WELCOME TO FOUR ON THE FOUR: A BLOG ABOUT JAZZ DRUMMING AND ALL THINGS UNRELATED, BROUGHT TO YOU BY JON McCASLIN

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

More Clark Terry



Some more footage of the great Clarke Terry to follow up the interviews I previously posted.

Here's Clark Terry on "Moanin'" with the infamous Quincy Jones big band from 1960:



Here performing "Mumbles" with the classic Oscar Peterson trio:



And here co-leading a group with the great Phil Woods and Sahib Shihab on alto and baritone saxophone, respectively, and J.J. Johnson on trombone:







And finally (this one's for Lorna MacLachlan) Clark Terry playing with an all-star group in France consisting of Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke, Barny Wilen and Pierre Michelot:



Clark Terry Speaks



A series of interviews with the master himself who also happens to be one of my all-time personal favorite trumpet players:





















A real history lesson here with someone who has lived it !

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Francisco Mela with the Chris Crocco Trio



I've really been enjoying the drumming of Cuban now New York jazz drummer Francisco Mela (I think he's spent time living in Toronto and Boston as well?) Here's Fransico in an intimate, modern trio setting with guitarist Chris Crocco:







Francisco's got a very interesting stick grip!
Here's another fine clip of Francisco with his own group from a performance at the Blue Note:

Monday, March 29, 2010

Wynton Marsalis w/Joe Farnsworth



Joe Farnsworth is a great contemporary bebop drummer I've quite enjoyed listening to over the past few years and whose resume reads like a who's who of the jazz world. His hard swinging style is influenced by his teachers Alan Dawson, Kenny Washington and Art Taylor and he was everywhere while I was in New York, studying there back in 2004.

From a gig at the "House of Tribes" a few years back, here's Joe Farnsworth with Wynton Marsalis on Thelonious Monk's "Green Chimneys":





Here's a few other clips of Joe Farnsworth in action:





And here with saxophonist Pharoah Sanders:

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Sam Woodyard with Duke Ellington



Some great footage today of one of the finest big band drummers to play with the Duke Ellington Orchestra - Sam Woodyard:



Dig Woodyard's fine brushwork with the trio.
Thanks to Mike Tarrani for finding that one.

And if you notice: no hi-hat or cymbals on that one !

Here are another couple of great clips of Woodyard playing and soloing with the entire Ellington Orchestra on "Kind of Dukish":



Saturday, March 27, 2010

Ali Jackson Jr. on Cymbals



For all those cymbal nerds out there reading my blog....(or for those who have the "sickness" as my friend Scott Prebys refers to it!)...here are three nice clips of drummer Ali Jackson Jr. (current drummer with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis Quintet) demonstrating some very nice Bosphorus Master Vintage cymbals for the Memphis Drum Shop (sorry 'bout the commercial eh?)





Friday, March 26, 2010

Lewis Nash Masterclass



From the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival in Maryland, drummer Lewis Nash presents a masterclass on the Art of Jazz Drumming:











Lots of valuable information here, especially the segment about his approach to playing ballads on the drums. Really quite the lesson.

Courtesy of Bret Primack "The Jazz Video Guy".

Mr. Primack: This footage is absolutely amazing !!! Lewis is truly one of my favorite drummers. Please allow me to buy you a beer next time !!!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

More Ralph Peterson....



Even more footage today of drummer Ralph Peterson performing with students from his masterclass at the Prins Claus Conservatorium:













Where exactly is the Prins Claus Conservatorium anyways ???

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Ralph Peterson Drum Workshop



Some excellent masterclass footage today of Berklee drum professor Ralph Peterson recorded recently at the Prins Claus Conservatorium (is this somewhere in Europe?) Ralph talks about a lot of important musical issues in these clips, so some more great information here. Also, not bad trumpet playing...for a drummer after all !!!









And in these clips Peterson talks about his extensive career and the realities of pursuing a career in jazz music in today's environment:







Here's another blazing clip of Peterson in action from the 1990s with saxophonist Charlies Lloyd (?) Dig his real aggressive and over-the-top Art Blakey inspired style:




btw - on an unrelated topic, check out Peter Hum's brilliant post today over at jazzblog.ca where he interviews drummer Ian Froman:

http://communities.canada.com/OTTAWACITIZEN/blogs/jazzblog/archive/2010/03/24/ian-froman-interview-outtakes.aspx

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Interview with Jeff "Tain" Watts



A very insightful interview here with drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts:





Monday, March 22, 2010

Idris Muhammad



Here's some great footage of the very funky and swinging drummer Idris Muhammad, originally from New Orleans, demonstrating his unique style in a variety of situations:



Playing here with pianist Ahmad Jamal:



And here playing great with the Joe Lovano Trio:





And another great solo with Lovano here, courtesy of the fine folks at drummerworld.com:

http://drummerworld.com/Videos/idrismuhammaddrumsolo.html

I've only heard Idris play live once, on a tribute gig to Charlie Parker at New York's Birdland in the year 2000 which featured an all-star lineup consisting of Tom Harrell, Gary Bartz, Donald Harrison, the late Dennis Irwin, Junior Mance and Idris on drums. I am a huge Charlie Parker fan so I was excited to hear all those masters interpret his music. I was impressed with Muhammad's hard swinging approach and HUGE sound he got out of the drums. Classic bebop drumming vocabulary expressed by someone who had lived it !

Sorry for the lack of posts lately and the somewhat brief commentary accompanying the posts I have been making. Has been a busy couple of months having been on the road lately. But I'm back home for good for awhile now !!! Thanks again for those of you who have been writing with such positive feedback about my blog. Forever onwards !

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Milford Graves Documentary



Another interesting documentary today, here featuring avant-garde jazz drummer Milford Graves:





Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Everything You Wanted To Know About ECM But Were Afraid To Ask



An interesting documentary about the European record label ECM:





Monday, March 15, 2010

Smithsonian Jazz Drummer Interviews

Courtesy of Mike Tarrani at his fine jazz drumming blog drumz4sale, check out these interviews and oral histories from jazz drummers Louis Bellson, Chico Hamilton and Roy Haynes - all compiled by Anthony Brown for the Smithsonian Institute.

Here are the links to the individual interviews:

Louis Bellson

http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/oral_histories/pdf/Bellson.pdf

Chico Hamilton

http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/oral_histories/pdf/Hamilton.pdf

Roy Haynes

http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/oral_histories/pdf/Haynes.pdf

You can find out more information and many more insightful interviews with other significant jazz artists here as well:

http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/oral_histories/joh_start.asp

Be sure to check out the .mp3's of the above artists telling their stories. A nice find by Mike Tarrani, one of the worlds foremost snare drummer collectors !

btw - Happy 85th Birthday Mr. Haynes !

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Drum & Bass 3.0

Even more drum & bass duet madness today featuring Christian McBride & Ulysses Owens...

More Duffy Jackson w/Dick Sisto on Vibraphone

More of drummer Duffy Jackson shown here and playing great in Nashville with vibraphonist Dick Sisto on the classic tune "Four Brothers" and the Sonny Rollins standard "Sonny Moon for Two":



Some serious swingin' drumming thanks to Duffy on the drums and Dick is no slouch on the vibes either !

I recently heard Dick Sisto play a late night set at the 2009 PASIC conference in Indianapolis last fall. That was a great set of music and it was also nice to hear drummer Ed Soph featured with that particular group.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Paul Motian Interview

A great interview here with master drummer Paul Motian, discussing his latest album recorded live at the Village Vanguard with
saxophonist Chris Potter and pianist Jason Moran:

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/episodes/2010/03/10/segments/151425

Also, a great interview with Motian at the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/20/arts/music/20moti.html

Friday, March 12, 2010

Matt Wilson with Arts & Crafts



From a recent hit in Minneapolis, here's drummer Matt Wilson in action with his Arts & Crafts band featuring Terrell Stafford on trumpet:





I really admire the fact that these musicians (Matt in particular) aren't afraid to have FUN while playing jazz and I think it really shows !!! A subtle reminder that, perhaps, some people take themselves just a bit too seriously when playing this music.
Just sayin'...

You also really have to admire the fact that these musicians are really in tune with each other when they play and really listening & reacting to one another. Inspiring stuff. Matt's extended solo on the very first clip (a collective free improv me thinks?) really made my week !

Oh yes, Matt and his crew are pretty sharp dressers too ; )

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Alan Dawson with Sonny Rollins



Brief, but great footage here of drummer Alan Dawson shown here in trio with Sonny Rollins and bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen playing on the Rollins classic Oleo:



Alan is another great drummer that deserves more attention. I hear alot of Roy Haynes in his playing (among many other influences from contemporaries of his). His crisp articulation and clear phrasing really do it for me ! Dawson is probably best known as Tony William's drum teacher and a fixture on the Boston scene who taught a plethora of great drummers for many years before he passed away. His coordination exercises based on Ted Reed's Syncopation text book are legendary and STILL giving drummer's headaches...

Check out this link at drummerworld.com for another clip of Dawson with the same band, shown here trading 4's and stretching on the standard tune There Will Never Be Another You:

http://drummerworld.com/Videos/alandawsonrollinstrading.html

For those interested in checking out more of Alan Dawson's excellent drumming, I would highly recommend the following album, Dawson's "Waltzin' With Flo" (although this one is very obscure - so good luck finding it !)



This is a great album that really features Alan Dawson in his element with an all-star band.

As far as I know this is the only date that he lead as a leader.

For me it was also very important to check out this album as Dawson plays several tracks on the vibraphone as well (and sounds great too). I didn't realize that he played the vibes but according to several of his former students that I've encountered, playing the vibraphone was a integral part of his Alan's teachings and he would often accompany his students on the vibraphone during lessons. Clearly, playing the vibraphone contributed to developing his melodic approach to the drums as well. In fact, Ed Saindon told me that Dawson would often play gigs and shout the changes of the tune to the pianist from behind the drums !

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Al Foster Plays Recordame



Al Foster plays a genuinely brilliant solo on a performance of Recordame with tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson and bassist Dave Holland:



I love the cross-sticking patterns between the toms and snare drum (with the snares off). And of course, you have to dig the big chinese cymbal located nice and high, right next to his left ear !

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Even More Tap Dancing & Drumming...

Some more burning tap footage today featuring some killing tap dancers, shown here trading lines with a great and up-and-coming drummer from Brooklyn, Jerome Jennings:

Monday, March 8, 2010

The History of Music According to Walt Disney

I used to get a kick out of this when I was a kid:

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Dafnis Prieto Masterclass



Lots of footage today featuring the Cuban master drummer Dafnis Prieto shown here breaking down and explaining several key Afro-Cuban rhythmic concepts:















I recently spent a week studying with Dafnis at the Banff Centre in Banff, Canada. He's a great human being and a great teacher in addition to being such a great drummer !

Here's one last amazing solo featuring Dafnis from the kind people at LP Percussion:

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Clarence Penn



Here's the great Clarence Penn tearing it up !

Friday, March 5, 2010

Kenny Washington on Cymbals



Some great footage here of jazz drummer Kenny Washington demonstrating his old K that Mel Lewis gave him and talking about the new Zildjian K Constantinople Bounce ride cymbal which he also helped develop:









"This guy can hear paint dry" - classic line from KW !

Also, some serious lessons in ride cymbal playing in those clips.

I recently played some of these new cymbals at the Zildjian booth at PASIC '09 in Indianapolis. They are really doing something right with these cymbals !

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Elvin Jones & His Drum Throne

Nice to see that these sort of things don't just happen to me !

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Jim Kilpatrick on Snare Drumming



Some footage today featuring one of the greatest rudimental snare drummers in the world today, Scotlands' Jim Kilpatrick:









Dig how loose his grip is and seemingly effortlessly he plays the drums.

Now that's scary !

Monday, March 1, 2010

Bill Stewart



Great playing from the Modern Drummer Festival DVD: