dave Swanson, Chris Hinson, Bob Mahoney, Paul 'cause he's standing right in front of me, and his monitors are just
Morrill, Amy McCormick, and Jiggs Rogers—they're a great blasting. At certain times I really need his cues for accents—like
bunch. in "What's For Breakfast." We've got this upbeat accent thing that
KM: Do you warm up much or practice on the road? he cues. But monitor technology has come a long way. Feedback
BH: I'm not the best at practicing, but I always warm up during is a rare thing now, thank God. It used to be horrible.
sound check. And as a band we warm up for about an hour. It lets KM: Do you wear earplugs when you play live?
us go over song ideas and assemble a different set for each night. BH: No, though my ears do ring like crazy after the show. If you
KM: A lot of drummers slump in their seats, but you have excel- do this a long time, your ear has its own self-defense mechanism
lent posture. Is this something you consciously focus on? where it builds up a lot of wax. The worst thing you can do is
BH: Purdie always said, "Sit up straight or you'll need a back clean out your ears.
operation." That's in the back of my head. But my posture is main- KM: I interview a lot of drummers who don't wear plugs who
ly due to the way I've laid the cymbals out to have everything in now have tinnitus.
reach without having to lean forward. I've got 14" hats, with 16", BH: I haven't had a chance to play with or practice with earplugs,
17", 18", 19", and 20" crashes, and a 22" ride, two 10" splashes, because we're always on the road. For the first gig that you try
and an 8" splash in the middle. I keep the cymbals flat so I can them on, they work—initially. But then you realize that you need
come down hard on them without a lot of wrist motion. to hear. You pull them out and never go back. We're coming up
KM: While we're on the subject of your kit, what drums do you on a break and I think I'm going to start practicing with
use? earplugs—learning the dynamics and trying to re-feel things.
BH: I play a basic kit: 13", 14", 16", and 18" toms and a 24" When you do a snare fill with the earplugs in you don't get the
kick—all Yamaha Maple Customs. And I generally use a 6" same feel or touch that comes when you play without them.
KM: What do you focus on when you practice?
BH: Well, Stone's Stick Control has been great for me on the
road; I can just sit down and go through those wonderful exercises.
And I recently took a six-week course at the Drummers Collective
and a couple of lessons with Pete Zeldman. He's wonderful, but it
was a little over my head. The best book I got at the Collective
was Advanced Concepts by Kim Plainfield. That book is wonder-
ful. I'd love to take some lessons with Kim the next time I'm in
New York.
Generally, I just work on independence and on groove. One
groove we do that I like is from a song called "Gina" off our first
album. We do it a little bit differently now—we've improved as
musicians since 1990. The groove leads to a lot of licks that are
almost like what Carter Beauford from the Dave Matthews Band
does. He's got those big Dennis Chambers fills.
Sometimes I'll start with a song that I know, maybe look at Kim
Plainfield's book, and then incorporate the two and try to come up
with something new. I also work on playing off-time things, and I
think about new song ideas and improvements for old songs.
The best part about playing drums is always re-creating your-
self. You never have to be stagnant or static. You can always
improve things. You're in a part that you've always played
straight four? One night you just double-time it, or play some
paradiddles over it, just to try something out. All of a sudden the
guys look around at you and think, "What the heck is he doing?"
But the next night when you do it the guitar player might try
something that complements it. Next thing you know, the bass
player will claim he wrote the part! You get those kinds of
moments in rock 'n' roll.
 The Drummer's Studio Survival Guide: Part 13
More Studio Drumming Round Table
by Mark Parsons my bass drum with a piece of cotton or felt but there's nothing you can do about it
it's going to go whoomp-whoomp. I'd after the fact. A lot of people don't like to
rather have the attack of the bass drum have to reach for things, so they keep their
sound similar to the attack of cymbals pretty low. But
Last Month's "Survival Guide" featured the toms, which I'm hitting "A drum is meant I'll play them a little bit
our panel discussion with Kenny Aronoff, with a stick. to go boom or bang; it's higher than normal to
Gregg Bissonette, Jim Keltner, Rod Keltner: I don't play live not meant to go bap. If help the recording
Morgenstein, Simon Phillips, and John that often. When I do I gen- you're going to do that process.
Robinson. We covered topics such as erally play the same drums I you might as well use a I've tried to lower the
microphones, effects, and the politics of use in the studio. If it's a dif- cardboard box." tuning of my toms to get
dealing with engineers. This month the dis- ferent set of drums, they're deeper tones—but I've
Jim Keltner
cussion continues, and we'll get opinions tuned the same way. I run my drums pret- found that I kind of like it
from two engineers, as well. ty wide open now—although it didn't better pitching them higher. You can have
MP: Let's talk about your drums for a always used to be that way. A drum is a bunch of toms, but if there's not a big
minute. Do you do anything to your kit to meant to go boom or bang; it's not meant pitch difference in them you'll be listening
get it ready for the studio as opposed to the to go bap. If you're going to do that you back to this lick that you thought sounded
stage? might as well use a cardboard box. really cool and it won't sound like all those
Aronoff: The first thing is the heads. I'll Morgenstein: One thing I definitely do different toms. I try to make a habit of tun-
put white coated Ambassadors on top of differently in the studio is try to raise all of ing the lowest floor tom as low as it'll go
the toms and the snare, and my cymbals higher. I can without losing its tone, and tuning the
sometimes on the bass "There's a point remember actually lunging highest rack tom up—not sounding like a
drum. Lately I've been using where you can overplay for the crash cymbals on bongo, but pretty damn high—to get as
the Remo Powerstroke 3 the room. You play too one session, because the wide a pitch differentiation as possible. On
clear head both live and in hard and oversaturate engineer said, "The further the road, it might not be quite as drastic.
the studio on the bass drum. the room with sound, you can get them away Sometimes you get these horrible rings
Sometimes, if I'm playing and the drums don't from the toms, the easier and you have to do a little dampening. That
rock 'n' roll, I'll use an sound as good." it's going to be for me to happens much more in the studio than live.
Ambassador head with a deal with making your kit I hardly ever put anything on a tom-tom
black dot on the underside— Kenny Aronoff sound real good." It's terri- when I play live. The snare has a muffling
just for a little more reinforcement. ble if you listen back to a ring of some sort on it. But in the studio
I

It muffles a little bit, but not enough to cre- track and the cymbals are just too loud— there are definitely times where napkins
ate a problem. Live, I'll use clear Emperors
on the toms and a coated Emperor on the
snare—only for the added endurance.
Bissonette: I tune my drums about the
same, whether live or in the studio: fat
tones with lots of attack. Sometimes I
might use a 16" floor tom instead of an
18", depending on the music. I use white
coated Ambassadors on the tops and clear
Ambassadors on the bottoms, and I tune
them to the same pitch. That way the
drums really resonate. I don't like a felt
beater on my bass drum, so I use the hard-
plastic side of a DW beater. If I'm hitting
and duct tape or whatever "I tend to like nat- this?' and I'll say, "Okay, use an Ambassador coated or clear on the
are brought out and you let's see how it goes." beater side. And I always use a front head
ural ambience rather
start playing around with than reaching for the first Robinson: I don't do any- on the bass drum, with a small hole to get
individual tom-toms just to digital effect you can lay thing differently between the mic' in. If I'm using an Ambassador,
get a little bit of that ring your hands on." playing live and record- I'll cut a packing blanket into fourths and
out of them. ing. I remember when I just lay it flat into the bed of the bass drum
Phillips: I have a range of Simon Phillips first got to town in '78, the so it touches maybe two inches up on
snare drums, and in the studio I studio guys told me, "You either head. I also have an old Rufus sand-
might pick up another snare drum and have to tune the drums totally different- bag about which I'm kind of sentimental. I
change it over if I don't think the first one ly... use different heads..." and all this don't know if it really makes a difference
sounded very good for that song. On the stuff. I'd been playing live for so many or not, but we set it in the middle of the
bass drum tuning, maybe I'll dampen the years that I said, "Wait a second here. I'm bass drum. [laughs]
front head a little bit if there's too much not buying that." It took me playing on the MP: What sort of room do you prefer to
sustain on the drum. road and in the studio to see that when you record in?
I also vary my playing for each song, put a mic' on a drum you should first tune Aronoff: I used to be into "the bigger, the
which can change the way the drums that drum correctly. You can't get a great better," but now I definitely prefer a medi-
sound. And as I change my playing the drum sound unless the um-sized room where
engineer should chase me. He should go, drums are tuned correct- "The studio guys told you have a controlled
"Okay, he's hitting the snare drum quieter ly. Then when you bring me, 'You have to tune the type of ambience. If
now. Let's turn the kick up, let's change the drum up in the mix it drums totally differently...use you're going for the
the balance of everything"—which will should sound like who different heads...' and all this room sound and the
make the kit appear to sound different. So, you are. stuff. I'd been playing live for room is too big, the
yeah, there are those changes. I use Remo coated so many years that I said, drums start to lose a
There are also the changes where the Emperors on the tops of 'Wait a second here. I'm not little bit of definition.
producer may ask for a certain kind of the toms and clear buying that.'" If you have a lot of
sound. He'll say, "Listen, I've been check- Ambassadors on the bot- musicians and a lot of
John Robinson
ing the sound and it's really not what I'm toms. Lately on the kick I've been using instruments in a big
thinking of. Can we try something like the Remo Powerstroke 3, but normally I room, that sound really takes up a lot of
space on the tape. If it's a power trio, that's
different: You want to have space in the
music—otherwise it starts to clutter up
everything.
Each room has a personality: Some are
warmer, some are brighter, some are ambi-
ent. John Mellencamp's room, for exam-
ple, is very bright. It's pretty tall but not
very wide, and my type of snare drum
sound really gets exemplified. Lately I've
been trying to play for the room a little bit
more. There's a point where you can over-
play the room. You play too hard and over-
saturate the room with sound, and the
drums don't sound as good. I'll tell an
engineer to let me know if I'm overplaying
the room.
Bissonette: My favorite type of room is
one where my drums sound good—where I
go into the room and clap my hands and
say, "Wow, this is a great room." My
favorite room is probably Ocean Way,
where we did Joe Satriani's album. I've
also done a bunch of movie scores there.
Another one of my favorite rooms is a
place in Van Nuys called Sound City,
where we did the Siblings album. Another
one's called O'Henry's, in Burbank.
I like to at least have the option of using
 the room. Reverb isn't really "One of my favorite ing pretty good. I'm having a soft kind of lighting.
in style this year. [laughs] things that engineers say sure you've talked to I remember when the Dixie Dregs
Right now a tighter drum is, 'Okay, I'm going to people who say the recorded the song "Take It Off The Top."
sound is in style, so I like to get up a headphone room is everything, To get a big room effect our producer/engi-
get a nice, tight, close-miked mix—and you guys can but then when you neer Ken Scott put a microphone in the
sound and still have the option all bitch about it.'" stick all these effects bathroom outside the studio and left the
of using a room that sounds on it, what difference door to the studio open. The bathroom had
really good when you throw on Gregg Bissonette does it make? I've a real snappy sound to it and everybody
the mic's that are thirty feet away. If the heard qualified people had to be really quiet. That's one of my
engineer knows the room and knows how argue both sides of that, so who knows? favorite drum sounds. It's funny that peo-
to get what he wants out of it, then you're It's nice when you can play in a room ple spend small fortunes building recording
in business. that has atmosphere. I'd rather not play in a studios and using the most sophisticated
Keltner: I love big rooms, small rooms— lunch room that's all fluorescent lighting. equipment—and then you find yourself
all kinds of rooms. Sometimes you can get The vibe is really important, because when going for an effect by putting a mic' in a
a bigger drum sound in a smaller room; you're under the gun you're the only per- bathroom. [laughs]
that's something that was a revelation to son in whatever room you're in—whether Phillips: I like a room where the kit sounds
me a few years ago. When people started it's a tiny room or a gigantic good naturally. I tend to
putting the drums alone in the big room room. There are faces on the "People spend small like natural ambience
and having the artist and the other guys off other side of the glass and fortunes building record- rather than reaching for
in tiny little rooms, it was kind of the oppo- you can't hear them—but ing studios and using the the first digital effect you
site of the way it used to be. I've noticed you see their mouths mov- most sophisticated equip- can lay your hands on. If
that a lot of times the sound of the drums is ing. You can get really ment—and then you find you have a nice big room,
actually better when it's in a smaller, con- uptight thinking that they're yourself going for an then first of all you've
tained room. talking about how bad that effect by putting a mic' got to be able to control
Morgenstein: I wonder at this point how last performance was, in a bathroom." the sound so every track
important the room actually is if you're because your mind'll play doesn't sound like you're
dealing with someone who, when they tricks. I prefer a room that is Rod Morgenstein in the garage. But if
close-mike the drums, can get them sound- comfortable, and they can do that by you've got a good room
you can put two or three sets of ambient mic's up at different dis- at a studio called Unique. The
tances from the kit—giving you different pre-delay times. By mix- room was very small—no ambi- How the drums
ing around with those and playing with some serious compression ence. I was working with an are tuned is really criti-
you can create wonderful natural ambience. If you gate that you engineer named Tom Lord-Alge, cal, because if the drum
can do whatever you want with it, but it's still essentially a natural, and just the combination of my doesn't sound good,
pure sound. drum sound and him bringing up there's nothing an
As far as location, you've just got to walk around with the the mic's on the console made engineer can do."
drumkit until you find the best place. Or you can do a couple of the sound huge. When I work Mike Fraser
songs in one part of the room, then move to another part. Most stu- with Jeff Lorber he puts me in a tiny engineer
dios, especially in the States, are pretty good about knowing where room in his house, and the drum sound on
the drumkit sounds best. They've usually done a lot of experi- the records is great. Then again we did a Peter Frampton record at
ments. If I didn't know O'Henry in Hollywood, which is a big room, and Chris Lord-Alge
the studio from my own "If you mike the drums was the engineer on that. Chris's whole thing is a lot of compres-
experience, I would tend properly and the drummer sion and getting great sounds off the direct mic's first—and then
to go with what they rec- plays with proper dynamics, bringing in certain room mic's for certain songs. The combination
ommend. there's really no need for gat- creates this mammoth, beautifully clean drum sound.
It's a funny thing: I've ing. If you want all the drums I like it both ways. I'll go into the rooms at Ocean Way or over
taken a snare, walked to sound gated, you can bring at Conway-C or O'Henry and insist upon using the room. It
around the room hitting out the drum machine." depends on what kind of music you're playing. Obviously the
it until I said, "This is a Ed Thacker more room you use, the more distant your drums are. If you're
good place," and put the kit there. But engineer doing a dance-oriented record they usually want the drums right
though it sounded great where I was, up front in your face, and if you start adding room it tends to dis-
when I heard it back in the control room it didn't sound as good as tance them out.
maybe it would have if I had used the place they recommended. MP: What do you like to hear in your phones when you're track-
One must be careful. If it's a good, well-known studio, then ing, and what about click tracks?
you've got to take the advice of the people who work there every Aronoff: It depends on what I'm doing. If I'm tracking with the
day. whole band I absolutely have to hear vocals, because I play off of
Robinson: I've been in all kinds of situations. I'll give you a cou- them. I also want the click track if they have it, and then I like to
ple of examples: I did Steve Winwood's records in New York City have a good overall mix of everything else. If somebody has bad
time then I start mixing that out. If it starts to be a very anal type song. If it's a fast song, it's nice to have gonk-gonk-gonk-gonk.
of situation where you have to be like a drum machine, then that's [sings quarter note cowbell] I like a cowbell because it's a cutting
where I start mixing everyone else out of the headphones. Lots of sound. A hi-hat is not really good because you're playing the hi-
click and vocals and just enough of the band to hear what's going hat, and the sounds might get in each other's way. For slower
on. The safest thing with a click track is to play right in the mid- songs I like to have the cowbell and then maybe a stick on a rim—
dle; in most cases that's a good starting point. a different kind of sound: gonk-click-gonk-click. The other thing to
Bissonette: I like to hear and feel the bass drum in my head- remember is that the more space you have from pulse to pulse, the
phones. I don't really need that much snare drum because it's harder it is to keep it together. When you just have
coming through so loud. I like a little bit of the toms and a really gonk...gonk...gonk you're going to have a much more difficult
good mix of everyone in the room. time than if you have gonk-click-gonk-click-gonk-click. Even
My favorite studios are all places where you have your own sep- though this can sound very annoying and it's sometimes hard to
arate headphone mixer right there. You can dial up your own mix, try to think musically, the more you do it the easier it gets.
and to me that's the best way to record. It also takes a lot of pres-
sure off the engineer. One of my favorite things that engineers say Now it's time for a change in perspective. We're going to hear
is, "Okay, I'm going to get up a headphone mix—and you guys from a couple of engineers, each renowned for their drum sounds.
can all bitch about it." [laughs] The more you can simulate playing Ed Thacker has worked with a number of top acts, including
in a room with a band, the better off you are. 10,000 Maniacs, XTC, Bruce Hornsby, Heart, and Sass Jordan.
Morgenstein: The click is your friend; it's not supposed to be an Mike Fraser lists among his credits such rock icons as Aerosmith,
enemy that embarrasses you and makes you realize how human AC/DC, the Cult, Coverdale-Page, and Blue Murder.
you are. And like anything, you have to practice with it. If you MP: In order to make your job as an engineer easier, what should
have no experience with a click you're probably going to be very a drummer know when he goes into the studio besides how to play
surprised at how difficult it is to play consistently with it. It's like the drums?
most skills in life: You have to do them consistently to stay at a Fraser: The first thing is the selection of drumheads, depending
particular level or to get better at them. I can't emphasize enough on what kind of sound is desired. Then how the drums are tuned is
to drummers who are really serious about a career in music and really critical, because if the drum doesn't sound good, there's
who hope to get into recording studios that you have to spend nothing an engineer can do.
some of your practice time working with a click, because the odds Thacker: It's good when drummers have a sense of tuning. In
are that once you get in the recording studio you're going to have other words they know how to tune drums and it's important to
to play with one. It's such a competitive business that if you don't them—not just "tighten it up and hit it." The other most important
do a good job the first time out you're not going to be called back thing is understanding an inner sense of dynamics when they're
again. playing. With some drummers, that right arm is a lot stronger than
Playing with the click will build your confidence. I think there's that left arm [laughs]—and that's the "bash" concept. It makes my
a feeling sometimes that if you practice with a click you're going job a lot easier when the drummer understands the relationship of
to then become dependent on it, but I don't feel that at all. When the dynamics when he's hitting the cymbals as compared to the
you've been practicing with one and then it's not there, you're snare or the toms—hitting the drums so they speak.
going to take some of that influence with you—some of the con- MP: What's the best way that drummers coming into the studio to
sistency of it. It's going to help you start thinking more in time. do their own projects can communicate to the engineer about the
As to the sound of the click, it depends on the tempo of the kind of sound they want?
Fraser: A lot of guys come in and say things like, "I'd
like to sound like Bonham." But the best way is to get
their drums sounding good in the studio, and then tell the
engineer, "That's what I'd like my drums to sound like in the
control room."
Thacker: I suppose one obvious answer is giving examples of
records you really love the drum sound on. You're limited, of
course, by the kind of drums, the player, and the setting. Those might
things are impossible to duplicate. But if you can give an example really kill
of a record that you really like, that's probably the best thing. A it on one
picture is worth a thousand words. take, and on the
MP: Let's play word association. I'll name a drum, you name next one not kill it,
your favorite mic' for it. Let's start with the kick. and you can't change
Fraser: A Sennheiser 421 or an AKG D-12. the threshold on your
Thacker: An AKG D-112 or a Sennheiser 427 for up close; a compressor quick enough—
Neumann FET U47 for back a ways. so you can get stuck. On the
MP: Snare? mixing phase I might compress the
Fraser: An AKG 414 or a Shure SM57 on the top, or a combina- snare and the bass drum a bit because
tion thereof, and a 57 on the bottom. a lot of times the right foot can be incon-
Thacker: The ol' 57, the AKG 452, or the Neumann KM84. sistent.
MP: Toms? MP: What about gates? How can you keep the
Fraser: Sometimes Neumann U87s, but a lot of studios don't have bleed down and still not lose ghost strokes?
that many of them, so 575. For more attack, Sennheiser 421s. Fraser: Obviously you might want to clean up the
Thacker: Sennheiser 421s top and bottom and out of phase with snare a little bit—like to try and get the hi-hat out of it—
each other. but I try to do that without gating. I hate gating drums. I like
MP: Hats? all the natural rings and rattles.
Fraser: If you need a brash sound, a Neumann KM84. If it needs a Thacker: You know the way I feel? You're paying for the bleed.
more expansive sound, an AKG 451. To me the bleed is what makes recording live drums magical. If
Thacker: Occasionally the Beyer 760, but usually the AKG 457. you mike the drums properly and the drummer plays with proper
MP: Overheads? dynamics, there's really no need for gating. If you want all the
Fraser: Any great tube mic's that they've got around. drums to sound gated, you can bring out the drum machine.
Thacker: AKG C-12s if the studio has them. MP: What's one piece of advice you would give to drummers
MP: Room? going into a professional studio for the first time, to help them get
Fraser: I usually just throw up a couple of Neumann U87s. a good sound?
Thacker: It varies. Usually I'll use U87s in cardioid, facing away Thacker: Be aware of what we talked about at the beginning: The
from the drums. drums should be tuned well and the drummer should understand
MP: When you're recording the drums, what are your preferences about playing with dynamics. He needs to understand about the
as far as EQ techniques? bleed thing, and this is where "inside" dynamics really help. For
Fraser:I like to get them as dry as I can, so that later I can go in example, that hi-hat's going to cut no matter what, but if it's all
and tweak them to get what I want. If you go for a real high-end over the snare it makes it really hard to get a good snare sound.
snare and bring that to tape, and then later discover you need a lit- Fraser: The best thing is for them to get their sound—don't worry
tle more body to it, you're stuck, [laughs] so I try and get them as about what the engineer's telling them to do. Get the sound that
flat as I can to tape. you're comfortable playing with, and then tell the engineer, "This
Thacker: I might try to EQ the snare a bit to really bring out the is my sound, now get that in the control room." Too many drum-
tone of the drum. mers get all worried about sounding like somebody or other. They
MP: What about reverb? go out and buy heads that they've never played on before, and
Fraser: I like to use a lot of the room itself, but if I do need a little then they go into the studio and try too hard—and then their feel
bit of reverb, I'll use a Lexicon 480 or something similar—short goes to shit.
rooms, or maybe bigger halls.
MP: Let's talk about compression. What do you like to compress, Well folks, this wraps up the final installment of the" Drummer's
and when? Studio Survival Guide." It's been an enjoyable and educational
Fraser: I don't compress when I track. I like to compress the kick experience for me, and I hope for you as well. If you missed any of
and the snare when I mix. Sometimes I'll compress the toms, but it the previous installments, or if any questions come up in your quest
depends. to capture your drums on tape, watch for a compiled and expanded
Thacker: I might compress various elements, depending on what version of the entire series to be released in book form by MD
we're doing. I don't like to compress during the recording phase Publications in the near future. Until then...happy drumming!
because you just never know how hard a guy's going to hit. He
Highlights Of PASIC '95, Phoenix, AZ
Photos by Lissa Wales sion—drumset, legit, world music, marching, etc.
Speaking of clinics, the PAS should be commended for once
The motto for PASIC '95 could have been "So many drums, so again offering a wide array of interesting and informative clinics.
little time." Why, you ask? (No, this is not a bad-drummer joke.) Here's a brief list of just some of the topics covered: percussion
Last fall's Percussive Arts Society convention had a sizable and and music therapy, electronic percussion, gamelan, Ragtime xylo-
well-filled exhibit area, with both large and small manufacturers phone (with the great Bob Becker), four- and six-mallet marimba
offering up their latest gear for "testing" by the 3,800 convention- techniques, marching drums, hand drumming, injury prevention
eers who attended the three-day show. There was a lot of great with percussion, concert cymbal techniques, vibes, and timpani.
equipment to check out (and clinics to attend) in a short period of And the drumset enthusiast had plenty of opportunities for picking
time, from what seemed to be just about every area of percus- up pointers, including:

Alex Acuna continues to amaze

The highlight of this year's PASIC was the well-attended clinic given by Steve with his percussion and drumset tech-
Gadd. His playing was in top form as he musically ran down a veritable shopping list of niques. He played a cajon (a wooden box),
great licks and techniques he's claimed as his own over the years. (So nice to hear him play demonstrated his two-hand shaker technique
those licks.) Percussion session-ace Luis Conte joined Steve for a drums-and-percussion duet (fantastic), and did some tasty drumset
that was stunning. And then Steve invited old pal Alex Acuna on stage (he was sitting in the work, including soloing against a repeat-
audience) for an impromptu percussion trio—a real moment. ing left-foot clave pattern—nice.

Dutch phenom Reno Creemers traveled from Europe PASIC welcomed home Lewis Nash, a Phoenix
to give a clinic that was an impressive display of his tech- native who has gone on to be one of the hottest and most-
niques. He explained that his goal at the moment is to be able to recorded jazz drummers of the last several years. Lewis showed
combine drumset with percussion. With a kit consisting of tradi- why he's so in-demand, playing with some very clean tech-
tional drumset and many other small percussive instruments (cow- nique and pulling simply gorgeous sounds out of his drums and
bells, tambourines, effects cymbals, etc.) he demonstrated cymbals. He discussed small-group jazz drumming and covered
some of these unique patterns. what he felt is the essence of jazz—playing in the moment.
 Sheila E and brother Peter Michael Escovedo
gave a very entertaining clinic that demonstrated their
abilities on both drumset and Latin percussion. They dis-
cussed the importance of playing from the heart, and invited
their father, the great Pete Escovedo, and brother Juan to
join them in a heartfelt jam.

John Robinson offered a no-nonsense clinic on how to lay down a groove and
make it feel great. He simply gets the biggest sound around, and he demonstrated it by
playing to several tracks from his impressive recording career.

Drummers got two chances to check out the talented Bob Gatzen, the mad, marathon-running drum
John Riley—performing in clinic with the United States Air inventor (well maybe not mad) is recognized throughout
Force big band, and soloing in the more intimate setting of a mas- the industry as an expert in many different areas. In a very
ter class. With the big band, John covered chart interpretation and informative clinic on how to tune drums, Bob explained that
how he goes about setting up kicks. In his master class John his goal is to help drummers learn to make their drums sound
zeroed in on ride cymbal technique, offering some very practi- better, which he feels will inspire them to play better.
cal tips on basic approaches and playing various tempos.

Great clinics were also given by Danny Gottlieb (multi-media

electronic percussion), Jeff Hamilton (small-group jazz), Pete
Magadini (polyrhythms), Ralph Humphrey (odd meters), Gary
Chaffee (linear patterns), and Clayton Cameron (brushes). Terry
Bozzio was also on hand, performing a solo recital that featured
his drumset ostinato techniques as well as some impressionistic
percussion sections.
Besides all of the educational activities that occur at PASIC,
PAS takes the opportunity at the convention to recognize individu-
als who have made a lasting contribution to percussion. Congrat-
ulations go to Vic Firth, Jim Chapin, and George Gaber on their
Jazz great Carl Allen covered many excellent topics being inducted into the PAS Hall of Fame.
in his clinic, focusing on such things as having a concept PASIC '96 will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, November 20-
of what you want to play before you sit down, and playing with
confidence. Carl played well, demonstrating his incredibly 23. For further info contact the Percussive Arts Society, P.O. Box
smooth touch on the drums and cymbals. 25, Lawton, OK 73502, (405) 353-1455.
 ADVERTISERS INDEX
ADVERTISER PAGE NUMBER ADVERTISER PAGE NUMBER ADVERTISER PAGE NUMBER
Applied Microphone Technology 51 Fork's Drum Closet 126 Porcaro Covers 91
Aquarian 57 Gibraltar 83 Power Wrist Builders/Taloose 126
Atlanta Drums & Percussion 126 GK Music 82 Precision Drum Co. 80
Atlanta Institute of Music (AIM) 88 Grover Pro Percussion 125 Premier 5,52
Atlanta Pro Percussion 111 HQ Percussion Products 112, 123 Pro Mark 58,92,113
Ayotte Drums Only Inc. 59 Humes & Berg 42 PureCussion 93
Beato 101 Interstate Musician Supply 125 Regal Tip 73,75,77
Bison Drums 80 Joe Morello 126 Remo 23
Brady Drums 47 Latin Percussion 74 Rhythm Tech 8
Camber Cymbals 129 Legend Drums 49 Sabian 14/14,66,109
Cannon Percussion 48,68,124 Ludwig Inside Front Cover Sam Ash 92
Concept One Percussion 95 Mapex 119 Shure 46
Creative Drummer Magazine 112 Master Music Publishing 135 Simmons Services 29
DCI/Warner Bros./Note Service Music 76 MD Festival Weekend 24/25 Skidmore Jazz Institute 113
ddrum/Armadillo Enterprises 58 MD Subscription 90 Super Gloss/Sam Barnard 126
Disc Makers 112 Meinl Cymbals/Percussion 7,71 Tama 18/19,67
Discount Distributors 126 Metrophones/Big Bang Dist, 33 Taw's Drum Works 50
Drum Center of Lexington 80 Midwest Percussion 51 Thoroughbred Music 78
The Drum Pad 80 Monolith Composites 70 Toca 44
Drum Workshop 2 1 ,54,8 1 The Music Industry Pages 80 Tough Traveler 56
Drummers Collective 72 Music Tech 118 UDU Drums 80
Drums & Co. 112 Musicians Institute 105 UFIP Cymbals 22
Drums in the Wind 117 National Drum Association (NDA) 99 Vater Percussion 55,80
Drums n' Moore/Meinl 126 P.S. Covers 112 Vintage Drum Shop of NYC (VDSNYC) 95
Drums On Sale 112 Paiste 17,34 Waddell's Cymbal Warehouse 56
Drumst6 135 Parziale Corp. 80 West L.A. Music 88
Easton 89 Pearl Corporation 10/11, Inside Back Cover XL Specialty Percussion Products 72
Evans Products 1,80 Peavey Drums 35 Zildjian 8,9,53,Outside Back Cover
Fibes Drum Co. 78 Percussion Paradise 126
Vic Firth, Inc. 43,45,47,69,122 Percussive Arts Society (PAS) 127
 0
ne look at this impressive array lets you know
that Richard Hurlbert of Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada takes electronic percussion
very seriously. His kit consists of forty-two pads
and utilizes Roland, Yamaha, and KAT compo-
nents. It's intended for stand-up drumming, and is
designed to be collapsible—and portable!

PHOTO REQUIREMENTS
1. Photos must be high-quality and in color. 35mm slides are preferred; color prints
will be considered; Polaroids not accepted. 2. You may send more than one view of
the kit. 3. Only show drums, no people. 4. Shoot drums against a neutral background.
Avoid "busy" backgrounds. 5. Clearly highlight special attributes of your kit. Send
photo(s) to: Drumkit Of The Month, Modern Drummer, 12 Old Bridge Road, Cedar
Grove, NJ 07009-1288. Photos cannot be returned.
•

SMASHING PUMPKINS'
JIMMY CHAMBERLIN
SCOFIELD'S
IDRIS MUHAMMAD
STUDIO PERCUSSIONIST
TOM ROADY
SCOTT MERCADO Of
CANDLEBOX
COOL NEW PRODUCTS FROM
THE NAMM SHOW