June 2018 Issue – Volume 42 • Number 6
Articles in June 2018
Rick Marotta
For the drummer, who’d built a sterling session and live career for nearly ten years with artists including John Lennon, Paul Simon, Jim Croce, James Taylor, and Steely Dan, 1978 was yet another super-busy year. In the studio, on the…
Keith McMillen Instruments - BopPad
A seemingly simple USB pad controller with virtually limitless capabilities.
Peter Criss on Peter Criss
In 1978, the four members of Kiss simultaneously released self-titled solo albums, a brilliant marketing move that pushed the already famous group further into the stratosphere. Though it’s not considered a groundbreaking “drum record”—that was never the intention—Peter Criss neatly…
What You Need to Know About Bass Drum Heads
While drums have existed since the dawn of civilization, it wasn’t until the 1950s, after the chemical corporation DuPont trademarked a new polyester film called Mylar, that drummers were presented with more ways to tailor their sounds via their choice…
Russ Kunkel - The Song Server
At the dawn of the ’70s, music fans noticed the credit “Drums: Russ Kunkel” popping up on reams of LP jackets. From that pivotal point, Kunkel’s momentum as a session ace surged through five decades. The drummer’s tasteful parts and…
Foreigner’s Dennis Elliott
“I was blessed to land a gig as life-changing as Foreigner,” the London-born drummer Dennis Elliott says. “It was a band I totally believed in.” Elliott played with the group for seventeen years, powering solid-gold tracks like “Urgent,” “Feels Like…
Dafnis Prieto on the Dafnis Prieto Big Band’s Back to the Sunset
The prolific Afro-Cuban and jazz connoisseur honors his musical heroes with a heavy ensemble.
Techra - XCarb Drumsticks
Light and fast carbon-fiber models designed for utmost durability.
Must-Know Grooves - Disco, a Drumming Staple of the 1970s
In this new series we’ll be taking a close look at some of the most influential, practical, and essential drum grooves of all time, studying a pattern’s history and learning how to play it step-by-step. If you’re serious about getting…
Drum Wisdom: Jim Mola
By his own admission, Jim Mola moved to New York in 1985 to set the world on fire as a drummer. Now, after thirty-three years of experience in the trenches as a working musician, the types of gigs he’s playing…
Van Kleef - Ageless Collection 4.5x14 Snare
A spectacular specimen sporting a precious 1.5mm sterling silver shell.
Ben Riley, Pat Torpey and Z’EV
Ben Riley: 1933-2017 Monk’s main man was the epitome of swing and style. Jazz drumming great Ben Riley died last November 18. He was eighty-four. Although best remembered for his high-profile 1964–67 tenure with the iconic pianist Thelonious Monk, Riley…
2017 Sydney Vintage and Custom Drum Expo
Australia’s finest craftsmen shine among celebrated international mainstays during a day of exhibits and performances.
New York Jazzer Jimmy Macbride
Still only in his mid-twenties, the drummer has been making a name for himself in the ultra-competitive New York City jazz scene for several years now, bringing an assured command of his instrument to recordings and live work with a sound that belies his age.
Diego Arcaute with Juana Molina
Whether playing odd-time indie electronica, contemporary pop, or folkloric acoustic music, the Argentinian drummer brings a seasoned sensitivity and open mind to the studio and the stage.
Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Mike Mangini with Into the Great Divide, Legend of the Seagullmen with Danny Carey, and more
RECORDINGS Miles Davis & John Coltrane The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 Wes Montgomery In Paris: The Definitive ORTF Recording Two releases of fabled, much-bootlegged European jazz concerts are finally given proper treatment with remastered sound and impressive…