Becoming a musician is never easy. My earliest experiences were always a combination of fun and what was then called taking your lumps. I realized much later that the lumps i received was the beginning of an education that no teacher or music school could provide. Live music was everywhere in the 50s and 60s and so were opportunities to play and learn. 

I played in rock bands, big bands, Latin bands and what were then called club date or casual bands for weddings and other parties. Those early gigs provided the foundation of what I was to become: a working musician. Musical experience is gained through performance, advice and dirty looks, and each element is an education in itself.

In those early days my particular problem was overplaying leading one pianist to say. "Hey KId, you play great but where's the beat"! It took me a little while to figure out that this was not a compliment but a rebuke. I was dedicated more to my chops than I was to the music being played. 

That was a powerful lesson. Some years later that same pianist heard me backing a cabaret singer and was pleased not only at my performance but that I had taken his advice to heart. 

Younger players, no matter what they play, tend to be instrument specific. If you play drums you tend to listen to what the drummer is playing rather than the band or the music. Musical selfishness is a part of all of us when we are young but it's live experience that turns that selfishness into selflessness.

Gaining experience today is a lot tougher than when I was young. There are less places to play and older musicians are less inclined to provide "on the job training", but that is no excuse for not trying.

Resumes and a web presence are important, but performing live is still the best way to be educated and heard. As always, all of you are invited to share your thoughts and stories. Join the conversation!

In all the years that I've been playing and writing about music, I have yet to see a change about how drummers approach playing big band music. Most drummers think that sight reading is the key to a successful big band performance. Unfortunately, that's a myth. 

Sight reading is just one component of a big band drummer's performance. The other components are listening, knowledge of form and an awareness of the music you are playing. In other words, you wouldn't approach Glenn Miller's "In The Mood" the same way as you would an arrangement by Stan Kenton. Having played with both groups, let me tell you that there are major differences in style and approach that you can't get from reading the drum part. 

I learned that getting inside the music to realize the composers intent was the way to go. I was fortunate enough to learn this from two great masters: Sam Woodyard and Mel Lewis. Sam believed in strong swinging time and reacting to the music, spontaneously. Mel emphasized a non-traditional approach where the rhythm grows from the bottom of the music. They were as different as night and day, but their goal of great music was the same. 

Phrasing is at the core of every musical situation. Musicians have to breathe and phrase together in order to get the music to feel right. Count Basie's orchestra is a great example of a band phrasing together to create an irresistible groove. 

Phrasing is impossible without good time. A  firm but flexible foundation will cause the band to relax and swing. You have to remember that swing is a collective process, once the band feels it they will begin to breathe in the groove that you are laying down.

The code of big band playing is: Time first, Roadmap second, Figures third. It is imperative that you follow this code in a sight reading situation. Inexperienced drummers often play the code in reverse order and that's when trouble begins.

A compositional sense is necessary for any gig. Knowledge of a composer's or player's style will help you nail most any gig. How do you develop this? Listening to a lot of music is step one. Playing, not practicing, is step two. 

There are many other elements of big band playing that I would like to cover and I hope that you will join in the conversation. All thoughts are welcome.

  

Playing for singers can be at times rewarding and harrowing, sometimes these feelings occur often in the same night. Singers are complex people due to the fact that their instrument is encased in their body and not in a case.
That fact alone can be the reason for drummers and singers to be at loggerheads. Most drummers don't understand the underlying factor of a vocalist's fear that the voice may or may not be there that causes them to act out. 

This does not mean that you take any crap from a singer just that you have to adjust your thinking about what goes on their head. I know this by virtue of 44 years of experience. I am still known as a singer's drummer although I wasn't sure in my younger days if that moniker was a compliment or not. I came to realize that it was the highest possible compliment. It meant that I listened, that I had a strong knowledge of styles and repetiore and that I understood dynamics. 

This wasn't always the case, particularly playing for the formidable R&B artist Ruth Brown. I was 23 years old and a little full of myself. I was sight reading the parts perfectly. She stopped the band and looked at me and said don't play the paper, play my music. Her musical director got up and gave me two of her albums. He said to to study the recordings for her style and to have it together before the show. Thankfully the shows went well and she liked the fact that I put the time in to properly understand her style.
What I learned from that gig led me on my lifelong journey of studying the sounds of many of the great players who lent their talents to many great singers.

The great Irv Cottler worked with Frank Sinatra both live and in the studio and is one of my heroes. His bedrock groove made every Sinatra recording a "Swingin' Affair". 

What can you say about Grady Tate that hasn't already been said. Some of the singers he backed include Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne. By the way, Grady is a fine singer himself!

DJ Fontana was Elvis Presleys first and in my opinion his best drummer. He heard and responded to everything that Elvis did and in the studio kept it simple and rocking.

Many people don't think of Roy Haynes as a singer's drummer, but the several years he spent with Sarah Vaughn changed that perception. His tasteful and swinging support was an integral part of her sound while maintaining his signature style.

Last but not least is Harold Jones. Harold is not as well known as he should be, but he is getting some recognition thanks to Tony Bennett's recent hit album "Duets". Harold is one of the greatest drummers to ever pick up a pair of sticks. Check him and the rest of these guys out!


Working and recording with singers is still a great part of the music business. Before I close I'd like to apologize to the many drummers who I did not have time to mention, But they like the Greats mentioned in this blog all have the important elements necessary, Musicianship, Empathy and most of all SWING! 

See you next week.

I’ve been thinking recently about all the great drummers who had an influence and their signature drum parts. One was the great Vernell Fournier who played with Pianist Ahmad Jamal’s Live at the Pershing and all the trouble his groove on Poinciana gave me as I tried to learn it. As A matter of fact it took me three weeks to learn. Vernell was from New Orleans and what he played was a New Orleans street feel adapted to the drum kit.

This was a feel I had never heard before and I was glad I learned it. Whenever I get to play it. I fondly remember that record and Vernell.  

Another great player who gave me fits when I was learning to play was the wonderful Don Lamond. Don was best known for his work with Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd, he was also heard on hundreds of records recorded in New York when it was a hot bed of music. He was not only known for his beautiful cymbal sound, but for fills that could leave the band holding it’s breath to see if he would come out on one. It was adventurous big band drumming at it’s best.

Don’s work on Bobby Darin’s Beyond The Sea is memorable. The fills he played broke up sextuplets between the bass drum and the rest of the kit. This was unheard of on a 60’s pop record and it kicked the hell out of the band and Darin.

Another scary groove for me was Mitch Mitchell’s work on Manic Depression. It was one of the first times I ever heard a Jazzy 6/8 on a rock record.

Ringo Starr is probably on every drummer's list as an influence. One particular area of his playing that is often overlooked is his ability to move in and out of different meters seamlessly. Check out “While my Guitar Gently Weeps” and of course “ Here Comes The Sun. I was in my late teens with some musical background when both these tunes hit the scene and I still had difficulty getting them to feel right. It is also interesting that George Harrison wrote both those songs.

Last but not least is the groove played by Zombies drummer Hugh Grundy on “She’s Not There. The edgy syncopated beat on the verse was the perfect accompaniment to the song and it’s memorable bass line.