Lionel Hampton
There are some people who always sound like they’re competing for the title of “world’s noisiest drummer.” Not Oliver Jackson. He’s more inclined to draw you in with inventive, subtle playing than to force you back with bombast. Give Jackson a break where you’d expect most drummers to cut loose, …
I first heard Frankie Dunlop’s drumming in the best way possible. When I was about 17years old, I was visiting a friend who had Two Hours Of Thelonious on the turntable. The drumming on that record went straight to my heart, and my enthusiasm for Frankie’s drumming has never lessened …
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 …
His early obsession with jazz might have been out of step with the rock ’n’ roll dreams of most kids his age.
Jazz has often been called the true American classical music, finding its most immediate roots in the blues. Although the blues sang out against physical hardship and mental depression, its simple, haunting rhythms would most always convey a jubilance and spirit of optimism. The blues gave birth to the free-flowing …
Drum great Cozy Cole died on January 29, 1981 at the University Hospital of Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Cozy ColeHe was born William Randolph Cole in East Orange, New Jersey in 1909.
After a lifetime of vast musical experience, Roy now devotes most of his time in the capacity of clinician for the Rogers Drum Company, a job which takes him to cities all across the country. He’s very much in demand as a clinician and it’s not hard to figure out …
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.
Les DeMerle enjoys spending his free time improving his art. Lately, he has found less spare time for such a venture. With a recently completed itinerary of clinics and his new book Jazz/Rock Fusion ready for release, DeMerle is busier than ever.
In 1939, I first met Gene. I started at the Hickory House in 1938. So Gene and I had been friends for over 30 years. I guess that everything that has been said about the man has been said before me.
Abe Laboriel Jr., Robby Ameen, Rashied Ali, Dave Weckl, Rick Allen, Kris Kohls, Jon Fishman, Ben Mize, Steve Houghton, Louie Appel, Alan White, Lionel Hampton, Ringo Starr, Travis Barker, Danny Carey, Nicko McBrain, Rocky Bryant
In this Issue: Chad Wackerman, Allan Schwartzberg, Lionel Hampton
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: March 4, 2015
10 Tips from Bobby Sanabria
The renowned Latin and jazz drummer/percussionist has always known how to get his point across, whether in the studio, on stage, or in the classroom. Here he offers words of advice that all of us, regardless of age or preferred musical style, should take heed of….
Posted: July 1, 2014
Louie Bellson Ninetieth-Year Celebration
Jazz drumming great Louie Bellson, who passed away in 2009, will be honored with a ninetieth-year celebration of his enduring works, organized by the Louie Bellson Legacy. There will be a full year of activities, beginning on Bellson’s birthday, July 6….
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: February 24, 2012
Gimme 10! Bobby Sanabria
One of the most world-traveled, well-spoken, and high-profile drummer/leaders on the planet tells us what’s what, Sanabria style.
Posted: October 31, 2011
Freddie Gruber
Right up until his passing on October 11, Freddie Gruber was a source of deep and important knowledge for many top drummers.
Posted: February 5, 2010
Jason “Malletman” Taylor Blog
My name is Jason “Malletman??? Taylor. I’m a vibraphonist and protégé of the late, legendary Lionel Hampton…
Posted: February 5, 2010
Jason "Malletman" Taylor Blog
My name is Jason “Malletman??? Taylor. I’m a vibraphonist and protégé of the late, legendary Lionel Hampton…
Posted: December 29, 2009
William “Cozy” Cole: The Father Of Coordinated Independence
Cozy Cole, an incredibly adept player, was strongly rooted in the rudimental style, but he contributed much to jazz drumming…
Posted: December 18, 2009
“Papa” Jo Jones: Drumming’s Fearsome Father Figure
It’s been said that modern drumming made its first step towards maturity when Jo Jones arrived in New York in 1936 with the Count Basie band…
Posted: December 8, 2009
Gene Krupa: The Man Who Made It All Happen
If anyone can be considered the founding father of modern drumset playing, it’s Gene Krupa. Krupa legitimized a collection of instruments known as the “traps??? at a time when both the instrument and its players were barely tolerated.
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: October 15, 2006
Jeff Hamilton: Swinging to Success
Few jazz drummers have had careers as rewarding and successful as Jeff Hamilton’s. And with several new releases and projects in the works–and an MD Readers Poll win–2006 may be one of his finest years yet.
Posted: February 1, 2006
The Fab Faux’s Rich Pagano
New York City drummer Rich Pagano is way more than just a member of the hippest Beatle cover band you’ll ever hear. He’s also an accomplished singer and producer. As we journey through Rich’s MD Online interview, we’ll learn that not only does he do a stellar job of providing …
Posted: May 12, 2004
Louie Bellson A Lifetime Of Greatness
When one of the greatest drummers of all time turns eighty, celebrations are held all over the country – from coast to coast for months.
Posted: May 12, 2004
Gary Burton
In 1999, as Gary Burton was celebrating his fiftieth year as a vibraphonist, the vibraphone itself turned seventy-five years old. Burton felt the time was right to pay tribute to the instrument and the players who pioneered jazz vibraphone. The result is his recent album on Concord, For Hamp, Red, …
