A young friend of mine from Massachusetts recently told me the following story. He was working in a club with the group he usually plays with. A man came up to him and asked if he could sit in. My friend said, “Well, I don’t know. We usually don’t have people sit in.” The man persisted, saying, “Look, I’m a professional drummer and I’ve been teaching for years. I don’t play that hard. I would just like to sit in and play a few tunes. What’s the harm?” My friend relented and said, “I guess it would be okay, since you are a professional.” The first tune was alright. The man became accustomed to my friend’s drumkit. During the second tune, however, the guy sort of went off on his own— no tempo, no rhythm, just a lot of fast bashing of drums and cymbals. The rest of the group […]

May 1985 Issue