Dixon was one of the great organ jazz specialists. He was born in Gaffney, South Carolina and grew up in Washington D.C. and Buffalo, NY. Early in his career, Dixon played with Buck Hill, Shirley Horn and Webster Young. During Dixon’s three-year stint with the popular r&b singer Lloyd Price, Dixon met John Patton, whom he persuaded to take up the Hammond. Introduced by Lou Donaldson to Blue Note’s Alfred Lion, Dixon and Patton (plus guitarist Grant Green) went on to form a prolific tandem on many of the label’s now-classic soul jazz albums of the early and mid-sixties. He
Read moreFamous drummer John Von Ohlen "The Baron" dies at age 77
Legendary jazz drummer John Von Ohlen, “The Baron,” died on Oct. 3 following a long illness. He was 77.
He was a drummer, bandleader and recording artist. You could only marvel at his effortless technique, his musicality and his seamless communication with his fellow musicians. Small wonder he was the drummer of choice for Rosemary Clooney, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Tony Bennett, Benny Goodman, Mel Torme and Perry Como. He toured and recorded with Kenton for two years.. Von Ohlen was one of the last big band drummers of his era.
Read moreFor Sale: "The Most Costly Drum In the World" - The Wm. S. Hart All Gold Ludwig Snare Drum
The William S. Hart All Gold snare drum, made by Ludwig & Ludwig in 1925, owned by one family since then, is about to see the light of day. Some lucky person is going to be able to buy it and I hope I get to chronicle the story. Donn Bennett is the broker - www.DonnBennett.com . Since William S. Hart started off as a Shakespearean actor, I will quote the Bard with a little bit of a change as I daydream about this drum….. “This is such stuff as dreams are made on”.
Read moreHarvey Wolfson and his Gretsch Drums
“By now it was 1956, and my drums were getting pretty worn and shabby from all the traveling. So I talked to the officer in charge of the tour, whose name was Lieutenant Whiting. I told him that I’d pretty much used my drums up playing so many dates. He told me to go to the music store in downtown Atlanta and order whatever I thought I was going to need, and send the bill to him.
“I went to the store and ordered the best set of drums that I could find in the Gretsch catalog: a Broadkaster ‘Bop’ outfit, including two 22″ K Zildjian cymbals.
Read more1965 Rogers Swingtime Outfit in Wine Red Ripple Pearl finish.
This is a 1965 Swingtime Outfit in the not so often seen Wine Red Ripple Pearl.
It’s a bit of a tongue twister to say indeed! I have learned (thanks to many of the Rogers experts online) that this is one of the rarest wraps Rogers produced and was not a particular big seller. To me it seems that most vintage drum companies “Pink” drums did not sell well when they were first introduced to the public all those years ago. And that low number of kits makes for quite a treasure hunt today.
Read moreMany Ways To Kick A Drum
Forget the 'flat foot vs. toe' argument. When it comes to working the bass drum foot pedal, pretty much anything goes. All of the pedal techniques listed below have advantages and limitations. My advice is to try them all, as each one can bring something worthwhile to your bass drum execution. Note that some pedals may not be suitable for certain techniques.
Read moreTime To Get Creative
This brings to mind the adage “You don't stop playing because you get old. You get old because you stop playing”. The same might be said of creativity. Maybe we don't stop being creative because we're not very good at it, we're not very good at it because we stopped being creative.
Read moreHow I Got My Radio Kings For Free by Adrian Peek
Being the house drummer for Los Angeles’ longest-running (and only) jazz jam at the late Billy Higgins’ non-profit The World Stage means playing music without or without charts, including original music, at the drop of a hat. We have many name and not-so-name high-level players sitting in on a regular basis. This isn’t the type of gig that will make a person rich, but the immense riches to be had just by keeping the rust off my jazz chops is priceless! Or at least I thought so until a short time ago….
Read more1950s METJAZZ brand French Drum Set
This full dress drum set dates back to the mid fifties, and its beautiful "fan" decor is made of painted engravings and inlaid brilliants ... Three ply shell with re rings, rounded bearing edge ... Nickel-plated zamack lugs, polished aluminum hoops and nickel-plated brass rods... Metric sizes GC 60cm (23.6") / CC 35cm (13.8") / Tom 30cm (11.8")... and calf skins.
I've completely restored this drum set which was shown during the exhibition "Roll & Swing, the drum set's birth in France" at the MUPOP french museum.
Read more1960s Ludwig Standard S-330 in Avocado Strata finish
The Ludwig Standard drums were introduced in ’68 to compete with the lower value import drums made overseas. The unique thing about Ludwig Standard drums is that its shell was the exact mold found in all classic shells of that time. Consumers were getting quality grade shells offering the Ludwig signature sound. However, the standard series used less expensive hardware cutting the overhead cost. Standard series drums had most essentials belonging to a drum outfit distinctly unique to this line. Everything from utility hardware, shell hardware, finishes and badges. Standard drums were also the first to feature the Granitone sound enhancement coating on the inside of the shell. Standard drums debuted with 3 different configuration styles and 15 finishes.
Read more2018 CRAVIOTTO DRUM CO. 4.5 x 14 CUSTOM SHOP SNARE DRUM
Steve Maxwell informed me last year that he was adding me to The Craviotto Drum Co. Education Endorsers group. That alone is a great honor but along with this honor I was also awarded a Craviotto snare drum of my choice!
Read moreTodd Sucherman playing on Late Night w Seth Meyers
Todd Sucherman will play on Late Night w Seth Myers in December
Read moreDrummers' Swap Meet in Buffalo NY on 12/01/18
I was referred to your site by Emory Grodek to list a drummer's swap meet 12/1/18 in the Buffalo NY area. It is from 12-5pm at The Music Room at 367 Main St East Aurora NY 14052. FREE Admission, vendor space available. For more information please feel free to email sk8ahead@yahoo.com. Thank you for sharing...
Matt Kelly: Dropkick Murphys' Driving Force
On August 25th 2018, The Dropkick Murphys rocked out the brand new MGM Grand Casino in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. The outdoor weekend performance was a benefit concert for the Thomas J. Sullivan Foundation. Gunnery Sergeant Sullivan was killed on July 16, 2015 in a domestic terror attack while stationed at the Naval Reserve Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Springfield native Sullivan was attempting to save his fellow Marines when he was fatally shot during the assault.
Read more"Lumo" - From Ronn Dunnett to Erik Laisi to John Van Ness
I had once heard African drumming master Baba Olatunji say that the relationship to his djembe was a "trinity". The soul of the tree it was carved from, the spirit of the animal whose skin made the head, and Baba's heart in performing with it were a sacred triangle of sorts.
Read more1920s Ludwig & Ludwig Drum Set (May be listed on DrumSellers.com soon)
Read moreI saw the pictures on your web site of a nearly complete drum set from the same era. I have an absolutely 100% complete drum set from the 1920's that has the oil painted mountain scene on the bass drum, two sets of spikes, (it was actually used a lot) the foot pedal, the high hat with cymbals, foot pedal and all, the snare and stand, the floor tom and stand, the chicken drum and holder, the wood block and holder, the cow bell and holder, the tambourine and holder, the accessory table with cymbals, cymbal stands, the complete set of turtle shells, etc . . . I can send you pictures if you want. I am willing to sell it all for the right price, though shipping may prove to be difficult. I have been told by many that it may well be the last complete set from that era. My uncle played them a lot. He got them in high school and played in many big bands. He was the drummer in the local Lansing, MI band called Buddy K and played with the Dorsey brothers and many other big bands that often traveled without drummers.
Cardinal Percussion filling void left by closure of Universal Percussion
(From left to right) Mark Tirabassi, Jim Bickley and Robbie McFarland.
ATTACK DRUMHEADS is now under new ownership. A team of industry veterans led by Jim Bickley, former vice president of Universal Percussion; Robbie McFarland, general manager of Hubbard Music retail stores; and Mark Tirabassi, president of Mavi Inc. has launched a new wholesale company, Cardinal Percussion. In addition to relaunching, rebranding, and retooling Attack Drumheads, Cardinal Percussion will wholesale and distribute many of the drumming industry's most popular brands of accessories. Headquartered in Youngstown, Ohio, Cardinal will also feature a complete line of Cardinal Percussion-branded small goods.
Read more1919-21 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 5 x 14 ENGRAVED/GOLD PLATED TRIUMPHAL MODEL
This one is a blast from the past that I really never did an article about. This drum is on pgs. 14-15 in my book: THE CUROTTO COLLECTION. The story behind the purchase of this drum took a few turns for the worse before I was able to get involved. This drum was listed on EBay in the early 2000s. There were a number of bids, a lot of interest and the drum was reaching a pretty good price. All of a sudden a number of bidders withdrew their bids because someone had posted to the seller that his drum was a “6-lug” drum.
Read moreYoung Ambition - Making A Good Impression
Sad Car
When I was a young professional musician, I had a reputation of being extravagant. It's a bit ironic because I'm a total cheap-skate. While I was making a pretty good living from drums, I still had to live frugally. I also had to allocated funds carefully. The main areas of contention were instruments and transportation. You see, I had very expensive drums and a fairly expensive car, whereas many of my peers made do with lesser equipment. There's a simple reason for that: TCB.
Read moreDRUMSVILLE! EXHIBIT TO OPEN NOVEMBER 8, 2018 at NEW ORLEANS JAZZ MUSEUM
NEW ORLEANS (October 11, 2018) — The New Orleans Jazz Museum will debut a new exhibition, Drumsville!: Evolution of the New Orleans Beat. Launching on November 8, 2018, the exhibit will celebrate both the New Orleans Tricentennial and International Drum Month, along with the development of the drum kit in New Orleans and the ongoing evolution of rich local drumming traditions.
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