
Art Blakey

Excerpted from the September 1984 issue The first rays of dusk suffuse Art Blakey’s Greenwich Village apartment with shards of amber gray light, and as the shadows dance upon his brow, Blakey’s face takes on a totemic grace. The snow-white hair fades out of the foreground becoming the color of …

In its 45 years of publication, Modern Drummer has collected essential data from thousands of remarkable drummers, percussionists, and educators. Throughout our 45th anniversary in 2021, we will offer some features that celebrate the musicians, editors, writers, and photographers who have served the drumming community in these pages. So, sit …

Vivid by Living Colour. Will Calhoun plays masterfully and with tons of power. It was perfect: playable but loaded with nuance.Scott Sparks Manu Katché on Peter Gabriel’s Secret World Live. I was around five, and it just blew my mind. That’s when I realized drumming was what I wanted to …

The Root Rhythm of Jazz and Beyond The Charleston was a popular dance rhythm during the 1920s that got its name from the popular composition of the same name by pianist/composer James P. Johnson. The syncopated Charleston rhythm is one of the most fundamental figures that makes up the DNA …

In both deeds and words, Art Blakey was the definition of a dedicated jazz musician, mentor, and musical messenger. His driving, thunderous, and propulsive playing style synthesized the rhythmic approach of West African drumming coupled with American blues.

Since answering a drummer-wanted Craigslist ad that listed influences from Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath to Public Image Ltd. and Can, BJ Miller has proven the ideal rhythm generator for his band.

THE first rays of dusk suffuse Art Blakey’s Greenwich Village apartment with shards of amber gray light, and as the shadows dance upon his brow, Blakey’s face takes on a totemic grace.

When one thinks of the great jazz cities, the first names that come to mind are New Orleans, Chicago, Kansas City, and New York.

We all know those iconic black-and-white images: Blakey at the kit, sweat beads on his forehead, a flash in the eyes, and that mouth agape—sometimes with the tongue flat out—in pure elation.

Whose playing endures through the decades? Whose music do we reach for when we want new ideas? When we want to practice? When we want to laugh? Who inspires and delights us most?
In the following interview with the Doors’ John Densmore, it is impossible to catch all of his sense of humor or see his very animated way of expressing himself.

In addition to his own projects, Peterson performed and/or recorded with the greatest talent in jazz, including Branford Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Craig Harris, David Murray, Ron Carter, Terence Blanchard, Charles Lloyd, Stanley Turrentine, the Count Basie Orchestra, Steve Coleman, Stanley Cowell, and Betty Carter.

Why a feature story on a twelve year old little girl in a drummers magazine? Very simple. Terri Lyne Carrington of Medford, Massachusetts first off is not your average twelve-year-old girl; and she’s not just an average little drummer. She happens to be one of the most remarkable new jazz …

Lenny White was born in Queens, N. Y. and travelled to Forever. Excuse the forced pun, but it was with Chick Corea’s Return to Forever, that Lenny made the reputation that engendered his foray as a solo act.”I got a call from a different guitar player every day for about …

Why a feature story on a twelve year old little girl in a drummers magazine? Very simple. Terri Lyne Carrington of Medford, Massachusetts first off is not your average twelve-year-old girl; and she’s not just an average little drummer. She happens to be one of the most remarkable new jazz …

Two days before Art Blakey was to end a week-long engagement at Blues Alley in Washington, D.C., I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with the legendary drummer. Blakey is a simple man of simple words who exudes love from every pore. He was in a talking mood that …

The year was 1959, and in New York City, Ornette Coleman’s quartet was creating a bona fide controversy with its six-week run at the Five Spot. The music was rhythmically loose and had at its core a melodic and harmonic approach that aggressively defied convention. Though important musical figures of …

The jazz great has spent the year in constant motion, spearheading multiple ensembles, including one holding special interest for drummers.

Ted Reed’s Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer is considered a timeless book by many leading drummers and educators. One page alone can inspire a lifetime’s worth of practice material. In this series of articles we’ll explore new approaches to Exercise One (found on page 38 of the …

Tomas Haake, Stan Lynch, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, Jeff Sipe, The Blue Man Group, Han Bennick, Homer Steinweiss, Jimmy Carl Black, Ben Gillies, Sean O’Shea, Jens Hannemann, Kenny Aronoff, Jojo Mayer, Johnny Rabb

Morgan Rose, Ed Toth, Sherrie Maricle, Charles Collins, Earl Young, Chad Sexton, Zach Danziger, John Stanier, Evan Stone, Steve Fidyk, John Bonham, Art Blakey, Josh Freese, Tony Royster Jr., Jeff Hamilton

Wuv, Joe Morello, Tim Alexander, Scott F. Crago, Steve Jocz, Cyrus Bolooki, Bun E. Carlos, Philip Peeples, Bobby Caldwell, Brain St. Clair, Rikki Rockett, Buddy Rich, Art Blakey, Papa Jo Jones, Pat Wilson, Bill Stewart, Danny Gottlieb, Mike Bordin

Tré Cool, Wuv, Nicko McBrain, Dave Krusen, Phil Ehart, Trey Gray, Steve Gadd, Joe Morello, Rod Morgenstein, Peter Erskine, Neil Peart, Mel Lewis, Roy Burns, Mark Parsons, Rick Van Horn, Tony Williams, Buddy Rich, John Bonham, Tito Puente, Alan Dawson, Gary Chester, Eric Carr, Larrie Londin, Art Blakey, Philly Joe …

Jeff “Tain” Watts, Rodney Holmes, Brooks Wackerman, Art Blakey, Steve Ferrone, Jonathan Joseph, Ed Toth, Steven Drozd, Brett Chassen, Vinnie Colaiuta, Byron McMackin, Steve Smith, Graham Lear, Vinnie Paul, Ian Paice

Max Weinberg, Bobby Previte, Matt Abts, Sam Woodyard, Tom Teasley, Nick D’Virgilio, Dennis Diken, Janet Weiss, Jim Bogios, Fran Breen, Tomas Haake, Dave Weckl, Art Blakey, David Silveria, John “JR” Robinson, Terry Bozzio

Art Blakey, Carmine Appice, Arthur Press, Jonathan Moffett, Joey Franco, Alex Van Halen, Steve Smith, Simon Phillips, Eric Carr, Neil Peart

Peter Criss, John Bonham, Rick Marotta, Mel Lewis, Art Blakey, Rod Morgenstein, Bill Bruford, Jack DeJohnette, Don Lamond, Peter Hoorelbeke

Steve Gadd, Art Blakey, Peter Erskine
Posted: February 7, 2023

Terri Lyne Carrington Wins Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Modern Drummer congratulates Terri Lyne Carrington on her 2023 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Record of the Year, for her recording Standards Vol. 1 featuring Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, Nicholas Payton, and Matthew Stevens. This is actually the second time Ms. Carrington has won this prestigious award, making her the …
Posted: April 30, 2020

Tony Allen Passes
Tony Allen. Photo by Bernard Benant. Tony Allen, the longtime drummer with African music legend Fela Kuti, has died in France. As the drummer with Fela’s groundbreaking band Africa ’70, Allen was responsible for creating many of the beats that defined Afrobeat music, the mix of jazz, funk, and the …
Posted: September 7, 2017

On The Beat with Steph Barker of Coast Modern: Pursuing the Dream
Hey MD Readers! This is Steph Barker, drummer for the Los Angeles indie pop duo Coast Modern. I have been a huge fan of Modern Drummer since I started drumming back in sixth grade, so I am over the moon and absolutely honored to contribute to “On The Beat.”
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: August 1, 2016
Evan Chapman of Square Peg Round Hole: Juniper Album, “Name Not One Man??? Video World Premiere
With Juniper, instrumental and percussion-heavy trio Square Peg Round Hole unleashes pondering melodies, brooding harmonic landscapes, and forward-thinking rhythms. Here, the group’s main drummer, Evan Chapman, discusses the concepts and influences behind the record’s broad sonic spectrum….
Posted: June 30, 2016
Carl Allen: Learning From the Giants
Allen is a revered figure in the field of forward-reaching, swinging jazz rooted in the tradition. When he first made waves in the jazz world, joining Freddie Hubbard’s band in 1982 at the tender age of nineteen, elder giants took note.
Posted: May 11, 2015
Modern Drummer Education Team Weighs In On: Learning Other Instruments
We asked the members of the Modern Drummer Education Team if they felt that it’s important for drummers to learn to play other instruments (piano, bass, guitar, etc.), or should they focus on honing their craft at the kit exclusively? Here’s what they had to say….
Posted: February 20, 2015
Drummer Blog: The Bots’ Anaiah Lei on Incorporating Jazz and Other Musical Styles
Hi, guys and girls! My name is Anaiah Lei, and I drum for a band called the Bots, from Los Angeles, California. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and I’ve been drumming for about eleven years. I joined the Bots not too long after it started and have …
Posted: February 4, 2015
Modern Drummer Education Team Weighs In On: Learning Other Styles
We asked the members of the Modern Drummer Education Team if they felt that it’s important for all drummers to study Latin music and other musical genres, even if they don’t intend to ever perform those styles. Here’s what they had to say….
Posted: January 5, 2015

Drummer Blog: 2014 “Hit Like a Girl" Finalist Natalie DePergola Talks Gulf Blvd and Other Projects
I am an independent drummer dabbling in everything I can. I just finished a string of gigs with a project we call Gulf Blvd, and we had a blast performing at last year’s Rib Festival in St. Pete, Florida. We are a unique group, equal in talent and age (all …
Posted: January 5, 2015
Drummer Blog: 2014 “Hit Like a Girl” Finalist Natalie DePergola Talks Gulf Blvd and Other Projects
I am an independent drummer dabbling in everything I can. I just finished a string of gigs with a project we call Gulf Blvd, and we had a blast performing at last year’s Rib Festival in St. Pete, Florida. We are a unique group, equal in talent and age (all …
Posted: August 19, 2014
Influences: Harvey Mason
Here, as a companion to our August 2014 Influences piece on Mason, we speak with the drummer about his new album, his early days, the drummers who inspired him, and more….
Posted: June 9, 2014
Win a Ginger Baker Prize Package
To celebrate the release of Ginger Baker’s new CD, Why?, Motéma Records has put together a prize package that all Ginger Baker fans will want to get their hands on….
Posted: January 8, 2014
Drum Instructor Sam Ulano Passes
Sam Ulano, a beloved yet controversial player and instructor who Modern Drummer readers will recognize from the many ads he ran in the magazine over the years, passed away last week, at the age of ninety-three. MD published an interview with Ulano in the September 2011 issue, which we’ve reprinted …
Posted: January 2, 2014
VIDEO! Jazz Drummer’s Workshop: Approaching Standards, Part 3: Language and Vernacular (February 2014 Issue)
Click here to check out a video lesson to accompany the Jazz Drummer’s Workshop article on applying standard tunes to the drums from the February 2014 issue.
Posted: January 1, 2014
Darien Williams of Carbon Tigers
I’m living in Chicago, IL and playing in a few projects that range from a four-piece rock outfit, Carbon Tigers, to an improvisational jazz duo that goes by faug….
Posted: November 27, 2013
Chico Hamilton: 1921–2013
Jazz drummer Foreststorn “Chico??? Hamilton died this past Monday at the age of ninety-two. Hamilton was notable for his refined approach to the drumset, which leaned more heavily on creative orchestrations than on flash, an approach that in the 1950s inspired the movements of cool and chamber jazz. Notably, Hamilton …
Posted: August 29, 2013
In the Studio: Seeing Sounds, Part 4: Classic Jazz (October 2013 Issue)
Click here to check out part 4 of our In the Studio series, “Seeing Sounds,” which covers classic jazz drum tones.
Posted: August 28, 2013
October 2013 Issue of Modern Drummer Featuring Mike Portnoy
October 2013 Issue of Modern Drummer featuring Mike Portnoy Contents
Posted: July 29, 2013
Famed Afro-Caribbean Drummer Steve Berrios Passes
Modern Drummer is sad to announce that Steve Berrios died this past week at the age of sixty-eight at his home in Manhattan. The drummer was among the most innovative musicians to fuse Afro-Caribbean and jazz. Berrios had an impressive career, featuring work with influential Afro-Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaría, jazz …
Posted: May 16, 2013
Web Exclusive!
Mark Guiliana’s Beat Music
Mark Guiliana may be best known for his work as a sideman with jazz musicians such as Avishai Cohen and Brad Mehldau, but the drummer has been increasingly involved with his own solo project, Beat Music….
Posted: March 22, 2013
MD Education Team Weighs In On: Ergonomics
Click here to check out what the MD Education Team members have to say about setting up your drumset for maximum results….
Posted: January 10, 2013
MD Education Team Weighs In On: Learning Jazz
We asked the members of the MD Education Team if they think it’s important for their students to study jazz. Here’s what they had to say….
Posted: September 21, 2012
MD Education Team Weighs In On: Traditional Grip
Is traditional grip a useful technique that drum students should learn? We asked the members of the MD Education Team if they think traditional grip is relevant in today’s teachings. Here’s what they had to say.
Posted: September 21, 2012
Russell Simins of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Hey, all, Russell Simins from the one and only Blues Explosion here. I play drums and write music with bandmates Jon Spencer and Judah Bauer, two of the greatest guitarists I know, and I know a lot of them.
Posted: July 30, 2012
MD Education Team Weighs In On: Reading Music
We asked the members of the MD Education Team if they think that reading skills are crucial. Here’s what they had to say….
Posted: May 8, 2012
Paul Motian: 1931-2011
Photo by Robert Lewis. He showed us new ways to think about jazz drumming. There will never be another like him. by Michael Parillo On a dark night at the Village Vanguard, the audience snakes slowly down the long staircase and settles in at tiny tables, squeezed together nice and …
Posted: April 18, 2012
Shai Hulud’s Matt Covey
Hey guys, this is Matt Covey of Shai Hulud, the Suicide Dolls, and the Flaming Tsunamis. And the Hempsteadys. And the Franklin Brothers…and Young Pandas. About three and a half years ago, I was shocked to find myself on the road playing drums for a truly pioneering band….
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: March 13, 2012
12 Drumming Myths: Debunking Drum Gospel
Despite the prevalence of educational books, DVDs, and online lessons, most drumming information is still passed down the old-fashioned way: from one player to another, while shooting the breeze at the drum shop. A lot of what we hear, we take at face value, and we repeat these drumming “absolutes??? …
Posted: November 30, 2011
Ben Riley: Power of the Lion, Patience of the Ages
Ben Riley commands respect from the moment he hits the bandstand. While he is best known (and beloved) for his years spent in Thelonious Monk’s quartet at the peak of that master’s powers, Riley has also recorded and performed with many other jazz greats.This article orginally ran in the February …
Posted: November 3, 2011
Billy Higgins: The Shape of Jazz
Billy Higgins, who would come to play on more than five hundred albums, including three of the biggest jazz crossover hits of the 1960s (Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man,??? Lee Morgan’s “The Sidewinder,??? and Eddie Harris’s “Freedom Jazz Dance???), was born in 1936 and grew up in Los Angeles. He began …
Posted: October 8, 2011
On the Beaten Path: Beginning Drumset Course, Levels 1, 2, and 3
by Rich Lackowski
Learn the drums by copping beats that are part of the everyday musical landscape.
Posted: September 6, 2011
LaMel Randolph of Lionize
My name is LaMel Randolph; I play drums in the band Lionize, based out of Silver Spring, Maryland. This year we released our latest album, Destruction Manuel, we played the Warped tour and Bonnaroo Festival, and we’re already writing and recording a new batch of songs.
Posted: July 25, 2011
Chris St. Hilaire of London Souls
Hello! Ahh…drums! How else can you smash heads with a stick and not go to jail? I started playing at about fourteen years old, when my dad got me my first drumkit. It was a Groove Percussion kit, and I really beat the thing to a pulp…
Posted: July 21, 2011
Carl Palmer – Not Slowing Down
MD recently spoke with the prog-drumming giant Carl Palmer while he was on tour with Asia. Palmer, whose career spans four decades, says he has no plans to slow down anytime soon.
Posted: July 1, 2011
MD Readers Poll 2011 Results
Welcome once again to the MD Readers Poll, where the greatest drummers on the planet are honored by the most educated drum fans around. Let’s get right to it: the envelope, please….
Posted: June 13, 2011
Uriel Jones: Architect of the Motown Sound
June 14 would have been the seventy-seventh birthday of Motown great Uriel Jones, who died on March 24, 2009. MD spoke with Uriel shortly before his passing. We’re reprinting his interview here. (read more)
Posted: April 18, 2011
Jimmy Cobb: Kind Of Blue And Beyond
Jimmy Cobb was one of the most popular drummers of the late 1950s. He began playing at an early age and found his influences among the bop pioneers. “Max Roach was the hippest music going,??? remembers Cobb. “I also listened to Kenny Clarke, Shadow Wilson, and Sid Catlett. Then a …
Posted: December 17, 2010
Jimmy Bralower: Web Exclusive
Jimmy Bralower was born to make records. The drummer started playing at a very young age, and by the time he was in his early teens, his first band, the Young Ones, had signed a deal with a major label. In the ensuing years Bralower worked his way from clubs …
Posted: November 23, 2010
Richie Hayward: The MD Interviews, Part 2
Interview by Robyn FlansRead the Little Feat drummer’s cover feature from October 1995. MD: You have a unique playing style with Little Feat. Can you describe that style and where it came from? Richie: My style has grown with the band. It started out heavily influenced by blues, rock ’n’ …
Posted: November 9, 2010
Umar Fahim of The Binary Code
Photo by Aaron Pepelis I am Umar Fahim of the Binary Code, based out of New Jersey, USA. I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts on the right way and the wrong way to play the drums. First off, thank you to MD for giving me, for …
Posted: October 1, 2010
Tosin Aribisala: Afrikan Rhapsody
Aye, MD faithful readers! My name is Tosin Aribisala. It is an honor for me to write a blog for this awesome drummers’ magazine. I have been an ardent reader and subscriber to Modern Drummer for over eleven of my twenty-three years playing the drumset….
Posted: September 29, 2010
Narada Michael Walden: Web Exclusive
by Billy Amendola More—way more—with the fusion and pop maestro. In a continuation of our interview with Narada Michael Walden from the November 2010 issue of Modern Drummer, the fusion and pop drumming/producing maestro reflects on his early days, teaching, spirituality, playing in odd time signatures, and coming full circle …
Posted: May 11, 2010
Darren King of MUTEMATH: YouTube Favorites
I don’t care so much about difficulty or technicality. I like style, passion, creativity, and all that kind of stuff. Here are some videos that always challenge and inspire me no matter how many times I watch them….
Posted: May 6, 2010
Jim Archer of The Art Of Shooting
Greetings, Modern Drummers! My New York City band the Art Of Shooting has recently released our first full-length album, Traveling Show, and we’re excited about hitting the road to play for a bunch of new faces. I’d like to tell you a little about myself, our album, and a few …
Posted: April 6, 2010
Tobias Gebb – Free At Last
I have played with a wide range of musicians from Lenny Kravitz to Cab Calloway and I have worked in many different genres…
Posted: March 22, 2010
Sidney “Big Sid” Catlett: Busting Open Doors To The Modern Drumming Age
Though Big Sid Catlett came out of the swing era, he is best remembered for a drumming style that had a marked influence on the bop drummers of the ’40s.
Posted: December 31, 2009
Chick Webb: The First True Drumming Idol
Chick Webb simultaneously defined drumming during the swing era, while also paving the way for the “modern??? jazz movement of the 1940s…
Posted: December 22, 2009
The Greats: Art Blakey
It’s safe to say that nobody swung harder than Art Blakey. Just check out any recording with the hard-bop pioneer at the throne, and you’re bound to find the drummer’s primal groove at work…
Posted: December 3, 2009
Philly Joe Jones: One Of The Greatest Hard Boppers
Philly Joe Jones is one of the greatest of the hard boppers. His contributions to the art of jazz drumming are immeasurable. He was a virtuoso with a pair of brushes, and a genius at turning the rudiments into fluent musical ideas. More than any of his peers, it was …
Posted: October 20, 2009
Drumming On TV
In celebration of the great, sometimes groundbreaking drumming performances of TV’s golden age, we present to you highlights along the illustrious Drumming On TV timeline…
Posted: October 8, 2009
Dave Watts of the Kyle Hollingsworth Band
My name is Dave Watts and I’m writing to you from the road with my current project, the Kyle Hollingsworth Band.
Posted: July 17, 2009
Dave Lombardo: Metal And The Unconscious State
When it comes to recording, sometimes less is more. And sometimes, less results in an out-of-body experience…
Posted: June 10, 2009
Rob Bujak of Nova
I am currently drumming for the band Nova, out of San Francisco. I'm gonna have to admit that I have an obsession with drums; all I do is think about drumming.
Posted: May 18, 2009
Brian Chase: An Appetite For Adventure
As a Web-only bonus, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs drummer pontificates on listening, sounding how you want to sound, and working with a click….
Posted: April 23, 2009
Steve Smith: Head, Hands, Feet, And “Shoulders???
Hudson Music has recently released Steve Smith’s DVD Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants, which Smith describes as “a detailed look at the drumming of some of the jazz giants who have helped create the vocabulary and concepts of drumming in general.???
Posted: December 18, 2008
Derico Watson: Pocket, Chops, and Soul
For the past five years, Michigan native Derico Watson has held one of the most coveted chairs a drummer could imagine, touring regularly with pioneering bassist Victor Wooten.
Posted: October 25, 2008
On the Beat With Denny Seiwell Drummer
Hello, MD readers, this is Denny Seiwell letting you in on some info about me that is not too widely known….
Posted: April 25, 2008
Marcus Baylor of The Yellowjackets
Hello, MD family! 2008 has been a blessed and busy year, with more great things to come! My name is Marcus Baylor, and I am the drummer with The Yellowjackets.
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: December 15, 2007
Allison Miller: Freedom Jazz-Folk-Pop-Rock Dance
Since moving to New York in 1996, Allison Miller has thrived by refusing to acknowledge musical borders. Alli, as she likes to be called, has allowed her sincere love of pop and rock music to ground her jazz playing–and her passion for jazz to elevate her pop prowess….
Posted: November 1, 2007
Robert Wyatt: 2007 Web Exclusive Interview
Since leaving the groundbreaking British psychedelic band Soft Machine in 1971, Robert Wyatt has released a succession of remarkable solo albums filled with artfulness and surprise….
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: September 19, 2007
Tony Allen: Afrobeat Legend
As the most important drummer in African music, Tony Allen provided the Afrobeat pulse for Fela Kuti’s Africa ’70s band and recorded a clutch of solo albums. Currently Allen works for UK supergroup The Good, The Bad, And The Queen, which features Blur’s Damon Albarn and The Clash’s Paul Simonen….
Posted: July 15, 2006
Ignacio Berroa – Havana Hot Head
Imagine growing up in a country where playing music is illegal, where practicing religion can get you yanked out of your home in the middle of the night, and where the only available drum instructor is some moldy Russian guy with enough ear hair to start a small forest….
Posted: July 19, 2005
Steve Jordan Interview
Steve Jordan has accomplished more in his drumming career than he ever could have imagined. Of the big names he played with, a short list would include Ashford & Simpson, Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks, The Pretenders, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, David Sanborn, Tom Scott, …
Posted: July 1, 2005
Steve Gadd: Opens Up
The drumming legend gives his most revealing interview.
Posted: May 12, 2004
Eric Harland
When twenty-five-year-old Eric Harland was a teenager, he weighed an astonishing 380 pounds, making him a target of cruel children, mean-spirited teachers, and sometimes, his own family. “I would walk into a clothing store and the employees would just laugh,” recalls the Texas native. “Man,” they would say, “we don’t …
Posted: May 12, 2004
Winard Harper
The Savant label has recently released Winard Harper’s Come Into The Light. The CD was recorded live at Cecil’s, a jazz nightclub owned by drummer/producer Cecil Brooks III in New Jersey….
Posted: May 12, 2004
Prince’s John Blackwell: An Interview
John Blackwell always listened to his dad’s advice, and it’s paid off, big time. “Growing up, my dad used to tell me, ‘If you want to make any money in this business, play in the pocket.'”…
Posted: May 12, 2004
Chico Hamilton
Chico has released nearly fifty albums as a leader, including his newest release, Foreststorn, on the Koch Jazz label. The title of the album is Chico’s own given first name, as well as that of his son, who died shortly before the album was completed.
Posted: May 12, 2004
Mark Johnson
Do those canary-yellow drums look familiar? That’s because they belonged to the late Tony Williams, who gave them to trumpeter Wallace Roney….
Posted: May 12, 2004
The Artistry of Joe La Barbera
You have to be careful who you show off in front of, as Joe La Barbera learned early in his career. “I was working with a singer named Frankie Randall,” Joe recalls. “He had an offer to open for Buddy Rich in Las Vegas for a month. So I was …
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: July 1, 2021

In this episode, Narada Michael Walden interviews Cindy Blackman Santana. Cindy talks about the first records that influenced her, her technique, Art Blakey, Lenny Kravitz and other artists she has worked with. She also tells us what’s next in her musical future and much more. Audio Video