“Mingus use to say the damndest thing about me years ago. He’d say, ‘Well, Roy Haynes. You don’t always play the beat, you suggest the beat!’ I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. […]
Reed tweak: adding flams to a basic method
This is a small tweak on a common funk practice method for Ted Reed’s Syncopation, adding flams to the method in which the right hand plays the book rhythm on a cymbal, and the left […]
Todd’s methods: accents to funk
This is an item for teachers, I suppose. It’s good to have more than one way of teaching things. There’s no reason for a student to have to struggle with something just because your preferred […]
Painting is a psychological game
I’m a painter as well as a musician— I work in what’s generally called an abstract expressionist style. I’m not making pictures of things, I’m painting until I have something that looks like a painting. […]
Practice loop: Oregon – Fall
New practice loop, sampled from the tune Fall, by the band Oregon. The bassist here, Glen Moore, is one of my favorite musicians in the world— look into his records with the vocalist Nancy King […]
Transcription: Connie Kay – Cosmic Ray
A melodic drum solo with mallets by Connie Kay, on Cosmic Ray, from the Milt Jackson / Ray Charles album Soul Brothers. Kay is kind of a mysterious player to me, so I’m always on […]
Listening to Ray Bryant
“I used to be a free jazz drummer, now I just want to play tight arrangements.” — me a few years ago That’s not 100% true, but I’ve learned a lot of respect for the […]
Mel Lewis intro – One for Pat
I’m just taunting myself now— I’ve got this book of intros sitting around, almost completed, and I keep finding new things that should probably go in it, but I don’t have the nerve to open […]
Counting the grid
It’s a *mechanical* tool, from way back. I had a conversation with a student about counting subdivisions when you practice— “the grid.” It’s a common thing to do, that I don’t recommend— not all the […]
CYMBALISTIC: New cymbals are in!
Just acquired some new Cymbal & Gong Holy Grail series cymbals for sale: there are two 18″ crashes, two 20″ jazz rides, a 22″ jazz ride, and two sets of 15″ hihats. All excellent jazz […]
Unearned info
A long, wordy post with extended quotes from a forum questioner, who felt that the knowledge in drumming books may come too cheaply, and from drummer and author John Riley, who showed up out of […]
Roy Haynes intro – Alto-itis
I’m being very slovenly about posting as things continue being politically crazy. It’s a little distracting. So here’s something easy: a four bar drum intro played by Roy Haynes on Oliver Nelson’s tune Alto-itis, from […]