Scene: The dining room table of the Erskine home where Peter and his wife are enjoying a quiet dinner. Out of the blue, two words come to Peter while he’s sipping cold water from a glass. “Drumming Anonymity.” Hmmm. Okay. Pass the soy sauce, please, and… wait, what? Any drummer worth their salt has learned that drummers are not merely timekeepers. Time and time again, we drummers are counseled and taught to be creative, expressive, individualistic, and unique. So how does anonymity fit into THAT picture? Let’s think of some of our favorite drum performances (or characteristics thereof): Bernard Purdie’s hi-hat barks on “Rock Steady;” Steve Gadd’s “Flutterlick” on “Chuck E’s in Love;” Roy Haynes’ “did it ’n did it ’n” or Elvin Jones’ triplets on just about anything he has ever recorded. We recognize those licks and almost feel cheated if we hear these drummers and they don’t include these […]

October 2025 Issue