November 2020 Issue – Volume 44 • Number 11
Articles in November 2020
Jimmy Cobb 1929–2020
“It just sounded good,” Jimmy Cobb told MD in a 1979 interview. “And it just seemed to get better as it got older.” This is a colossal understatement. The “good” album the humble drummer is referring to is Kind of…
Stick Technique Revisited
Part 5: The Moeller Whip Stroke The Moeller whip stroke is named after Sanford “Gus” Moeller, a famous teacher from the early 1900s who became known for teaching a whipping motion used by Civil War drummers. In recent years, “Moeller”…
Barrett Deems
The Self-Proclaimed “World’s Fastest Drummer” This month I’d like to talk about the great Barrett Deems. Barrett wasn’t as much of a household name in the big band world as Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, or Louie Bellson, but he was…
Tony Allen
A Tribute to the King of Afrobeat Drumming Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen’s contribution to modern music runs as deep as his groove. As the creator of an entirely new drumming style, his contributions are profound, and his influence has reached…
Gruv Gear - Stadium and QUIVR Gig Bags
Supreme quality and contemporary design with a multitude of features for the modern touring musician. Many of today’s drummers are not only required to bring acoustic drums, cymbals, hardware, and sticks to the gig, but they also have to cart…
Maximal Sounds from Minimal Sources
Drummer Ben Bigelow had two of his musical passions in mind when he designed this ultra-modern hybrid setup. “I’m a big fan of jazz and ambient music,” says drummer Ben Bigelow, “and this kit is an attempt to blend the…
Aynsley Dunbar
John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Jeff Beck in the 1960s. Frank Zappa, David Bowie, and Journey in the 1970s. Starship and Whitesnake in the ’80s. Any rock aficionado will recognize the legendary status of these artists. The connection between them? This…
Identity Crisis…Embraced
“What do you do?” That’s such a common question, and one that’s often asked innocuously whenever I meet someone for the first time. But more and more, I’m having trouble answering as simply as I should. Am I a drummer?…
Nick D’Virgilio - An Invisible Touch
The prog-drumming vet may have recently scored a sweet new corporate gig, but he hasn’t stopped making music by any means—in fact, he’s cleverly put the two aspects of his life together, in the process making his career troubles disappear.…
Joe Wong
The multimedia renaissance man accesses all the experiences he’s had for his solo debut. MD readers who have seen the name Joe Wong in the credits of Netflix shows like Russian Doll or Master of None may have wondered, is…
Joe Pollard
Syndrum Innovator Joe Pollard is a well-respected drummer who was part of the legendary group of Los Angeles–based session players in the 1970s known as the Wrecking Crew. He also toured with top R&B and pop artists, including Etta James,…
Zigaboo Modeliste on “Cissy Strut”
The Meters’ Funk Master Shares the Essence to Nailing This Timeless Two-Hand Hi-Hat Groove “‘Cissy Strut’ is a song that was written by Leo Nocentelli, and he was very good at writing rhythms,” said Zigaboo Modeliste in an online course…
The Earth Is a Drum
A Grammy-winning, world-traveling producer makes the case for looking beyond technology and academia for rhythmic and musical inspiration. A sage, veteran live-sound engineer in San Francisco used to joke that he could already tell how much a drummer was going…
Turkish Cymbals - Cappadocia Series
Dry and funky, just like the region for which they’re named. Turkish Cymbals is—not surprisingly—a Turkish company that fabricates a wide array of contemporary and traditional-sounding cymbals utilizing a combination of ancient and modern processes. Each instrument starts from a…
Jerry Granelli
It’s hard to think of another drummer who’s found more success making music in such disparate situations. Yet, always, he’s done things his way. More than a classic soundtrack, it’s a seasonal institution. The Vince Guaraldi Trio’s jazz score to…
Remembering Neil Peart
Part 3: The Professor’s Improvised Warm-Up Routine When Neil Peart came up with a series of topics to cover for his course on DrumChannel.com, he said he wanted to include his warm-up routine. I expected it to be a series…
Critique
RECORDINGS Theraphosa Transcendence Yet another debut from an international heavy-rock band that slays. A product of Paris’s ever-more-prolific metal scene, Theraphosa named themselves after one of the most “metal” inspirations we’ve seen recently: the largest genus of spider in the…
Resurrection Drums
Hollywood, Florida Resurrection Drums was founded in 1982. Originally located in a warehouse by the Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida, the company literally focused on resurrecting quality used drums. In 1983 Resurrection moved to a location in…
Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker
Though Kevin Parker has handled pretty much every task on Tame Impala’s recordings since the earliest days, he’s always considered himself a drummer first. And getting the drums just so has always been Parker’s main objective even as his processes…
