John Coltrane

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.

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Elvin Jones: Philosopher King

Jones took nothing for granted in music or in life. He played every night as if it might be his last.

by Mark Stryker
Jun 11, 2019

Rashied Ali — The Will To Survive

Rashied Ali (Robert Patterson, Jr.) was born in Philadelphia on July 1, 1935. Well known in New York avant-garde circles by 1963, he came to international prominence as John Coltrane's last full-time drummer, from 1965 until the master's death in…

by Harold Howland
Jun 28, 2018

Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Mike Mangini with Into the Great Divide, Legend of the Seagullmen with Danny Carey, and more

RECORDINGS Miles Davis & John Coltrane The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 Wes Montgomery In Paris: The Definitive ORTF Recording Two releases of fabled, much-bootlegged European jazz concerts are finally given proper treatment with remastered sound and impressive…

Modern Drummer
Apr 25, 2018

Bruno Carr

Bruno Carr is not a household name with most drummers. But if you could ask Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Michael Franks, Aretha Franklin, Monte Alexander, Stanley Turrentine, Roy Ayers or King Curtis who Bruno Carr is,…

By Jeff Fish
Jan 5, 2018

Jimmy Cobb

He's often name-checked for his appearance on the most popular jazz album of all time, Mikes Davis's Kind of Blue. But that's just the tip of the iceberg for the drummer, who's still quite active at eighty-eight. TO READ THE…

Interview by Ken Micallef
Sep 27, 2017
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Favorite 1960s Drum Tracks?

As we were taking a look back at some of the most iconic drummers and performances of 1967 for this month’s cover feature, we wanted to find out which tracks our readers and social media followers felt marked the greatest…

Reader Responses
May 31, 2017

Influences - Billy Higgins

The year was 1959, and in New York City, Ornette Coleman’s quartet was creating a bona fide controversy with its six-week run at the Five Spot. The music was rhythmically loose and had at its core a melodic and harmonic…

Modern Drummer
Feb 23, 2017
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