I had some first-hand experience with Tony Williams while attending the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in1965 and several years after that.
Read morePeter Magadini: Remembering Tony Williams
Joe Gansas and Doug Meola: Remembering Tony Williams
Throughout his career Tony inspired countless drummers to strive for excellence and find their own voices, as he had done throughout his remarkable career. Drummers such as Terry Bozzio, Bill Bruford, Billy Cobham, Vinnie Colaiuta, Peter Erskine, David Garibaldi, Steve Jordan, Jim Keltner, Michael Shrieve, Steve Smith, Charlie Watts and Dave Weckl have all named Tony Williams as an important influence on their playing.
Read moreRest in Peace, Floyd Sneed, drummer of Three Dog Night. Drum Solo Video
Three Dog Night added that Sneed "also an extraordinarily unique drummer who brought so much to Three Dog Night's sound." The late musician was lauded for breaking "many barriers both musically and culturally," with the band noting how "he also influenced countless other drummers with his amazing technique."
Read moreDavid Garibaldi: My Time With A Master - Remembering Tony Williams
My teaching studio was directly across the hall from his, where he was conducting group classes. I could hear him in there sounding like he sounded on all those Miles and Herbie recordings. Cool stuff. Because we were right there close, we started hanging out after our teaching sessions and basically just bullshitting about everything.
Read moreMike Clark: Words of Wisdom Chapter 29
Herbie Hancock taught me when I was young to follow my own light - not to get caught up in the latest thing, fad or person.
Read moreTris Imboden: Remembering Tony Williams
I was always totally enthralled by Tony Williams’ playing. Ever since I was first aware listening to him on Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" I was a total fan... Absolutely stunned by his depth, feel, and creativity. Also, he seemed completely fearless and willing to just completely throw it out there when the spirit hit him
Read more‘MIKE DROP’ REVIEW Drummer Mike Clark releases another brilliant CD
Legendary drummer Mike Clark’s latest CD titled ‘MIKE DROP’ is another powerful example of just how incredible a player he is. Featuring Michael Zilber on saxophones, Matt Clark on piano, with Peter Barshay on bass…It was recorded at Oakland, California’s 25th Street Studio where the sound and clarity is amazing… According to Mike, most of the tunes were first takes - just the way he likes it.
Read moreRemembering Tony Williams - Rick Shlosser
Tony's band, Lifetime, was playing at Ungano's, so I went to check them out. I had a seat about six feet from Tony's left side, and not only was the band incredibly loud in this little hard-surfaced bar, but I walked away thinking Tony was playing a different instrument than I was. I don't think I learned or understood one thing he was playing... Just simply ferocious and amazing playing!
Read moreJerry Allison, drummer for Buddy Holly and the Crickets, passes
Jerry “JI” Allison, drummer for Buddy Holly and the Crickets and co-writer on some of their biggest hits, has died. He was 82.
Read moreImpressions of Art Blakey: A Conversation with Carl Allen - Part I
I remember hanging out with Art on his birthday at one of the famed clubs here in New York called Sweet Basils. I said, ‘Art, Happy Birthday! So how old are you now?’ Art said, ‘I’m 65 years old.’ I said, ‘oh man, that’s beautiful.’ So the following year I’m hanging out with Art again on his birthday at Sweet Basils and of course I said, ‘Art, Happy Birthday! So how old are you now?’ Art replied, ‘I’m 65 years old.’ I said, ‘hmm, that’s interesting math.’ So later I call Freddie Hubbard at home, and I said, ‘Hey listen man, I was just hanging with Bu, it’s his birthday and he says he’s 65’ Freddie responded, ‘Man, he says 65? He was 65 when I was in the band.’ So, who really knows how old Art really was.
Read moreMike Clark: Words of Wisdom - Chapter 28
”Fortune is so fleeting yet many of us get caught up in wanting it. I see people doing something and think, I wish I was on that gig or record date... Then all of a sudden I get a call from someone I met twenty years ago asking me to do something really cool and I think - Things ain't so bad.”
Read moreBilly Arnold: Remembering Tony Williams
"I first heard Tony Williams when I was in the army band. That was in 1963 and Tony had just joined Miles Davis. He was only seventeen and I couldn't believe how he expressed himself so differently than other drummers!
Read moreMike Clark: Remembering Tony Williams
“Like many of us, I was pondering Tony Williams' effect on the music world.
I remember how we all sounded before Tony and after. Very Different... Most of us were trying to sound like Max Roach, or Philly Joe Jones but then 'Four and More' came out. Within a year on the West Coast if you wanted to work with guys like Bobby Hutcherson or Woody Shaw - you had to have some sort of answer for this 'new and modern' type of playing. Tony turned the jazz drumming world upside down.
Read morePaul Brown: Give it up for Mitch Mitchell !
Roger recalls being approached by, ex Animals bassist, Chas Chandler asking " Would you guys mind giving up your middle set tonight? " for a new act. After clearing it with the club`s manager and confirmation that they would still be paid in full for the night, Roger and the band also agreed to loan their backline and drum kit. Enter the recently formed Jimi Hendrix Experience who, after recording their first single `Hey Joe` only two days prior, were about to perform their British debut showcase gig!
Read morePete Cater: Remembering Tony Williams
“Tony was, in my opinion, one of the few master improvisers of our instrument. He added significantly to the vocabulary of jazz drumming and though his earliest recorded output is now over sixty years old, it nonetheless sounds as ground breaking and innovative as if recorded yesterday."
Read moreMike Clark: Words of Wisdom - Chapter 27
“Some shuffles might be too nasty for some bands or players so you have to take some of the grease or looseness off of it - or change how it moves. Same with funk beats, some are too funky and cats don't get it. Am I the only one that has experienced this? It's like a 1958 Chevy with a big engine and glass pack muffler. It shook when you went through the gears. It felt like the body was fitting on the frame real loose. Some cats would drive it and think something was wrong.”
Read moreRIP Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters
Taylor Hawkins, to me, was the ultimate drum nerd. He had so much fun playing the drums and talking about drums and drummers, and was a fan of the other great rock drummers: his peers. He plays and nails so many of the iconic rock drum parts in this interview video. At 41:00 he plays the drum part to the Toto Song "Rosanna" that the late Jeff Porcaro created, which is not an easy part to play with the finesse that Porcaro did. Taylor nails it in this video. Especially
Read moreLen Companaro - A Successful Drummer
Len may not be a name that is well known in the drumming world but he is a guy that has played places that many of us dream about and worked with some of the greatest musicians in the world. If the definition of being successful means that you are blessed to do something you love, then I believe that Len has lead a very successful life.
Read moreHoward Grimes passes - backbone drummer of Memphis Soul
As a drummer for Hi Records' house band the Hi Rhythm Section in the 1970s, Grimes worked closely with artists including Al Green, Ann Peebles and Otis Clay, among others. His beats on songs including Green's "Let's Stay Together" and Peebles' "I Can't Stand the Rain" served as a crucial foundation for the burgeoning Memphis soul sound of the era.
Read moreGreg Caputo: Remembering Tony Williams
Tony developed under the tutelage of master drummer/teacher, Alan Dawson. Miles Davis opened more avenues for development by stating, “You can’t make any mistakes in my band.” This encouraged Tony and gave him a clear musical canvas to create and develop his improvisational skills.
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