Alan Dawson
From the album Musique Du Bois By Phil Woods (Muse 5037)
Armand Zildjian starts a lot of his sentences the same way: “I’ve got a cymbal that . . . ,” after which he describes the attributes of a particular cymbal in his private collection. His enthusiasm is evident as he expounds on whatever it is that makes the cymbal special …
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 …
An Anniversary is typically a time to celebrate, but it can also be a time to reflect on the past and look ahead to the future. And so, when the editors got together to plan a special issue to mark the beginning of Modern Drummer’s tenth year, it was agreed …
In the basement studio where Alan Dawson teaches, a concert poster shows Alan dressed in a tuxedo, looking stately on his throne, drumming with Dave Brubeck. Scrawled across the top is a note from Brubeck: “Alan—thanks for the great job at the concert, the newspaper review said, ‘Dawson was impeccable …
I lead a lab at Temple University, and at our first meeting of each semester I ask my students what music they have an interest in learning more about. Some want to gain a deeper understanding of a particular style of playing, while others want to explore specific drummers like …
Just what is a Tony Williams? Many of his admirers have described his style as “free”, “he doesn’t really play rudimental things”, “he’s loose”, “there’s something out of the ordinary about what he does”, “it’s different.”
Dawson hears of Roach’s praise midway through a lesson with one of the 30 students he teaches each week in the studio of his rambling split-level home in the Boston suburb of Lexington. “That’s real nice of Max”, he says with his typical half-smile.
Posted: June 24, 2020
Melkbelly’s James Wetzel on Time and Space
Wetzel conjuring new vistas of time and space. Hello, Modern Drummers! My name is James Wetzel, and I play drums in the noise rock band Melkbelly, along with a few other projects (Ree-Yees, Mode Hexe). I’m honored to contribute here, and I want to share a bit about how and …
Posted: September 29, 2016
On Tour: Tony Leone With the Chris Robinson Brotherhood
Longtime New York City drummer Tony Leone is currently on the road with the Chris Robinson Brotherhood.
Posted: November 2, 2015
Dom Famularo’s Teachers List
Over the course of his forty-year career traveling the globe to teach, perform, and conduct clinics, Dom Famularo has interacted with some of the finest drummers and drum instructors in the world. The following list contains many of those names, organized by country/continent. If you’re looking for top-notch drum instruction, …
Posted: August 27, 2015
October 2015 Issue of Modern Drummer featuring Ilan Rubin
See what’s in the October issue of Modern Drummer magazine featuring Ilan Rubin!
Posted: October 27, 2014
Drummer Blog: David Frangioni
Hello Fellow Drummers, my name is David Frangioni and I started playing the drums at age two. I lost one eye to cancer shortly thereafter and realized music is my passion. After years of my childhood playing, practicing, studying with Alan Dawson and Joe Morello, along with a drive to …
Posted: May 28, 2014
July 2014 Issue of Modern Drummer Featuring Omar Hakim
See what’s in the July 2014 issue of Modern Drummer magazine featuring Omar Hakim…
Posted: May 12, 2014
VIDEO! Jazz Drummer’s Workshop: Syncopation Revisited, Part 1: Basic Applications (From the June 2014 Issue)
Click here to check out part 1 of a Jazz Drummer’s Workshop series by Steve Fidyk focusing on ways to develop coordination on the drumset using Ted Reed’s classic book Syncopation.
Posted: April 8, 2014
Modern Drummer Education Team Weighs In On: Developing Independence
We asked the members of the Modern Drummer Education Team to share their thoughts on their favorite methods for developing independence. Here’s what they had to say.
Posted: October 1, 2013
Hidden Gems
Great Drum Performances Uncovered
The October 2013 issue of Modern Drummer magazine features an article in which seven MD Pro Panelists share some of their favorite “hidden gems.??? Here MD’s editorial staff weighs in on their personal favorites….
Posted: March 19, 2012
Tim Walsh of the Stepkids
I’m Tim Walsh of the Stepkids, and I’m excited to be on here and hope to add to the wealth of knowledge that is MD’s awesome thirty-five-year history…
Posted: April 10, 2011
Mike Curran Of Add-2
Hi, I’m Michael Curran and I was born in Berwyn, Illinois, and raised in Stickney, later moving to Naperville for better schooling. I grew up listening to my father play the keyboards and discovering how to make music. My Uncle Sean played blues guitar at most family events and let …
Posted: February 15, 2011
Tony Reedus: Influential Jazz Drummer
Reedus was known for consistently lighting a fire under musicians of every stripe. “Tony was not only a great drummer who played with exceptional depth of feeling that was very danceable,” recalls esteemed jazz drummer Lewis Nash, “he was also very funny. He could have you cracking up in no …
Posted: December 7, 2009
Influencer: Alan Dawson
Alan Dawson was an outstanding jazz drummer and a legendary teacher. Alan was known for his ingenious use of rudiments, his melodic approach to drumming, and an extremely advanced level of hand and foot coordination.
Posted: November 5, 2009
Gloria Gaynor’s Swiss Chris
I am currently doing dates with Gloria Gaynor. I’m also playing drums for Bajah & the Dry Eye Crew…
Posted: October 21, 2009
Dave Brandt of The Echo Falls
The Echo Falls is a modern indie-folk-rock trio from Oakland, California. Our first CD is coming out next month and reception has been great already…
Posted: April 23, 2009
Benny Greb: Breaking Down The Language Of Drumming
On his exciting new DVD, Greb lays out a groundbreaking practice system that’s sure to help drummers up their game dramatically.
Posted: January 12, 2009
Great Drum Parts = GENIUS
The March issue of MD (out now) features Billy Ward’s fascinating conversation with Simon Phillips, Doane Perry, Marco Minnemann, Thomas Lang, and Jerry Marotta about the grooves that inspired them to play drums early on, and that continue to today. It seemed to make perfect sense for MD’s editors to …
Posted: April 18, 2008
Cindy Blackman: The Lady Comes To Play
Last year, drumming dynamo Cindy Blackman left behind her big-ticket rock gig with Lenny Kravitz to unleash the jazz devil inside…
Posted: January 16, 2008
Best Of ’07
I’m convinced that, ten years from now, we’re going to look back at 2007 as an unusually fertile time in music and in drumming.
Posted: September 19, 2007
Carl Allen: Embracing the Journey
Soon after moving to the New York area in the early ’80s, Carl Allen landed a dream gig with post bop trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. That gig established the then nineteen-year-old drummer as a leading light among a select group of eager young musicians who were looking to breath new life …
Posted: May 12, 2004
Billy Kilson
At a 1999 Birdland performance with The Dave Holland Quintet, Billy Kilson led band and audience in a rousing chorus of drum worship. Holland, one of jazz’s most celebrated bassists and composers, has played with all the innovators, from Tony and Elvin to Jack DeJohnette and Billy Higgins. So you …
Posted: May 12, 2004
Ben Perowsky: Beyond Labels
The scene: a cold night in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at North On Sixth, a multi-level hole in the wall jook joint where the bathroom graffiti is more political than obscene. Attracting a crowd of Manhattan intellectuals and Brooklyn deadheads, North On Sixth is tonight showcasing Ben Perowsky’s Moodswing Orchestra. A collection …
Posted: December 6, 2019
MD Podcast Episode 220: Readers Poll Voting, Creative Practice, British Drum Company Snares, and More
Mike and Mike crack open the January 2020 issue, which includes information on how to vote in this year’s Readers Poll; the Teacher’s Forum column discusses author Marc Dicciani’s heavily researched feedback-based approach to practicing; and more!
Posted: January 20, 2017
Episode 76: Ergonomics, Blair Sinta, Paiste Rides, and More
In this episode, Mike and Mike discuss February 2017 featured artist Blair Sinta, who recently toured with renowned singer Josh Groban and has been a staple on the LA studio scene for twenty-plus years.