May 2021 – Volume 45 • Number 5
On 17th May 2021
Dec 20, 1950 – March 23, 2021
Drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Don Heffington died on March 23, after a short-term fight with leukemia—a loss so many were not ready for.
Born into a musical family in Los Angeles, Heffington was known as a drummer’s drummer. Often referred to as a swinging human metronome, he could play it all—jazz, rock, folk, country, and blues—and he was the go-to drummer for producers around Los Angeles for more than 30 years.
Heffington’s credits include decades of collaborations with Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Lowell George, Van Dyke Parks, Jackson Browne, Victoria Williams, Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris, Randy Newman, Joe Cocker, Chuck Prophet, Sam Phillips, Matthew Sweet, Adam Sandler, and dozens more.
The luminous and unforgettably talented Heffington was tall, lean, and handsome, with a slow-moving walk and a signature mane that had turned silver by the time I met him. His kind smile lit up a room, and his humble nature downplayed his epic talent. I was one of the lucky ones who had the gift of working with him on my last album, which was produced by Jim Scott.
Articles in May 2021
Foundational Brush Technique
When I first started playing brushes, I copied what I heard on recordings, and what people like Joe Morello were doing. When Joe came to town, I would get as close as I could to watch how he played brushes.…
Dave Weckl
The Sublime Power of Supporting Music with “Special Sauce” What inspires the human spirit to pursue and achieve greatness? In the case of six-time Modern Drummer cover artist and MD Hall of Famer Dave Weckl, there are many levels of…
Interview with Jazz Musician Tony Williams
Just what is a Tony Williams? Many of his admirers have described his style as: “Free,” “He doesn’t really play rudimental things,” “He’s loose,” “There’s something out of the ordinary about what he does,” and, “It’s different.” If those descriptions…
Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault
The Paul “Jamo” Jamieson Collection The Rolling Stones rented this vintage Gretsch set for its 1997 “Saint of Me” video shoot. It’s almost impossible to talk about drums in Los Angeles without Paul Jamieson’s name coming up. “Jamo”—as he is…
Yamaha - DTX6K3-X Electronic Drumset
A simple, powerful, and compact solution to keep you playingwhen acoustic drums aren’t an option. Yamaha makes great gear. Period. When it comes to drums—specifically electronics—the company always succeeds in delivering high-quality products to keep you inspired to practice and…
Developing Speed Naturally
Almost all young drummers attempt to see how fast they can play at some point. This is a natural stage of development. It is sort of like flexing your muscles just to see how strong you are. Technique is needed…
Crashes in Your Fills
The stereotypical rock drum fill might be a measure of 16th notes cascading around the kit from snare to toms, but there are many other options. As we progress as players, we want to increase our vocabulary of beats and…
Thommy Price
Rock and Roll Hitmaker Brooklyn, New York’s Thommy Price has spent the large majority of his career playing and touring with a diverse array of iconic bands and artists. His four-decade career spans countless gigs and recordings from Mink DeVille…
How a Dave Weckl Performance Changed My Life
I’ll never forget the first time I saw Dave Weckl play the drums. At the time, I had heard Dave on records, but had never seen him play live or on TV. One fateful day, I happened to have the…
Rogers Drums, January 1977
It seems fitting that two far-reaching events were marked by the inaugural January 1977 issue of Modern Drummer: the beginning of MD’s now 45-year reign as the foremost publication for drums and drummers, and an advertisement—our only full-page advertiser at…
Doc Sweeney Drums - Legend Series M22 Drumset
A divine steam-bent beech setup that’ll make you want to retire your vintage kit for good. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Doc Sweeney Drums is straight killing it with its creative, innovative, and inspiring approach to the solid-shell…
Endurance Exercises
Balance Your Left and Right Hands! The purpose of this exercise is to strengthen each hand individually in order to achieve a balance between the two. For the right-handed drummer, the left hand is the weaker hand, and vice versa.…
Denny Seiwell - Revisiting a Classic
Denny Seiwell became Paul McCartney’s first post-Beatles choice as his drummer when he was brought into the sessions for Paul and Linda McCartney’s Ram album in 1970 and ‘71. Soon thereafter, Seiwell was invited to join the McCartney’s new project,…
DW and WFLIII
DW MFG Extended Footboard Models DW recently added new XF extended footboard options for the entire range of MFG pedals and hi-hat stands. The pedals are machined from aircraft-grade aluminum in California, and are offered as single and double pedals…
Earthworks Audio - DK7 Drum Mic Kit
An ideal multi-mic package for capturing the purest essence of your drumset. The DK7 seven-piece microphone set by Earthworks provides everything you need for detailed and accurate multichannel drum recordings and live-performance amplification. This kit includes four DM20 clip-on gooseneck…
The Importance of Writing Notation
We have all heard that it’s very beneficial for drummers to learn how to read music. I completely agree. For me, it was one of the many game changers for my drumming. Learning to understand basic notation gave me the…
Brooke Colucci - The Drumming Prodigy Powers Plus
Who cares? That’s my attitude about Plush. Who cares that it’s an all-female band? Who cares that none of the band members are even 21 years old yet? Who cares that they have become social-media darlings, and who cares the…
Who Is Your Favorite Post-Beatles Drummer on Any Former Beatle’s Solo Albums?
Apparently, the Modern Drummer community loves their post-Beatles drummers. When we reached out on our Facebook page to query you about your favorite drummers on the solo albums of Paul, John, George, and Ringo, we received quite a flurry of…
Ralph Peterson Jr. - A Look at the Life
May 20, 1962 – March 1, 2021 Ralph Peterson Jr.—who came to prominence in the 1980s as one of jazz’s swinging, improv-driven “Young Lions”—succumbed to cancer on March 1. He was just 58 years old. Peterson’s commitment to bebop—as well…
