December 1983 – Volume 7 • Number 12
On 01st Dec 1983
Articles in December 1983
Francis Clay
Francis Clay is one of a handful of drummers who helped to create and define blues drumming. Many rhythm section players get very little recognition for their contributions to the blues and other forms of American music. In the evolution…
Kwaku Dadey
Kwaku Dadey is the quintessential African master drummer. He comes from a family in Africa that has a rich musical background. There have been master drummers in Kwaku's family for well over five generations. Kwaku is a musician who not…
Cubby O'Brien
The fact that show drummers receive comparatively little recognition is an enigma to me considering that they are some of the hardest working musicians. Their ability to play a variety of styles must be masterful; their sense of theatrics and…
Foundation Studies for Big Band Fills
Before dealing with specifics, it is important to have some general ideas about what a fill should be and what a fill should do. The fill must be in time. It should not rush or drag. The fill should maintain…
Rick Allen: "Rock of Ages
This month we feature "Rock of Ages" from Def Leppard's Pyromania album. Rick Allen keeps the beat solid and tight on this.
Transferring African Rhythms
One of the most interesting drum lessons that I've ever had was when Kwaku Dadey showed me how to transfer African rhythms to the drumset. Kwaku plays traditional African music on his tuned conga drums in much the same manner…
Do Big Name Drummers Really Play Better?
I have heard people say, when speaking of another drummer, "He is as good as any big name drummer. He just never got a break." I have also heard this comment, "The only difference between one drummer and another is…
The Art of Soloing
I may as well admit the obvious: I am, indeed, a practitioner and partisan of that much maligned and oft-persecuted musical form, that thudding, plodding, torment of tedium, that dazzling display of passion and virtuosity—the drum solo. Much contempt has…
J.R. Mitchell Creative Survival
J.R. Mitchell is a multi-faceted human being. On the surface, he might seem to be "just" a drummer. But in reality, J.R. is a composer, an educator, a record company owner/producer and—in his own way—a philosopher. He holds a B.A.…
Anthony J. Cirone — Organic Balance
I've always been intrigued by people who do a variety of things in their careers. My first drum teacher was such a person. He started out playing percussion in theaters during the final years of vaudeville. He then became a…
Simon Kirke — Rocklife
In 1970 "All Right Now" by the band Free became a hit, and almost an anthem. At the same time the solid, sparse, forceful but beautiful drumming of Simon Kirke became a standard by which the performances of other drummers…
