July 2015 Issue – Volume 40 • Number 7

Vince Cherico

Features Vince Cherico How a non-Latino kid from New Jersey came to be a prime groover in the Latin jazz scene. Story by Jeff Potter Photos by Paul La Raia Last December, Vince Cherico arrived for a gig in Cuba…

Grooving in Form with Mike Johnston

https://vimeo.com/128881185 Rock 'N' Jazz Clinic Grooving in Form Part 1: AABA Beats by Mike Johnstonb One of the first things you learn when you begin to play in bands is song form, and one of the most popular forms is…

TRX - Blends Series Cymbals

https://vimeo.com/127864028 Product Close-Up TRX Blends Series Cymbals A best-of-both-worlds approach to achieving power and warmth. Earlier this year, the California-based/Turkish-made cymbal company TRX released what it’s calling a “mash-up” of its medium-weight, traditionally lathed and hammered MDM series and its…

Elvin Jones-Style Triplet Fills

https://vimeo.com/127867801 Jazz Drummer's Workshop Elvin Jones-Style Triplet Fills Part 3: More Two-Bar Patterns by John Xepoleas Welcome to the third and final lesson in our series on creating Elvin Jones–style triplet fills. This time we’re creating high-energy two-bar fills. Let’s…

Sugar Percussion - Stave-Shell Snares

Product Close-Up Sugar Percussion Stave-Shell Snares Discreet design, careful construction, and top-shelf tones. Although it’s a relative newcomer in the crowded world of custom drum builders, the Santa Cruz–based Sugar Percussion has already earned high praise from top artists like…

Don't Make It Harder Than It Has to Be by Russ Miller

Leave Your Attitude at the Door by Russ Miller Strife happens in life. It’s almost a guarantee. It happens in every business, like when somebody gets a new position in a company and brings his or her own agenda. And…

Progressive Drumming Essentials, Part 1: Understanding Odd Time Signatures

https://vimeo.com/128171895 Rock Perspectives Progressive Drumming Essentials Part 1: Understanding Odd Time Signatures by Aaron Edgar Before we start playing sick proggy grooves in 17/16, let’s start at the beginning and define time signatures. Time signatures tell us the length of…

10 Reasons to Love the Kinks' Mick Avory

The Kinks, 1965: Dave Davies, Ray Davies, Mick Avory, Pete Quaife Features by Patrick Berkery Had it been Mick Avory, not British session ace Bobby Graham, playing on iconic early Kinks singles like “You Really Got Me” and “All Day…

July 2015 Issue – Volume 40 • Number 7

Attack of the Juh-Ba with Rich Redmond

https://vimeo.com/129567803 Basics Attack of the Juh-Ba Harness the Power of the Flat Flam Followed by a Kick Drum by Rich Redmond Flat flams are executed by playing two limbs simultaneously. My favorite orchestration of the flat flam is on the…

Gretsch - Renown Birch and Walnut Drumsets

Product Close-Up Gretsch Renown Birch and Walnut Drumsets Two new shell offerings expand the tonal spectrum. Acouple years back, Gretsch revamped its Taiwanese-made “touring drummer” Renown series so that it stood closer in line with the company’s top-end U.S.-made counterparts.…

Following Groupings and Fill-Ins with Bill Bachman

https://vimeo.com/128907727 Strictly Technique Following Groupings and Fill-Ins Exercises for Increased Single-Stroke Control by Bill Bachman This month we’re going to work on playing flowing groupings of notes with one hand while gradually filling in the spaces between the notes with…

On The Cover - Daru Jones

On The Cover Daru Jones The requirements of rock and rap might seem poles apart, but the lines of separation evaporate in the hands of Jack White’s beatmaker. Story by Robin Tolleson Photos by Rick Malkin Lost in the moment,…