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Web Exclusive Interview
Staying Power
 Jack Bruno
Relationships these days are tough—for whatever the reason that sense of commitment of "I'm in this for the long haul" just doesn't seem to be there as much as it used to be. So how does drummer Jack Bruno, who for more than a decade has been pulling double duty with not just one but two rock legends, do it? Bruno, who just celebrated his fifty-eighth birthday this past February 16, has been keeping the beat for music icons Tina Turner since 1981 and Joe Cocker since 1994. That kind of staying power is almost unheard of.
Modern Drummer met up with the gentle, good-humored drummer during his tour stop with Tina at the Bank Atlantic Center in South Florida. The tour was nearing the end of its North American leg, and everyone was looking forward to a short break before heading overseas to begin the European swing.
MD: Do you particularly enjoy playing any one type of concert venue?
Jack: The large arenas are a lot of fun when everyone comes to the party. When you've got fifteen to twenty thousand people into it, singing along and dancing, it's a great buzz. But I really love playing in the smaller venues—large clubs to small theaters. The sound is always better, the band is always tighter, and the crowd is closer. It just feels better. The Beacon Theater in NYC is a great one. I used to love playing The Ritz in New York as well. It was an open floor and held about 1,200 people—enough people to rock the place. And the stage sound was large, but clean. And I still love playing small clubs where the crowd is in your lap. You don't need monitors; everyone in the band makes adjustments, and you get a great mix and sound on stage.
MD: What or who has had the most profound impact on your career as a drummer?
Jack: Early on I was fortunate to be around a lot of professional, working musicians in my family. I learned a lot just being around these guys. They'd let me sit in on some gigs when I was around eleven or twelve—like casuals, weddings, etc. Got my feet wet that way. Also, when I was around fourteen or fifteen, growing up in the Boston area in the ‘60s, I got to hear a lot of live music. The club scene and coffeehouse circuit were full on. There was so much great music going on in town, from slick lounge acts doing old-school R&B to great blues, folk, and bluegrass groups.
These days there are so many creative things you hear and see, especially with all the audio and visual information available to us via the Internet. I get tons of stuff from people to check out on YouTube. It's amazing how many talented people there are out there. You can hear great sounds while you're out in the street. There was a guy in Washington, D.C. playing those plastic pickle barrels on the corner. He had a full kit with a huge plastic garbage can for a kick drum. He had such a great groove—really inspiring! Also, I recently got turned on to a percussion instrument called a Hang Drum. It's a bit like a steel drum, but with a warmer sound. It's dome-shaped and you play it with your hands. You can get them tuned to any scale you like.
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