VOLUME 15, NUMBER 3

FEATURES

JONATHANMOFFETT

Sugarfoot's monster groove haslanded him some of the hottestgigs in the biz—Elton John, theJacksons, Madonna.... In thisexclusive interview Jonathanshares some of the pricelessinsight he's learnedfrom them.

by Robyn Flans 20

BUTCH TRUCKS& JAIMOE

The Allman Brothers Band areback, and so are their originaldual drummers. Butch andJaimoe say they don't even haveto think about propelling theirunique band—they just feel it.Find out how.by Robert Santelli 26

ROXYPETRUCCI

Sure, she's a woman. So what?She plays her butt off, and herband, Vixen, is climbing thecharts. In this interview, Roxypulls no punches, and takes usalong on her journey tothe top.

by Robyn Flans 30INSIDE

CORDER Their factory doesn't sprawlacross county lines. Their modestads skip the hype and trendybackdrops. But this Americancompany builds some of thefinest drums around. Here com-pany founder Jim Corder tellswhat it takes to produce thedrums that bear hisname.

by Rick Van Horn 34MD's 13TH

ANNUAL READERSPOLL BALLOT

96

Cover Photo: JACK WHITE

COLUMNS

Education

52 ROCK 'N'JAZZ CLINICFilling In The Holes OnThe Hi-Hat: Part 2

BY ROD MORGENSTEIN

58 JAZZDRUMMERS'WORKSHOPEasy Steps ToIndependence: Part 2

BY SHARON ELDRIDGE

64 MASTER CLASSPortraits In Rhythm:Etude #24

BY ANTHONY CIRONE

84 STRICTLYTECHNIQUEMore Variations OnStick Control: Part 2

BY JOE MORELLO

109 CONCEPTSFear And TheRecording Studio

BY ROY BURNS

Equipment

40 PRODUCTCLOSE-UPLudwig Black BeautyPiccolo Snare Drum

BY RICK MATTINGLY

42 Geddit? Drumwear

BY RICK MATTINGLY

45 Zildjian 6A, Z4A, andSuper 5B Sticks

BY RICK MATTINGLY

48 ELECTRONICREVIEWRoland SPD-8 TotalPercussion Pad

BY PAUL VAN PATTEN

50 Russian Dragon

BY PAUL VAN PATTEN

112 NEW ANDNOTABLE

News

8 UPDATEBilly Idol's TalBergman, PeterErskine, HermanRarebell, Ken Mary ofHouse of Lords,Dread Zeppelin'sFresh Cheese AndCheese, and PaulThompson ofConcrete Blonde,plus News

110 INDUSTRYHAPPENINGS

Profiles

54 PORTRAITSDan Brubeck

BY RICK MATTINGLY

60 A DIFFERENTVIEWChick CoreaBY RICK MATTINGLY

Departments

4 EDITOR'SOVERVIEW

6 READERS'PLATFORM

12 ASK A PRO

16 IT'SQUESTIONABLE

94 LIAISON

102 CRITIQUE

116 DRUM MARKET

119 PHOTO GALLERY

MD's Shining HourOver the years, MD has presented its share ofawards to worthy players through the annualReaders Poll to honor the great drummers of ourera. Last year, we instituted the annual Editor'sAchievement Award to pay special tribute to thosewho've made significant and lasting contributionsto the drumming community. And the MDConsumers Poll offers readers an opportunity to

select their favorites among industry manufacturers. Well, it's nowmy great pleasure to announce that Modern Drummer is having itsown shining hour, with two coveted awards bestowed on the maga-zine within recent months.

The first honor was paid to us by the publishers of MagazineDesign & Production, who each year present the Ozzie Awards formagazine design excellence. The award was given to MD in recog-nition of the February '90 cover featuring Charlie Watts, and earnedus the Bronze Ozzie for "Best Cover Of The Year" in the consumermagazine category. MD was selected from among more than 1300publications in the United States and Canada by a nationwide panelof design professionals. Our thanks to Magazine Design &Production for this wonderful honor.

Soon after, we were notified by the publishers of MagazineWeekthat we had also won the prestigious "Publishing ExcellenceAward" in the entertainment category. Modern Drummer wasselected from among 180 finalists in 37 categories that covered thefull spectrum of magazine publishing nationwide. Our awardplaque reads: "The 1990 MagazineWeek Publishing ExcellenceAward presented to Modern Drummer Magazine for maintainingthe highest standards in the definition, recognition, and achieve-ment of its editorial mission." That's quite an honor, and we thankthe panel of judges at MagazineWeek. After handing out so manyawards to so many people over the years, it certainly was gratifyingto win a few of our own. And the fact that it all happened just as weentered our 15th Anniversary year made it even more special for allof us.

Publishing a magazine requires total teamwork, and an incredibleamount of dedication on the part of a number of people—peoplewho take tremendous pride in what they do, and who care deeplyabout the product that's delivered to you each month. My congratu-lations to the many writers and photographers who helped us earnthese marvelous honors. But most of all, I share these awards withthe MD staff, whose combined talents and devotion to ModernDrummer truly made it our shining hour. Without a doubt, thesecoveted honors belong to each and every one of them.

EDITOR/PUBLISHER

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

MANAGING EDITOR

FEATURES EDITOR

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

ART DIRECTOR

ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

SALES AND MARKETINGDIRECTOR

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

CONSULTANT TO THEPUBLISHER

Ronald Spagnardi

Isabel Spagnardi

Rick Van Horn

William F. Miller

Adam Budofsky

Rick Mattingly

Karen Walsh

Scott G. Bienstock

Tracy A. Kearns

Joan C. Stickel

Bob Berenson

Crystal W Van Horn

Lori Spagnardi

Arnold E. Abramson

MODERN DRUMMER ADVISORY BOARD: Henry Adler, KennyAronoff, Louie Bellson, Bill Bruford, Roy Burns, Jim Chapin, AlanDawson, Dennis DeLucia, Les DeMerle, Len DiMuzio, CharlieDonnelly, Peter Erskine, Vic Firth, Danny Gottlieb, Sonny Igoe, JimKeltner, Larrie Londin, Peter Magadini, George Marsh, Joe Morello,Andy Newmark, Neil Peart, Charlie Perry, Dave Samuels, John Santos,Ed Shaughnessy, Steve Smith, Ed Thigpen.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Susan Alexander, Robyn Flans, SimonGoodwin, Jeff Potter, Teri Saccone, Robert Santelli, Robin Tolleson,Lauren Vogel, T. Bruce Wittet.

MODERN DRUMMER magazine (ISSN 0194-4533) is publishedmonthly by MODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc., 870 PomptonAvenue, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009. Second-Class Postage paid at CedarGrove, NJ 07009 and at additional mailing offices. Copyright 1991 byMODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.Reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited.

EDITORIAU/ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: MODERNDRUMMER Publications, 870 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove, NJ07009. Tel.: (201) 239-4140.

MODERN DRUMMER welcomes manuscripts and photographic mate-rial, however, cannot assume responsibility for them. Such items mustbe accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

MUSIC DEALERS: Modern Drummer is available for resale at bulkrates. Direct correspondence to Modern Drummer, Dealer Service, P.O.Box 389, Mt. Morris, IL 61054. Tel.: (800) 334-DRUM or (815) 734-6013.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $27.95 per year; $49.95, two years. Single copies$3.95.

SUBSCRIPTION CORRESPONDENCE: Modern Drummer, P.O. Box480, Mt. Morris, IL 61054-0480. Change of address: Allow at least sixweeks for a change. Please provide both old and new address. Toll FreeTel.: (800) 435-0715.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Modern Drummer, P.O. Box480, Mt. Morris, IL 61054.

A Member Of:

Magazine Publishers of America

Audit Bureau Of CirculationsMembership applied for.

William CalhounI just read your article on Living Colour'sWilliam Calhoun [December '90 MD],and I thought it was superb! He's defi-nitely one of the hottest drummers onthe scene today, and he deserves every bitof recognition he gets. William'sapproach to his craft is to be highly com-mended. Two thumbs up to AdamBudofsky for a job well done!

Mike DonohueBerwyn PA

Noble & Cooley ReviewThank you for the fine review on theNoble & Cooley Horizon Series drumkitin your December '90 issue. I found thereview accurate except for one point.This concerns the topic of shell integrity.I believe that I may have confused RickVan Horn when I was drawing compar-isons between solid shells and multiple-ply shells.

It is true that we questioned theintegrity (strength) of our solid shellswith regards to mounting hardwaredirectly on the shell. In the case of thenew Horizon horizontal-plied shell, oureffort is to duplicate the characteristicsof solid-shell design with the exceptionof increased vertical strength due toadhesives and variation in alignment ofwood fiber. There will not be a problemin placing a mount directly on the shell(although we still suggest the use ofRIMS mounts to increase the full poten-tial of shell vibration, because this is aphilosophy we embrace). In terms of lat-eral strength, the Horizon shell will beanywhere from 30% to 50% stronger(depending on the number of plies) thana cross-laminate design. This increasedstrength helps to maintain shell concen-tricity and clarity in pitch—essential ele-ments in creating the sound of theHorizon drums.

Now when I describe the Horizon shelldesign, I realize the importance of mak-ing a distinction in this area of shell

integrity. This was really my goof; thanksfor helping me correct it.

Bob GatzenDesign Consultant, Noble & Cooley

Weathersfield CT

Bobby: Call TonyI found your feature interview with BobbyElliot in the November '90 issue veryinteresting. The references that he madeto Premier in the earlier years mark outvery strongly for me the changes that Ihave seen in my time with the company.

Lancastrians (people from Lancashire,England) are noted for their frankness. Ionly wish that I had had the opportunityof dealing with Bobby myself in thosedays, as I do now with our currentendorsers. The practices that we haveadopted in bringing top players (and notso top!) into the family with Premierwould certainly take care of the problemsthat obviously existed those years ago.

In recognition of my interest inBobby's article, I would like to use yourReaders' Platform to extend an open invi-tation to him to come and meet us inLeicester or in the States—just for oldtimes' sake!

Tony DoughtyExecutive ChairmanPremier Percussion

Wigston, Leicester, England

Encore! Encore!I wish to thank you for your new column,Encore, which analyzes the history ofdrumming by retrospectively examiningalbums. This proves—once more—thatModern Drummer concerns itself with allfacets of our craft.

Though a relative youngster (20 yearsold), I personally gain more inspirationfrom older rock albums (Yes and KingCrimson, especially) than I do from mostcurrent releases. Indeed, it can be arguedthat most recordings of the past few

decades are significantly better musicallythan the majority of the material pro-duced today. However, many of the "clas-sics" were completed before MD cameinto being, and it never hurts to explorewhat has come before.

Once again, thanks for a fine magazine,and thanks especially for constantly striv-ing to meet the needs of all of your read-ers. You appear to be doing just that.

Daniel HughesConley GA

Come One, Come All...I appreciate MD's giving away greatprizes in the Trivia Contests. I was espe-cially tempted to enter when I saw thewonderful Rod Morgenstein kit that youwere giving away recently. Unfortunately,I usually don't know the right answers toyour questions. So this time, I soughthelp from someone at a well-knowndrumshop. He told me the answer to thequestion, but he also told me somethingthat disturbed me: I had absolutely nochance to win anything since I was not aU.S. resident. He continued by sayingthat the shipping and handling would betoo costly for the magazine.

If this is so, it's obviously not fair forme, or any entrant outside the U.S. I'm asubscriber, and deserve equal opportuni-ties. If I don't have any chance to win, Iwould like to know before I invest in timeand postage.

Jean-Pierre TardifDrummondville, Quebec, Canada

Editor's note: Entrants from anywhere inthe world stand an equal chance of win-ning in MD's Trivia Contest. The majorityof winners have been from the U.S., sim-ply because the majority of MD readersare U.S. residents, and so the vast major-ity of entry cards have come from the U.S.However, as a matter of record, therehave been past winners from both Ontarioand British Columbia in Canada, as well

Tal BergmanA lot of Billy Idol fans wondered who would back him up on hislatest Charmed Life tour, in light of Billy's having dis-charged his long-running band. Occupying the drum spot isTal Bergman, one of drumming's better-kept secrets. Original-ly from Israel, Bergman has lived in New York for seven years.He began playing when he was six, started professionally atten, and studied classical music intently while growing up.

Bergman has gigged with some pretty prestigious musicianssince he arrived in New York, although he isn't exactly a bigname yet. "I played with Blood, Sweat & Tears for a short time,and with T.M. Stevens," he explains. "I also played with asinger named Ofra Haza, but I had to quit her tour to fit inBilly Idol's tour. I might work with her again on her nextalbum, but I love working with Billy now because it's a lot offun: rock, funk, dance—everything!

"It's the best gig ever," Tal says emphatically, "and it lookslike this band will also record the next album. Also," he adds,"I want to say that on this gig everything is live. There are nodrum machines, which is great in a rock band like this."

•Teri Saccone

Peter ErskineThe yearly Drummers' Day atthe Dutch Music & HarmonyFair, organized by the Dutchdrummers' magazine Slag-werkkrant, again featured awide variety of Dutch and for-eign drummers and percus-sionists. Peter Erskine form-ed a very special quartet forthe event, with Kenny Wheel-er on trumpet and flugelhorn,pianist John Taylor, andbassist Mick Hutton.

"I've always had a realinterest in the progress oftechnology, musical and oth-erwise," says Erskine, whoperformed on a ddrum elec-tronic kit. "The first time Iheard a Simmons drumkitwas when Bill Bruford playedan outdoor concert with KingCrimson in New York. I hadnever heard so much clarity

coming from a drumset inthat kind of setting."

Recently Peter recorded analbum with Joey Calderozo,featuring Branford Marsalisand produced by MichaelBrecker. In addition, heis—as always—playing withEliane Elias, Kenny Wheeler,and John Aber-crombie. Peter isalso working on apiece (primarily forpercussion) for theKokuma DanceCompany an Af-rican dance com-pany in Birming-ham, England,The next Shake-speare play thatPeter will composemusic for, Hamlet,may have onstagedrumming. "I'dlike to do the play-

ing myself," Peter says, "but Idon't think my schedule willallow it." A collection ofPeter's former compositionsfor Shakespearean plays canbe heard on a new CD, BigTheatre. It contains composi-tions from Twelfth Night,Richard II, and A Midsummer

Night's Dream and featuresPaulinho Da Costa on percus-sion, Don Grolnick on key-boards, Will Lee on bass, andmany others. The CD isavailable from AH-UM rec-ords (AH-UM 004).

• Hugo Pinksterboer

Herman RarebellHerman Rarebell of the Scorpions is feeling great these daysafter a year-long hiatus and what he describes as a musicaltransfusion. "This new album, Restless Nights, was the mostfun we've ever had, because for us everything was new. It was anew producer, new management, a new studio, our first timerecording in L.A....everything on this album is like a virgin,only different. In fact Like A Virgin, Only Different was nearlythe album title, but the record company said we'd have prob-lems with Madonna," Herman laughs. "But the difference withthis album, musically, was everything was recorded live.Before, all the instruments were recorded separately, and I hadto play the snare alone, the bass drum alone, the cymbalsalone, the toms alone—which really is a pain. This one was somuch fun to do because I could sit behind the drumkit andjust play."

In June the Scorpions spent two weeks recording with pro-ducer Keith Olson at Goodnight LA, which was the band'sfirst time recording outside Germany or Holland. Whilerecording the album, Herman said he experienced the high-light of his life when Roger Waters asked the Scorpions to par-ticipate in the performance of The Wall in Berlin.

"Being a German band, it was also a political statement forus. It was at the Postdamer Platz, which was actually no man'sland before, because that's exactly where the wall was. Theyhad about 350,000 people there, and it was the biggest stage Iever played on. It was 200 yards long, 58 yards deep, and 20yards high. It was amazing. For me it was making the state-ment that we don't need a wall to keep people apart anymore."

The Scorpions are currently beginning a world tour.• Robyn Flans

Ken Mary"This band, more than others, requires ahigher level of musicianship," says KenMary of House of Lords. "For mostother rock bands, you're playing 2 and 4,and you might get a chance to cut loosehere and there. In this band I prettymuch get free rein as far as how compli-cated I want to get with the parts, alwaysbeing aware, of course, of the music. Youobviously can't play jazz fusion in a rockband, but it's still pretty much an opendoor for me in this band."

After touring with Alice Cooper, Kenplayed on House of Lords' debut album,then joined the band a couple of monthslater. "That first album was interesting,"he says. "We did four days of rehearsal,and then we recorded all the basic tracksin two. That album was one of thefastest I've ever seen completed. It wasrecorded and mixed in 30 days."

About the new album, Sahara,Ken says, "Andy Johns producedthis one as well as the first, but Ithink the recording this time wasa little different in that the bandhad much more input than on thelast album. I wasn't actually amember when we recorded thelast one, and neither was thebassist, Chuck Wright. So at thatpoint, there really wasn't muchinput from the rhythm section.We did a really good job on thatalbum, but I think this one wasmore of a collective effort."

Ken is also excited about doingan instructional video for Back-stage Pass, which should be outshortly.

• Robyn Flans

Fresh Cheese And CheeseDread Zeppelin drummer Fresh Cheese And Cheese admits toa former career other than music. "I'm the former light-heavy-weight champion of the world," he announces. When askedwho he fought to win that title, Fresh Cheese responds: "Well,it's not too clear to me, because I've taken a lot of punches inmy time."

Fresh Cheese explains that the band's musical influencesinclude none other than (surprise!) Led Zeppelin, and"there's Bob Marley in there," he adds, "plus we've alwaysloved Elvis." For the unenlightened, Dread Zeppelin is a reg-gae-sounding Led Zeppelin "cover" band, with a portly Elvisimpersonator-type frontman. Of course, the band seems to be

having a helluva good time with all this, but in actuality, DreadZeppelin is a group of superb musicians who give those Zepcovers a much-needed kick in the backside.

Dread Zeppelin released their album, Un-Led-ed, last sum-mer, and like the band, the album has been overwhelminglyembraced by the public. Which brings us to the live shows.Says Fresh Cheese: "The record's one thing. It's very enter-taining. But boy, the live shows are something else. Peoplecome up to us and actually compare us to Iron Maiden!"

Look for a feature-length Dread Zeppelin film soon, and besure to catch them live for the music as well as the laughs.

Teri Saccone

Paul ThompsonMy hero was John Bonham," insists

Paul Thompson. "I was always more of arock drummer than an experimentaldrummer." Those familiar with Paulfrom his work on Roxy Music's firstsix albums might find that statementa bit odd. After all, the ever-creativeRoxy is still considered by many asone of the most influential bands ofthe 70s.

But these days Paul is the big beatbehind Concrete Blonde, whose latestalbum, Bloodletting, and its single,"Joey," have recently done quiterespectably on the charts. ConcreteBlonde's raw energy is a far cry fromthe silky-smooth soulfulness Roxybecame mired in toward its demise."Roxy was just going too safe," Paulsays, explaining his decision to leavethe band. "At the time I was also a bitpissed off at the business—not withplaying, but with the people in it."

After doing sessions for a while,

including work with Gary Moore, andthen not even touching the drums for

about two years, Paul got the itch againand started playing in a band called theFlame. "That was a great band," Paulsays, "but it wasn't going anywhere.About that time, Chris Tsangarides, afriend of mine and the guy who pro-duced Bloodletting, invited me to comedown to a club to see a band he was pro-ducing—Concrete Blonde. I wasimpressed, and a couple of days laterthey rang me up and said, 'Our drum-mer has left. Do you want to do thealbum?' It all worked out really good."Without a hint of boasting, Paul seems

genuinely thrilled with the results of therecord. "With the Roxy albums, afterwe'd spend all that time in the studio,when the record finally came out andwe'd be handed a copy of it, I'd play itonce and think, 'Yeah, right...great.' Butthis album I play a hell of a lot. It's oneof the works that I'm really most proudof."

Adam BudofskyPhoto by Ebet Roberts

News...Earl Palmer on the sound-track for The Hot Spot.

Sandy Gennaro in thestudio with Company ofWolves.

Chad Rager's CD is avail-able on the Sisapa label. He isalso doing live dates.

Stephen Perkins has beenon the road with Jane'sAddiction in support of theirlatest LP, Ritual de lo Habitu-al.

Josh Freese out on theroad with Dweezil Zappa. Hecan also be heard on AndyPrieboy's solo record.

Bobby Blotzer on tourwith Ratt.

Walfredo Reyes, Sr.worked on the music forPredator II along with AlexAcuna and Luis Conte.

Denny Fongheiser re-cently completed a short tourwith new artist Farron. Hecan be heard on her album aswell as albums by the Party,David Cassidy, Trixter, theOutfield, Sara Hickman,Michelle Pillar, Al Stewart,Kathy Sledge, MichaelMcDermott, Toni Childs, andVanity Kills.

Scott Rockenfield on tourwith Queensryche supportingtheir latest album, Empire.

Pat Mastelotto has beendoing a little road work withthe Rembrandts, whose Atcoalbum he can also be heardon. Pat also played percussionon Peter Fahey's latestrelease.

Omar Hakim is on theO'Jays' new album, It's AWhole 'Nutha Thing.

Milton Ruth played on

and coproduced HelenReddy's latest, Feel So Young.They are also doing livedates.

Jon Farriss can be heardon INXS's current album, X,playing drums and some key-boards.

Ben Daughtrey on tourwith the Lemonheads, sup-porting their album Lovey.

Jack Irons on tour withRedd Kross.

Bob Gullotti has been ontour with the Fringe and BillLowe, conducted a Zildjianclinic tour in Australia, andplayed on the Fringe's TheReturn Of The NeanderthalMan.

Kenwood Dennard re-cently on the road with theGil Evans Orchestra, theDave Mathews Group, andStanley Jordan. Kenwood also

recorded albums with Jordanand Charnett Moffett.

James Blair on three newreleases by artists Eric Essix,Donna McElroy, and Take 6.

Paul Leim keeping busyin Nashville recording withRonnie Milsap, the OakRidge Boys, Skip Ewing,Tanya Tucker, Kenny Rogers,Steve Camp, Michael W.Smith, Paul Overstreet,Daniel Alexander, MarieOsmond, Earl Thomas Con-ley, and Billy Joe Walker, Jr.,and playing on Kenny & Dollyduets.

Steve Salamunovichrecently played some livedates with Michael Tomlin-son.

Chuck Bonfante of theband Saraya just completedthe drum tracks to thegroup's second album.

Andy NewmarkI really enjoyed your article on "Quintuplet Rock" in theAugust '90 MD, but I have one question: What is a good

method for counting groups of fives? The 16th-note vocaliza-tion "One e and ah, two e and ah" won't work, so I usually count"One two three four five, two two three four five." But this canbe cumbersome—especially at faster tempos. I've developed a"feel for fives" after lots of methodical practice and counting,but is there an easier way to count them so I can teach themeasier? Any advice will be appreciated.

John PerlmanScottsdale AZ

I have always counted "One two three four five" whenpracticing in five. I don't know any vowel sounds that

would be any easier. "One e and ah" works well for four-notesystems, but I agree that it doesn't seem to work for fives. Ithink that once the five 16th notes start to move faster than youcan count, you should just forget counting and feel it. This isthe case when you are playing four 16th notes to each quarternote. You don't try to count "One e and ah, two e and ah" whenyou are playing 16th notes on your hi-hat...do you? You aremainly feeling the quarter-note pulse of 1, 2, 3, 4. Well, try toapproach this the same way. Forget the "five" aspect of this.Think of the four quarter notes, and a backbeat on 2 and 4. Yourhi-hat should just be rolling along with fives...but you shouldnot be counting them. Think of it more in rock 'n' roll terms. Ifyou play a 12/8 shuffle, do you count "one two three, two two

three, three two three, four two three"? No. You let it roll andyou concentrate on your backbeat.

Playing in 5/4 time is another matter completely, which Iwould know nothing about. That you would probably have tocount "one, two, three, four, five."

Photo by Doug Vann

Jack GavinI've had the opportunity to see

the Charlie Daniels Band inSyracuse and Binghamton, New York.Your playing knocks me out, and yourenthusiasm is a true inspiration to me.I'm hoping you can help me with thebrush pattern on "The Devil Went DownTo Georgia." If you could write it out forme, I would appreciate it a lot.

Stephen TrevealAuburn NY

Thanks very much for the kindwords. The beat you refer to is

known in Nashville as a "train feel," andit's just a matter of back-beat accentsplayed in a straight 16th-note pattern.The tempo is pretty quick—about 136BPM. Here's what the pattern looks like:

By the way, although "The Devil WentDown To Georgia" was originally record-ed with two drummers playing brushes, Ido it live with sticks. There's no way thatbrushes could cut through the energylevel at which the CDB performs!

Buddy's Cymbal Setup?I'd like to know what sizes and

types of Zildjian cymbals Buddy Richused—especially toward the end of hiscareer and life. I do know that they wereselected for him by Lennie DiMuzio ofthe Zildjian Company. I hope to puttogether a replica of Buddy's kit, and thisinformation would be greatly appreciated.

Todd PetersonJamestown NY

According to Lennie DiMuzio,"Buddy used the following setup

throughout his career, with a few substi-tutions depending upon his require-ments for a particular performance: 14"New Beat hi-hats, a 21" Rock Ride (onthe light side), an 18" thin crash, an 18"medium-thin crash, an 8" splash, and a22" Swish Knocker. His alternate choiceswere: 13" Neva Beal hi-hats, a 20" LightRide, a 6" splash, and a 20" swish."

Must Drums Be Muffled?I play in a rock band, and no mat-

ter what the situation is (playing outside,inside, in large or small rooms), oursound man wants me to deaden my threedouble-headed toms to the point wherethey sound like a flat thud. Any time I tryto get a little more sound out of my toms,it causes his RA. to ring. I am very carefulabout tuning the toms, and sometimes Ican take care of some of the ringing witha few adjustments, but what really bugsme is that once the band starts playing,they sound very dead. I've read manytimes in MD about drummers who playtheir toms wide open or with very littlepadding. I just don't understand what theproblem is. Am I missing somethingabout tuning? Is the sound man missingsomething? I have used my drums in dif-ferent studios and live situations withother sound men and have never had tomuffle them to the extent that I do now.What can I do?

Patrick KennetAlbers IL

This is a delicate situation, sinceit involves a bit of politics

between you and your band's sound tech.However, you are the musician, and it isinherently his job to reproduce and pro-ject your personal sound as accurately aspossible. Of course, it's simply goodsense to help him as much as possible todo that—but not to the point of sacrific-ing the quality of your sound.A certain amount of muffling on drums

is often needed, and it's wise to display awillingness to employ this technique—within reason. But there are several ele-ments of sound reproduction that can bevaried in order to do away with annoyingtom "ring" without changing the funda-mental drum sound.

Tom ring is often a matter of certainfrequencies being projected more thanthey should be. Certain environmentswill often create frequency sensitivitieswithin a RA. system. Eliminating these isgenerally accomplished by adjusting E.Q.settings, and occasionally by altering mic'placement on the drums. Toms tend toaccent low mid-range frequencies; rollingsome of these off a bit and boosting thehighs just a touch will increase tomattack and reduce "boominess" that cancontribute to ring. Re-aiming a mic' sothat it picks up more of the stick attack atthe center of the drum and less of thehead vibration (resonance) at the edgecan also help.

Often, ring in a given tom channel willnot actually be caused by the attack onthat particular drum—or at least notentirely. Very frequently, sound from anadjoining drum, or sometimes from thebass guitar, will leak into a tom channel,overloading it with frequencies that sus-tain and cause a "ring." The best way toavoid this problem is to maximize pickupisolation on each tom mic'. In expensiveRA. systems used for touring acts (thetype whose drummers use wide-opendrums, as you mention), virtually everymicrophone on stage is gated, so as topick up only what they are supposed toand ignore all other extraneous sounds.

You might be able to talk your sound maninto putting some noise gates on thedrum mic's, in order to improve his sys-tem and provide you with a better sound.There are a number of multi-channelrack-mount gate devices on the market ata reasonable cost. If only your toms arecausing problems, a single four-channelgate should do the trick.

If gating the tom channels is not possi-ble, careful attention to mic' placementso as to maximize isolation is your bestbet. You might even want to considerinternal miking, which provides a veryeffective means of isolating tom mic'sfrom outside sounds.

What's A Krut?I recently ran across an old cym-

bal someone had given me when I firststarted playing drums. It's a 20" Krut"Special" that carries a "Made In Eng-land" mark. I'm curious about the com-pany and the cymbal's value.

Diane CanionOklahoma City OK

We passed your question on toRobert Zildjian, who is president

of Sabian Cymbals and quite an authorityon cymbal history. He sent us thisresponse: "The cymbal in question wasmanufactured by the Premier DrumCompany, of England. It's not a veryexpensive cymbal, and, in spite of itsantiquity, will not fetch much of a price.The alloy is merely brass and it was mar-keted as a beginner's cymbal.

"The name is great! I asked Fred DeliaPorta [original owner of Premier] why henamed it so—since in the U.S. 'Krut' is alittle too close to our word 'crud,' whichhas a bad connotation. Surprised at mystupidity, Fred exclaimed, 'Spell it back-ward!'—and all was revealed! Since thecymbals were English-made, it made himfeel comfortable to tie the line into themystique of old Turkish cymbals."

They call him "Sugarfoot" as much as his givenname. It's a nickname he was given at 13 as amember of a band in New Orleans, where hegrew up. To a 13-year-old, it sure sounded corny;in fact, he insisted he wouldn't answer to it. Hehad hoped for a nickname like Duke, somethingsuggesting power. But what he didn't realize waswhat a compliment it was for someone to say hehad a sweet foot. In fact, that foot (and the restof his limbs) would one day be put to use bysome of the superstars of our time—people likeElton John, Madonna, the Jacksons, Cameo,and his current employer, George Michael.

By Robyn Flans

Nobody playswith as muchsoul and style asSugarfoot, Heis like a proudanimal on stage,ready to pounce.

-Madonna

Jonathan Moffett's magical tale really began when he lefthis newlywed bride behind and took the big plunge andjourneyed from Louisiana to Los Angeles. In January of1979 he packed his car and told his wife he'd give it sixmonths. After that he'd either send for her or go on home.

A month and a half after arriving in L.A., Jonathan wason his way to the airport to pick up a friend, when he real-ized he was lost. While trying to get his bearings, he hap-pened to see a sign for a street he had been trying to findfor a month. Jonathan had known a gentleman by thename of James McField, who served as the Jacksons' musi-cal director, and during one of McField's trips home to New

Orleans, he told Jonathan that if he made it out to L.A., he

should look him up. Jonathan had misplaced the informa-

tion as to where to reach McField, but seeing that sign forNormandy Avenue struck his memory. Jonathan cut across

four lanes of the freeway to exit and took a wild guess as towhich way to turn. He turned right, and there was McField

standing on the street corner at a pay phone!It was all fate. The Jacksons were just finishing up audi-

tions for a drummer, and McField set Jonathan's audition up

for the very next day. There was little time to prepare, but

Jonathan went for it and landed the gig. Since then, Mof-

fett's sweet foot has so successfully laid the foundation for

so many top acts—that now there are people who only

know him as "Sugarfoot."

RF: I'd like to talk about this sugar foot of yours. What sort oftechnique do you employ?JM: There are various ways to incorporate the bass drumwithin whatever rhythmic figure you're playing. It may entail

one beat—on the down-beat or the upbeat—or itmay entail two or three.You can mix it with what-ever the hands are doing,or whatever the hi-hat,cymbals, and snare drumare doing. I always lovedbass guitar, and some ofthe figures that bassistsused to play in the '60sinfluenced my figures onthe kick drum.RF: Do you rememberspecifically who you werelistening to?JM: No one in particular,but when I would listen tothe song, as well as to thedrum figure, I would alsoimmediately hear the basspatterns. I would incorpo-rate the bass part with thekick drum pattern so itwas one flowing motion ofrhythm. It worked outreally well, and I learnedhow to hear that in everysong.RF: Could you be morespecific as to the actualtechnique? Is it a heel-toetechnique?JM: It's similar to whatanybody who plays on theirtoe does, but there are afew twists to it that make itdifferent. For one thing, toget more leverage I alwayssit much further off to theleft of the kick drum thanmost people. Also, my bassdrum pedal is angledtoward me, at an angle tothe bass drum. Then Ihave the front of the bassdrum sort of twisted to theleft. So I have these twoangles meeting each other,cross-angling. That givesme the action that I need.

Also, when I'm playingmore intricate patterns,

my foot is doing more of a gracing motion. I'm playing on mytoe with my leg and heel up, and my leg is pretty much sus-pended with light force thrust from the thigh and the calf forsome power. But I don't play every single beat with full power.

Jonathan onstage during Elton John's Sleeping With The Past tour.

Photo by Jack White

If I did, there wouldn't be any dynamics. Iuse more power from the leg for thrust-ing when I want to hit a hard, solid note.But most of the quicker stuff is a little bitlighter and more dancing rhythmicallyand volume-wise.

Also, as I'm playing, I free up my rightleg as much as I can by sitting mostly onmy left thigh. When you sit solidly on theseat with both legs, with your rear endcommitted to both sides, you're chokingoff certain muscles in the back of yourleg. I've learned that when you free thosemuscles up and develop them, they giveyou strength and control. I learned howto balance myself so that I could usethose extra muscles for power and control.RF: What about the spring tension on your pedal?JM: It's loose, but I never adjust the spring tension. As of thelast five years, I just take it out of the box and use it as is. TheDW 5000 pedals always have good action out of the box.Whenever I've used another pedal, if it was a little stiff out ofthe box, I would tighten the spring as much as I could, pullthe beater all the way forward, and then let the spring stretchovernight. The next morning the spring would have stretched

and the action would be better.RF: When you're on stage, do you listen to the bass player inorder to interpret his part and play off it with your bassdrum?JM: Yes, I cue into him very tightly. On this professional level,although no one has told me not to, I know that I am notallowed to play as much as I played before. It has to be moresimple and closer to the record. But when I do stretch a little,it becomes a statement more than if I did it throughout theshow, which also adds to the colorfulness of whatever I'mplaying.RF: I assume the more commercial the music, the moreclosely you have to stay to the records.JM: Exactly. But now and then I get to make these little state-ments and use my technique or incorporate the hand and footthings.RF: You told me earlier that you practiced six hours a day as ayoungster. Can you tell us about those practice sessions?JM: It was fun. I looked forward to every day and havinganother chance to practice. I would usually start off withsome flurries and fills mixing the snare, toms, and kick—justto get a feel for my playing style. Then I would have a stack ofrecords I liked.RF: Who were you listening to?JM: I was listening to Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, BuddyMiles, Tower of Power.... Before that, I was listening to a lotof James Brown, any of the Motown and Stax stuff, theRolling Stones—anything that was a hit record. I also listenedto Led Zeppelin, and Grand Funk was another big favorite ofmine.RF: Were there any specific drummers you would emulate ?JM: I was just listening to the music on the whole. I waslearning the beats and everything, but I liked the songs. Iwould only learn things that I liked. I would learn what was onthe record and then put myself into it, put more of the flow ofthe kick drum with the bass pattern or the kick drum as apercussive figure. That is sort of the culmination of NewOrleans-style playing. Drummers play percussively as well asthe drum figures, so they mix these little grace things inthere that make it like a woven material. We would add littlethings on the hi-hat and grace notes on the snare drum or the

Photo by Jack White

Photo by Lissa Wales

toms that would make it more intri-cate. But they were a little moresubtle, so the backbeats or whateverbeat I wanted to stress would standout. Grace notes are very importantto New Orleans drummers.RF: Did you practice all this duringyour six-hour practice sessions?JM: Yes. I would listen to therecords, play along with them, learnwhat they were doing, and theninterpret it and add my own charac-teristic of playing. As I would goalong I'd get comfortable with what-ever I was playing, then I would startlooking at the cymbal stuff and tryto make up some interesting pat-terns and catches and things.RF: One of the things you're knownfor is your cymbal catch, where you hit a cymbal and grab itwith the same hand. How did you develop that?JM: I felt it. I heard the figure when I was practicing one day.I would put the records on and play for a long time. Longafter they played out, I would still play the same groove, and

then I'd just experiment with different things. As I was doingthat one day, I heard the choking sound on the cymbal in myhead. It was in the rhythm pattern. I just figured out how toaccomplish it. I played it and said, "Wait a minute, thissounds pretty good."

Then I startedworking with it slowly,hitting it with onehand and catching itat the same time, hit-ting it with the otherhand after that. Iworked out differentways to do it. I can doit either with a veryquick choke, let itring a little bit longer,or hit it almost as if Iwere playing notes onit. I also figured outhow to accentuate itwith a hi-hat or usethe hi-hat as a lead offinto it. You can findone technique andthen think about allthe variables of it. It'smainly the timing ofthe closing of thehand on the cymbalthat you can vary toget different soundsout of the cymbal.Then the differentsizes of cymbals giveyou the differenttonalities of thechoke.

Sugar In The GroovesHere's a list of the albums Jonathan says best represent his drumming.

Album TitleSing Until MorningMr. JordanOne More StoryLike A PrayerTrue BlueSleeping With The PastThe Jacksons LiveStylePossessive LoveThis Is SeriousLet Me Tickle Your Fancy* unavailable at press time.

ArtistDoug MillerJulian LennonPeter CeteraMadonnaMadonnaElton JohnThe JacksonsBill MeyersMarilyn MartinMarilyn MartinJermaine Jackson

Label/Catalog #Rejoice WC8395Atlantic 7-81928-4Warner Bros. 9-25704-4Sire 9-25844-4Sire 25442-4MCA MCAC-6321Epic EGT-37545Agenda *Atlantic 7-89128-4Atlantic 81814-4Motown 6017MC

And here are some that he listens to for inspiration.

Album TitleImagesGhost In The MachineSynchronicityLook To The Rainbow

Physical GraffitiLed ZeppelinThe Song Remains

The Same

ArtistBill MeyersThe PoliceThe PoliceAl Jarreau

Led ZeppelinLed ZeppelinLed Zeppelin

DrummerVinnie ColaiutaStewart CopelandStewart CopelandJoe Carrero

John BonhamJohn BonhamJohn Bonham

Label/Catalog #Spindletop SPT-114A&M CS-3730A&M CS-3735Warner Bros. 225-

3052Swan Song CS-2-200Atlantic CS-19126Swan Song CS2-201

Other artists Jonathan mentioned include the Ohio Players, Tower of Power, Casiopea, Gino Vanelli,Billy Cobham, Grand Funk Railroad, and Pleasure.

Drumset: Drum Workshop with a cus-tom finish (designed by Jonathan)A. 5-1/2 x 14 snare (with a 40-strandsnare strainer)B. 9 x 10 tomC. 10 x 12 tomD. 11 x 13 tomE. 12 x 14 tomF. 18 x 24 bass drum (24 x 24 onMadonna's Blond Ambition tour)G. 16 x 16 floor tomH. 16 x 18 floor tom

Cymbals: Zildjian1. 15" A thin crash Brilliant2. 18" A medium-thin crash Brilliant3. 17" A thin crash Brilliant4. 12" A splash Brilliant5. 14" A Quick Beat hi-hats (Brilliant)6. 18" K Custom ride7. 16" A medium-thin crash Brilliant8. 18" A thin crash Brilliant

9. 13" "band" hi-hats Brilliant(specially selected band cymbals)10. 17" A medium-thin crash Brilliant11. 16" China Boy low12. 15" A thin crash Brilliant

aa. ddrum pads

Hardware: Drum Workshop mountedon a customized Tama rack system,and a DW bass drum pedal.Heads: Remo coated Ambassadors ontops of snare and toms, ebony Ambas-sadors on bottoms of toms, a clearEmperor on bass drum batter, with anEbony Ambassador on front with an 8"hole.Sticks: Pro-Mark 28 model with nylontip.

Jonathan's electronic arsenal includesthe following:A 24-channel monitor/mixer, two fre-quency divider crossovers, two DBX160X compressor/limiters, a 31-bandequalizer, two Furman QN 44 quadnoise gate units (4 channels each), addrum 2 brain, Akai S 1000 and S900samplers, two Juice Goose PD-2 powerconditioners, a Lexicon PCM-70 digitalreverb, a Yamaha SPX-90 digitalreverb, a Dynacord DRP-20 digitalreverb, a Digital Music CorporationMX-8 MIDI patch bay, two Aphex 8/0impulse units, a Zildjian ZMC-10 cym-bal miking unit, two Carver 2.0 poweramplifiers, two Bag End AF 1 timealigned loudspeaker monitors, twoAuratone monitors (for computer/drummachine click), a 20-space side-by-side rack, and an Alesis MPX MIDIpatcher keypad/transmitter.

RF: How long did you work with that?

JM: Really from the time I discovered it until now. I hear pat-

terns and just try to bring them to life. I've always used that

in my playing. When I worked with the Jacksons, I used it to

go into a verse from a chorus. I hit the snare drum and then

the cymbals and grabbed them to bring them down, instead

of doing it the way a lot of guys do, with a big flourish. So I'll

use that as a variation of a way to bring a song down or get

dynamics in a song or for an accent. I try to use it creatively

and musically, not just as a gimmick.

RF: Back to the bass drum for a second, when did you start

getting into the double bass?

JM: I actually started getting into it on the second Jacksons

tour in '79.

RF: Was that because they wanted that?

JM: No. It was happening at the time, and I wanted to be able

to challenge myself and see if I could do it. I had already com-

pleted the spring tour with the Jacksons, and we had four

months off, so I practiced for about three months. It was

almost a natural thing.

RF: How did you incorporate that into your technique?

JM: I didn't play a whole lot of things on the double bass with

the Jacksons, but I would use it within simple rhythms, alter-

nating between the two bass drums. I would use it as a build-

up and for big finishes if Michael wanted me to do a big drum

round-up. But for the most part, I haven't had the chance to

really use it very intricately because of the artists I've been

working with.

K i tJonathan's

&

Some twenty years ago, whenthe Allman Brothers Band firstsurfaced with their stirring mix ofblues, country, rhythm & blues,and southern-fried rock 'n' roll, itwas quite obvious this was a groupthat would cut its own path to popglory.

For starters, the band's leaders,brothers Duane and Gregg All-man, had an uncanny command ofthe American music forms theymerged so well. Duane's slide gui-tar solos were some of the mostpassionate ever performed in arock framework, while Gregg'sgritty, soul-deep voice echoedequal emotion in the best traditionof the great southern blues men.

In addition to the towering tal-ents of Duane and Dicky Betts onguitar, Gregg on vocals and organ,and Berry Oakley on bass, the All-mans were anchored by not one,but two drummers—a rarity inrock. Together Butch Trucks andJaimoe (Jai Johanny Johanson) art-fully demonstrated how satisfyingand significant two drummerstotally in touch with each othercould play—without competition,without getting in each other'sway, without sinking the bottomend of the famous Allman jams. AsJaimoe once said, "There weren'ttwo drummers back there, therewas just one. That's the way weplayed, and that's the way we felt."

by Robert Santelli

Photos by Barry Goldenberg

"Not playing drum solos would be like making love and not kissing," ButchThere was no doubt that Butch and Jaimoe could be highlyexpressionistic when the music called for it. From shuffles tosolos, these two drummers knew how to break away fromeach other as well as they knew how to come back togeth-er—and therein was the secret of their triumph. There prob-ably have never been two drummers in rock 'n' roll so inti-mately tuned into each other's hearts and souls. And that, inthe end, played a bigger part in the Allmans' success thanmost people realized.

It's still true today. Riding high after their celebrated

reunion tour in 1989 and the 1990 release of Seven Turns,their first studio album in nine years, the Allman Brothers areback as a working band. The spirits of Duane Allman andBerry Oakley still float through the Allmans' music. (Bothdied in unrelated motorcycle accidents in the early '70s.) Yettheir newest successors—guitarist Warren Haynes, bass play-er Allan Woody, and second keyboard player JohnnyNeel—give the Allmans a new lease on life without forfeiting

their legacy. And behind them and the music there are Butchand Jaimoe nailing down the rhythms and stretching out intheir solos just like in the old days.

RS: Let's begin by talking about your 1989 "reunion" tour.Did the success of that tour lead to the band's decision to fol-low it up with Seven Turns ?BT: The reunion tour was to see if we could still do thingswith the music that we used to do. Epic, our new record com-pany, wanted us to go right into the studio. They were con-

vinced that within twoweeks on the road we'dsplit up. But we hadthree new guys in theband, and we had to seehow that would turn out.Plus we wanted to see ifthe music was stillviable and whether therewas still some commu-nication going on. Assoon as we realized thatthe music was happen-ing, the goal was to gointo the studio andmake a new record.

We told Epic that ifwe were going to make arecord, we were going todo it on our terms. Wetold them we didn'twant any input fromthem about the music,the producer, the stu-dio—whatever. We want-ed complete freedom todo things the way wewanted to do them, orelse we weren't interest-ed. They said fine.RS: What was it, exactly,that the band wanted todo?BT: To go back to ouroriginal philosophy andplay the kind of music

we wanted to play—with no thought to commercial success.We also wanted to look real hard to get the right people in theband. We got Warren, Allen, and Johnny, and the chemistrycame together immediately. That's why we're back as a bandand why we made what I think is a pretty damn good record.

The one thing I wanted to avoid at all costs was any furthercompromise. That was my biggest anxiety. I wanted to bequite sure we were serious about this, that everybody was

"Not having the band to play in, my balance was screwed up." Jaimoecommitted to the band and willing to bare their guts oncemore. In the early '80s it had gotten to the point where wewere playing it safe and not taking any chances. We were justmaking the money and going home.RS: Once you and Jaimoe sat down behind your drumsetsagain, did it take long to get back in the groove you guysalways seemed to have in the early days?BT: It took us about 45 seconds. [laughs] We started playing"In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed," and once we hit the jam,tears just started rolling down my cheeks. I said to myself, "sothis is what's been miss-ing from my life."RS: How did it feel foryou, Jaimoe ?Jaimoe: It felt great.The frustration for mewas waiting to get wherewe are right now. I'mvery impatient. I missedthe way things were. Iliked playing with BuddyMiles and with BillKreutzmann, but itwasn't like playing withButch. People compareButch's playing withmine. It's amazing whatpeople will come upwith. We want to startdoing things like clinicsso that people will get toknow what we're aboutas drummers onceagain. That would makeme happy.RS: What did you two doafter the band broke up?It's been quite a longtime.BT: I tried to be a busi-nessman in Florida. Iraised about $3.5 millionin investments andfinancing and built arecording studio calledPegasus. It was a greatstudio, but it didn't last. I wasn't the businessman I thought Iwas. [laughs]RS: Didn't you also teach?BT: Yeah, I taught some classes at a local community collegein Florida. The course that was the most fun to teach was onecalled "The Business of Music." When I heard that the All-man Brothers Band had gotten screwed down the line, Iwanted to find out what was going on. I figured if I offered a

course about the music business, I'd learn about it—and Idid. It was the best thing I ever did. The other classes Itaught were music history courses, and I gave something of acontemporary viewpoint to the stuff being taught.RS: What about you, Jaimoe? What did you do when the bandbroke up?Jaimoe: I tried doing jingles and some studio work and stuff.I don't know whether it was because I couldn't read jingles orread music, but it didn't work out. It was one of those thingsthat when you're doing something, everybody in the world

wants you to come and work for them. But when you're notdoing something, it's like, "Well, what have you done lately?"RS: From what you two have just said, it sounds as if thereunion of the Allman Brothers Band was just what the doc-tor ordered.BT: You're damn right.Jaimoe: It's like having a wife or a girlfriend. You can do

Photo By Mark Weiss

By Robyn Flans

By simply being the powerful drummer behind hard rock-ers Vixen, Roxy Petrucci is breaking down stereotypes andcrossing sexual barriers. Female musicians in the genre arerare enough—all-female bands like Vixen even less com-mon. Yet Vixen have risen through the metal ranks andhave proven that gender needn't be an issue. They'veshared the Monsters Of Rock tour with heavyweights likePoison, Aerosmith, Whitesnake, Faith No More, and OzzyOsbourne. And tours with the Electric Boys, Ratt, and theScorpions have either already begun or are on the horizon.

The success of the latestalbum, Rev It Up, couldreally blow the roof off—they could be on the road for thenext year.

But Roxy's typecast-busting doesn't stop with the factthat she's a female hard rocker. She's unmistakably afemale musician whose roots in jazz and classical musicgive her playing a different twist than so many of her con-temporaries.

Home for a few days between tours, Roxy began her taleby telling us how a career in metal might possibly start offwith long days and nights jamming on...the clarinet?

RP: There are five kids in our family,and everybody plays something. I start-ed on clarinet, and I still play. In fact, Ibring it on the road with me. I took itup in third or fourth grade. I played inthe symphony band in junior highschool, and then in high school Iplayed in band, stage band, orchestra,and marching band. I picked up drumswhen I was about 14.RF: How come you started on drums?RP: My sister picked up the guitar andsaid, "You know, we should get a bandtogether." I was really getting intoBlack Sabbath at the time, too, and"War Pigs" just didn't sound right onclarinet. What really made me decidewas when I went to see the originalBlack Sabbath in '75, and I rememberBill Ward doing his drum solo. I justwatched the people totally in awe ofhim, and I said, "I'm going to give it ashot." So I just started jamming away

down in the basement. My parentswere totally into it. My dad went outand got me a champagne-colored Lud-wig kit, and I started taking lessons. Athome I would practice about two hourson my drums and maybe an hour onclarinet, because I had really gotteninto the drums. Plus, during school Iwas playing clarinet two hours a day.

I was really into jazz at the time, too,so I didn't make up my mind yet that itwas going to be rock. But I knew whenI saw Sabbath that I wanted to makepeople happy with my music. In rock'n' roll, you have the freedom to dowhat you want to do. And when I wenthome to practice, I'd put Robin Trow-er, Sabbath, or Zeppelin on.

But all that came later. When I firststarted drums, I was just readingcharts down in my basement and goingthrough rudimental books on snaredrum. Then when I started going

through the set, I went through aCarmine Appice book, then the FunkyPrimer, and another book called TheThesaurus by Charles Dowd, and thenan odd time signature book.

Once a week I'd take lessons with ateacher by the name of Gary Ashton. Ididn't start out playing hard, but as Istarted to get more into rock 'n' roll, Istarted playing harder. When my sisterand I decided to get a band togetherand we had people coming down to ourbasement to audition and practice, wegot louder and louder.RF: Was all that learning important foryou?RP: Definitely. It was good for me tohave lessons, because Gary made mepractice. I would come in and say, "Iwant to learn this Black Sabbath song,"and he'd say, "Oh fine, but do thisfirst. In order to be able to learn that,you have to learn the basics." Luckily,

Photo by Michael Jachles

at 14 I was old enough to realize thathe must have known what he was talk-ing about. When you're really youngyou just think, "No, I want to do this."What he really liked about me was thatI would practice the pages of theassignment, but I'd always end updoing more pages, especially in TheFunky Primer, because I loved thatbook. It had a lot of grooves and weirdsyncopated beats, and I was really intothat. Then after learning the pages inthe book, he'd want me to practice asolo for him. I asked if I could copyone or if I had to make one up, and hesaid to do a combination—copy someof it and put my own stuff into it.RF: When you were into jazz, whowere you listening to?RP: Lenny White, Buddy Rich, all thebig bands, and fusion like Jeff Lorberand Ronnie Laws. I liked a lot of saxplayers too, but I'd always listen to thedrummers.

Then when I was in 11th or 12thgrade, my brother was already in col-lege on a music degree. He told methere was a jazz teacher there who wasreally good, and I should see if I couldget in. I was 16, but I went down to thecollege and said, "I'd like to takelessons from you, even though I'm nota student here." Seeing how interestedI was, he said yes. He was really good,although it was very hard for me tounderstand. I wasn't up to that levelyet, so he started me from scratch injazz. He didn't take me through books;he would write his own things down. Iwould bring a tape recorder to class,and we would tape beats and I wouldlearn from that. He taught me all sortsof things, which really helped me a lotas far as jazz goes. He taught methings like what to do with my kickdrum when playing jazz, where toaccent the 2 and 4, how important it isto have the hi-hat going on the 2 and 4for feel, and how not to rely on the kickdrum so much.

I was experimenting. I liked every-thing I was doing, but I knew I didn'twant to do classical music with thedrums. I played in marching band, andit was fun, but that was that. It waseither rock 'n' roll or jazz. Then I got amusic scholarship to go to college at

Oakland University in Pontiac, Michi-gan.RF: On clarinet?RP: Yes, but I did start with the jazzband on drums too. I was playing inthe wind ensemble on clarinet, where Iwas first chair, which was really fun.It's pretty intense because there arenot that many players, so you can hearwhat every person is doing.

With the drums, I stayed on with myteacher, and I was doing a little bit ofthe jazz band. That's when my sisterMaxine and I were starting to playclubs in Detroit. During the day I wasgoing to school, and at night I wasplaying in clubs. I'd go to school and Iwouldn't wear any makeup and I'd tie

my hair up. Then 7:00 would come andI'd tell the professor, "I've got to go,I've got a gig tonight." I'd run into thebathroom, put the leather and all themakeup on, and drive to make it thereby 9:00 or 9:30.RF: You really loved both those worlds.RP: I really did, but when it camedown to making the decision where theband said, "Well, we want to go on theroad, what do you want to do?" I said,"I want to play rock 'n' roll."RF: What did your parents think ofyour leaving school and going on theroad at 19?RP: My dad said, "Are you sure that'swhat you want to do? You're throwingaway your college education." I wanted

Roxy's SetupDrumset: Tama Rockstar ProA. 5 1/2 x 14 metal snareB. 16 x 22 bass drumC. 11 x 12 tomD. 13 x 14 tomE. 16 x 22 bass drumF. 16 x 16 floor tomG. 16 x 18 floor tom

Cymbals: Zildjian1.14" New Beat hi-hats2. 20" A medium-thin crash3. 17" A medium-thin crash4. 17" A medium crash5. 14" Rock hi-hats6. 20" A medium crash7. 21" Rode ride8. 20" China Boy

Hardware: All Tama, including a legless hi-hat stand and anX-Hat. Bass drum pedals are by Drum Workshop.Heads: Remo Pinstripes on snare batter, tops of all toms, andbass drum batter heads. Clear Ambassadors on bottoms of toms,with Ebony Ambassadors on fronts of bass drums.Sticks: Pro-Mark 56 model with wood tip.

Two generations of Corders: (standing, L to R) Don, Gary, and Ken; (seated) Jim.

When you think of the historic Americandrum companies, most—if not all—of thenames that come to mind share commonfeatures. They all began as "backyard enter-prises," they all grew out of someone's per-sonal vision, and they all were started by adrummer whose name the company bears.And although the Corder Drum Company, ofHuntsville, Alabama, may not be as large orhave the lengthy history of a Ludwig,Gretsch, or Slingerland, it has all the ele-ments that made those companies the lead-ers of their day: dedication to quality, creativethinking, and the simple concept that thecustomer's needs should dictate companypolicy.

The company is named for its founder,Jim Corder. A gracious and soft-spokensouthern gentleman, Jim's manner belies thefact that he is responsible for a sizeablenumber of innovations in drum and hard-ware design—to say nothing of the day-to-day operations of a manufacturing businessin one of the most competitive industriesaround. (He also serves up a mean barbe-cue.)

Jim started playing drums in high school, while working witha Boy Scout minstrel show. From there he began playing withother combos, and when it came time to go to college, heworked his way through by playing drums. "When I graduat-ed," Jim recalls, "I went on the road for three and a half years.Finally, I decided it was time to put my feet down somewhere.So I went back to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where I went to school,and started playing with a little five-piece combo there. I did alot of business—as a consumer—with local music shops, and Igot to thinking that one day I would like to have my own musicstore. So I ventured into that."

It was Jim's experience as a drum retailer

that led him into his first attempts at making drums. "I got tothinking about the Japanese drums that were coming into thecountry at that time, which was the mid '60s. They looked realgood, but you could take your thumb and press those shells inand out. I thought, 'Why can't I figure out some way to put abetter shell on those things—just throw those shells away, usethe hardware, and make better drums out of them?' So westarted making drumshells out of clear plexiglass. Nobody elsewas doing it, so I thought, 'Maybe I can get a patent on thisthing.' We did get a patent in 1964. At that point, I wasn't toosure about being a manufacturer myself, so I showed it to Mr.

William F. Ludwig, Jr. He wasn't very recep-tive to it, although all his salesmen were. ButBy Rick Van Horn

"We're

that moreand more

people wantto buy

American.There'sno doubtin mymind

that hashelped

us a lot."

he had his attorney check out my patent anyway. He felt like itwasn't tight enough that I could do anything with it, so Ludwigwent ahead and started making clear drums under the name ofVistalite. This was about two years after I talked to Mr. Ludwig.I didn't have any drum equipment to work with; all I had wasthe idea. I would have had to be converting the hardware ofother drum companies to my shell. So Lud-wig went ahead, and at one time, as I under-stand, almost 40% of all the drums they soldwere Vistalites.

"Anyway, we couldn't get anything out of itexcept the satisfaction that it was a goodidea—because Vistalite kits were selling allover the world. At that point, I had the ideafor Rainbow Jingle tambourines, with jinglesof different colors. We were doing pretty wellwith those, when one day, this salesman forMartin Guitar came by. He knew we weremaking some drums, using other people'shardware, and he said, 'Jim, why don't youcheck with Martin? They've got some equip-ment up there that I think they're going totry to sell. You might be able to get enoughto start up your own line of drums." I con-tacted the Martin folks and they told me thatthey were getting ready to sell the Fibesdrum division, which was located just out-side of Nazareth, Pennsylvania. So I decidedto go up there and look it over. At that time,Fibes was making fiberglass and—ironical-ly—clear acrylic drums. I looked over all themachinery and everything that had to dowith making Fibes drums. I saw a lot of stuffin there, and I didn't know whether I couldhandle it or not.

"This was just about the middle ofDecember in 1979. I flew back and talked itover with my sons and my accountant. Wedecided to offer Martin a certain sum for theFibes company if they would pay for thetransportation to move it down to Huntsville. I called themwith my offer, and they told me they'd have to think about itand call me back. Only an hour later, they called me back andsaid, 'Jim, you've got it.' I said, 'Oh my God, what have I donehere?' [laughs]

"The following week I flew up there and gave them acashier's check and we made the transfer. They loaded theequipment into several semis and delivered it to the HuntsvilleIndustrial Center—some four-story stucco buildings with a bigbasement to them. Rather than take any of that heavy equip-ment onto the upper floors, we moved it into the basementuntil we could separate it out and start our production. Well, inFebruary of 1980—about five weeks after we brought theequipment down here—a friend called me at about 4:00 in themorning and asked me, 'Jim, did you have some equipment inthe H.I.C. building?' I said, "Yeah." And he said, 'Do you knowit's on fire? They've got it all blocked off, and you can't get

close enough to get anything done.' So I went over and it shookme up, because we didn't have any insurance at all on theequipment.

"There were 60 companies located in that complex, and allbut a handful of them were wiped out. By being in the base-ment, our equipment received very little fire damage. Our

damage came from water. The floor above wasmade of concrete a foot thick, and it was so hotthat it took two weeks before we could even getdown into the basement to see what happened.

"Well, we waded in about a foot of water. Wecouldn't even see because there were no lights.We had a tough time, but after about two dayswe got most of the stuff out. We had to put it ina storage area, and it was there for almost ayear before we were able to do anything. I wasgetting edgy, because sitting here doing noth-ing was costing me money. But the people atthe Small Business Administration gave mesome encouragement. They would loan ussome money on the basis that it was anemergency situation. A friend knew that I hadtrouble, so he agreed to sell me a lot bigenough to build a building on. So I went to thebank—and this was back when interest rateswere 21%.We were able to get our building started by

January of 1981, and were able to open upabout May 1. It was then that we realized thatwe really had nothing here to speak of. Ithought 18 trailer loads of equipment was a lotof stuff, but we got it in this building and itdidn't look like anything. We had to start build-ing from the bottom up. We had to make toolsand jigs, and we had to learn woodworking. Wedidn't have anybody to give us any expertadvice on what to do and what not to do. Wewere just the blind leading the blind, so tospeak. But we put out a drum after the first sixmonths. And the guys here were conscious

enough to know what was good and what was bad. So then westarted making corrections before we went any further. Fromthen on we just kept building what we considered qualitydrums. We had a tough time getting started, and it's been anuphill battle ever since. But we think that we're up and runningpretty well now."

When Corder purchased the Fibes operation, that companywas dealing exclusively in acrylic and fiberglass drums. But Jimquickly decided to shift over to wood shells for his own drumline. "I saw their building up there—how dusty and full ofground fiberglass it was. You had to wear a mask to keep frombreathing the stuff. OSHA was raising holy heck with every-body who had anything to do with fiberglass, and a businesscould be fined for having conditions like I saw. I didn't wantany part of the government investigating me because of anenvironmental situation. The only answer I knew was to go towood. And at that particular time it seemed like all the drum-

finding

mers I talked with were looking for a 'big, fat, warm, woodysound.' Those were the five words that they all used. Wood wasthe material that we could get that sound from. We had a lot ofthe fiberglass shells that we received from Fibes—most ofthem snare sizes—so we still made some fiberglass drums. Butwe didn't have to do any filing or sanding in order to makethem. I would much rather deal with sawdust than fiberglasslying around all over the place."

Along with several other drum manufacturers, Corderobtains its shells ready-made from two suppliers: Jasper WoodProducts, in Jasper, Indiana, and Keller Products, in NewHampshire. As Jim states, "Both of those companies supply uswith excellent shells. They stagger their plies and use a good-quality glue, but we still check each shell over very carefully tomake sure that there is no separation of plies. We haven't hadany problems to speak of. In fact, one fellow who lived on ahouseboat down below Birmingham, Alabama had his drumfall into the river! The owner of a music store called me oneday and said, 'Jim I've got one of your snare drums here andit's been under water for ten days. I wiped it all off, cleaned itup, put it back together...and there's nothing wrong with it!The shell didn't warp and the parts didn't rust. I've never seenanything like it before.'"

Jim stayed with music retailing until 1985. At the same time,he continued to manufacture smaller items like the tam-bourines and a highly successful music holder for marchingmusicians called a Flip Folder. This connection with marchingbands led the Corder company into a strong philosophy regard-ing the marching-drum market. As Jim explains, "We knewthat it would be easier for us to get involved with marchingdrums than with drumsets because of the Japanese and theTaiwanese imports. Their prices were much cheaper than whatwe could put out. We knew we could compete with them on themarching end, while we couldn't compete on the drumset endof it. So that's the direction we went in, and we dealt withschools all over the United States. We even have some patentsinvolved in those things. We have what we call Parade Rest Feetthat go on all the bass drums. When a kid stops marching andhe's tired, he takes his bass drum off, puts it down, and sits onit. When he does this, the drum slides—scratching the hoopsand lugs very badly. So we put three small feet on thedrumshell in a triangular pattern—so they will sit on any kindof contour or surface of the ground. The feet keep the hoopsand lugs about 1-1/2" off of the ground. This saves band direc-tors from having to buy new shells, hoops, or lugs or having tore-paint the drums as often.

"We didn't like the carriers that most people were using ontheir snare drums, so we designed what we call a Carrier Clip.It attaches with three screws to the shell, so it's very stable. Itcomes out and angles up, so it connects to—and disconnectsfrom—the carrier in a flash. It also allows the drummer tochange a drumhead while standing and holding the snaredrum.

"We also offer some special features with our Sonic Cuttimp-tom marching drums. The most obvious thing is the cut-away design of the shell. If you hit a regular, single-headedconcert tom, all the sound goes straight down to the ground.

Combining old-fashioned crafts-

manship withmode?

mechanics, theinterior of a shell

is sanded by awatchful work-

man (right),while lug holesare drilled by a

multiple-bitdrilling machine

(below).

A small but imaginative company, Corder'sdesign innovations include:

the Slide Trak Tom Mount,

the TNT Lug,

an offset-armsnare stand,

Parade Rest Feetand Carrier Clip onmarching snares,

and an original cut-away contour andprotective edging onSonic-Cut timp-toms.

But on the Sonic Cut, we open up the front a little bit. Whenyou hit it, the longer part of the shell at the back of the drumacts as a reflector, sending the sound out to the front a lotmore. The cutaway is about 10" deep from the head down tothe very back part. Other companies make cutaway timp-toms,but we add some special touches. For instance, the back part ofeach shell is cut flat across for about 2", and the bottom edge ofeach shell is covered with a plastic "chrome" edging. It's pli-able, but hard enough to hold up and protect the edge of theshell when the timp-toms are put down on a concrete floor oran asphalt road. Also, when you put them down, they sit flatand don't rock around. We also offer a special stand for timp-tom sets for use off the carrier, in kit situations or rehearsals.It's an adaptation of a double tom stand with a special bracketfor the timp-tom to clip onto."

Obviously, one of the reasons that Corder enjoys a sizeablemarching market is their dedication to innovation in that field.But surprisingly, a lot of that innovation did not come as theresult of suggestions from drummers. As Jim explains: "Everytime we talked to a drum corps drummer, we'd say, 'Look atthis snare drum and see what you think about it. Since you'rein a drum corps, you're at a higher level than the averagedrummer, and we'd like to know your opinion.' Drummers Italked to like that would say, 'Well, I don't like this and I don'tlike that....' But when I asked them what they would suggest,not one ever told me how to improve on what we had. That leadme to believe that a lot of their talk was something that some-body else had said to them, rather than a valid idea that theyhad come up with on their own. A lot of drummers really don'tknow the mechanics of the drums or what it takes to changethem. So we had to just live with that.

"We were showing one corps drummer some of our WhiteKnight beaters. The little tip on that beater is virtuallyunbreakable. Drummers have torn up the aluminum shafts,but they've never gotten one of those little balls off. Well, thiscorps drummer says, 'I tear these things up in five minutes. Ithink I can get that ball off; it will probably slide out of theshaft with the handle still in my hand.' When I invited him totry, he couldn't get that shaft to come out of that part where theplastic handle attached to it. He even put the ball between hisfeet and pulled up as hard as he could. Finally he decided hedidn't want to talk about it anymore. When we make productslike that—products that offer more than what people wereexpecting—then I think we're on the right track."Although they aren't challenging the majors yet, Corder's

drumset production has increased considerably in recent years.Part of this is due to the fact that the company is still smallenough to respond to custom orders. "Just yesterday," says Jim,"a retailer called us. He has a customer who wants drums thatare deeper than what we have listed in our price list. And wecan do that. We are really drum customizers in addition to thestandard drums we produce. We're on the telephone withdrummers every day; we know what they're looking for. I've gota stack of letters over there full of favorable comments thatpeople send to us. We don't solicit any comments at all, and weprobably don't know who a given drumset went to or what hap-pened to it. But they just write to us out of the clear blue skyand tell us things that are good to hear."

What is it about Corder drums that generates such favorableresponses from drummers? After all, Corder is just one moredrum company among many—and a pretty small one, at that.Why should somebody buy a drum from Corder, rather thanfrom a better-known company? Jim replies, "I guess that wouldhave to be a decision based on what the drummer is lookingfor. For one thing, we're finding that more and more peoplewant to buy American. They're in favor of anything that'sAmerican-made. There's no doubt in my mind that that hashelped us a lot."

But drummers have been giving lip service to their prefer-ence for American-made products for many years. And whileit's one thing to talk about "buying American," it's anotherthing to do it when foreign-made products might be signifi-

Ludwig BlackBeauty PiccoloSnare Drum

by Rick Mattingly

A cutting crack andnice sensitivity putthe 3x13 BlackBeauty Piccolohead and shouldersabove many of its14" cousins.

About 20 years ago, there was only onesnare drum that anyone referred to as a"piccolo." It was made by Ludwig, and itmeasured 3x13. Eventually, as lower-pitched snare drum sounds gained inpopularity and deeper drums became therage, that drum was dropped from thecatalog. But in the past few years, high-pitched snare drums have come backinto favor, and most manufacturers aremaking piccolo models. For the mostpart, however, those drums are 14" indiameter, and are called piccolos if theyare shallower than about four inches.Responding to the trend, Ludwig recent-ly brought back their 3x13 model, whichpurists think of as the only true piccolosize. The newest version of the Ludwigpiccolo is a 3x13 Black Beauty model.

Structurally, this drum is the same asthe other recently introduced Ludwigpiccolos. The throw-off is very similar tothe one used in the '60s; it is smooth,quiet, and effective. The lugs are a newdesign, with the top and bottom tensionscrews set directly opposite each other,instead of offset, as on the vintage mod-

els. Invariably, those old-style tensioncasings would be tilted, due to theuneven pull of the screws. This new-style lug prevents that problem, and alsoallows for eight tuning lugs, where thevintage drums only had six. In addition,the new lugs are springless. The shell ofthe Black Beauty is made from brass,just like the "regular" piccolo snare, butit is given a black-chrome plating.

I tuned the drum reasonably high. Thehead tension wasn't necessarily tighterthan I would have had it on a regular5x14 drum, but because of the smallerhead, the pitch ended up being a littlehigher. The drum produced a cuttingcrack sound, and was especially nice withrimshots. The drum was considerablylouder than I expected, comparing wellwith a 5x14 brass-shell drum.

I tried using the drum on a low- tomoderate-volume jazz/rock/standardsgig, and for the most part I was happywith it as a general-purpose snare. Butthe difference between this drum and a5x14 is that the piccolo lacks some of thelow-end and mid-range harmonics. Inother words, as loud and cutting as thatcrack can be, it's mostly high end. Whileon this particular gig it worked outalright, in a higher-volume situation Ithink it might sound a bit shallow ontunes that call for more body.

But as a secondary snare drum on a

loud gig it would be fine. Funk tunes thatcall for a tight snare crack would beserved well by this drum, and, again, thevolume is comparable to a larger drum.

The drum responded especially well tobrushes, as the close proximity of theheads makes it very sensitive. The highpitch also seemed to favor brush playing.Additionally, I hadn't used a Ludwigmedium coated Ensemble head in quite awhile, and I was pleased with the brushresponse I got from it.

When playing on 3x14 snare drums, Ihave sometimes detected a slight differ-ence in the feel of the stick rebound. I'vealways assumed that was caused by theheads being so close together, and forthat reason I've preferred 4x14 drumswhen I wanted something shallower thana standard drum. On this 3x13, however,I didn't notice any particular differencein the feel. Perhaps it has something todo with the relationship between depthand diameter. Whatever the reason, it feltnormal to me.

Overall, I enjoyed playing Ludwig'sBlack Beauty piccolo, and found it supe-rior to most 3x14 "piccolo" snare drumsI've played. The 3x13 size lends itselfbetter to the higher pitch that one wouldexpect from a smaller drum, but it stillhas sufficient volume and cut for mostapplications. It also scores high in termsof sensitivity. List price is $500.

Geddit?Drumwear

by Rick Mattingly

Tired of the lookof your drums?Wrap this around'em and you mayjust have a wholenew outlook.

People who know me willattest to the fact that I'm notthe kind of guy you'd findwearing spandex. But afterchecking out a new productmade by a company calledGeddit? Inc.—which theyrefer to as "drumwear forthe '90s"—you just mightfind my drums wearing thestuff.

Geddit? drumwear is sim-ply a piece of spandex-likematerial sewn together intoa tubular shape that you canslip over a drumshell. Themanufacturer claims that itis simple, requires no adhe-sive, doesn't warp, and iswashable. That's all true.

I received a sample ofGeddit? in their stock bluecolor made to fit a 10x12 tom. Coveringthe drum was fast and simple. Virtuallyall of my time was spent removing thehardware and then putting it back on.Slipping the Geddit? cover on the drumtook about a minute. For the most part, Ididn't even have to punch holes in thematerial to reattach the lugs. Theinstructions said that the holes would beself-starting, and they were. I did, how-ever, use the point of a scissors to startthe holes for the mount, as those screws

were fairly large in diameter.There is obviously a seam where the

material is joined, and the manufacturersuggests putting that right next to a ten-sion casing (but not centered directlyunder it). There is a Geddit? logo nextto the seam, but as you would probablyput the seam on the back of the drum,facing away from the audience, no onewould see it or the logo.

Speaking of logos, that is the one areathat could cause a slight problem. If thelogo badge on your drum is held on witha metal grommet, it is almost impossibleto remove it without destroying thegrommet, so be prepared to have some

new ones on hand with which to replacethe logo badge. If your logo badge isglued on, you'll have to pry it from thedrum carefully and then glue it onto theGeddit? cover. Even if you have no plansto replace the logo badge after you recov-er the drum, you will need to remove itfrom the shell. Otherwise, there will be abulge under the cover where the logobadge is sticking up since the Geddit?material is very thin and elastic and willnot "smooth over" anything protruding

from the shell.When I centered the Geddit? cover on

the shell, there was about an eighth of aninch of shell visible on each end. Oncethe drumheads were in place, however,that was completely covered up. The onlyplace I detected any puckering of thematerial over a tension casing was nearthe seam, but I was able to smooth it outquite easily. My only caution would be forthose who have drums on which theheads fit very tightly around the shell. Asthin as the material is, you do need a lit-tle clearance between the hoop and thedrumshell. Otherwise, you are going tohave wrinkles where the drumhead is

pushing the Geddit? coverdown over the tension cas-ings.

Again, I had no troublewhatsoever in covering adrum, and I've never cov-ered a drum before in mylife, so it's not as if I knewany special tricks that madethe job go better. This prod-uct is simply easy to use. Ialso like the fact that,because there are no adhe-sives required, the originalfinish is unaffected. Shouldyou ever wish to return yourdrums to their original state,just remove the hardware,slip off the Geddit? cover,and you'll never know it wasthere.

Geddit? drumwear isavailable in blue, black, hotpink, red, silver-grey, orwhite, listing at $99.50 for a

standard four-drum outfit (8x12, 9x13,16x16, 14x22) and $109.50 for a four-piece power-size kit. Leopard and zebraprints are available for an extra $10, andthe company will also do custom artwork.Geddit? is distributed by Kaman, so itshould be readily available in most musicstores and drumshops. But if you can'tfind the product, contact Geddit? Inc.,5181 S. Pennsylvania, Littleton, Colorado80121.

Zildjian 6A,Z4A,and Super5B Sticks

by Rick Mattingly

A few new designsfor your perusal.

Zildjian recently expanded its line ofdrumsticks to include three new modelsthat fill some of the gaps in their previ-ous line. All of the sticks are made ofhickory and feature wood tips.

The 6A model could be well-suited forjazz playing or light rock. In terms ofoverall length, diameter, and weight, theclosest comparison I could find with thisstick was a Firth Jazz 8D, but there area couple of differences. For one thing,the Zildjian stick has a shorter taper, giv-ing it just a little more body in the neck.The main difference, however, is in thebead. The 6A has what I can bestdescribe as a "helmet"-shaped bead, andon a 20" ride cymbal, this brought outsome of the higher overtones. The stickhas a nice balance, and should provepopular.

The Zildjian Z4A is a hefty rock 'n'roll stick. It has about the same diameteras a typical 5B, but is about half an inchlonger and has a thicker neck. It has alarge, acorn shaped bead that performswell when used on the bell of a ride cym-bal, and it also pulls a fat sound fromtom-toms. A lot of hard rock drummersshould find this stick useful.

But if you need something a little big-ger still, Zildjian has also introduced theSuper 5B, which is exactly what it soundslike. Fatter and longer than a standardSB, the profile of the stick actuallyresembles a standard 2S, but overall, it'snot quite that big. The neck is very thick,though, and the large, oval-shaped bead

should stand up to the hardest playing.The length is the same as the Z4A, butthe stick is a little fatter, and the beadsare different. Marching drummers whofind standard street-model sticks a bitclumsy might want to investigate theSuper 5B.

Overall, I'd say these three models arefairly "mainstream," in that none ofthem are extremely small or extremelylarge. But if you are looking for some-thing a little lighter than a standard 5A,the Zildjian 6A might serve your purpos-es quite well. And if you need somethinga little larger, check out the Z4A or theSuper SB. Each model carries a retail listprice of $7.25.

Product Close-Up photos fay Rick Mattingly

Roland SPD-8Total Percussion Pad

by Paul Van Patten

The Octapad II's little brother hasa personality—and some greatsounds—of its own...

The SPD-8 Total Percussion Pad is Roland's latest offering forthe electronic drummer and percussionist. While looking andfunctioning similarly to its bigger brother, the Octapad II, theSPD-8 actually goes a step further and in a slightly differentdirection. While functioning as a MIDI pad controller, theSPD-8 also incorporates its own bank of 39 internal instru-ments, all sampled with full 16-bit dynamic range.

While offering an array of MIDI capabilities, the SPD-8 isvery user-friendly. One doesn't need an advanced knowledge ofMIDI in order to use or program it. It features eight velocity-sensitive pads, as well as two W external trigger inputs on therear panel. (We'll cover these later.) All 39 sounds may be edit-ed with a multitude of parameters, including fully pro-grammable MIDI functions. You are allowed to store 32 differ-ent "kits," as well as a sequence of 32 kits chained in any orderyou wish.

Physical Attributes

The dimensions of the SPD-8 are similar to those of theOctapad II: 18" long by 14" wide and weighing about 5 pounds.This makes it very easy to mount almost anywhere around anacoustic drumkit, by means of the optional APC-33 mountingbracket. The playing surfaces of the pads are much harder thanthose of other pad controllers currently on the market. Howev-er, after playing on the pads for a few minutes, you can easilyadjust your striking technique. Perhaps these harder pads helpRoland keep the SPD-8's price down.

Also on the front panel are 12 buttons that allow you to scrollthrough patches, alter either sound and/or MIDI parameters,and perform programming functions. Three LEDs give you avisual guide when navigating throughout the various parame-ters and features. The first LED gives a numeric readout indi-cating either the kit number, individual voice number, or valuesfor voice and MIDI data needed while programming. The sec-ond LED advances through these individual parameters, allow-ing you to see which parameter is currently selected and/or

being edited. The third LED shows the user which pad is cur-rently being played on.

On the SPD-8's back panel you'll find: the power switch and9V power supply plug, MIDI-in and MIDI-out ports (unfortu-nately there is no MIDI-thru port), EP-1 and EP-2 inputs forelectronic trigger pedals, a "patch shift" pedal input, a head-phone jack, stereo outputs, and a stereo input jack. This stereoinput jack is quite a unique and useful feature for a pad con-troller. It allows for importing sound (such as from a cassetteplayer), which can then be mixed with the SPD-8's internalvoices and sent out through the stereo output jacks. This yieldstwo great benefits. First, it lets you practice and/or play alongwith music. Second, it gives you a terrific way to program apatch in order to make it work most effectively along witheither a demo tape or pre-recorded tracks. This is a worthwhileadvantage to have at your disposal before entering into a studioenvironment to record.

The two EP pedal switches were designed to give the usercreative freedom through the use of electronic trigger pedals.Pedal #1 has two functions. The first allows you to triggereither the SPD-8's internal voices or an external MIDI soundmodule. The second use is for holding or sustaining a voice.Pedal #2 allows for an optional, second set of pre-programmedvoice settings to be triggered within the same kit. With thisfunction you are able to alternate between two differentsounds—such as open and closed hi-hats—from the same pad.

The Sounds

The SPD-8 offers a total of 39 drum and percussion sounds,all of which have very high sound quality (resulting from theirbeing sampled with 16-bit dynamic range). Included are bothacoustic and electronic snare drums, bass drums and toms;crash, ride, and hi-hat cymbals; timbales, congas, bongos, steeldrums, timpani, Japanese Surdo drum, cuica, cross-stick, handclaps, agogo bells, cowbells, and triangle. For tuned percussionyou have: vibraphone, marimba, kalimba, xylophone, glocken-spiel, and gamelan bells. Also included are effects such as glasscrash and scratch, as well as the ever-popular sounds from thelegendary Roland TR-808 drum machine.

I rate the entire library of sounds as excellent. Every voice iscrisp, clear, rich, and full of realistic and expressive timbres.(This is aside from the TR-808 sounds and electronic sounds,which are obviously synthetic-sounding). All instruments canbe edited to your liking with a variety of parameter settings.Pitch is the first of these; you are given a full two-octave tuningrange for each voice, in half-step increments. There are 13available pan positions for each voice as well. Decay is the thirdparameter; it allows you to independently control each voice'slength of duration. The fourth parameter is velocity filter set-tings, which is where the real magic lies.

The velocity filter determines the amount of change in tim-bre in proportion to the force with which the pad is struck. The

higher the value setting, the greater thechange in timbre. With a setting of 1 youcan shut off the filter completely, yieldingno audible change. There are three filtertypes: high pass, low pass, and combina-tion. The low pass filter allows low fre-quencies to remain present while cuttingout the higher frequencies. The high passfilter works in reverse, retaining the upperfrequencies and filtering out the low end.And the combination filter cuts the mid-range, while allowing both the upper andlower frequencies to remain. The use ofthese filters will give you a surprisinglylarge amount of timbral variations. Withexperimentation, you'll find that the foursound-editing parameters of the SPD-8will yield a wide variety of voice possibili-ties.

Patch Set-Up

I don't think that creating a patch set-up on the SPD-8 could be any easier. The unit is so user-friendly that you really don't need any knowledge of MIDI inorder to program a patch. While in the edit mode, you are visu-ally guided throughout the entire process by the LEDs foundon the front panel. They will tell you which pad is currentlybeing edited, whether you are in the sound edit mode or theMIDI edit mode, and which parameter is currently being edit-ed within either mode.

After selecting a pad and assigning a sound to it, you canadjust the pitch, decay, pan setting and velocity filter settingsindividually. And it's so simple, there really isn't much to tellyou about! You can alternate between MIDI mode and soundmode editing instantly with the touch of a button. The avail-able parameters within the MIDI mode include MIDI channeland note assignments, as well as gate time settings. Gate timepertains to the length of sustain associated with keyboard voices,where a sound will continue playing as long as a key isdepressed. This feature comes into play when you are pro-gramming the decay length of a cymbal crash, or triggering anexternal MIDI sound module. You can program this duration tobe from 0.1 to 4 full seconds.

Velocity sensitivity refers to the degree of pressure needed toactually trigger a sound. Here you are given six sensitivitycurves, which allow you to customize your SPD-8 to your ownplaying feel. The last MIDI parameter is program change,which allows for patch settings to change via MIDI, for liveapplications.

The SPD-8 can also be triggered quite effectively from asequencer, thereby utilizing it as a high-quality sound module.However, I must add that you may only trigger the sounds load-

ed into the patch currently being displayed. I wish that thislimitation could have been avoided.

Within each patch on the SPD-8 you may have only onesound assigned per pad simultaneously. To some, this mightseem quite limiting—especially in light of other pad controllersthat allow for multiple voice layering. However, the SPD-8 doesgive you additional flexibility within a patch by incorporating a"B" set of programmed voices, per pad. You can instantaneous-ly switch back and forth between set "A" and set "B" via afootswitch in the EP-2 channel mentioned earlier. For example:Patch I/set "A" might be an acoustic drumkit, while "B" (stillfound within patch 1) might be the same snare and bass drum,but with a new set of toms and congas. This feature worksgreat for open/closed hi-hat work, and gives the user expandedcapabilities, especially in live performance settings.

Summary

The SPD-8 truly sets a new standard of user-friendliness forthe MIDI-based electronic drummer/percussionist. I haven'tany real criticisms or complaints about the unit. The soundsare terrific (I'd like one just for the analog-type Simmons tomsand the TR-808 sounds), it's simple to program, the manual isboth informative and easy to follow, and it possesses full MIDIimplementation. Some players may find the playing surface abit harder and less resilient than most pad controllers currentlyavailable. However, I'm sure that this was a conscious decisionon Roland's part in order to help keep the price down to a low$695. This is a real winner.

Russian Dragonby Paul Van Patten

Want to really see where your backbeatis falling? Here's the way to do it.

The Russian Dragon, from Jeanius Electronics, is a new devicedesigned specifically for meter measurement. It measures thetiming accuracy of two different sounds that were meant tooccur at the same time. There are many useful applications forthis device, including: measuring how closely a drummer isplaying to a click, a recorded track, or even another musician;detecting timing delays between an acoustic drum attack andits triggered replacement; finding MIDI delays within a MIDIsystem; and any musical application where detecting meterinaccuracies is critical. It also acts as a supreme metronome,in that you can not only hear what you are playing, you can alsosee your playing accuracy within one millisecond. The RussianDragon indicates timing variances by utilizing an LED display,which gives the user an instantaneous, visual read-out of whois rushin' and who is draggin'. (Now you know where the namecame from.)

Situated on the left side of the Russian Dragon's front panelare two W input jacks for the unit's two channels. Channelone is for the reference signal/click input. Channel two is usedfor the sound whose timing is to be tracked. Both signalsaccept a wide variety of signals, such as: microphone signalsfrom acoustic drums, acoustic drum trigger signals, electronicdrum pads, drum machines, keyboards and related MIDI-based instruments, metronomes, guitars and basses, etc.

Continuing across the front panel you'll find a sensitivity dialfor each channel input, which allows you to tailor the sensitivityof the incoming signals. If the incoming signal is false-trigger-ing from extraneous noise and/or vibrations, you are given two"normal/slow" switches. These give you control over how fasteach channel can re-trigger, thereby eliminating the double-triggering. You simply adjust each channel according to yourparticular application.

The LED display is made up of a single row of 25 individual

LEDs. The incoming reference signal (click signal) fromchannel one lights up the large center LED. The channel twosignal will light up one of the other 24 LEDs, indicating thatsignal's timing accuracy in relation to the center LED. The 12LEDs to the left of the center LED indicate that the incomingsignal is late (draggin'); the 12 to the right indicate that thesignal is arriving early (rushin'). If both signals occur within 1millisecond of each other, the two LEDs on either side of thecenter LED will light simultaneously.

The LEDs are programmable, in that their timing values canbe changed per your application requirements. This is accom-plished by using the two window controls located on the front

panel. With the "normal/white" switch set in the "normal"position, the LEDs can be adjusted with the dial to indicate atime measurement of anywhere from 1 to 7 millisecondsapiece. When the switch is placed into the "white" position,the dial allows you to set each LED to indicate anywhere from8 to 14 milliseconds each.

So how did the Russian Dragon perform? Quite well. I testedthe unit in a variety of situations, and found that it functionedvery well in various studio applications, as well as in a liveatmosphere. As per the manual's recommendations, using asetting of 1 or 2 milliseconds per LED is just too "accurate"for use in a live setting; yet when syncing up MIDI instrumentsin a studio setting, this tight of a setting is absolutely essential.

Overall, I found the Russian Dragon to be a very useful toolfor both studio and individual use. It is well-designed, logicallylaid out, and very easy to operate. While it can function in awide variety of musical settings, the Russian Dragon could verywell be thought of as THE TOOL for us drummer/percussion-ists to use for honing our timekeeping skills. It's currentlyavailable at a retail price of $495.

I should add that a simpler, more compact version of theRussian Dragon—specifically for performing drummers—should be available by the time you read this. From what I'vebeen told by the manufacturers, it won't be as sophisticated asthe original version—which might have greater application inthe studio than in the practice room or on stage—and will bequite a bit smaller than the original for easy mounting aroundthe drumkit. The new model won't have the "normal/white" or"slow" switches, and possibly one other function still underdiscussion. What it will do is help the practicing or performingdrummer to lock up with some constant source of rhythm viathe two signal-input channels and the LED display. It shouldbe priced around $200.

Filling In The HolesOn The Hi-Hat: Part 2

by Rod Morgenstein

Photo

by R

ick M

alkin

In my last column I talked about a different way to incorporate the hi-hat into your patterns. Instead of playing aconstant pattern of quarter notes, 8th notes, or 16th notes, I began filling in the holes (playing the hi-hat on every16th-note space that was not being played on the bass or snare). This approach creates a very interesting andfunky-sounding linear beat. This month I'm going to pick up from where I left off and give you some morepatterns to try. (These are a little tougher.)

The following examples are very syncopated and don't always have the snare sounding on the backbeat.

Dan BrubeckFrom Two Generations Of Brubeck To The Dolphins

by Rick Mattingly

It was 1976, and the tour was designed to spotlight the accom-plishments of Dave Brubeck—most notably, the 25th anniver-sary of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. But that group (with saxo-phonist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright, and drummerJoe Morello) wasn't really active anymore. So Dave chose toopen for himself by performing with the band he had recentlyformed: Two Generations of Brubeck, which featured his threesons: Darius on keyboards, Chris on bass and trombone, andDanny on drums.At a concert I attended midway through the tour, Two Gen-

erations got things off to a spirited start. In some ways, thegroup was a logical successor to the Brubeck Quartet, as theyexplored odd time signatures, and even did a couple of newversions of old Quartet tunes. But where the Brubeck Quartetwas firmly rooted in jazz, this band had some definite rockleanings. Twenty-year-old-drummer Danny, in particular, per-formed with an energy and drive more often seen at the Fill-more than at the Village Vanguard.

Two Generations finished their set, and there was a shortintermission so that the stage could be changed for the Quar-tet. But before the band appeared, an announcer's voice cameover the PA "Ladies and gentlemen, Joe Morello was rushed tothe hospital this morning to undergo emergency eye surgery,so Dan Brubeck will perform with the Quartet this evening."

I was disappointed when I heard that, since this was to havebeen my first chance to see Morello live. But that disappoint-ment soon faded, because Danny Brubeck turned in one of themost masterful—and inspiring—performances I had ever wit-nessed. He still showed the energy and power that he had dis-played with Two Generations, but he was channeling it a differ-ent way to blend with the more "intellectual" approach forwhich the Brubeck Quartet was famous. He handled the vari-ous time signatures with aplomb, and when the drum solo in"Take Five" came up, he more than rose to the occasion. If hischops weren't quite on a level with Joe's (whose are?), he madeup for it with his sense of structure, his dexterity withpolyrhythms, and his drive. Afterwards, backstage, I overheardbassist Gene Wright complimenting Dan on the way the two ofthem had been able to lock in with each other behind thesoloists. Dan's facial expression was that of someone who hadjust passed a major test—one that he had been preparing forall of his life.

He'd certainly had plenty of exposure to his father's music.

"I remember when the kid was born," Joe Morello says. "Andthen as he was growing up, he was always hanging aroundwhen we rehearsed at Dave's house. I remember letting him siton my lap behind the drums and showing him how to hold thesticks." Not a bad beginning for a would-be drummer.

As Danny grew up, he had plenty of opportunities to per-form. His two older brothers were musicians, and family jamsessions were frequent. Dan made his first recording with hisfather at the age of 11, and while still in his teens he performedat concert halls and festivals throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Through his 20's and early 30's, Dan continued to work withhis father and brothers in various situations and configura-tions. But he frequently ventured outside the family nest, per-forming with a variety of artists from the jazz, fusion, and rockidioms. Gradually people started talking about him on his ownterms, without feeling obliged to point out that he was Dave'sson.

Most recently, Brubeck has earned a great deal of attentionthrough his work with a group called the Dolphins, whoserecent album, Malayan Breeze, has earned favorable reviews inthe U.S. and Europe. Dan's playing in the Dolphins can per-haps best be described as "interactive," as he is doing a lotmore than simply laying down a repetitive groove. "There is alot of interplay in the way I approach playing with that band,"

Dan agrees. "A lot of bands in the fusion vein essentially have afunk drummer and a funk bass player who are playing a groove.On top of that is the jazz aspect—the soloists, who are doingall of the spontaneous stuff.

"In our group," he says, "the bass player sort of plays thatrole, but I don't. I bounce between laying down a groove andinteracting with the soloists. Not to say that other drummersare not interacting, but they are certainly holding down the forta lot more. It seems that their primary function is to set a basisfor everything. In the Dolphins, I take a more melodicapproach. It's one of the marks of our group that make it a littlebit different."

While Brubeck will sometimes use the term "fusion" in con-nection with the Dolphins, he doesn't feel that the term is100% accurate. "We call the music 'new electric jazz,'" he says."It's really not fusion, and it's certainly not new age. There is areal strong influence of mainstream jazz in there, although itmay sometimes be hard to hear. It's more a matter of wherewe're coming from and how we approach things than what'sbeing played. Although sometimes it's just a matter of theinstruments. For example, on our CD we do a tune called'Reflections Of You,' which is basically a jazz ballad. Whatmakes it sound like a fusion ballad is the fact that there is a lotof synthesizer. If you took that out and threw Vinnie [Martucci]on an acoustic piano, you would just have a jazz ballad. But alot of people are not used to listening to acoustic jazz thesedays. So we're trying to put the music into a form that morepeople can relate to, but that we can still play from a jazz pointof view.

One of the tunes on MalayanBreeze says a lot about Brubeck'sbackground: "Blue Rondo a laTurk." The tune was a staple of theDave Brubeck Quartet, and theDolphins' version starts off sound-ing much the same, with Dan play-ing very much in the Joe Morellostyle. But then the Dolphins gointo a straight-ahead rock sectionthat reflects another of Dan's influ-ences.

But rock was not something Danlatched onto the moment he heardit. "When I was younger," headmits, "I had a big resistance torock 'n' roll, because the early stuffwas just terrible. I finally startedappreciating rock 'n' roll when theBeatles came along. Ringo Starrwas playing Simplistically, but hewas really being supportive of whatwas going on in the music. I couldrelate to that, but it wasn't like he

was my idol or anything. I had grown up listening to Joe Morel-lo, and there was obviously no comparison.

"But then," Dan continues, "when guys like Ginger Bakercame along with Cream, and Mitch Mitchell with Hendrix, andJohn Bonham with Led Zeppelin, I thought those guys wereplaying really interesting stuff. They were the ones who led theway to creating the whole fusion thing. Their style of playingshowed that a rhythm section could actually be spontaneous inrock 'n' roll.

"On some of those Cream records," Dan says, "you can hearplaces in Ginger Baker's solos where he was definitely coppingfrom Morello. It wasn't anything new, but he was putting it in adifferent setting. I think that relates back to what the Dolphinsare doing. In a way, it's nothing new, but the setting haschanged. We're trying to make jazz more palatable to certainlisteners.

"Getting back to 'Blue Rondo'," Dan says, "it probably doessum up a lot of my influences. I've been sort of re-examiningall of my influences, and I've seen how incredibly valid Morel-lo's whole approach is, was, and probably always will be. As asoloist, he was one of the first guys to combine an insaneamount of chops with the Max Roach melodic approach. Withsome players, it's just, 'Well, I've got a great rhythmic sense, sohere's my solo, and I'm going to play a ton of stuff that has noreference to the tune that's being played.' But Joe has a greatsense of form; you can hear the tune when he is soloing. Andthat's something that a lot of people don't understand: that as adrummer you have to retain the form of the tune in terms of

Dan'sKit

Drumset: Sonor HiLiteseries in red maple finish.A. 5-1/2 x 14 snareB. 10 x 12 tomC. 11 x 13 tomD. 16 x 16 floor tomE. 16 x 20 bass drumF. 5 x 14 timbale (con-verted Ludwig snare)G. 9 x 10 tom

Cymbals: Paiste1. 14" Formula 602Sound Edge hi-hats2. JOPA cowbell3. 12" Formula 602Paperthin4. 16" 2002 crash5. 22" Formula 602 DarkRide6. 20" 2002 Flatride7. 22" 2002 China type

Hardware: All hardwareSonor Protec except for aDW5000 bass drum pedalwith a soft beater.Heads: Remo coatedAmbassador batters onthe snare and bass drum;Pinstripes on the toms.Sticks: Regal Rock withwood tip.

Easy Steps To IndependencePart 2: The Right Foot

by Sharon Eldridge

The ability to play rhythmic figures with the rightfoot against a smooth, undisrupted right-hand jazzcymbal beat is a prerequisite to good jazz drum-ming. In Part 1 of this three-part series we beganby developing the ability of the left hand to playvarious figures against the repetitive cymbalrhythm. In Part 2 we'll focus on developing inde-

pendence with the right foot alone against the same continuousright-hand time flow.

Be sure to repeat each pattern until you can play it with a smooth,swinging feel. Do not proceed to the next exercise until you'recompletely comfortable with the coordination and can play the pat-tern in a relaxed, musical manner.

Be sure to start out slowly. Increase the tempo only after you'recertain each pattern is being played correctly and with a relaxedgroove. Practicing with a metronome is also highly recommended.(Note: Even though the hi-hat is not notated, it should be playedon beats 2 and 4 with the left foot throughout.)

Excerpted from the forthcoming publication, All Styles For The Modern Drummer, by Sharon Eldridge.

Chick Coreaby Rick Mattingly

Standing outside in the night air between sets of an ElektricBand performance, Chick Corea is approached with the idea ofdoing an interview in which he discusses some of the greatdrummers that he has been associated with over the years."Sure," Corea says, "I'd be happy to do that. In fact, you cancall the article 'Drummers Are My Friends.'"

A couple of months later, speaking on the phone from hisLA office, Chick is asked to elaborate on that statement. "Ifigure the next best thing to being a drummer myself," hereplies, "which might have been my calling if I hadn't gotten sowrapped up in the piano, would be to associate with and haveas friends some of the best drummers that have ever roamedthe planet. I have such an affinity for percussion and drum-ming, and the roles that rhythm and the drummer play in aband, that I consider all drummers my friends."

In terms of associating with great drummers, Corea got offto a great start. One of his early gigs was with the Stan Getzquartet, with Roy Haynes on drums. "It was a big breakthrough

for me as a rhythm section player to play with Roy," Chick says."There is no one who plays like Roy. He's got such a uniqueapproach to the way he swings and the way he makes musicwith the drums. The way he plays is ever so light, but at thesame time, ever so forceful and interactive. I always found iteasy to toss ideas around with Roy. You know, Roy is in his 60'snow, and boy, he still sounds as fresh as ever.

"We worked in the original Getz band together for a while,"Corea continues, "and then I asked him to do my secondrecord as a leader, Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, with MiroslavVitous on bass. We have occasionally put that trio together anddone tours, and we made a couple of records for ECM. I alsohave played in Roy's quartets. He would call me every now andagain to perform with him. We had a really nice quartet onetime with Joe Henderson on saxophone and Ron Carter onbass. It was fun to play around New York with those guys in the'60s.

"There was another great drumming experience I had yearsand years ago," Corea says. "When I was growing up and listen-ing to the music of Miles Davis, Philly Joe Jones was one of myfavorite drummers. In fact, I had given up the piano for two orthree years in the early '60s. I was fed up with how every time Iwould get a gig it would be on such a terrible piano that I couldnever enjoy myself. So I decided I would become a drummer,and I started studying Philly Joe Jones's records and learninghow he played. Anyway, Philly sat in with Blue Mitchell's groupa couple of times when I was in it, and I remember what a greatexperience it was working with him."

Corea also had the opportunity to play with Elvin Jones onoccasion. "Elvin is another tremendous force in drumming,"Chick says. "I made some recordings with Elvin—a few beingin his band and one in an all-star group with Dizzy Gillespiethat we did down at the Village Vanguard years ago. I still occa-sionally pull out the Coltrane records and listen to Elvin play.There is nothing like the kind of momentum he gets goingwith a swinging rhythm. He's totally tremendous in thatregard."

One of Corea's most prominent gigs as a sideman was withMiles Davis. When he first joined the group, Tony Williams wasthe drummer. "Tony is a complete artist with the drumkit,"Chick says. "If I could play a drum solo like Tony, that would beone of the things I'd like to do. He's a complete master at cre-ating on the drums, especially as a drum soloist. His phrasingsare so incredibly clear. I also love the fact that he has a nice,big, hefty kit, and big cymbals, so he gets this huge sound outof the drums. He doesn't play conservatively, that's for sure. Hewas in a special band I put together and took to Japan once. Hewas a total locomotive the way he surged forward."

After Williams left the Davis group, Jack DeJohnette joinedthe band. "Boy, playing with Jack was an adventure," Corearecalls. "We haven't done much together since that time, and Imiss playing with him, because he's a tremendous improvisor.One of the things I enjoyed about that rhythm section with Jack

"I don'tlike toworkwith

peoplewho areonly thereto takeorders."

and Dave Holland was the adventurousness of it. Those guyswould be willing to go to Mars if necessary to find an interest-ing idea or turn a phrase. And we would, in fact, sometimes dothings like that, and make a meal of finding how many differentways you can turn a rhythm and a phrase around. The adven-ture of working with Jack is the thing I remember."

One of the first groups that Corea was involved with as aleader was Circle, in which Barry Altschul was the drummer. "Ifound Barry to be a lot of fun as a group player," Chick remem-bers. "Barry came into the ensemble because of the kind ofphrasings and arhythmic things that Dave Hol-land and I were experimenting with on the bassand piano. We weren't looking for a drummerwho was a timekeeper. We were looking more fora drummer who was able to participate in thekind of color creations we were doing. Barry wasperfect for that. He really knew how to use the kitto get all sorts of colors and motions going. Infact I remember that we spent the better part of aday messing around with how to tune his drumsand choosing cymbals to blend with the kind ofacoustic trio thing we were doing at the time."

Corea's next major project was the Return ToForever band. For his drummer, Chick chosesomeone he had worked with in the Miles Davisband and who was primarily known as a percus-sionist. "Airto had a very unique approach toplaying the kit," Corea recalls. "To him, it was acollection of various drums in front of him, andhe would approach it the same way heapproached doing percussion. As a matter of fact,it seemed at first that he didn't know what to dowith the kick drum. So he approached it asanother drum that he might be playing with hishands. He might have had a different concept;but that's what it kind of looked like to me.

"So it was the freshness of his approach to thekit that I really loved a lot, and still do," Corea continues. "If Ipersonally were to put a set of drums together now to get seri-ous with, I don't think I would just put a standard kit together.I would want to choose individual drums and particular piecesof metal and wood, and string them together in a way thatwould give me the kind of sounds that I was directly interestedin. I like that kind of approach to drumming.

"Airto's whole rhythm feel and spirit as a musician is what Iremember fondly," Corea says, "and when we've played togeth-er recently, it's still there. Another thing I enjoy about workingwith Airto is that he's always open to new ideas—a new kind ofphrasing, a new kind of tune, or a different way to approachsomething. And he will always have some creative response toit, because improvisation seems to be the thing he thrives on.But I guess basically it was Airto's very enthusiastic spirit that Ireally liked."

When Airto and his wife, singer Flora Purim, left Return ToForever to start their own band, Lenny White became the nextdrummer to record with RTF. "Lenny is another great musi-cian that I remember for his enthusiasm with rhythm," Coreasays. "He and Stanley [Clarke] would lock up on a groove or aphrasing and deliver it with such gusto that it would just takeyou out of your chair. It was that performance verve of Lenny'sthat I always really dug. Plus, we shared a liking for bebop; weboth sort of came from that experience. Lenny worked with alot of bebop musicians and was playing with Joe Henderson

just prior to when I met him, so we brought a lotof that kind of feel over into the kind of morerocked-out rhythms we were doing with ReturnTo Forever. I thought it was an interesting, funbalance of style with Lenny."

That lineup of Corea, White, Clarke, and gui-tarist Al DiMeola was together long enough thaton the group's later albums, the music and themusicians seemed made for each other. What,specifically, did Corea take into account whenwriting for Lenny White? "I knew that I couldrely on him to create tremendous grooves andput tremendous power behind the phrasings Iwould write," Chick replies. "The way he'dinterpret a funk beat, for instance, or a Latinbeat, or even a straight-out jazz beat wouldalways have tinges of other things in it, which Iliked. We'd jump from one kind of rhythm toanother so smoothly; I knew that he had a likingfor doing that kind of thing. Plus, Lenny is a verycreative writer, too. "The Sorceress" on Roman-tic Warrior, for instance, is one of my favoritetunes on the record."

After the breakup of Return To Forever, Coreareleased a solo album called The Leprechaun. Fora lot of listeners, this was their first introductionto the man who would dominate drumming for

several years to come. "I had met Steve Gadd years beforewhen I did a week's work in Rochester with Chuck Mangione'sgroup," Corea recalls. "I had never heard a drummer with thekind of flexibility that Steve displayed on all the various kindsof tunes we were doing. We got to know each other pretty wellon that gig, and we tossed around ideas about different kinds ofstyles. At that time, Steve was like a blotter for new ideas. I sawhim formulating his style in great big chunks. From one nightto the next he'd try all these different things.

"After having had such a good experience with him on thatweek of playing, I asked him to join Return To Forever. Thiswas before I met Lenny; it was after Airto left. Steve was thefirst drummer in the new RTF—the one that we formed withBilly Connors. Mingo Lewis was also in that band. We did aseries of really tremendous gigs with that group. Steve andStanley hooked up in a great way. But I didn't get to work with

Stevie in the studio then, because he had decided to do someother things around that time. So Lenny became the drummerin RTF.

"But then later on," Corea says, "starting with The Lep-rechaun, I had some great experiences with Stevie in the stu-dio. He created such great drum parts to the pieces I wrote.He's one of the first drummers I worked with who had theability to recreate a complex rhythm that he had just impro-vised. He'd try out some things for a new tune that I'd bring in,and he'd find this rhythm, and then he'd duplicate it quickly. Ihad never seen a drummer do that before. I was used to playingwith jazz drummers who would constantly vary their beat, and

Chick's DrummersListed below are prominent drummers who have recorded withChick Corea, and some of the Corea albums on which they appear

Barry Altschul The Song Of Singing (Blue Note),Circle Pans Concert (ECM)

Airto Return To Forever (ECM), Light As A Feather (Polvdor)Lenny White Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy (Polydor),

No Mystery (Polydor), The Romantic Warrior (CBS)Steve Gadd The Leprechaun (Polydor), Friends (Polydor),

Three Quartets (Warner Bros )Roy Haynes Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (Solid State),

Trio Music (ECM)Tom Brechtlein Tap Step (Warner Bros ),

Again & Again (Elektra Musician)Dave Weckl Chick Coreo Elektric Band (GRP),

Chick Corea Akoustic Band (GRP), Inside Out (GRP)

aside from 'ching-a-ling, ching-a-ling' on the ride cymbal,there was nothing about any beat that was standardized. It keptvarying. Steve could create the most complex beat and thenduplicate it when that section came around again in the tune. Ithought that was staggering."

In an MD interview a few years back, Gadd said that Coreaused to give him a piano score to work from rather than a drumchart. "Yeah," Corea says. "I still do that with drummers. I dothat with Weckl. When you have a creative drummer, aside fromideas you may have about where you want the drums to start orstop—or certain ideas of texture that are best relayed in verballanguage rather than in notation—I like to have the drummerread the written score and create the drum part. I did that withSteve, rather than try to dictate phrasings that he would play.And I think it was really the best thing I could have done,because he would always come up with a better, more comfort-able phrasing than I could think of."

Another drummer that Corea remembers fondly is TomBrechtlein, who has appeared on a number of Chick's albums."Another guy with great enthusiasm in his playing," Corea says."I guess I like drummers who play enthusiastically. Brechtleinis definitely the most enthusiastic drummer I've played with.

He can light a fire under a soloist like no one I know. He justhas this surge in the rhythm he plays. We just did a littlerecording the other night with Patitucci and Eric Marienthal,and once again Brechtlein lit this fire under the soloists. It isalways great fun playing with Tommy."

Corea's first band project since Return To Forever is his cur-rent Elektric Band, along with its offshoot, the Akoustic Band.This is the vehicle that has given Dave Weckl the attention hedeserves and provided the perfect setting for his unique tal-ents. "Weckl's been my musical mate now for five years,"Chick says, "and he's more than a drummer. He's a composer,he's a bandleader, he's a sound engineer, he's an arranger.

He's quite a consummate musician who makes a mealout of perfection. But he doesn't forget about the waymusic feels. He always has the musicality of the songand the phrasing in mind. Besides his obvious drum-ming abilities, he has such an amazing command of theelements it takes to put a composition together and ofthe other instruments, that he's able to insert his drumbeats in very musical ways. Through the years, also,he's become a tremendous improvisor—especially withthe Akoustic Band, where we play a looser music, throwideas at one another, and create forms as we go. Wecklis a lot of fun to improvise with."

On Weckl's recent solo album, Masterplan, Coreawrote the title tune, which united Dave with SteveGadd. "When I wrote 'Masterplan,'" Corea says, "I justtried to create an interesting format that the two ofthem could get their teeth into. I wasn't sure exactlyhow they were going to piece it together; I didn't writeout a lot of notes for the drum parts. I wrote one phrase

towards the end of the piece that they both play in unison tobring them out of the drum solo and back into the ensemble,which I thought came out pretty good. But mainly I knew theywould get their hands on this score and just burn it up like theydid.

"It was interesting to watch how easily they complementedone another," Corea continues. "Rather than playing the samebeat, as soon as Steve would start a rhythm a particular way,Dave would immediately do the right thing by adding otherrhythms to it, rather than duplicating what Steve was doing.And then Steve did that with Dave. They really worked togetherso well. The admiration that flowed between the two of themwas just a wonderful thing to participate in. They have such arespect for one another. Dave acknowledges Steve as a mentor,and Steve's humility in acknowledging the prowess of ayounger drummer who learned from his style was inspiring.The spirit of playfulness they had in creating with each otherwas just totally a blow-out. They should do more of it."

Asked if there are any drummers that he has wanted to playwith but hasn't, Corea responds, "A drummer whose abilities Ireally admire, and who I actually have played with a little bit, isVinnie Colaiuta. I met him through Patitucci, and a couple of

times when Weckl was busy doing something else, Vinnie camein and worked with the trio. He's another unique madman. Hemakes any kind of rhythm sound fluid, even very boxy, funky,rock rhythms. It was an instant joy playing with Vinnie. He's avery talented composer, too. I heard some of the stuff he'swritten recently, and I think he plans on doing an album of hisown sometime."

Suppose Chick Corea needed a drummer and held openauditions. Is there any advice he could offer to the potentialauditionees? "All advice is cheap; that's my first advice," Chicksays, laughing. "Really, the thing that I look for, and the qualitythat I think we are all looking for that communicates, is one'sown certainty in what he does. And no one can give you that.It's yours, you just have to take it. It's your own honest estima-tion of what you can do. All of that other cheap advice aboutpractice is not untrue, it's just that it's so much less importantthan one's own happiness with oneself and confidence in one'sown creative abilities. When I work with other musicians, Ireally don't like to work with people who are only there to takeorders and to do whatever anyone wants them to do. I loveworking with musicians who have their own firm ideas aboutthe way they like music to sound. Through a real openness, ifthey like the way I compose and the way I play, and I like theway they play and create, then we're going to find commonground, that's for sure."

Portraits In Rhythm:Etude #24

by Anthony J. Cirone

Photo by

Greg To

lond

This etude is entitled "Sonatina" and is defined as the largest two-part musical construction. Simply, it means the work is divided intotwo main sections. The first section begins with an exposition (orprimary theme), moves through a "bridge-like" transition into asecondary theme (in a different key), then concludes with a coda.The second section begins in the original key with a recapitulationof the opening theme. A transitory passage leads into the secondarytheme, also in the original key. The ending may or may not have acoda.

Now let's look at Etude #24 to see how this form fits. Theopening theme consists of the first four measures with the sixth,seventh, and eighth measures functioning as the transition into thesecondary theme. Remember that in Etude #23, instead of chang-ing the key signature, the time signature was changed. Therefore,the second theme is in the new time signature of 3/8. This secondtheme begins in line 4 and consists of 12 measures. The lastmeasure of line 5 begins the short coda, and the first section endsat the fermata in line 6.

The second section begins at the double bar in line 6, and simplyrestates the opening theme. This time the transition into the sec-ond theme consists of seven measures, beginning in line 8, meas-ure 2, with a series of 16th notes in mixed-meter.

The second theme returns in line 9, measure 5. But this time it'swritten in 5/4 instead of 3/8. This is to simulate the original form ofthe sonatina, where the second theme returns in the original key. Inthis case, the original key (or time signature) is 5/4. The secondtheme is extended a bit from the original statement, then leads intothe final coda and takes on the rhythm of a typical classical ending.

Observations

1. Instead of a tempo-marking indication such as allegro oradagio, this etude uses the form name as an indication. This hap-pens from time to time, and we aren't given any clues to help us inour interpretation. The metronome marking of quarter note = 88indicates the speed, but nothing helps with the character. Since thesonatina is a traditional classical form, I suggest a straightforward,accurate reading of the dynamics with phrasing over each full meas-ure.

2. The proper way to count the mixed-meter measures in line 8,measure 2, is as follows:

1 2

3. In the section where the second theme comes back in theoriginal time signature (line 9, measure 4), the phrasing changesconsiderably. When this theme was in 3/8, each group of three 8thnotes was phrased. Now that it is written in 5/4, each group of two8th notes is phrased.

Interpretations

1. The first two quarter-note rolls are untied, and each one hasan accent. Be sure to separate the rolls without articulating the endof each roll with a stroke.

2. The second beat of measure 2 begins with a short roll. This isnot a 32nd-note indication. As I have mentioned, all notes withthree bars are to be executed as rolls unless they have dots toindicate abbreviated notes.

3. The transition in the third line, at the 3/8, presents a problem Ihave mentioned quite often. That is, when triplets are writtenalong with dotted notes, be sure the dotted notes are played on theshort side in order to avoid any feeling of a triplet.

4. The fermata on the roll at the double bar in line 6 indicatesthat the roll should be held. Since there is no rest after this note,nor a fermata on the double bar line, there should not be any rest orsilence after the roll. At the end of the fermata, simply take a breathbetween the two rolls, then continue.

5. Line 9, measure 2 begins a series of 16th notes in a mixedmeter. Phrase both groups of notes in the 2/4 measure—not justthe full measure. I treat this measure as though it is two 1/4 meas-ures. This way, all the groups of 16th notes are phrased alike.

RF: Has there been an artist that you'veworked with where you have gotten toutilize it more ?JM: Cameo. I used it on the first tour Idid with them in '82, and I got a chanceto explore it a little more. In '86 I used itwith Jermaine, but not as extensively.RF: During those three months whenyou concentrated on it, what specificallydid you do?JM: I just tried to recreate the basic fig-

ures that everybody else was doing. FirstI began to get the balance and control ofit, which was the main thing. Then I gotmore into incorporating it into therhythm patterns, figuring out which beator what leg to lead off with to get a cer-tain effect, hitting them simultaneously,using them in a pattern like you over-dubbed another kick drum.... One thingabout double bass drum, though, wasthat I didn't want it to become a crutch,because I had learned so much on thesingle bass drum. I didn't want to get too

locked into the double bass and get myright leg lazy.RF: With Madonna you're using the dou-ble pedal, aren't you?JM: No, single pedal. I've never used thedouble pedal, ever, for the same reason. Ididn't want it to become a crutch.RF: You must have been using somepretty fancy footwork, because live it suresounds like you have a double pedal inplaces.JM: The main thing I do is pull off withone foot what most people do with thedouble bass.RF: What do you mean by that? What doyou do on the single bass that soundslike double bass?JM: In actuality, I just do things I feel.Figure-wise, they turn out to be doubles,singles, triples, and in some cases, 32ndnotes when I rush the figure. I have tofeel those things first, and then I knowhow to recreate them. If I hear them inmy head, then I can feel what they mightbe like to play.RF: When you're playing 32nd notes,how many are you playing in a row?JM: I've never actually counted. It'smore of a feeling expressed, and theactual figure is like taking a triplet or afour-beat ruff and rushing it. In otherwords, it would be like quantizing on adrum machine. If you quantize a patternwith 8th notes or you play the 16th-notefigure, you quantize it to a triplet. Youchange the feel and the timing of the waythe notes are played. You take that 16thnote and change the count of it to a 32ndnote. If I wanted to do a three-beat ruff, Iwould wait a little longer than normaland then rush the beat. Also, when I dothat, I can get more beats in therebecause I'm rushing the figure. That'spart of the technique, sort of manuallyquantizing the beat by how long you waitto hit the figure.RF: Our last interview left off at the Vic-tory tour. There was a lot of choreogra-phy in that show. Who did you have towatch on stage?JM: I watched them all, but mainlyMichael. For me it was easy because Ibecame professional working with them,so I already knew their styles. I couldsense what they were going to do—theirmovements. Michael was pretty amazing,though, because every time I thought I

knew everything he did, he'd come upwith something so fantastic, it would justblow my mind. For the most part, I couldsense what he was going to do or whatsound effect I should use as an accent tomake that look good. If I didn't sense it, Ionly had to see it one time, and I wouldknow how to make that effective. If hedid a real fast spin, stopped on a dime,and threw his fist up, I knew what to do.RF: Like what?JM: I would hit the kick and the snareand catch the cymbal at the same time,or hit the kick, the snare, and a very, veryquick open hi-hat—real precise, right onhis stop. The same thing with the otherbrothers. I watched them also, so if theydid something as a group, I would accentthat.RF: What were some of your favoritethings to play?JM: I like "Wanna Be Startin' Some-thin'" because of the intricate kick drumpattern, much like I was used to playingyears ago. There are some accents inthere that I like. I love "HeartbreakHotel" because I love the song. It has agreat feel. And "Lovely One" has a realnice syncopated hi-hat figure that'sincorporated in it. Those are the onesthat stand out in my mind.RF: What do you like to have in yourmonitors?JM: The mix I like to have in my moni-tors is really the same with everyartist—the drums predominant, the bassjust a hair under that, then the vocals,and then the layering of keyboards. Ifthere are two keyboardists, I have themat the same volume. Then I have guitars,and then percussion. I have the percus-sionist last because I'm concentrating onthe main figure that I'm doing, and Ihave to get the marriage between thedrums and the bass.

I bring my own monitor system so thatI'm totally self-sufficient. My philosophyis if I work for whatever artist, I have tohave my sound every time. Every artisthas their own company they hire andevery tour has a different sound. Theygive you what you ask for, but as far asEQing and all that, they can't get pre-cisely what you want all the time, nor canthey pay that much attention to you. So afew years back I invested in my own sys-tem. I use the Bag End speakers, manu-factured by Modular Sound, and they're

really efficient. They blow a lot of air, butthey move me. I don't like volume somuch as feeling the presence of it hittingmy body, like it's wrapped around melike a blanket of sound.RF: Is there a tech offstage?JM: Yes. On this last Madonna tour, wehad no communication other than aDauz pad I had right under the hi-hatwith his sampled voice saying, "You'reneeded on stage." Everything was underthe stage, so they couldn't see us. My guyhad headphones on and controlled mybig monitor console.

RF: We mentioned percussion earlier,and I know that with Madonna youworked with Luis Conte. What do youexpect from the drummer/percussionistrelationship?JM: When I do listen to him—in seg-ments of the songs where my mind is notpreoccupied with what the artist isdoing—I want to be able to complementhim and sometimes do something thatinspires him to complement what I'mdoing. So we play with and off of eachother.RF: Can that be improvisational within

the structured concept of Madonna?JM: Yes it can. Most of what Luis and Ido is improvisational. If we really like afigure, we'll do the same thing somenights, but we don't say, "We're going todo this here every night." We never dis-cuss it, we just sense that it's right. Butmost of the time we feel things as we go,which keeps it interesting for both of uson a tour like that, where the drums aremainly a time-keeping pulse and thepower source for the musicians on stage.The band is only as strong as the energy

the drummer has.RF: After the Victory tour, what did youdo?JM: Madonna in '85. She had seen meon the Victory tour, and she wanted myservices.RF: That must have been very differentmusically back then. How has thatchanged throughout the tours?JM: When I first started working withher, musically it was different, but Ifound out that she had tremendousenergy and drive, which really no one

knew at that point because no one hadseen her live yet. She had had a couple ofhit records out, but nobody really knewwhat they were in for. I almost didn'taccept the tour because I wasn't sure ifthe music was in line with what I wantedto do. But my other mind told me to giveit a chance, to find out for myself beforeI made a prejudgment.RF: What didn't you think was right foryou?JM: The style of the music. I had heardher few songs and I thought they werenice, but they weren't what I envisionedmyself playing. But then I had a conver-sation with my other mind that said,"Why can't you make it more you? Why,when you get in there, can't you add yourelement of playing? When you do that, itmay become enjoyable."RF: What did the music require of youback then, and how did you put yourselfinto it?JM: In her music I was allowed a littlemore freedom, and that's what made iteven more exciting for me. I can play therhythms on the record, but she wantedme to be more expressive. She wantedthe music to grow from record to live.Also, I didn't have to audition, but whileshe was auditioning the other musicians,I got to see that there was more to thiswoman than most people had ever imag-ined.RF: As she became more popular, howdid it alter for you?JM: I was involved with the True Bluealbum, so by the second tour I got to playon things that I played on in the studio,as opposed to just recreating and inter-preting what someone else had done onthe drum machine. Before, all herrecords had been drum machine. Someof the stuff on the third album was drummachine, but most of it was live drums,so it grew in that sense. That was funand exciting for me to do, because forthe most part with the artists I hadworked with, the records were alreadydone.RF: What about playing huge arenas andstadiums? How do you have to compen-sate with your playing?JM: There is no compensation. When Iplay a small venue, I'm going to play as ifit were Wembley Stadium, and when Iplay a large venue, I'm playing the same

way.RF: Don't you worry that some of thesubtleties get lost?JM: To me, that doesn't mean Ishouldn't do them. It's up to the soundengineer to make them audible. I don'tever cut back on anything, whether ornot it's lost out in the audience; I play itanyway. Even if those things aren't heardout front, they add to the feeling of whatI'm playing. So why take them out? Itpropels me more, which propels theband more, which helps the whole show.RF: Between Madonna tours was Jer-maine?JM: Right, in '86, and I was the musicaldirector. That ended up being a four-month rehearsal and a three-month tour.As musical director, I put the bandtogether, worked with the arrangements,and worked with Jermaine on the selec-tion of songs and the order. I had anassistant, Denzil Miller. Not being apiano player myself, I had to hire some-one who knew chords and music, so weworked hand in hand with Jermaine.RF: The tempos from one song toanother during those shows changeddrastically—in some of the arrange-ments of medleys, for instance. Did youuse any kind of click to help guide that?JM: On Jermaine's tour I didn't use any-thing; I was the time source. I had toknow where it was every night. I learnthe songs as if they're my ownrecords—the tempo, the mood of thesong, the feel, the character—and inmost cases, the tempo is a little more uplive than on the record. When werehearse, I lock into my subconsciousthe feel and time that is different fromthe record. By playing with authority, Icontrol the band; I bring them to where Iwant them to be. I believe the drummercontrols the band for the artist. I playreal hard, and when I hit a stop, I hit it asif we're supposed to stop, with authorityand power and accuracy. I try to play as ifI were a drum machine, with every beatas strong as the one before, and with thatkind of accuracy. It's the same thingwhen tempos change. If you connectedtwo patterns at different tempos on adrum machine, the first hits precisely onthe break, and then it goes right to thenext tempo. I try to think like that.RF: What click did you use on the

Madonna tours?JM: I played with a computer or drummachine click on all three Madonnatours, but the rest of the tours I've done,we didn't use anything.RF: Why did you use it with Madonna?JM: Everything that can be played live isplayed live. But in order to keep thatright, we have to use clicks. There aremore keyboard parts than the keyboardplayers can cover, so they have to pro-gram some of those. And if there are alot of percussion parts that Luis can't

play because he's playing congas, wehave to sequence those.RF: After Jermaine was Cameo. I wouldthink that would be a freer situation thanmost for you.JM: It was free to some extent, but youmust remember, in Cameo I'm workingfor another drummer. Drummers arevery meticulous about drum beats, andLarry [Blackmon] knows exactly what hewants. But he still allows me freedom.He had told me that we think prettymuch alike and that I sense the way he

would play it, and I felt good that he saidthat. But Larry really is a stickler ondrum parts, and exceptionally so inregards to time. I've done three tourswith them, and it's one of the honors ofmy career to have been asked back byanother drummer such as himself.RF: There was another Madonna tour,and then you did Elton John. How didthat come about for you?JM: I got a call from a very dear friend ofmine, Gretta Walsh, who has sincepassed away. She was a travel agent Iknew since my first days with the Jack-

sons. She handled them, Lionel Richie,and a lot of other people. She knew I hadjust missed Michael's tour by being outwith Madonna, and she knew I was avail-able. Elton and Davey Johnstone, Elton'smusical director and guitarist, had saidthey had been following my career, andin some way my name came up with her.She called me and said, "You won'tbelieve this, but Elton John wants you toplay drums for him." My eyes lit upbecause I have always been a fan of his. Ilove his music and always loved the wayhe liked to have fun with music and

entertainment. He was always the kind ofartist who would put himself out on alimb and take chances and wear enter-taining costumes. When she told methat, I jumped at the chance. DaveyJohnstone called me immediately, webriefly discussed business, and Eltontold him to tell me he would be honoredif I would play with him. I said I would behonored to work with him.RF: What do you do in preparation for agig like that?JM: I do my homework. I get the tapes.For Elton, we learned 40 songs. I listento what's there; I don't go by what Iremember from years ago. I learned theattitude Nigel Olsson had, the feeling,and, of course, the patterns and his style.I tried to become Nigel as much as Icould without losing myself. Then I addmyself to that, because Elton told us hedidn't want us to play exactly what wasthere; he wanted us to be us.RF: How did you differ from Nigel?JM: I used my intensity, my energy, andmy drive. Nigel is a great drummer, andhe has a style, but it's more of a flowingstyle. I put my aggression into the music.I put more cymbal colorations into it. Iused a few syncopated rhythms with thekick drum and the snare. And I used a lotof accents and dynamics in breaking asong down live. I'd hit a big snare flamwith the kick drum or hit the snare, cym-bals, and kick to bring it down and makeit more dynamic.RF: That music was a little different foryou. You did a lot of cymbal stuff andplaying up top, as opposed to heavy bassdrum.JM: Well, the bass drum was there, butthe mix was different. In that type ofmusic the kick drum just doesn't have asmuch of a point or spike on it; it's morerounded, and a lot of times it's mixed alittle further back. But as you said, I didhave more top-ended things at the sametime. I love cymbals and colorations ofcymbals, and I also use cymbals to drivethe band, for downbeats, for accents....So with a combination of all those uses,you hear more cymbals. It really wasn'tthat different for me, because I grew upplaying rock music, but I've never reallyhad the opportunity to play it on thatscale.RF: Then you did his album SleepingWith The Past, which is unusual for an

artist to do. Madonna had you play onher album as well, but usually there is adistinction made between the roaddrummer and the studio drummer.JM: You're right. Usually you're stereo-typed. One of my goals was to break thatbarrier.RF: Did you ask up front that the albumbe part of the deal?JM: I never ask for anything. I was neververy good at being pushy or aggressive.I've been very fortunate that everythinghas just come to me. I got on theirrecords because they wanted me to be onthem. I have felt I could do the records attimes when I wasn't asked to do therecords, so I was hurt or disappointed,but I never asked. I was thrilled to doElton's record, though. We did it in Den-mark. He flew us all over and put us upfor two months. We came home for theChristmas holidays and then went backin early January for another two months.RF: You are very much a family man, butyou're away from home so much. Is thatdifficult?JM: It's very difficult to take, but thereare a lot of things in life that are difficultto take. The old Fuller brush man had tobe away from home selling brushesacross the country, and I'm sure hedidn't want to be away from his family.But it was his job, and he needed to sup-port his family and himself.RF: How do you compensate for that? Isit just major phone bills?JM: Major phone bills. I help supportthe telephone company. They love me. Ialso compensate with the kids by bring-ing a lot of goodies home for them.RF: Would you like to establish more of arecording career in town?JM: Yes I would, but one reason it'sbeen difficult is probably that I don'tread music, and for movie dates and jin-gle dates, that's necessary. I get called onmore and more record dates, and peopleare aware that I don't read, so they giveme a tape. I have a knack for learningreal quick. But I don't get a lot of callsbecause a lot of people think I'm out oftown all the time. It's not easy gettinginto the recording circuit, but I'm stillchipping away at it.RF: You also write.JM: And I produce and sing. I actuallydid backup vocals on a song that I wrotefor the movie Coming To America, "All

Dressed Up," and I did some back-ground vocals on Madonna's record. Ialso did some background vocals livewhen I played with Patti Austin, althoughI'm not as well-versed at singing andplaying. I'm developing myself as a vocalartist right now. I will always be a drum-mer, but I would like to diversify.RF: To be specific about drums for amoment, how has your equipmentchanged through the years?JM: Not greatly since '84. The tom con-figurations change occasionally. I'lleither use three rack toms or four. On

the Victory tour I had a seven-piece racktom configuration, which is the biggestit's ever been, with five up front and oneover each floor tom. I always use twofloor toms. The kick drum, for the mostpart, has been one 24" kick, except onthe Victory tour, Jermaine's tour, andone Cameo tour, where I used two bassdrums. My cymbal setup may changefrom time to time.RF: Where do you stand with electron-ics?JM: I like it to enhance, but I alwayskeep the acoustic predominant. I use the

ddrum system and the Akai S1000.RF: What about the aspect of showman-ship that you seem to be interested in? Isthat something you've worked onthrough the years?JM: It was something I always felt natu-ral about. My philosophy has always beenthat when people go to a live show, theypay to see as well as hear, otherwise theycould just put the record on. I always feltI wanted to be part of whatever produc-tion was going on. Also, I always like tohave fun. I like to take chances. I like todo the simplest rhythm the hardest way,

to make it interesting and challenging.Can I come from way over at the right,back to the left within half a beat, orcatch the cymbal across town and notstop the rhythm? I was always into thosekinds of visually colorful things. I think itadds to the excitement of the show, sothat's part of what they get when theypay me to work with them.RF: You've had some incredible gigsthrough your talent and good fortune,but you have been a sideman.JM: I can accept that. I look at what I doin a real sense. I don't lie to myself. I love

what I do and I know what I do is impor-tant to the music. I don't take the situa-tions I've been in for granted; I appreci-ate them to the fullest. But I know theboundaries, I know who is out front. Idefinitely know who makes the mostmoney. [laughs] I know who the greaterbulk of the people at that concert cometo see and are screaming for. If one per-son is out there calling my name, I feelgreat. If nobody is out there calling myname, I still feel great because I lovewhat I do. I know I'm a sideman, and Idon't feel bad at all.

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without them for only so long, and then you have to involveyourself with them. Not having the band to play in, my balancewas screwed up. And that's not a good thing to happen to any-one.RS: Now that you're back together after such a long absence,there's a whole new generation of Allman Brothers Band fansout there that doesn't remember the early days simply becausethey're too young. But one of the things they have picked up onand especially like is the concept of two drummers. In youropinion, why haven't other bands in pop music adopted a two-drummer rhythm section?BT: Probably because there aren't a whole lot of drummersthat can play together. This type of music generates a lot ofvery big egos. You have to have people who are musiciansinstead of personalities. They have to be interested in playingmusic rather than padding their own nest. When two drum-mers sit down to play together, it usually turns into a competi-tive thing. "I'm better than you are, so I'm going to play more."We had this kid who used to play timbales with us, and he'dplay twice as much as me and Jaimoe put together. He was loudand constant and sounded like a goddamn machine gun.RS: How did the double drummer legacy begin in the AllmanBrothers Band?BT: Back when Duane came to Jacksonville to put together aband, he came with Jaimoe. Originally it was going to be a trio:Duane on guitar, Berry Oakley on bass, and Jaimoe on drums.

They were going to call it the Duane All-man Band. They came to Jacksonville,and we just started jamming. It didn'ttake us long to realize that we had some-thing going on that was real special. Oneday we were over at the big old houseBerry and Dicky had. We started jam-ming—Berry, Dicky, Duane, me, Jaimoe,and Reece Wyans, who was with StevieRay Vaughan's Double Trouble. We start-ed this shuffle that went to a slow blues,then to a 3/4, and then to a funky thing.This jam lasted a couple of hours; wejust kept playing. I mean the stuff wasflyin'! You'd get chill bumps up anddown your back one minute, you'd becrying the next—at least I was. I wasfeeling things that I never before feltbehind the drums.

When we finally finished I looked overat Jaimoe and said, "Man, did you get offon that?" He had this grin that wentfrom ear to ear and said, "Yeah." Duanewent to the door and said, "Anybody inthis room who's not going to play in myband is gonna have to fight his way out ofhere." It was something that just hap-pened. Me and Jaimoe, right from the

beginning, began doing things on thedrums that we had never done before.We were pushing everybody who wasplaying with us to much greater heights.And that's just the way it's been eversince.RS: There wasn't any competition thatsurfaced during that first sessionbetween you and Jaimoe?BT: No, not with me. From my vantagepoint, Jaimoe was already in Duane'sband. It wasn't like we were both audi-tioning or anything. There wasn't anypressure to play better or play more oranything like that. Whatever happenednext was just natural.Jaimoe: Now, I'm coming from a differ-ent viewpoint. When I went to meet withDuane in Alabama before this wholeJacksonville thing went down, he told mehe wanted to have two drummers in theband. He said, "Man, James Brown hastwo drummers. I want two drummers."

At the time I was with this guy, TedTaylor. We had about three dates withJames Brown, and James had five drum-mers. He had four drumsets up there onthe stage. There was one drummer who

played about 90% of the material. Andthen the other drummers would play oncertain things. But what amazed me isthat they didn't play together. One guywould play one song and another guywould play another song. If there weretwo drummers playing on stage, onewould be playing a tambourine. Icouldn't believe that. I mean, I used toplay on stage with two drummers as farback as high school. We used to set uptwo drumsets on the football field andhave these drum battles.

Later on, when I was in Otis Red-ding's band and Joe Tex's band, therewere two drummers. It seems like havinganother drummer in the band I was play-ing in was my calling. I started making aliving as a drummer in 1965. But it tookfour years to find my partner. Butch andI started playing together in 1969, andthat was it. I was finally home.RS: You obviously haven't lost that inti-macy and deep understanding in therecording of Seven Turns. When you twowent into the studio to begin recordingthe album, was there any talk about whatwas going to be played and who was

going to play it?BT: We definitely decided to go back todoing things the way we had done themoriginally. We spent a month in Nashvillerehearsing. During rehearsals new songswould be introduced. Whoever wasresponsible for the song would comeinto the studio and play it for the rest ofthe band. We'd listen and then react toit, playing things that we thought shouldmake up the song. Basically ourapproach has always been to search outthe right feel, the one that's going tomake the song go. You've got to remem-ber that we've never been big on over-dubs or any of that studio stuff. We'd setup, play, and record. We'd do it all live.There was very little overdubbing. Eventhe solos were played live with the track.But that's where the communicationcomes from. You can't communicatewith a tape. Playing music is like a con-versation. You've got to have both sidestalking, or else nothing is said. And itworked. I think this record is the beststudio record we've ever made.RS: How do the two of you make surethat what you play on the drums isn't

busy or too full?BT: We just listen. We don't talk about it.When we're first working up a song wemight say something like, "Well, in thispart of the song I'll play the 2 and 4 andyou play the 3." Other than that, it's amatter of being a musician rather thanjust a drummer. You listen to the songand to all the parts and how they fit, andyou make sure you communicate—notonly with your partner, but also with thebass player. I try, for instance, to alwayshave my bass drum follow the bass asmuch as possible. But Jaimoe and I, wedon't work out parts. Essentially we playwhat we want to play. Hopefully what wewant to play is what's going to work.RS: But don't you ever find that you're ineach other's way? And if you do, how doyou get out of it?BT: We quit doing it. [laughs] Seriously,I don't ever notice myself getting inJaimoe's way or vice versa. It's like asixth sense we've both developed overthe years. I intuitively have a feel for whatJaimoe's going to be playing. I mean, I'llthink to myself: "I'll play a fi l l herebecause I know he won't," he'll think the

same thing. But maybe "think" isn't theright word. You can't "think" aboutsomething like this. It has to be intuitive.I'm sure of that. The music is going toofast. It's like having an in-depth conver-sation with somebody. It just flows. Youstart thinking about what you're saying,and all of a sudden you've got gaps in thedialogue.RS: One of my favorite songs on thealbum is "Low Down Dirty Mean." I lovethe way you two handle those shiftingrhythms. It's done with such subtlety.BT: That was a fun song to record,although it took us a while to develop it.Dicky and Johnny wrote that song almostas a goof. The song was around a year orso before the band got together again.But it's a good one; it has that John LeeHooker kind of feel. But the feeling wasthat we didn't want to do another"Hoochie Coochie Man." Dicky andJohnny finally fleshed it out by giving it afunky feel. The problem was that theverse with "low down dirty mean" in itdidn't work in that feel. Somehow onenight we came up with the idea to kick itback into the shuffle when we get to that

verse. That's a fun song to play live.RS: I think the most impressive song onthe album, performance-wise, is "TrueGravity." It kind of reminds me of amodern day "In Memory Of ElizabethReed."BT: That song evolved because Dickyhad been listening to a lot of OrnetteColeman. He developed a concept forthe song. Actually, "True Gravity" mightbe the first song we ever did that devel-oped out of a concept rather than amelodic idea or a jam. Dicky wanted arolling bass and real rhythmic drums,and he put a long melody on top of them.There were like three different layers ofrhythm going on at the same time. Dickywould sit around talking to us about thesong.

Dicky doesn't write with theory inmind. He keeps threatening to take somemusic theory courses. I always say,"Dicky don't, man. Don't ever getinvolved with that stuff, because half ofwhat you write, theoretically, shouldn'twork." I mean, he's got these time signa-tures that go from 11 to 5 to 6 to 7. Youstart thinking theoretically and all of a

sudden you start making everything 4/4and you lose the quality of your songs.

But Dicky would get real particular asto how he felt "True Gravity" ought tosound. Basically, it's the old "MountainJam" pattern. It was going back to a veryfamiliar pattern, but with lots of contem-porary ideas put in—15 years of newlicks and knowing each other better.RS: "True Gravity" is one of those songsthat lends itself to a drum solo, or, in theAllmans' case, drum solos. Yet, fewdrummers these days really solo. Youguys still do. Is there a chance that mightdate your drum style?BT: Hell no! Jaimoe, do you feel out ofplace doing those drum solos in concert?Jaimoe: No, but I do wish we'd solo ear-lier in the show, maybe like during thesixth song or something.BT: Are you kidding?Jaimoe: No. It'd be easier for me. Atleast I'd have the chops to play the rest ofthe songs. Think about it. We play"Whipping Post" and "Jessica." Thoseare two of the songs that will ring thewater out of anybody. Those two songskill me. But I want to do them justice.

BT: I don't know about that, but I doknow that we've been doing drum solossince we started. It goes back to what wewere discussing before about doingthings the way we used to do them. Notplaying solos would be like making loveand not kissing. Solos are fun to play, andthey seem to be one of the highlights ofthe evening for the fans, if you considerthe reaction we get when we play them.There are things Jaimoe and I do duringthe solos that really get the crowd going.RT: Like what? Can you be specific?BT: Well, it has to do with the way we setthe whole thing up. I'll play a solo, andit'll be okay. Then Jaimoe will play a solo,and it'll be okay. Drum solos are a littlelike masturbation, which is okay, too. Butthen we start soloing together. We tradefours and build up and get things reallyrolling—and then cut it off, just like that.We'll reach that climax point, and thenzap! We'll just cut it off. And the crowdgoes nuts.RS: How much of your solos are, shallwe say, pre-planned?BT: I just let them happen. For years andyears I'd get into a feel or basic pattern

and then be scared to change it. But I'm starting to get to thepoint that I'm able to turn it loose, to play a little freer with therhythms and toy with new concepts. Jaimoe's always been ableto turn it loose. Boy, he goes this way and that way, and it alwaysseems to work.RS: Is the Allmans' live set strategically structured with youtwo in mind?BT: I think so. The way the set is structured we're able to dothe opening couple of tunes and then "Statesboro Blues" andthen "Blue Sky." "Blue Sky" is a killer; it just drains me. Butthen we come out of that and play "Low Down Dirty Mean,"where you can sit back and cruise. You don't have to put all thatenergy into it.RS: The Allman Brothers Band is often thought of as one ofthe quintessential American bands, simply because youembody jazz, country, soul, rhythm & blues, gospel, early rock'n' roll—American music.BT: There's a lot more jazz in our music than people realize.RS: Where did the Allman Brothers develop this passion forjazz?BT: Jaimoe brought it in.Jaimoe: What we've been doing ain't no different than whatBenny Goodman was doing in the '30s. And in this framework,I'm playing closer to everything that I've ever dealt with in mylife. This band is the greatest outlet for my musical feelingsbecause it allows me to express everything that I've felt. I'venever played in no jazz band.BT: See, it wasn't so much the playing, it was the influence.

When we first started playing togetherwe'd have these long jams. The jams, inthe beginning, were built from songs like"Hey Joe." But within two weeks, Jaimoeturned us on to Miles Davis and JohnColtrane, and that's about all we listenedto for a long time. We didn't listen to anyrock 'n' roll at all. That had a big impacton us; we started getting a little morecomplex. We started experimenting withrhythms and melodies. Dicky lovesOrnette Coleman. Actually, we've beentrying to set up a situation in which wecan jam with him. We even wanted to dosome touring with him. Dicky wantedhim to play on "True Gravity." Unfortu-nately, that never materialized.RS: Are there any jazz drummers thateither of you listen to for inspiration?BT: As a kid I listened to too much JoeMorello. I had to get over that. Thenthere was Elvin Jones and Billy Cobham.Billy's awe-inspiring. We did some tourswith the Mahavishnu Orchestra, andGod, it was hard to get on stage afterthey were through playing. It used to pissme off because the crowd would boo

them. Good gracious, they were good.RS: Looking at the Allman BrothersBand in a broader perspective and goingback to what you said earlier, Butch,about being the band the Allmans oncewas—is there a chance of looking backtoo much? One or two critics have saidthat the Allmans are in a time warp.BT: That's their problem, that's not ourproblem. That's asinine. Look atBeethoven. He came up with a new wayof expressing himself in music. But itwas pretty much the same after that. Hedid it for 40 or 50 years. He did it betterand better, but it was still Beethoven.The Allman Brothers Band came up witha form of music that is uniquely our own.Nobody else plays music quite like wedo. It would be ridiculous to say thatwe've got to re-invent the wheel everyfive years. The music that we play is thebest music that we can pull out of our-selves. If we try to do or play anythingelse, it just doesn't work.

More Variations On Stick Control:Part 2

by Joe MorelloTranscribed by Keith Necessary

The following exercises are variations of the exercises from pages 6and 7 of George Lawrence Stone's Stick Control. Each exerciserhythmically changes each single 8th note into alternating 8th-notetriplets. When there are two or more 8th notes, they also changeinto 8th-note triplets.

For every right there will be three rights, and for every left therewill be three lefts. After mastering this, change each double 8thnote into alternating 16th-note triplets. (It's easier than it sounds.)

Start slowly. Set the metronome at about 100 to the quarter note.The author can play it at 186. Play each exercise about ten to twentytimes until you feel you have good control of each one.

Play all exercises without accents first. Make sure each sticksounds the same, as though the exercise is being played with onehand. Next try adding accents to the first beat of each triplet. Playeach accented note at all volume levels. Try everything from ex-tremely soft (ppp) to extremely loud (fff).

Finally, try to accent the last note of each triplet grouping. Re-

member to stay relaxed, and don't increase the tempo until youhave control with and without the accents.

Other Ways To Practice The Exercises

1. Play all the exercises with brushes. Playing with brushes is agreat exercise for wrists and fingers. It will help a great deal todevelop the muscles and reflexes and will improve your controlwith sticks.

2. Try the exercises with your feet using double bass drums or adouble pedal.

3. Play accented exercises at the drumset. Play unaccented noteson the snare drum or hi-hat, accented notes on the toms or cymbal/bass drum combinations. Use your imagination. These exerciseswill help your control, endurance, and speed. Using them on thedrumset will expand your flexibility and your musical vocabulary.

Example 1 (exercise 40 from page 6)

becomes:

then becomes:

Pho

to b

y Ri

ck M

attin

gly

Example 2 (exercise 70 from page 7)

becomes:

then becomes:

If you have any questions, you can contact Joe through Modern Drummer.

a music degree, but they make you takeall these academic courses, and I didn'twant that. I just wanted music classes.And you had to take ear training and allthat, which was kind of hard for me.RF: So you went on the road. Was it anall-girl band?RP: We started with an all-girl band, butas soon as we said we wanted to go onthe road, they quit, so we hired two guys.We built a name around Detroit while Iwas still at school, and eventually startedworking all over the states. My boyfriend,Bret Kaiser, was in the band at the time.He was the singer. That was Madame XWe worked for four years straight.

That's the only way I learned how toplay. That's where I got my callouses,and that's where I learned my roadchops. And you learn how to relate topeople on the road. After the show we'dgo out and talk to everybody and seewhere their heads were at, what theywanted to hear, what they thought of theband. You have to play live. It's a must.RF: How did the record deal comeabout?RP: We played the Troubadour and DonArden of Jet Records was there, and hisfirst words were, "I'm going to make youguys stars." [laughs] He genuinely lovedthe band, but we were young and wewere a victim of circumstance. When themanagement didn't work, we shouldhave just moved on.

We made one album, We Reserve TheRight, but to this day I don't know whathappened. All I know is we came backfrom England to nothing. So we were inlimbo. Bret was the first one to leave togo play with his brother, and I went backto Detroit to figure things out, which iswhen Vixen sent me a tape. I thought, "Idon't want to be in an all-girl band," butthe songs were good, and Janet's [Gard-ner] voice was really good. That's reallywhat attracted me to it. It was in '84when they sent me the tape, and '85when I joined. Even though I didn't wantto be in an all-girl band, when they sentme the tape, I thought, "What am I doingnow anyway? I'll just go back to LA andrehearse, just so I can play." So I went,and they were really cool. It wasn't like abunch of kids going, "Yeah, let's rock 'n'

roll." They had their personal livestogether outside of the band, whichmakes a difference.

So we began to work together, andthey really liked me, and I really likedthem. It felt right, although I thought,"We need a lot of work." It was way dif-ferent from Madame X It was very song-oriented.RF: What did each situation demand ofyou as a player?RP: Madame X demanded me to be hardand heavy and fast, which I'm glad about,because now I can play hard. I playeduntil my hands bled with Madame X.Then when I rehearsed with Vixen, Icouldn't even hear Jan [Kuehnemund,lead guitar]. I was going, "Wait a minuteguys, this is too wimpy, we've got tocrank it up." They just looked at me andwent, "Okay, she just came fromMadame X, this is understandable." Ilearned to adapt to what they were,which was very melodic rock.RF: What does that mean as a player?RP: It means I had to listen to what theywere playing. Jan would do a solo andshe'd stop and say, "Do you have to playso many fills while I'm soloing?" I wasvery open-minded, because I really feltthat I didn't understand. Now I'velearned taste. I knew some really coolfills in Madame X, but now I know whereto place them and what helps enhance asong. I know now to really lock in withthe bass player. Share [Pedersen] and Iare so tight. When she has a suggestionfor me, I'll listen. We both help eachother. When it comes to the real heavystuff, I'll say, "Share, I think you shouldjust be laying on that E string, don't getall jazzed out."RF: The inevitable. I have to ask this....RP: This must be a girl thing. I wonderif we'll ever not be asked a girl thing.RF: Did people try to discourage youfrom playing drums because of your gen-der?RP: Maybe in the industry, but notfriends. My band teachers and my par-ents were always encouraging.RF: Let's face it, we women aren't asstrong as most men.RP: But why does it take strength to hit alittle pedal? You're not lifting a weight,you're pushing. Another thing is, if yousit beside another drummer, they're not

hitting that pedal that hard. You thinkthey are because you're sitting out frontand you hear it through the P.A., so itsounds really loud and powerful, but it'sactually not.RF: You said people in the industry triedto discourage you.RP: It was just a chauvinistic thing.There were record companies who didn'twant to sign us. They'd give excuses like,"We already have a girl band." It wasunbelievable. Now we just laugh about it,and the only thing we can do is just for-get about it and do what we do. For onething, people are buying our records;kids love us. We just played for twoweeks in London and all around Scot-land, and all our shows were sold out.You can't tell me that these kids just likethe way we look. If we couldn't play ourinstruments, they'd leave. They can seeT and A anywhere.RF: Your folks never tried to discourageyou?RP: Never. They were very encouraging.My dad never said, "You can't do thisbecause you're a girl." He did worryabout, "Doesn't she want to get mar-ried?" I said, "Of course I do, but whenthat time comes, I'll be ready." You'reonly young once. I don't want to live mylife regretting not having done what I'mdoing.

As much as I loved being on the roadand doing the clubs, though, I could notgo back and do it again. I still rememberthose sleazy dressing rooms, having nomoney, and spending Christmas atDenny's. But just getting on stage keptus going. There were plenty of timeswhen I thought, "What am I doing? Whyam I doing this?" But you get on stage,and that's what keeps you going. Ifyou're determined and you stick with it,something's got to happen.

If you get a deal and then go on theroad for the first time, you're in for a bigsurprise. You have to start from the bot-tom, where sometimes you don't have adressing room or there's no heat oryou're playing for nobody, you don't getpaid, you're sick.... I broke my left ankleand I still had to play, so I just didn't usemy hi-hat or my left kick. I had the fluand passed out one time. I barely fin-ished the song, and my sister looked atme as I turned green and fell off the

drum riser, then fell another eight feetoff the stage because there was no back-ing behind me. But I was young, and wewere indestructible.RF: You mentioned playing double bass.When did you start playing it?RP: Around the same time I startedplaying clubs. I didn't take lessons ondouble bass; I taught myself. I looked atmy books and said, "Well, I'm playingparadiddles between my snare and mykick. Why don't I split it up and do it onmy kicks?" Just easy things like that.Then I was listening to Tommy Aldridgeand thinking that what he was doing wasreally cool, so I just started practicing itand played what felt good to me.RF: Are there songs in your currentrepertoire where you utilize more doublebass?RP: "Cruisin'" and "Wrecking Ball."Sometimes I'll do triplets with my kickdrums and fills and things like that, but Iused them more in Madame X. I defi-nitely use it in my solo. I want to get itmachine-gun fast, but I'm not there yet.RF: What to you is a good solo?RP: I like to keep it short and sweet,because there's nothing worse to methan a long, boring drum solo. I'm adrummer and I appreciate what they'redoing, but for a lot of people it's, "Okay,it's time to get my beer now," because itgets boring. So in my solo now, I'll startwith the Bonham snare drum fil l to"Moby Dick." Then I go into a cowbell

paradiddle groove between the kick,snare, and hi-hat. Then I stop and let thecrowd yell, and I come back in with thatgroove. Then I start going into this snaredrum roll interspersed with double kick,and then I do quadruplets—both kicks,snare, and rack toms—for a couple of

seconds. Then I go right into a cymbalbeat with 16th notes on the kicks, andthen I go around the cymbals like thatwith just the kicks and the cymbals, thenaround the drums. I'll stop after all that,go back into some more drumming, andthen I go into "Moby Dick," and the

band kicks into the song.With solos, I think to myself, "If I were

out there, what would I want to hear?What would keep me interested?" Andthe fact that I'm a girl, I think they wantto see me do something. It's like, "Okay,let's see if she can pull it off." This oneguy said to me, "Yeah, you play reallygreat and everything, but can you twirlyour sticks?" Pretty soon they're going togo, "Can you do a somersault in the airwhile you twirl your sticks, come backdown, and not miss a beat?"RF: Was Madame X your first recordingexperience?RP: Yes. I had to cut my drum tracks insomething like three days for that record,and it was Rick Derringer's first attemptat producing a heavy metal band. We justwent in there, and I had a click track.RF: How did you know how to use a clicktrack?RP: I didn't know anything. I didn'tknow you could program them to havedifferent feels. We kept it a metro-nome—which made me very stiff—instead of varying it with little claps orsomething so I could play with a littlefeel.RF: What did you learn from your firstrecording experience?RP: It happened so fast. You just have totake your time, and you have to feel goodabout it. I didn't really feel that goodabout it, and I should have said some-thing, but I didn't know any better. It wasjust, "Okay, this is it, done." It wasplayed pretty much live. When werecorded Vixen's first album it was a bigchange. I played with Share, the bassplayer, and Jan played rhythm guitar.RF: So you cut live?RP: Some tracks were and some weren't.Sometimes Share and I would do them,and maybe we wouldn't keep the bass, soshe'd do that over.RF: What about the second record?RP: That was pretty much live. Janplayed her rhythm tracks, some of whichwe kept and some that we didn't, butShare and I played together. I had prob-lems with "Not A Minute Too Soon" forsome reason. I couldn't get into thegroove. So I had to go over that one a fewtimes, and we finally kept one take.Sometimes you just have to get awayfrom it and come back to it. When I did itagain, it felt 100% better.

"Streets In Paradise" was a cool track.I had a good time with that one becauseit was back to the heaviness. I'm good atthat. I was good at "Wrecking Ball" too.RF: How do the songs come together?RP: Just from ideas. We all had broughtin tapes because we knew as soon as wegot off the road we'd have to start puttingour ideas down on tape. I'm a horribleguitar player, but I put ideas down with itanyway. Everybody played their ideas,and then we picked the ones we thoughtwere happening. We tried to write ittogether as a band, but it was taking solong because we all had ideas. So werealized it wasn't working, and we'd bet-ter divide it up. Share had lyrics and Janhad music to "Hard 16," so we said,"Let's start working on this now." ThenJan and I started putting "Fallen Hero"together.RF: How would they bring in the drumideas ?RP: They'd just put a drum machinedown and I'd do my own thing. But weall arranged the stuff. It's a real bandeffort, definitely. And it's cool becauseeverybody's influences really help makeit Vixen: my heavy metal background,

Share's jazz background, Janet's influ-ences are like Tina Turner, and Jan's areEric Clapton and Jeff Beck. When I firstlistened to their tape I thought, "Theyneed a ballsy drummer. They need thatedge."RF: Being a "ballsy" drummer, do youneed to warm up before a gig?RP: When I was playing in clubs, I'd justgo on. We'd sleep in the dressing roombetween sets. I didn't warm up, and Iremember it was really tough to getthrough the first three or four songs. Ididn't realize it was because I wasn'twarming up. Nowadays I have to warmup. I just do neck exercises because weget SNS, as we call it—sore neck syn-drome—from head banging, and I do alot of it. I always do arm raises and littlespiral turns with my arms, and I'll getdown and do splits. I can't get all the waydown, but I'll do it the best I can just tostretch my legs out and work my ankles.But mainly I'll warm up my wrists, justplaying on a pillow in the dressing room.RF: Do you still practice?RP: I did between the record and thetour. I took about a week off, but I hadmy drums set up, and I would go in

about an hour before the band would getthere to slowly work the rust out.RF: Have you learned a way to pace your-self?RP: I have to. I had to go in about threeweeks before the tour, and I still felt it.Our set with the Monsters Of Rock tourwas only 45 minutes, which was no bigdeal, but when we started headlining anddoing an hour and fifteen—oh my God, Ifelt it. But as far as pacing, you have tobe on the road for a couple of weeks tofigure all that out. I was just blowing myload in the first song, and by the time itcame to my drum solo, I was a mess. Butbeing out makes the stamina better, andmy body is getting in shape.RF: What do you hope to achieve as aplayer?RP: I'm still not where I want to be. I'llgo see Tommy Aldridge and think, "Shit,I'm not that good—yet." I still want tolearn more and grow album to album.There's so much more to learn, and Ibecome so aware of it when I see some-one like Vinnie Colaiuta or Gregg Bis-sonette.RF: Would that entail more lessons?

RP: I would like to sit down with GreggBissonette one day and have him showme some stuff. When Kenny Aronoff wasrecording "Blaze Of Glory" with Jon BonJovi, he was showing me some things.When I was younger I wanted to knoweverything, and now I want to have funwith it without getting too technicallybogged down. I'm in a rock band. We'renot a fusion band where a drummer likethat is needed, but I would like to learnsome more fills for my solo and justmature as a player, which comes fromplaying live and doing more records.RF: What's your goal?RP: Well, we still haven't gotten to whereI want us to be, which is huge, numberone. I want to open up Billboard and see"Vixen, #1." I was thrilled to get thegold record, but I'd like to have a plat-inum. We're starting to hear it more now,but it'd be nice to hear it all the time:"You're a great band," not just "a greatgirl band." And I want to stay happy atwhat I'm doing. You can lose it after awhile; it can become a job. I think youalways have to remind yourself that youcould be flipping burgers instead.

The purpose of this department is toprovide an avenue of communicationdirectly between the consumers of drumand percussion equipment and thosewho design and manufacture that equip-ment. We invite all MD readers torespond to the questions presented; arepresentative selection of responses willbe printed in a following issue. It is ourhope that this department will providean opportunity for drummers "in thefield" to present their opinions anddesires to the manufacturing communi-ty, while affording manufacturers anopen, honest, and direct line to thewants and needs of their customers.October '90's question was:

Would you be interested in non-chrome-plated hardware—eithermade of synthetic materials (givenequal strength and durability withtoday's hardware) or of traditionalmetals—in the interest of lighterweight and/or lower cost?

The use of synthetic materials or differ-ent metals for drum hardware is a con-sideration long in coming. With theadvancements in drum technology, I feelthat alternative hardware materials willproduce very marketable and helpfulproducts.

Chrome stands are useful and neces-sary—but mainly because they are all wehave available. These stands are heavy,bulky, and expensive, and are prone topitting and rusting without time-con-suming care. Lighter, possibly smallersynthetic stands would solve the problemof large, heavy trap cases or bags andwould lessen the work of set-up andtear-down. Increased positioning andset-up possibilities might also result. Ifcosts could be lowered, that's one moreadvantage.

Numerous colors should be madeavailable, to complement or match popu-lar drum colors. Tom holders, multi-clamps, etc. should also be available inthese colors and/or materials for a con-sistent color combination. If using tradi-tional metals, a rubberized or texturedcoating of some type may be able to

replace chrome, if it is available in manycolors and proven to resist all cracking,peeling, etc.

I support these efforts 100%, and wishall those involved good luck!

Christopher KrepichBerwick PA

With the increasing demand on a "mod-ern drummer" to stay modern, theadvance in synthetic materials cannot beoverlooked. The true test, of course,would be the sound, workability, andcost. If drum companies would developgood-sounding, workable, inexpensiveequipment that is backed by the "bignames" of drums (face it—the namesells), we "little guys" would scrape upsome green and buy it.

David CouchParkersburg WV

I would definitely not be interested instands and hardware made from "other"materials. As a professional drummerand collector, I have found that chromestands and fittings withstand wear andtear much better than any other materialI have had experience with, and aremuch more appealing in appearance.With proper care, chromed hardware canlast and look good for many years. I owna set of 1957 W.F.L.s in pristine condi-tion, and the chrome is as good as new!In contrast, my Radio King snares pro-vided with nickel plate fittings just don'tlook as good. I also have a set of oldVox/Trixon drums, and the condition ofthe plastic lugs has made these drumsunplayable in a professional situation.

If the drum companies offered standsand fittings in anything other thanchrome, I'd shop elsewhere. The moneyI spend on attractive, durable equipmentis well worth it!

Alan HugoLos Angeles CA

Concerning non-chrome-plated hard-ware: I am very cosmetics-conscious,and it would depend on the color of thissynthetic material versus the color of thedrums. I personally do not like theanodized look, but I've seen LibertyDeVitto's green kit with some whiterims, and they looked nice.

Another critical area is sound. Triple-flanged hoops give you a different soundthan die-cast hoops. What kind of pro-jection or tone will a synthetic hoop givea drum? Sound is of utmost importance;cosmetics are next.

Lighter-weight cymbal stands: Willthey be supportive enough? Sometimesmetal stands ring in a studio. I'll betengineers would definitely welcome syn-thetic hardware. The bottom line is: If itlooks nice and sounds good, I'd try it.

Danny WyantSioux City IA

I am in the midst of polishing and clean-ing my drums. First, the thought of mak-ing hardware from plastic makes my gutscrawl. The sound of a tightly clampedcymbal resonating through an old hollowLudwig stand is a pleasure. Hell, you canplay it hard enough to make the standdance on the floor. In addition, plastic ismade of petroleum. Recent events inIraq, coupled with an environmentalawareness, show the absurdity of using anon-renewable resource. As for eliminat-ing chrome plating, you're right. Lugsand tuning mechanisms should be plat-ed in gold, as befits an ancient, nobleinstrument.

Leo LaBargeNewton NJ

I can understand the logic in changingfrom current metal hardware to synthetichardware. However, if manufacturers aretruly interested in this change, they musttake a common-sense approach. Then

perhaps it would catch on. The newequipment must:1. Not inhibit shell vibration (I can imag-ine synthetics being a plus here),2. Offer durability, versatility, andstrength,3. Be attractive.Also, I think that a gradual introductionof synthetic hardware (leaving room forimprovement) will be the key to makingthis idea work.

William MeltonIndianapolis IN

This month's question involves logoson drums and cymbals. In recent years,these identification marks have gottenlarger and more visible. Some drummersenjoy this, feeling that they are personal-ly represented by the equipment theychoose, and so wanting that choice to beclearly stated. Other drummers dislikethis practice, feeling that they should bethe focus of attention on stage, ratherthan the brand names of the equipmentthey are using. This month's question is:

Do you enjoy proclaiming yourbrand preference and loyalty vialarge logos on drums and cymbals,or would you prefer smaller, moresubtle logos that would not be so vis-ible from the audience?Send your response to Liaison, ModernDrummer magazine, 870 Pompton Avenue,Cedar Grove, NJ 07009. Please limit yourresponse to 15O words or less, so that we mayhave the opportunity to print as manyresponses as possible.

cantly cheaper without necessarily beingany lower in quality. How does JimCorder feel about his chances as a smallAmerican manufacturer in the drumindustry?

"Purely in terms of price, both Taiwanand Japan are going up considerably—tothe point where we're now able to com-pete with them on that basis. And we'redoing the same thing when it comes toquality. We have yet to get a letter sayingthat anyone's dissatisfied with a drum-set. That makes me feel good, because Ilike to go to sleep at night with a soundconscience. I'd hate to know that I hadsomething out there that somebody wasunhappy with.

"We think that our shells are as good,if not better, than most of our competi-tors'. We sell shells to Europeandrumshops. Those shops would be buy-ing from the Japanese or the Taiwaneseif they put out the same quality of shellsthat we do. Then there's the 45-degreebevel on our shells. When we first startedout, most shells had almost oval, round-

ed edges. Not many of them had the 45-degree bevel. I won't say we pioneered it,because we just adapted it and startingusing it as our standard. We felt thatwhen you've got a very small percentageof the shell suppressing the vibrations ofthe drumhead, then you can tune it bet-ter and get the maximum amount ofsound possible out of it. If the head isseated on a rounded bearing edge—likeso many of them used to be—a tremen-dous amount of vibration is muffledbecause of all that wood against thehead.

"We think our lugs are the strongest inthe business. We invented what we callthe TNT lug for our marching snaredrum. The TNT system starts withheavy-duty single lugs, into which weinsert special nuts. A 5/16" solid-steel hexrod—threaded at one end with left-handed threads and at the other end withright-handed threads—goes in betweenthe top and bottom lugs, creating a turn-buckle sort of assembly. If you turn thehex rod, it pulls in and tightens upagainst the two lugs or pushes themaway.

"With most of the so-called high-tension lugs used on other companiesmarching snare drums, the lug section atthe top tapers down to a straight sectionalong the side of the shell, which flaresout again to create the bottom lug sec-tion. It's a single piece of cast metal.What happens with this design is thatwhen marching drummers crank the tophead down the way they like it, the headstarts pulling in on the top of the shell.Something has to give, so what happensis that the single lug tries to flex—whicha cast part can't do—and so it breaks.With our design—which is still flexiblewhile being straight in line—you cantighten that head as much as you want toand it will never break the hex rod.

"The TNT design also serves anotherpurpose. Although drummers put atremendous amount of pressure on thetop head, they generally don't on thesnare head. If you slightly tighten thathex bar, you transfer a lot of the exces-sive pressure on the top lug down to thebottom lug. You take a lot of pressure offboth the shell and the lugs, and you don'thave any problem with the possibility of

breakage."In our latest Modern Drummer ad, we

had a drumset fitted with TNT lugs. Alot of guys like that long-lug look. Then,when they find out what it actually does,it makes it even more desirable."

Perhaps the most unique itemdesigned by Corder is the Slide Trakdouble tom mount for use on bassdrums. Jim explained how this designcame about. "We eventually stoppedusing the uniball system that Fibes hadfor their tom mounts, because it didn'tgive you a memory type of location whenyou loosened it up; when you set it upagain, you'd have to readjust everything.When we were considering a design forour own tom mount, we found out thatshort-legged drummers, who wanted toget in close to the bass drum, sometimesfound it difficult to get their toms in acomfortable position; they'd often be intoo close. Long-legged drummers hadjust the opposite problem. Thisoccurred because the hole for the tommount was more or less in the center ofmost bass drums, and the mountsoffered only a little front-and-back posi-

tioning flexibility as a result. So we cameup with the Slide Trak. There isn't anyhole in the bass drum. Instead, there is asteel base about 9" long. The upper sec-tion of the mount slides on a groove inthis base, so a drummer can move thetoms closer or farther away independent-ly from the bass drum. We also incorpo-rated ball-and-socket support posts onindividually adjustable 'shoulders.'Everybody who tries the Slide Trakseems to like it, because it's so easy toadjust. We have it patented, and we thinkthat it's probably one of the better sys-tems on the market today."

Corder's claim to being American-made extends to their hardware. ManyAmerican drum companies make littlesecret of the fact that much, if not all, oftheir hardware is imported for economicreasons. Corder actually makes theirhardware in their Alabama plant. Theirability to do that came about as a resultof another company's misfortune, as Jimexplains. "We knew of a company thatwas going to make their own hardware,but went bankrupt before they ever gotstarted. So we were able to buy all of the

parts for making stands pretty reason-ably. We got enough to last a long, longtime. That got us into the making of thestands, using what machinery and diesthat we had in order to make die-castparts, like our tilter.

"We started making our little hi-hatclutch assemblies; we had a machine forthat. We started making the foot pedalthat goes with it, and little frames forvarious things. So with the legs and partsthat we had on hand and tubing that wewere able to get, we only had to come upwith a few other little items in order togive us a hi-hat stand, a throne, a dou-ble-tom stand, and three different snarestands: regular, concert, and tilting mod-els. We don't make a counterweight-typeboom stand, because we have a cymbalstand with a tilting section that can dothe same thing that a boom stand woulddo. But if we find that there is enoughdemand for a boom, we'll go ahead andmake one; we have everything availableto do it.

"We make a bass drum pedal, too. Wehave a little foundry across the Ten-nessee River that casts the parts for the

footboard, the frame, and the little leverthat presses down on the bass drumhoop to clamp the pedal down. We takeall those parts and work them a bit in ourmachine shop and come up with a prettygood foot pedal. In fact, when Fibes hadit, it was one of the first chain-drivenfoot pedals made. We still use the chaindrive because it's almost indestructible.

"Doing things this way got us intohardware manufacturing very reasonably.Of course, as we run out of things, we'llreplace them. We have our own machineshop in which we can do almost anythingwe need to. What we can't do, we havedone to our specs by other Americancompanies. For example, our lugs aremade by Greenfield Diecasting, whereFibes had them made. We own the mold.When we need lugs, we just have themmake up ten or twenty thousand for us.

"We buy our hoops in blank form andpunch the holes in them ourselves—except for the 6", 8", and 10" models. Wehave to buy those pre-punched from Tai-wan, because our machine will not let us

punch hoops smaller than 12". But all ofour others start as blank, raw hoops,without any holes and without plating.We put them on our machine and indexthem with either 6, 8, 10, or 12 holes. Sowe can take a blank and use it in four dif-ferent ways. If we had to go out and buycompleted hoops for each hole configu-ration on each size drum, we'd have tohave a tremendous inventory. But theway we do it with our machines elimi-nates that need."

Jim is looking forward to the day whenhe doesn't even need to buy hoops. "Myson, Don, who is in charge of themachine shop, has already made rollerforms, and we just need the heavier-dutyhydraulic machinery to take those on inorder to make our own hoops. In fact,we've already made some hoops, but theyweren't what we consider good enoughquality that we could start using them.We're going to have to go to maybe a 100-or 200-ton hydraulic press roller in orderto form the hoops properly. Then we'llweld them together and make hoops just

like Ludwig and Slingerland madetheirs."

Another unique aspect of the Corderoperation is that Corder is a full-servicecompany, offering standard drums, cus-tom drums, refinishing or recovering forexisting drums, and even response tospecial hardware requests. As Jim puts it,"One of the nice things about being asmaller company is that we can respondto ideas or suggestions that come inwithout it costing a million dollars in re-tooling. Somebody who's tied into a pro-duction line can have great ideas, but ittakes them five years to implement themjust because they first have to get rid ofeverything else they've got in the works.

"Drummers really need to have some-one they can call upon to have somethingmade to their specifications. And youcan't do that with the big guys. Forexample, we just made some shells for astore called House of Musical Tradition:4x20 frame drum shells—sort of likeIrish bodhrans. You can't get those any-where. But we can make them, because

we don't have a dedicated assembly line.We can stop what we're doing and cus-tom-make something. When somebodywants something in a hurry, we have theflexibility to just change things up forthem."In the best tradition of American

drum companies, Corder is a familyaffair. Each of Jim's three sons isinvolved in a different important aspectof the company's operation. As Jimexplains, "Gary is the oldest son, and heis kind of an assistant manager for plantoperations. Don is our head machinist incharge of the shop; he makes all themolds and molded parts for us. Ken hasbeen our public relations man, attendingall the shows and keeping up with thedisplays. But he also does all of the lac-quering, buffing, and printing for theshells that have to have special treat-ment—like red mahogany shells, or nat-ural maple finishes, or black lacquersets. He has a fellow who helps him asfar as painting hoops, but that's negligi-ble compared to the knowledge it takes

to do the good piano-finish type of lac-quering on the drums. So all of my sonshave a niche in the plant here; they allhave a place that is very important."

And what's left for Jim to do? "Well,"he answers with a laugh, "supposedly it'smy job to coordinate all this, but I just letthem go in and do it. I don't have to doanything."

But Jim's sense of humor modestlymasks his key importance to the compa-ny. All of their other skills notwithstand-ing, none of his sons are drummers."That's what I bring into it, I guess,"says Jim. "The drumming. But we havemany drummers working in our plantwho are better than I am. They oftenbring suggestions to me. I think mymajor contribution, all along, has beenthe ideas that I've had after looking at aproblem that needed to be solved. That'show you start something like this: Onething leads to another, and then thatleads to something else, and the firstthing you know, you've got a business."

RECORDINGS

ED MANN—Perfect World.CMP 45. E. Mann: perc, vcl.Chad Wackerman: dr. V.Vierra: vcl. W. Fowler: trp. B.Fowler: trb. D. Lunn: bs. M.Hoffman: gtr. K. Mann: vcl,har. Lono / Why / The OtherWay / Pattern Mod / One OfUs / Working For Change /Walking In Balance / UrbanLeader / The Bigg.

For a musician who wishesto put out albums under hisown name, just being a greatplayer is not enough. Findingan identity is what's crucial.Each album has to haveenough unifying characteris-tics from song to song to makeit cohesive, and there has tobe a certain continuity fromalbum to album so that listen-ers can be reasonably assuredthat if they liked the previouseffort, they will probably enjoyeach succeeding one. At thesame time, the artist has toshow signs of growth andchange, so it doesn't sound asif he's merely remaking thesame album over and over.

Ed Mann got off to a goodstart with his first solo album,Get Up. While there was agood deal of variety in themusic itself, the uniqueinstrumentation remainedconstant from song to song,giving the album as a whole itsown character. Now, with therelease of Perfect World, Mannhas retained the same coregroup of musicians from thefirst album—providing conti-nuity—but has also addedvocals on five of the ninetunes—providing change.

Compositionally, many ofthe same elements from GetUp are employed on PerfectWorld, in terms of blendingpop, jazz, and island-soundingmusic together. Several of thetunes are built around melod-ic/rhythmic riffs and phrases,and while there is plenty ofstructure, there is also roomfor improvisation within thatstructure. Mann, in particular,displays his mallet-soloingabilities on two of the songs.And, as with the first album,

Chad Wackerman's drummingis simultaneously driving, col-orful, and inventive. In addi-tion, the vocals give thisalbum an added dimensionthat enhances the strength ofthe compositions and theskills of the musicians. It alladds up to an impressive sec-ond album that both rein-forces and expands Mann'sidentity as a bandleader.

Rick Mattingly

JANE'S ADDICTION—Ritual de lo Habitual. WarnerBros. 29553-2. P. Farrell: vcl.D. Navarro: gtr. Eric E.: bs.Stephen Perkins: dr. Stop! /No One's Leaving / Ain't NoRight / Obvious / Been CaughtStealing / Three Days / ThenShe Did / Of Course / ClassicGirl.

With the amount of contro-versy Jane's Addiction andsinger Perry Farrell create,you'd half expect the group tobe all show and no tell. But ifit takes a bit of digging to findout where Farrell comes fromwith the spoken word, it'sobvious the band's true stay-ing power comes from Far-rell's supporting cast of musi-cians. Stephen Perkins is theglue holding it all together onRitual, leading the bandthrough an album that's halfmusically bombastic, halfmoody and introspective.

Underneath a swirl of ring-

ing guitars and echoing voic-es, Perkins' playing is preciseand his sound clear. On "BeenCaught Stealing," Perkinsuses both hands to ride thecymbal and hi-hat in an infec-tious swing beat. He laterkeeps "Three Days" drivingduring a ballad-like section onthrough a louder ending,where he also shows mar-velous restraint while subtlypicking up the tempo.

"Ain't No Right" opens withentrancing snare echoes andtom effects, with Perkins thenmoving into a thrash-funkfeel. Even on "Then SheDid," Perkins makes a state-ment with light, dry ride cym-bal work, helping to bring aspacey atmosphere to life.

Perkins doesn't have a dis-tinctive style. He plays likeStewart Copeland at times,Larry Mullen, Jr. at others,John Bonham at still others.But no matter what oceanFarrell's imagination takes theband into, Perkins keeps theband afloat.

Matt Pieken

CASEY JONES—The Chi-Town Boogie Man. Airwax AW590. C. Jones: dr, vcl. V.Herold, J. B. Gayden: bs, A.Bats: kybd, D. Griffin, S.Goode, L. Adams, M. J.Vaughan: gtr. W Anderson, M.J. Vaughan, Smiley: hns. TheChi-Town Boogie / MoaningBlues / Ain't That Love / LucyMae / Messed Up / Your Love /Right Mood / I Wanna BoogieFor You.

The Chi-Town Boogie Manis as much a showcase of vet-eran bluesman Casey Jones'singing talents as it is hisblues drumming. Though hedoesn't pack the emotionalintensity of, say, Lonnie

bering and a lettering systemto help organize them.Rhythms range from singlequarter notes to quintupletsand septuplets. There are alsoblank strips provided so thatyou can add your own pat-terns.

Creating exercises througha system such as this is some-what haphazard in terms ofcoming up with practical beatsand fills, but for those who areinterested in developing theability to play (and read) justabout any possible combina-tion, this will provide a wealthof material. The notation washand-written, the book sellsfor $14.95, plus a $2.00 ship-ping and handling charge, andit's available from PlaytimeProductions, P.O. Box 3271,

Boston, MA 02101.Richard Egart

ESSENTIAL STYLES FORTHE DRUMMER ANDBASSISTby Steve Houghton andTom WarringtonPublisher: AlfredPublishing Co., Inc.16380 Roscoe Blvd.P.O. Box 10003Van Nuys, CA 91410-0003Price: $17.95(book and CD)

Ace performers/educatorsHoughton and Warringtonhave assembled a well-organ-ized, straight-to-the-point 64-page book and CD packageconcentrating on the key to allensemble playing: the locked-in relationship between bass

and drums that determinesthe foundations for variousmusical styles. A specific styleis featured in each of 30 booksegments, which include achart with a basic drumsetgroove and a bass part.Houghton provides the com-mentary on the drummer'sideal approach to interpretingthe ink, and Warrington han-dles the bass advice. Drum-mers will find that reading thebass tips is also a smart idea.

The accompanying CDcontains 30 tracks, which cor-respond to the book segments.The authors perform on thedisc with a full band, makingthe feels and textural consid-erations of each style clear.The drum tracks are isolatedon the left channel and the

bass on the right so that a stu-dent may dial out a track andplay along.

This package is especiallyuseful for intermediate play-ers, but there are also catchygrooves like the "3/4 Samba,""Songo," and "7/4 Vamp" thatwill interest more-advancedstudents. The authors arewise enough to realize thatensemble training is not aboutplaying alone with a metro-nome and music stand. That'sthe great fun of a team book.Unplug your drum machine,call your best bassist buddy,and groove through this booktogether.

Jeff Potter

little more towards the rockside of things than Burton'smusic called for, and while Iwouldn't say he sounds likeSteve Smith, I am reminded ofthe dynamic force with whichSmith plays jazz and fusion.Richards can hold down thetime feel with the best ofthem, but he is also prone tomore interactive playing, withstrong cymbal accents color-ing the music and giving it anexplosive character. I sensethat Richards is being a littlemore himself on this album,and he is coming on with theassurance of someone who isgoing to have to be reckonedwith in the '90s.

Rick Mattingly

PETE MAGADINI—BonesBlues. Sackville CD2-4004. P.Magadini: dr. W. Downes: pno.D. Menza: sx. D. Young: bs.Old Devil Moon / FreddieFreeloader / Poor Butterfly /Solar /I Remember Clifford /What A Time We Had / BonesBlues / Freddie Freeloader No.2.

Due to Pete Magadini'snotoriety as the author of acouple of books aboutpolyrhythms, one could beexcused for thinking of him asa drummer who specializes inavant-garde stylings, or inmusic that is more mathemat-ical than groove-oriented. Butas this CD reissue of a 1977session shows, Magadini is a

solid, straight-ahead jazzdrummer who never leavesyou in doubt about where totap your foot.

The bulk of this disc con-tains jazz standards, per-formed by a classic sax/piano/

bass/drums quartet, filled outwith a couple of tunes by bandmembers. Magadini gets achance to work in a variety oftempos, and displays a nicetouch with brushes on severalof the cuts. For the most part,Magadini is content to propelthe band with a strong com-mand of swing on the ridecymbal, and enough snaredrum comping to keep thesoloists hopping. There are noextended drum solos, butthere are four- and eight-barbreaks on two tunes in whichMagadini displays an impres-sive sense of phrasing. Overallhe comes across as a support-ive drummer when it's time tosupport, and a drummer whocan also deliver when it's timeto take the spotlight.

Richard Egart

BOOKS

SELF-PUBLISHEDDRUM BOOKSMore and more, drummersseem to be taking matters intotheir own hands when it comesto publishing their own drumbooks and selling themthrough mail-order. Here is asampling of some of the ones

that have arrived at MD dur-ing the past couple of months.

Jim's Rock Collection, byJim Barnard, consists of 368patterns, which are dividedinto three parts. Part I has pat-terns for bass and snare drumonly, and the student isencouraged to apply variouscymbal rhythms to thesebeats. Part II contains addi-tional beats, but this time, acymbal pattern is also includ-ed with each one, rangingfrom straight 8ths and 16thsto more linear-type patternsthat work in conjunction withthe snare drum rhythm. PartIII consists of "samba-inspired patterns" in whichthe bass drum is the samethroughout (a samba pattern)with various snare and cymbalvariations.

While the book is recom-mended for double-bass play-ers, the bass drum rhythmsare written on the same linethroughout, with no indicationas to which drum should playwhich note, leaving the playerthe freedom to decide that forhimself. The notation is hand-written, but is very clean andeasy to read. The book sellsfor $7.00 and is available fromManor Press, 421 SamarAvenue, Naples, FL 33962.

Rudimental Extensions,by Donald P. Stroffolino,applies the idea behind StickControl to the rudiments. Theauthor applies virtually everypossible sticking variation toFlam Taps, Flam Accents,Swiss Army Triplets, andFlam Paradiddles. For a rudi-mentally oriented drummer,this could be an enjoyable wayto refine technique. Themanuscript is hand-written,and although it's a bit spreadout, it is easy to read. Thebook is spiral bound, which

always helps a book stay openon a music stand. RudimentalExtensions sells for $8.50, andis available from D. P. Music,30 Martin Drive, WappingersFalls, NY 12590.

Bag Of Tricks, by DavidBrady, is divided into threesections. The first, "StudyReview," consists of 12 read-ing exercises for snare drum,ranging from basic (quartersand 8ths) to fairly complex(32nd-note triplets). This isfollowed by a section titled"Five Licks," consisting of fivebasic patterns for drumsetfills. The book concludes with"Twenty Solos," which is justwhat it says it is. Combiningrhythms and techniques fromthe first two sections of thebook, the drumset solos rangefrom intermediate to difficult,and should give one a goodcommand of some basicmoves around the set.

This book was computer-engraved, but the music wasset very tight and crammedtogether in a lot of places, sothat it is often difficult to read.Also, even though the entirebook is in 4/4, it wouldn't havehurt to have included timesignatures. Bag Of Tricks sellsfor $15.00, which includes acassette, and is available fromGood Vibes, 62 Noonan RanchCircle, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.

Combinations, by RichardSantorsola, is similar inapproach to the second JimChapin book, Independence—The Open End. Rather thanproviding specific patterns orexamples, the author hasdevised a system whereby thestudent can use movablestrips mounted inside a frameto create an endless variety ofpatterns that can be applied todrumset beats as well as fills.The strips have both a num-

bering and a lettering systemto help organize them.Rhythms range from singlequarter notes to quintupletsand septuplets. There are alsoblank strips provided so thatyou can add your own pat-terns.

Creating exercises througha system such as this is some-what haphazard in terms ofcoming up with practical beatsand fills, but for those who areinterested in developing theability to play (and read) justabout any possible combina-tion, this will provide a wealthof material. The notation washand-written, the book sellsfor $14.95, plus a $2.00 ship-ping and handling charge, andit's available from PlaytimeProductions, P.O. Box 3271,

Boston, MA 02101.Richard Egart

ESSENTIAL STYLES FORTHE DRUMMER ANDBASSISTby Steve Houghton andTom WarringtonPublisher: AlfredPublishing Co., Inc.16380 Roscoe Blvd.P.O. Box 10003Van Nuys, CA 91410-0003Price: $17.95(book and CD)

Ace performers/educatorsHoughton and Warringtonhave assembled a well-organ-ized, straight-to-the-point 64-page book and CD packageconcentrating on the key to allensemble playing: the locked-in relationship between bass

and drums that determinesthe foundations for variousmusical styles. A specific styleis featured in each of 30 booksegments, which include achart with a basic drumsetgroove and a bass part.Houghton provides the com-mentary on the drummer'sideal approach to interpretingthe ink, and Warrington han-dles the bass advice. Drum-mers will find that reading thebass tips is also a smart idea.

The accompanying CDcontains 30 tracks, which cor-respond to the book segments.The authors perform on thedisc with a full band, makingthe feels and textural consid-erations of each style clear.The drum tracks are isolatedon the left channel and the

bass on the right so that a stu-dent may dial out a track andplay along.

This package is especiallyuseful for intermediate play-ers, but there are also catchygrooves like the "3/4 Samba,""Songo," and "7/4 Vamp" thatwill interest more-advancedstudents. The authors arewise enough to realize thatensemble training is not aboutplaying alone with a metro-nome and music stand. That'sthe great fun of a team book.Unplug your drum machine,call your best bassist buddy,and groove through this booktogether.

Jeff Potter

what you're playing over. A drum solo isnot just suddenly a space in which to goberserk. Some things don't change inmusic, and that happens to be one ofthem.

"There are certain people who willalways be in the history books of musicas innovators. Joe certainly was an inno-vator, and continues to be. In fact, I'vebeen studying with Joe recently. It'sinteresting that I've had my whole life todo it, but it was always, 'I've got to dothis' or 'I'm busy with that.' But finally Imade time to take one lesson with him,and now it's almost like an addiction,where I feel I should spend as muchtime as possible with someone who isthat much of a master in so many direc-tions."

What, specifically, is an accomplishedplayer like Brubeck learning from Morel-lo? "Well," Dan answers, "going back tomy Bonham/Mitchell influences, therewas a lot of sloppiness in their playingthat Joe just doesn't have. I don't reallyfeel that I'm changing my style or

approach, but someone like Joe can reallyclean you up. It's like, 'You didn't quitefit all of the 64th notes that you meant tointo that bar, so it's not exactly what youwanted to play.' I'm having to look ateverything I'm attempting to do, andreally analyze it. Instead of looking at itlike, 'This is my idea and I'll execute itto the best of my ability,' you realize thatit really isn't to the best of your ability.You're just being lazy. You could actuallyplay it correctly."

While this is the first time that Danhas taken formal lessons from Morello, itis obviously not his first exposure to him."Joe was around a lot," Dan recalls, "andwhenever he was rehearsing with mydad, I would listen. Also, my dad wouldoften take me out on tour with him, so Igot to hear Joe almost every night. I wastotally enthralled with what he was play-ing.

"But it was more like a subliminalinfluence," Brubeck says. "I was onlyabout seven years old, so there wasn't ahell of a lot someone like Joe could haveshown me at that point. The major thinghe did for me was leave a drumset at ourhouse, and he was always encouragingabout me playing. I think he knew that Iwould be a drummer, because I wasalways watching him. But his influenceon me at that time wasn't so much inwhat he showed me as it was in the factthat I grew up aspiring to that calibre ofplayer. What I considered to be a gooddrummer was probably on a much high-er lever than a lot of people."

Young Dan Brubeck had yet anotheradvantage besides his exposure toMorello. The Dave Brubeck Quartetwere pioneers in the use of odd time sig-natures, and Dan was constantly exposedto that music. As a result, playing inmeters other than 4/4 has always comequite naturally to him. "In fact," he says,"for years I was much more comfortablein odd times than in four. In the last tenyears I've made it a point to get comfort-able in four, because that's what almosteverything is in.

"But I would rather solo in 7/4 or 5/4than in 4/4," Dan says. "When some-thing is sort of turning around all thetime within itself, it seems easier to meto be creative over it. I've never had a

problem, say, counting in five and playingin six on top of that, and knowing thatI'm going to come out even every threebars if I play a certain pattern. In 4/4,sure, you can play over the bar line, butusually it just sounds like you've turnedthe beat around.

"In four," Brubeck says, "I feel likeI'm in a box that I'm trying to break outof. In five or seven or some odd time, Ifeel like the box has already been broken,so I'm playing on the outskirts anyway,and the minute I go over the bar line, I'mfreed. Of course," he laughs, "you some-times hear people play in five and it'slike, '1-2-3-4-5, now-here-is-the-next, 1-2-3-4-5....' In that case, no, it's not free-ing. But if you have a natural feel for it,then it can be far more freeing than play-ing in four, which came out of that wholeGermanic marching tradition and theconcept of everything being even. Every-body could march to it, and everybodycould dance to it."

Besides the music his father's groupwas playing, Dan had another stronginfluence in terms of odd times. "Therewas this mirdangam player namedRaghu," Brubeck remembers, "whotaught at Wesleyan College, where mybrother was in the ethnomusicologydepartment. I heard this guy play and Icouldn't even get a grasp on how he wasperceiving time and playing over it. Itwould be everything I could do to counta measure of seven, but he would play itforever with every possible subdivisionand come out right on one. I think hehad been a professor of mathematics inCalcutta, and it was something heapplied to his music, because a lot ofdrumming is mathematics. I'd hear himplay and then go home and think aboutthose kinds of time divisions."

Brubeck is very interested in exploringodd times further through the Dolphins."I wrote a tune for the group," he says,"that is basically six against five. It has avery African influence, and if you just lis-tened to it without counting you wouldprobably think it was all in six. But actu-ally it's in five, and everything is goingover the bar line consistently.

"One of my goals as a player is to try tobring more of that into music," Dansays. "Joe was a pioneer, and he achievedsort of a breakthrough. But there is

another level of breakthrough that has tohappen. I think that's a matter of makingodd times feel danceable, and thatrequires being able to put an even timeagainst it. Maybe that seems ridiculous,but I think there are ways to do it wherepeople don't really notice that odd-timethings are happening. Basically, they arejust feeling a pulse, and it becomes sub-liminal. That's an aspect of drummingthat I would like to develop to where itdoesn't seem so offensive to the generalpublic."

Ironically, it was straight 4/4 playingthat gave Brubeck his biggest challenge."A few years back," he explains, "I didsome touring with a few rock bands. Iwas in Roy Buchanan's group, and Itoured with the Band for a while whenLevon Helm was doing a movie. All ofthat stuff was real backbeat and non-fill-oriented. Considering all of my influ-ences, all I could think about for the firstmonth of those gigs was not what I wasplaying, but what I'd better not be play-ing. I felt that I had to censor myself, barby bar. It was torture to me.

"I don't mean this as a criticism ofthat type of music," Dan hastens to add."I really love the Band's music, and I feelthe same way about Levon Helm as I doabout Joe Morello—in a different direc-tion. That simple approach is a very defi-nite style, and by saying it's simple I'mnot saying that it's dumb. It's a realsmart approach for a certain type ofmusic, and Levon is really phenomenalat it because it's natural for him. But itwasn't the way I was used to playing. Ifelt like I was in an editing room, splic-ing and dicing everything I did. I like tobe in a setting where I don't have tothink about anything at all—where I canjust be totally enveloped in the musicand serve as a vehicle for it. If that isn'thappening for me, I feel very uncomfort-able. So as much as I loved RoyBuchanan and those guys, playing thatmusic isn't really for me.

"At the same time," Dan says, "I don'tknow that I would be able to play theDolphins' stuff if I hadn't had the inputfrom that completely different approachto music. It allowed me to reach a sort ofhappy medium, which is how I'mapproaching things now. Sometimes I'mcontent to just let the groove ride for a

second. When I was playing with my dadyears ago, I was a much busier player."

B esides his work with the Dolphins,Brubeck has a couple of other musicaloutlets. One is a group called theBrubeck/Laverne Trio—sometimesknown as BLT—which consists of Dan,his brother Chris on bass, and pianistAndy Laverne. The group's eponymousalbum shows a more coloristic side ofDan's playing, but he says part of thereason for that was the circumstanceunder which the album was recorded.

"I had worked with Andy off and on forabout 15 years," Dan explains, "and ofcourse Chris and I have played a lot invarious situations. We had talked aboutputting a group together, but had neveractually done it. But then we were askedto do a record. So we went into the stu-dio without really having any materialdeveloped. We had a lot of charts, and wewere pretty much interpreting the musicfor the first time.

"Our music has grown a lot since thatrecord," Dan says. "But at the sametime, I think there's something to theoriginal way you approach something. Iwould say BLT's music is artsier—morelike contemporary jazz. On the recordit's a little closer to fusion because wewanted to make it slightly more palat-able. But in reality, when we go out andwork together, Andy is playing acousticpiano and it really is a jazz trio: We play alot of straight-ahead swing stuff. I alwayslove playing with Chris and Andybecause it gives me an opportunity tokeep that side of my playing happening.There aren't that many opportunities toplay straight-ahead jazz and get paid forit," Dan adds with a chuckle.

But Dan does, in fact, have yet anotheroutlet for the straight-ahead jazz side ofhis playing: the Dave Brubeck Trio,where he continues to work with hisfather. In that setting, Dan indulges hislove of brush playing. "A lot of the stuffwith Dave is almost bombastic brushuse," he says. "We do a version of 'ItCould Happen To You' that is like anextreme uptempo Latin thing, and I playbrushes on that. It's a real crowd-pleasertype of tune, and a feature for me that Isolo on. So dad's trio provides a contextwhere I can use that approach. I wish

there were more things like that outthere, because the sound of brushes ondrums is really appealing to me.

"Dave's thing is like back to the cavefor me," Dan adds. "It just feels so root-oriented, and it's fun to just swing. Davecan make something swing like crazy;you just have to be there laying down thebeat for him. In a lot of ways, myapproach to Dave now is just to create apad for him to blow over. A lot of thatstuff has its own momentum. Keep apocket happening and it grooves forev-er."

One can almost hear more evidence ofthe Morello influence on Dan's workwith the Dolphins than when he playswith his father. Does he consciously tryto avoid sounding like Joe when workingwith Dave? "Not consciously," he replies,"but I guess in a way I've avoided givingany room for comparison in terms of howI approach playing with Dad. Over theyears, what I've found is that Dave reallylikes a simpler approach, and I guess I'vegotten in the frame of mind of givinghim what he wants instead of playing allthe stuff I think would be great. Of

course," Dan laughs, "sometimes what Ithink he wants turns out to be not at allwhat he wants. It's just my assumption."

Some of Dan's playing with his fatherevokes memories of another great drum-mer who worked with Dave Brubeck, andfrom whom Dan took formal lessons:Alan Dawson. "I can't say enough goodthings about Alan," Dan says. "First ofall, as a player, he has an insane amountof independence. I've always thought ofhim as a dancer; the way he plays is likedancing around the time. And he has hada great influence through the people hehas taught, such as Peter Erskine, TonyWilliams, and Harvey Mason.

"I went to Alan thinking that I knew alot about music and drums, and heexpanded me more than I thought any-body could in a very short amount oftime. I've never been someone who'seasy to teach and who can pick things upquickly. But week after week he wouldpour something new down my throat,and out of embarrassment I would workon it until I got it. I still work on a lot ofthe stuff he gave me, and it's all com-pletely valid information.

"Specifically," Dan says, "the mainthing I got from Alan was the ability tolook at a rhythmic figure and be able toplay it a hundred different ways. Usingthe Ted Reed Syncopation book, andwith the cymbal playing the standardswing rhythm and the hi-hat playing 2and 4, Alan will have you play the synco-pated figures with the bass drum whilethe left hand plays every potential tripletin between. That might sound easy, butwhen you first start doing it, boy! But itdevelops your reading and coordinationincredibly, and it really develops yoursense of the timing between notes. Youreally get to know how much space thereis between that dotted quarter and thenext 8th or whatever.

"Even now," Dan says, "I'll go backand do that triplet exercise I justdescribed. There are endless approacheswithin it, with the result that, when a fig-ure comes up, I've got all of these possi-bilities at my fingertips. I can put tripletsin with the left hand and color the figure,

or use the hi-hat as part of the figure, orwhatever I want. So studying with Alanwas like opening door after door afterdoor."

While Dan Brubeck has a definiteidentity to his playing, there is one otherthing that has caused people to noticehim—and to remember him. "I playbarefoot," he says, laughing. "It's like anunintentional gimmick, but it's some-thing a lot of people think of when theythink of me: 'Oh yeah, he's the guy whoplays barefoot.' At least it gives mesomething different.

"But that's not why I do it," heexplains. "It started when I was young,and my hi-hat and bass drum werealways sliding across the floor away fromme. I got tired of always reaching downwith my hands and pulling them back towhere I could play them, so I came upwith a way to grab them with my toes andpull them back. Also," Dan adds, "I'vealways hated wearing shoes. I'm almostalways barefooted.

"I don't think I have any superiorspeed or anything because I play bare-foot," he says. "It's just a matter of beingcomfortable. In fact, with certain funkthings I'm actually better off playing withshoes. I think I'll probably end up havinga pair of shoes next to me that I can slipon and off, depending on the tune, thesame way I might want heavier sticks forone tune and lighter sticks for another.

"You know," Dan adds, "I was onceover at Jack DeJohnette's house hangingout and playing, and I took my shoes off.I told Jack that I was more comfortableplaying that way, and he said, 'Yeah, Iused to play that way a lot, too. It really ismore comfortable.' But, of course, Jackplays great with shoes on, so I asked himif he thought I should learn to play thatway. He said, 'Well, I don't think it affect-ed my playing one way or the other. Butthere are situations where you will prob-ably want shoes, because otherwise, yourfeet are going to get REAL COLD."Brubeck pauses, laughing. "So it's prob-ably good to be able to play either way."

Fear And TheRecordingStudio

by Roy Burns "Everyonegets

nervous.Onlyliarsand

fools sayotherwise."

Entering a recording studio for the firsttime can be very intimidating. Studios areoften large rooms with all the warmth andcoziness of a modern hospital. There isglass, metal, and strange-looking equip-ment placed seemingly at random.

The November '90 issue of MD fea-tured a round table discussion with sev-eral top session players from LosAngeles. I admired the way in which theywere all so honest about their first experi-ences in the studio. The apprehension,anxiety, and downright fear can be moredifficult to deal with than the musicalrequirements of the session.

I did my first session in New Yorkwhen I was 20 years old. In those days,there was no tracking or overdubbing.Everyone had to play their part—correct-ly—at the same time. If you couldn't, youdidn't get any more calls. Highly aware ofthat fact, I was concentrating so hard thatat the end of three hours I had a giantheadache. But as I was packing up mydrums after the session, Doc Severinsen(who played trumpet on the date) walkedby and said, "Nice job, kid." Well, thatmade my whole day! In fact, most of myheadache went away with that one com-pliment. I'll always remember Doc kindlyfor that.

Jack Sperling, the wonderful big banddrummer who used to play all the BobHope TV shows with Les Brown, told mea great story about his first recording ses-sion. The tune was a big band arrange-ment in the style of Count Basie. When

they first played the chart, Jack playedopen hi-hat (dah, dot da-dah), which wasthe accepted thing to play in that style.

The producer came out of the booth totalk to Jack. Naturally, this only made Jackmore nervous. He said, "Jack, that hi-hatjust doesn't make it. Could you playbrushes?" Of course, Jack said yes. Aftera chorus or so of brushes,the producer came out ofthe booth again. "Jack,could you play brushes onthe ride cymbal? I'm look-ing for a lighter feel." AgainJack complied. After a cho-rus of this, the producerappeared once more. Bynow, Jack was sweating likecrazy. "Jack, maybe weshould try the sticks again,but this time on the ridecymbal." A few bars later,the producer came outagain and said, "I knowwhat this tune needs. Canyou play open hi-hat: dah,dot da-dah?" Jack said, "Noproblem." In the meantime,the other guys in the bandwere laughing like crazy,because this "great" sug-gestion from the producerwas what Jack had played inthe first place.

There are some things that you can doto ease the pressure in the studio. First ofall, be early! If you are late and your late-ness causes the session to go overtime,you could be charged for that overtime.Another reason to be early is that you mayget a chance to look at the music ahead oftime. Also, by being early, you'll have achance to get used to the studio and relaxa bit.

Be prepared! Take anything and every-thing you think you might need: extradrumheads, sticks, mallets, cymbals, etc.In this day and age, you may need elec-tronic equipment as well. And be sure totake a couple of pencils in case you needto make notes on the music. (That's pen-

cils, not pens. It's considered bad form tomark up music with ink.)

There are many colleges that haverecording studios. If you are in school, getas much time in the studio as possible. Itwill help you to become more comfort-able when recording. And while you'rethere, listen to playbacks very carefully.

What sounds good in a liveperformance might notsound as good in a studio.Learning what is appropri-ate to play in each situationcan help you to developmore confidence for both.

I did quite a few demosin the days when the paywas $15 for three hours.(Often there was no pay,but the experience wasgreat.) Today, with theadvent of drum machines,drummers don't get asmuch opportunity to dodemos. This is why it'simportant to tape rehears-als and practice sessions.Any time you get thechance to get into a record-ing studio, take it! Theexperience could make thedifference later in yourcareer when the pressure ison.

You may never entirely eliminate yourfear when recording. The recording stu-dio represents money, and the pressure isalways there. However, the best playerslearn to play their best under pressure.Remember, you aren't the only one whogets nervous; everyone does! Only liarsand fools say otherwise.

Fear can also be your mind's way oftelling you to pay attention. Learn tochannel your fear by concentrating andfocusing on the task at hand. Concernyourself with the music and with doingthe best job possible. If you can make thisattitude a habit, you're on your way tobecoming a true professional—in or outof the recording studio.

MD Trivia WinnerTony Lee, of Burnaby, British Columbia,Canada, is the winner of MD's, October'90 Trivia Contest. Tony's card was drawnfrom among those sent in by readers whoknew that Airto was the percussionistwho said, "I am the biggest outlaw of per-cussion in the world. I break all therules."

Tony's correct answer earns him twotunable Drumset Timbales and twoPatato model congas (and a double congastand) from LP Music Group, along withcongratulations from LP and ModernDrummer!

DrummersCollective MergesWith SOJ JazzStudies CenterDrummers Collective and SOJ JazzStudies Center have merged and are nowlocated in the Drummers Collective facil-ity in downtown New York City. Thatfacility has expanded to accommodateSOJ's ensemble classes and rehearsalstudios, as well as broadening the rangeof instruction offered by DrummersCollective. According to plan, the SOJprograms will serve to fill out the musicalknowledge of the students of bothschools. For more information, contactEmily Moorefield, Promotional Director,Drummers Collective, 541 Ave. of theAmericas, New York, NY 10011, tel: (212)741-0091, fax: (212) 691-3547.

Drum CenterAcquires ThreeClassic DrumsThe Drum Center of Indianapolis hasannounced the addition of three historicsnare drums to its collection. The drumsare a Ludwig 6 1/2xl4 engraved BlackBeauty from early 1930, a Ludwig 4x14

gold-plated and engraved snare made in1925 for the son of silent film starWilliam S. Hart, and the "Tom Mills"drum. This last drum is a Europeanmodel that was purchased from JohnPhillip Sousa's "favorite drummer," Mr.Mills, by William F. Ludwig, Sr. in 1902.This drum is said to have given impetusto Ludwig to create the Ludwig metalsnare drum.All three of these drums were formerly

part of the William F. Ludwig collection.William F. Ludwig, Jr. personally chosethe Drum Center of Indianapolis as therecipient of these special drums becauseof its mid-America location and becauseof the enthusiasm shown by the storetowards preserving the past.

Louis Freddie Kohlman, drummerwith the Preservation Hall Jazz Band,passed away this past October 3rd at theage of 75. In the mid '30s Kohlmanworked with Stuff Smith and Earl Hines,led several of his own bands. (He alsosang.) Kohlman appeared in severalmovies, including Pete Kelly's Blues,Pretty Baby, and Angel Heart. He alsoworked with Louis Armstrong's All Starsin the mid '50s, released an album, JazzSolos In New Orleans.

B.J. (Barry) Wilson, drummer withProcul Harum, died this past October9th. Wilson was a member of ProculHarum throughout the band's 11-yearhistory, playing on such albums as AWhiter Shade Of Pale, Shine On Brightly,and A Salty Dog. Wilson also worked withSandie Shaw, Lulu, Cat Stevens, JohnHiatt, and Joe Cocker, including Cocker'sWith A Little Help From My Friends ses-sions.

Drumming EventsOn Sunday, September 3rd, many stars ofthe drumming world gathered at theHollywood Guitar Center to help raise$7,500 to pay for Richard Wilson's fightagainst diabetes. Wilson is noted for hisdrumming with Duke Ellington and

Dizzy Gillespie. Helping out at the eventwere Alex Acuna, David Garibaldi, LouieBellson, Chad Wackerman, Bobby Rock,Ralph Humphrey, Mark Craney, CaseyScheuerell, and a host of other fine musi-cians.

Over 800 drumming fans attended thesecond annual Florida Drum Expo thispast October 7th in Tampa. Artistsincluded Dom Famularo, Alex Acuna,Deen Castronovo, Jonathan Moffett,Gregg Bissonette, and Dennis Chambers.Steve Fisher of Roland and MarioDeCiutiis of KAT were also on hand giv-ing demonstrations of their companies'products, and Thoroughbred Music pre-sented Alex Acuna with their LifetimeAchievement Award.

The 1990 Drummers Alliance BritishFinals took place this past October 23rd.The competition included three-minutedrumkit solos, snare drum solos, and per-cussion section performances. TonyMcNally won the drumkit solo final forthe under-17 section, while NathanCurran won for the over-17 section.Gregory Edwards and Nicola Kay won(respectively) the over- and under-17snare drum finals, and the percussionsection prize went to La Fiesta.

The panel of judges for the event con-sisted of drummers Derek Organ, NeilWilkinson, Bob Henrit, and BobbyArechiga, plus Gary Mann of RemoEurope. The competition was sponsoredby Remo and Meinl (who also donatedprizes), and by Carlsbro Music.

Endorser NewsDave Weckl using Fishman acousticdrum triggers.

The Drum Doctor's clients include:Jim Keltner, Vinnie Colaiuta, TerryBozzio, Jeff Porcaro, Mike Baird, IanWallace, and Peter Erskine.

Gary Husband using Pro-Marksticks.

Ed Thigpen endorsing ddrum.Tommy Aldridge, Mike Baird,

Vanessa Brown, Stu Nevitt, DoanePerry, and Joel Taylor all using Axispedals.

In Memoriam

Slingerland LiteDrumkitSlingerland's top-of-the-line Lite set ismade with all-maple, 6-ply shells. It alsofeatures 45° beveled bearing edges toenhance the drums' "floating headdesign," which helps give the drums theirwarm yet bright tone, according to themakers. Lite drums also come withinwardly flanged, original Slingerland-

style hoops, as well as original claw hooksand T-rods. Felt-loaded lugs help to elim-inate rattling, and frequency absorption isreduced by extra-thick isolators on thelugs, brackets, and tom-tom holder plate.Newly designed retractable folding spursoffer memory locks.

Lite drums also come equipped withSlingerland 5000 series hardware, featur-ing quick-release height adjustment,memory locks, heavy-duty feet, and dou-ble-braced tripods. All the hardware is

made to retro-fit with the late Magnumseries hardware. HSS, Inc., LakeridgePark, 101 Sycamore Drive, Ashland,VA 23005, (804) 550-2700.

Roland GuidebooksUp And Running! With The Boss DR-550is the first of a new series of guidebooksthat offer a step-by-step tour of basicoperations and advanced applications ofselected Roland and Boss products. Withan emphasis on applications, these booksare designed to expedite and reinforcethe learning process so that readers canget the most out of their instruments in aminimum amount of time. Activities areincluded with each operation that takethe reader through the proper sequenceof commands. Basic connections, controlpanel functions, and LCD displays areillustrated for every mode of operation.The books also offer helpful explanationsof how drum machines work in general,

as well as an introduction to MIDI. Formore information, contact RolandCorpUS, 7200 Dominion Circle, LosAngeles, CA 90040, (213) 685-5141.

New RimShotStick ModelsSeveral new sticks are now being offeredby RimShot America, including two intheir Premium Hickory Ribs line, whichfeature grooves for better gripping. TheFatboy stick measures 16-1/8", has a diam-eter between a 5B and a 2B, and featuresan oval bead. The Pitbull is also 16-1/8"and has no neck and a round bead. Bothmodels are made from red hickory andare available in wood and nylon tips.

Two new models are also available inthe Player's Own Series: the Mike Bairdmodel (16-3/8" with a 5A diameter), andthe Gary Chaffee model (16-1/8" with adiameter between a 5A and a 5B and a

round bead). Other new RimShot modelsinclude the Bach Rock (a redesignedSymphony model), a Jason Bonhammodel, and 5B Longshot. RimShotAmerica, 6454 Van Nuys Blvd., #150-6, Van Nuys, CA 91401, tel: (818) 782-8848, fax: (818) 782-4659.

Improved Pure Tone•

Bottom LinePure Tone's Bottom Line resonance elim-inator now features a longer stem,

enabling the user to reach further towardthe center of the drumhead, thereby con-trolling snare rattle more effectively. (SeeMD's June '90 Product Close-Up.) PureTone Co., 29504 Dover, Warren, MI48093, tel: (313) 751-2097, fax: (313)751-2730.

Zap DrumsFrench-made Zap snare drums are madefrom one piece of solid wood. The drumscome in several sizes, including 14" mod-els in depths of S", 5-1/2", 6", 7", and 8",plus the company offers a 13" model.Several shell types are also available,including both European and CanadianHardrock maple, and finishes include yel-low, green, red special, blue, black, wal-nut, and natural maple. Zap Drums, 88,rue E. Chatrian, 57800 Freyming-Merlebach, France, tel: 87 81 63 52.

Photo Gallery Tommy LeePhoto by Ebet Roberts

GREGG BISSONETTEPLUS:

CATHY RICHREMEMBERINGBUDDY

CARL ALLEN

A KENNY ARONOFFTRANSCRIPTION

A SPECIAL LOOK AT DRUM TECHS

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