Old fart drummers like me are usually asked by younger players what's the toughest kind of gig to play? My answer is always the Jazz trio, it took me a long time to get a handle on a trio gig. The usual drummer response is to " brush it". Using brushes for the whole gig gives it one color,thats akin to the piano player playing one chord the whole night.
A trio gig should not be any less colorful or interactive than any another job, your approach to the instrument should not change. What you should do is "Adapt" to the circumstances. Trios are usually led by pianists or guitarists who know the idiom quite well and it can be a pleasant experience. On the other hand, There are trio leaders who exercise their ignorance by saying "just give me brushes the whole night" and we'll be fine, that immediately should tell you that they want a silent clock not a drummer.
Limiting a drummers response to the music is not a good thing. it's courting disaster when it's done in a trio. A trio gig can go just about anywhere and that requires a drummer who is an active participant and not just a timekeeper. In order to get a better idea of what I'm talking about you should listen to Jack DeJohnette with Keith Jarrett's trio or Ben Riley with just about everybody as well as many others too numerous to mention.
Volume and Interaction can often be confused on any gig and drummers are often the victim of this confusion. What a lot of people don't understand is that the trio is the most exposed of any gig and that tasteful interaction on the drummers part can make the music better
I know sometimes you are playing in a restaurant and the trio might be right on top of the diners. Then here is a spot to use your creativity and make the groove "eatable". You could use; for instance, your bare hands on a Latin tune or change to a stick for 8 bars or use mallets on certain parts of a tune
Remember, a trio's sound and groove is everyone's responsibility not just yours.
The Groove Continues
A trio gig should not be any less colorful or interactive than any another job, your approach to the instrument should not change. What you should do is "Adapt" to the circumstances. Trios are usually led by pianists or guitarists who know the idiom quite well and it can be a pleasant experience. On the other hand, There are trio leaders who exercise their ignorance by saying "just give me brushes the whole night" and we'll be fine, that immediately should tell you that they want a silent clock not a drummer.
Limiting a drummers response to the music is not a good thing. it's courting disaster when it's done in a trio. A trio gig can go just about anywhere and that requires a drummer who is an active participant and not just a timekeeper. In order to get a better idea of what I'm talking about you should listen to Jack DeJohnette with Keith Jarrett's trio or Ben Riley with just about everybody as well as many others too numerous to mention.
Volume and Interaction can often be confused on any gig and drummers are often the victim of this confusion. What a lot of people don't understand is that the trio is the most exposed of any gig and that tasteful interaction on the drummers part can make the music better
I know sometimes you are playing in a restaurant and the trio might be right on top of the diners. Then here is a spot to use your creativity and make the groove "eatable". You could use; for instance, your bare hands on a Latin tune or change to a stick for 8 bars or use mallets on certain parts of a tune
Remember, a trio's sound and groove is everyone's responsibility not just yours.
The Groove Continues
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