Features
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.
Mel Lewis
The Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and the Village Vanguard just seem to go together. For one thing, they both represent longevity. The Vanguard is the oldest club in New York City; Mel’s band has one of the longest- running gigs…
Mark Brzezicki Big Country Beat
A lot has been written about Big Country’s guitar sound, almost to the exclusion of everything else about them. While it’s undeniable that the band’s guitar sounds have captured a lot of people’s attention, their drummer is not exactly out…
Mick Avory — Knowing The Job
The Kinks Konk Recording Studio sits on the edge of London in an area hardly recognizable to a city visitor. Located a good 40 minutes from Picadilly Circus by public transportation (i.e., underground and bus), the studio is on an…
Nigel Olsson — The Heart of Nigel Olson
Nigel Olsson speaks from the heart. In fact, there seems to be nothing he does that doesn’t revolve around his heart. As he plays and sings on stage with Elton John, he uses his entire body to complement the artist’s…
Bill Lombardo
Bill Lombardo has had an interesting career already, and he hasn’t hit 35 yet. Beginning in the early ’60s as a rock drummer, Bill participated in the San Francisco psychedelic scene. He went on to play funk, country, and top-40…
Jimmy Bralower — Creating Illusion
Some people think of Jimmy Bralower as the enemy. Why? Because the man makes his living programming drum machines for records. This is the guy who’s putting drummers out of work. Or is he? Jeff Porcaro once remarked that he…
Nick Mason - Finding His Own Way
The name Pink Floyd conjures up all sorts of memories—some very distant and others not so long ago. Over a span of 17years, they have given us such classic records as A Saucerful Of Secrets (1968), The Dark Side Of…
Ollie Brown — Breakin’ Out
Every once in a while you stumble across someone who is articulate and personable, and who will talk about drums and drumming ’til the cows come home without becoming boring. Ollie Brown is such a person. Big in size, he…
Shelly Manne - The Last Interview
It was 1957, I was 16years old, and I had no business being on the bandstand, but there I was sitting in with Russ Freeman on piano and some local jazz musicians at the B/ackhawk in San Francisco's Tenderloin District.…
Yes's Alan White
You can't blame Alan White of Yes for smiling. It's a lazy sort of grin, to be sure. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Allen Herman
Eight times a week from 1978 to 1981, an extraordinary feat of drumming took place at a Broadway theater. A Broadway show drummer sat behind an elevated drumset up on stage and re-created the artistry, excitement, and magic of Gene…
Tristan Fry — Modest Virtuoso
There is a slight problem of perspective when writing about the achievements of Tristan Fry. He manages to have three successful careers, all as a drummer/percussionist, running simultaneously, and he is still only in his early 30s. Tristan joined the…
Ian Paice — Freedom
FIFTY minutes outside London, lan Paice awaited my arrival in his Porsche. How but good, having just watched lush, rolling countryside from my train window? Time passed quickly as we sat in a pub and lan related his story to…
Omar Hakim — Going For The Feeling
WEATHER Report reaches the part in “D Waltz” where they bring it down real low. The drummer is smoothly and effortlessly executing a feather-light roll pattern between the hi-hat and snare, catching all the synth and sax accents with his…
