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Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
Who Is Your Favorite Post-Beatles Drummer on Any Former Beatle’s Solo Albums?
Apparently, the Modern Drummer community loves their post-Beatles drummers. When we reached out on our Facebook page to query you about your favorite drummers on the solo albums of Paul, John, George, and Ringo, we received quite a flurry of…
True Colors
Kenny Kuzniar Designs Kit to Celebrate His 30th Anniversary of Drumming Kenny Kuzniar did a bit more than throw a party to mark his 30th year of playing drums. Instead, the Saskatchewan, Canada, drummer worked with Dustin Drummond of Drummond…
10 Pieces of Wisdom from the MD Archives
In its 45 years of publication, Modern Drummer has collected essential data from thousands of remarkable drummers, percussionists, and educators. Throughout our 45th anniversary in 2021, we will offer some features that celebrate the musicians, editors, writers, and photographers who…
Fanny Hill, Fanny 1972
Fanny became the first all-female rock band to release an album on a major label when mega-producer Richard Perry signed the act to Reprise in 1969. Often missed is the other culture-changing element of Fanny—that, with Philippines-born sisters June (guitar)…
Ralph Peterson Jr. - A Look at the Life
Ralph Peterson Jr.—who came to prominence in the 1980s as one of jazz’s swinging, improv-driven “Young Lions”—succumbed to cancer on March 1. He was just 58 years old. Peterson’s commitment to bebop—as well as being an avid student of the…
Don Heffington - Remembrance of a Talent
Dec 20, 1950 – March 23, 2021 Drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Don Heffington died on March 23, after a short-term fight with leukemia—a loss so many were not ready for. Born into a musical family in Los Angeles, Heffington was…
Sly Dunbar
Modern Drummer, April 1985 Certain people expect me to shine all the time, but artists can’t be at their best every day. No one is perfect. If a song is a good song, it’s much easier for me to play…
Sheila E - Modern Drummer, July 1991
A lot of percussionists—and drummers, too—have that problem of overplaying. The way you overcome it is by developing discipline. I learned all about discipline when I became a session player. I’d go into the studio and the producer would say,…
Give the Drummer Some!
Hi, everyone! Welcome to the April 2021 issue of MD. I was hoping by the time I would be writing this editorial we’d be back to some sort of normalcy. Unfortunately, such is not the case yet. Fortunately, day-by-day, it’s…
Who Are the Hippest Drummers to Watch in 2021?
It looks like Daru Jones is the right answer. — Sam Brewer Ruy Adrián Lopez-Nussa is definitely a drummer to watch. He and his piano-playing brother have blended Cuban music with jazz improvisation and the dynamic compositional elements of orchestral…
RECORDINGS
Forty-four-year-old German-born drummer/composer Jochen Rueckert has released five swinging and visceral jazz records—all with top New York City players, and all tinged with the drummer’s left-of-center approach. Stars and Garters—which refers to awards and medals—is yet another Rueckert jazz side-swipe…
Milford Graves 1941-2021
John Zorn once called Milford Graves a “20th-century shaman.” It wasn’t just because the pioneering free-jazz drummer created an extremely personal approach to drumming that included ferocious explosions of churning beats across his entire kit, complementary vocalizations, and mid-performance narratives.…
“Rocking with a Radio King”
Calgary teen isn’t precious about gigging with his 1960 Slingerland kit. Taylor Miles is just 15 years old, but he has already earned veteran status with his band, Exit Division. The Calgary, Alberta, alternate-rock group has played tons of gigs…
How It Feels to Be Something On
Sunny Day Real Estate From the cover art alone, you get the sense that something was burning at Sunny Day Real Estate’s core when they released How It Feels to Be Something On in September 1998. The sun image on…
