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October 2017 Issue – Volume 41 • Number 10

RECORDINGS Taking the Reins Ignacio Berroa Trio Straight Ahead From Havana Berroa blends the best of both worlds. A key architect in the fusion of Afro-Cuban and modern jazz styles for the drumset, Ignacio Berroa takes a different tack from his previous discs here, offering jazz takes on classic Cuban popular songs. On some tunes, the straight-ahead element is literal in its 4/4 swing. On others that are framed by Cuban rhythms, the straight-ahead is implied by Berroa’s looser, open jazz sensibility. The entire session sizzles. Berroa’s young sidemen, pianist Martin Bejerano and bassist Josh Allen, are keenly attuned to his concepts. Rubén Blades (a former employer) cameos on the humorous swinger “Negro de Sociedad,” while guest conguero CONRADO “COKY” GARCIA is a fiercely grooving partner with Berroa on “Los Tres Golpes.” It’s an overdue pleasure to have the fiery, grooving drummer back in the leader’s seat, as this is […]
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Articles in October 2017

Video Interview with Buddy Rich Writer and Arranger John LaBarbera!

John LaBarbera is a Grammy-nominated composer and arranger whose works have been recorded and performed for nearly fifty years by many of the top artists of jazz, including Woody Herman, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Mel Tormé, Bill Watrous, Phil Woods,…

Video and Text by Miguel Monroy
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Visualize

Get Set Up for Success Before You Hit the Stage

by Mark Schulman
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Daxx Nielsen With Cheap Trick

More than forty years since its birth in Rockford, Illinois, the classic hard-rock group is as vibrant as ever, thanks to some recent, well-deserved recognition.

by Mike Haid
Aug 30, 2017

Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth

Since forming in 2009 while the members attended the Berklee College of Music, the group known as Bent Knee has released several records and done extensive touring, including a string of European dates last summer followed by opening slots on…

by Ilya Stemkovsky
Aug 30, 2017

Hired Gun

A new music documentary pushes some of the world’s greatest freelancers—including many of our favorite drummers—“out of the shadows and into the spotlight.”

by Billy Amendola
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50 Crucial Jazz Drumming Recordings

A hundred years. It’s a wonder to think that’s how long people have holed themselves away with their Victrolas, hi-fis, iPods, and Google Homes, listening intently to the wondrous music that four generations’ worth of jazz drummers have gifted humankind.…

Modern Drummer
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Hybrid Rudimental Ritual

Variations on a Classic Method

by Mike Alfieri
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HeadHunters - Crossovers Hybrid Rods

Blending the response and feel of regular drumsticks with the controlled, articulate sound of rods.

by Brian Hill
Aug 30, 2017

Tony Williams’ Concepts

Developing Tension and Release

by Matt Fisher
Aug 30, 2017

Yes’s Close to the Edge

In the long list of accomplishments that led to Yes’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, Bill Bruford’s final statement with the band surely ranks as highly as any.

by Will Romano
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A New Perspective

Displacing Four-Over-Three Polyrhythms

by Aaron Edgar
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38 Special’s Gary Moffatt

For the past nineteen years he’s held the throne for one of rock’s most enduring organizations. It hasn’t always been easy, but rock ’n’ roll eventually rewards its true survivors.

Story by Rick Long | Photos by Carl Dunn
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Buddy Rich: A Timeline

No player in history could so confidently—and inarguably—wear the title of “the world’s greatest drummer.” Buddy Rich was simply a phenomenon, astounding vaudeville audiences in the late 1910s and early ’20s, well before most children began their conventional schooling. Indeed,…

Modern Drummer
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New gear from Yamaha, SlapKlatz, Vater, British Drum Co., Overtone Labs and Tama!

Yamaha Tour Custom Maple Drumset Suitable for recording and live playing, Tour Custom Maple drumsets are constructed with 6-ply maple shells using the company’s proprietary staggered, diagonal-seam shell construction. Additional features include 2.3mm inverted Dyna Hoops that help focus the…

Modern Drummer
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Custom-Shop Chops

This one-of-a-kind kit comes to us from New York City–based drummer Adam Romanowski, who commissioned a budding drum builder for the set in 2003. “My friend Ilya Hamovic started making drums after a short stint working at Manny’s Music in…

Modern Drummer
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Jazz in the 21st Century

Many scholars argue that jazz, which was first documented on record one hundred years ago by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, is America’s greatest musical gift to the world. I couldn’t agree more. I mean, what other art form encapsulates…

by Mike Dawson
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Fishbone’s Philip “Fish” Fisher

Philip “Fish” Fisher recently returned to legendary ska/funk/punk band Fishbone after a sixteen-year hiatus, during which time the drummer played with Justin Timberlake, House of Pain, Lady Antebellum, and Christina Aguilera. Fish stepped back into the band for a tour…

Interview by Dave Previ | Photos by Heather Courtney
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Tucker Rule

The seasoned basher reunites with Thursday, backs a British boy band, drives the bus for Yellowcard, and releases a solid new sample library.

Story by Ben Meyer | Photos By John Fell
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John Blackwell Jr., Kim Plainfield, Sweetwater Gearfest, Vic Firth and more!

Dweezil Zappa performs at the close of day one in the Sweetwater pavilion. Sweetwater GearFest 2017 Draws Record Crowds and Sales The 2017 edition of music retailer Sweetwater’s GearFest trade show and festival was held this past June at the…

Modern Drummer
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Odd Groupings in Four-Bar Phrases

Trading Fours With Threes, Fives, and Sevens

by Joel Rothman
Aug 30, 2017

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