Lesson with Gene Jackson

**elpatricio** · October 26th, 2005, 02:24 PM

Hey Guys, Gene Jackson (http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Gene_Jackson.html) is coming up to play in my home town tomorro, and I have arranged to get a lesson with him. I can't believe it actually materialized - its gonna be amazing!

Have any of you heard his playing or seen him live before? I hadn't come across him until last week, but he seems to be some drummer! He's toured with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland. I'm wondering if anyone could suggest some questions for me to ask him - if you know anything about his playing - so that I can get the most of this excellent oppertunity!

Will let you know how it goes [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

**Suspiria** · October 26th, 2005, 02:56 PM

Anyone that has toured with Herbie is cool in my book [img]cool.gif[/img]
Have a great time on your lesson!

**FlamTriplet** · October 26th, 2005, 06:46 PM

Ask him about Sam Ulano.

**no_bells** · October 27th, 2005, 05:37 AM

Gene Jackson is so underrated it's sickening. He's been one of my favorites for awhile now. His jazz chops are deep, he sounds like a nice mix of Roy, Elvin, Tony, and Jack. He's got great touch/sound and a real loose feel but it's a good sounding loose. On top of that he's got some authentic afro-carribean chops as well as the modern funk-fusion stuff that we all know and like. Overall just a real complete musical player with chops! You can tell that he has studied and/or has a feel for what these different styles need. You're lucky that you are getting a lesson from him because he taught or is still teaching at Drummer's Collective for years.

If you get a chance check these cds out:
1. Dream of The Elders by Dave Holland-great cd w/great writing and playing by all. Covers some different styles but with a jazz approach.
2. Mental Images-Robin Eubanks-shares the drumming on this one with Marvin Smith. Some tunes sound kinda M-BASE -like. The 2nd track has Gene playing a cool afro-cuban-funk
feel in 13/8. That track is killin'
3. For his jazz playing check out anything that he's recorded on the Criss Cross label especially Alex Sipiagin's Hindsight and Equilibrium. Real great writing by Sipiagin and playing by all. Hindsight is a must have. Gene's great touch is on display on these cds.
4. For the more funk fusion stuff check out his late 80's-early 90's GRP stuff w/Kevin Eubanks. Some of these tracks are dated but they show Gene in a more aggressive electric-jazz/funk fusion setting.

Would you mind letting us know how the lesson went? [img]cool.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/cry.gif[/img]

**elpatricio** · October 27th, 2005, 10:46 AM

Man! Cool thanks thats very insightful, My lesson is at 5pm today, can't wait!

**no_bells** · October 27th, 2005, 04:38 PM

Cool man, have a good lesson. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

Could you ask him what recordings he has done that best represents his playing? Also, if he still teaches at the Collective?
Thanks-have fun!

**elpatricio** · October 27th, 2005, 10:31 PM

Woah!, Gene 'Action' Jackson is now one of my favourite cats. We had a one hour lesson and then later in the evening I watched his gig with the David Berkman Quartet from NY (which he got me a free ticket to! [img]cool.gif[/img] ) . His playing is just awesome, as you said no_bells, he has a beautiful light touch, and his style has all the great elements of tony, roy, elvin, and jack, with great pocket and fusion, afro-cuban and funk chops on top. He uses a lot of mad phrasing and polyrhythms which he could get away with because the rest of the band all had such great time. A fantistic gig with souring energy levels, and just beautiful music throughout.

The lesson was great and we managed to cover all sorts of stuff, he described in detail for me his warm up routines, and hand-development exercises. He also talked about playing time, brushes, odd-meters, cymbal technique, traditional grip, and much more. A lot of the stuff we worked on was subjective to my playing, but I'll describe some of the excercises he showed me in detail, that everyone can benefit from.

Firstly, he said that it takes time to really become comfortable with the ride cymbal, and that I should spend fifteen minutes everyday doing this: Remove the ride cymbal from the kit, and play the jazz ride pattern with no variations non-stop for 5 minutes at a very slow tempo, 5 minutes at a medium tempo, and 5 minutes at a fast tempo (300 or higher). Only then, he explained, will I understand how the ride cymbal must groove with itself, and how it is so much more than just a rhythm.

Another development excercise he showed me was this: Take a metronome, and set it at 70bpm. Start with the left hand and play constant 16th notes (4 strokes for every click) with one hand, play at least 50 strokes at that tempo and aim to play 100. Move the metronome up in 4bpm increments and repeat until you reach 100bpm comfortably, repeat with the right hand, then do both hands at once, so you are playing 32nd notes.

Some warm up stuff he showed me: play this pattern repeatedly without varying the tempo -
rlrrllrrrlllrrrrllllrrrrrlllllrrrrrrllllllrrrrrrrl llllllrrrrrrrrllllllllrrrrrrrrrlllllllllrrrrrrrrrr llllllllllrrrrrrrrrlllllllllrrrrrrrrllllllllrrrrrr rlllllllrrrrrrllllllrrrrrlllllrrrrllllrrrlllrrllrl and repeat... (typing that was a hand excercise in itself!!) so basically you play every number of strokes up to 10 then back down again.

Also to warm up: play what he calls a 'three stroke roll' for 5 minutes, which is an initial stroke and two fast but clear bounces -RrrLllRrrLll (this really helps those subtle multiple bounce drags in jazz comping)

And also play a press roll for 5 minutes.

He spoke about Sam Ulano, and one method he taught him, which consisted of getting as many books together as you can between you and a friend, like 30 or 40 books, and sight reading them non-stop from cover to cover for 20 minutes or so whilst singing the pulse outloud. Your friend turns the pages, then you swap round! He said the books can be anything, something like stick control or syncopation, or a 4-way independance book, or a fake book, or a latin rhythms book, i.e. anything and everything you've got with music in it. He said that how ever many mistakes you make DO NOT stop or hesitate, you must keep the pulse going and carry on. He said that this helps a lot more than just reading.

So there's some stuff for you all - I hope you find it of use, its certainly turned me onto some crazy ideas and concepts.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ October 27, 2005 07:32 PM: Message edited by: elpatricio ]</font>