Dennis Chambers... Best Memory

Jeff, Buddy, Dennis, the list goes on and on. I too was a pretty mediocre reader and played primarily by ear until I went to college, started teaching and writing down my own drumming ideas.

Reading won't in and of itself magically improve your playing. It's just a tool to decipher what someone else has played or what someone wants you to know about a tune. It can open doors to other drummers ideas, just like transcribing can, or can be useful to document the patterns you create and want to explore further before you forget them.

I wonder how many drummers here who don't read have forgotten a great fill or groove they discovered simply
because they couldn't write it down?

The easiest way to learn to read is just to do it regularly. Practice beats out of a book, learn a snare solo, work on a transcription of a tune you like. Pick something at your level, and work with a teacher who can explain things you don't understand. It's really not that hard. After a few months things you never thought you could learn will have become understandable. As a drum teacher, I often see the progress better than the students can. That's a very rewarding part of the job. That, and the drum teacher groupies....

Dennis can read! In an interview with Louis Bellson he told MD that he sat down with DC in an hotel room and thought him how to read. Before DC didn't read but he picked it up quite fast following LB.

Amazing drummer but it is kind of muscle jazz to me what he does with Tom Coster and Scofiel Pick hits live. And his drumsolo with triplets on his bass with his left foot on the bassdrum and hi-hat together is always the same. With his vocabulary I expected a little more as also with Santana.

Peculiar, the "armchair psychology" of the long-awesome DC... [img]wink.gif[/img]

I doesn't matter to me if he "hasn't pushed any boundaries in a decade"...the boundaries he pushed at that time leaves many or most players in the dust...& IMHO, this is enough to "carry him over" for a good, long while. /;-]
At his heighth he was as good as anyone would want to get; groove, chops, & musicality-wise.

I do agree that he is largely muscle-jazz, funk, & rock on much stuff. And with serious grease when he chooses [which is the majority of the time]. I like it!

Again, i'll in NO way discount the importance of the potential of reading [that'd be stoopit], & how much easier it can make a muso's life...But ATST, remember this; the cat has serious pocket-groove. That is the utmost sole qualification for ANY drummer.

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Originally posted by Vdrummer:
...That, and the drum teacher groupies....

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">LMAO

So by that i take it you mean...divorcee soccer [n-PTA] moms?! [j/k - sorry, couldn't resist the joke]

Hey! You younguns'!
Learn to read & transcribe.

Hey Dennis...keep on groovin'

The rest of ya's...quit debating about Dennis & go practice being as accomplished playing wise as is he! [img]graemlins/grrr.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/hmmm.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]wink.gif[/img] [myself included, of course!]...as someone shouts, "it's my 1st amendment rights"... [img]cool.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ November 07, 2005 02:07 PM: Message edited by: got_a_match_grip? ]</font>

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Originally posted by cjbdrm:
I heard from good sources that Scofield's band rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed to learn those tunes prior to the recording of Blue Matter...

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">A lot of rehearse for who ?
"Blue Matter" a great album, but not so difficult for having so much rehearse or need to know how read charts.

I don't read and I do sessions, to know read it's great but you can live without and no having some shame about it.

Do sessions is not playing with Chick Corea and read hundred pages charts !!!
For pop/rock songs, you really don't need to read if you're aware of what happen at the radio.

I think that big band, soundtrack movie, maybe sometimes jingle, or music with a lot of musicians (symphonic stuff) reaquired to read very well, otherwise, no probleme in my opinion.

Just my two cents like some of you says, I don't really know what it means... [img]cool.gif[/img]

Another sick drummer who doesn't read is Paco Sery. He is amazing with plenty of groove and chops to spare. I have him on the Zawinul Syndicate world tour live 2 cd set and he totally kills it, and a lot of those tunes are very complicated with shots all over the place.

Dennis Drumming on "Blue Matter" makes me love him forever [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

Owe this cat some respect. You wouldn't even bother talking about him like that, if you didn't knew he couldn't read music.

The stuff that Dennis did with John McLaughlin on The Heart of Things is just great. Also the stuff with Tom Costner. Man that stuff was sick. Dennis is also the most powerful drummer out there. I saw him with Niacin at the Baked Potato a few years back. Billy S and John Navelo. Man did those guys go balls to the wall. Dennis played the fastest, and most powerful single stroke roll for like 2 or 4 bars and it was just fucking sick!!!! I was pulling my hair out and had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. I could not believe what I just witnessed. He is a brilliant drummer.

I'm sure his memory is great and of course he has huge ears, but he's also very human. I've seen him forget what song he was playing after taking a solo and go back into a different song altogether, stop completely, and then play the drum intro to the correct song (that's probably as big a f-up as anyone could ever make...).

I heard from good sources that Scofield's band rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed to learn those tunes prior to the recording of Blue Matter...

He's always buying CD's and listening to music ALL THE TIME...this has helped his ears as well. I'm sure he can read a little- but not very well, and CHOOSES not to read...

Memorizing that tune in 20 minutes doesn't compare to Steve Gadd nailing AJA on the second take...READING...

He'll be the first to admit that he's hired to do stuff because of his 'name'...he's hired to 'be himself' and play like himself...and if you ask me, that's preferable to wearing more hats but doing more sessions...

Well, someone somewhere said that Dennis has only been on 60 or so CD's. Someone else cited this as possibly being down to Dennis not reading. Like if he could read, he'd get more session work? I agree with this for the most part, but not at all in this instance.

No questions, you have to read to be a session muso (on the whole). 80% of the sessions I do require reading of some sort. Some even require the deciphering of terrible notes made by a non-drummer director (but that's another thread...)

People don't hire Dennis to play on their album because he's just a session muso, they hire him because they know his playing style and groove. They hire him for his musical personality, not because he's famous for nailng charts, there are hundreds of no-name session guys who do that day in, day out anyway...

If Dennis read, I'd guarentee you, he'd get no more session work than he does now. Do you really think Dennis has ever had a call like this???


Producer: Hi there, we heard you're a session drummer, can you play on this new album we're doing?
Dennis: Mmmm, yes please, where is the session.
Producer: Oh, it's at the Record Plant. We'll give you a bag of money too...
Dennis: Wow, that's great. I'll see you there!
Producer: Okay then, the charts will be there when you arrive.
Dennis: Charts? Oh, sorry, I don't read.
Producer: You don't read? Oh well, we'll find someone else...
"Click" (phone dies...)


No, I don't think this is likely....


MP

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Originally posted by Suspiria:
I am not sure I consider this whole issue as "remarkable" as you do.

Dennis clearly has no choice other than to train his memory, due to his inability to acquire a BASIC skill I believe drummers should have (theory/reading). It is beyond me how a player that has played for so long and worked with so many artists manages to get by without reading. Anyway, don't get me started. That's just another thing I dislike about Mr. Chambers.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Absolutely amazing how anyone could not like Dennis Chambers.It's cool to be able to read but how are you able to discount such a talent!?And I seriously doubt he's just getting by.What have you accomplished at the level of D.C.