Download December 2020 Issue
Dani Markham lives in perpetual motion. The New York City–based, Louisville, Kentucky–born percussionist/mallet player spent the last six years touring the world and recording with hip-hop artist Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover), lo-fi worldbeat group Tune-Yards, and others. In between tours, she scored Off Broadway dance performances and traveled back to Kentucky to teach kids in the Louisville Leopard percussion ensemble, the group where she started playing xylophone, marimba, congas, bongos, and drumkit at age seven. “I was immediately connected to rhythm the moment I picked up mallets and learned a simple melody,” she says. “Patterns made sense to me, and it was easy for me to learn and process.”
While earning her degree in classical percussion at the University of Miami, Markham looked beyond an orchestral career and immersed herself in the city’s diverse sounds. “Classical percussion taught me a lot of discipline and developed my skills, but jazz and Latin music were opening up this world of creative expression and communication amongst musicians that was exciting to me,” she says. It was through the university that she met Chris Hartz, who became the drummer for Childish Gambino and brought her into the band in 2016. Since then, Markham has shared stages with them at arenas and festivals, as well as Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and the 2018 Grammy Awards.
Then COVID-19 hit, bringing live gigs to a dead-stop. With her boundless collaborative spirit and sense of musical adventure, though, Markham kept working. Her Brooklyn, New York, apartment was right above the studio she shared with Arcade Fire violinist Sarah Neufeld, and the two seized the opportunity to make music. “We began creating together, something we’d never done in the past,” says Markham, “although we’ve been friends since 2014, when Tune-Yards was opening for her band.” Dani also used the time to work with Teddy Abrams, music director of the Louisville Orchestra, as well as fellow hometown luminaries such as Will Oldham and Jim James; together they co-wrote and recorded the song “Lift Up Louisville” to help bolster their community and raise funds for pandemic response.
Articles in December 2020
Bennie Rodgers II
The Oakland, California, native has been applying his vast skills to a style that originated halfway across the globe—and like K-pop itself, he’s been winning over fans from sea to shining sea and beyond. Bennie Rodgers II is a veteran…
Khari Parker (1974–2020)
Drummer Khari Parker passed away on June 27. He was forty-six. Widely respected for his diverse musical skills and top-flight professionalism, Parker was a first-call player for many of the top bandleaders and producers in Chicago and throughout the country.…
Cajon You Dig It?
The owner of this month’s KOTM took the now-ubiquitous percussion instrument to its next logical step. The kit that Luke Ross uses with his all-acoustic band Company of Crows is composed entirely of cajons built by the Croaker Percussion company,…
What Now?
The Four E’s As I write this, we are smack dab in the middle of the COVID crisis. This pandemic has affected us all now for many months. I mention this because it’s had a massive impact on musicians working…
Marla Leigh
Having “good time” can mean many things to a musician. For this veteran frame drummer, waiting for the right moment to execute a plan, even if that means years, can turn out to be the best decision. For twenty years,…
Drum City Guitarland
Wheat Ridge, Colorado A former professional drummer who once played drums for Frank Sinatra, Ronny Kae lived and breathed drums. In 1964, with only $50 in his pocket, Kae moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Colorado, where he bought a…
Dana Hawkins
Drawing on the hectic atmospheres and hyperspeed rhythms of drum ’n’ bass music, the drummer, whose credits include Meshell Ndegeocello, Jeremy Pelt, and Lizzo, is revitalizing jazz with his prickly, seemingly time-altering drumming. The future of drumming, the future of…
Stick Technique Revisited
Part 6: Perfect Practice and Building Speed Many drum instructors say, “Play naturally.” The problem with that statement is that we naturally hold on to things tightly. Have you ever seen someone pick up a drumstick for the first time…
Remembering Neil Peart
Part 4: “YYZ” This transcription is from the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert where Neil Peart played a big band version of the legendary Rush instrumental track “YYZ.” The introduction was conducted and written in 5/4. The main melody is in…
Sonor - Benny Greb Signature Snares
A duo of high-performance drums set to meet—if not exceed—all your backbeat needs. Ten years ago, Sonor introduced the original 5.75x13 signature beech snare for top endorsing artist Benny Greb. Greb and Sonor recently revisited that incredibly popular model to…
The D.I.Y. Guide to Drums by Lisa Schonberg
While it was always a quirky addition to pedagogic literature, this hugely expanded 2020 volume retains the handmade charms of the original ’zine and leverages the author’s years of teaching experience to deliver an approachable, delightful roadmap for beginners and…
Terry Bozzio
I knew I had to make my own statement or go on for the rest of my life depending on someone else to be the creative genius. I didn’t want to live with myself that way. It’s funny, in the…
Gene Krupa
The Swing Era’s Brightest Star For this series, we’d be very remiss if we didn’t discuss the great swing drummer Gene Krupa. Gene was one of the most prominent people to bring drums to the forefront in an ensemble. Prior…
Nigel Olsson’s ’70s/’80s-Era Slingerland Drumkit
While the legendary Elton John drummer has been a DW drums endorser for years—the company famously built him a custom kit for the pop star’s 2012 Million Dollar Piano Las Vegas residency that displays the badge of the Royal Air…
Gretsch, Latin Percussion, Steinberg, Peavey and more
Gretsch Brooklyn Series Drumkits Two new Nitron finishes have been added to the Brooklyn series: Blue Burst Pearl and White Marine Pearl. Constructed from 6-ply North American maple and poplar, Brooklyn series drums are finished with 3 mm double-flanged 302…
Simon Phillips
Showbiz history is dotted with “triple-threat” performers who were top-flight actors, singers, and dancers, from Gene Kelly to Judy Garland to Sammy Davis Jr. to Beyoncé. Rarer still are those who can boast extraordinary performance and technical skills, bona fide…
Wood or Nylon Tip?
Nylon! Lasts much longer than wood (so you save cash!), and you never have to worry about a chipped stick tip on a ride cymbal. I also play darker cymbals, so the nylon tips add some extra clarity rather than…
Jonas Brothers’ Jack Lawless
New Jersey native Jack Lawless started out as the drummer of Joe Jonas’s chart-topping alternative-pop group DNCE. When the Jonas Brothers got back together, Lawless got the call for that tour as well. We were able catch up with him…
The Classic Recordings of Ginger Baker, Part 3: The Solo Albums
Following a prolific period when Ginger Baker made his name with Cream, Blind Faith, and Ginger Baker’s Air Force, and collaborated with Fela Kuti, the mid ’70s found the drummer setting up a recording studio in Africa, playing polo, trying…
