February 2016 – Volume 40 • Number 2

AROUND THE WORLD - Diddling the Baiaó

AROUND THE WORLD Diddling the Baiaó Gary Novak on Chick Corea’s “Discovery” by Daniel Bédard Over the years, Chick Corea’s bands have featured a lot of great drumming talent. Steve Gadd, Dave Weckl, Roy Haynes, Jeff Ballard—all of these players…

PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Stone Thrones Drum Seat Covers

PRODUCT CLOSE-UP Stone Thrones Drum Seat Covers Customizable, durable, and super-easy to install. by Brian Hill Chris Stone, founder of Stone Thrones, has founded a custom shop that offers something very useful and clever: high-quality and durable drum seat covers.…

What Do You Know About…Dave Mattacks?

What Do You Know About…? Dave Mattacks by Patrick Berkery When you've had a career like his, even the biggest session can seem like another day at the office. But what a day… Discovering a shared love of the veteran…

PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - TRX New DRK Series Cymbals

PRODUCT CLOSE-UP TRX New DRK Series Cymbals Warm, dark, classic sounds with pre-drilled holes for rivets. by Miguel Monroy TRX has released several new options in the past year or so, including the Blends series, which was reviewed in our…

CONCEPTS - Your Library

CONCEPTS Your Library Creating and Maintaining a Thorough Music Collection by Russ Miller American author and clergyman Harry Emerson Fosdick makes a very important point about the acquisition of knowledge in any field. We must look back, stay current, and…

John Hadfield

John Hadfield Story by Jeff Potter Photos by Marie Constantinesco The drummer/percussionist with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, bassist and composer Petros Klampanis, and other big thinkers simultaneously plays traditional drumset and traditional ethnic percussion, in the service of some decidedly un-traditional…

PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Liberty Drumset

PRODUCT CLOSE-UP Liberty Jazz Series Drumset Top-quality modern design with tasty vintage flare. by Michael Dawson Liberty Drums is a UK-based manufacturer that builds its own shells from nearly limitless timbers and veneers into a wide range of handcrafted drumsets…

PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Remo Dorado Cajon

PRODUCT CLOSE-UP Remo Dorado Cajon Deep, resonant tones and removable snares for greater sonic options. by Miguel Monroy Remo’s new Dorado cajon is a traditional fixed-faceplate instrument that’s handcrafted in California using birch plywood and high-quality compression springs with over…

PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Beier 15" Steel Snare Drums

Vibrant and versatile with supreme clarity and a full range of tones. by Michael Dawson There’s been a bit of buzz building around the snares coming from Jim Beier’s shop in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Blue Öyster Cult’s Jules Radino, Olivia Newton-John’s…

Refused's David Sandström

by David Ciauro After a wildly successful string of reunion shows in 2012, Sweden’s seminal hardcore act has released its first album in seventeen years. Freedom appears to have dialed in the “liberation frequency” spoken of on the 1998 masterpiece…

McClenty Hunter

McClenty Hunter by Jeff Potter McClenty Hunter’s current tenures with guitarist Dave Stryker’s band (five years) and tenor sax star Kenny Garrett’s quintet (three years) are putting the drummer in the spotlight he’s long deserved. Whether driving straight-ahead jazz, serving…

February 2016 – Volume 40 • Number 2

ROCK PERSPECTIVES - Progressive Drumming Essentials

https://vimeo.com/148377856 ROCK PERSPECTIVES Part 7: Beat Displacement by Aaron Edgar Has a song ever caught your ear in just the right kind of wrong way, leaving the music feeling twisted? You knew the musicians were playing together correctly, and you…

Basics - More Cowbell!

Basics More Cowbell! Embellishing Grooves With a Different View by Rich Redmond The phrase “more cowbell” has seeped into the public consciousness with good reason—cowbell rocks! Classic rock songs like “Mississippi Queen,” “Honky Tonk Women,” and “We’re Not Gonna Take…

Encore Aqualung

Encore Aqualung by Ken Micallef It’s completely feasible that if Jethro Tull’s founding drummer hadn’t retired from the road in the early ’70s, just as the band was becoming an international phenomenon, his name would come up as often—and as…

JAZZ DRUMMER'S WORKSHOP - Triplet Fill Concepts Part 3

Part 3: Three-Over-Four Fills With Rudiments by John Xepoleas Welcome to the third and final lesson in our series on jazz-style triplet fills. This lesson continues with the three-over-four triplet concept and incorporates buzz rolls, double strokes, and paradiddles. In…

Catching up With…

Catching up With…   Fourplay's Harvey Mason and Mastodon's Brann Dailor The musical chameleon has used every color in his palette during his decorated career. Right now, it’s all about silver. While most players go through peaks and valleys in…