Photo by William Brown I tell drum students this all of the time. If you become a music major in college, pay as much attention to your peers as you do to your teachers. You can learn as much (and maybe more) from your fellow students as you do in class. Sometimes teachers have to be diplomatic, but your peers tell you the truth. I know this because it happened to me. I went to William Paterson College and the first two drummers that I heard were (fellow students) Bill Stewart and Joe Farnsworth. I thought, if this is what the students sounded like, (they both sounded amazing,) I’m in trouble. Then “Farns” set me straight. For the last 37 years Joe Farnsworth has been a mainstay on the New York Jazz and worldwide drumming scene. He is carrying the torch of the New York City tradition of jazz drumming. […]

August 2023 Issue