We’ve all at one time or another been advised to "just listen” and we would be told the answer to whatever it is that’s is confusing us..
Read moreJoe La Barbera: Remembering Tony Williams
When Miles came to Boston to play Lennie’s on the Turnpike in 1967 my brothers and I were there. The band now included Wayne Shorter and Joe Henderson on tenors plus Eddie Gomez filling in
for Ron Carter. Needless to say, they blew the walls down. At one point Tony had played so hard that Miles jokingly threw a towel at him to wipe his face.
Read moreJim Catalano – Personal Reflections on a 36-year Career with the Ludwig Drum Company
Jim delighted a packed audience at the 2022 Chicago Drum Show by giving a clinic sharing his personal experiences throughout almost 4 decades in the drum business. I have transcribed Jim’s clinic below for those who were not able to attend and hope you will enjoy Jim’s wonderful anecdotes and shared life lessons
Read moreMy Yellow Orange Kit
a deal was struck with the Jacques Capelle company to produce drums under the Orange name. Capelle was founded in Paris in 1908 and was already well known for their uniquely designed bass drum pedals and hi-hats, which are still very desirable among collectors.
Read moreDW Timeless Timber Maple 7 piece for DrumsForCures’ charity #40/100
Reduced to $12,600. Proceeds will benefit DrumsForCures :: DRUMSTRONG.org 501c3
Read moreAt DrumSellers.com! Vintage Sonor Lite drum set
Ken Lovelett, owner of American Percussion Instruments has posted for sale this gorgeous and rare set of Sonor Lites in small (bop?) sizes at www.drumsellers.com.
Read more1920s Leedy Elites Family Portrait
Certain shell depths are more rare than others. The 5 x 14 is the most common size. It is a toss-up between the 4 x 14 and 6 x 14 as to the 2nd most rare of the Elite sizes, but the rarest of all is the 7 x 14 Elite.
Read moreAnnouncing the Winner of the Gus Moeller Drum Stick Give Away
The winner of the pair of the July Gus Moeller Drum Sticks Give Away is Laura Kerr of New Mexico.
Read more1970s Wooding Cristalline Kit
Wooding drums were produced by Hollywood Meazzi in Italy. Meazzi made several lines of high-quality drums during the 1960’s and 1970’s. At one point, their endorsee roster included Max Roach, who had his own signature kit. Jack DeJohnette and Billy Cobham also had Meazzi kits.
Read moreOccam Was Onto Something (w Simon Phillips videos)
(editor’s note; It is clear from this image that William of Ockham invented the traditional grip 1000 years ago)
Micro Practice
We do ‘micro practice’ all the time. We work on a single thing: single strokes, double strokes, lines from Stick Control and the like. Why? Because it works. Reducing our focus to a single item reaps big rewards. When learning a new figure, I will often take a 2-beat or even a 1-beat section and work on it exclusively. Then, when I tackle the whole thing, I’ve got a good handle on each part.
Playing Time vs Playing Within The Time
My first introduction to Tony Williams was the Miles Davis album 'Miles in Europe.' Inconceivable to me that Tony was keeping time. He was playing his 'parts' (yes, plural) 'within' the time. (And killing it!) Elvin Jones with John Coltrane? More plural 'parts' within the time. (And more killing!) Max Roach played pstterns and melodies. Jimmy Cobb often played straight quarter notes on the cymbal. To me, that was his part in the music. And so on.....
Read more1929- L&L Super-Sensitives--family portrait
Family portrait time here at Curotto Acres. Ludwig & Ludwig Super-Sensitives were around from 1929 to 1935-36. They do not appear in a Ludwig catalog past 1935 but I have heard of a few wood examples from the early 1940s.
Read moreStaccato kit in Bop Sizes ; rare?
I recently bougth a Staccato kit in bop-sizes. I've researched the he** out of this but cant find much. Reach out to the family of Pete T, with no Lucky, and wrote to Micha in Germany as he is supposed to be a wizard. No luck there either.
Read more“Feel Good” Aspects Of Playing Drums
When I was a kid, after hours trying to develop an open double stroke roll, I got a great feeling when suddenly discovering I achieved the ability to play clean, even, and fast double strokes with its resulting machine gun effect. The same holds true for many other aspects of learning to play my instruments.
Read more'Mike Clark Plays Herbie Hancock' - Album Review
In honoring his former boss, Mike wanted to focus on Herbie Hancock’s Blue Note period rather than the later funky stuff that Mike Clark is best known for.
Read moreLudwig Re-issued Snare Drums
I have 3 re-issued Ludwig snare drums in my collection. The first one is the 6.5 x 14 Black Beauty snare that was re-issued for Ludwig’s 100 year Anniversary in 2009. Although the shell wasn’t modelled after the original Black Beauty snares from the past, it was beautifully and skillfully hand engraved by John Aldridge. I purchased one of the last of the limited 100 that John engraved.
Read moreFamous Drums - It's a Family Affair
This month I want to write about my step son, Evan Thomas, and my son, Paul. Both are drummers and both are very handy and skilled craftsmen.
Read moreWIN a free pair of Crocken Moeller drum sticks
To win a pair of the Moeller Drum Sticks, or your choice of any of John Crocken’s stick models, send an email to…
Read moreFrom Editor George Lawrence
My first drum set was a three piece no-name Japanese stencil kit made by Pearl: 22x14, 9x13, 5.5x14 with one ride cymbal on the bass drum and a hihat. It seems I have come full circle now.
Read moreBass Drum Two-sies
It's always a good time to work on bass drum doubles. I find the first page helps with the timing and execution.
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