Jazz

[Clintuplet]

Steve, could you give some suggestions on Jazz playing as well as a brief history on how you made the transition from Rock to Fusion to more Straight Ahead Jazz. Thanks.

Clint

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[arin]

Talking about Jeff Tain Watts, how do you like Citizen Tain? I'm listening a lot to this record lately. It's great. :-)

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[Clintuplet]

Thanks for the info!!!

Clint

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[Steve Holmes]

Well I was a HARD CORE Rush head for years. Then one day (while I was playing Mike Tyson's Punch Out on the first Nintendo) my friend calls me to tell me he got a tape called EYE OF THE BEHOLDER on that the drummer was great.

Anyways I found I loved fusion and got all into it and took lessons with a guy in Jersey. This is when I started jazz. He put on the books that 90% of guys that learn jazz go through. Jum Chapins "Advanced Techniques FOr The Modern Drummer" which is a book about independance (playing various things wih your left hand and feet while playining the swing pattern with the right). That book and Ted Reeds book "Progressive Steps To Syncoptaion" which is my drumming Bible essentially. So thats when I had *basic* jazz independance down. During this time I was neck-deep in the Weckl and Steve Smith videos as well.

Learning to appreciate jazz came from just listening and hanging out with musicians. NOT drummers. I'm lucky enough to have a friend that plays Jazz guitar and through playing with him for YEARS I've managed to get familiar with most of the commonly played Jazz standards and how drummers should approach them. ALso I was always trying to figure out how to make other musicians happy. That is after all a drummers job. The concepts are not that hard really. Its all about supporting.

-Support the melody (most Jazz melodies or "heads" are pretty short and dont require much memorization) by keeping good time and accenting the important figures.

-Supprt the soloists. This is the tricky part because every soloist prefers to be comped for differently. I would just ask cats how it felt during their solos. I would try to interact, but not get in the way. Harder than it sounds.

- I wanted to develope a soloing vocabulary. SOloing is important to me because frnakly its fun to play, and fun to tlisten to. A lot of the old school jazz drummers swung their ass off but when it came time to trade it kind of lost its fire after a bit. I didnt want to be one of those guys.

-Lastly and most important, it has to SWING. This is one of those things that cant be put on paper. The key is, you have to know what swinging sounds like before you can judge right? Swinging to me is Jeff Tain Watts. Jack Dejonette. Thats friggin cymbal driving away. I want to swing like that so I'm always trying to get that same vibe when playing jazz. Wynton Marsalis' "Standard Time Vol 1" is THE example of swinging for me. Michael Breckers "Tales From The Hudson" I'm more into that kind of jazz playing than the Vinnie style actually. Vinnie plays alot of stuff with his other 3 limbs against the ride as opposed to putting enrgy into just the cymbal swining hard. When the cymbal is happening, the whole friggin tune is happening I think (for the most part.)

I'll shut up now.


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webmaster,
www.houseofdrumming.com

[alexsanguinetti]

Ohhhhhh, by the way:




<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ November 18, 2003 06:57 PM: Message edited by: Alex Sanguinetti ]</font>

[peter c]

By all means, follow
up on the above. Steve
knows what he's talk-
ing about.

Alex is mainly does jazz,
while being able to do
anything else, having
covered everything in
the genre.

In addition to that, may
I suggest that you try
and focus on one of your
rudiments for a little
help and that is the
"paradiddle-diddle", as
in these:

Righty: R(c)L(s)RR(c)LL(s) etc.
Lefty: L(c)R(s)LL(c)RR(s) etc.

Use this rudiment and
pattern, changing the
dynamics, accents and
emphasis. Your elast-
icity with this, will
become a great ally
in bop situations.

Steve G. picked up on
Elvin's application of
this pattern.

[img]cool.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ November 18, 2003 09:46 PM: Message edited by: peter c ]</font>

[Steve Holmes]

Nice pic Alex! I'm jealous! [img]wink.gif[/img]

[hanayalator]

Check out Peter Erskine's two videos; Everything Is Timekeeping 1 + 2. Almost everything you need to know (besides listening to the greats).

[alexsanguinetti]

Haaahahaha, yeah man, what can you do?

All the best!

Alex Sanguinetti

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ November 18, 2003 11:55 PM: Message edited by: Alex Sanguinetti ]</font>

[peter c]

Yeah, Steve. Alex has
met and talked to all
the greats. He makes me
sick but that's just the
pictures! Give him a
pair of sticks and he'll
pound nails in my coffin!

I've actually had the
fortune of having on-line
lessons with Alex.

Of course, you have to
open your ears to the
great players and I re-
member when I first
started talking to Alex,
all the great players
of the past were right
at the tip of his tongue
and sticks and these
players, are truly es-
sential to swinging, in
my opinion.

Guys like Sonny Payne,
for instance. He's one
of the best. His stuff
with the Count is ice!

You just have to listen
to him. It's a must!

[img]cool.gif[/img]