Several months back we chose to run anotice asking for correspondents from thenations major cities. The response was ex-ceptional, and MD now can proudlyproclaim a roster of active contributingwriters from nearly every major Americancity coast to coast, plus several in Canadaand one in London. The members of thisselected network will keep us abreast ofdrum world happenings by gathering andsupplying the information necessary tokeep you informed. Implementing the pro-gram was quite an endeavor but certainlyworth the effort considering the realm ofcommunication now available to us.

The new MD T-shirts are now availableand advertised in this issue. Our thanks toal l who requested them and anxiouslyawaited their arrival. MD assigned the ar-tistic task to designer Peter Garrone,resulting in an exciting creative renderingwhich clearly captures the essence of themagazine. Sorry guys, model not included.

April's MD contains perhaps the mostdiversified line-up of feature artist per-sonalities we've ever assembled in oneissue. From the world of rock; CarmineAppice — presently the rhythmic impetusbehind the Rod Stewart aggregation and atruly outstanding artist. Jazz enthusiastswil l find our discussion with progressivestylist Jack DeJohnette worthy reading.Add to that, veteran Mel Lewis — one ofthe great big band drummers around, withsome comments that should interesteveryone.

Ever wondered how drumsticks aremade? We did, and found out when weassigned MD's Cheech Iero to take us on aguided tour of the Cappella Company, oneof the leading producers of drumsticks inthe world. Live and learn.

There's more; l ike rock hi-hat tech-nique, metric modulation for jazzdrummers, raeggae rhythms, and moreways than one could imagine to moveparadiddles around three drums. NotedNew York author-teacher Charley Perrylooks at forming a teaching approach, andR. Willis Tate has a delightful portrait ofthe late drumming giant, Big Sid Catlett.

On the subject of drumming giants; themost recent addition to the already im-pressive MD Advisory Board this month isnone other than the exciting Lenny White.Our kind thanks, Lenny. Very exciting, in-deed.

IN THIS ISSUE

FEATURES:

COLUMNS:

CARMINE APPICE: Leadin The WayCAPPELLA: The Drumstick PeopleJACK DeJOHNETTE: Exclusive InterviewTHE ELECTRONIC REVOLUTIONMEL LEWIS: Straight Ahead

Editor's OverviewReaders PlatformIt's QuestionableRock Perspectives: Rock Hi-HatsJazz Drummers Workshop: Metric ModulationTeachers Forum: Forming An ApproachStrictly Technique: ParadiddlesSouth Of The Border: ReggaeOn The Job: Organ And DrumsFrom The Past: Big Sid CatlettIndustry HappeningsJust DrumsDrum Market: Classifieds

STAFF:

EDITOR: Ronald SpagnardiASSOCIATE EDITOR: Paul UldrichASSOCIATE EDITOR: Thomas VarelliMANAGING EDITOR: Michael Cramer

ART DIRECTOR: Bryan MitchellPRODUCTION MANAGER: Roger Elliston

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Jonathan WolfADMINISTRATION: Isabel Lori

CIRCULATION: Leo L. SpagnardiNancy SchullerCarol PadnerJean Mazza

MD ADVISORY BOARD:

Henry Adler Don LamondCarmine Appice Mel LewisHoracee Arnold Peter MagadiniLouie Bellson Mitch MarkovichRoy Burns Butch MilesJim Chapin Charlie PersipJoe Corsello Arthur PressRandy Hess Paul PriceSonny Igoe Lenny White

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I congratulate you on a fine first year ef-fort. There are so many drummers worthyof mention, so many technical ideas, somuch new equipment, there certainlyshouldn't be any problem generatingmaterial. Thanks to Lowell Schiff for hisefforts on behalf of Max Roach's artistry.(MD: Jan. 78) Though I do submit that thestandard drum notation system really givesyou the feel of Mr. Roach's marvelousstructural clarity and precision, and hisbeautiful compositional balance.

ROBERT AUSTINNASHVILLE, TENN.

I never go on the road without all of yourprevious issues. I think the best feature ofMD is that you only recommend techniquesof drumming that have been acceptedby the greatest drummers in the world. Wecan now get drumming information rightfrom the top, instead of from the second orthird stringers.

RAYMOND HEATHCLAREMONT, N.H.

I was pleased to see the article on RogerNorth and his amazing drums in the Oc-tober issue of MD. I was floored the firsttime I saw and heard them, and the impactwas not lessened by Roger's uniquesouthpaw style. I'm glad to see that thedrumming and listening public has pickedup on this truly significant change — orrather — improvement in the drum.

DAVID DEASONCOLORADO SPRINGS, COL

Congratulations on a fine magazine. Yes,we even get MD way up here in NorthernAustralia. I've received copies of Vol. 1,No. 2 and 3 and have benefited greatlyfrom the wealth of good reading materialin the magazine. Thank you.

G. PORTACAIRNS, QUEENSLAND

AUSTRALIA

I have to disagree with Mr. FredWickstrom's statement in COMPLETEPERCUSSIONIST (MD: Jan. 78.) that

no college or university offers a degree indrum set performance. I happen to knowfrom firsthand experience that BerkleeCollege of Music in Boston offers preciselythat. Berklee has some of the finest drumset teachers in the U.S. on its staff and acomprehensive program of arranging, har-mony and ear training courses. Let's faceit. For any college to offer a degree in justdrum set without harmony or theory train-ing, would be ridiculous. To be a good setplayer, a knowledge of harmonic andmelodic structure is essential, as is a goodear.

WILLIAM WUERFELBOSTON, MASS.

Your publication is a terrific asset to all ofus who regard drumming as an art, even onthe "weekend gig" level. Even playing onthis level is beginning to crackle as moreand more drummers are beginning to telltheir story. And all it took was theknowledge that someone cared to listen.Your magazine has contributed greatly tomy awareness that we're all in thistogether, and we each have something togive. You've fired me up, and I'm backinto study and 4 hours of daily practice.Folks are noticing — thank you.

BURT DOTSONTULLAHOMA, TENN.

My congratulations on your first year ofpublishing. It's nice to see that such talentand enterprising spirit still exists in what isat best, a risky business.

RONALD VAUGHANONTARIO, CANADA

I'm looking forward to seeing more goodprogressive rock interviews. How about astory on Aynsley Dunbar of Journey?

BLAINE BETTSSILVERADO, CALIF.

I recently picked up an album by BenSidren and there's a cat by the name ofJohn Guerin on the LP. I gotta' know

more about him! Maybe an interview?ROGER HANSON

WOODBRIDGE, NJ

How about an interview with NaradaMichael Walden. He has executed some ofthe most interesting and complex beats onthe jazz-rock scene today.

THOMAS CAGLIOTIDEER PARK, NY

OK. Recent editorial staff meetings haveincluded all of the above-mentioned on our'must-get' stories list. Each is in variousdegrees of progress. Carl Palmer & SteveGadd, too. Thanks gents.

ED

I'd like to take this opportunity to thankyou for helping a new and struggling littledrum shop like mine, isolated in the frozennorth, to keep in touch with what'shappening in the rest of the percussionworld. Your current series on places likethe "Drum Shop" (Shop Hoppin—MD:Jan. 78) are very helpful in setting somegoals for this place.

DICK MOOREDRUM QUARTERSVIRGINIA, MINN.

by JIM PIEKARCZYK

Q. I'm considering purchasing a swish cymbal and want to knowwhat size would be best. Some of my favorite drummers like LouieBellson, Larrie Londin, John Guerin and Billy Cobham use them.Also, could you please tell me what sizes and weights they play?

D.F.MOBILE, ALA.

A. The most popular sizes are 18", 20" and 22". Usually thin tomedium weight. When choosing a swish cymbal, take into con-sideration the type of group and style of music you're playing.Louie Bellson plays a 22" medium, Larrie Londin a 20" medium.Billy Cobham a 22" medium (played upside down), and JohnGuerin a 20" medium thin.

Q. I have a fiberglass drum set and I can't seem to get a mellowsound when tuning low. I use CS heads on both top and bottom.Can you help?

G.M.HOUSTON, TEX.

A. The important thing to keep in mind is that the bottom head,for the most part, determines the pitch of the drum. I wouldsuggest a clear Diplomat head on the bottom, and the CS head ontop. The Diplomat is thin and will allow more vibrations. This willproduce a lower tone. Also, some experimentation with varyingdegrees of tension on both heads should result in the mellow soundyou are trying to achieve.

Q. I live in Toronto and have looked all over the city for the"Carl Palmer" drumsticks made by Promco. Could you pleasehelp me in my quest for these sticks?

J.S.TORONTO, ONTARIO

A. "Carl Palmer" drumsticks are no longer available fromPromco. However, the sticks will be distributed by Pro-Marksome time this year. If you would like to write for information, theaddress is: Pro-Mark, 10710 Craighead, Houston, Texas 77025.

Q. I have a student who is left handed and I'm teaching him op-posite the way I play. Since my drums are set up for a right handedplayer, I have trouble showing him things without changing thewhole set-up around. What do you recommend?

B.U.E. NORWALK, CONN.

A. First, try using two drum sets or practice sets in your teaching.Secondly, have the student transcribe the right handed notation forhis left handed set-up. This will enhance the students reading andwriting skills, along with demonstrating your own ideas.

Q. What type of microphone will give you the best soundreproduction for live performance? Also, should you mike from thetop or bottom of the drum?

D.H.PLYMOUTH, WISC.

A. In my experience — for live performance as well as studiowork — the sound men use the AKG 224 on cymbals and tom-toms, and the AKG D-190 for the bass drum. For best results,mike the tom's near the edge, about three inches off the heads. Thebass drum mike should be dead center, about five inches from thedrum head. It's also good to place an AKG-224 directly overhead,about three feet in height to pick up cymbals and obtain a balancedsound over the entire set. MD will be presenting an in-depthfeature article on the art of miking drums in a forthcoming issue.Watch for it.

Q. In the October issue of MD, (Vol. 1, No. 4) Lenny Whitetalks about a snare drum with a special snare strainer and nylonsnares by Hinger. Can you tell me where to write for additionalinfo on the Hinger snare?

R.S.READING, PA.

A. Information on the Hinger snare drum can be obtained fromthe Hinger Corp., PO Box 232, Leonia, NJ. 07605.

Q. I, l ike many drummers, am trying to achieve four-way limbseparation. I jog regularly to keep up my stamina for performing.Would the coordination developed from jogging aid my ability forfour-way l imb separation?

J.A.BAY CITY, MICH.

A. Jogging is a great way to keep in shape, and an excellentmeans of sharpening motor responses and add to overall muscularcoordination. Swimming is also an effective way to develop en-durance. However, to truly master the coordinative ability youspeak of, it will be necessary to discipline yourself to a regularpractice routine — preferably under a teachers guidance — withthe appropriate study materials available on this subject.

APPICE:LEADIN' THE WAY

by SCOTT KEVIN FISH

As I prepared myself for an interviewwith Carmine Appice, it seemed hard tobelieve that it had been ten years since hisfirst appearance on record with VanillaFudge. Even then he was a drummer to bereckoned with. His influence on drummersin the 60's was considerable. Since theVanilla Fudge, Carmine has anchoredCactus, Beck/Bogart and Appice, andKGB. Now he is the driving force behindRod Stewart.

We met at a Ludwig Drum Clinicpresented by the Long Island Drum Shopin North Merrick, New York. The clinicwas held around the corner at a firehouseand it was like old home week for LongIslander Carmine, as he was besieged bywell -wishers , former students andautograph seekers. Three other musicianshad been called to form a pick-up band,and after Carmine was introduced, theband kicked off with a jazz-rock jam. Ap-pice was in rare form. He breezed throughthe jam in 4/4, and then through ademonstration in 7/8, 9/8 and 6/8. His useof Polyrhythms, dynamics and space wereas good as any of the more populardrummers known for their jazz-rockdrumming.

After the clinic, Carmine invited me tohis parents home in Brooklyn to do the in-terview. My first question was in regard tohis practice routine. "I try to teach aboutsix hours a week. That's the only way I getto practice. I'm so busy that it's hard tojust sit down and practice. I force myselfby teaching. I used to practice about anhour and a half a day with books, and atleast two hours just playing with people.Whenever I'm home, I call my students upand say, 'Okay, if you want to come, I canput you in here or there! and we get ittogether. They understand that I traveland they take it for what it is."

Carmine uses a unique right hand grip,holding the stick between his index andmiddle fingers rather than the thumb andindex finger. "I hold it that way primarilyto twirl the stick. That's the way it cameabout. It also helps when your handsweats. It's a better grip between those twofingers, where there's a lot of pressure.This way the stick can't run away. WhenI'm playing loud, I use this grip about 75%

of the time because, I'm always twirling."Carmine named Buddy Rich, Joe

Morello, Philly Jo Jones, Louie Bellson,Bernard Purdie, Billy Cobham and LennyWhite as influences. He claimed to haveknown every lick off of Max Roach'srecords at one time, and by coincidence, hehad plans to see the Max Roach Quintet atStoryville the very evening of this inter-view. Bearing in mind the ability of Maxand others to play great drums without'flash', why shouldn't a rock drummer re-main relatively deadpan on stage without'tricks'? Is showmanship essential to play-ing rock drums? "Not only that. The typeof music Max plays is a lot lighter than mymusic. My music is a full force body effort.You've got to put your whole body andsoul into it in order to get the power behindit. Year's ago, I used to sit there just l ikeMax, and do all these things and not evenblink an eye. Then when I joined VanillaFudge, I played louder and I realized I hadto put more effort into it."

There had been some reservation in Car-mine's mind about j o i n i n g the RodStewart band, basically because he wantedto play progressive. After Stewart had un-successfully auditioned twenty-five

drummers, Carmine's wife convinced himto give it a try. "At the first rehearsal theywere playing all of Rod's songs with aChick Corea flavor on drums. It wasridiculous. They were calling me The Den-tist,' for fill-ins." In the end, Rod and Car-mine came to a mutual understanding. IfCarmine would play like he did with Cac-tus behind Stewart's vocals, he would gethis own solo at concerts, thereby notcramping his style or disappointing hisown fans.

The Rod Stewart band has been gettingrave reviews all over the world, and bothStewart and Appice are quick to point outthat this is a band and not a group ofmusicians backing up a lead singer.Everybody in the band gets a chance toshine.

"I made the drums polls in England forthe first time. Number five. You've got tobe in a big group, a steady group, to makethe polls. Or be a solo artist. I'm not reallya solo artist yet, but I'm not just a bandmember either. I'm in limbo, and I hopemy new solo album takes me out of thatlimbo. We have a few record labels in-terested. I've got Max Middleton playingon it. Verdine White, from Earth, Wind

and Fire, and Dick Wagner from AliceCooper. It's not jazz-rock. It's rock-jazz.It's got a 'Zeppelinish' type bottom, withMax adding the only jazz overtones. Thealbum is half instrumental , half vocal, andthere's a drum single on it called A Twistof the Wrist. It's really nice. I did thewriting with guitarist Ben Schultz, whoplayed with KGB and Buddy Miles."

It would seem to be a frustrating ex-perience for a drummer with the desire andability to play progressive music, to haveto play loud rock and roll most of the time."I have two sides. My rock side — and myjazz-rock, technical side. My concept is toplay with Rod, and when we have off, playgigs and clinics on my own, and play thekind of stuff that's on my album. That'swhy I do clinics. So I can play and releaseall the crazies I have inside. I really dig it.With the studio I had we really broke it(drum playing) all down. You can't im-agine."

The studio was Long Island based andrun jo int ly by Carmine and his goodfriend, drummer John Markowski. "Johnwas an amazing drummer. He would getup everyday and go through twelve drumbooks, cover to cover! A student wouldcome in with a Billy Cobham record andask, 'How does this go, John?', and he'dwrite it out l ike nothing. We were a goodcombination, because John was very, verytechnical, and not that into it on stagebecause he never really played with a band.I was the opposite. So, we had a good giveand take. He helped me out a lot with thetechnical things, and I helped him out asfar as stage things."

Several noted New York drum teacherswere in attendance for Carmine's clinic. Aquestion came up regarding the validity ofthe half-hour lesson. "I don't believe inhalf-hour lessons. I think they're a waste oftime. A student has got to have at least anhour. When I teach, it's supposed to be anhour but we go on and on. I couldn't dothat when I had the drum studio becausethere were days when I had like twelvestudents. On Saturday, John and I wouldgo from ten in the morning until ten atnight. I dedicated the whole house to the

"I REALLY FEEL SORRYFOR YOUNG DRUMMERSSTARTING TO COME UP,BECAUSE THEY'RE GOINGTO GET STUCK IN THEREALM OF JUST TRYINGTO MAKE IT. THEY'REGOING TO END UPPLAYING SO COMMERCIALAND SO SIMPLE, THATTHERE ISN'T GOING TO BEA NEW GENERATION OFGREAT DRUMMERS."

drum studio. Guys would fly in from allover the country. I had a room with akitchen and a bedroom that they wouldrent. They'd stay for a month and take aminimum of six lessons a week. I'd justram it down their throats — and it worked!It was l ike being in a symposium. We'dgive them two years worth of work in con-cepts on cassettes, and they'd write thingsdown and work them out at home. I'dteach with videotapes. I'd taped Deep Pur-ple: Ian Paice's solo. I jammed with DeepPurple, and we taped that with me and Iantrading fours. Carl Palmer, and even Bud-dy Rich and Elvin Jones were on thosetapes. I'd sit down with the students andwe'd just look at the video. If they had anyquestions as we went along, I'd stop thetape, rewind it, and try to tell them whatwas happening. It was good because thekids got to see all different styles of play-ing. Something l ike that is worth a milliondollars. I have plans for like ten drumstudios around the country when I get a lit-tle older, and get tired of the road. I thinkthe teaching method that we developed candefinitely work, and has worked." A seriesof forty-eight to sixty ways of goingthrough any rock book can all be found inCarmine's books, Realistic Rock andRealistic Hi-Hats. He smiles at the men-tion of his hi-hat book because of its forty-thousand variations.

A common question about studying anyinstrument, is what should I study, andwhat shouldn't I study? Drum teachers andstudents inevitably choose sides whenques t ions arise about the val id i ty ofrudiments, or the superiority of one gripover the other. Many professionals avoidunnecessary books, and concentrate onlyon what they are going to use on the gig."Everything I studied with my teachers, Iused at one point or another. You do needrudiments to a point. If I didn't go throughall the rudiments, I would never havedeveloped my hands. They really developthe hands. I also prefer the matched grip. Ith ink the other way is dying out. I playedtwelve years with the traditional grip. Iswitched over in the studio about fouryears ago. I thought it would be better —and it is better."

An even more neglected area of teachingis the development of foot control. SinceCarmine displayed some fine technique onboth his double bass drums and hi-hat, Iasked him about the study of foot develop-ment. "I've got a new book coming outcalled Rudiments to Rock which takes inTed Reed's Syncopation, Stone's StickControl, Buddy Rich's book, and abeginner rock method. I start by havingthe feet play time, and then I have the feetplay different rhythms. This way the feetget involved immediately. It teaches phras-ing between the hands and feet, and notjust the hands. I didn't start playingdouble-bass until I was playing about sixyears. I use it less now than I used to. I usemore hi-hat stuff now."

"HE [TONY WILLIAMS]WAS THE ONLY DRUMMERTO EVER FLOOR ME INTWENTY SECONDS.TOTALLY BLEW MY MIND.WHEN I WAS WITH THEFUDGE, I WAS ON AN EGOTRIP. I WENT TO HEARTONY AND I SAID TOMYSELF, 'ALRIGHT, LET'SSEE WHAT YOU CAN DO' —WELL, HE PLAYED LIKETWENTY SECONDS, AND ISAID, 'ARE YOUKIDDING'."

Carmine's stress on hi-hat technique wasmet with mixed reactions from his clinicaudience. One spectator went so far as todismiss the hi-hat as "unmusical." Weakhi-hats, Carmine pointed out, were quitecommon among his students. I asked himif he found this to be a symptom of rockdrummers as opposed to jazz drummers."Well, yeah. A big band drummer is goingto keep his hi-hat on two and four. But,we're talking about modern playing, wherethe hi-hat is really important. Very impor-tant. You should take lessons and learnhow to read music, because you can alwaysuse it . It's the best thing you can do.Sometimes you might find yourselfstagnating, but if you can read, you canpick up any drum book and betteryourself. You can grasp more and variedmaterial."

Carmine uses a medium-heavy stickplaying mostly with the butt end, even oncymbals. All of his tom-toms are single-headed. Most recently, he's been playingwith front heads on the bass drums withholes cut in the head. "I have the originalOcta-Plus set that Ludwig made in 1971 .It's walnut wood and it just sounds amaz-ing. I've been with Ludwig a long time. Ihelped them develop their heavy-dutyhardware. All my hardware is custommade, and I never had much trouble with it— until this tour. I open my mouth duringinterviews and say I never break anythinganymore. On the first night of the tour, Ibroke a foot pedal during my solo. Secondnight I break the seat. Third night Icracked a cymbal stand. But now we'reback to normal. Nothing's been breaking.Basically, everything holds up. All of mycymbals are Paiste. They don't crack onme for some reason. I've got a 52" Paistegong that is great sounding. I'm reallyhappy with my set-up. I've got a stainlesssteel set and I'm trading them in on a newLudwig six-ply wood. Those drums arereally good, really thick. Stainless steelsounds good for a small club gig, but whenyou get into big places and start running

continued on page 23

The Drumstick

People

by CHEECH IERO

The Cappella Drumstick Company hasbeen making quality drumsticks for overtwenty years. The firm, founded by Johnand Tom Cappella, began in EastBrunswick, New Jersey in 1957. Thebrothers Cappella moved the operation toHightstown, New Jersey several years agoand since then, the business has continuedto diversify and grow to the point wherethe twenty-four man shop turns out 600,-000 pairs of drumsticks per year. Cappellaenterprises, with its 42 types of drumsticks,now holds sixty percent of the market inthis country. "In fact," says PresidentJohn Cappella, "fifty percent of the namedrummers in this country use our hickoryproducts."

Hickory is the most popular wood usedin the production of drumsticks since itpossesses certain physical properties whichmake it ideal. Hickory is both hard andstrong, and also maintains the greatestresilience and shock absorbing qualities.This means less player fatigue. Axe andsledge hammer handles are also madefrom this wood, basically for the samereason. Hickory also resists crushingalmost twice as well as oak, and it resistssplitting because of its long, tight in-terlocking grain.

An improvement upon nature is thechemically petrified hickory wood which isimpregnated with liquid phenolic resinsand subjected to intense heat and pressure.This process actually improves the proper-ties of hickory by increasing the specificgravity to achieve maximum resistance toimpact. The process is called densifying,and it permits normal fabrication of thewood while giving the surface remarkableprotection against mars, dents, splintersand warpage. The operation also controlssurface hardness up to 80% over untreatedhickory, resists all normal impact withoutcrushing the wood fibers or damaging thefinish, and shows greater depth of grainand beauty.

Truckloads of hickory in rough rec-tangles arrive at the Cappella plant anddon't leave until they're packaged andready for drummers throughout the coun-try.

These rough rectangles of cured hickoryare cut into drumsticks by workmen atlathes. The skilled workers learn to deter-mine the value of the raw stock by thesound it makes as the blades of the lathecut into the wood. Despite the variety ofshapes and lengths of sticks, production isrelatively fast and simple due to the use ofsome ingenious equipment. Wood turninglathes are equipped with special cutterblades which are sharpened every six hoursof machining time to guarantee that eachstick will have a smooth surface, free oftorn wood fibers.

Another precaution to insure smoothcutting without tom fibers, is heatedlinseed oil as a lubricant in the operation.Each cutter blade is designed to shape thedrumstick, shaving away just the rightamount of wood as a length of dowel-likehickory passes across its cleverly contrivedcutting edge. A number of other wood-turning chores, notably the production ofbeater handles for bass drums and timpaniare produced by the same technique, per-mitting the machining of knob-like endssimply and accurately. This equipmentalso faci l i tates production of squaredrumsticks, valued by some drummersbecause they don't roll.

Affixing of the revolutionary nylon tip isa relatively new addition to the manufac-turing procedure. Nylon tips are heated inan oven to expand. The tips, with speciallock-on inter ior rings and matchinggrooves made on the stick itself, are thenglued in place. When the tips cool and con-tract, and the glue dries, the drummer isassured of a virtually trouble free, 'tightfit.' The sticks are then placed in wirecages and dipped into buckets of lacquer.Production of beaters requires several ad-

ditional steps and definite skills such ascementing on a multi-sectioned cork core,application of a cushioning felt cap, andfinally, the sewing of an orlon lambs woolcover.

With the completion of the manufac-turing procedure, those sticks with obviousdefects are removed. The approvedproduct moves along to storage undercarefully controlled humidity and temper-ature conditions. They remain under theseconditions for approximately one weekbefore final sorting and inspection. Thisgives the sticks a chance to reach dimen-sional stability. Sticks that are going towarp, will warp within this time period.

The sticks are then separated intoweight and grain categories, and later,rolled and tapped to check for straightnessand s i m i l a r i t y in sound before finalpackaging in air-tight plastic bags.

Another line, branching out of theCappella enterprise are the SimpsonSticks, designed and patented by a druminstructor. This special model is the samelength as the regular stick and has thesame point and taper, however each stickhas eight grooves cut into the butt end.Colorful plastic rings are then fit snugly,two to each stick. The rings weigh no morethan the cut-away wood and the sticks re-main properly balanced. The grooves onthe sticks differ from each other, thusproviding the drummer with a 'right hand'and a 'left hand' st ick. Some drummersdeclare this particular design assures themof a higher degree of control.

Cappella is one of four or five majorfirms in this country currently producingdrumsticks. Others are located in EastBrunswick, New Jersey, Chicago, Illinois,Niagara Falls, New York, and Houston,Texas. At Cappella, business is better thanever with the factory being expanded to10,000 square feet of manufacturing, 5,000square feet of raw material storage space,and an inventory of over 250,000 pairs ofdrumsticks and beaters. Anyone interestedin further information on the Cappellaline, can write: Cappella, PO Box 247,Hightstown, NJ. 08520.

President John Cappella, looks over anewly arrived bin of raw stock.

The stick is inserted into a special machinewhich rounds off and smooths out the buttend.

Sticks are stored in cages to dry after lac-quer dipping process.

A skilled workman operates a wood lathewhich shapes and tapers the stick, shavingaway just the right amount of wood.

A workman operates a machine which af-fixes the nylon tip to the drumstick.

Drummer-author, Cheech Iero, trys hishand at the testing table where sticks arechecked for straightness and similarity insound.

A 'sanding machine' smoothes the grain ofthe stick after it has been tapered.

The drumsticks are put into wire cages anddipped into large buckets of lacquer.

The final step: finished product fromsorted bins, is packaged and sealed in air-tight plastic bags, ready for shipment.

Jazz is very much alive in Montreal, Canada, largely due to theefforts of the city's Rising Sun Club. It recently hosted JackDeJohnette's Directions band which includes John Abercrombieon guitar, Mike Richmond on bass, and Alex Foster on sax.Modern Drummer caught the show one chilly evening and spoke tothe famous drummer-leader.

Jack DeJohnette is one of those few for whom we reserve the ti-tle "Drummers' Drummer". His talents transcend "chops","licks", and other common descriptives. He's played with thegreatest: Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner, JohnColtrane, Bill Evans. Thelonius Monk, Sonny Rollins, and the listcontinues. The man has paid the dues necessary to attractmusicians of extraordinary talent and integrity.

Jack is a little reluctant to discuss the past, firstly because he ishumble and secondly because his interests lie ahead. When con-fronted with the task of dealing with some biographical questions,he amiably suggested that we "cancel all that". Suffice it to saythat Jack DeJohnette was born in Chicago in 1942. He studiedpiano for 12 years and played the instrument professionally at age14, switching to drums at age 16. Initially, Jack worked out of hishome town but quickly embraced New York, California and therest of the United States. Next he turned to continental Europe,and currently alternates between Old World and New. His travelsand experience bespeak a maturity and confidence which makehim an ideal band leader.

Approached between sets as pre-arranged. Jack was a graciousand willing participant. He's disarmingly casual, but make no mis-take. The conversation will steer towards his three loves: music, hisdrums and cymbals, and his recording ventures.

We first talked about his drums, and the logic behind his fairlynew set-up.

MD: You've changed your set-up. The extra bass drum is usedfor more than punctuation.JD: Well, I use drums for harmony and melody, as well as

rhythm. That's to do with the tuning which is the aspect of usingdouble bass drums. The idea of double bass drums is not a newone; they've been used for a long time. My concept of using thedouble bass drum is if you're going to have them, have them tunedto different pitches.MD: Are there specific intervals?

JD: I tune them in fourths or fifths. D and G. They're alsotuned up high so that they penetrate. Not so much in terms ofvolume but in the pitch and tonalities.MD: Are they both 14 by 18 inch drums?JD: Yeah. They're both 18's. I got back into two bass drums

with a good friend of mine, Stu Martin. He played with John Sur-man in the Trio and lived for about a year in America. We were in-volved with Creative Music Studios in Woodstock. I was playingon his drums, and I decided to get two bass drums. I was originallyusing a 20 and an 18, but the 18, actually because the timbre wasstronger and the pitch - it was louder than the 20. It's a matter ofdefinition of tone. So I switched to two 18's.MD: I can sense the tight tuning. What type of heads are youusing?JD: I just got into a new line of heads. They're called Pin Stripe,

by RemoMD: For both live and studio work?

JD: Yeah, but just on the batter side. Because what I wanted,especially for miking and things was a ringing open bass drum. Buton the edges of the drums are a lot of unwanted overtones, so youdon't get the definite tone. The pin stripes are double the thicknessaround the edge of the head, which is where the unwanted over-tones come from.MD: That's interesting: the recent McCoy Tyner "Super Trios"album has a picture of you using black dot (Remo) heads.

JD: That wasn't my drum set. Those were Jim Stern's drums,Rogers drums, all with one head tuned as high as I could get them.MD: Someone once said that you practiced by doing rudimentsin front of the T.V.JD: Well, that was when I was just beginning. I don't do that

by T. BRUCE WITTET

anymore. I don't practice anymore: I just play, I improvise. I maysit down on piano.MD: You can sit down at the piano at leisure, but adding anotherbass drum on stage is a different thing. Did you just put it there andblow?

JD: I had it at home, but I just took it and, like, if it's there I'mgoing to use it. I just let it develop naturally. I develop a concept ofthe double bass drum as I go along. I know it's there and it'sanother pitch. It's been interesting. You know, (laughs) sometimesI'd be playing and the beater would jump out of the pedal and I'dbe stuck with the left bass drum, so then I'd have to think of the leftbass drum as the right foot, and it would help me develop my rightfoot.MD: Do you play mostly heel-down on the pedal?JD: I play both.

MD: What sort of pedal do you use?JD: I use a Sonor pedal — all Sonor equipment. They're a

beautiful drum. I've been with them four or five years. I love them.MD: It's difficult to get, and it's expensive.JD: It's expensive because it's imported, but it's the best equip-

ment going.MD: You tune them high, I mean, really high, and yet they stillproject. Why do so many drummers tune their drums so low?JD: It's the commercial sound, that's all. My tuning, it's a jazz

tuning. Ten years ago it was considered a basic jazz tuning, beforerock. The concert toms give you more range. They made me aspecial set which has double heads.MD: They've got a high pitched tone!

JD: I'd like them even higher, but one of the heads busted thisweek. I've got the bottom head on the top, so I have to replace it.MD: A lot of people are concerned about the issue of matchedversus traditional grip. I notice that you compensate for traditionalgrip by turning the left stick around and playing with the butt end.

JD: Either way, if it feels good. For Latin playing it's nice touse matched grip. I like to play more with this grip (gesturestraditional left-hand grip) though because I get more of a touch. Ican do it the other way too.

The basic DeJohnette drum set, apart from bass drums andcustom concert toms, consists of a 5 1/2 inch metal snare, a standardsmall tom and floor tom, and finally, twin wooden "timbales"which he uses "just on some" because "they cut through to theback".

For a long while the "DeJohnette signature" has been his im-aginative use of cymbals. Although he has changed his cymbal-set a number of times over the years, he has consistently been anadvocate of the Swiss-made Paiste cymbal. On record, he uses anarray of sizes and weights from cup-chimes to gongs to ChinaTypes with their upturned edges and cylindrical bells. For high hatshe uses the Sound Edge line which have heavy bottoms rippledaround the edges. Jack's cymbal colourings stem mainly from hisride cymbals, however, and he uses the Flat and Dark Rides. Thelatter come in 22" size only, and have a bumpy, moon-like surface.MD: Can you tell us about your cymbals. First of all, that's aDark Ride, is it not?JD: Yeah, it's a Dark Ride; they're all Paiste cymbals. I use

only Paiste cymbals. We worked a long time on this Dark Ridecymbal; it's been years. It's an extension of the K.Zildjian sound.The Dark Ride is a modification of the K-sound, but it's darker,dryer. The purpose of the Dark Ride is to give you a minimumamount of overtones — a minimum amount of splash. That's whatthe deep indentations in it are for.They cut down the build-up.MD: What are the rest of your cymbals?

JD: Well, there's an 18 and 16 inch 2002 splash, a Formula 602flat ride, and a China Type, 20 inch. Paiste is coming out with awhole new line of cymbals, dark cymbals. There'll be dark flats,rides, crashes, and high-hats. The closest sound I could give youfor the high-hats was Tony's (Williams) sound when he was withMiles, but it's a modification of that sound — brighter, with morehighs.MD: You went to Switzerland to the Paiste factory to pick outyour cymbals?

JD: Yeah. I did a thing in Monterey sponsored by Paiste. Theycommissioned George Grunz — he's a Swiss-German piano com-poser who does the Berlin festival. He wrote a suite called "Percus-

sion Profiles" for two Swiss drummers, Pierre Favre and FreddyStuder. At the factory we talked about this Dark Ride. The thing Ilike about Paiste is that they're like artists with their cymbals. Ifyou tell them the sound you're looking for, they'll experiment.Robert Paiste is an incredible guy. When he hears his cymbals onthe ECM records he's flipped out.MD: A final note about cymbals. Some of the advertisementsmake it confusing for the young drummer. Your name is still seenconnected with another cymbal company.

JD: I'm not with them; I use Paiste. I guess I just didn't tellthem I was changing over.

Jack DeJohnette's musical convictions have found a vehicle inthe German Manfred Etcher's ECM record label. Eicher choosesto produce every single album released by his company and he isgenerally acknowledged to be a master craftsman. The "ECMsound" has become a standard of excellence for both producer andconsumer alike.

In the final part of the interview Jack reflects on his relationshipwith ECM and about his ideas on the music scene as he encountersit.MD: Your California work doesn't have the distinctive drumsound; is that Manfred Eicher's influence?

JD: Yeah, nobody but Manfred can do that. Manfred and themusicians. Together we worked on getting a drum sound, eachtime we do an album. Manfred really knows how to record cym-bals: it's a conception of the thing having clarity no matter howbusy it is. It's also the use of echo to enhance sounds — just theright amount.MD: How does he get that ride cymbal sound?JD: Well, he gets all the overtones, especially with these Paiste

cymbals. He loves to record my cymbals, the touch and everything.It's great to be doing it regularly when you know you don't have toworry about telling a guy what to do about the engineering. Andevery time you do it you get more familiar, but I always come inwith new cymbals. You know, it's placement of mikes and the mix-ing; he adds just enough to enhance the quality of the tone and thesustain, so it rounds it out and makes the cymbal sing.MD: What mike set-up do you use in the studio?JD: I usually use two on bass drum, maybe a couple of stereo

mikes, one mike on the snare and high hat and over the floor tomtom.MD: You've done a lot of work in Europe. Is that yourpreference?JD: I like to work in both places. I'd like to get more happening

in the States?MD: What do you see as problems in the American music scene?JD: The big record companies in the States ruin jazz by giving

out too much front money. They don't make any money. ECM'spolicy is lower advances so that you can see some returns on yoursales. Also you get a lot of airplay in Europe. There's more musicbeing played. It's a building process, and that's the thing Americanrecord companies aren't into: if the record doesn't jump right outthere and hit the charts right away . . . . I'm trying to build some-thing. It's a foundation. It's just music! The band being what it is,"Directions", has been called everything from fusion music toavant garde. I don't care what anybody calls it. I like to play alldifferent directions.MD: You say that people have called you a "fusion band". Fu-sion bands usually have really straight rhythm sections. Is thatjazz?

JD: Well, it's not a collective thing. It's a form of jazz, but it's alevel and there are different levels. I'm more into group improvisa-tion. I'm more into, say, aggressive players.MD: I noticed that tonight. Everyone is really pushing.JD: Well, it's a primitive kind of challenge. We challenge each

other: that's where the surprises come from. I think that our NewRags album captures that spontaneity. I really like that record; Ithink it captures best in the studio what this band sounds like live.Spontaneity — that's the most important thing to get on records.MD: Do you do a lot of takes when you record?

continued on page 29

THE ELECTRONIC REVOLUTIONby RANDY HESS Fantasy, Fact, Future?

Randy Hess is Marketing Director for STAR Instruments, Inc.,manufacturers of SYNARE Percussion Synthesizers. He is agraduate of Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA with a B.S.in Music, and also has a degree in Electronic Music Compositionfrom Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA. Mr. Hess also serveson the MD Advisory Board as Advisor on Electronic percussion.

It had to happen sooner or later. Modern technology has ex-tended its helping hand to almost every facet of our lives today;even music. Electronic instruments and their related effects havehad a steadily growing influence on the new music that we hearevery day. Think what electronics have done for the musicianalready. Keyboard players take their own instruments with them toa gig rather than rely on a clunky house piano. Bass players nolonger lug around upright double basses. The guitar player reallycame into the spotlight with the advent of the electric guitar. Now;why not the drummer? Shouldn't he be allowed to advance fromthe metronome position, to one of musical contributor? Doesn'tthe drummer have the same drives and ambitions as any othermusician? Shouldn't he be allowed to compose and solo like therest of the group? These are the drives behind the electronic percus-sion movement. Let's look at where it's coming from and what'savailable for todays drummer/percussionist.

As the other members of the group began playing electronic in-struments, the drummer found it necessary to mike his drums tokeep a balanced sound. Soon, he found he could electronically alterthe sound of his drums with special effects boxes and pedals in-troduced to him by the guitar player. It was simple to patch thesedevices between the mikes for his drums and the amplifier.Whether he realized it at the time or not, the drummer was openinga door for electronic percussion.

With the advent of the synthesizer, the entire future of music wasto be changed. The keyboard was chosen as the controller for thisfactory of sound because of its universal acceptance andknowledge. But is the keyboard the real solution to the controlpotential for the synthesizer? We are slowly finding that it may notbe.

Take a look at today's rock group. What you'll probably find isa guitar player with a dozen different effects pedals, boxes andswitches layed out before him, taking his guitar and its sound tothe limits of its potential. Now look at the keyboard player. Don'tfeel threatened. Your average keyboardist of today could haveanywhere from 3 to 15 keyboards positioned around him in anApollo Command Module set-up. And finally, there is thedrummer, playing a set comprised of instruments that have evolvedvery l itt le, (except for construction material), since the animal skinwas first stretched across a hollow log and struck with a bone. It istime for the drummer to get in on the gig. The time is today.

The percussion synthesizer can be found in several forms today.A drum that controls a keyboard synthesizer module, severaldrum-like units that connect to their own control box, self con-tained units with practice pad like rubber heads, and batteryoperated drums that have the controls right on them. Though theyvary in construction, features, and price, they all have one objec-tive in common; to give the drummer/percussionist the ability tomake new and different percussive and melodic sounds that hismechanical drums cannot afford him. What sounds? Like any syn-thesizer, the ability to closely reproduce any musical or percussivesound or instrument plus generate sounds that until the evolutionof the synthesizer — were unheard of.

How many times have you wished that you had timpani for atune, or a 28" gong, or orchestra bells, tubular chimes, marimba,xylophone, vibes, congas, or even more exotic instruments like theamadinda, surdos, kalimba, or other sounds of the Far East andAfrica. How about wood blocks, temple blocks, slide whistles,slapstick, ratchet, siren, bird whistle, horse hoofs, finger cymbals,castanets, triangle, pop gun, trains, horns, you name it. This iswhat the percussion synthesizer can do for you. Imagine going to ajob with an instrument no larger than your snare drum that couldmake all of these percussive effects and thousands more that can'teven be named.

Is this whole happening to be considered a threat to your presentmechanical drums? Not l ikely. When the keyboard synthesizercame out, were people burning their grand pianos? Did the electricguitar put the acoustic one out of business or make the upright bassobsolete? The percussion synthesizer is to be used to accent yourdrums and playing. It produces sounds of instruments and tonecolors that you currently do not have available. Don't misunder-stand me however; the latest percussion synthesizers and electronicdrums could be used as electronic replacements for most of yourkit. You'll probably still need a real snare drum and cymbals, butthe electronic drum could handle the rest.

The question is, how close to the real thing does it sound? Nostring synthesizer to date sounds exactly like a string orchestra, yethaving the effect available is worth the sacrifice of a little of thequality to project the mood. The same applies here. Real timpanimay be difficult to achieve on a synthesizer, yet having the effectstill gets the musical idea across. As synthesizers and their relatedtechnology improve, realistic and near perfect duplication of asound will become commonplace. Your music, in the meantime,should not have to suffer for it.

Playing electronic percussion instruments is easier than you maythink. You needn't have degrees in Electrical Engineering andAcoustical Physics to control a unit. For one, your playing styleremains the same. Rudiments are rudiments and aside fromperhaps a little spacial relations adjustment, (electronic percussiontakes up a lot less space than ordinary drums), your playing will goon as normal. Practice becomes easier. When could you ever prac-tice your drums into headphones before while the old lady watchesher soaps right in the next room.

In the studio, for recording purposes, is where they will reallyshine. No renting equipment. Easy set-up, and best of all, they canbe patched directly into the line for recording. No mikes. No tap-ing heads or stuffing your drums to get a dead sound for recording.That tight sound is at the touch of a button.

What it really comes down to in the end, is you — the drummer.In the hands of a fool, any instrument can sound really ugly andworthless, yet the potential is still there. The first time that you hita drum it probably sounded pretty bad. But did that mean that theinstrument was worthless? It takes time, patience and most impor-tant, TASTE. 30 minutes of crashing ocean waves won't get you anaudience, and if you intend to use your percussion synthesizer as ameans of getting back at the rest of the group for years of supres-sion, your wasting your time, money, and the instrument. The onlyway to play any instrument with taste is knowledge, andknowledge comes from practice.

Electronic percussion is here and now. With the help of talentedmusicians l ike Carl Palmer, Billy Cobham, Andre Lewis, SteveSmith, Michael Shrieve, and drummers like yourself, the future ofelectronic percussion is limitless. It will really depend on what youmake it.

The Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra hasbeen going strong for some thirteen yearsnow, consistant poll winners, and the hit ofalmost every jazz festival they perform at.All the more reason for my shock whendrummer co-leader Mel Lewis informedme that, "there haven't been any profitsyet; the profits have all been in the musicmaking — and in the fun and pleasure."

Spending the better part of an afternoonat his plush New York City apartment, welistened first to a tape of the 1955 StanKenton band, the vehicle which broughtthe distinctive Mel Lewis brand of drum-ming to the attention of all who respectand admire him today. Later we listened toa Jones-Lewis Orchestra concert taped livea short time ago in France. In this relaxedand cordial atmosphere, we settled backfor an afternoon of conversation whereMel spoke openly about drumming, andabout the state of the art to which he'sdedicated practically all of his adult life.

Later — in transcribing his comments— I realized that some of what Mel saidcould easily be misinterpreted asegotistical. Not so. To know thyself is avirtue, and Mel Lewis might very well bethe most honest person I've ever met. Hespoke as an artist dedicated to "pure jazz,"with its roots firmly imbedded in bop.

His style of playing hasn't changed allthat much since he first gained recognitionwith the Kenton band, and this is not toslight him. It's just that Mel Lewis hasbeen an excellent drummer for a long time.

SF: During the fifties and sixties youwere one of the most in demand studiodrummers in New York. Do you still domuch studio work? What sort ofknowledge did a studio drummer have tohave in those years?ML: I do very little studio work now. Iguess it's a combination of my own doing,and of the changeover. I've been sort ofphased out of the studio's because of style.The average studio drummer today isbasically a rock drummer, and most ofthem don't know how to do a damm thing.I'm not a rock drummer — althoughfrankly — I think I play better rock thanthe whole lot of them. But it's notlegitimate — what they call the "realrock." I think I play it better and withmore feeling. I'm not a pounder and I'mnot a cymbal breaker.

When I was really heavy into studiowork, I'll have to admit the music waspretty damm good and a lot of goodwriters were involved. I'd perform in astudio daily with anywhere from two guys,to one-hundred piece symphonyorchestras. The music was good, and it waschallenging. A studio drummer had toknow everything. You have to be a goodreader, and you had to have good time, ortempo actually, because time to me isreally "feeling."

When I was doing jingles they didn't useclick tracks. I had a secret, a way of play-

ing with a click track where I wouldn'tsound metronomic. The secret was not toplay with the track, but play around it.Keep it relative but don't keep it exact,otherwise you sound like a metronome.

You needed a knowledge of all styles ofmusic. In the course of one day you'd beplaying ragtime, or music from the twen-ties and thirties. You had to know theGoodman style of swing, and early Basie.You had to know how to play a show. Youhad to know Dixieland, and in my case, Iwas called upon to play avant-garde andbop which is my main thing. That's wheremy roots are and that's where my heart is.To me, bop is the most complex music ofall.SF: How did you learn all of those stylesof drumming?ML: Ears. By listening to bands onrecords and in person, and I never slightedanyone. When I first came to New York inthe forties, my evenings weren't all spent atthe Royal Roost listening to Max, KennyClarke and Shelly Manne. I made sure Iheard Sid Catlett, Cozy Cole, GeorgeWettling and Morey Feld. I listened tothem all.

My father was my first influence. Hewas a pit drummer, a show drummer, andalso a good wedding and bar mitzvahdrummer. I knew his style backwards. He

could read anything and he had excellenttime. Bill Robinson (Mr. Bojangles) wascrazy about his feel. He was also a verytasty drummer, and I think I was blessedwith his time and taste.

My favorite drummers in the thirtieswere Gene Krupa and Jo Jones. Max madea big impression on me in the forties, andthen it was Roy Haynes. I heard Roy talk-ing about things in the forties that Elvinwas talking about later. Roy was one ofthe first "out" drummers.

I was lucky enough to be in what wasconsidered a famous Kenton band between1954-55. Critics and jazz fans alike saythat was probably the most swinging bandhe ever had. That's where I made myname. I was with a slew of commercialdance bands prior to that. I've been play-ing with big bands since I was thirteen orfourteen years old.SF: What's your opinion of stuffingdrums for recording purposes, and thetrend towards making all studio drummerssound alike?ML: Actually, you hear a drummerplaying on his drums, but the sound youhear is the engineers. I'm against all that.No engineer is going to do that to me. Youget my sound or forget it, man. I will nottake my front head off. I won't sticksomething in there. Both heads all the

MEL LEWIS

STRAIGHT AHEADby Scott Kevin Fish

time. No muffling on the outside head ofthe bass drum. Just a thin felt strip and aGretsch bass drum tone control on thebatter head. That's all I still use.SF: No mufflers on your snare drum?ML: No mufflers. Tom-toms either.Everything is off, everything open. If Iplay a rock date where I gotta get that drysound I throw my wallet or a date book onthe drum head. When I used to smoke, I'dthrow my pack of cigarettes down there.SF: Would you do a studio rock date?ML: Oh sure, I'll do it if they let me do itthe way I do it. But, not if they want me tosound like the latest hit record. I don'twant to sound like Steve Gadd. To me,he's fine. I think he's one of the best. I'veheard his work enough and I know he'sprobably the busiest studio drummeraround, but he doesn't have to do all thethings we had to do. He does all the stuffthat's done in rock style, most of it. I can'tstand that sound. I don't like the sound ofSteve's drums at all because it's a rocksound. A dead sound. But, I think Stevedoes a helluva good job.SF: I remember reading in the linernotes to a Jones-Lewis composition calledAhunk Ahunk, that you used stuffeddrums for that "now sound."ML: I used the studio bass drum — astuffed drum — but I didn't take the front

head off. I loosened my toms and I didn'ttake any heads off them either. I put themufflers on. I used one of my Ludwig &Ludwig snares and I put my wallet on it.That was it.SF: You're the only drummer I canthink of still using calfskin heads. Do youuse them on all your drums?ML: No, just the top of the snare, andthe bass drum batter. Plastic on the bot-tom. I've been doing that for years. I'vetried plastic, but with brushes, none ofthem make it. Only calf. It's a little hard touse them in California. There's somethingabout the weather out there that makes itpretty rough. I like it damp though, Iprefer a little moisture in the head, notbone dry. Then they're too tight.SF: How frequently do you have to tunethem?ML: Maybe twice a night. Sometimesit's perfectly alright when I sit down, andthat's the way they stay all night. I don'tlike tight drumheads, but if a drummerlikes a tight sound he can certainly get itwith calf. But, he's got to remember thathe'd better not leave it that way. Thetighter you make a calf head, the more itstretches. The head will probably go dead alot sooner than if you kept it medium. Youhave to remember to change tension at theend of the night. There's something about

the feeling and sound of calf. Plasticdoesn't feel right to me. Plastic heads onthe toms are alright. I'm not thrilled withthe sound, but I don't have time to messwith them. You hit the toms so hard andget all those dents in them, that gives youan idea of why it's basically dangerous touse calf on tom-toms. I don't hit a snaredrum as hard as I hit a tom for somereason or another. When I want volumefrom a snare, it's usually with a rim shot.SF: Do you tune your drums in anyspecific way?ML: The tuning of my drums isn't exact.As long as the sound is right, I don't care. Istart out trying to be exact but it neverends up that way. I don't always have timeto finish tuning, so sometimes everything issitting there a little crooked. Nothing'sperfect, but I get my sound. I strive for afull sound. I try to make my drums soundl ike a fat sounding trumpet. I like to get abig sound.SF: Are you still using the Gretschwooden snare?ML: I use mostly wood, but I own a cou-ple of metal snare drums built back around1928. I have a Leedy & Ludwig, and aLudwig & Ludwig. They were the bestsnare drums ever made.SF: Have you used them on any of yourrecordings?ML: I used them on the vocal albumswhere I played a lot of back beats, and onthe Central Park North album. On all theother live albums I've used the woodensnare. I'm going to start using the metalsnares live with the band, because the snaredrums aren't coming off too good today.I've been using Gretsch drums for thirty-one years and I'll be using them anotherthirty-one years — if I'm playing that long— but they're gonna have to get somethinggoing on the snare drums. As far as I'mconcerned there isn't anybody putting outa good snare. They all sound like boxes —wooden or metal. I still prefer the Gretschwooden snare drum, but I'm unhappy withsome of the workmanship. I'm usingcalfheads and I'm not getting a fit. They'reonly worrying about plastic heads. In theold days we all played calfskin and neverhad those troubles. Why should there betrouble now? We used to tuck the headsourselves. Some of us did lousy jobs butthey still worked. The drum still sounded.Why should it be any different today? Thestrainers were better too. I think they allmake rotten strainers today, all of them. Astrainer has a lot to do with the sound of adrum.SF: You once made reference to yourplaying as being strong, but not loud. Canyou explain the difference?ML: What counts is the intensity.Volume doesn't mean a damm thing.There's a volume you can play at that'ssensible. To me, piano to mezzo forte isenough volume for normal playing in a big

continued on page 31

ROCK HI-HATSby Denny Kinne

In the last several years, the hi-hat has come to play an in-creasingly active role in drum set independence — especially forthe rock drummer. The sustained or "splash" sound emanatingfrom the hi-hat is basically the action of the hi-hat foot in the openposition while simultaneously being struck with the stick. The hi-hat foot is quickly raised on the accent, returning immediately tothe closed position. In exercises 1-6, the hi-hat foot is raised onlyon the accented "ans", where the 0 is marked over the note. Seebelow.

In exercises 7 and 8 we have two accents where the hi-hatremains open for one full beat. Note also, the bass drum's rein-forcement of the hi-hat accents in each exercise. In example 7 thehi-hat opens on the count of 2 and closes on the count of 3. Thestick strikes the hi-hat cymbals in open position on the counts of 2AN.

These are only a few of the most commonly used open hi-hatvariations. There are literally hundreds of other possible com-binations. Experiment, and see how many original ideas you cancome up with.

All of the above practice material was reprinted from "RockSocks" — A Study for Hi-Hats in Rock Drumming, by permissionof author Denny Kinne.

Example 8 utilizes the same principle on the counts of 4 AN.

METRIC MODULATIONby Rupert Kettle

Among the many lessons to be learned from the playing of MaxRoach is the concept of musicality in drumming. This is shown nomore clearly than in his solo work, particularly in the fact thatMax has almost always played choruses of the tune being played,and most often uses little phrasing tricks to complement thosechoruses. One of the best of these is defining the bridge (or B sec-tions if the tune is ABAB) through a shift in rhythmic base, just asa standard tune shifts its harmonic base for that period. Atmedium to medium-up tempos, Max affected this by generating atriplet feel in the A sections (as in Example 1) then shifting to astraight-eighth/sixteenth feel for the B parts (as in Example 11) orvice-versa.

At the fast tempos, for which he is famous, Max most oftenresorts to a change in tone color for a tune's different sections, buta few examples of the rhythmic device may be found. Cherokeewith Clifford Brown, is a good one.

Having learned this lesson, and wishing to experiment furtherwith the idea, the creative soloist could begin by working withchanging the meter, while still retaining the structure of theoriginal tune, to offset the A and B sections. Rothman and Langhave laid some good groundwork here (Phrasing Drum Solos andThe New Conception, respectively) but only within a four-measureframework. Same idea here, just simple arithmetic.

Let us assume you wish to set up some practice routines jump-ing back and forth between two eight measure 4/4 periods, A andB. At B, you wish to change to 3/4 meter, but still remain withinthe confines of eight 4/4 measures. Eight (measures) times four(beats per measure) equals thirty-two beats in the period. Three(beats per measure) goes into thirty-two ten times (or ten 3/4measures) with two left over. You would write a chart, just using"time" for the moment, and practice it. See Example 1 1 1 .

Note that while you've gone into 3/4 for awhile (with a measureof 2/4 to round things off) you've still played the exact amount ofbeats as the basic eight 4/4 measures. After practicing playingtime this way for a few days, you should be able to get looseenough to start working some solo patterns into both the A and Bsections.

Once you are used to the 3/4 idea, similar schemes may be con-trived. Phrasing the B parts in five (six 5/4 measures plus one 2/4measure equals eight 4/4 measures. Seven: (four 7/4 measures plusone 4/4 measure equals eight 4/4 measures) etc. When all of thesepossibilities are exhausted, there is always the sixteen measureperiod to work with, along the same lines. Another possibility ex-ists in shifting from a base of 3/4 or 5/4, into meters superimposedon given numbers of measures.

Hopefully, I've presented some food for thought and practice.Concluding are a couple of short solos along the lines of the aboveto help you get started. See Example IV and V.

FORMINGAN APPROACH

by Charley Perry

Noted author-teacher Charley Perry —long recognized as a leading authority onmodern drumming methodology — hasworked with artists Bud Powell, SonnyStitt, Stan Getz, Benny Goodman, StanKenton, Jimmy Dorsey, and BuddyMorrow, to name a few. An ex-KentonBand Camp faculty member, Charley nowserves on the faculty of Five TownsCollege in New York and devotes the ma-jority of his time to teaching.

When I first began to teach drumming, Idid a great deal of studying, mainly aboutmethodology. I studied with one teacherafter another , learning method uponmethod. I found however, that none of themethods were concerned sufficiently withthe popular form of drumming. Instead,they dealt with one or more of thetraditional forms or parts: orchestra andrudimental drumming, sticking technique,text book reading, etc. True, thesetraditional methods served the needs of theorchestra and rudimental drum student,but what of the jazz student?

Because most of my students were in-terested in the jazz form of drumming, Ifound it necessary — as did other teachers— to supplement the traditional formatwith the material of what can be termed'contemporary', popular performancedrumming. The constant need to supple-ment the traditional method, to alter orchange it, seemed to indicate that a seriousgap existed between drumming as it wastaught, and drumming as it wasprofessionally performed in the popularfield. Because of this, I could not help ask-ing myself many disquieting questionswhich challenged the methods that I hadbeen taught to use as a teacher. I put twoof these questions to the teaching profes-sion as a whole: 1) Is the drum teacherviewing drumming as it has come to be, oris he merely projecting his own theories;theories formulated in a different era, witha different purpose in mind? 2) Is the stu-dent being taught to function in the con-temporary music world, or is his learningexperience fitting him for the kind ofdrumming long since gone?

If he is to reach the student, if he is toprepare him thoroughly for professionalperformance drumming, the teacher mustknow our current music world intimately.

Ideally, the teacher should also be capableof participating in this world. It becameevident then, that the supplementary ap-proach was not enough; that it was essen-tial to develop a comprehensive plan forteaching the jazz form of drumming. Thetraditional rudiments had to be viewed intheir proper perspective — their possiblerelation to jazz drumming. Reading had tobe correlated with jazz interpretation;technique had to be applied to the entiredrum set, instead of merely to the snaredrum.

What I had learned over the yearsthrough listening, observing, assimilating,and performing had to be documented andformularized. The drummer's rhythmicpatterns, fill-ins, and solos had to berelated to improvisation, the chorus form,the rhythm section, the soloist, the group,etc. The principles of jazz drumming hadto be clearly formulated to provide a basisfor a system of teaching this form of drum-ming. Thus, my approach to teaching tookform.

No form, however, should be thought ofas being absolute or unchangeable. To set-tle on one way, and one way only, is to in-vite stagnation. Music is not a static art,but a dynamic process; teaching should bethe same. No method, therefore,beautifully wrought as it may be in princi-ple, should be rigid. Flexibility in anyteaching system is a "must" if it is tosucceed. An evolving concept, a change inpurpose and direction in music, must berecognized and acted upon by the teacher.Ideally, the teacher should even be activelyinvolved in the developmental process thatis taking place in music today.

A crucial point is the bridge between thesubject matter, the student, and themethod. The link between the three mustbe strong if the method and the subjectmatter are to serve the essential needs ofthe student. Since each person in this worldis different from every other person, it isimportant that the teacher vary his ap-

proach with each individual. He must trulyknow each student's strengths andweaknesses, immediate problems andneeds, goals and purposes. This is ac-complished by careful observation of thestudent and through discussion with him,beginning with the very first lesson. Onlythen, can the teacher determine the bestcourse of action and in many cases, evenhelp the student develop appropriateaspirations and incentives.

On the other hand, the "generalized"approach to a student-teacher relationshipis weak. This method treats every studentalike regardless of the student's needs,desires or abilities. With this concept, theteacher may smother the student with amass of poorly related material, taking forgranted that some of the information willbe useful to, and probably assimilated by,the student. Since the material is presentedin an isolated manner, the student findshimself left fairly much on his own withoutproper guidance. He is then confrontedwith the monumental task of relating 'flatfacts', to the actual performance. True, theteacher may use much of the same studymaterial with almost all of the students,but when and how it is used are the keyfactors in the success or failure of anycourse of study.

Too many teachers quiet inner doubtsby becoming overly concerned with tech-nique or method. By assuming a whollytechnical emphasis, the teacher canremove himself from anxiety producingissues and problems. But in so doing, healso removes himself and the student fromthe very essence of music itself. The spirit,fervor, charm and spontaneity of themusical experience is lost.

Obviously, there are many problems andpossibilities in forming an approach toteaching. I hope that what has been saidhere will encourage a re-examination ofsome previously held views, and stimulatesome discussion among members of ourprofession.

PARADIDDLESFOR THREE DRUMS

by Louis Delpino

This article is intended to give jazz and rock drummers a meansof exploiting to the fullest degree the application of paradiddlesaround the standard 3 drum outfit: snare, small tom-tom and largetom-tom. The following definitions are essential to understandhow the accompanying exercises may be combined to form para-diddle variations around the drums.1) PARADIDDLE UNIT: The traditional single paradiddle,

played either RLRR or LRLL.2) PARADIDDLE SET: Two units played with alternating stick-

ing, either RLRR-LRLL or LRLL-RLRR.3) P R I M A R Y UNIT: The initial unit of a paradiddle set.4) SECONDARY UNIT: The closing unit of a set.

primar yunit

secondar yunit

There are 27 ways in which a basic unit can be played around thethree drums. UNIT SERIES A, shows the 9 possibilities startingfrom the snare drum. UNIT SERIES B, shows the 9 possibilitiesstarting from the small tom-tom. UNIT SERIES C, shows the 9possibilities starting from the large tom-tom. Variations of sets areformed by combining the same or different units. A total of 729unique sets may be achieved this way, and by combining sets a vir-tually infinite array of extended patterns can be generated forbreaks, fills, or solo playing.

Many sets resulting from combinations of various units not onlysound good but may be played at rapid tempos with a minimum ofphysical exertion. Others are extremely awkward and do not "lay"well with respect to cross-sticking. An example of this problem isseen in C-9, which goes smoothly as a primary unit with RLRRsticking but poses difficulty when the sticking is reversed in orderto repeat C-9 as the secondary unit. Another example of anawkward set is the combination C-6/C-9.

In any event, the point is not to be able to play all 729 possiblesets with equal dexterity and speed, but rather to master thosecombinations which lie within your own technical capability. Thebest way to profit from these exercises is to play each basic unit anumber of times, using both RLRR and LRLL sticking, at a tem-po you find comfortable. This will help you develop a feel for mov-ing around the drums, and for determining whether "over" or"under" cross-sticking is most suitable for playing specific difficultpatterns. Speed will increase naturally with practice, and in timeyou will be able to play extended paradiddle phrases without hav-ing to formulate them consciously.

The following 12 measures illustrate just a few of the ways inwhich units may be combined. In addition to playing each measurerepeatedly as a separate exercise, play the 12 combinations straightthrough down the page as well as across.

APPICE

them through monitors, you can't turnthem up. They feedback. There's too muchring inside. I took them on tour of Europewhen I was with Jeff Beck. We had fiftydates, and I used them on the first twenty-five. I was going crazy trying to get asound out of them through the P.A. Mywalnut set was in London. We put it up thesecond night in this place where we wereplaying six nights. The difference was un-believable. The whole band said, 'Now,that's what we're looking for.' When I hitthe tom's, you could feel the stage rattle,so I said that's it. The six-ply maple setwas supposed to have been ready for theStewart tour, but manufacturing of thecustom bass drums held up the works."

Carmine had been using 26 X 14 bassdrums, but he wasn't able to get the bassdrum beater to hit the head dead center.So, Ludwig now makes him a special set ofbass drums, 24 X 15. His snare drum is aLudwig Super 400, with Remo CS heads.Ludwig Silver Dots are on all of his tom-toms. Another addition to the set-up arethe Syndrums. "They were invented by JoePollard of Pollard Industries. I think theygo very well with natural acoustic drumsbecause they're total opposites. One istotally electronic, and one is acoustic.They have the most incredible naturaltom-tom sound. In fact they're used onthat hit by Rita Coolidge, Higher andHigher. That's how Hal Blaine and a lot ofthe L.A. players get their tom-tom sound.I use it that way, but I also like the StarWars type effects. What's good about theSyndrum is that you operate it yourself.Cobham and Palmer have synthesizers ontheir drums that are plugged into a syn-thesizer legitimately. It costs like twenty-thousand. Syndroms cost about $400 adrum, and with each drum you get thebrains as well. Each brain is like one littlesynthesizer for each drum. I've got a set offour, but I only use two at a time. I putthem to the side of me and I can operatethem as I'm playing. I also use a wah-wahpedal on my snare drum. It's my own in-vention. It's hooked up through the P.A.and the monitors. I work the pedal. I liketo have control over my own things. WhenI'm working it, I can control itdynamical ly . It's a lot better to have fullcontrol of your total sound, electronically.Andy Johns did the sound on the newStewart LP and the drum sound is superb.There's a l i tt le piece of electronic music onmy album called Syndrum. It's eight Syn-drums p lay ing di f ferent patterns andmelodies."

Sometimes we hear sounds on recordsthat are hard to define or duplicate such asthe use of the Syndrum as a tom-tom. Iasked Carmine if he altered his drums inanyway from stage to recording studio."I'm totally against stuffing drums. As amatter of fact, in the studio I try not to

make the drums sound like non-drums. Idon't go into the drum booth either. I goright in the middle of the room and get allthe room sound. A really big, giganticsound. Playing huge bass drums full ofpillows, b lankets and newspapers, isstupid. Then you're back down to atwenty-inch bass drum sound. I've nevertaped my drums. When you tape them upthey sound like pillows. I like a big fatsound. My drums are very easy to record.In ten minutes I've got my drum sounddown. I've come to a point in my playingwhere I know exactly what has to be done.I know that my big tom-tom rings a little,

so I put a little piece of tape on it. I don'tdampen it very much, or stick tissue paperon it. Just a piece of tape to stop the vibra-tion when I hit another drum. That's aboutit."

The road life gets hectic, in fact Carminewrote Realistic Rock in hotel rooms whilehe was with Cactus. I questioned himabout any possible camraderie between on-the-road drummers. "Most of the guys Irun into on the road are guys that lookedup to me. So I give out all my secrets. Inthe rock business, the only guys I'll sitdown and rap with are John Bonham and

continued on page 24

APPICE

lan Paice. They're good friends of mine.When Carl Palmer and I are around, we'llcall each other up and rap for an hour. I'vetalked with Louie Bellson and JoeMorello. Like tonight, I ' l l get to see Maxfor the first time. Hopefully, I'll get to rapwith him, but I feel funny going up to himand saying, 'Hi, I'm Carmine Appice, andI play Ludwig Drums', y'know. The firsttime I saw Tony Will iams was when hehad Jack Bruce in Lifetime. He was theonly drummer to ever floor me in twentyseconds. Totally blew my mind. When Iwas with the Fudge, I was on an ego trip. Iwent to hear Tony and said to myself,'Alright, let's see what you can do' — well,he played like twenty seconds, and I said,'are you kidding'. He had a four-piece setwith an 18" bass drum and I didn't knowwhere he was coming from, or where hegot his rhythms from. As I progressed andstarted doing more clinics and getting intoit, I started realizing what was going on. Iprobably do the same thing to these youngkids. I ' l l play some odd figure and theylook at me like, 'Wow, what is it?' "

Drumming has both progressed anddigressed since the heydey of the 60's,when Carmine first came on the scene.There are many good players around butthere seems to be an increasing public de-mand for bands that offer little creativityfor drummers. We reminisced about the60's and tried to bring the current musicscene, especially the drummers, intoperspective.

"The business now is almost like it wasten years ago. Underground progressivemusic like Cream and Mahavishnu aren'tmaking it . All the big Madison SquareGarden things are not progressive musicanymore. It's all commercial. The RodStewart's. . . the Zeppelin's. . . it's very easydrumming. Simple drumming. I feel I waslucky to come into this business when Idid. I made my reputation by my associa-tion with a lot of big name people. Beingwith Beck, and now with Stewart. Icouldn't play in a band if I didn't have myl i t t l e spot. I'm known as a soloist. That'swhere I shine. I shine playing with theband also, to a point, but l ike playing withRod, I just play rock. Very simple andpowerful. I play eighty-five percent ofwhat I play, with him. But most of mystuff, I do during my solo. I'm worried. Idon't th ink it's a very good time fordrummers. I mean, what new drummerhas come along that has really blowneverybody's mind? Cobham was the lastone with Mahavishnu in '72. That kind ofmusic just isn't around anymore. Today,it's all very commercial, image orientedmusic. Disco, rock, heavy rock, and Kisstype music. When I first made it withFudge, there was Cream, Hendrix. .all theinstrumental based music. People werefreaking out over it. Nowadays, it's wierd.

Today we get knocked in the news becauseRod Stewart has a band that does solos. Imean, do they want to hear Tonights theNight, all night long? I really feel sorry foryoung drummers starting to come up,because they're going to get stuck in therealm of just trying to make i t . They're go-ing to end up playing so commercial and sosimple, that there isn't going to be a newgeneration of great drummers."

"PLAYING HUGE BASSDRUMS FULL OF PILLOWS,BLANKETS ANDNEWSPAPERS, IS STUPID.THEN YOU'RE BACK DOWNTO A TWENTY-INCH BASSDRUM SOUND."

Speaking about his own future, Carminewas opt imist ic . "I plan to book a month ofclinics, and maybe charge a couple ofbucks at the door. In the last five years,they've only charged at three of my clinics.I'll bring a road guy with my own drums,gong. . . the whole trip. A couple of ampswith a tape of music that I'm gonna play.No bass player or guitarist, just the tape.This way, I ' l l never have a problem. I ' l lmake the presentation a drum show ratherthan just a clinic. I think that's all virginterritory, l ike a mini-rock thing, y'know?Going to a c l inic that's on as big a scale asa concert. I could do a whole month of that

and really create some excitement, maybeeven bring some lights along. I thinkthere's a lot of room in rock drumming.I'm trying to promote it like big banddrumming, by writing the books on it, do-ing the cl inics . I'm the only one doing it,and I'm proud that I was the first. Adrummer today has got to accept wheremusic is at, and try to do it . Anythingcould change. I'm sure this pop stuff isn'tgoing to last more than three or four moreyears. Maybe it will get a bit moreprogressive. I th ink that any drummer whowants to play progressive, first has to learnit . I mean, really get it down. Then add alittle bit of flash. Spinning sticks. Tricks.It's all part of the show. People want to beentertained now. It's very different, butyou have to adjust with each change,y'know."

by Norbert Goldberg REGGAEThe Caribbean Islands have long been a source of diverse and in-

teresting music coupled with exciting rhythms. Although the Latinsounds of Cuba and Puerto Rico have been recognized for sometime, the music of the English-speaking island of Jamaica has onlyrecently gained in popularity. Even though they all share anAfrican heritage, the difference in English and Spanish cultureshas greatly influenced the music of these islands. This is par-t icular ly true with the Jamaican reggae, whose rhythm is quitedifferent from its Latin neighbors.

Although the basic reggae beat is technically simple, it is the feelthat requires special attention. For that reason it is recommendedthat you listen to some reggae records by Bob Marley And TheWailers, Peter Tosh, or Jimmy Cliff, in order to hear what else isgoing on around the beat, and to understand what the music is allabout. For instance, the constant stress on the "and" of each beatby the guitar or organ is one of the main characteristics of reggae.The bass usually plays a repeated pattern mostly based on six-teenth note rhythms — that, combined with a strong bass drum ac-cent on 2 and 4 typifies the essence of the hypnotic reggae rhythm.

Here's an example of a basic reggae beat:

Although the above beat may sound simplistic when played byitself, it takes on a beautiful character when accompanied by theother instruments.

There are a few variations of the hi-hat rhythm which change theoverall feel and are best suited for certain tempos. These rhythmscan be embellished by adding accents or by opening the hi-hat atcertain points, as is demonstrated in some examples below.

The snare hand functions at times much like a jazz drummer's,placing accents and syncopations within the beat established by thehi-hat and bass drum. As always, the drummer should use his dis-cretion as to when and how much to play. Below are somesuggestions for the snare. You can also substitute different hi-hatrhythms.

Aside from playing on 2 and 4, the bass drum can play on everybeat, with a slight stress on the 2 and 4. A fairly new developmentin the reggae beat has the bass drum playing straight eighth noteswhich creates a double-time effect. Some Jamaican drummers alsoplay syncopated accents and fills with the bass, achieving somevery interesting results. Here are some more beats which incor-porate most of the elements and variations I have discussed.Remember, reggae is a SLOW rhythm, so keep this into accountwhen practicing these beats.

Reggae fills usually span the last two beats in a measure witheighth or sixteenth note triplets which often include short rolls orruffs. Straight sixteenth note fills are usually the case for thelivelier "double-time" reggae. Naturally, there are exceptions, butbecause of the slow tempo the general trend is for sixteenth notefil ls .Ex.

It is also common to finish a fill with a cymbal crash on the fourthbeat or the "and" of the fourth before the downbeat. This type offill is often used as an introduction to a song.Ex.

Play each of the hi-hat rhythms on top of the basic beat concen-trating on evenness and keeping good time. Since there is little ac-tivity with the bass and snare drum, it is particularly important tokeep the hi-hat steady in order to keep the pulse going.

Because each reggae beat is suited to a song, there is not muchdeviation or changing of beats. Percussion instruments such astambourine, cowbell, and woodblocks are often used, providingadded color. Although I have suggested some fairly intricatevariations, the reggae rhythm is basically simple and repetitious,and it's effectiveness lies in just that fact.

ORGAN AND DRUMS:MAKING IT WORK — MAKING IT SWING!

by Bruce H. Klauber

For approximately a ten-year period(about 1957-67) bands comprised oftenor sax/organ/drums, guitar/tenorsax/organ/drums, organ/drums, etc.abounded both in the night club andrecording arenas. Jimmy Smith, JimmyMcGriff, Richard "Groove" Holmes, JackMcDuff and Shirley Scott were among thenewer names of the time who were thrustto the very top of the recording and per-forming heap, while veteran stalwarts likeBil l Doggett, Wild Bill Davidson and Mi l tBuckner were afforded the opportunity toreach a wider audience than ever before.

But there is a problem that existed bothin the early days and more than ever today:Only a small number of contemporaryw o r k i n g drummers have bothered torealize that their lot is a most specializedone. The method of playing with an organor organ-based group is entirely differentfrom accompaniment given to a conven-tional combo. Because few of the youngerpercussionists know this, the ultimate per-formance and intensity of swing often suf-fers as a result. It's not the most tangiblyevident qual i ty I speak of, to be sure, butit's one that is lacking seriously enough towarrant at least an attempt at discussionand examination.

The beginning of my experience in thisgenre occured when I had the good fortuneof working a few weeks with jazz greatCharlie Ventura's trio. During the first set,it was apparent that things did not soundexactly right. Though I couldn't put myfinger on it unti l sometime later, I even-tually termed the culprit rigidity. It's truethat almost every drummer has a style ofsorts, or at least a number of perceptibleinfluences that serve to color his playing.Naturally, a percussionist's inherent con-cept must not be thrown to the winds,rather, it should be combined with a senseof looseness and flow which complementsand colors the statements of the soloists,the band's arrangements and musicalbasis.

A looser concept must pervade becauseof the very nature of the organ. Because itis not acoustic, there is a minute delay

from the time the player strikes the keysu n t i l the sound reaches the ears. Thoughthe lapse is slight, it must be taken into ac-count. The idea of getting into the tempo's"groove" is not simply a count-off, 1-2-3-4matter. D R U M M E R , organist and anyother additional instruments must feeltheir way, and "fall in" to the tempo set bythe leader.

Another reason for this is the somewhatelusive nature of the band's bottom. Moreoften than not, the bass l ine wil l be carriedby the organ's left hand or bass pedals. Theline eventually established is nowhere nearas definite as one played by an electric orstandup bass, hence, the drummer's job ismade even more difficult. Additionally, itmust be realized that the setting of tempoand the falling-in idea are almost instan-taneous processes which will naturallyevolve once a drummer becomes morefami l iar with the organ's nature. With ex-perience and practice, a steady, definitetempo will be ascertained in two to fourmeasures, hopefully after the tune's in-troduction.

Once within the composition, it willhelp, especially in middle tempo numbersand ballads, if the drummer becomes moremelodically oriented, and aware. Becausethere may frequently be as few as two menin the band, it wil l enhance mattersmusical if the drummer becomes morefami l iar with song construction, dynamics,the capabil it ies of the organ stops andLeslie-type speakers, and the style of theplayer. Not in terms of sheer technicality,but knowledge of the infinite variety ofsounds they produce.

In the beginning, I learned by way of aquick combination of listening, doing andosmosis that on ballads, an over-abundance of open gaps would presentthemselves — spaces that could not ade-quately be filled by either simple tempokeeping or stock fi l ls . I don't advocateover-playing, or attempting to constantlycover the organists obligato or chordchanges, as that practice is even morehazardous to the music. A few soft,elastically roll-like melodically-oriented

figures on tom-toms or cymbals wi l l oftenwork well. This type of fill should be sim-ple, rather than a fast, mult i -notedpassage, and the end result should be im-plied and felt instead of strictly heard.Sometimes, just a slight variation on thebasic cymbal beat will do. The key is arelaxation of style.

The drums' actual sound and timbre isof the utmost importance. Drummers witha rock-type background more often thannot have spent a great deal of time perfect-ing a dead sound, while many jazz playersallow some of the natural ring to remainbut pitch the snare and toms way up. Ineither case, the sound that will result intandem with the organ will be an intrudingone, serving only to impede the music'snatural flow. A middle or lower rangesound on all drums and a slight looseningof the snares will make the whole sound ofthe band smoother, looser, more ensemble-oriented and ultimately easier on the ear.The same goes for cymbals. Dead, tapedcymbals, which many drummers havebecome fond of, have no place here. Alower pitched sound and judicious use ofthe natural overtones are essential. A sizzlecymbal is also recommended. Itsvibrations and ring easily help fill themusic's gaps and can add much to thecolor, dynamics and range of the group'srepertoire.

The various suggestions and factorsdescribed are only guidelines, of course,which must be related to the drummer'spart icular musical s i tuat ion . Butregardless of the type of music played, theproblems listed wil l almost alwaysmanifest themselves in a small group situa-tion with an organ at its center. Listeningis the best way one can realize what has tobe done. Donald Bailey's early work withJimmy Smith; Jimmy Cobb's playing withShirley Scott; Alan Dawson's playing withM i l t Buckner and I l l inois Jacquet onCadet's "Go-Power," and Jo Jones workwith Milt Buckner and Buddy Tate. Allare prime examples of "how-to," whichcan be easily adapted to your own situa-t ion.

DeJohnetteJD: Not a lot. Two, maybe three at most. Then we leave a piece

and come back to it, or we do a whole other thing. We don't labouron i t . You should get it by the third take. Sometimes a studio iscold and you have to warm up.MD: Do you listen to much music? What sort of influences haveyou had?

JD: It's hard to say. I listen to so much music it's hard to bespecific. I l ike pop groups, I like Redbone, Bob Marley, reggaemusic.MD: Speaking about reggae, "Malibu Reggae" ("Untitled"album, ECM) is a really nice statement!

JD: Yeah, a lot of people missed that. I remember BillyCobham did a blindfold test (in Downbeat magazine) to that. Hesaid something to the effect that "I could go to the bathroom andmake music l ike that". That's a nice compliment (laughs).Somebody told me "Billy Cobham put you down, put you down!"When I found out what he said I thought it was great! I've knownBil ly for years.MD: What is your opinion of Billy Cobham, Buddy Rich?

JD: Billy can do anything. Billy can play jazz or he can playrock. He really excells at jazz-rock. He's got enormous chops. Il ike Buddy. I l ike a lot of drummers. I have no . . . I mean, Il ike musicians, period. Not just drummers.MD: You don't seem to have a problem of compromising yourstandards. Do you have trouble competing since your music isn'treally commercial?

JD: Well, my music is not considered as accessible as JanHammer's, Chick Correa's, or Herbie Hancock. But it's not im-portant to me. I'm just happy to be with ECM, which has a dis-tr ibution which has established a criteria for quality regardless ofwhat people say about it being too "pretty", "classical", or"European". You just have to keep your mind on the fact thatthere are people around who care. I play this music because I knowthere are people around who appreciate it.

BIG SID CATLETT

by R. Willis Tale

Sid Catlett, to those unfamiliar with thename, was considered one of the greatestjazz drummers of the 30's and early 40's,and is still recognized as one of the mostsignificant forces in the evolution of the artof jazz drumming. His playing greatly in-fluenced the new modernists of the late40's and early 50's. Shelly Manne, KennyClarke, Gene Krupa, and Buddy Rich arejust a few of the drummers who weredirectly influenced by the Catlett style.

He was a giant of a man, both musicallyand physically, born in Evansville, Indianain 1910. He arrived in New York City in1930 with Sammy Stewart, to be followedby stints with Benny Carter, McKinneysCotton Pickers, Jeter-Pillars, FletcherHenderson and the Don Redmond band of1936-38. Redmond led one of the top blackbands of the thirties. A four year stay withLouis Armstrong filled the years 1938-42,along with a brief engagement with theBenny Goodman band of 1941. He led hisown band in California up to 1945, thoughthe last years of his playing career werespent freelancing in the Chicago area.Winner of the Esquire Gold award in 1944and 45, Big Sid died in Chicago in 1951 atthe age of 41.

It is essential to note, when looking backat the overall musical influence of Catlett,that his distinctive style which ultimatelyinfluenced so many players, had deep rootsitself. Roots which could be traced back tothe military jazz flavored march stylepredominate in the playing of ZuttySingleton, Tubby Hall and the legendaryBaby Dodds. The swing and drive of thisstyle had a great influence on him. But Sidwasn't content just following along thelines which preceded him. Musical thoughtand conception were of the utmost impor-

tance to him. Sid clearly pointed to a newdirection in terms of rhythmic thinking,and he was soon to develop a style unheardof before him. Rather than constructinghis solos in a purely military rhythmicframework, his solo work became definiteexplorations and variations on musicallines and themes. His solos would prac-tically carry the melodic line of the music,combined with daring and fascinatingvariations on those melodic lines. Hewould state patterns, repeat them, andembellish them thru ingenious use ofmelodic and tonal invention. Catlett tookthe drum solo and made it a true personalmusical expression, clearly demonstratinga new concept to the instrument, andcarved a path for the evolution which wassoon to follow.

Sid Catlett was also the first drummerto make more careful and subtle use of thebass drum. The bass — up to this point —had been used primarily for a heavy

emphasis on time. Sid's approach wasdifferent. He underplayed the bass drum,yet maintained firm and steady time. Hebegan to use the bass drum for accents andexplosions of a startling nature, thus blaz-ing a path for the new school of bopmodernists who eventually dropped thetime-keeping role of the bass drumaltogether, preferring to use it as aseparate solo voice.

Catlett, in essence, was the key figure inbridging the gap between the military styleand the bop school which was to come. Hismusical thought led the way for KennyClarke, leading forerunner of the bop era,and perhaps most noticeably in the work ofMax Roach who was to be greatly in-fluenced by both Catlett and Clarke.Catlett's style was soon to be studied andabsorbed by an entire group of youngdrummers who were to become the greatcontributors in the evolution of the instru-ment. Big Sid Catlett. A true giant.

LEWIS

band. This way the whole band can playthat way and you'll have better feeling andbetter intonat ion. When you get loud, yougo to a forte or a double forte. Triplefortes are not necessary. And when you gofrom piano to pianissimo or softer, youcan really tell . That's why the guys in ourband can hear me. If I play louder, they'regoing to play louder and before you knowit, it's ridiculous. I don't believe in volumeto create excitement. I believe in intensity.I control the band no matter what. Thedrummer is in control of that volume.SF: When Thad writes something for theband, do you write your own charts?ML: No, he writes them. But I'llmemorize everything usually the second orthird time through and that's it! I put thepart away — never to be looked at again.I f it's going to be recorded right away,Thad wil l really write things out. If it'ssomething that we have time to work on,then it's not necessary. Thad's firstchoruses usually have a lot of rhythm sec-tion figures, and he'll write those out. Thatmeans top line, bottom line, middle line,whatever. He uses different instrumentsfor different sounds too, and I'll playthose. The rest he knows I'm going to hear,so he doesn't bother.

Most arrangers don't know how to writefor r h y t h m . That's because so manydrummers in the old days didn't read. A lotof drummers can't read that stuff today,either.SF: Have you ever thought about writinga book?ML: I'm writing a book right now, withClem DeRosa. You know, I agree drumbooks are very important, but I sure wishthe writers would write something thatyoung drummers could really use on thejob. All these exercise books are nothing

but exercises. There's so many guys whocan read the hell out of those books. Thenyou put a simple chart in front of them andthey can't play it! My book will be a text-book type of thing, but the exercises willdefinitely be things you can use on the job.The book is aimed at playing drums, andnot wishing that I knew more than I know.SF: Would you still recommend that adrummer have as much of a background inall styles of playing as you did?ML: There is no phase of the business Iwould tell a guy to avoid. I think a youngdrummer should occasionally go to aBroadway show, and if possible get a frontrow seat so he can listen to the drummer.Watch him, and see how he sets up. Followsome of the music. I think teachers activein this type of work should take theirstudents on the job with them wheneverthey can. I did all that, and I considermyself very lucky.SF: Do you believe a drummer should ex-pect to make a living just playing jazz?ML: I think anybody who wants to bethat good, can make a living at it. It's amatter of being that good. Everybody thatstarts out to be a drummer isn't going to bea great drummer. An outstanding playerwill always work. How do you become anoutstanding player? Hard work! A lot oftalent is involved, and a lot of listening andstudying. I think anybody can becomegreat at what they do, if they put the timein. Somebody who doesn't have it willusually find out pretty early.

Now, I've seen guys that are greatplayers walking around with no jobs, butyou've got to look into their lifestyle a littlebit. A lot of them are undependable. Theywalk around with chips on their shoulders,or they've got some bad habits. That's thereason they're not working. Not becauseof their playing.SF: Are you involved in teaching?ML: Actually, I'm doing more coachingthan teaching. I let my students show mewhat they can do, and tell me what theywant to do. I'll either show them an easierway, or the right way, and certainly letthem know what they're doing wrong. I ex-plain all about life and playing in general. Ifi l l their heads with knowledge, not actualplaying. I feel they've got to do their ownplaying. I want them to developthemselves. I don't want a whole bunch ofguys playing like Mel Lewis. First of all,they can't do it — no more than I couldplay like Buddy. That's why I had no in-terest in playing like Buddy. I admire himfor what he does, and that's the way itshould be. I feel sorry for a whole bunch ofBuddy Rich imitators . They've beenfailures as far as I'm concerned.

I've seen a whole lot of my imitators fallby the wayside. If you like my playing thatmuch, absorb and be influenced, but take itand change it around a little bit. Turn itinto your own thing. Use it, use me, useothers. Use it in some kind of way — butnot deliberately. When you get deliberate

"IF YOU LIKE MYPLAYING THAT MUCH,ABSORB AND BEINFLUENCED — BUT TAKEIT AND CHANGE ITAROUND A LITTLE BIT.TURN IT INTO YOUR OWNTHING. USE IT, USE ME,USE OTHERS. USE IT INSOME KIND OF WAY—BUTNOT DELIBERATELY. WHENYOU GET DELIBERATE. . . WHEN YOU ACTUALLYTRY TO COPY NOTE FORNOTE, LICK FOR LICK . . .YOU'RE NOT DOINGANYTHING TO HELPYOURSELF."

— when you actually try to copy note fornote, lick for lick — you're not doinganything to help yourself. If you like mysound, and you know you're not getting asound as nice as mine, make it a point toget a better sound. Ask me, or somebodyelse; "What can I do to get a bettersound?" Be influenced by the fact that Ihave a good sound, but you don't have toget my sound. You can't get my sound. Mytouch has to do with my sound, andnobody has my touch except me. I don'thave anybody else's touch either. Get yoursound. You'll know about it because peo-ple will complement you for your sound.SF: I would l ike to know about your con-ception of drum soloing.ML: You know it's funny. Nobody everthought I could play solos because mysolo's were never visual. When a drummermakes a name for himself as a soloist, thesolo is very visual. Gene, Buddy, Louis andJoe Morello come to mind as the top solodrummers — visually speaking. Of course

continued on page 32

those four guys happen to be greatdrummers, but I've watched them all playand their solos were also visual. I'm fromthe other school. Mr. Long Stoneface. I'mserious and I smile, sometimes. If you likewhat I'm doing, you just as soon don't watchme. I do everything easy. All these thingsare happening but it looks as though I'mdoing nothing. That's the way I want it. Ihave a very limited technique. I work allthis stuff out of this little amount oftechnique. I can't play fast single strokes.I'm basically a double stroker, and lots ofpress rolls. I make sounds. Whatever Ihear, I do. I don't even know how, I just doit. I know what I do isn't easy.

I did some soloing on my new smallgroup album, Mel Lewis and Friends.Horizon Records, probably more than I'veever done in my whole life on record. Ithought they were pretty good. They'resure different. I've been getting a lot ofcomplements from young drummers. Theyask me; "How do you think like that?" Ithink like a horn player. I l ike to cross barlines, to think meters without thinkinganything other than 4/4. I sort of thinklike Thad. He'll start phrases in the middleof nowhere, continue them on through andend up where you're supposed to. Youreally have to have a very good awarenessof where you are.SF: Do you practice that?ML: No, I don't practice anything. I'llhave to be honest. I stopped practicingwhen I started working, at about thirteenyears of age. I'm not condoning it. I'm notsaying that's what everybody should do.When I was young, I played every day. Iplayed in school dance band and orchestra,and on the weekends I was working withnon-union dance bands. I touched thedrum every day of the week, almost.SF: How important is it for a drummerto listen to the other members of the band?ML: It's all important. Listening is thewhole thing. I'll tell you exactly how Iplay. My whole approach to playing isreaction. I don't listen to myself play. I'mnot aware of myself because I'm too busylistening to everything going on aroundme. All my body is doing is reacting tothat. Sometimes I'm forcing things, mak-ing things happen another way, but I'mreacting to everything I hear. The com-position I'm creating as I play is becauseof what I'm hearing. How can you workout how you're going to accompanysomebody? You can't! You're supposed tobe complementing and accompanying.Everything depends on your ears. If I'mbusy listening to me, then I'm not hearingthe rest of the band.

When the band is playing as an ensem-ble, I'm a part of that ensemble. I've beentold another reason I'm not noticed somuch in our band is because I'm heard aspart of that ensemble in its entirety —

which is exactly what I'm striving for. Therhythm is a section of three individual in-struments. We're the only section of thatsort. You've got four trumpets, five saxes,and four trombones, basically. All thosehorns are playing together to get one bigbeautiful sound of harmony. Nobodysticks out. As a listener you can isolate ifyou want to hear the drums. But, when youhear the whole band and say; "Man, that'sone big sound," that's when it's right.SF: Have you ever been given advicefrom musicians who were not drummerswhich helped you in your playing?ML: I've been given good advice and badadvice. Nobody offers you advice unlessthey think they can help you. When a guycomes over and really wants to talk in-telligently and offer something like; "Youknow, maybe if you laid out once in awhile, or if you changed sound, or if youwent to brushes, it might be a little moreeffective," that cat's trying to help you.Try it. Listen to the guy. We all had tolearn at one time. Somebody's always gon-na like somebody else better than you, orthis one likes you and this one doesn't.You've got to be strong enough to holdthem all together whether they like you ornot.

When I was a sideman with other peo-ple, it was very important for me to havethe respect of as many of the guys as possi-ble. In my own band, I try to makeeverybody feel that if you don't likesomething, speak up. I'm not the show.We're all working on that stand together.Don't be afraid to tell me something youdon't like, and don't be afraid to pat me onthe back when you do like it.SF: What are your feelings on theproblems of leading a big jazz band withinthe current music scene?ML: Basie and us are the only purebands out. Maybe Thad and I are wrong,but I don't think so. Somebody in thisworld has to remain an artist and try tolead the way. We believe in the good oldAmerican tradition of swinging. The kidsdon't know about it. It's brand new tothem. It's harder to play than rock. Thebasics are always a little harder, but we'repretty complex basics. Most youngdrummers we hear coming up can't play4/4 worth a damm. It's all a straighteighth note feel, all this shit they're doing.4/4 is triplets, you've got to get that tripletfeel, and they can't do it.

Fusion music is alright, but I'm againstit. The people who used it to make moneydrew a lot of kids over to jazz, and whenthey got them there, they should haveshowed them what jazz was really like. Thekids will listen to them. Chick Corea, JoeZawinal, Herbie Hancock and others likethat are great musicians who've been plow-ing and playing that other shit con-tinuously. There's nothing new happening.They could take their following and say;"Hey, here's what we used to do. Here'swhat we really like to do."

Thad and I are friends with all thosemusicians, and we know damm well thatthey'd l ike to be doing what we're doing.But, they started making money. Sure,they deserve the money, but they should bemaking it playing what they originallyplayed, because they were fine jazz players.SF: Who do you consider to be the goodbig band drummers of today and yester-day?ML: John Von Ohlen is one, and RonnieZito. He could do it. Ed Soph is a verygood big band drummer. Frank Dunlopwho was with Maynard, and who I'd liketo hear with Basie's band. I liked RonDavis in Al Porcino's band. Joe LaBarberacould do it , and I still l ike Harold Jones.

There's only been a handful of expert bigband drummers. Probably only fifteen ortwenty, really first rate. Jo Jones, Buddy,Davey Tough, Don Lamond, Krupa, TinyKahn, Jake Hanna, Sonny Payne and GusJohnson. Shadow Wilson was one of mya l l t ime favori te drummers. SamWoodyard with Ellington, and SonnyGreer was a lovely player. A lot of peoplethought he was corny, but he was a verymusical player. Of course, Louis Bellson,Irv Cottier and Shelly Manne. I suppose if

you wanted to cut it down to just the ab-solute greatest, it would take a little time. Iwould have to be very honest and leavemyself out, although I would love to putmyself in that category. I'll have to leavethat up to somebody else.

I know I'm good, but I'm not gonnaever say I'm the greatest. I'm not thegreatest. I am my own favorite drummer.When you're good, you should always beyour favorite. You don't have to walkaround with a big head, but you should feelthat you're as good as anybody. Youshould never feel inferior to anotherdrummer. If you feel inferior then youhaven't made it. There has got to be apoint where you feel confident that there'snothing you cannot do. Not to the pointwhere you have no more to learn, butwhere you can handle any job thrown infront of you. When everybody hires youfor work, you're recording, doing all thegigs, your name is in print, you know thatpeople admire you. When you're known bymusic ians around the world, at that pointyou should be your own favorite drummer.You should feel that there's nobody betterthan you are — but by the same token —that you're not better than anybody else.

PEARL DRUMS MOVESTO A NEW FACILITY

During November, the Pearl DrumCenter moved to its new home at 408Harding Indus t r ia l Drive, Nashvil le ,Tennessee. This new plant is six miles fromthe former location and provides 50%more space and many improvements inproduct quality, efficiency, and servicelevels. Pearl is enjoying record sales eachmonth and the new facility assures theabi l i ty to support this growth. Pearl alsowill be capable of providing even faster,more accurate dealer service.

Minnesota State Senator Collin Peter-son proposed a bill to outlaw the commer-cial use of automatic electronic "rhythmunits", calling for a gross misdemeanorcharge on the first violation. The penaltyfor the second offense would be one year offorced listening to the mechanical drumbeats. Peterson claimed the devices werebeing used to replace drummers in smalldance bands.

The bills description of rhythm unitsconfused Senate officials, and, thinking thebill would ban a birth control device,referred the measure to the Health,Welfare and Corrections Committee.

COBHAM PACKS 'EM INDrumming great Billy Cobham was the

featured artist at a recent jam-packeddrum c l in ic sponsored by Sam Ash Musicof New York. Cobham now plays and en-dorses the Tama drum line.

Pictured in photo, (l to r), Paul Ash,Ken Hoshino from Tama, Mike Rayber,Sam Ash store coordinator, and ToshiHoshino, also from Tama.

Carmine Appice and Les DeMerleplayed a three night engagement at theCeller in L.A. in late January. The six-year-old c lub owned by Les givesAngelinos the chance to see jazz/rockmusic in an intimate setting.

The first night of the series featuredfriends of Carmine's with the twodrummers playing music from Carmine'sforthcoming album. One piece called"Twist of the Wrist" could become a drumsingle. Said Carmine, "I want to try tobring drums up to the front again. I wantto be the Gene Krupa of rock."

The following two nights featured Les'band, Transfusion, and both drummersplacing more emphasis on jazz. The showsprovided much soloing by both per-cussionists. It was a fun event for themusicians as well as the audiences.

MIXED RHYTHMSA bil l to protect the jobs of drummers

was almost drummed out of the MinnesotaState Legislature when lawmakers thoughtthe word "rhythm" had something to dowith birth control.

LUDWIG LAUNCHES UFOThe new Ludwig UFO Snare Drum Kit

features the popular Ludwig 404 AeoliteSnare Drum, a quality metal shell drumwith Ludwig's famous center bead. Alsoincluded is a Gladstone Practice Pad, apair of sticks, sturdy snare drum stand andan instruction book entitled, The LudwigDrum Method. Everything fits neatly in-side built-in compartments in the one piecemolded case, with two snap latches and asteel handle clasp.

Just introduced from Camber Cymbals,101 Horton Avenue, Lynbrook, N.Y., theHow to Choose A Cymbal consumerpamphlet giving the prospective new cym-bal buyer the important basic points ofwhat to look for when purchasing a cym-bal. Covered in the pamphlet are: the rightcymbal for the right job; how to try themout; how to break them in and how to carefor them once you've purchased them.

NEW SONOR CATALOGThe new Sonor Drum Catalog is

available through Sonor's exclusive U.S.and Canadian distributor, Charles AldenMusic Company, Southwest IndustrialPark, Westwood, Mass., 02090. Thecatalog covers Sonor drums, accessoriesand hardware, plus photographs of theSonor plant in Germany.

VIBRA-SLAP MOUNTINGBRACKET

After years of indispensable hand-helduse, Latin Percussion has just introduced aspecial mounting bracket for their Vibra-Slap. Usable with both the original Vibra-Slap and the new Vibra-Slap 1 1 version.The handy device promises to bring to thepercussionist more opportunities for usingthe Vibra-Slap.

PRO-MARK "ROCK MODEL"HICKORY

Pro-Mark's newest entry into the worldmarket of drumsticks is the "Rock 2N"hickory stick. This new model — availablein nylon tip only — is a 16" medium weightand diameter rock model with a suggestedlist price of $4.20 per pair. Pro-Markhickory sticks are made on a one-of-a-kindautomatic precision lathe designed ex-pressly for the manufacture of drumsticks.Six hand-finishing steps follow the shapingprocess.