Mainstream Jazz: 1985 I’ve had several phone conversations with Alan Dawson over the years, but I never had the opportunity to meet with him face to face until we did this interview. I was excited about questioning Alan on musical trends and styles of the past ten years, and getting his thoughts about the future. But shortly after this interview began, I realized that I had a challenge. Alan Dawson is not a man who’s swayed by the current whims of the drum industry. His reputation as both drummer and educator is solid and irreproachable. The concept of four-way independence and Alan Dawson’s name are practically one and the same. He didn’t invent four-way independence, but he’s mastered it and formed it into one of the most sought-after teaching methods in drum history. A lot of people want to know how he does what he does. This interview is as […]

January 1986 Issue