VOLUME 15, NUMBER 9

FEATURES

KENNYARONOFF

Mellencamp's big beat has beenspreading his unshakeablegrooves around in a big waylately. Learn how Kenny left thenest for studio suc-cess—and why hecame back home.• by Rick Mattingly 18

NEW YORKJAZZ DRUMMERSROUND TABLE

If you had to explain to a manfrom Mars what jazz drummingmeans today, all you'd have todo is put him in a room withthese guys. In this exclusive inter-view, Ralph Peterson, AdamNussbaum, Victor Lewis, Marvin"Smitty" Smith, Lewis Nash, BillyDrummond, KennyWashington, and JeffWatts tell it like it is.• fay Ken Micallef

24

JOHN "VATOS"HERNANDEZ

Oingo Boingo's John "Vatos"Hernandez has his work cut outfor him—driving rock's "bigband" through composer DannyElfman's unusual and demand-ing arrangements.Learn how this talent-ed drummer steers hisunique ship.• fay Pot Lewis

28EQUIPMENT

THEFT: BEFOREAND AFTER

All my stuff...it's gone!!! Don'tlet this happen to you. Learninvaluable tips on howto prevent your valu-able equipment from"walking."• by Ernie Santilli

32

MD TRIVIACONTEST

Win a limited-edition LudwigBlack Beauty snare drum!

102

COLUMNS

Education

52 ROCK 'N' JAZZCLINICFilling In The HolesOn The Hi-Hat: Part 4BY ROD MORGENSTEIN

56 BASICSGetting SeriousAbout TimekeepingBY PETER I. COHEN

60 LATINSYMPOSIUMPractical ApplicationsOf The MozambiqueRhythmBY CHUCK SILVERMAN

62 CLUB SCENEDon't Pay To PlayBY RICK VAN HORN

94 CONCEPTSMistakesBY ROY BURNS

Equipment

38 PRODUCTCLOSE-UPNew Sabian CymbalsBY RICK VAN HORNAND WILLIAM F. MILLER

40 Bison CustomSymphonicSnare DrumsBY GARY J. SPELLISSEY

42 Vic FirthSignature MalletsBY RICK MATTINGLY

46 ELECTRONICREVIEWSapphire Slim LineStudio Drum PadBY RICHARD WATSON

47 KAT kicKATBY RICHARD WATSON

110 NEW ANDNOTABLE

Departments

4 EDITOR'SOVERVIEW

6 READERS'PLATFORM

12 ASK A PRO

16 IT'SQUESTIONABLE

84 CRITIQUE

114 DRUM MARKET

120 PHOTO GALLERYFishBY MICHAEL JACHLES

News

8 UPDATEChris Whitten, JoeZawinul Syndicate'sMichael Baker,Tim Alexander ofPrimus, Vinx,Mark Schulman,Freddie Gruber, andDan Peters ofScreaming Trees,plus News

108 INDUSTRYHAPPENINGS

Profiles54 UP & COMING

Bill StewartBY BILL MILKOWSKI

On Major GrowthSeveral years ago, a magazine called Drums &Drumming was introduced to the drum world. Apublication of the GPI Group—publishers ofGuitar Player, Keyboard, and Bass Player—Drums& Drumming began as a one-shot and graduallyprogressed to monthly frequency. In February ofthis year, GPI decided to suspend publication ofDrums & Drumming, effective with their May 1991

issue. Major negotiations between Modern Drummer Publications andGPI began shortly thereafter, and I am now pleased to announce thatwe have formally purchased Drums & Drumming magazine, and are inthe process of absorbing it into Modern Drummer.

One portion of the acquisition involves the D&D subscriber file, allof which is now being converted to Modern Drummer. Those who arecurrently subscribers to both magazines will simply have the balance oftheir subscription due them from D&D extended with their subscrip-tion to Modern Drummer. Also, for all who may have entered D&D's$12,000 Yamaha Equipment Giveaway, I'm delighted to report that MDwill soon be offering the Yamaha Giveaway to readers of MD. You'll behearing more about this in an upcoming issue.

Along with subscribers, the majority of Drums & Drumming's musicdealer distribution is being added to our circulation, as are foreignretailers, wholesalers, and news dealers. We'll also be taking on foreignlicensing arrangements and additional American and Canadian news-stand distribution. MD advertisers will be happy to know that we'reexpecting our total circulation will well exceed the 100,000 mark as aresult of all this.

Finally, I'd like to point out to the thousands of MD readers that thistransaction in no way means we're changing the editorial focus ofModern Drummer. Selected editorial material from D&D may beabsorbed to some degree. However, we certainly are not planning anymajor alterations in editorial direction. Serving the needs of loyal MDreaders in the manner they've become accustomed to remains our pri-mary editorial objective.

Obviously, the merging of two magazines into one is a complexundertaking that requires total cooperation from everyone involved. Mysincere thanks go to the fine people at GPI, who have done their best tofacilitate a smooth transition. We now hope to continue to serve MDreaders and advertisers—as we've done for nearly 16 years—even morepowerfully and efficiently as a result of this exciting event in our devel-opment.

EDITOR/PUBLISHER

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

MANAGING EDITOR

FEATURES EDITOR

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

ART DIRECTOR

ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

ADVERTISING ASSISTANT

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

SALES AND MARKETINGDIRECTOR

CONSULTANT TO THEPUBLISHER

Ronald Spagnardi

Isabel Spagnardi

Rick Van Horn

William F. Miller

Adam J. Budofsky

Rick Mattingly

Karen Walsh

Scott G. Bienstock

Tracy A. Kearns

Bob Berenson

Joan C. Stickel

Laura Martin

Crystal W Van Horn

Arnold E. Abramson

MODERN DRUMMER ADVISORY BOARD: Henry Adler, KennyAronoff, Louie Bellson, Bill Bruford, Roy Burns, Jim Chapin, AlanDawson, Dennis DeLucia, Les DeMerle, Len DiMuzio, CharlieDonnelly, Peter Erskine, Vic Firth, Danny Gottlieb, Sonny Igoe, JimKeltner, Larrie Londin, Peter Magadini, George Marsh, Joe Morello, RodMorgenstein, Andy Newmark, Neil Peart, Charlie Perry, Dave Samuels,John Santos, Ed Shaughnessy, Steve Smith, Ed Thigpen, Dave Weckl.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Robyn Flans, Simon Goodwin, KenMicallef, Jeff Potter, Teri Saccone, Robert Santelli, T. Bruce Wittet.

MODERN DRUMMER magazine (ISSN 0194-4533) is publishedmonthly by MODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc., 870 PomptonAvenue, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009. Second-Class Postage paid at CedarGrove, NJ 07009 and at additional mailing offices. Copyright 1991 byMODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.Reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited.

EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: MODERNDRUMMER Publications, 870 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove, NJ07009. Tel.: (201) 239-4140.

MODERN DRUMMER welcomes manuscripts and photographic mate-rial, however, cannot assume responsibility for them. Such items mustbe accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

MUSIC DEALERS: Modern Drummer is available for resale at bulkrates. Direct correspondence to Modern Drummer, Dealer Service, PO.Box 389, Mt. Morris, IL 61054. Tel.: (800) 334-DRUM or (815) 734-6013.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $27.95 per year; $49.95, two years. Single copies$3.95.

SUBSCRIPTION CORRESPONDENCE: Modern Drummer, PO. Box480, Mt. Morris, IL 61054-0480. Change of address: Allow at least sixweeks for a change. Please provide both old and new address. Toll FreeTel.: (800) 435-0715.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Modern Drummer, PO. Box480, Mt. Morris, IL 61054.

More Rahs For RoyI really enjoyed your article on RoyHaynes in the May issue. Mr. Haynes is avery inspirational figure, because he playssuch innovative material on such a mini-mal kit by today's standards. What? Noice bell...no gongs...no RotoToms? Noteven a bell on the ride cymbal? Mr.Haynes is as incredible as he is, notbecause he plays on as much stuff as hecan buy, but because he is a true artist-drummer-musician. Thank you for fea-turing such productive yet concealed tal-ent amidst today's barrage of gadgetryand hype.

John PerlmanScottsdale AZ

Return Of Club SceneWhen Club Scene started again in theMay '91 issue, I was excited (to say theleast). When I first read Rick Van Horn'scolumn I was in high school, but now Iam out of college and am playing in localclubs. Rick's column is very enjoyable,educational, and informative—and nowI'll be able to use all that information.Thanks for bringing back a great columnthat will help us all greatly—especiallywith the way that music and clubs arechanging.

James BennerDenton TX

Rick Van Horn's Club Scene, in the May'91 issue, really hit a nerve. I can't counthow many times I have encounteredmusicians who look down on Top-40cover bands. In this letter, I thought Imight be able to enlighten some of thosepeople.

I am 36 years old and have been playingdrums professionally since I was 18. Istarted in rock 'n' roll original bands,doing one-nighters and weekends.Although at the time I thought this wascool, I wasn't getting the satisfaction ofmaking regular money. So I joined a Top-

40 band and "hit the road." I'm still outthere today, and after 16 years of playingcover tunes, I've discovered that everytype of music has challenges that can'talways be appreciated just by listening. Idon't just play Top-40 anymore; I alsoplay originals, country, rock 'n' roll, bigband, and easy listening. And I think it'sa challenge for any musician to play dif-ferent styles and make them sound likethey should.

I know a lot of you guys are laughing toyourselves, saying, "Listen to this guy:He's been on the road for 16 years andhe's proud because he thinks he's suc-cessful." Well, think about this: I've beenall over the world, I've played for thou-sands of people, and in my travels I'vebeen lucky enough to rub elbows withsome great musicians. I'm currently play-ing in my own band on a cruise ship inthe Caribbean. Maybe that's not successto you, but the IRS thinks it is. What I'mtrying to say is: Before you cool dudeslook down on me, ask yourself, "Do Ihave what it takes to play in a coverband?" For those of you who do, I'll seeyou out here.

Mike MusselmanMemphis TN

Tips On SubbingTom Oldakowski's article on subbing ashow [June '91 MD] was excellent. It wasfull of valuable information for any drum-mer interested in show work. I had thepleasure of sitting in the pit with Tomduring his run with the Broadway showChess, and found it to be a wonderfulexperience.

I would like to mention that the leftydrummer may have a harder time landinga subbing job. One reason is that a right-handed drummer would much prefer nothaving his/her kit switched around by thesub. Also, sound baffles, microphones,electronics, and limited space sometimesmake it impossible to switch the drums

over to a lefty setup. But lefties, don't giveup! Here are a few suggestions: 1)Consider expanding your goals to includesubbing for the percussion chair, whichusually includes timpani, mallet percus-sion, hand drums, etc. 2) Try to find outif there is a lefty playing a show in townand let him or her know that you areinterested in subbing. 3) Consider sub-bing for a touring show drummer. Youwill make a good contact, and there isalways a chance he or she may ask you tofinish the tour. Who knows; it may end upback on Broadway.

Ken RossRiverside CT

Acupad Review RebuttalModern Drummer is a wonderful publi-cation that I have enjoyed for years. Youprovide a variety of information to drum-mers worldwide, and since it is the onlydrum magazine on the market, I think itis important that this information be asthorough and accurate as possible. It isfor this reason I am contacting you.

After reading Ed Uribe's review ofHart Systems Inc.'s Acupad in theAugust issue, one statement in particularconcerns me. It reads: "If you need atrigger pad with especially sensitivetracking, the Acupad may not be yourbest choice." The Acupad is capable oftracking as well, if not better, than anypad on the market, at any head ten-sion—providing the electronic controlleris set up properly. As a company dedicat-ed to quality products and servicedesigned to meet the constantly changingneeds of the consumer, HSI has puttogether parameter specification sheetsfor a variety of MIDI controllers. If thisdoes not solve the problem a given con-sumer may have, HSI will modify thedrums to personal specifications. (Thishas never been requested.)

Peter HartHart Systems, Inc.

Chris WhittenSometimes even a dream gig like PaulMcCartney has its drawbacks. ChrisWhitten, who had played on McCartney'sFlowers In The Dirt and did the extensivetour that followed, decided late last sum-mer that it was time to move on. Withoutanother steady job lined up, and with onlythe promise of plentiful session work,Whitten left McCartney at the end of thetour. As luck and talent would have it,Chris was soon offered the drum spot onthe Dire Straits 1991 summer tour.

It all worked out well for Chris, but whatgave him the nerve to make a break likethat? "I realized at the end of the tour thatI had been with McCartney for three years,which is a long time for me," explainsChris. "I'm a session player at heart. I lovethe diversity of playing with all kinds of

Michael BakerMichael Baker says he wouldn't want tocompare the Joe Zawinul Syndicate withWeather Report, because the latter wassuch a great band. But he sure is enjoyingworking with Zawinul anyway.

"In this band I have to do a lot of fast,creative rhythms with different splashesand things like that. It's definitely on theedge," Michael says. "I spent a lot of yearsplaying jazz and organ trio music, learninghow to play on the edge of the beat with-

Tim AlexanderIf the rhythms pouring out of TimAlexander appear out of this world, they'renot. They just happen to originate fromevery corner of this world. Alexanderblends influences like Chinese, Asian,Indian, and other Eastern musical dialectswith folk, funk, metal, and progressiverock to help make San Francisco trioPrimus one of today's most unusual acts.

On the band's latest release, SailingThe Seas Of Cheese, Alexander directsPrimus through a set of seemingly chaotic

artists, in all kinds of styles.Since the end of the tourwas coming up, I decidedthe time was right."

After the tour, Chrishooked up with some ses-sions, did some clinics forNoble & Cooley on the EastCoast, and planned to movefrom London to L.A. toexpand his session career.One day while he was sit-ting in his manager's officediscussing plans, the phone rang. "It wasthe Dire Straits people," says Whitten."They asked me if I would be interested indoing the summer tour. I agreed, andwhen I went down to play the materialfrom the new album, the stuff that Jeff

out speeding up. Playing with a lot ofthose old jazz artists, there is a vocabularyof things that you do and don't play."

When he joined the Syndicate in 1990,Michael toured with the band for abouteight months. Then they cut tracks for anew LP, which is due out shortly. Bakeradds that in addition to playing drums, healso sings lead out front with the band, atwhich point the percussionist, BobbyThomas, Jr., plays drums.

rhythmic pulses, textures, and time signa-tures. But the 26-year-old says there's athought behind every note he plays—evenif it forms a split second in advance.

"A lot of people think there's so muchfreedom in our songs to play whatever wewant, but that's not true. We have struc-tures and there are certain parts we hit allthe time," Alexander says. "But within thestructures, I'm kind of the one who gets tofreestyle. Whatever comes out of me atthat moment becomes part of the song."

Porcaro played on felt great to me. He real-ly did some tasteful, beautiful stuff, sodoing the tour should be an enjoyableexperience."

• Teri Saccone

In addition to the Zawinul Syndicatealbum, Michael can be heard on StanleyTurrentine's last album, on Bobby Lyle'snew album, and on Billy Childs' currentrelease, His April Touch. Michael and hiswife Aisha also had two of their songs inthe film The Five Heartbeats. Michaelplayed on both and sang on one.

• Robyn Flans

Alexander strives to "keep things inter-esting" while staying within a song'sboundaries. Toward that cause, he oftenadds kick to a verse with an unexpecteddouble-bass ruff or triplet, back-to-backsplash or China accents, trip-hammerflams across his acrylic tube toms, or aroll on the hi-hat. All the while, he main-tains a driving rhythmic base. Accordingto Tim, "It doesn't thrill me just to play astraight-four; my attention span won't letme do it."

• Matt Peiken

Vinx"They were sticking me in front of every-body—Billy Vera, the Mamas & thePapas, Charlie Hayden. I even opened forthis heavy metal band, Mother's Finest.It was kind of a test to see if I could fail infront of any of their people. So far ithasn't failed."

That's Vinx talking about his one-manpercussion/vocal gig at the L.A. club AtMy Place. One rainy night a particularlynoted patron was so knocked out by theshow that he asked Vinx to be on his latestalbum and to open up his world tour witha short solo spot. That gentleman's namewas Sting.

Sting also acted as producer for Vinx'salbum, Rooms In My Fatha's House. "Hewas the best producer I could have had,"says Vinx. "He stood in the door and madesure nobody bothered us. Nothing was onthat record unless I wanted it there."

Virtual carte blanch for a relativelyunknown performer? Well, Vinx hasn't

exactly come out of nowhere. After apromising career as a triple jumper wascut short by an injury and the U.S. boy-cott of the Moscow Olympics in '80, Vinxdecided to "officially become just a musi-cian." Session work followed his "discov-ery" by Taj Mahal at the Montreux JazzFestival, and he put together a band thatincludes percussionists Bill Summers,Darryl Munyungo Jackson, and AngelFigueroa. All these players, along withheavyweights like Herbie Hancock andBranford Marsalis, appear on Vinx'salbum, a very live-sounding, tribal meetsR&B kind of music.

"It's primitive pop," Vinx offers. "It'slike going back to all those sounds thateverybody's trying to fake, but we just doit. What you hear on the album is whatyou hear when you see us live."

• Adam J. Budofsky

Mark SchulmanFifteen months is a long time to be on the road attests markSchulman, who was out with Richard Marx for that lengthyperiod. "If you look at it strictly from a playing angle," Markexplains, "it was a nice challenge for me in choosing my spotsand playing simple, because the idea was just to lay it down andcop the parts from the record. The main thing was trying tomake it feel good and to make the tempos right. A lot of times Iwould play with the click track. Singers tend to perceive temposdifferently from night to night, and Richard, being the adamantpersonality he is, would swear that my tempos would vary. But Iwas using a click. One time he even said the voltage must be offon the click!"

When Mark returned from the road, he began working withMr. Mister's Steve Farris. "It's sort of U2 meets the Police witha little more of a player's kind of attitude," he suggests. "Stevereally welcomes a lot of playing, so for being a commercially ori-ented project, I have a lot of freedom—more so than any otherproject of that type. The rhythm tracks almost have a...I hate touse the 'F' word...but they have a fusiony edge to them."

Mark also works dates with Jeff Lorber, pop/jazz saxophonistDave Koz, and Joe Pasquale. And in his spare time, he is work-ing to establish a music underscoring production company witha partner.

• Robyn Flans

Freddie GruberFreddie Gruber, the innovative veteranLos Angeles drum teacher, has embarkedon a series of clinics in response to apromise he made to his late, dear friend,Buddy Rich. The clinics are lengthy andwell-rounded and have a historicalperspective. "I stick close to the evolutionof facility as it relates to music," heexplains.

In his clinics Gruber dramatizes whatdrummers can do to make music work.In addition to describing the history ofthe instrument, he defines swinging bybreaking it down and relating it to various

time signatures from a variety of culturalbackgrounds. He also stresses the impor-tance of what the great players have doneover the years—involving themselves withcreating a more direct bridge to music,enlivening and giving meaning to music,bypassing the all-encompassing concernwith fleet hands and feet.

Gruber brings his great passion andknowledge to his clinics. Thus far he hasgiven them in New York and in cities inthe western U.S., including Seattle. Hisplans include appearances at colleges likeNorth Texas State, and in a variety of

American cities. Gruber currently islooking into possibilities for his clinics inEurope.

The future? "I plan to continue teach-ing one-to-one in L.A. and doing theclinics as well. It is also my hope to devel-op a presentation concerned with BuddyRich's natural approach to the instru-ment. He was the genius of the drums,and there was so much to his playing. Weowe it to him to clarify and dramatizewhat he did and what he represented."

• Burt Korall

Dan PetersDan Peters, the new drummer forScreaming Trees who spent the past sev-eral years pounding away for fellowSeattle favorite Mudhoney, says it wouldbe easy for novices to lump the twogroups together. But he insists differ-ences between them are clear from thedrummer's stool.

"Mudhoney is pretty much just full-onnoise, kind of a sloppy band," Petersexplains. "But the Trees are just a goodpop band with great songs. A lot of peo-

ple might be scared off by the name ofthe band or by the album cover [to UncleAnesthesia, the band's latest effort], butif they gave it half a chance, they'd besurprised."

Peters, who replaced Mark Pickerel justafter the release of the new record, saysthe immediate transition between bandshad its ups and downs. "It's hard for meto just step in and play somebody else'sstuff," Peters says. "I like to just hear themusic and play what feels right. But I

have to pretty much play what Mark feltwas right. On the other hand, all the stuffis already there for me, tailor-made. Idon't have to come up with my own ideas.And I like the tunes, so it's not really abummer."

Peters plans to tour with the Trees andstay with the band afterward, while at thesame time picking up with Mudhoneyagain when that band regroups.

• Matt Peiken

News...Kenny Aronoff is on Glenn

Frey's track for the filmThelma & Louise, LyleLovett's track for the filmSwitch, tracks for BelindaCarlisle, seven songs forHenry Lee Summer, BillyFalcon's LP, three tracks withnew artist Danny Tate (whichStan Lynch produced), twotracks for James Reyne, a songwith Junk Yard, and JohnMellencamp's newest.

Tom Roady has beenrecording with Suzy Boggus,Paulette Carlson, Lacy J.Dalton, Anne Murray, andRicky Skaggs.Mike Baird has been

recording tracks with EddieMoney, Richard Marx, GladysKnight, Kenny Loggins, andCurtis Stigers.Tony Braunagel is now

working with Jack Mack & theHeart Attack.

Since leaving Santana,Walfredo Reyes, Jr. has beenworking on a recording projectproduced by Michael Sem-bello, with Reyes' brothersDanny on percussion andKamar on vocals. He alsorecorded some tracks withRickie Lee Jones, JenniferWarnes, and Marcos Loya(sharing with Carlos Vega),and toured with Boz Scaggs.And in his spare time, he's

working on his own project,Wallyworld.Armand Grimaldi is tour-

ing with Don Henley.Ricky Fatar is working with

Bonnie Raitt.Scott Crago is doing Stevie

Nicks' current tour.Eric Darken has been

recording with Yolanda Adams,Margret Becker, the Archers,Rich Mullins, and Paul Smith.He has also been doing variouslive dates with Sandi Patti. Youcan also hear him on his ownsolo Christmas record, whichcame out last winter.Jimmy "Chocolate" Chal-

fant on Kix's new album, HotWire.Will Shepler has been in

the studio with Agnostic Front,working on their new LP, OneVoice.Joel Maitoza on the road

with 24-7 Spyz.Vinnie Colaiuta on Awa

Yio, the new album by IvanLins.

Eric Michaels is on tourwith Raw Youth, supportingtheir debut album, HotDiggity.

Mel Gaynor on tour withSimple Minds.

Mark Decloedt on the roadwith EMF.

Percussionist Debra Dob-kin on the road with Vinnie

James.Ron Riddle currently on

the road with Stuart Hamm.Dave Mattacks has been

working with XTC on theirupcoming release.Wally Stryk is now doing

gigs with Kei Akagi, as well ascontinuing to work with DonPreston.

The Department of Defenserecently sent drummer PeterMaier with band Zeke Moffitto military bases in SaudiArabia to perform for thetroops.Johnny "Bee" Badanjek

currently on tour with NilsLofgren.

Vibes/marimba artist ArthurLipner recently completed hisfirst solo project, ArthurLipner & The Any LanguageBand. It includes guitarist VicJuris, and Bob Mintzer alsoplays on a few tracks. Arthurtoured Japan and Europe thispast spring, and has joined theguest faculty of BrabantsConservatory in Tilburg,Holland.

The always-busy Carl Allenhas been working on individualprojects with Jackie McLean,Abdullah Ibrahim, Ricky Ford,George Coleman, and DonaldHarrison. Carl also recentlydid a month-long tour with thegroup Jazz Futures.

Mark Brzezicki has beenexceptionally busy of late.Besides his thriving sessioncareer (including work withProcol Harem, Midge Ure,Pete Townshend, Roger Dal-trey, Nik Kershaw, and NilsLofgren), Mark has beenworking on an album with there-formed Big Country, duethis fall. Also a project dear tohim is On The Air, a band heis working on with SimonTownshend. According toMark, this band's upcomingrelease, due in autumn, will beof particular interest to drum-mers.

Congratulations to KennyWashington for winning theprestigious Martin E. SegalAward from the LincolnCenter for the PerformingArts. This award is given toartists who exemplify the high-est standard of performanceand dedication to inspiringother young performers.

Drummer (and occasionalMD author) Tim Smith hasreplaced Bob Mummert withSweethearts of the Rodeo. Bobhas taken the drum chair forReba McEntire's band. Con-gratulations are also in orderto Tim and his wife Sha on thebirth of their daughterMadison.

Manolo BadrenaI really enjoy your playing on SteveKhan's Public Access album. I

think you are one of the most tasteful per-cussionists today. What were some of theinstruments (particularly the shakers andrattles) that you used on Steve's album?Also, did you use an Udu drum, and if so,could you write out some of your tech-niques on that particular instrument?Being a student at P.I.T., I have becomevery interested in hand percussion. Couldyou give me some advice on playing per-cussion?

James SulewskiHollywood CA

First, thanks for your kind wordson my playing. "Advice for playing

percussion" is a lengthy subject, since itincludes as many techniques as there are

countries in the world. Working as a per-cussionist today, you have the advantage ofrecordings, films, international mediaevents, and all sorts of sources you can useto tap some learning skills from.Remember that percussion is not onlyclassical or pop-oriented; there are count-less countries in the world whose peoplehave some kind of percussive idiom hap-pening in their own culture—each with itsown sound and technique.

As far as what instruments I've used onEyewitness recordings, it's been caxixis,tube shakers, and shekeres. I play the Ududrum acoustically as well as sampled. Achart for any of the Udu drum parts wouldbe a bit too complicated to run in this col-umn, so write to me in care of MD, and I'llbe happy to work one up for you.

Chris ParkerI've noticed that on recent shows of Saturday NightLive you've been playing a smaller kit than on previous

shows. I'd like to know the make and sizes of the drums andcymbals that comprise that red wood drumkit. It sounds great!

Mike DmytriwCleveland OH

tech at NBC, refinished it with 8 coats of orange shellac to giveit its "old gold" appearance. The cymbals are all ZildjianBrilliants: 14" K hi-hats, an 18" K Dark Crash, a 22" Z ride(dry, hammered), and a 17" K Dark Crash.

Thanks very much for your query and compliments. It'sfunny; never in my career has one set of drums gener-

ated so much interest and enthusiasm. It's especially nice forme, since I've been playing this kit in one form or another sinceI was 11 years old! I remember the strippers used to sit on thebass drum to take off their high heels.

To answer your questions: The kit includes a Ludwig Pioneermodel, 12x26 single-tension bass drum stuffed significantlywith a few pages of a 1970 newspaper from Woodstock, NewYork. The toms are an early-'60s Gretsch 8x12 that I refinishedto match the bass drum, and a mid-'70s Yamaha 14x14 from awalnut recording kit of mine. A snare came with the bass drum(for $1.50!) at a flea market in Kent Cliffs, New York, where Igrew up. It was also a Ludwig Pioneer model, but I had to retireit in favor of a Pearl brass piccolo. Incidentally, the hardware isall Pearl with RIMS mounts, but Speedy Rosenthal, my drum

Phil CollinsI'm about to add a China cymbal to my kit, but I've beenholding off until I could find out the size, brand, and

type of cymbal you used on the song "Abacab," from the albumof the same name. It's played over the lyrics, "...You want it, yougot it, now you know...." I know many drummers consider thatto be the ultimate China sound, and I would appreciate yourhelp.

Rick FontaineGalesburg MI

China cymbals are really a matter of taste. I considerthem to be like a drummer's equivalent of a fuzz box,

so...different cymbals for different occasions. The type used on"Abacab" was an 18" Zildjian; it's one of my favorites.

How To Find Steel Drums?I would like to know if there is any

company that makes steel drums, and ifso, how I could get them through a localmusic store.

Jeremy ShafferDalmatia PA

Caroline/ASBA PedalParts?

Where can parts for a Caroline/ASBAbass drum pedal be obtained? Ludwigwas the distributor when I bought thepedal, but at the present time the infor-mation I'm looking for is not available.

Jerry BognerIrvington NJ

Paul Real Sales is now importingauthentic steel drums made in

the Caribbean. They are also the U.S.distributors for French-made Cappelledrum products. Cappelle was the lastmanufacturer of the Caroline/ASBApedal prior to its discontinuance, andPaul Real does have a limited supply ofsome parts. The company is a wholesaler,and does not deal directly with the pub-lic. However, you may contact them to getinformation about steel drums and Caro-line/ASBA parts, and to find out how astore in your area might be able to orderthem for you. Contact Paul Real at 1507Mission Street., South Pasadena, CA91030, tel: (800) 722-0558, fax: (818)441-6686.

Problems WithLudwig Shells?

I recently purchased a set of LudwigSuper Classic four-ply maple drums.After I made the purchase, I decided todig through some back issues of MD inhopes of finding a product review of mynew pride and joy. Sure enough, theNovember '88 issue possessed said arti-cle. In it, Rick Van Horn expressed con-cern that the bass drum shell may be

forced out of round by the weight of therack toms and supporting hardware.Since that review was written two yearsago, do you know if Rick's concern hasbecome a reality for some owners of four-ply Super Classics 1 If yes, is there a pref-erence between using an extendabledown tube for additional support, or sus-pending the toms from floor stands ?

Tom WhiteBaltimore MD

MD has never received any lettersfrom drummers who have experi-

enced problems with their Ludwig SuperClassic shells, and the Ludwig companyinforms us that neither have they. Howev-er, if you are concerned with the weightof your toms, Ludwig recommends thatthey be suspended on a floor stand,rather than using an extended downtube. (Ludwig does not offer such adevice.) In that way, the resonance advan-tages of the thinner bass drum shell arenot compromised by the insertion ofadditional hardware within the drum'scavity.

Play It Straight" T-Shirts?I've seen the "Play It Straight" pub-

lic service messages in your magazine forsome time now, and I applaud the effortto show the concern of the drummingcommunity. Are there any plans to marketthe "Play It Straight" logo on such itemsas T-shirts, pins, stickers, etc.? I wouldbe proud to wear the message on myback, and I'm sure many others wouldfeel the same.

Steve BrobergPlacentia CA

"Play It Straight" T-shirts areproduced by Slobeat Musical

Products, 15854 West 6th Avenue, Gold-en, Colorado 80401, (303) 277-1017.Contact them directly for information onhow to order a shirt. (And thanks for yoursupport of the "Play It Straight" cam-paign!)

Career Advice?I've been playing the drums for

approximately nine years, and I have anintense love for music and the musician'slifestyle. I only have limited experience,but it's enough to know that I had to dosomething with my life, due to the factthat the odds of making it big in musicare really slim. So I joined the Marinesright out of high school—which kind ofput an end to my playing the drums on aregular basis. I'm proud to serve mycountry, and I love the Corps like family,but I have this burning desire to continuemaking music. I sometimes feel like mychance is passing me by, and I don't wantto be an old man looking back one dayand wishing I had done what I couldhave. What I'm looking for is someadvice.

Lcpl. Tom McGeePhiladelphia PA

While we can't advise you on howto become a drumming star, we

can give you at least one suggestion onhow you might combine your present sta-tus in the Marine Corps with your desireto make a life in music. The Marine BandProgram offers excellent opportunitiesfor both musical education and a musicalcareer. Check out Rick Van Horn's fea-ture, "Drums In The Military: TheArmed Forces School Of Music" in theMay '91 issue of MD. In it, Rick mentionshow active-duty military personnel mightapply for a change of military occupation-al specialty (MOS), and audition for theSchool of Music as a means of enteringthe band program. At the same time,check with the director of the MarineBand nearest to your duty station. Youmight be able to get some first-handinformation about the band program thatwill help you decide if it has something tooffer you personally.

By Rick Mattingly Photo by Rick Malkin

roducer Don Was remembers theday well. First he produced a BobSeger session during which theband recorded a Texas shuffle.Later that day he producedanother Seger session on which

the band was evoking an AC/DC spirit.That night he produced Bonnie Raittand B.B. King performing a bluestogether for a movie soundtrack.Towards the end of that third session, heturned to Kenny Aronoff and said, "I'veworked with three different drummerstoday, and they were all you!"

Recalling the incident some monthslater, Don Was tries to analyze howAronoff can cover a number of differentstyles so convincingly and still sound likehimself. "It's because Kenny's playing somatches his personality," Was suggests."He's a walking paradox, you know?

There are several things that you don'tnecessarily find in one person all livingin Kenny." As Was realizes what he justsaid, he cracks up. "This is starting tosound like The Exorcist," he laughs.

Turning serious again, Was continues."Here's a good example: The guy is auniversity-educated percussionist, yet hemanages to combine this sophisticatedmusicality with the energy of a kid play-ing in a garage band. That's what I reallyfind charming about Kenny's playing.He's got all the technique and chops ofany studio drummer who's out there; noone is going to play any cleaner, and youcan't baffle him by putting a weird chartin front of him. And yet, he doesn't playlike a studio guy.

"I don't want to knock studio musi-cians," Was hastens to add, "but Kennyplays with the unbridled enthusiasm of a

kid who's in the studio for the first time.He hits hard and takes chances, whichgoes against the grain of what a studioprofessional is supposed to do. Kennymight get into some fill, and you're hold-ing your breath wondering how he'sgoing to get out of it. And he gets out ofit! It turns out to have been a verysophisticated idea. So he's raw, and yet aplayer with a tremendous amount offinesse."

Over the past couple of years, Aronoffhas had plenty of opportunities to displaythat unique blend of polish and gusto.After working virtually non-stop withJohn Cougar Mellencamp from 1980-'88,Kenny was forced into a career changewhen Mellencamp decided to take anindefinite vacation away from music inorder to make a movie and devote moretime to painting. Aronoff took advantage

P

of the layoff to pursue his longstandinggoal of doing studio work. Between thetime that Mellencamp came off the roadin '88 and reconvened the band this pastFebruary, Aronoff appeared on some 50albums by a variety of artists.

But why Aronoff? During all thoseyears with Mellencamp he had beenworking out of Bloomington, Indiana,not exactly the recording mecca of NorthAmerica. Sure, Kenny was a fine drum-mer who had a handful of platinumalbums to his credit, but next to the reg-ular L.A. studio cats, he was a virtualbeginner. So why use a guy that you haveto fly in from Indiana, for cryin' outloud, when there are plenty of seasonedstudio drummers already in town? (Aquestion that has undoubtedly crossedthe minds of some of those LA drum-mers.)

That rare combination of rawness and

finesse that Don Was mentioned proba-bly had something to do with it. Butthere's another aspect to Aronoff that

"I'mdefinitely aband kind

of guy,no matterhow many

sessions I play."figures prominently into the picture.Don Was explains:

"On Iggy Pop's record," Was recalls,"we were going to do a song that JohnHiatt wrote. John was making his own

album next door, and he was going tocome over and play on it. We had a greatband: Iggy and Waddy Wachtel on gui-tars, Charley Drayton on bass, andKenny on drums. So John came over todo the song, and I think he really wantedto play on Iggy's record, but he wasexhausted and hungry. We were going toorder food, but it was going to take a longtime, so John sort of excused himselfand left.

"It resulted in a misunderstanding,"Was says. "Iggy thought that John waspissed off about something and didn'twant to play on his record, and he feltbadly, thinking that he had done some-thing to offend John. So everyone wasbummed out and the level of enthusiasmdropped. But we had to cut the track tostay on schedule. So we went in, minusJohn, and no one felt like playing. ButKenny jumped in right from the

countoff—you can hear it on thetape—and he slammed extra hardbecause he knew that everyone neededbolstering. And as bummed out as every-one was, 15 seconds into the thing it wasslammin', just because Kenny playedwith so much enthusiasm. His spiritjumped across the room and got insideeveryone else.

"That's the take that's on the record.It's amazing. We just had to go back andoverdub everybody else on the first 15seconds till they got on to what Kennywas doing."

enny Aronoff spins the dial of thecombination lock of a safe that isconcealed in his home. "Check

this out," he says, reaching inside. Hepulls out a CD of With The Beatles thathas been signed, "To Kenny, Love, RingoStarr." It was a gift from Starr in appreci-ation for a series of articles Aronoff oncewrote for MD in which he analyzedRingo's drumming.

And he keeps it in a safe? Noting vari-ous gold and platinum album awardsthat hang in Aronoff's den and office,many people would consider those to bethe greater treasure. "I've got a bunch ofthose," Kenny says. "But this Ringoautograph is really special." He looks atit for a moment, smiling like a kid atChristmas, before returning it to thesafe.

And that, as much as anything, sums

up Kenny Aronoff. He's had a successfulcareer going for over a decade, and isconsidered one of the finest drummersin the business. But he has never lost hisboyish enthusiasm for music. The factthat Kenny retained his love for the '60smusic that originally inspired himcaused him to make an important careerdecision. During Mellencamp's layoff hegot a call telling him that the originalmembers of the Jefferson Airplane—minus drummer Spencer Dryden—werereuniting for an album and a tour. Kennywas invited to join.

Aronoff loved the Jefferson Airplane,and what could be more exciting than tobe invited to join a band that you hadidolized? But there were considerations.

Kenny's Listening PleasureHere are a few

Album TitleScarecrowThe Lonesome JubileeAmerican FoolUh HuhBlaze Of Glory/Young Guns 2Brick By BrickUnder The Red SkyHomeBlood On The BricksToo Long In The WastelandAll American BoyLife's Too ShortBangThe Knife Feels Like Justice

of the records that Kenny feelsArtistJohn Cougar MellencampJohn Cougar MellencampJohn Cougar MellencampJohn Cougar MellencampJon Bon JoviIggy PopBob DylanBodeansAldo NovaJames McMurtryVinnie JamesMarshall CrenshawCarey HartBrian Setzer

best represent his drumming.Label/Catalog #Riva/Polygram 824-865-2Riva/Polygram 832-465-2Riva/Polygram 814-465-2Riva/Polygram RVCD 7504Mercury 846-473-2Virgin Records 91381-2Columbia CK 46794Slash/Reprise 25876-2Jambco 848513Columbia CK 45229BMG/RCA 2387-2-RSPMCA 10223EMI 7-92513-2EMI 17178-1

And here are a few of the most influential recordings Kenny's listened to over the years.ArtistThe Jimi Hendrix ExperienceThe Jimi Hendrix ExperienceThe BeatlesRolling StonesSteely Dan

Blue MatterHeavy WeatherThere And BackAvalonShoot Out The LightsPat Metheny GroupConcerto for Two Pianos,

Percussion and Orchestra

John ScofieldWeather ReportJeff BeckRoxy MusicRichard ThompsonPat MethenyBela Bartok

DrummerMitch MitchellMitch MitchellRingo StarrCharlie WattsPaul HumphreySteve GaddBernard PurdieRick MarottaEd GreeneJim KeltnerDennis ChambersAlex AcunaSimon PhillipsAndy NewmarkDave MattacksDanny GottliebTimpani: Saul GoodmanPerc: Morris Lang,

Elden Bailey,Walter Rosenberger

Label/Catalog #Reprise 6261-2Reprise 6281-2

MCA 37214

Gramavision 18-8702-2Columbia CK 34418Epic/Sony 35-8P-5Warner Bros. 23686-2Hannibal HNBL 1303ECMCCM-1-1114Columbia MS 6956

Album TitleAre You ExperiencedAxis: Bold As LoveallallAja

K

Reunions of '60s bands were becoming adime a dozen, and many of them weredismal failures. If Kenny were going tohave a successful career away from Mel-lencamp, he needed to establish himselfas being on the cutting edge. Doing analbum and tour with a dinosaur '60sband was not necessarily the way toachieve that goal.

But Kenny followed his heart andjoined the Jefferson Airplane. "It wasgreat, man," Kenny says. "I'd shut myeyes and I'd be 13 again, listening to theAirplane do 'White Rabbit.' Except thistime I was on stage with them, playingthe drums."

Aronoff admits that the record andtour were not considered especially suc-cessful. "Some comments went down inthe industry about the material and thequality of musicianship," he says. "Butthose comments weren't about me; infact, I got a lot of credit for holding thewhole thing together." So how did it ulti-mately affect Aronoff 's career? "It

worked out great," Kenny answers. "Itwas the first time I'd done a big touroutside of John Mellencamp, so thatwaved the flag and people realized I wasout there. I think that's how Don Washeard that I was buzzing around. Donwas asking about drummers who wereavailable, and a guy who had worked asan assistant at the Record Plant when wedid the Airplane album there mentionedmy name."Was subsequently hired Aronoff to

record with Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, EltonJohn, Bob Seger, Bonnie Raitt & B.B.King, Neil Diamond, Lyle Lovett, andGlenn Frey. Kenny also connected withJon Bon Jovi, who hired him for theBlase Of Glory/Young Guns II sound-track, which was co-produced by DannyKortchmar. Bon Jovi and Kortchmarwent on to use Kenny on projects withAldo Nova, Hall & Oates, and Billy Fal-con. Aronoff also participated on ses-sions with the Indigo Girls, JamesMcMurtry, Marshall Crenshaw, Henry

Lee Summer, Les Paul, and BelindaCarlisle, among others.

Doing all of those sessions, Aronofffound out that the studio is considerablydifferent than the stage. "I'd gotten mylive thing happening years ago," Kennysays. "I've been in bands since I was inthe fifth grade. But sessions is a wholedifferent world. You don't have time tohang out with a bunch of guys for twoyears before you make a record. You walkin and you have to jump from A to Z likethat," he says, snapping his fingers.

"I don't consider myself a genius,"Aronoff continues. "But if you do some-thing over and over again, and you reallycare about it, you're going to learn fromit and get better. So my eyes and earswere open. I was sucking in everything Iwas seeing and hearing. I learned some-thing from every artist and producer.

"Obviously I learned more about myequipment," he says. "I tried many dif-ferent types of cymbals and snare drums.I also tried different approaches to hit-

ting the drums. I usually beat the crapout of the drums. When the red lightgoes on, it's like I strap on the seat belt,put the pedal to the metal, and go like itwas the Indy 500. Well, I still have thatfeeling, but I've learned to sometimesplay a little lighter.

"One thing I noticed immediately,"Kenny says, "is that it's easier to keepgood time when I play soft and relaxed.That doesn't mean that playing soft isalways better. When you are really hittinghard, there is a certain kind of force andaggression, and the placement of the

beat tends to be a little ahead. Plus, itaffects the other players and makes themplay with a certain urgency. But whenyou play a little softer, you flow betterand your time improves."

Of course, "softer" for Aronoff stillconstitutes LOUD for the averagedrummer. "That's true," Kenny laughs."The most frequent comment I hear is,'I've never heard anybody hit so hard.'But there's a way to play hard and berelaxed. You can damage yourself ifyou're tense. As I bring the stroke down,my hand is relaxed until an instant

before I hit, and then I snap my wrist.But I immediately relax it again as Ibring it back up."

Besides altering his technique for cer-tain tunes, Kenny found that his equip-ment often needed to change as well."Snare drums can be a big issue," hesays. "On some albums, they want me touse the same drum all the way through,as though we were playing a show. Buton a lot of sessions, I'll change snaredrums and cymbals from song to song."

Aronoff advises anyone who wants todo studio work to invest in a collection ofsnare drums. "Start with a 5" metaldrum and a 6 1/2" wood," he says. "Thatwill cover a lot of situations. The nextstep would be to get either a wood ormetal 3" piccolo snare. Now you'repretty well-rounded. Then startexpanding until you have each of thosesizes in wood and metal."

While Aronoff likes to have a numberof snare drums at his disposal in thestudio, he is quick to point out thatchanging drums is not always neces-sary. "You can play the drum loud orsoft, hit rimshots or hit it in the mid-dle, or just tune the drum differently,"he says. "By hitting the drum differ-ently, it doesn't sound like the samedrum."I try to never muffle drums if I don't

have to," Kenny adds, "but if that'swhat a producer wants, that's what I'lldo." Kenny pauses and shakes his headwith amusement. "You know what hap-pens?" he says. "They'll want me tomuffle the drums down, then they'llstart fooling with room mic's andambience to try to make them soundlive again."

When it comes to cymbals, Aronofftries to match the sound to the occa-sion. "When I play the more aggressiverock records," he says, "I usually putup Platinum 18" Rock crashes. Theyare bright, hard, and aggressive; theyexplode and then they disappear.Sometimes I use 19" crashes, but theydon't have quite the same attack, theytake a little longer to explode, and theyare gongier. I'll occasionally put up an18" K crash for contrast. But for theaggressive rock stuff, the K usuallydoesn't cut enough. I might put up a17" Platinum Rock, but most of the

Kenny's Live Kit

Drumset: Tama Artstar IIA. 6 1/2 x 14 snare (either asolid maple, carbon fiber,or bell brass model)B. 11 x 12 tomC. 9 x 10 tomD. 13 x 14 tomE. 14 x 16 tomF. 16 x 24 bass drum

Cymbals: Zildjian1. 22" China Boy high2. 14" hi-hats (either Plat-inum New Beats or a com-bination Amir top with aPlatinum New Beat bot-tom)3. 12" Platinum splash4. 19" Platinum Rock crash5. 19" Platinum Rock crash6. 20" Z heavy power ride7. 18" Platinum Rock crash8. 22" China Boy high

Hardware: All Tama,including a Lever Glide hi-hat stand, and aTama/Camco chain drivedouble pedal with feltbeaters. The 10" and 12"toms are mounted on cym-bal stands with multi-clamps and single tomholders. The 14" and 16"toms are mounted on a 'cymbal stand base with adouble tom holderattached. All toms aremounted on RIMS.

Heads: Remo coatedEmperor on snare withclear Ambassador (snare-side type) underneath.Clear Emperors on tops oftoms with clear Ambas-sadors underneath. CoatedAmbassador on bass drumbatter, with a pillow and

8

weight for muffling. Fronthead is actually thin fabric, :giving the drum a singlehead sound with a fronthead appearance.

Sticks: Vic Firth AmericanClassic Rock hickory modelwith wood tip.

Electronics: "I trigger twoddrum brains with Fishmantransducers, so my livesound is 75% acoustic and25% electronic. I use adrumKAT (MIDI interface)to get from the triggers tothe ddrum brains, and Ialso use the drumKAT toget tempos for each song.I have an Alesis HR-16,which I use as the soundsource for the click tocount off the songs."

time the 18" works."For something like a James

McMurtry record," Aronoff says, "I'mnot going to be playing as hard, and theroom mic's will be picking up the wholekit. There will probably be two mic'sabove my head shooting down on thedrums. If I play too hard, they have toturn the room mic's down because thecymbals will be overbearing. I playlighter so that the room mic's can get anactual picture of what's going on. ThenI'll put up 18" or 19" K's. When I hitthem, you can hear the attack, you canhear the swell, you can hear the decay.I'll put up an old 22" ride that's gotalmost a jazz sound; you can hear thedefinition. I'll put sizzle cymbals up. Butthat's because I'm playing at a dynamiclevel that allows the stuff to be picked upby the room mic's. If it's not going to beheard, forget it. I used an Amir 20" ride

for years, but now sometimes I'll use a Zride. Other times I'll use a K Custom,but I have to play it hard and use a plas-tic-tip stick to get the definition."

Aronoff has become very aware that hehas to play for the microphones, not forhis ears. "A big problem in the studio,"he explains, "is that if you set the roommic's up to get the toms, the cymbals aretoo loud. So you adjust the room mic'sfor the cymbals, and then the toms dis-appear. A lot of times on sessions I'll do afill, and when I listen to the playback Ican hear the snare drum but not thetoms. If you stood next to my drums,you'd hear the toms. You'd hear thesnare a little more because of the higherfrequency, but the toms would be there,"Because of the problems with miking thetoms and cymbals, Aronoff will often playmost of his fills on the snare drum.

After being in the studio so much the

past two years, Aronoff feels better pre-pared for whatever may arise. "If you'veonly done a few sessions," he says, "youcan feel real insecure. You're alwaysgoing to hit rough spots. I used to getvery insecure that I wasn't going to suc-ceed, but because of that I would turninto an animal and push real hard tomake it happen. Well, after about 100 ofthose experiences, you start to realizethat you are able to solve the prob-lems—that you are good enough.

"But those problems never stop aris-ing," he cautions. "You never know whenyou are going to run into a heavy situa-tion with the producer, or with the artist,or with your own equipment! How comethat drum that sounded good on the last30 sessions doesn't sound good today?Who knows, but you have to figure it out.

"And what I've finally figured out isthat I can figure it out. By the end of theday, I'm going to solve whatever prob-lems have to be solved, because I have alot of passion and concern for what I do."

or Kenny, the icing was applied tolast year's cake during the weekbetween Christmas and New Year's,

when he subbed for Anton Fig on LateNight With David Letterman. "That wasa wonderful gift from Anton," Kennysmiles. "That's the cool drum chair asfar as TV shows, because of all the atten-tion Dave gives the band. And of course,on Letterman they play all the songs Igrew up listening to. So I was flatteredthat Anton asked me to do it, and it was awonderful way to end the year.

"But the thing is," Kenny says, "I alsoknew that it wasn't going to be easy dueto the fact that I was tremendously beatup from flying all over the country doingsessions and clinics. During October,November, and December, I was usuallyworking seven days a week. I went toJapan for ten days to play the tribute forJohn Lennon's 50th birthday, and I flewhome for Christmas Eve and Christmasday. Then I flew to New York for the Let-terman show. So I didn't have time to getas prepared as I would have liked. Theysent me this list of 250 songs that, at anymoment, Paul [Shaffer] can call off.Nobody has charts, they just do it. Andyou never know if you're going to start atthe beginning or somewhere in the mid-

F

KM: What do you think accounts for thosenights when everything clicks, when the band issmoking and your playing seems to rise toanother level?Ralph: If we knew, we'd put it in a bottle forthose nights when it isn't happening!Marvin: It's very subjective. Different vari-ables are involved.Victor: I believe the spirits come down.Lewis: It's like chemistry or alchemybetween the environment and yourself. I'vegone on gigs where I'm totally prepared, butthe night is lackluster—even with all thatintensity. But I've also been on gigs, evenafter a long day of traveling, when themusic just happens. Every time you sitdown you try to reach for that.Ralph: Sometimes you can listen back to a tape of what youthought was a bad gig, and it's smoking. So it's unpredictable.And you can't keep what's going on in your life out of themusic.Marvin: That's one of the problems with New York musi-cians. I call it "the New York attitude." You come here andsome older guys throw this vibe at you like, "Kid, you gotta dothis and this...and it ain't swinging." There are definitely someparameters. But I do what I do for my love of music, period. Itdidn't matter to me what style it was. Whatever sounded goodto me, I picked up on that. That's the approach to go with. A lotof cats limit themselves by learning just one drummer. Theynever find out what they sound like. You've got to differentiatebetween study and obsession.KM: Here in New York, Lincoln Center for the PerformingArts has decided to include jazz as apart of their

format—planned con-certs, grants to musicians, endowments.... Couldthis have an impact on jazz nationwide?Marvin: I think it's a fallacy to depend on one event.Adam: Cultural awareness is what you're saying. It will helplegitimize it as far as the masses are concerned. But I don'tthink it will have a. great effect.Ralph: It will just be more of the same.Marvin: I wouldn't go as far as that. You might gain a littlemore audience, a little more of the so-called "elite class" whohappen to find some dirty rags of clothing to put on whenthey...Ralph: ...when they want to go slumming—right!

Adam: As long as it's being done with an open mindand a broad perspective of jazz itself, it could giveeverybody a chance. There are certain people whonever work in town, while others work here all thetime. It's kind of cliqued out.Marvin: I think it will be a long time coming. Thereis a real polarization as far as the spectrum of music.First of all, it's hard to get jazz accepted as an artform in this country, period. When it is accepted, it'sa very narrow spectrum of it—the more mainstreamand traditional, if you will.Victor: What's really happening will still be at theVillage Vanguard.Marvin: What's happening is that a lot of thelabels are signing up young musicians who justaren't polished enough and don't have a strongmusical identity. What they're putting out is aseriously watered-down approach to trying to playthis music. What's even worse is that they'realienating a certain age bracket of musicians,basically between the ages 29 and 40.Kenny: You might as well say 29 to 65.Marvin: You have to be extremely young orextremely old to get a record deal now.KM: With the current "renaissance" in jazztaking place, have you all started to receive

more attention?Kenny: In terms of drum endorsements,nothing is happening, not for jazz musi-cians.Marvin: The media is kind of low onjazz in general. As far as us, the fact thatyou're doing this interview is a goodsign. It's a long time coming though,man. When the drummer for "DeadRat" is on the cover 50 times, what'sup with that? Those guys happen toget an audition with some group goingboom-boom-bap, boom-boom-bap,then all of a sudden it's MTV, plat-inum records...they get carteblanche. All of us here are constantlyworking very hard...the combinedexperience of all of us together isprobably a couple of very old people!Adam: If we were all concerned about getting rich, though, wewouldn't be playing this music. We're in it for the long haul.KM: How does place of origin figure into a drummer's abilityto play jazz? Is it a New York thing? Victor, you're from Omaha,and Lewis, you're from Phoenix.Victor: If he's bad enough, it doesn't matter where he's from!Kenny: It's not about where you're from, it's about what youlisten to, what makes the initial impact on your mind's ear.Victor: I used to think I would need some socially importantelement to ever come close, to reach a certain level of playing.When I came here, it was to learn and be a better musicianback in Omaha. That was 17 years ago. In retrospect, I got a lotof exposure in Omaha I couldn't have gotten here—not tomention the chance to practice where and when I wanted to.That's a luxury in New York.Lewis: In Phoenix, I had the chance to play with musicianswho came through town—well-known musicians that I wouldnever have been able to play with if I had grown up here. Theywould've called someone else.KM: New York is still the place to be, though, right?Adam: Yes. You want to be in an environment where you con-tinually get kicked in the ass. I don't want to be the big fish inthe little pond. I want to swim with the sharks.Marvin: There's plenty of them here!Jeff: Those are the situations you want to embrace. A lot ofpeople lean towards their strengths instead of embracing theirdeficiencies. If you really want to master something, you've gotto have a deficiency in your playing to work on.KM: On a new gig, how much of what you play is leader-gener-ated, based on the previous drummer, or totally up to you?Ralph: I'm not really interested in the drummer who wasthere before me. If a leader calls Smitty, he should want Smittyfor what he brings to the table. He should welcome the change.KM: Billy, being the youngest...Billy: I haven't had to deal with that. First of all, I wouldn't beable to.Jeff: It goes much deeper than that, deeper than all of ustogether times ten.

Ralph: There are certainparameters to adhere to. You don't want to be lockedinto them, but you want to respect the gig and play the idiom.Lewis: I did some work with Art Farmer, who Victor and Mar-vin have both recorded with. I might not be listening to coptheir licks, but to hear what they did with the music. So at leastI know where the music's been.Victor: The best situation is when the people are calling foryou. They know how you play, how you think—that's why you'reup there. They know you'll take care of business.KM: Are more drummers getting into jazz now?Billy: I just came from Canada. I told some drummers aboutthis interview. They were not aware of most of the guys in thisroom.Kenny: I do a lot of teaching in New York and around thecountry, and it's my experience that very often the teachers arejust not qualified.Marvin: The idea of the "jazz institution" is really lacking.They take one piece of the jazz spectrum and hone in onit—the people in the universities who haveno kind of practical

or well over a decade now, drummerextraordinare John "Vatos" Hernandezhas been the driving backbone of semi-nal Los Angeles group Oingo Boingo.From the band's modest beginnings inthe '70s as an adventurous troupe of

street theater anarchists known as theMystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, to itspresent position as a staple of West Coastradio, Hernandez has been there, hisaggressive, clock-like precision drummingan unmistakable trademark of the band.But the road to fame and fortune hasn't

been an easy one for the jovial Hernandezand his cohorts, vocalist Danny Elfman,guitarist Steve Bartek, bassist John Avila,keyboardist Carl Graves and horn sectionLeon Schneiderman, Dale Turner, andSam Phipps. The band has released adozen albums (two of which are "best of"compilations), and they've placed numer-ous songs in major motion pictures (one ofwhich, Weird Science, scored them theirfirst major Billboard chart success).They've even had cameo appearances inseveral of those films. With the snap of a fin-ger, they can sell out three straight nights atLos Angeles' Universal Amphitheatre, whichseats about 6,500, and then, two monthslater, turn right around and sell out anothertwo nights at Orange County's 15,000-seater,Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, for theirannual Halloween shows. Yet Oingo Boingocontinue to go relatively unnoticed by most of the population east of the Rockies.

Text and Photos by Pat LewisF

It's only been over thelast several years thatBoingo's leader, DannyElfman, has achieved anysignificant notoriety. Butoddly enough, that suc-cess does not encompasshis impressive body ofwork with Oingo Boingo.Today, Elfman is one ofHollywood's most in-demand film composers.Over the past five or sixyears, he has scored aboutfifteen major motion pic-tures, among them DickTracy, Batman, Beetle-juice, and Edward Scissor-hands. And even thoughthe music that he compos-es for the silver screen isstylistically different thanwhat he writes for his rockband, Elfman still does hisbest to involve the mem-bers of Boingo in his filmwork. Guitarist Steve Bartek, for example, has been at his sideall along as his orchestrator. And Hernandez, too, has benefited,having played all of the drums on the Midnight Run soundtrackand electronic drums with his drum samples on several sessionsfor the TV show Sledgehammer, among others.

Los Angeles-born John "Vatos" Hernandez began his profes-sional career at the age of 15 performing in a variety of sym-phonic orchestras in and around Los Angeles and OrangeCounties. While still a student at Los Angeles City College, hejoined the highly visible LACC jazz studio band under thedirection of the notorious Bob MacDonald. ("I'd always heardthat if you got into that band and you could live under thatguy's direction, you were pretty much guaranteed to do all rightin this business," recalls John.) Becausethe campus was only a stone's throw fromHollywood, the band oftentimes was hon-ored with sit-in guests such as Jeff Por-caro, John Guerin, and Ralph Humprey.David Paich, also a member of the bandat the time, actually wrote his first bigband arrangement for his fellow col-leagues.

It was also during this time that Johnbegan studying the drumkit with FreddieGruber. "I was 18 when I first beganstudying with Freddie," recalls Hernan-dez, "and since then, he has become myclose friend and mentor. It is because ofhim that there isn't anything that I can'tdo on the instrument." He begins tolaugh. "And if I think I'm going to have

trouble, at least I know what to practice."In the early '70s, John became the house drummer for the

television show The Midnight Special, and in between tapings,he toured the countryside with the show's host, Helen Reddy.He also was the substitute house drummer at the famousNorth Hollywood nightclub the Palomino. And somehow, inbetween all of this, he found time to sub for the Don EllisBand, which is where he met guitarist Steve Bartek. In 1978,Bartek invited Hernandez to play drums on a movie date (themovie was the classic Boingo cult film, Forbidden Zone), whichsoon lead to his joining Oingo Boingo. Currently, Boingo isrecording the material for their follow-up to last year's MCARecords release, Dark At The End Of The Tunnel.

John Hernandez's Listeners' Guide

Album TitleOingo Boingo EPOnly A LadNothing To FearGood For Your SoulDead Man's PartyBoi-ngoBoingo LiveDark At The End Of The TunnelSo-LoThe Forbidden ZoneBack To SchoolMidnight RunMy Stepmother Is An Alien

Label/Catalog#IRS/A&M 70400A&M 3250A&M 3251A&M 3252MCA 5665MCA 5811MCA 2-8030MCA 6365MCA 25051Varese Sarabande 81170Varese Sarabande 70437MCA 6250Polydor 837798

ArtistOingo Boingo

Danny Elfmansoundtrack

n

n

PL: When did you first hear of Oingo Boingo?JH: I had originally seen the band back when they first startedin '74 or '75. I was with my family at the KPFK Music Fair, andthey marched in with their gorilla outfits, and they were jump-ing around and doing all this stuff. I said, "Wow, this is my kindof band." So when I found out a few years later that they werelooking for someone, I jumped at thechance. That was back in the MysticKnights of the Oingo Boingo period—about the first two years we had all thecostume changes, and it was more of atheatrical thing.PL: So you actually joined the band whilethey were still the Mystic Knights. I neverrealized there were drums during theearly days.JH: There was drumming. We used toopen up with some real uptempo bebopsongs like "Avalon." I used to have to playbrushes and wear a monkey suit. It was alittle hard for a "true musician," but Itend to have a lot more fun with myappearance and the silliness of it all.PL: What was a Mystic Knights showlike?JH: The show would open up with usmarching through the crowd. I had amarching snare drum on, Danny playedtrombone, Steve played flute.... We'dmarch up on stage and all of a suddenthey'd be running around on the stage,and I'd count off—one, two, three—andwe'd start the tunes.PL: Why did you decide to can the mon-key suits and write rock & roll musicinstead?JH: We weren't getting the recognitionfrom the record companies, though wewere getting a lot of theatrical recognition. Nederlander want-ed to put us on Off-Broadway with a big production. But we gottired of dragging all the dinosaur outfits around. It was a prettywild show—movies and all sorts of stuff. We decided to go theband route, and so we started writing music—pop music, rockmusic—but with high energy and drive and some sort of intel-ligence. That was our original goal—something that was sayingsomething, but was still radical, and thrashy, and drivy. Thatprocess took about a year and a half to finally blossom into anEP and onward to A&M and then to MCA and a catalog ofmusic.PL: Since the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo's musicencompassed so many different styles, did the music seem for-eign or stylistically unfamiliar compared to what you were per-forming prior to joining the band?JH: Not really. I've had a real well-rounded education, beingbrought up in Los Angeles. I've played in big bands andorchestras. I could play timpani, and I played a little bit of mal-let percussion as well. And on sessions I would do a few over-

dubs here and there. I was well-versed in a lot of musicalstyles, which has really helped me a lot, especially in this musictown. People who write original music can get pretty ruthlessand say things like, "We want another sound" or "We want tochange the style," and with a click of their fingers, they're say-ing, "Next, new drummer." So, I just said, "Hey, I can do it all.

Drumset: Drum WorkshopA. 6 x 14 brass snareB. 12 x 16 fiberglass snare(Blaemire)C. 10 x 14 wood snareD. 10 x 12 tomE. 12 x14 tomF. 14 x 16 tomG. 18 x 22 bass drumaa. 12" RotoTombb. 10" RotoTom

Cymbals: Sabian1. 18" AA medium crash2. 13" HH Sound Controlcrash3. 14" AA Sizzle hats4. 21" AA crash/ride5. 19" AA crash/ride6. 20" HH Chinese on top of22" HH Chinese (stacked)

Hardware: All DW and Col-larlockHeads: All Remo clearAmbassadorsSticks: Pro-Mark 5A

Let me prove it to you." I was really lucky, nothing seemed for-eign to me—playing with brushes, playing music from the '30s,playing swing, calypso, Latin. So Oingo Boingo was right up myalley, and I loved it.PL: Let's talk about the ethnic qualities in Boingo's music.JH: The ethnic qualities in Boingo have always interestedme—Balinese, West African, and then just the American musicof jazz, which has its own ethnic quality. So, oftentimes, it isn'tjust a funk tune, it's a Balinese funk tune.PL: Is this something Elfman brought in?JH: Yeah. Danny played in a Gamelan orchestra at Cal Arts[Valencia, CA].PL: How does he communicate that information to you so thatyou can then perform in the ethnic style correctly?JH: He writes [the songs] in the scales, and I try to envisionwhat it would sound like if I were playing rock 'n' roll drums ina Balinese orchestra. I re-voice the snare drum, re-voice thedrums. You just experiment. Danny has little Balinese metali-phones that we play. And he's also got these West African Bala-

"A dru

mmer

know

sthe instru

men

tbetter than

anyo

ne

else. E

xploitation

of this knowledge

is the key

to gaining

an adva

ntage

ove

rth

e cr

iminal."

B

y E

rnie

Santil

li

Illus

tratio

ns b

y Dan

Yac

carin

o

ou've be

en d

riving

for

a w

hile, an

d yo

u're a

little tired

from

activity

earlie

r in the

day

. But som

ehow

you

alw

ays

get an

ene

rgy bo

ost sitting be

hind

a d

rumse

t, loc

king

into a groov

e. E

ven no

w, h

ummin

g the ch

orus

to th

e ne

wso

ng starts the ad

rena

line

flowing.

Arrived

, at las

t. Toting

a fres

h towel and

spa

re stic

ks, yo

u ge

t a bit

mor

e pu

mpe

d up

with

each

step

toward

the

building

. The

n, as yo

uen

ter yo

u no

tice

something

is am

iss. It feels

as tho

ugh

Mike

Tys

onha

s ju

st la

nded

a hard righ

t to yo

ur bread

bask

et w

hen yo

u realize wha

tha

s tran

spired

: You

r eq

uipm

ent ha

s be

en stolen.

Unf

ortuna

tely, f

or m

any read

ers the "y

ou" in th

e ab

ove sc

enario has

been

you. E

quipmen

t th

eft is a

n ug

ly asp

ect of

the

bus

ines

s that all

mus

icians

mus

t de

al w

ith. A

s the crim

e rate con

tinu

es to

rise

it is

obviou

s the pr

oblem is

not ju

st going

to go

away

. The

re are, ho

wev

er,

a nu

mbe

r of

way

s to d

ecreas

e the

odds

of be

coming

a victim

. This

article will

exa

mine

the

crim

inal act, de

terren

ts, lia

bilit

y, a

nd p

ost-

thef

t op

tions

. The C

rim

inal A

ct

Tho

ugh

no crime

is a

dmirab

le, th

ere

is som

ething

esp

ecially

low

abou

t in

stru

men

t th

eft.

The

perpe

trator

is kn

owingly

taking

a sou

rce

of g

reat joy

—an

d po

ssibly inc

ome—

away

fro

m the

victim. Unl

ike

mos

t ot

her of

t-stol

en p

osse

ssions

, th

ere

is a

sen

timen

tal bo

ndbe

twee

n a

play

er a

nd h

is ins

trum

ent. It is n

ot sur

prisin

g that som

emus

icians

fin

d eq

uipm

ent loss a nea

r-trau

matic exp

erienc

e.Dru

mm

ers tend

to

be "

clos

er"

to the

ir ins

trum

ents tha

n ot

her

mus

icians

bec

ause

a kit embo

dies

mor

e of

a com

bina

tion

of pe

rson

alpr

efer

ence

s than

any

other ins

trum

ent.

Dim

ension

s, w

ood plies, ped

-als, h

eads

, thro

ne, tom m

ounts, cym

bals and

percu

ssion, stand

s, and

possibly tr

igge

rs—

in a

ddit

ion

to m

ake, m

odel, a

nd color

.... J

ust imag

-ine the di

fficul

ty in

volved

in rep

lacing

all

thos

e di

ffer

ent v

ariables

, an

dit

is easy

to relate to the

rippe

d-of

f dr

ummer and

empa

thize with

his

plight.

Bef

ore

cont

inui

ng, it

is n

eces

sary

to

define

the

criminal a

cts

for

later re

fere

nce. T

he g

eneral h

eading

of th

eft includ

es b

oth

burg

lary

and ro

bbery. A

bur

glar

y is a stealthy ac

t of en

tering

a building in ord

erto s

teal p

rope

rty

containe

d within, w

hile a

rob

bery

is de

fine

d as

the

act whe

reby

the

criminal u

ses ve

iled

or exp

licit threats of

violenc

e in

an attem

pt to

gain an

othe

r pe

rson

's pos

sessions

.Tho

se ref

erre

d to a

s "sca

m a

rtists"

fall into

a su

b-ca

tego

ry of ro

b-be

ry. By a sc

am artist I mea

n a cros

s be

twee

n a thief an

d co

n man

, the

type

of club

paras

ite who

will

attem

pt to

snea

k ou

t of

the

premises

with

equi

pmen

t an

d, if ca

ught, in

sist it is h

is o

wn.

Unle

ss the

scam

mer

surr

ender

s th

e go

ods

and

attempts to esc

ape—

high

ly unlikely, as it is an

adm

is-

sion

of gu

ilt—

a threat of ph

ysical harm is

sur

e to fol-

low. H

ence

the ro

bbery clas

sifica

tion

.In

mos

t ca

ses th

e loss of dr

um equ

ipmen

t will

be as

a re

sult o

f bu

rglary

, with

robber

y an

d its

bre

thre

nsc

am a

distant sec

ond. A

s in any

other crime, the

reare mea

sures th

at can

be take

n to d

isco

urag

e thieve

ryan

d re

commen

ded

proc

edur

es to

follow

sho

uld

one

fall

victim

.

De

ste

rre

nts

Mar

tial a

rts

enth

usiasts

live

by

a ca

rdin

al rul

e:The

re is no

suc

h thing as

being

"too pr

epared

." T

hesa

me thou

ght ap

plies to the

"de

fens

e" o

f yo

ur equ

ip-

men

t. The

Golde

n Rule of

sec

urity is: D

o as

muc

h as

you

can

to m

ake

the

thie

f's w

ork

diffi

cult.

Rem

embe

r,"A

n ou

nce of

preve

ntion...."

Secu

rinq

The

Reh

ears

al H

all

All m

usicians

—from

pro

fessiona

ls to

thos

e in the

irfirs

t ban

d—

spen

d tim

e honin

g th

eir

skills in

rehe

arsa

l ha

lls. B

y the sa

me toke

n, tho

se h

alls are lef

tun

attend

ed the

major

ity

of the

tim

e. T

his po

ses a

spec

ial p

roblem

for

dru

mmer

s.W

hile m

ost s

tring, ree

d, and

brass playe

rs tak

e their

instru

men

ts h

ome

after a

session, d

rummer

s, d

ue to

the im

prac

tica

lity of br

eaking

dow

n an

d tran

spor

ting

akit,

usua

lly

leav

e their sets o

n the pr

emises

. As su

chthe

drum

mer is totally

dep

ende

nt u

pon

site sec

urity

to pro

tect his or he

r instru

men

t.Thiev

es loo

k at p

remises

with

a di

ffer

ent pe

rspe

c-tiv

e th

an h

ones

t citize

ns. W

hat may

app

ear to b

e an

adeq

uate sec

urity sy

stem

to yo

u may

be ch

ild's play

toth

e traine

d ey

e. W

ith

enou

gh tim

e an

d di

lige

nce

ath

ief ca

n pe

netrat

e vi

rtua

lly

any

"bur

glar

-pro

of"

building

.W

hat's

a d

rum

mer to

do?

Go

back

to

the

Golde

nRule

and

mak

e th

e th

ief's

wor

k di

fficu

lt. Rem

embe

r,ev

ery time site sec

urity is inc

reas

ed, the

odd

s of

being

a victim

are dec

reas

ed.

aw

nsh

ops w

ork

on

a sim

ple

prin

ciple

. They w

ill g

ive

you

a "l

oan" e

qual to

afr

act

ion

of a

n it

em

's w

ort

h. F

ail to

repay th

e lo

an

by a

cert

ain

date

, and

the

colla

tera

l beco

mes th

e p

ropert

y o

f the

sto

re o

wner,

who

will

then

pla

ce it

up

for

sale

.T

he im

age o

f "hock

shops,

" as th

ey a

re s

om

etim

es c

alle

d, i

s n

ot a

posi

tive o

ne.

Movi

es

have

portra

yed

the

busi

ness

as

one

people

d b

y sh

ady

chara

cters

out t

om

ake

a q

uic

k b

uck

. And

how

many tim

es h

ave

you

seen

a film

sce

ne

in w

hic

h th

edow

n-o

n-h

is-lu

ck m

usi

cian m

ust

paw

n h

is in

stru

ment f

or f

ood m

oney?

But i

s th

isnegativ

e im

age

fair?

I deci

ded

to c

onduct

an

exp

erim

ent.

Random

ly sele

ctin

g p

aw

nsh

ops in

larg

e m

etropolit

an c

ities,

I phoned e

ach

of

them

with

the s

am

e s

tory

. An a

cquain

tance

who o

wed m

e m

oney g

ave

me a

guita

rto

hold

until

he paid

off his

debt. T

wo

month

s h

ad

pas

sed a

nd

I was le

ft w

ith th

eim

pre

ssio

n h

e h

ad

ski

pped

tow

n. I w

ante

d to

reco

up

som

e o

f the

debt b

y p

aw

nin

gth

e g

uita

r.

Basi

cally

, I w

as tr

ying

to g

et a

n id

ea

of h

ow

many m

erc

hants

would

be

willin

g to

do

busi

ness

with

me, k

now

ing

I had

an

inst

rum

ent t

hat w

as n

ot m

ine. N

one

of the

deale

rs s

how

ed

appre

hensi

on

about looki

ng

ove

r my g

uita

r. N

eve

rthele

ss, t

here

was

a h

uge

hitc

h w

hen

it c

am

e to

an

act

ual e

xchange

for c

ash

: N

o b

roke

r would

issu

e a

loan

with

out t

he

reci

pie

nt p

roduci

ng

a v

alid

legal d

ocu

ment c

onta

inin

g a

photo

-gra

ph

(such

as

a p

ass

port

or d

rive

r's lice

nse

). S

om

e e

ven

require

d fingerp

rints

! Fur

-

therm

ore

, the

bro

ker p

rovi

ded

the

polic

e d

epartm

ent w

ith a

duplic

ate

of e

very

paw

ntic

ket i

ssued.

(Inci

denta

lly, I

als

o c

onduct

ed a

poll

of m

ajo

r and m

inor m

usi

c s

tore

s a

round th

eco

untry.

Ove

r 75

perc

ent o

f them

require

d a

photo

ID fr

om

pers

ons s

elling

or t

rad-

ing in

inst

rum

ents

. The m

ajo

rity

of r

eta

ilers

reported e

ach

transa

ctio

n to

the lo

cal

law

enfo

rcem

ent a

gency

.)

Be a

dvi

sed th

at t

he p

olic

ies

may

diff

er i

n y

our h

om

eto

wn. A

s in

any

busi

ness

,th

ere

are

pers

ons w

ho

will

opera

te o

uts

ide

the

law

. But, in

genera

l, it appears

the

"Tin

sel T

ow

n" im

age

of p

aw

nsh

ops a

s d

ens o

f corr

uptio

n is

yet a

noth

er

movi

e m

yth.

Paw

nshops

P

The

for

emos

t go

al o

f be

efed

-up

secu

rity is pr

even

t-ing

(or at lea

st d

etering)

entry

. Obv

ious

ly, do

ors

and

C w

indo

ws are

a pr

ime

conc

ern. T

he following

can't be

over

emph

asized

: Do

not as

sume

stan

dard

doo

r lock

sS a

nd w

indo

w tab

s are

sufficient

pro

tectio

n from

pur

-loiners.

Any

add

ition

to the

trad

itio

nal d

oor-ke

y lo

ck is

aplu

s. P

adlo

cks

are

better th

an n

oth

ing, but th

ey're

hard

ly a c

ure-all.

The

y will di

scou

rage

small-timers,

but an

exp

erienc

ed cro

ok w

on't be

cha

llen

ged by

them

.I ha

ve p

erso

nally

see

n a law o

fficer u

se a bur

glary trick

to d

isen

gage

a fam

ous-m

aker

pad

lock

in

a fe

w s

ec-

onds

, with

no v

isible d

amag

e do

ne to

the

lock

or

entran

ce.

Polic

e de

partmen

ts rec

ommen

d de

ad-b

olt lock

s on

all do

ors. A

key

is ne

cessary to u

nloc

k th

e mec

hanism

from

eith

er side of

the do

or, m

aking it im

possible for

athief to b

reak

thr

ough

the

doo

r su

rfac

e an

d diseng

age

the lock

fro

m the

ins

ide.

If b

and

prac

tice

is he

ld in

a rented

spa

ce, as

k pe

r-mission

bef

ore

mod

ifyi

ng the

loc

ks a

nd o

ffer

the

ren

tal

agen

t a cop

y of

the ad

ditio

nal k

ey. I

n so

me area

s th

is is

a requ

irem

ent of

the

Fire M

arsh

al's o

ffice. S

hould

the

agen

t de

ny you

r requ

est fo

r mod

ification, g

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New SabianCymbalsSabian's recent intro-ductions include aunique ride, unusual hi-hats, several new Chinatypes, a whole series ofmoderately priced rockcymbals, and a niftynew approach to splashcymbals. Take yourpick!

HH Power Bell RideAccording to Sabian's announcement, the22" HH Power Bell Ride was created "inresponse to today's need for increasedversatility in ride cymbals." Designed inconjunction with Mel Gaynor of SimpleMinds, the Power Bell Ride combines anunlathed 8" heavy bell with a fully lathedheavy HH ride cymbal. The idea was toachieve cutting power from the bell with-out sacrificing the melodic ride character-istics one would normally expect from anHH ride.

The concept works. The 8" bell hadplenty of cutting power; it would be heardthrough most loud music on its own. Butwith the additional sustain and projectionprovided by the rest of the cymbal, thesound was undeniable. Nicely enough,though, the bell sounded pretty decenteven when played at lower volumes—pro-ducing a very distinct, clear "ping."

When used as a traditional ride, thecymbal sounded dark and somewhattrashy, and—owing to its 22" diameter—had quite a bit of a "roar" when I laid intoit. Stick articulation was clear, althoughnot what I would call piercing. AlthoughMel Gaynor is quoted as saying that thePower Bell Ride serves his needs "fromone extreme of the dynamic spectrum tothe other," I tend to think that in Mel'scase that must mean from f to fff. When Iplayed the cymbal at lower volumes, I

noticed a dominant undertone that wasnot apparent when the cymbal was roar-ing, and that might interfere with thenotes of a given song. But in fairness, Ican't really conceive of anyone who playsexclusively low- to mid-volume stuff con-sidering this cymbal in the first place. Youdon't buy a Mack truck for short trips tothe market. But if you need a ride cymbalthat can compete with heavy amplificationand still offer some musical qualities andtone, you should definitely consider thePower Bell Ride. It's available in regular orBrilliant finish at $348.

HH EQ HatsMel Gaynor was also in on the design of

these babies. They combine a special 14"AA Rock bottom cymbal with a heavy HHFlat top cymbal. In addition, the bottomcymbal has two holes drilled in its bell andsmall sections cut out of its edge to pre-vent airlock. The goal was to create "crisp,clean, clear, and cutting sounds in theloudest situations" whether the cymbalsare played "by stick or pedal, angled orflat."

The holes and cut-outs in the bottomcymbal did eliminate airlock; the cymbalshad a great, crisp "chick" sound whenclosed with the foot. (However, thecutouts produced sharp corners, andthese cymbals would have to be handledwith care.) The lack of bell on the topcymbal—along with the fact that it is anHH model—created a medium-high sticksound and a very quick choking actionwhen the hi-hat pedal was depressed. Thethickness of the cymbal kept it from pro-ducing a shimmering sound (as for aswing ride pattern); instead the stickingsound was dry and precise. Between thepitch, the dryness, and the quickresponse, these hi-hats should prove verypopular with studio drummers (and evenmore so with engineers). I imagine thatthey would work equally well in miked-upstage situations, where their controlledresponse would be a real asset. Usingthem in an unmiked situation would pri-marily be a matter of taste. They can cer-tainly get loud; I played quarter-note rockpatterns on them in a half-open position

and they projected fine. I simply found thecombination of qualities produced by aflat HH top cymbal a bit dark for my ears.You'd need to be the final judge in thatarea. All in all, this is an interesting varia-tion on hi-hat design. The HH EQ Hatsare available in regular or Brilliant finishat $360.

B8 Pro Rock ModelsIn the February issue of this year I

reviewed the introductory models in Sabi-an's B8 Pro line. These are cymbals madefrom the B8 alloy and made in what iscalled the "Euro style" of manufacture. Iwas impressed with the sound quality andthe value of that line, which at the timewas fairly limited in terms of models.

Sabian has now expanded the line withseveral Rock models, designed to offer thesame sort of performance and value todrummers who need louder, more durablecymbals. Now, the question that comes tomind is: Are these new models just heav-ier versions of the old ones? The answeris: yes and no. While they certainly arethicker and heavier than their predeces-sors, they have also been designed withtheir own profiles and dimensions—specifically with the rock player in mind.

We were sent several cymbals in eachsize, all of which came in Brilliant finish.To work from the biggest to the smallest,we started with 20" Power Rock and LightRock rides. While both were powerfulcymbals that projected well and had excel-lent bell sounds, the Power Rock Ridetended to be clearer, dryer, and higher-pitched, with very little wash and excellentsticking definition—even at very high vol-ume. The Light Rock Ride, on the otherhand, was darker, a little washier, and (ifyou can apply this term in a rock context)a bit more subtle. It might make a betterride for people who need something forboth low- and high-volume situations,where not as much sheer cut is desiredfrom the ride.

Both cymbals exhibited a bit of "gongi-ness"—which is to be expected from athick, heavy ride cymbal. But the lathingon the cymbals gave them an additionalmusicality over the pure "pinginess" of an

unlathed cymbal. The B8alloy does not provide asmuch sustain as does themore expensive B20 alloyused in AA and HH cym-bals—which might be seenas an advantage by drum-mers looking for a dry, clearride cymbal. I know severaldrummers who would proba-bly prefer the B8 Pro PowerRock Ride over many more-expensive models. I say thatonly to point out that choos-ing one of these cymbals canbe a matter of taste, not justa matter of financing. Theylist for $144.

When I tested the originalB8 Pro thin and mediumcrash cymbals, I was im-pressed by their "pleasant,glassy shimmer." Well, whenyou add thickness to a cym-bal, you lose a certainamount of that shimmer inexchange for sheer powerand durability. This wasespecially true of the 16"Rock Crashes I tried, whichwere loud and explosive, butnot as musically pleasant astheir thinner counterparts. They workedwell as high-volume punctuation crashes,however, because they spoke out quicklyand then got out of the way. The 18" RockCrashes, on the other hand, had a lotmore sustain and a bit more "shim-mer"—perhaps owing to the much largerbell and greater overall diameter. Thesecymbals sounded BIG: big bell (excellentfor riding!), big explosion, big sustain,and big volume.

I should point out that, as with anyrock-weight cymbals, the B8 Pro RockCrashes did not respond well to lowimpact. I had to wallop them to get themmoving properly. But, after all, they aredesigned for rock (read: high-impact)playing, so what would you expect? The16" crash is priced at $105; the 18" goesfor $120.

The 14" Rock Hats were also thick and

(clockwise from left) 22" Power Bell Ride, 18" HH Thin Chinese,10" B8 Pro China Splash, 20" B8 Pro Power Rock Ride, 14" HH EQ Hats

heavy, and produced a fine chick soundand a dry, high-pitched top-cymbal sound.They had a respectable amount of sustainwhen played in the half-open rock style,and seemed to blend well with the othercymbals in the series. They're heavy-dutyhi-hats designed for hard playing, andthey sounded fine in that application.They list for $159.

B8 Pro China SplashesThese were my favorites in this whole

group. From the B8 alloy, Sabian has cre-ated 8" and 10" splash cymbals with aunique profile: They look like mini-Chinacymbals, with the top half of the bellinverted back toward the underside of thecymbal. They are extremely thin, andcombine the quick, shimmery sound oftraditional splash cymbals with the dark,trashy sound of a China. Being that they

are so small and thin, they have a volumethreshold; they can only be played so hardand they'll only get so loud. (If you needmore sound, mike 'em up.) But withintheir range, they offer a sound so delight-fully musical (and so original) that I justfell in love with them—and I'm not a fanof splashes or Chinas.

Their shape lends them to experimen-tation. The inverted portion of their bellsallows them to be placed neatly atop othercymbals without coming into full contactwith them, thus giving you two targets(and two sounds) in the same place. Orthey can easily be placed under a largercymbal for that "metal crasher" sort ofeffect popularized by Terry Bozzio. Theirsmall size also allows them to be placedon their own just about anywhere on thekit. The group of two 10" and two 8" cym-bals that we tried formed such a nice

pitch scale that I could envision puttingall of them in some handy spot for creat-ing melodic percussive accents. Thesecymbals are small, relatively inexpensive,and musically unique. Sounds like a dealto me. The 8" cymbal costs $54; the 10"goes for $62. Both are available in Bril-liant finish.

• Rick Van Horn

HH Thin ChineseSabian has also recently introduced a

new line of Chinese cymbals, the HHThin Chinese. According to Sabian,they've designed these cymbals to soundas close as possible to the authenticChina cymbal sound. But they also want-ed to design a cymbal that would be farmore durable than traditional China-types (and not so crudely manufactured).

We were sent a selection of normal andBrilliant HH Thin Chinese cymbals in16", 18", 20", and 22" sizes. All of themwere just beautiful to look at. The manu-facturing process includes a second ham-mering that, besides affecting the sound,gives these cymbals a unique, eye-catch-ing look. Overall, their pitches are low,with short sustain and a "raw"sound—very Oriental. One other charac-teristic of this entire line: The point atwhich the cymbals are turned up seemsto be a bit closer to the center of the cym-bal than on normal Chinas. I'll get to the

significance of this in a moment.Let's talk about the specific cymbals.

The 16" and 16" Brilliant models soundgreat for quick, explosive crashes. Theysounded low-pitched for their size, andworked best when mounted right-side up.(Their decay was even quicker when theywere mounted upside down.) In thesesmaller models (along with the 18" mod-els) I really liked the Brilliant cymbalsbecause they weren't as harsh-sounding(in the ultra-highs) as the non-Brilliants,and they had a little more sustain. Howev-er, if you're in a loud band and you need aChina that really cuts through and isquick, I'd recommend the regular, non-Brilliant models.

The 18" cymbals demonstrated charac-teristics similar to those of the 16" mod-els, except that I could play some ridepatterns on the non-Brilliant models.Again, the Brilliant's sound was not asabrasive and was a little more gong-like.The regular 18" was nice and trashy, had alittle sustain, and also could be used as aride cymbal either right-side up or invert-ed.

Getting back to what I mentioned earli-er about the shape of the HH Thin Chi-nese'. Since the bend in these cymbals iscloser to the center, you have a little lessroom to ride on than with other Chinas.This isn't really a problem; you simplymay need to angle the cymbal a bit moreto make it easier to play the ride area.

The 20" cymbals had nice, low tones.The 20" Brilliant was a little gongy, andI'd use it more for a big crash than as aride. The regular 20" worked well as botha ride and crash. It had a fairly quickdecay and a low pitch that made it per-fect for riding on. (This one, along withthe Brilliant 16", was my favorite of thebunch.)

Now we get to the 22" models. All Ican say is, "Wow! That's a whole lottaChina cymbal!" These were very low-pitched and yet powerful. The regular22" was extremely loud and trashy, andsounded great as a ride mounted upsidedown. (It was a pleasure riding on thisone softly.) The Brilliant model workedokay as a ride, but it was quitegongy—I'd use it for big gong effectsand huge crashes. The only problemwith a Chinese cymbal this big is that it'stough to get it in the case with the rest ofyour cymbals!

Overall, these are beautiful-lookingand -sounding cymbals. I have a fond-ness for China cymbals, and the morelow-pitched and "Oriental"-soundingthey are, the better. If that's what you'reinterested in, check out an HH ThinChinese. The list price for the 16" is$216; the 18" is $255; the 20" is $294; andthe 22" is $348. Brilliant finish is avail-able at no extra charge.

• William F. Miller

Bison CustomSymphonicSnare Drums

Mitch Greenberg of the Bison DrumCompany explains that his customdrums started with the concept of a sym-

phonic snare drum that would produce abrighter harmonic than was available atthe time. Members of the Chicago Sym-phony played the drum and began usingit right away. Word spread, and after tenyears of producing their drums for indi-viduals, Bison now offers them to theentire drumming community. The snaredrums are also available, with alterations,for use in rock and jazz idioms.

The snare drums are made in 3x13,4x13, and 3 - 8x14 sizes. The shells areof 10-ply maple laminate; ebony and wal-nut stain are available for an additional$30. All hardware is aluminum with ahigh-polish buffing. (All screws are stan-

dard steel.) The hoops are 1/4"-thick alu-minum alloy with an in-line constructionto allow a brighter harmonic. The lugsare machined out of high-strength alu-minum alloy and fastened to the shellwith a non-gasketed, socket-head capscrew through a pillow block. The lever-action strainer is also hard aluminumalloy, and is specifically designed todirectly clamp to the steel aircraft-cablesnares. The snares are held in alignmentby metal clamps attached below thestrainers on each side of the drum. Thisdesign helps transmit a brighterresponse to the shell of the drum. Thelever is designed to "squeeze" into posi-

by Gary J. Spellissey

Bison 6x14 Symphonic snare

tion, eliminating the loud snap of thesnares against the bottom head thatoften occurs with other strainers. Thelever drops 1/2", so when the snares are inthe "off" position they are well-removedfrom the snare head. The snare tensionknob is machined from brass alloy and isa standard 1/4" x28 thread. This allowstightening of the cable snares beyond thecapabilities of normal tension knobs.The drums have double 45° bearingedges, and the snare beds are cut byhand. The lugs, hoops, strainer, andcable snares are made to produce a loud-er snare drum sound, more clearly heardas distinct notes at a farther distancethan those produced by other snaredrums.

The first Bison snare drum I receivedwas a 6x14 model. As I removed thedrum from the box, I was immediatelyimpressed with its overall appearanceand design. The shell finish was superb,both inside and out. The look of thedrum is made different by the use of alu-minum for all metal parts. The lugs aresingular tubes running from the top tothe bottom of the drum, approximately

1" away from the shell. This designallows for greater tensioning than a nor-mal drum, while giving the drum a "clas-sic" look.

The snare strainer looked "unfin-ished" to me, due to its matte aluminumcolor. I questioned Mitch Greenbergabout this. He said the strainer could beanodized but that typical plating wouldbe difficult because the strainer wouldslip while in use. As a result, the compa-ny opted for performance rather thancosmetic appeal.

The drum arrived with Remo Diplo-mat heads for both the snare side andthe batter. I increased the tension onboth heads, which made the drum veryresonant and very sensitive—even whenplayed at the edge of the head. Make nomistake, this is a drum capable of loudresponse without ever choking. Thesound was dark and dry. With a mufflingring set on the top head, I liked thesound even better. As I continued myevaluation, I recorded the drum withouta muffler from 15' away. From this dis-tance, the drum sounded remarkable. Ibacked up a bit, and discovered that the

further the distance, the better the drumsounded.

Then came the real test: to place thedrum in actual playing situations. In anorchestral setting, it felt great to play,and other players—both percussionistsand non-percussionists—remarked onits clarity. (Do you have any idea what ittakes to get a trombone player to com-ment on the sound of a snare drum?) Iplaced the drum in two other symphonicsituations, and each time I enjoyed play-ing the drum more and more.

I then took the drum with me to seehow it would fare in a "general business"setting. I must confess that I broughtanother snare that I regularly use. TheBison worked well in some musicalstyles, but not all. But remember, thisdrum is really set up for classical use. Ialso had reservations about the alu-minum rims taking the abuse of contin-ual backbeat rimshots, but found thatthe Bison had no problem in this area.Again, I want to mention that rock andjazz models are available.

I also had the pleasure of playing on a3x13 piccolo snare equipped like the6x14. The piccolo was really responsiveand full-bodied. This drum could becranked up to wherever you would want it.

Both of the Bison drums I tried wouldbe welcome additions to anyone's instru-ment collection. They are resonant,responsive, and capable of a large spec-trum of dynamics. The design and work-manship are exemplary, and the drumsare a pleasure to play, regardless of themusical style. Because Bison is a customdrum company, you can specify exactlywhat you desire in a drum (snare types,number of air vents, etc.). I found MitchGreenberg to be a knowledgeable drum-mer and drum-maker who is going to bearound to stand behind his product. Thecost of Bison drums is in line with othercustom brands: List price for the piccolois $460; the 6" drum is $630. If you'relooking for a symphonic snare drum, aBison drum would be "hard to beat."

Vic FirthSignatureMallets• by Rick Mattingly

After introducing an impressive line of"signature" drumsticks over the past fewyears, designed by prominent drummers,Vic Firth has applied the same idea tovibes/marimba mallets. Gary Burton, EdMann, Terry Gibbs, and Victor Mendozamodels are now featured in the Firth cata-log. Burton, Mann, and Mendoza have onemodel each, while Gibbs has four varietiesto choose from.

Gary BurtonAccording to Burton himself, the Firth

M-25 Gary Burton signature mallets are anexact copy of the mallets he used to havemade by the legendary Bill Marimba ofGood Vibes. Burton also says that theyresemble the early Musser Burton models,but that the later Musser versions were notquite the same. At any rate, the Firthmodel features rattan handles and yarn-wound heads. The length is 15 1/2", and therattan handles have a diameter of 5/16".While with most rattan-handle mallets thediameter of the shaft can vary from pair topair, the Burton mallets are consistent.

As one might expect, these mallets workwell over the entire range of the vibra-phone, producing a clear, articulate soundwithout being clanky. They also soundedgood over most of the marimba range,with the exception of the top few notes, forwhich they were a bit too soft.

Ed MannThe first thing you notice about Firth's

M-21 Ed Mann model mallets is theirlength: 16 1/2", which is a full inch longerthan most mallets. The handles are madeof black birch, and the medium-hardheads are of white yarn with a mushroom-

Photo by Rick Mattingly

shaped head. I suppose that extra-longhandle could come in handy if you have amulti-instrument setup and need someextra reach. But I liked the length for a dif-ferent reason. I was still tending to holdthe mallets the same distance from thehead that I would hold shorter ones, sothat extra inch of stick on the back endwas affecting the balance. The shafts arethinner than the Burton model, but havingthe extra length (and subsequent extraweight) makes the balance similar.

These are slightly harder than the Bur-ton mallets, but they still work fine over thefull range of the vibraphone without beingclanky. On a four-octave marimba, theyworked best in the middle two octaves;they were slightly clunky on the lowestnotes, and a bit soft for the upper octave.

One other observation: If you ever playmallets in a pit or other situation in whichthe lighting is not very good, you mightappreciate the white heads on the Mannmodel. They tend to show up well, espe-cially against marimba bars or a SimmonsSilicon Mallet.

Victor MendozaThe Firth M-23 Victor Mendoza mallets

feature black birch handles, like the Mannmodel, but a more standard 15 1/2" length,and hard, cord-wound heads with a moreextreme mushroom shape. I found themslightly "top-heavy" compared to theMann and Burton models. On a vibra-phone, they were slightly brittle on thelowest notes, but bright and penetratingover the rest of the range. On the marim-ba, they were predictably clunky at the bot-tom, but sounded fine from about C2 allthe way to F4. In a room with muddyacoustics, these could be the perfectchoice for projection.

Terry GibbsFirth offers four models in the Gibbs

series: M 30 soft, with a yellow cordhead; M 31 medium, with a blue cord

head; M 32 medium hard, with a greencord head; and M 33 hard, with a red cordhead. All of the models are 15" long andfeature rattan handles. The handles weredifferent thicknesses on the ones Ireceived for review, although each pair wasmatched. One might want to purchase theGibbs models from a shop that has severalpairs of each in stock, if one is concernedwith the handle thickness. The thinnerones felt a little top-heavy to me, but hadmore flex. I liked the thicker ones for theirbalance, but they were definitely stiffen

The M 30 soft model sounded rich andfull on the lower two and a half octaves ofthe vibes, but were a little mushy on thetop half-octave. On the marimba they werewonderful on the bottom octave, good upto about G3, passable to F4, and weakabove that.

I would rate the M 31 medium as themost general-purpose of the bunch. Theysounded fine over the full range of boththe vibes and marimba (although theyfavored the low end of the marimba overthe high end). They are very close to theBurton model, but being cord rather thanyarn, have just a bit more bite.

The M 32 medium hard could also makea good general-purpose mallet, especiallyin a room with muddy acoustics. They area little brighter-sounding than the M 31s,but still work well over the full range ofboth vibes and marimba—this time favor-ing the upper end of the marimba slightly.

Gibbs' M 33 hard model produced a lotof attack on the vibes, but wasn't as clankyas I feared it might be. On the marimba, itwas best over the top three octaves, pro-ducing a xylophone-like sound.

Finally, here is how all of the above mal-lets compare with each other, going fromsoftest to hardest: Gibbs M 30; Burton;Mann; Gibbs M 31; Mendoza; Gibbs M 32;Gibbs M 33. Among those seven models,you should be able to find mallets to covermost situations. All of the models reviewedhere carry a list price of $41 per pair.

Sapphire SlimLine StudioDrum Pad

by Richard Watson

MD's May '91 issue featured an editorialon the entrepreneurial spirit among per-cussion product manufacturers. Thearticle hailed opportunities seen andseized by small operations with big imag-inations and commitment to the drum-mers they serve. From Sapphire, a tinyActon, Massachusetts company you maynever have heard of, comes a percussiontrigger pad that should have some of theindustry's big guns taking notice.

BasicsAvailable in 6", 8", 10", and 12" diame-

ters, Sapphire's new, aptly named SlimLine trigger pad is only 1 1/4" deep. Itsdesign can best be described as a shallowcylinder, or shell, with top and bottomcover plates, all made of machined alu-minum. A pure gum-rubber "head" isaffixed to the top cover plate, which, likethe bottom plate, is set into the shell witha bead of silicone. A transducer isattached to the underside of the top plateand imbedded in high-density foam rub-ber. The pad's playing surface is recessedabout 1/16" below a strip of black anodizedaluminum edging, creating a kind ofminiature rim. The stand mount (alsomachined anodized aluminum) and alarge T-nut extend another 2" from theside of the pad. The unit's shell and bot-tom are covered with a glossy Formica-like material. A standard W phone jack islocated on the side of the pad near themount.

SensitivityThe Slim Line sends a hotter signal

than any pad I've used.Designer Steve Rothmelattributes this partly to theexcellent conductive proper-ties of the pad's aluminumchassis. However, I suspectedthe same properties as apotential cause of false trig-gering from external vibra-tions (as created by otherpads on a common stand).But once I adjusted mydrumKAT's, gain for the SlimLine's trigger signal, I experi-enced no interaction prob-lems whatsoever. Another rea-son for the pad's hot signal iswhat Steve called "SelectiveAntinode Alignment" (SAA),a scientifically tested placement of thepad's transducer according to the partic-ular resonance of each size of pad.

Speaking of resonance, Sapphireinformed me that much attention wasdevoted to "tuning" the sound producedby tapping on their pads, in order tomake them sonically inconspicuous tomicrophones when recorded along withacoustic drums. Not having tested it inthis situation, I won't contest their claim.But I should mention that the hollowsound generated by tapping on the SlimLine was actually more audible than thatof my other pads.Velocity sensitivity (the ability to

smoothly and accurately reproduce alldynamic levels) is perhaps the mostimportant property of a drum trigger.The Slim Line's, velocity sensitivity iscomparable to that of the best pads I'veused. But what impressed me mostabout the Slim Line's performance is theuniformity of its response across the pad.Thanks again to SAA, its signal strengthremained absolutely consistent fromdead center to the very edge of the play-ing surface.

Stick ResponseSteve Rothmel was very proud that his

pad's playing surface is made of puregum rubber, without so much as anadulterating dye. Perhaps due more to

the thinness of that rubber or the inher-ent resilience of the aluminum platebehind it, I found the Slim Line pad tobe a bit more firm and fast than any ofthe pads I'm currently playing. While notunnatural, its relative lack of "give" moreclosely emulates a tightly—rather thanloosely—tuned acoustic drum head.This degree of bounce is ideal for buzzrolls and technique that benefits from afast response, but may require some get-ting used to for guys who like the feelingof really "digging into" a floppy head.The Slim Line's "mini-rim" is so

small that I didn't even notice it until Ibegan to actually play the pad. Withoutan additional discrete transducer to trig-ger a different sample in your soundsource, the rim's value is purelyergonomic. But since most trigger padsseem to ignore the enormous satisfac-tion of laying into metal for a rimshot, Icommend Sapphire for their attention tothis subtle, often neglected detail.

Stand MountThe Slim Line's beautifully crafted

stand mount is available in two models.One fits Pearl-sized stands, the other fitsthe Tama type. Its clamp (which tightenson one side with a standard flathead boltand on the other with a large T-nut) isfashioned to receive a vertical stand postor angle arm. Unlike some pads that can

be mounted in a row across a single barand independently tilted, the verticalmount configuration requires some kindof angle arm or adaptor for each pad. (Ifyou don't mind your pads being perfectlyhorizontal, you may be tempted, as I was,to clamp the Slim Line to the "trunk" of acymbal stand.) The real payoff of thisdesign is in stability. Since most of theforce exerted upon a drum pad is vertical,mounting it on a vertical post virtuallyeliminates the chance of angle slippageand reduces interaction vibrations thatcan lead to the dreaded false triggering.

DurabilityAt my first sight of the Slim Line's

candy-apple finish, I mistakenly assumedthe whole thing was plastic and a lot toopretty to be roadworthy. I was especiallyworried that the aluminum edging wouldbe badly dented by the first errant whack.Appearances can be deceiving. When acouple of gingerly placed rimshots pro-

duced none of the anticipated damage, Ihit the edging directly with increasingforce up to a level that crossed the linebetween music and contact sports. Thescore? Mini-rim, two—reviewer, zip.

If quality of construction is an indicatorof durability, the Slim Line wins again.Every edge and joint was perfect. Despitethe aforementioned resonance, the unitfelt strong and solid. Another clue to itsdurability is that every Sapphire padcomes with a two-year warranty.

The Slim Line pad is available in fourstandard colors: black, white, blue, andred. But since Sapphire gets its coveringmaterial from countertop manufacturers,you can special-order "just about anycolor you've seen or can imagine, fromwoodgrain to chrome." The black alu-minum edging provides a clean, sleek out-line. The pad's head might have been alittle more dramatic in black or a colorthat matched the shell, but the gum rub-ber's natural creamy tan is okay too.

Unlike some trigger pads' industrial-functional designs, the Slim Line's drum-like shape won't look alien next to youracoustic drums. Then again, its narrowprofile won't make a huge visual impacttucked in amidst a large acoustic setup.But a kit made up entirely of these padswould, I imagine, be a thing of modernminimalist beauty.

ConclusionsSapphire's Slim Line Studio Drum Pad

is a handsome, well-made percussion trig-ger. Its feel is on the firm and rubberyside, but acceptably natural. Its velocitysensitivity and uniformity of response areexcellent. Plans for a two-send pad and akick drum trigger are "on the drawingboard." Prices for the pads are: 6", $120;8", $135; 10", $156; and 12", $180. ContactSapphire Percussions, 272 Main St., Suite5B, Acton, Massachusetts 01720, (508)263-8677.

KAT kicKATby Richard Watson

Since the introduction of the KAT Mal-let Controller in 1986 and the drumKATpad set/controller in 1988, KAT hasdefined "state of the art" in integratedMIDI percussion. Recently, KAT beganbranching out into the electronic per-cussion component market with itsentry-level midiK.I.T.l. trigger-to-MIDIinterface and a line of pad triggersadopted from the latest, enhanced-per-formance Dauz design. The newestmember of the growing KAT litter is itselectronic bass drum trigger, the kicKAT.

OverviewWhile aesthetics should be among the

last criteria for judging a piece of equip-ment, the kicKAT's appearance is sostrikingly peculiar that it will probablydominate your first impression of the

unit, as it did mine. Con-trasting competing productsthat range from lumpy-utili-tarian to angular-futuristic,the kicKAT's form seems tohave sprung from KATfounder Bill Katoski's some-what whimsical approach todesign. (Considering thatthe pad layout of thedrumKAT looks for all theworld like Mickey Mouse,should we be surprised?)Following the feline theme,the kicKAT resembles, evenmore overtly, a seated blackcat!

What the "cat" sits uponis a reinforced, 1/8"-thicksteel base (shaped roughlylike a fat-bottomed "I") thatis fitted with four spring-loadedretractable spurs and, on the underside,four opposing strips of industrial Velcro.The base's back (player's side) lip israised for easy pedal mounting and cov-ered top and bottom with a strip of gumrubber for a solid hoop clamp grip. A

standard 1/4" phone jack is located justabove it on kicKAT's, hollow, black enam-el steel body. The cat's semi-circularhead (complete with slight outer pointsalluding to "ears") contains the unit'ssensor circuitry. The "kicKAT" logo isprinted vertically in bold white letters

down the cat's back. The maximumdimensions are 15 3/8" high x 11" wide x

14 7/8" deep.

Velocity SensitivityI tested the kicKAT with a Korg S3

Rhythm Workstation and a drumKAT pro-vided by KAT, and with my own RolandR-8M, Casio FZ-10M, and, alternately,drumKAT and Simmons PortaKit con-trollers.

To convincingly simulate the sound andfeel of "real" acoustic percussion, a trig-ger should be able to accurately read andreproduce a drummer's entire dynamicrange, right down to the ghost strokes.But lower-level dynamics are an area inwhich bass drum triggers seem particu-larly weak. Based upon my previous expe-rience with KAT products, I was expect-ing miracles, and so was initially disap-pointed by the kicKAT's velocity sensitivi-ty. Although I'd confirmed that the con-troller was programmed to KAT's sug-gested levels of gain, threshold, and mini-mum and maximum dynamics, the rangebetween "quiet" and "loud" was a bitnarrow, and my softest playing wasn'ttriggering the drumKAT at all. Suspect-ing that KAT's recommended settingswere tailored to drummers who prayed toBonham and/or had eaten their Wheatiesin childhood, I tried increasing the gain anotch and decreasing the threshold andthe minimum dynamic. After re-trainingthe trigger on my drumKAT (a sugges-tion, I confess, supplied by the folks atthe KAT hot line), and a little moretweaking at a band rehearsal, the kicKATwas reproducing bass drum strokes Ihadn't heard since the last time I playedacoustic drums.

Concerned that similarly positiveresults might not be achieved with aninterface lacking the drumKAT's sophis-ticated adjustability, I dusted off my oldPortaKit and plugged in the kicKAT.While the kicKAT performed best whenmatched with the drumKAT, it yielded aproportional improvement over my own(soon to be former) bass drum triggerwhen paired with the PortaKit as well.

The kicKAT's gain strength dimin-

ished slightly when played off-center, butthe fade was only significant at the outer-most edges of the pad. Double-pedalplayers will be pleased that the impactsurface provides plenty of "sweet spot"for two beaters.

TrackingTracking fast playing (as opposed to

tracking dynamics) is largely determinedby the MIDI controller/interface, but canbe tricky for some snare/tom triggers aswell. This kind of tracking failure resultsin notes within fills and rolls that annoy-ingly just "disappear." But because aver-age playing on even two bass drums is rel-atively sparse, accurate tracking is, you'llexcuse the expression, a minor feat for atrigger. I wasn't surprised, then, when thekicKAT tracked both my single- and dou-ble-pedal playing flawlessly. But consider-ing the possibility that there may be fasterfeet among you (or even among some ofyour grandmothers), I devised a test forspeed-metal extremes. After setting thenote number on the drumKAT to addressa snare drum sound and rolling the kic-KAT on its back, I played a number ofopen and fairly closed rolls on its beaterimpact surface with a pair of drumsticks.Within the sensitivity range programmedinto the drumKAT, the kicKAT nevermissed a stroke. You may never need thisdegree of tracking sensitivity, but it's niceto know that the unit will never slow youdown.

FeelMy experiment with the drumsticks

revealed to me something about the phys-ical feel of the playing surface as well.The "give" of the gum rubber was notideally conducive to playing press rolls.Instead, appropriately, its response wasexactly that of a real, normally tuned bassdrum head. If you haven't played on otherkick triggers, you may be thinking, "sowhat?" But if there is a disparity in thenaturalness of snare and tom pad trig-gers, it is nothing compared to the rangeamong kick triggers; they are indeed notall created equal. Bill Katoski informedme that the kicKAT's amazingly natural

feel is the result of extensive research anddevelopment and a no-expense-spareddesign philosophy. The playing surface iscomposed of layers of four different kindsof rubber! Each successive layer respondsto hits of different intensity, making soft,medium, and hard playing feel equiva-lently natural, with no dead stop at theextreme end of the stroke or, in Bill'swords, "not like playing a table top whenyou really lay into it." Likewise, softattacks produced neither mushy nor"super ball" rebounds.

DurabilityA flyer that accompanies the kicKAT

says that "the sensing element in the'head' [is] specially designed to surviverepeated impact from the beater." Long-term durability can hardly be proved inthe ten days I allotted for a productreview, but I did subject the kicKAT toabout three hours of truly exaggeratedflogging without causing any apparentdamage or reduced sensitivity. Overall,the kicKAT features simple, no-nonsenseconstruction. Except for the retractablespurs, it has no moving parts. Thoughlighter than it looks, the unit feels verysturdy, and its welding and finish areimmaculate.

StabilityThe kicKAT's, flat, one-piece base pro-

vides rock-solid stability in normal situa-tions, but of course will not straddle cym-bal stand legs or large bumps, such asriser edge trim, or severely uneven stages(as can triggers with adjustable legs).Most drummers may never encountersuch unfriendly playing conditions, but ifyour next tour includes more than a fewconstruction sites, beware. Thanks to itsfour spurs and Velcro, the kicKAT ain'tgoing nowhere without your rug or car-peting. But, lacking any rubber on theunderside of its base, it will skate across(or destroy) most hard-surface floors.Therefore a rug is essential.

PortabilityStability and a solid feel don't come

without a cost. Since its base is not

removable (at least not without defying awarning against hazardous shock), thekicKAT would not even fit into the snaredrum compartment of my oversized trapcase—let alone the accessories section orstand tray. A small floor tom case, or itsequivalent, would suffice. (I might alsorecommend an extra beer for your road-ie.)

ConclusionsBelying its playfully unorthodox

appearance, the kicKAT is a serious com-bination of quality workmanship, techni-cal innovation, attention to detail, andingenious design. My only suggestionwould be to make its base removable formore convenient transport—but only ifsuch a change didn't compromise theunit's solid stance. The kicKAT's velocitysensitivity and natural feel in particularmake it the finest bass drum trigger I'veever played. KAT continues to impressme. The kicKAT's list price is $259.

Filling In The HolesOn The Hi-Hat: Part 4

by Rod Morgenstein

For the past three articles we have been fill-ing in the holes on the hi-hat (and toms)using a constant, uninterrupted flow of ei-ther 16th notes or 8th-note triplets. The nextstep is to experiment by omitting certainnotes, thus breaking up the continuous bar-rage Of sound and creating some very funkyand colorful patterns. Take the following beat

and then fill in the holes on the hi-hat.

Now omit the last 16th of beat 2, the downbeat of beat 3, andthe "&" of beat 4

and then apply various hi-hat notes to the toms.

Working with the original beat, try omitting some other hi-hat notes—in this case the second 16th note of beats 1 and 2,the "&" of 3, and the middle two 16th notes of 4.

Once again, work in the toms for added dimension.

The following is another variation of the original beat:

Now add the toms.

Try the same process with the following triplet feel:

Fill in the holes on the hi-hat

omit the hi-hat notes on the downbeat of 3 and the middle of 4

and apply some hi-hat notes to the toms.

Using the original triplet-feel beat, here's another possibility:

Now add the toms.

Photo

by

Ric

k M

alk

in

This last example takes the following beat

and in a two-measure context, utilizes both the continuous andbroken-up feel.

There are limitless possibilities for applying this techniqueto the drumset. So take your favorite beats that have somedegree of syncopation between the snare and bass, and forgeahead using the different ways we've discussed. See ya!

Bill StewartSwinging with Scofield and Konitz, Funkin' with Maceo

by Bill Milkowski

He swings with authority, has a keen sense of hearing, andreacts to the moment with ideas as well as energy, which is whyguitarist John Scofield, tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano, and altosax great Lee Konitz have tapped Bill Stewart for their respec-tive quartets.

At 23, Stewart is already making a name for himself in jazzcircles, having appeared on recent albums by Scofield, Lovano,and Konitz. Plus, he's made some inroads into the land of funkthrough his recent gig with Maceo Parker, the alto saxophonistwho helped James Brown take it to the bridge in the late '60sand later helped spread the funk with George Clinton's Parlia-ment-Funkadelic and Bootsy's Rubber Band. Last year, Stewartappeared on Maceo's Roots Revisited (Minor Music/Verve), asoulful summit of jazz and R&B that sat atop Billboard's jazzcharts for several weeks. He later toured Europe and the Stateson the strength of that album. His stay in Maceo's band culmi-nated this past March with a special concert in Oakland thatreunited Maceo with the Godfather himself, newly sprungfrom jail and back on the good foot once again.

"That was a unique experience," says Bill of J.B.'s comebackconcert (taped for future broadcast on HBO). "It was a kind ofthrown-together thing—really last-minute. I didn't even knowwe were going to Oakland until the day before we went."

Titled Influences: James Brown And M. C. Hammer, thisHBO special showcases the Godfather of Soul on the same billwith rap's leading light, both backed by Maceo and companywith Stewart laying down the funky backbeat. As Bill recalls,"We did three tunes with James: 'I Feel Good,' 'Good Foot,'and 'Please, Please, Please,' and M.C. did a tune...well, sort of atune. He just sort of did his little shtick over a 'Cold Sweat'groove, just to show how he has been influenced by James. Wedid one rehearsal the day before and then we sort of winged it."

Though basically a groove-oriented gig, Stewart said playingbehind Brown was nonetheless demanding. Unlike his jazzgigs with Scofield, Lovano, and Konitz—where he has to listenand react—the J.B. gig required him to watch and react.

"As a drummer playing his show, there are a lot of things youhave to catch. He's got these little things he does—his showykinds of gestures and a lot of stops and hits—that you reallyhave to be alert for. So there was actually some pressure on mein that situation. It wasn't the kind of thing where I could relaxand have fun."

Stewart is able to loosen up and do exactly that in both

Scofield's band (with bassist Marc Johnson and saxist Lovano)and Konitz's quartet (with bassist Ron McClure and pianistKenny Werner). "Sco's gig is really ideal for me right now," hesays. "The music he's writing now is real open with a lot ofroom—things that can be different each time you play them.The tunes are well-written, but they don't demand that theperformance has the same effect every time. And some of thetunes don't even have changes, so that's nice too. I just have alot of freedom to play the way I feel like playing."

That philosophy is put into practice on Scofield's latest BlueNote album, Meant To Be. "Mr. Coleman To You," a homage tojazz renegade Ornette Coleman, is a particularly good exampleof playing melodically and coming up with ideas in themoment, especially when the bottom drops out and the pieceopens up to a daring free section that Lovano blows over withabandon.

Stewart's sensitive, interactive brushwork sets the tone forthe title cut. On the burning "Big Fan" he swings ferociouslywhile answering Lovano's tenor statements, and he handlesthe lyrical bossa "Keep Me In Mind" with tasteful restraint. Onthe uptempo vehicle "Go Blow," he flaunts facile swing chops,and on "Eisenhower," a jaunty paen to the '50s cool school ofjazz, he nimbly trades fours with Sco's fluid guitar lines. Thenhe cops an appropriately laid-back parade-drumming attitude

Pho

to by Ebe

t Rob

erts

on the lazy N'awlins shuffle "Chariots." Throughout the ses-sion, Stewart plays with uncanny finesse, tapping the bassdrum so softly it's nearly imperceptible, yet still providingmomentum. And his drumming is marked by a rhythmic flexi-bility that lets the music breathe.

Says Scofield, "Bill's the kind of drummer who allows themusic to happen, and he swings his ass off, which is hard tofind. From the first moment I started rehearsing with him, Iknew he was the right guy for me." Adds Lovano, "He's a verymature player and a lot of fun to play with because he listens sowell. In jazz, it's about action and reaction, and he's really gotthat down. I think Bill is one of the strongest young jazz drum-mers on the scene today, and he's only going to get stronger."

On both Scofield's Meant To Be and Lovano's Landmarks,Stewart hooks up with bassist Marc John-son for what might be one of the mostsympathetic rhythm sections since CharlieHaden and Paul Motian joined forces.Their chemistry is particularly noticeableon the more intimate trio tunes fromLandmarks, like "The Owl And The Fox,"the funky "Street Talk," and the polyrhyth-mic "Thanksgiving." And on "EmperorJones," Lovano's tribute to drummer ElvinJones, Stewart again shows an expressivetouch with brushes. That same spirit ofsensitivity and swing permeates a recentSoul Note quartet date with Lee Konitz(with bassist Ron McClure and pianistKenny Werner).

"I really dig playing with Lee," says Stew-art. "A drummer has to be really sensitive toplay with him, I can tell you that from expe-rience. When I first played with Lee, it wasin a college situation, and I didn't feel like itwas working. Actually I don't think I wasquite mature enough at the time to reallycomplement him well. You have to reallylisten for the spaces he leaves to play withhim. He doesn't have a big overpoweringsound that you can just bash over."

Despite Bill's doubts about that gig,Konitz remembered the young drummer,and later called him for a regular Sundaygig at the West End in New York. "It wasgreat because we would go on stage andhave no idea what we were gonna play.Sometimes I played whole sets free with him—no tunes, nochanges, no nuthin'. And then when we played standards hewouldn't call tunes, he would just launch into something famil-iar and we would play a really abstract version of it.

"We did a similar kind of thing on this record on Soul Note.It's got three tunes that are totally spontaneous. And we do freeversions of some standards like All The Things You Are." Nowthere's an example of a tune he's probably played thousands oftimes in his career. But he's one of those people who can reallymake it different every time, because he really knows the tune

inside out. Sometimes he doesn't even play the heads. It canget pretty 'out' with Lee. He really is into what I would callpure improvisation. He doesn't like to prepare anything inadvance. We never play arrangements or things like that in hisband. I guess he feels that sort of thing tends to inhibit him."

Scofield sounds like he's headed more into a similar direc-tion with his new quartet, as opposed to the denser, moretightly arranged funk band he had through the late '80s withdrummer Dennis Chambers and electric bassist GaryGrainger. "Yeah, I think that's maybe one of the reasons whyhe might've gotten out of that," says Bill, "because they playedthose arrangements and they sounded great, but they had pret-ty much done what they could do with them. So now he's readyto do this other thing. And I'm curious to see how it develops

once we get out on the road."When citing his influences, the first

name that rolls off Stewart's tongue isRoy Haynes, immediately followed byElvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones, JackDeJohnette, Ed Blackwell, and Billy Hig-gins—all players who swing hard andreact in the moment.

Born in Des Moines, Iowa on Oct. 18,1966, Stewart grew up playing along withjazz records from his father's collection.Through his high school years he playedin local Top-40 bands, though he had astronger affinity for jazz. The troublewas, there weren't that many outlets inDes Moines for aspiring jazz musicians.

"By the time I was a senior in highschool I was doing what few jazz gigsthere were around town, but it was verylimited. I went to the University ofNorthern Iowa for one year, but left thereto attend William Paterson College, inNew Jersey. I really wanted to get in theNew York City area, and William Patersonwas nearby. Being from Des Moines, Ihad never really seen a lot of live music.It just didn't exist. And I was neveraround people my age—or very manypeople in general—who were into jazz.So when I finally came to town, I wantedto see all my favorite drummers—all thepeople I had been listening to onrecords."

Stewart got his degree from William Paterson in 1989, buthad begun playing around New York in different contexts acouple of years earlier. "One of my first gigs in New York waswith [Jazz Messenger trumpeter] Brian Lynch at a club calledVisiones in Greenwich Village. And I just sort of went fromthere. I kept meeting more people and making connections. InNew York, it's just a matter of people getting to know you andliking what you do. So I was able to get some gig experience inmy earlier months here, and it's been a gradual process ofgrowth for me. I think my playing has improved a lot just dur-

"A drummerwho's only

concerned withwhat he or she isplaying, and notwith what the

other musiciansare playing, isprobably not

going to soundvery musical

within a group."

Getting SeriousAbout Timekeeping

by Peter I. Cohen

This is the Day of the Click. It has seeped through our de-fenses and infiltrated all of our consciousnesses. How could wehave helped it? The click track has set the standard for meterand tempo in almost every recorded piece that we have heardfor the last 15 years, at least in rock, pop, and commercials.Our ears have become accustomed to it. And as a result,whether we, as musicians, actually use an external reference ornot, all of us today seem to have lower thresholds of tolerancefor uneven time than we did in the past. The Click reignssupreme, in our minds and in our cells.

The drummer, always regarded as the "timekeeper" anyway,now finds himself (or herself) with a tougher job than everbefore. The standard by which his or her timekeeping ability ismeasured has become absolute. Whether this is a "good" thingor not has fueled many a debate among musicians. In my owncase, returning to professional drumming after a few years'time off (no pun intended), I must admit that I felt someresentment about this: Wasn't it unfair, after all, that now I hadto be held accountable to the standards of a machine? But thenI realized, much to my horror, that I, too, had internalized thenew criteria over my years of idle listening, and had become, infact, intolerant of my own waverings. Clearly, whether I liked itor not, the time had come to buckle down and do somethingabout this. Time to re-calibrate my internal clock. Time to getserious about timekeeping.

Well, my self-training is far from over, but I've certainly col-lected some useful data and impressions so far. I should men-tion that my recent experience has been limited to performingand recording original rock music with one particular band,using click tracks and sequencers in the studio, but not onstage. However, most of my findings, I think, could easily applyto drummers finding themselves in other situations.

Caught Between A Push And A PullFor instance, most drummers can relate to the feeling of

being "pushed" or "pulled" at various times and to varyingdegrees by other members of the band during live perfor-mance. You know—those times when you could just swear thatthe bass player is wanting to drag, or the guitar player is want-ing to rush. You can just feel it—that tension between you, thatresistance.

Well, you have a couple of alternatives: 1) You can yield to the

bass player, or guitarist, and go along with him. This has theadvantage of relieving the tension, plus it offers the possibilityof finding a new groove at a different tempo at which you mightfind common agreement. But it also carries with it a sense thatyou've somehow betrayed your role as timekeeper for the band.You've handed your station over to somebody else—the firststep in a progressive erosion of the others' trust in you as theholder of that post. The first step towards total anarchy. (Today,the bass player—tomorrow, the accordionist!) Moreover, asmost of us know, once you allow the tempo to start to move inone direction or the other, it tends to continue moving that way,until even the most inebriated listener can tell that the train ofthe tune has run away (or been derailed altogether). On theother hand, if you...2) stick to your guns and just muscle onahead at the speed you feel it should be at, heedless of the sig-nals coming from any of the others, you are likely to destroy anychance you might have for preserving a groove. Unless the oth-ers come to heel, the pocket will collapse under the ensuingtension. A no-win situation, it would seem.

But who is to say you're "right" in the first place? How canyou be sure that in any given moment you have a better senseof the time—by which I mean both meter and tempo—thananyone else in the band? So many variables intrude—the feel ofthe room, the response of the crowd, the amount of rest you'vemanaged to get that day, the fight you've just had with yourmate, the number of cappuccinos you may have consumedbefore the gig, the technical demands of the tune itself....Who's to say that the accordionist may not have a better grip onthings than you, after all—at least right at that moment?Unless you're one of those blessed few who just happen to havebeen born with an infallible "internal metronome," there's noway to really tell.

Which may be at least one reason why no less stellar a figurethan Max Roach said in a recent interview that all musi-cians—not just the drummer—should share in the responsi-bility for keeping time. "Why should I keep time for some-body?" he wondered aloud. "I have an instrument that cancolor, that can build and do anything in the world to enhancethe performance. So am I going to be restricted to just saying'ding-ding-a-ding' for you? If you can't keep time then youshould not be involved in this music.... Every instrumentalistshould be able to feel the pulse without the rhythm section."

I agree with Roach, at least up to a point. I'm still inclined tobelieve that the drummer should serve as the primary time-keeper for the band. But not as an iron-fisted, metronomictyrant; rather, as a kind of tacit reference point for those other,equal contributors. This is not as mysterious as it mightsound. It simply means that to be the "timekeeper" for theband may sometimes mean to yield the direction to anothermember at any given moment. Not "giving up the reins," butrather flowing with the inherent momentum of the tune at thatparticular place and time. Your leadership is made "tacit" byprecisely this unspoken agreement you have forged with the

others to share the creative impulse as it arises with every beat.At its best, this describes a situation where the drummer has

joined in a kind of organic integration with the rest of the bandsuch that each member has become interdependent within thewhole. A situation in which the band can be said to havebecome "fused." Admittedly, this is a relatively rare occur-rence, and it takes time and attention to cultivate within agroup of musicians. But the musical payoff is enormous. It canexplain why Led Zeppelin, for example, chose not to even try togo on without John Bonham; why Def Leppard didn't even con-sider finding another drummer after Rick Allen lost his arm;how the Allman Brothers' Butch Trucks and Jaimoe (see theMarch, 1991 issue of MD) and the Grateful Dead's BillyKreutzmann and Mickey Hart can play so fluidly without get-ting in each other's way. Yes, when a band istruly fused, timekeeping happens. It istaken care of in the midst of the magic thatmusic-making itself conjures up.

True, this may be a somewhat idealisticgoal for most of us, but there are momentswhen it happens even in one-time free-lance situations; and I wanted to at leastmention it here, before going on todescribe the more "practical" techniques.For we should never allow our efforts toachieve technical perfection to obscure ourreal goal: to let our bodies themselvesbecome pure and spontaneous conduits forthe groove. As Max Weinberg put it (in theApril '91 issue of MD): "Just because apiece of music is in time does not meanthat it grooves; that's a higher level and theone to which all musicians should aspire."

Training To Entrain With TimeSo back to the dragging bass player and

the rushing guitarist. How do you actuallybecome that "tacit reference point" aroundwhich the band's intercommunal sharingcan revolve?

The answer, obviously enough, is train-ing. Practice with some kind of external ref-erence source. But what may not be soobvious is the reason: how subjective mostof our "internal metronomes" are, howinfuriatingly vulnerable they are to all theemotional vagaries of any given moment. Itis not until we actually sit and practice for a while with somekind of mechanical signal that we will really "get" just howunstable and wavering most of us human beings really are.Practicing with such an external standard, we can eventuallybegin to internalize some of that solid, metronomic "sense"ourselves. It will eventually seep into us, become second-nature to us—again, not so we can become machine-like in ourplaying, but rather so that we can better provide what's wantedand needed in today's music. Not so we can issue dictatorialcommands from our throne, but so that we can simply embody

the pulse in a way that everybody else will be able to feel it, too,and then entrain with it.

We have a choice among several such external time sources.First, of course, there are recordings: the time-honored tech-nique of playing along to the radio, records, tapes, and CDs.But as useful—and fun—as this technique might be in termsof providing inspiration and developing musicality in general, itsomehow does not seem to have as direct an impact on time-keeping skills, per se, as other things do. I'm not sure why,but—and this is just my personal opinion in any case—it maybe because recordings contain in them so many more elementsthan just the single, isolated one that we're concerned withhere. To train yourself in timekeeping, it seems necessary tohone the reference source down to that one, inescapable, un-

ignorable (and often unnerving) stimu-lus—the Naked Pulse itself.

The simplest such source is the elec-tronic metronome, and there are severalgood models available today. You wantone that has an output for headphones,however; and it may also be useful to getone with a flashing-light signal. Here,you are down to the very basics—just aclick (and flashing light), set to a certainnumber of beats-per-minute (bpm). Youcan practice your rudiments, practiceyour fills, practice your various patterns.Use your hands, use your feet, use com-binations. But whatever you play with it,the key is to allow the click to penetrateyour consciousness—not fighting it orfixating on it—but just letting it gentlyentrain you with it at various speeds.Although at first the unrelenting click inyour ear may seem intrusive and irritat-ing to you, it will soon become almostunnoticeable—even a kind of comfort.And after a while, not only will you findthat your "evenness" will improve, butyour inner sense of what 120 bpm feelslike, as opposed to 110 or 130, will growmore certain. You will be well on your waytowards developing your own internalclock.

One very effective exercise is to playalong with a particular tune "in yourhead" after you have set the metronome

to the respective tempo. This does require, however, that youhave already notated the optimal beats-per-minute figure foreach of the tunes in your repertoire (which you should do any-way), plus have a good memory for tune arrangement.

Using The Beat BugPerhaps my most valuable "find" of all is the Beat Bug, made

by L.T. Lug Lock. Attached to the rim of your snare drum, thisingenious device provides an instantaneous read-out of everyinterval it "hears." It hears these intervals by way of a sensi-

"Althoughat first the

unrelenting clickin your earmay seemintrusive

and irritating toyou, it will soonbecome almostunnoticeable—even a kind ofcomfort. "

Practical Applications OfThe Mozambique Rhythm

by Chuck Silverman

Many drummers are turned off by Latinmusic because much of the availableliterature doesn't explore contemporaryideas that can be used in other musicalcontexts besides Latin. But studying thismusic in a new and creative way can be ofgreat help to many drummers. Learning

about the mozambique rhythm, for instance, can give jazz, rock,and fusion players many great ideas on groove playing, soloing,fills, and independence. Latin music is music based on thedrum. It's for all drummers, so relax and dig in.

To start off, clave is the most important concept in the studyof Latin music. Translated into English, the word means"essence," "foundation," or "key." These are very descriptivewords, and each of them carries a lot of weight. Clave is theessence of many of the rhythms we will be studying. Its two-barpattern is the very foundation of Afro-Caribbean music, and init we can find the key to a better understanding of the drumset'srole.

One of the patterns we'll become accustomed to is the forwardclave, or 3-2 clave. It's called 3-2 because in the first bar thereare three beats, and in the second there are two.3-2 (Forward)

The 2-3 clave, or reverse clave, is exactly that—it has twobeats in the first bar, and three in the second.2-3 (Reverse)

Why is understanding clave so important? Well, getting theclave feel down will help all our Latin playing feel better. I'vefound clave to be a kind of tension-and-release formula. Onebar is the tension, the other bar is the release. Actually, almostall music is about tension and release—in harmonic as well asrhythmic terms. If we can bring that feeling to our playing, wecan become better musicians.

Now on to our first study, the mozambique rhythm. Firstwe'll look at a typical application of the rhythm. By concentratingon the feel of the basic rhythm, we can then move to variationsof the rhythm while maintaining the feel.

An important part of mozambique is its cowbell pattern. Thefollowing exercises are in both 2-3 and 3-2 clave directions.Notice that the only difference in the bell pattern is in whichmeasure it starts. There are many variations to this pattern.

This is a basic example.

Now we'll add the other hand to the pattern, playing the snareand tom. The rhythm indicated is typically what a timbalero(timbale player) would play between the low and high timbales.The tom part designates another important part of themozambique rhythm, the ponche (or punch). These examplesare accompanied by the bass drum and hi-hat playing thedownbeats.2-3 clave

3-2 clave

Adding a different bass drum pattern to each of these patternsresults in the following grooves.

Now let's examine a contemporary groove idea that has theinherent feel of mozambique within it. Try playing the followingpattern as written. Then reverse the sticking, making everyright hand a left and vice versa. This will develop yourindependence and your weak hand.

In this next example, we've taken the above idea, which wasinspired by the mozambique rhythm, and applied it to an oddtime, specifically 3/4. (Notice that in both these ideas the hi-hatis closed with the foot on each downbeat, except for beat "4" ofthe common-time example.)

I hope you've enjoyed our first foray into Afro-Caribbeanrhythms and their applications to many different styles of music.We'll be examining many other rhythms in upcoming issues. Ifyou have any questions or comments, please feel free to contactme through MD, and I'll be sure to get back to you.

Don't PayTo Play

In my last two columns I had a lot to sayabout what was good about playing clubs,and what could be gained by being a clubmusician. I also stated several opinionsregarding the values of different kinds ofclubs—and perhaps of the musicians whowork in them. But this time, I want to startoff with a blanket statement that applies toany musician approaching the possibilityof playing in any kind of club: You shouldnever pay to play!

In many places—especially large citieswith an overabundance of aspiring bandsand a limited number of venues—themusic scene is a "buyer's market." Clubowners are besieged with bands who wantto perform in their clubs. The ethicalthing for these club owners to do is to lis-ten to the bands (either live or via an audi-tion tape), decide which ones will go overbest with their clientele, and then bookthem to play one or more dates. Theseshould be paid bookings, at whatever theappropriate rate of pay may be. (It mightbe a flat rate, a percentage of the door, orsome other figure that is agreeable to bothparties. Salary negotiation is a subject foranother column.) The band plays the dateor dates, and if it does well, is asked back.

Now, that's the ethical way to do it. Theunethical—and unfortunately all-too-com-mon way—is for the owner to tell thebands, "Look, you all want to play here. Igotta hire a sound system, pay for lights,cover my staff's salaries, and maybe take aloss on all of this if you guys don't sell a lotof drinks (or tickets, or whatever). So youneed to put up a $250 deposit with me. If Imake more than that on you, I'll split theoverage with you. In the meantime, youguys get the benefit of the exposure you'llget playing in my club."

Now, let's figure that this guy is hiring

three bands for the night, and giving themall the same spiel. He makes $750 fromthe bands, which "obviously isn't enoughto cover his expenses for the night," so thebands get nothing back and are each outtheir $250. In the meantime, the ownerhas received free entertainment for hisclientele, and has been able to perpetuatethe impression with any musicians in thearea that his club is the hotplace to play.

Sound like a ripoff? Youbet it is. But many bands areso desperate for someplaceto play—both from an emo-tional and professionalneed—that they succumbregularly to this type ofexploitation.

Well, you ask, what can bedone? If there are only somany clubs to play in, andmany of those are pay-to-play situations, where do yougo? My answer is that youhave several options, and thechoices depend on howambitious, creative, anddownright indignant you are.

First, if you are indignant(as I am) about such anunethical practice as pay-to-play clubs, you can pass theword around in your musicalcommunity, in an attempt toget other musicians not toplay there. In other words,organize a strike! Nothingwill affect club owners ofthis breed except a blow tothe pocketbook. Put up fly-ers around town (musicstores, record stores, schoolbulletin boards, and otherplaces where club flyers are often posted)informing the club-going public about thesituation and asking them not to frequentthose clubs. And make sure to support anyclubs that do not have such an unethicalpolicy. I can't guarantee that it will work,but it might, and it certainly might gainyou some personal satisfaction.

In the meantime, look for the ethicalclubs, and try to get work in them. If you

" Manybands are sodesperate forsomeplace toplay—bothfrom an

emotionaland

professionalneed—that

theysuccumb toexploitation."

live in a big city, try traveling to the sub-urbs, or the smaller towns a bit fartherout. It might mean spending some travel-ing time and money, but those clubs mightbe eager for some quality "out-of-town"entertainment. In other words, you couldgo from being an unpaid, tiny fish in a verybig ocean, to a fairly well-paid, big fish in asmall pond. It's worth looking into.

Unfortunately, thebands that are the easiestfor unethical club owners toexploit are young bandseager for the opportunity toplay in front of people inorder to gain experience—and willing to pay for thatopportunity. While I concurthat experience is an essen-tial ingredient of improve-ment, I feel that a band cangain just as much experi-ence by performing forsome organization that isn'tgaining additional financialbenefit from the band'sefforts. That is to say,rather than pay their ownmoney to play in a club thatsells drinks for profit, aband should offer its ser-vices, gratis, for schooldances, fraternity parties,charity functions, or othersuch activities. The organi-zation gets the music forfree, while the band getsthe experience and theexposure. It doesn't putspending money in theband's pockets, but itdoesn't take it out of theirpockets, either. And it doesgive them the opportunity

to try their skills in front of a live audi-ence. Once those skills are fully devel-oped—along with the band's popularity—the band will find themselves in a muchbetter negotiating position when it comesto paying gigs.

My basic premiss for this column wasthat you should never pay to play. I havenothing against playing for free, if youstand to reap some other form of tangible

by Rick Van Horn

benefit. But don't make a career of playingfor free, and don't do it in a club when theowner is making money as a result of yourperformance. Is he promoting his club bygiving away free liquor? If not, then don'thelp him promote it by giving away yourmusic for free. If you are working togetheron some promotional campaign, fine; justmake sure that everybody's investmentand potential benefits are equal.

Finally, if you must pay to play, youshould pay yourself. That is, if you have tospend money, spend it in such a way thatyou stand to gain from your investment,instead of some unscrupulous club owner.Take the money that the club owner isdemanding (or pool yours with that of sev-eral other bands) and hire your own hall,sound system, lights, etc. There are alwaysold theaters, VFW halls, school gymnasi-ums, and other sites available for rental,whether you live in New York City orPodunk. Again, how much energy you havecomes into play here, since you might haveto do some research into permits, alcoholregulations, sound level restrictions, etc.But it can be done—and done profitably, ifyou do it well. You might find that "con-cert promotion" is more rewarding—inseveral ways—than slogging about fromclub to club. And when you are the pro-moter, you'll find that job-related negotia-tions are amazingly easy!

The bottom line here is: Always make

sure that you gain something positive fromyour musical efforts, no matter what theymay be. That gain may be in the form ofexperience, publicity, or money. (A combi-nation of the three is even better.) Keep

your wits about you when dealing withclub owners, and make sure that when itcomes to working in their club, you areemployed, not exploited.

KENNY ARONOFF

die. You have to be ready for anything. Iobviously didn't know all 250; I got tapesof as many songs as I could and listenedto them on the plane going to and com-ing from Japan.

"When I got to the show," Aronoffcontinues, "I thought we'd at leastrehearse the beginnings and endings ofthe songs, but you only get an hour torehearse, and Paul wanted to rehearsetwo Mellencamp songs—which I alreadyknew!" Kenny laughs. "Then Paulshowed me his basic cues, and after thatwe learned this little Vegas-type jazzthing that we were supposed to playwhen Dave said, 'You've won a brand-new car!' Then we went through thetheme, and Paul told me to watch Dave'shand motions during the monologue andmake drum hits to go with them. Thenwe just talked through some songs wewere going to play on the show. Duringall of this I'm writing notes to myself asfast as I can, and all of a sudden some-body walks by and says, 'Three minutesto show.' Meanwhile, Paul is telling me,

'We'll play these two songs before theshow starts. Now in this one, stop when Itell you to stop. I'll play for four mea-sures, then you come back in, then I'llcue you to stop again, then I'll play foreight measures, then you come back in,and at the end play a solo. Then we'll gointo "Brown Sugar.'" So I'm trying to jotall of this down as fast as I can. I go backto the drums and I'm not even situatedbehind them when Paul starts countingoff the first song."

Despite Kenny's fears, the show wentwell. "The first day you do any gig isalways the wildest," Aronoff says,"because you haven't experienced thingsthat everybody else has been comfortablewith for a long time. But it went great,probably because everybody was so con-cerned about doing it right. Paul gave methe best cues he could, and somehow Ipulled it off."

Letterman seemed to enjoy havingAronoff in the band, acknowledging himeach night, getting him involved in"Stupid Human Tricks," and doingjokes—obviously directed at Mellen-

camp—about making records and doingfarm chores. "I was treated really, reallywell," Aronoff says. "But it got wildsometimes. At one point Paul called out asong, and I couldn't think of how it went.Paul was already counting it off, so Ilooked over at Will Lee and said, 'Will,who did this song?' Will said, 'Billy Pres-ton,' as Paul was going, '...three, four.' Isuddenly remembered how it went andBAM, we were doing it. Another timeDave turned to the band and said, 'Giveme some AC/DC. One, two, one twothree four.' Paul yelled out a song titleand I didn't have time to think. I justplayed fast time on sloshy hi-hats andwatched for a cue to end. When I saw theshow in my hotel room that night, itsounded great. But I didn't know what Iwas doing," Kenny laughs.

Kenny came away from the experiencewith a new respect for what Anton Figdeals with on a regular basis. "He reallydoes that show well," Kenny acknowl-edges. "Replacing the drummer has tobe one of the most difficult things to do.The band is the car and the drummer is

the gasoline. You can have the fanciestcar in the world, but if you don't use theright gas, the car won't run well. Andthat's what it's like switching drummers,especially in a band that has an estab-lished groove. You change the drummer,you change the whole feel. But that canbe exciting, too, for the other members,if the drummer is good. You just don'twant to be bad gas."

or a band called Hammerheads,Farm Aid IV was their biggest breakyet. They would be performing at

the same concert with John Mellencamp,Willie Nelson, Guns N' Roses, BonnieRaitt, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Lou Reed,and Bruce Hornsby, not to mention anaudience of 45,000 people. So if therewas ever a time for one of the bandmembers not to get sick, this was it.Nevertheless, the night before the show,Hammerheads drummer Matt Thomp-son ended up in the hospital. "I don'tknow if it was a flu bug or what," herecalls, "but they didn't want to releaseme. I had to make that concert, though."

Thompson arrived at the HoosierDome the next day around noon. Ham-merheads were supposed to go on at2:30. "I stumbled to the dressing roomand collapsed on a couch," Thompsonsays. "I figured I would just rest as muchas possible and hope for the best. All of asudden the door flew open and KennyAronoff came in. He had heard that thedrummer from one of the bands wasfeeling bad, so he came by to offer hisencouragement."

Thompson smiles at the memory,simultaneously shaking his head in dis-belief. "I was blown away when I sawKenny," he says. "I mean, I've got somuch respect for the guy anyway, and forhim to take the time to come and see mewas really special. He gave me a big ol"pep talk for about an hour, and told mehow important it is for drummers to takecare of their health. By the time I had togo on, he had me so charged up that Iplayed great, and I felt fine the rest ofthe day."When complimented for his good deed

towards a fellow drummer, Aronoff mod-estly shrugs it off. "I knew what he wasgoing through," Kenny says. "Therehave been a lot of times when I've been

sick and had to play a show or do a ses-sion. But if you're eating right and takingvitamins and generally trying to take careof yourself, that at least helps the situa-tion."

It's only been during the past coupleof years that Aronoff has realized howimportant those things can be. "From1980 to '88," he explains, "I was living afairly normal life. We were going throughthe cycle of rehearsing for an album,recording the album, rehearsing for atour, and doing the tour. Then we might

take a month or two off before starting torehearse for the next album. But exceptfor when we were on tour, I was living inmy own house where it was easier to eatproperly and get regular sleep. Even onthe road we had a somewhat consistentschedule.

"The Lonesome Jubilee tour endedJuly 3 of '88. On July 7, I was in the stu-dio with John Eddie, and from then untilI went back with Mellencamp this pastFebruary I was on the go constantly. Iremember one run that was typical. I hadF

been recording in Bloomington, andthen I had to catch a flight at night toLA to do a video shoot with Corey Hartthe next day. As soon as the shoot wasover I caught a plane to Atlanta to recordfor three days with the Indigo Girls. Iflew back to L.A. to record with BobSeger, and then flew to Woodstock for aweek, where I was producing a bandcalled the Breakdown. From there I flewback to L.A. to finish recording withSeger, and then I went straight intorecording with Elton John. There wereno breaks between any of these projects.

"Most of these things," Kenny contin-ues, "were like 15-hour days. I would besitting on the plane listening to a demotape of the next project and transcribingit. Then I would catch two or three hoursof sleep, get off the plane, and go right tothe next thing. Sometimes I would go awhole week only getting three hours ofsleep a night. Now that can be cool whenyou're motivated and have a lot of energy,but at some point the body needs a rest. Ican probably push the limits as much asanybody, but living that kind of lifestyle, Ihad to make some changes."

Kenny's first change involved trying toeat better. "I didn't need food that wouldbog me down," he explains. "I neededfood to give me lightness. That meantmore vegetables and less meat. I wasn't acomplete vegetarian, but I was very, veryclose. Also, I would start the day by justeating fruit. And I found that it was goodto wait a little bit before I even ate that.You need to get your motor going first, ifyou can.

"Also," Kenny says, "because I wasn'tgetting enough sleep, I'd take a strongmultiple vitamin with a tremendousamount of vitamin B and all the miner-als. A good multiple vitamin will helpprotect your immune system, becauseworking those hours, man, I was suscep-tible to everything. If you are starting toget a cold and you haven't had enoughsleep, you're not eating well, and you'redrinking, you're really going to get sick.

"Another thing," Kenny adds, "is if youare eating wrong, drinking, and abusingyourself, it's very important to get car-diovascular exercise so you sweat. Thatis a good way to get rid of germs andviruses. At a hotel I would ride a bike ordo the treadmill, or I would go out andrun. Of course, running in L.A. wasn'talways good because of the pollution, butyou can always do situps and pushups inyour hotel room. If I've had a longstretch of work with no days off, though,I start decreasing the exercise so that Ican save all my strength for the session.

"All of those things add up," Kennyconcludes. "I found that eating better,staying away from caffeine and alcohol,taking vitamins, and exercising made itpossible for me to accomplish what Iaccomplished over the past two years. Iworked almost every day."

hen John Mellencamp called tosay he had decided to put theband back together for an

album and a tour, Kenny had to make ahard decision. "I kept putting it off,"Kenny says. "I didn't know what to do. Ihad a whole new career doing sessions inLA Should I blow that off and go backto a band that I had already done for tenyears? Would I be going forward or back-wards? If I were Kenny Aronoff's manag-er, I would probably have told him toseriously consider quitting the band,move to L.A., continue to do sessions,

W

and start trying to produce more."As with his drumming, though, Kenny

will often forsake technical correctnessto go for what feels the best. "I've devot-ed 11 years of my life to this band," hesays. "It's like family, and I'm an integralpart of it. And I'm definitely a band kindof guy, no matter how many sessions Iplay. When I'm in the studio, I don't wantto just clock in and clock out. I want tobe part of the band that's making thatrecord. That's why I get into it so much.I want to be on the team—the startinglineup. So if I didn't have this band tocome back to, I'd look for another one tobe in."

Kenny does, in fact, feel that there is agreat deal at stake with the new Mellen-camp record. "This is the most impor-tant record I've ever made with John,"Kenny says, "because we have to beat sixother records we've made. We have to bebetter than we were, or at least as goodin a different way. We have to be leaders,not followers. A lot of bands are sound-ing like other bands; I want to sound likeus.

"I also want this to be the best recordI've made in the last two years becausethis is my family. I belong to this band.Like I said, when I do a session I try tomake it feel like I'm playing in a band.But the reality is that I'm not. You can'tjust take a bunch of studio musicians—Idon't care how good they are—and makethem sound like guys who have beentogether for 11 years."

Kenny feels that he has come back toMellencamp with a wealth of knowledgeand new ideas. "On John's new record,"he says, "I'm playing seven beats thatI've never used on his recordsbefore—or anybody else's. They are notradically different, but they're fresh. Onone song, I play the bass drum on all ofthe offbeats, which works well with thebass line. On another song I used a dou-ble bass pedal for the basic beat. I'venever done that before, either.

"I should play you a couple of tapes,"Kenny says, suddenly jumping up fromhis sofa. He loads an unmarked cassetteinto his tape player and soon John Mel-lencamp's unmistakable voice is fillingthe room. But it's not the sound that onenormally associates with Mellencamp.He is accompanied by a single acousticguitar (which he is presumably playing

himself) and his syllables are slightlyslurred as though he is singing to him-self rather than for someone else. Add tothat the raw quality of the tape itself,which sounds as if it were recorded on aportable boom box, and if you didn't rec-ognize Mellencamp's voice you mightthink it was an old recording of a Deltablues singer.

"That's a demo tape John gave us ofone of his songs," Kenny comments. "Ihad to listen to that to come up with abeat." As the song continues, I try todecide what type of drum pattern would

fit what I'm hearing, but there is nothingabout the tape that suggests anything outof the ordinary.

The song ends and Kenny ejects thetape, loading another one in its place. Amoment later the sound of a driving rockband blasts from the speakers. Soon,Mellencamp's voice joins in, belting outa set of lyrics. Only then do I realize thatit's the same song I heard on the demo.The drum pattern features a double basslick, and instead of the customary back-beats on 2 and 4, the first snare drumnote smacks one 16th note before the 2,

giving the listener a musical jab in theribs. Nothing on Mellencamp's demoseemed to suggest what Aronoff endedup playing.

"Usually," Kenny explains, "John justplays the song for us in the studio andwe have to come up with an arrangementright on the spot. When you're startingfrom something that sounds like a folksong, you have to get another referencepoint. So John might say, 'Let's take theapproach of an Animals song. Whatwould they do?' I might take an actualbeat from a song I've heard, but as wework with it, I'll change the beat andmodernize it. A lot of the pressure is onme to come up with a beat, becausethat's really what you're going to buildthe arrangement around. So that's whyit's important for me to listen to lots ofdifferent styles of music so I keep newideas in my head.

"With this record, though," Kennycontinues, "John gave us tapes of ninesongs ahead of time, so that gave metime to do some research. I had someguidelines to go on: John said to thinkLennon, Hendrix, and Zeppelin. Whenyou hear the final record, you're probably

not going to hear anything that soundslike Lennon, Hendrix, or Zeppelin, butthose were the general attitudes we wereapproaching the record with: aggressive,loud, intense. So I did a lot of listening toLennon, Hendrix, and Zeppelin, but Ialso listened to a lot of other things.

"I came up with three or four differentbeats for each song," Kenny says. "Forthat song I played you, 'Love And Happi-ness,' one of the beats I came up withhad that pushed 16th note, and in allhonesty, I didn't think John would evergo for that. He liked it, but he asked meto try to use double bass drum in it. So Ifilled in some 16ths with the doublebass, and that became the basic beat ofthe song."

Kenny has found that trying to comeup with new beats behind the drumset isnot always ideal, as it's easy to start play-ing patterns you already know. "A lot oftimes," he says, "when I want to comeup with something new, I start singingthings as opposed to playing them on thedrums. After I come up with somethinginteresting, then I'll write it down."

In a previous MD interview, Aronoffexplained that with Mellencamp he

sometimes played open-handed, with hisleft hand playing hi-hat and his rightsmacking the snare drum. It was a tech-nique that Kenny first experimentedwith during the time he studied withGary Chester, long before he was amember of Mellencamp's band. But hehad never developed it to a very highdegree. He started using it again withMellencamp on songs such as "Hurts SoGood" and "Hand To Hold On To" toget a looser, sloppier feel, preciselybecause he couldn't do it as well. Soon,he was playing left-handed almost asmuch as he was the "regular" style.

But after all these years of doing that,surely Kenny's left hand has developedto the point where it's no longer particu-larly sloppy. "You're right," Aronoffagrees. "Playing left-handed now, it'smuch tighter, but it still has a little dif-ferent feel. When I play 8th notes right-handed I tend to accent the 1, 2, 3, and 4.When I play left-handed, I tend to accentall the 8th notes. So that's good, becauseI can get a different sound without eventrying. It just naturally comes out thatway.

"When we play live," Kenny continues,

"I tend to play half the show left-handed.When I want that super LOUD powerstroke on the snare drum—when I reallywant to take it over the top—I can raisemy right hand way up higher than Iwould be able to raise my left hand if Ihad my hands crossed. So anotheradvantage is just for power.

"The other thing is I can keep my hi-hat going while I hit things on the rightside of my kit, such as tom-toms or cym-bals. An example of that is on the newAldo Nova record, a song called 'BrightLights.' Jon Bon Jovi was producing, andat one point he wanted this 8th-note tomfill, but he wanted the hi-hat going, too.And he didn't want to do it by overdub-bing. So that's a good example of why it'sgood to be able to play that way."

The Mellencamp band took a fewweeks off after recording the newalbum—except for Aronoff, of course,who ended up back in L.A. doing moresessions. But as the band prepares to hitthe road for an extended tour, Aronoff islooking forward to doing some live play-ing again.

"I'll probably lose my place in the stu-dio a little bit while I'm touring withJohn," Kenny admits. "But when I comeback, if it means a lot to me, I'll just haveto bust my butt again to start it back up.At least I've already proven I can do it. Itmay never get back to where it was. Whoknows? But I have to follow myheart—follow that passion. That's thekey."

enny Aronoff can obviously handlea lot of different musical situa-tions. So how does he assess his

own abilities? "I play with a tremendousamount of force, confidence, and power,"he says, "but also with control. That'sthe rock part, but there's also theroll—that sort of sleezy, slippery, unde-fined stuff. I'm constantly trying to dec-orate the cake with creative things sothat it's not so controlled that it's sterile.

"Technically," Aronoff continues, "mybasic style of playing is the 'less is more'approach. I can give you more, and if it'sokay, I'd like to. But I have a wholevocabulary of ideas based on playingsimple.

"I also play with a tremendous amountof passion," Kenny adds. "I play like Icare. The thing is, at a session I'll go in

and try to do it my way. If a producer tellsme he wants a particular thing, fine. I'lldo exactly what he says. But I still playwith my feeling until I'm told to do oth-erwise. There are other elements todoing it your way besides the beats youplay. The good news is, your basic per-sonality really has the most affect on howyou're going to sound. The way I playdrums from song to song stems fromwho I am as a person, I'm excitable andpassionate, and that's why I can get intothe Indigo Girls as much as Jon Bon Jovi.I can't play the same way technically for

both of them, but I can play with thesame passion.

"See," Kenny says, "technique isimportant, but there has to be a balancebetween technique and passion. When Iwas in high school the three things thatmade me passionate were music, sports,and girls. It felt so good to play sports.You go out there and try to win. And evenif you lose, you are sharing a very emo-tional and physical experience with ateam. You feel the ups and downs, andyou're living. Then I'd have a girlfriend,so I was feeling all the things that go

K

along with that. I couldn't wait to call herup at night or go on a date on theweekend.

"And then there was music, which isreally cool because I can feel all thoseother things when I'm playing music.There is the technical side, which allowsyou to express emotions, but you have tofeel those emotions. Music isn't just con-trol, it also involves the kind of passionthat is almost out of control. You're notthinking, you're just living. And it may goa little this way or that way. That's whysometimes music doesn't have to be per-fectly in time; it can just move. That's life.Life isn't perfectly in time. Life undu-lates, it swells, it moves to the right andto the left.

"But when you force everything to beperfectly in time and quantized, that's anintellectual ego trip. You're getting off ona concept, but that's not life; that's notpassion. Nothing is perfect in life, andthat's why some of the best music isn'tperfect; it's got that same kind of move-ment that life has. It's not totally out ofcontrol, just enough to make it feel natu-ral.

"You know," Kenny says, "when I heara song now, my first concern is not thedrum beat. I want to hear the song; I wantto know the lyrics. I'm going deeper now.In the beginning of my drumming life,everything was on the skin. Then, as Ibecame more educated, I started gettingdown into the layers of the skin. Then I

got to the bones, and now I'm in the mar-row, man. I'm in deep. I want to knowwhat this song is about. I want to knowthe whole vibe. Then I can start thinkingabout what beat I want to play.

"You want to know what the toughestsession in the world is?" Kenny asks. "It's

when I can't get into a song. That's whenI have to slap myself in the head and say,'By golly, you better find a way to get intoit or you're going to sound like shit onthis record.' And I've never failed at that.I will find a way to get turned on by asession—somehow, someway."

experience. They haven't played withanyone, haven't been on the road, haven'tbeen there. You can't learn it from abook.Ralph: The institutions are still playingthe same political games that go on insociety. It's a reflection of America'ssocietal problem with education as awhole. Qualified teachers are notrespected in America. They should besought out. You want to teach young peo-ple to be individuals, to give them thehistorical data necessary to attain theirgoals.Marvin: If you're going to educate themabout jazz music, you have to educatethem about the African-American expe-rience. A lot of bureaucrats don't want tohear that.KM: Maybe it's easier to support theEuropean classical tradition?Marvin: It pumps up their egos. Theydon't want to make an African-Americantheir hero. You kidding?!Adam: Vanilla Ice is much safer thanM.C. Hammer.KM: It seems impossible to discuss jazzdrumming without getting into theissues surrounding it.Ralph: It goes back to what Max Roachsays about drums and jazz being thestrongest representation of the blackman in American society. The first thingtaken away from the slaves was thedrum. Throughout the history of Ameri-

can classical music, the drum has beensupressed. It took leaders with courageto allow drummers to exert themselves.Every time they did, the music changed.Jeff: What separates this music fromother musics is not necessarily anythingharmonic, or form things. It's the dancesensibility. There have always been com-plex rhythms, but this music has a dancesensibility that wasn't present until mypeople were here.KM: Do you mean "swing" by dancesensibility?Jeff: Could be swing, funk, reggae...it'srhythm. The drum being used to makepeople dance and other instruments imi-tating that. If jazz didn't have that thingthat makes people want to dance, youcould draw a criteria into it and drawparallels between it and European andother musics of the world. That's whythe drum is so important.KM: Is it true that it's hard to find good,swinging drummers in Europe?Adam: You can count them on onehand.Marvin: People have got to hear somesoul in a player. They can go as far out asthey want, but sooner or later they haveto return to some soul.Adam: The spirit always needs to beenergized. It's not about how fast a guy'splaying or how slick he is. Did he get youin your gut? Has he affected you?Jeff: People are so conditioned now, a lotof them don't even care.

Kenny: People don't really know. Theycan go out of the club buzzing, but theytend to forget about it.Jeff: This culture is so consumer-ori-ented. Music has been reduced to aproduct in the mass market.Kenny: But it's the same all over theworld. The Japanese and the Europeanswill check it out. But in Japan, unlessyou're a really big name, jazz is still sec-ond-class music. I've been there withClark Terry, Jon Faddis, Johnny Griffin,Tommy Flanagan.... Someone who playsmore commercial jazz will be put in thebig halls. Smaller artists are working atthe Pit Inn.Marvin: I was at Tower Records today,and they had this huge display for thelive Chick Corea Akoustic Band album.This is the tragedy: You hear this record,and you're lead to believe that this is theprecedent for what jazz should soundlike. You put on a Coltrane record, orMiles Davis' Kind Of Blue, and peoplewill turn their nose up. I mean, kudos toChick Corea, the cat's done some beau-tiful things musically. But if it ain'tswinging, man...throw it back! I mean,everybody in this room plays their assoff! Swinging their butts off! I'd probablydie and go to hell if Dave Weckl came tomy gig to ask me questions about playingthe instrument.Adam: I recently played a Zildjian day inBoston with Myron Grombacher, GreggBissonette, and Peter Erskine. I figured

NYC JAZZ ROUND TABLE

those guys would play with a track. Iwent up to play for the moment. Ibrought a bass player and a sax player. Alot of the kids had no idea who I was. Iplayed a four-piece kit. I said, "I'm hereto play music, not just to play thedrums." I played "Mary Had A LittleLamb" for five minutes. I swung it,played the melody...I played the cym-bals. The other drummers who werethere know who we are....Ralph: To know is not enough. Whenthey fail to tell their audience whatinspired them to play the drums, whichnine out of ten times is either Art Blakeyor Max Roach, then they are still part ofthe problem and not the solution.Adam: But they may not know Art orMax. Their big influence may be JohnBonham or Ginger Baker. I mean, abeat's a beat. It can be jazz or swing, AlJackson, Bernard Purdie, Zigaboo Mod-eliste...! don't care what you call it.Chick Webb, Sid Catlett—if a guygrooves, he grooves, whether it's spang-a-lang or a backbeat.Jeff: All those people you're speaking ofwere giving up, though. At the time theycame out, the drumset was still evolvingand being invented. The set was invent-ed to play African-American music. InEurope, they still had a snare drummer,a bass drum player, and a guy who playedthe cymbals. There was no ride cymbalaround.KM: There have been no major stylisticinnovations in jazz drumming sinceTony Williams or Elvin Jones. Is itimportant to be innovative?Jeff: Those people are at the core. Theirnames keep coming up. Just like in clas-sical music, there hasn't been any seri-ous evolution in so many years, the peo-ple who have done the most stuff areheld in a place of reverence. Their worksare preserved.

It's a crime when somebody who playsthe instrument doesn't know who RoyHaynes is. Whenever one takes up thedrums, there should be enough mediaexposure around so they know KennyClarke invented the ride cymbal, Jo Jonesdealt with the hi-hat...it didn't existuntil these people started to do it. Itshould be in a place of importance.KM: Can we address the subject ofinnovation?

Kenny: But that's the problem. Most ofthe young drummers feel they have toplay something different. Elvin Jones andTony Williams didn't wake up and say,"I'm gonna play something differenttoday!" It's a continual thing, somethingthat happens.Lewis: To come up with your ownapproach is important. That doesn'tmean it will be a major innovation, but Ithink all of us are trying to express our-selves in our own way—it may besmall—but we're trying to advance theinstrument.Victor: The best thing you can do iswhat's best for the music, as opposed tothinking, "I'm gonna play some shittonight that's gonna wipe everyone out!"That can have nothing to do with themusic.KM: How did you guys learn the instru-ment?Adam: I started with the name playersof my day and went backwards.Jeff: You have to do some seriousresearch—hunt, look around. You reallyhave to have the desire.Marvin: For young drummers, theemphasis is not there, and they don'tcare to know. No one is pointing it out tothem.Jeff: If someone studies classical violinor trumpet, the repertoire they mustknow is presented to them. They have todeal with certain priorities before theyget busy at all.KM: What do you tell young drummersyou meet in clubs?Marvin: I tell people that if they reallywant to deal with this, they have to checkout this, this, and this. I check out theirreaction. If they have a discouraged look,I know they're not ready to deal with ityet.Adam: I have very profound memoriesof being a little kid and going up to ArtBlakey, Eddie Moore, Billy Hart, Elvin,Philly Joe Jones, and Mel Lewis. Thesecats turned me on. They didn't dismissme. I guess with my attitude they couldsee I was honest and sincere in what Iwanted. Those moments always come tomind when young cats approach me. Itry to share what I know with them.KM: If a drummer comes from Any-where U.S.A. and he can swing, read,and play the idiom, will he be able to

make a living here in New York?Kenny: If a guy comes and can doeverything you mentioned he'll be work-ing inside of a week. He'll pick up all theleftover work we can't do. The problemis, there is no one around playing reallygood time. I remember when I metSmitty. This cat came to New York in JonHendricks' band and decided to stay. Inless than a month's time he was pre-pared. There's plenty of work.Adam: I think there are more playersthan the scene can absorb.Kenny: I think there are more playerswho are unqualified than there are gigs.Marvin: I've done gigs where after-wards the leader wanted me to tour, but Iwas already booked. So I think, "Okay,the B-Team." There ain't no B-Team! Ihave to be honest with the guy. I can'trecommend a cat who can't cut the gig.It reflects on me. There are not enoughcats here who are truly ready for the deal.Kenny: I'm always looking for cats whocan really play. They come to New Yorktoo soon.Adam: There's no substitute for experi-ence. You can be shedding all day and

know every lick from everybody, butunless you know about the reactive pro-cess that happens on the bandstand—it's about application. The ability to playmusic and be a catalyst for a situation. Ifa guy's been playing in his house withDave Weckl all day and he gets a gig play-ing a shuffle like Sam Woodyard, hewon't know what's happening.Lewis: Part of what it takes is what thebandleader wants to hear. If they're play-ing things that are musical, and showsome sense of maturity and history ofthe music, that's the first step in gettinghired. After that, it's an ongoing learningprocess. See what it's like to play with apiano trio, with a sextet...see what it'slike to play with musicians on a muchhigher level than you're on, to where youalmost feel inept.Adam: The best thing a bandleader cansay to you is nothing.Marvin: Except, "Man, yeah. Alright."Case in point: I had to sub for Billy Hartwith Art Farmer and Benny Golson'sJazztet at Fat Tuesday's. I subbed thevery last night of the gig. He's got thisbig book of charts and arrangements. I

had to cut it. Art and Benny said, "Whatdo you want to play?" I said, "You call it,I'll be there." Bam! That's what you gotto do. The gig is mine now.KM: Is anything else required besidesreading well and swinging?Kenny: That's it—the time, the swing,that's it![laughs all around]Billy: It don't mean a thing....Jeff: If at least you're swinging, thisscene will embrace you. Cats will at leastgive you a play. It's not a scene where alot of politics are dealt with, like manyother places. If someone gets a sincereand honest feeling from playing with you,that will win out over any politics orconnections. If a cat sits in and makeshis presence known and makes themusic happen, that won't be denied.Kenny: On the other hand, if you can'tplay and you come to New York, whenyou finally do get it together, it will takefive years to change the impression youmade. You have to be prepared.Marvin: We need people who can play.The music demands it. Good players willalways have a seat.

Ralph: There may be lulls, you mayhave to play some weddings for finances.Kenny: Weddings can pay the rent.KM: Do you all still play that gig whereyou're relegated to just keeping time? Tobaby-sit, in effect?Billy: It exists on all levels of gigs. Youmight be playing next to a cat who's acat, and it still might be tricky.Adam: Not everybody is compatible.Kenny may play with a guy and it mightfeel right, and I might go in and it won'tfeel right. You've heard records that lookgreat from the people on them, but theysound terrible. Certain people want youto kick them in the ass. Can you be visi-ble in the music? Or invisible if needed?Can you blend in?Kenny: The drummer is never invisible.The drummer runs the band. Even in asituation where you've got to play time, ifyou're not there, you don't have a band!Marvin: All of us can agree that if thedrummer's not happening...Kenny: ...the people will leave.Throughout history, the drummersmade the big impressions in the bigbands. It was a big deal when Sonny

Greer left Duke Ellington and LouieBellson took his place, or when Jo Jonesleft the Bassie band and Shadow Wilsontook his place. Even in Ellington's bandwith all those heavy personalities, it wasthe drummers who made the overallsound change. The same thing whenElvin Jones left Coltrane for a while andRoy Haynes came in—completely differ-ent thing.KM: Do you approach recording in thestudio and playing live differently?Victor: Years ago I approached recordingwith a separate attitude in terms of con-cept. I was glad when I finally got overthat. Now I just go in and play the sameas I do live. Also, back then I wasroughed off by engineers: "Oh man, canyou take your front head off?" I thinkthere was a shortage of good acousticengineers in the late '70s, early '80s.With the advancement of high-techequipment, they started hearing fromthe meters as opposed to using theirears. Now we've got engineers who are atleast as good as the ones in the '60s. Istill think the guys then were the bad-dest cats for recording acoustic music.

Lewis: Definitely. Those records soundlike you're in the club. It's basically avery rich, acoustic sound. There hasbeen an effort in the last ten years toaccommodate what we do rather than tryto make us change. They have to adjust.If they did it in the '60s...they had thebalance of the instrument down.Jeff: You can't tell someone how to playin the studio. It's something you have todo. In a live situation, you want as high apercentage of what you play—and theway you want it to sound on the instru-ment—to get the people. That way theyunderstand the information you're deal-ing with—based on the inspiration youfeel at the moment.

In the studio it's the same way. Youhave to develop different techniques toget that sound to the microphones. It'simportant to be prepared and comfort-able because, like Monk says, "You reallyget the music in the first couple takes."The inspiration and the spirit. Know thehead and the arrangement, have thetempo locked in, know everything and bein the proper frame of mind. The firstfew statements you make interpreting

someone else's music will be very hon-est. You might want to change somethingafter hearing the playbacks...Kenny: ...but the spirit dies. For me,getting there early is the key so I getused to the feeling of the studio. I getthere two hours early, read the paper,have a sandwich, talk to the engineer—then I'm relaxed. Some of theserehearsals before the gig—for thesecash-and-carry record dates we all knowabout—they have one rehearsal. If themusic is that complicated, you make atape and live with it.Adam: Is it feeling good? Is it swinging?All the other stuff—only you will notice.I try to get the engineer to understandmy sound.Kenny: If you piss him off, he candestroy you!Adam: The engineer is another elementin the band. He takes what is in the airand translates it.KM: Can we talk about feathering thebass drum? Is that done even at very fasttempos?Lewis: If it's really fast, no one is doingit. I mean really fast. I personally do it alot, maybe most of the time. But some-

times when you don't do it, the musictakes on a whole different dimension.Feathering is almost like tapping yourfoot to a record.Victor: It becomes not really a strike,but a touch. You use a little emphasiswhen you want.KM: I've read where Art Blakey said hetuned his drums just to get them tosound, like he wasn't extremely con-cerned about tone or pitch. Anythoughts?Victor: There's tuning for pitch, fortouch, for resonance. It depends on thetype of drums, the venue, the music. Alot of times the pitches between my tom-toms may vary to where I find that spotwhere the drum resonates the best with-in a certain pitch range.Lewis: Touch is real important. Theway the sticks come back.KM: Given that some jazz clubs arepretty small, why do some well-knownplayers get pretty loud? I see it regularly.Victor: It depends on the drummer.Elvin Jones comes to mind. But he canplay really soft, too. Tony Williams justlikes it that way.Lewis: It's obvious that on that high of a

musical level the guys are doing thatconsciously. It has to be that.Victor: I know that Lorraine Gordon,who runs the Village Vanguard, getsupset when guys get too loud. She gotupset at me and I thought, "There's noway I'm as loud as Tony." That's whenshe said Tony wouldn't work there any-more.Lewis: I played there with Don Pullenand George Adams, and the level gotpretty high. It depends on the music.KM: What are the guidelines for soloingin a jazz context?Adam: In a tune with a definite form,I'm gonna use the form for sure, and I'mgonna use the tune. You've got a frame-work—use it.Kenny: I only like playing drum solosbecause I play form all the time. What Idon't like about drum solos is that itseems the other players aren't listening.They're having a beer or talking to achick. I hate it if they come back in thewrong place after I set up the head. Thatmeans that they are not paying attentionto what I'm doing.All: Right. You're right.Marvin: Not only are they not listening

to you, but they're not giving you the cred-it to know what the form of the tune is.Kenny: They look funny if I don'taccompany their solo correctly. I want thesame kind of respect. I will fistfight, I'vedone it!Adam: I don't want to count the band in.All: Yes. Right, exactly.Adam: Music is a series of signals. Imean, I'm playing the form behind you,indexing all your shit, putting it in linewhere you ain't.Kenny: I'll come off the bandstand

cussing the guys. I'll tell them straightoff.Marvin: Kenny's a native New Yorker,man. He'll cut you! With Sonny Rollins,he'll play a calypso for 45 minutes andthen say, "You got it!" I mean, Sonny—get me out of here!Adam: I think Miles said you shouldstop before you're finished. But if it'shappening, it's not too long.Ralph: But if you're playing extra cho-ruses to impress someone in the audi-ence, you're not serving the music.

Kenny: A lot of horn players do thatbecause they think that's what Coltranewas into. But 'Trane was really searchingfor something. Or listen to Charlie Park-er on some airchecks: I'll be beggin',"Please play another chorus," and he'llstop. This is live—he'll stop after fourchoruses.KM: Do you all still find time to prac-tice?Lewis: On the road, I get more time inon a pad. When I'm at home there's toomuch to do. That may sound like anexcuse...Victor: ...no, it's not. It's real life.Lewis: Sometimes the music will takeyou to a higher level of playing. You try tokeep your chops in shape. When you geton the stage, these elements cometogether that are unpredictable. Youmight play way above where you thoughtyou could play or maybe way below. It'shard to base anything on a physical con-dition or technique.KM: What do you all stress with yourstudents?Marvin: I like to ask them questionsfirst. "How long have you been playingthis music? What do you have forrecords ? Where do you want to take it?"Kenny: I'm hard on students. Well, nothard...Marvin: Man, don't lie!Kenny: I'm honest with them. I teachmusical conception, how to play withinthe band. I want to know what they'rehearing. I'll give them a tape of musicwith no drums. I tell them to listen tothat for a week, then accompany it. I tellthem to buy particular records or don'tcome back. They're wasting my time andtheir money.Jeff: I get students who've never playedany jazz. I give them something simpleso they can deal with the groove of jazzand apply it with some people as soon aspossible. I'll have them play a shuffleawhile, but if they can't hold that, I'll justtell them to play quarter notes. Then I'llhave them play a simple form—a blues,12-bar—whatever. I told some highschool kids, "Play 'Spiderman' likeyou're playing the melody behind a hornplayer, singing the melody to yourself,playing some choruses like someone'ssoloing. It doesn't have to be blazing ormasterful. Just try to speak."

At the end of an hour, a student shouldbe ready to play a 12-bar blues and knowwhat it is, play some good-feeling timeand be able to take a solo, and lock inwith the bass player. The solo shouldfeel good and be sincere rather thanparadiddle, paradiddle-one, flam, flam-two. Form is a problem. If drummers areaware of form and the fact that a song isgoing by, they'll never have a problem.The song becomes the constant, ratherthan the amount of beats and metricstuff. The way drummers learn aboutmusic in this country is all exercises—slow, fast, slow, stop. You want them tosee their instrument fitting into themusic and making music with theinstrument by itself, independent of any-thing else being there. Unfortunately,they practice all the paradiddle stuff firstand then they start listening to musicand copping licks. So their licks tend tofall into a certain context rather thanbeing freely applied from their having anunderstanding of how to make somemusic on the drums, period.Adam: The drummer's ear is the lastthing to get developed. It should be thefirst. Your biggest tool is your ear.Jeff: In the Suzuki method, they play youexamples of what your instrumentshould sound like—when it's playedwell, when it's played musically. Withdrummers, you want them to think aboutgrooving, playing good time, makingother musicians in the band feel theycan depend on your time.KM: Is part of the problem in the ideathat "anyone can play a beat"—and sonot enough thought is given to seriousstudy and preparation?Adam: No. So much of drumming comesfrom books and exercises that people for-get what the bottom line is.Jeff: A beat has been reduced to a pat-tern. They're not thinking about makingit feel good. So many people are hearingdrum machines and trying to make stuffsound metronomic instead of making allthe parts feel good within each other.That's the last thing they think about.When I play a gig I look for the oldest,dirtiest, dustiest mug in the crowd, and Iwant to see his head bop. You want to getwith the folks. Sometimes you'll start atune and not everybody will have an ideaof where the pocket's gonna be. This canhappen in any kind of music. You want to

get the discipline to establish that as soonas possible.Adam: You have to hook up with the bassplayer quickly.Jeff: The longer it takes, the more musicis getting wasted. Competence comesthrough professionalism and preparation.If you're prepared, you can be flexible.Ralph: Luck is when opportunity andpreparation intersect.Marvin: Sounds more like fate to me.Adam: Like the boy scouts say: "Be Pre-pared."Jeff: That's the whole thing we're talkingabout. If you're able to be professionalwhere you live, you can do the same thinghere in New York.Marvin: People are shocked when I tellthem that. But we need good musicianshere. There's always room for good musi-cians. They look at me like I'm crazy.Adam: You have to be able to adapt.Some cats can't deal with that. They can'tget to a gig on time. Or a guy may playgreat one night out of five. A bandleaderwould rather have consistency.Jeff: It's your responsibility to make thegig sound good. Sometimes you'll do arecord date. Some people will complain:"I'm not taking the music from rehearsalhome, because I only get paid this much,"and stuff like that. But when the recordcomes out, no one knows anything aboutthat. Every time you sit down behind yourinstrument, you've got a responsibility.Lewis: The music we play is very per-sonal. How could you put a drummachine to an Art Blakey track and getthe same effect?Victor: That's one of the things aboutjazz drumming—it's the imperfections.They'd have to sample your whole per-sonality, good and bad.Kenny: I still feel that the masters are upthere somewhere, and they only allow forthe music to get to a certain point beforethey hold court. Jo Jones and those guyshold court! They say, "No, come onback." The click tracks and all that pop-corn stuff, they can't do what we do. Theyhave not come out with a microchip yetthat can play spang-a-lang on the ridecymbal. It's always the feel.

Special thanks to John Castellano and thestaff of Drummers Collective, New YorkCity for their help in putting this storytogether.

RECORDINGS

SUBMEDIASubmedia9 Winds NWCD 0137BRAD DUTZ: perc BOB MAIR: bs, perc DAVE KARASONY: dr, percPygmy Marmazette; Degas; She's A Fatty; I Feel Fine; Lost & Found; TurkeyHunt; Island Painting; Blending Puppies; Sheperd; Extraterrestial; Jellyfish;Dolphins; No Time; Cave Beetle

In the improvisational trio Submedia, a pungently satisfyingmusical whole bubbles to life, adorned with a wide palette offascinating electronic and acoustic sounds.

Dave Karasony, whose crisp, relaxed drumming recalls thewitty Bob Moses, maintains an engaging dialog with bassist BobMair's liquid lines. Mair is equally content to hold down a sinu-ous vamp and let the listener focus on a churning stream of per-cussion. Don't be fooled by the goofy (and often intentionallymisspelled) song titles; there's real beauty here. At once haunt-ingly ethereal, jaggedly abstract, and downright swinging,Submedia conveys its message with subtlety and grace.

JACK WILKINSAlien ArmyMusicmasters 5049-2-CJACK WILKINS: gtrMIKE CLARK: drMARC PURICELLI: pno, kybdMICHAEL FORMANEK: bsHappy Eyes; Barcelona Rising; Chess;No Time But Now; Fun Fat (Sweet:Fornix, Clean Dreamer, Pod Dance);Moon Rain; She's The One; Romance

Jack Wilkins' thick hollow-body, round-toned electricguitar sound is rooted in thejazz tradition of players likeJim Hall and Kenny Burrell,but his modern approach tothat sound shows a tendencytowards the unexpected leftturn. His new group, AlienArmy, is a quartet groomedfrom that same approach.

Rather than striving for anensemble sound locked intoevery 16th note whenapproaching funk grooves, theArmy instead retains a textureof looser jazz interaction,swelling and stretchingaround the groove. DrummerMike Clark bridges thetight/loose contrasts admir-ably on tunes like "HappyEyes," laying down shifting,linear funk grooves with hiscracking, tightly wound snare,while initiating flowing inter-play above it all. His blisteringsolo spots combine the fierce-ness of fusion chops with theearthiness and fluid phrasingof jazz. Especially fascinatingis Clark's interplay withbassist Michael Formanek.This brave duo takes plenty ofchances.

With their unique writingand four very adventurous,individualistic players, AlienArmy has produced an engag-ing disc that reveals more lev-els with each listening.

MICKGOODRICKBiorhythmsCMP 46MICK GOODRICK: gtrGARY CHAFFEE: dr

HARVIE SWARTZ: bsIn Praise Of Bass Desires; Thramps;H., D. & L; Falling Grace; Some-thing Like That Kind Of Thing;Biorhythms; Groove Test; Bl'ize

Medley: Not Soon Forgotten / HerManic-Manner Moods / DoubleHelix; What's The Point; (I'll) NeverForget

Considering Gary Chaffee'srenown as a teacher (his stu-dents include Vinnie Colaiutaand Steve Smith) and authorof drum books (the Patternsseries), it's surprising to dis-cover that this is his firstrecording. But I venture toguess it won't be his last.

Chaffee is given ample spaceto display his abilities on thisdisc. Not only does the trio set-ting allow plenty of room forexpression, but several of thetunes are actually based on hisfavorite rhythm patterns, whichGoodrick wrote tunes around.Chaffee demonstrates a knackfor complex patterns, mostnotably on the title track,which is based around group-ings of 23, 28, and 33(biorhythm cycles) within aseven feel. But there are alsostraight-ahead tracks on whichChaffee proves himself adeptat simple, uncluttered groovepatterns.

Two drum solos on thealbum show off other aspectsof Chaffee's playing. On "H.,D. & L." he solos over a gui-tar/bass vamp, which gives himthe freedom to explore the typeof unusual rhythmic divisionsthat he is known for teaching.After hearing this, one can seethe connection with some of

Harold HowlandJeff Potter

Colaiuta and Smith's playing.But where that solo is busy andcomplex, the solo on "Some-thing Like That Kind OfThing" is spacious, perfectlycomplementing the mood setby the guitar and bass at thebeginning of the tune.

Chaffee has his own voice asa drummer, as do Goodrickand Swartz on their respectiveinstruments. The trio as awhole has a fresh sound, with anice blend of acoustic andelectric playing. Chaffee's play-ing is worth checking out byany drummer; the trio is worthhearing by any musician.

MIND FUNKMind FunkEpic 46902JASON COPPOLA: gtrPATRICK R. DUNBAR: vclJOHN MONTE: bsLouis J. SVITEK: gtrREED ST. MARK: dr, percSugar Ain't So Sweet; Ride & Drive;Bring It On; Big House Burning; Fire;

Blood Runs Red; Sister Blue; Woke Up

This Morning; Innocence; Touch You

There's not a lot of funkymaterial to Mind Funk, justinfectious, driving rhythmsmade more potent by thedrumming of Reed St. Mark.He gives the album a no-non-sense percussive base, butallows the other players roomto breathe and complementsthroughout with thoughtful,

punchy rhythms.St. Mark is a very triplet-

oriented drummer, but hedoesn't use them in typicalmetal fills. Instead, he oftenrelies on triplets to glue hisrhythms, such as the light butfast 8th-note triplet ride in thegrooving "Sister Blue." MindFunk is one of the most sin-cere bands pushing this styleof hard rock, and St. Mark isone of the reasons why.

PAUL MOTIANBill EvansJMT 834 445PAUL MOTIAN: drBILL FRISELL: gtrJOE LOVANO: tn sxMARC JOHNSON: bsShow-Type Tune; Turn Out The Stars;

Walkin' Up; Very Early; Five; Time

Remembered; Skidoo; Re: Person IKnew; Children's Play Song

This disc is Paul Motian'stribute to the music of latepiano master Bill Evans.Having spent a golden periodbetween 1959 and '64 withEvans, Motian is well-quali-fied to spearhead this project.Bassist Marc Johnson, also anEvans alumnus, supported thepianist in his final years of thelate '70s.

Although the quartet's per-formances reflect the subtleharmonies, introspective sen-sitivity, and cool burn ofEvans' style, the delivery isvery much their own. Theband projects a subtle intensi-ty, unconcerned with blatantblazing. Their peculiarensemble chamber qualityrevolves around Motian'sfloating, open, reactive phras-ing and Bill Frisell's odd,sumptuous harmonic choices.

Motian utilizes conventionaltime-keeping more on this

disc than on his previous, buton cuts like "Very Early," heexcels with his textural, con-versational, phrase-by-phrasestyle that very few drum-mers—or bands—can pull off.Texture also pervades Mo-tian's solos, as in "Walkin'Up," where even the timbredifferences between rim hitsand rimshots executed higheror lower on the stick becomean important part of the solo.Motian is one drummer/lead-er who has successfully kepthis ears fresh through thedecades, and this release onlycontinues to prove it.

TONY MARTUCCIEarth TonesSound Judgement SJ101TONY MARTUCCI: drMARC COHEN: pnoJOE LOVANO: sxELLERY ESKELIN: sxDREW GRESS: bsDeed-Lee-Yah; Eronel; Tekke; Two

Mouth; Monks Mood; Cyclic Episode;

Le Sei Rose Di Maria; WhirlwindFans of no-nonsense main-

stream jazz should enjoy thisdisc. It's a solid set ofstraight-ahead playing featur-ing a good blend of moderntunes and classic Monk com-positions, played in a style thatis based on bebop withoutbeing confined by it.

Martucci reminds mesomewhat of Peter Erskine.

It's not a matter of licks somuch, but rather in the simi-larity of attitude. Martucci'sride cymbal is his focal point,but while it is always theredefining the time, it is spa-cious nonetheless, maintain-ing an uncluttered continuumsimilar to the way that chick-en-wire can define boundarieswithout blocking the view.Perhaps it is not coincidentalthat Erskine wrote the linernotes for this disc.

The most interesting tune

on the album is Martucci's"Le Sei Rose Di Maria,"which has a free form, yet isdelivered with a good sense ofcompositional structure. It isno mean feat for a drummerto serve the development of atune without the benefit oftimekeeping, but Martuccipulls it off admirably.

This album is not a tour-de-force of drumming interms of blazing fi l ls andsolos. The word I wouldchoose to describe Martucci'splaying is "mature." That'srare in a business where note-mongers seem to get most ofthe attention.

Rick Mattingly

Jeff Potter

Matt Peiken

Rick Mattingly

VIDEOJOE PORCAROOn Drums

VDO Productions

PO. Box 4913Conoga Park, CA 91307(Distributed by Paiste America)Time: 65 minutes

Price: $39.95 (VHS)Joe Porcaro's credentials as

an L.A. studio player and as ateacher (and co-director) atthe Percussion Institute ofTechnology make him espe-cially well-suited to do aninstructional video. In OnDrums Porcaro doesn't have atrademark sound that he is try-ing to promote. Rather, he isinterested in showing some ofthe options a drummer haswithin a given style.

This refreshingly non-dog-matic approach is evident earlyin the tape, during Porcaro'sdiscussion of jazz time-keep-ing. After showing the tradi-tional ride pattern and severalways of breaking it up, Porcarodemonstrates ways that differ-ent players stress the quarters,or the 2 and 4, or even the"skip beats," as Joe calls them.Another strong point of this

production is Porcaro's empha-sis on the application of thevarious licks and techniques hediscusses. After talking aboutjazz timekeeping patterns andturnarounds, he demonstratesthe application with the aid of akeyboard player and bassist. Heuses the trio again to demon-strate the oft-neglected topicof the two feel versus the fourfeel. His explanations are clearto begin with, and seeing himusing the concepts in perfor-mance leaves no doubt as totheir application.

The tape contains a lengthysection on developing wrist,arm, and finger technique, andagain Porcaro gives you practi-

cal applications: for example,how a combined finger/wristmotion can apply to a sambapattern on the ride cymbal, orhow a five-stroke roll can beused in a hi-hat funk groove.

A 25-page booklet contain-ing 61 exercises accompaniesthe videotape, and is an aid tofollowing what Porcaro is doing(especially at fast tempos). Anice touch is that relevantexercise numbers appear onthe screen while Porcaro isperforming. This is a qualityproduction throughout, and itshould help any intermediate-level drummer gain a betterunderstanding of jazz drum-ming and control of the handsand sticks.

BOOKSHEW ORLEANS DRUMMINGSecond Line And Funk Rhythmsby Roy Burns and Joey Farris

Rhythmic Publications

P.O. Box 3535Fullerton CA 92634Price: $9.95 (book)Supplementary cassette: $7.50

While New Orleans drum-ming is often distinguished byits feel rather than by its pat-terns, there are certain beatsthat are typical of that style.Most widely known are the"second line" rhythms thatwere derived from the march-ing bands that played funerals,but a lot of funk has come outof New Orleans, too.

The authors have attemptedto document this style of play-ing with their new book, NewOrleans Drumming. They pro-vide examples of second-linebeats with both shuffle and8th-note feels, various funkrhythms, and specialty patternssuch as the New Orleansmambo, the mardi gras rumba,and the carnival calypso.

Within each type of rhythm,especially the second-linematerial, the authors provide anumber of variations. Thisreally helps in understandingthe essentials of the style. Inother words, the more varia-tions you have, the more yourealize what they have in com-mon. After mastering each sec-tion, one should be able to playwithin the given style withoutbeing locked into a single pat-tern.

There is also a tape availableon which Farris performs all164 exercises from the text.Again, the New Orleans style isa feel as much as a bunch ofpatterns, and as good as thistape and book are, one needs tolisten to New Orleans drum-ming in context. Get somerecords by the Neville Brothersand the Meters to get the fla-vor. Then check out Burns andFarris for the recipe.

YOU CAN TEACHYOURSELF DRUMSby James Morton

Bayside PressP.O. Box 66Pacific, MO 63069Price: book, $9.95; book and cas-sette, $18.95

The title may send shiversup the spines of drum teacherseverywhere, but with all theeconomic and political forcesalready threatening our exis-tence, what's one more?Written in a positive and moti-vating style, You Can TeachYourself Drums is attractiveindeed to the resourcefulbeginner.

Morton makes a convincingcase for good basic technique,the ability to read and writemusic, facility on a secondinstrument such as the piano,stylistic versatility (the book

itself only covers rock), and theapplication of one's learning byplaying as often as possiblewith other musicians. He getsthings rolling with an accom-panying cassette of the six easycharts included, and the musicis refreshingly more youth-ori-ented than is usually found insuch presentations. The tapehas two disappointing flaws,however: First, the recordeddrum track cannot be deleted,so the student is forced to tagalong when he or she ought tobe taking charge. And second,the recorded drummer's tech-nical demonstrations some-times reveal uneven hands andshaky coordination, whichdon't set the best example.

The 89-page book is suc-cinct and well-organized(though it seems that the pub-lisher could afford a laserprinter). After brief prelimi-naries on the drummer's rolein music, holding the sticks,basic reading, and a few hand-foot exercises, the student isplaying Chart 1, a reggae-fla-vored blues, all in quarternotes. The text moves rightalong to Chart 2, which is an8th-note rock feel. Similarly,Chart 3, 16th-note rock, fol-lows minimal preparation.

After being introduced tofills, dots, ties, accents, andsyncopation, the student isready for Chart 4, mediumfunk. Charts S and 6, a slowblues and a medium shuffle,follow 8th-note triplet material.Each new beat is shown bothin music notation and in avisual key.

You Can Teach YourselfDrums is good fun, painlesslearning, and fortunately for usteachers, just the beginning ofa lifelong journey.

Harold Howland

Rick Mattingly

Rick Mattingly

JOHN HERNANDEZ

continued from page 31

phones that [saxophonist] Leon Schnei-derman built.PL: What was it about Boingo that wasinitially so appealing to you?JH: It was the freshness and the kind offreewheeling approach to everything thatthey had. It was going to be fun and itwas going to drive forward. It was a lot ofwork learning a bunch of music rightaway, but that's what I've always reallyliked because I get bored easily. Evenwhen I was growing up and playing inclub bands, I'd be good for about a weekor two, but by the third week, I'd befalling asleep or over-playing. When I raninto Danny and Steve, they had a greatvolume of music, and once you re-hearsed it and learned it, you neverrehearsed it again. You just ran it downfor the show. So you were required toknow the Boingo catalog [snaps his fin-gers] right now. Although I've been theresince the inception back in the studioand all that stuff, you still have to log itall in your brain.PL: What got you interested in drums in

the first place?JH: I really liked the drive of the drum-mer, and I just always wanted to be a partof music—an orchestra, a band, any-thing. I'm also a very physical kind ofperson. My mother used to listen to a lotof big band music and I really enjoyedthat. I always noticed the drummers. Ireally liked the drummer's role. I'd seeguys like Sonny Payne, Louie Bellson,and Duke Ellington on TV and they'd bewailing, and I was just a little kid saying,"Wow." My sister and my aunts alwayslistened to R&B music. So, I grew upwith a mixture of jazz, Latin, old soul,and R&B music.PL: Since you're of Mexican heritage,were you exposed to that style of musicgrowing up as well?JH: Sure. Even though my father wasn'treally a musician, he used to party a lotand sing "Los Mananitas," which is thebirthday song, as well as all these otherMexican songs. The men used to sitaround all night long drinking and thenshow up at the ladies' houses strumminga bunch of guitars and singing in front of

their houses. Also, I used to live behindsome people who had these little cumbiaparties every weekend. I'd go to bed Sat-urday nights at 1 or 2 A.M. listening tothis trio—a guy playing accordion,another on an out-of-tune alto saxo-phone, and the other on a 12-string gui-tar. Then these farm workers wouldcome over, and they'd be dancing allnight. My grandmother was a bar singer,too. She sang at El Pounche Cafe, whichwas the local bar hangout in San Gabriel[CA]. That's actually where my grandfa-ther met her. She was the beautifulsongstress of the town.PL: Has any of the ethnic music that yougrew up listening to filtered into yourown psyche or musical style?JH: It has a lot. There's a certain way ofstrumming a guitar—there's all sorts ofstrums in different regions of Mexicoand Central America—and there's allthese polyrhythms happening like in thatclassic mariachi song "La Negra," whichis one of my mom's favorite songs.There are all these different rhythmsthat are going on, and people are always

jumping and stomping around, too, andit was pretty exciting. I was really affect-ed by all that because I loved my parentsand I loved that kind of music. Peoplewould smile and get excited aboutmusic, and that was pretty inspirationalto me.PL: Where do you draw inspirationfrom?JH: I have to be at peace with myself.Music is everywhere, and I listen to somany different kinds of music. I reallylike to listen to the soul and the feelingof music, you know, like Art Tatum—thatpoor black guy just hammering it out,man. Great players who have really stud-ied and taken a lot of time—I'm inspiredby them, even if they can't speak Englishand you can't understand them. Becausethe music is what's really important.Oftentimes people forget that. And I'vebeen guilty of this many times—you gohome and practice for hours, for weeks,and you come to the job and you soundlike you've been practicing. And they say,"Would you relax a little bit? Sure that'sthe right beat, but nobody's dancing,"because everything sounds so glassy andso even. And nothing moves. You'respelling it out, but you're not really say-ing anything. Music is supposed to befun. I've been lucky that I've been able tohold onto some sort of musical standardsand have a really good time in the pro-cess.PL: You've pretty much always usedacoustic drums in the studio. But for awhile in concert, you actually played anentirely electronic kit.JH: From about 1986 to mid-1988 Iplayed an electronic kit live. I had done alot of R&D on the DW electronic pedals.I was using a cable hi-hat with the hi-hatcymbals mounted in the center of thekit. So I had good access for working thefoot pedals, and I came up with a systemfor the tom-toms that really was themost comfortable for me. It actually wasmoving air over a microphone fed into aMIDI trigger device. Back then, all Icould get was the Roland Octapad, andthe feel of that never really appealed tome. So I plugged mic's right into theOctapad. I had microphones mounted inpadded drums, and I had them kind oftweeked up with a graphic equalizer toweed out any crosstalk. I could actually

play a rim solo without triggering thesound, or at the same time have elec-tronic sounds. And it didn't give me thetennis elbow or the terrible feeling ofplaying on pieces of wood with Formicaon them and piezo pickups inside. Wewere doing shows with other bands likeMadness, the Police, and the ThompsonTwins, and their drummers were allusing pads and complaining about them.They'd throw those things against thewall, they'd get so upset at them. I'dshow them my rig, and they'd neverbelieve it. But it worked.PL: Why did you go with an electronickit in the first place?JH: What happened was that I gotstronger as I got older. And as we'd gothrough all the Boingo music, I wouldjust get louder and louder. By the end ofthe show I would be wailing, which wasvery taxing on Danny. So we ended upgoing with electronic drums, whichcould be turned down. And since I didn'tbelieve in anybody making my sounds,whenever we made an album, I would geta sample of all of our sounds and I wouldburn it into chips. I would just playacoustic drums in the studio. Then inthe last four years or so, the MIDI thinggot straightened out, and now we havebig racks and computers. We got into allthese different Cooper MIDI switchingmodules, and it became possible to justplug everything in and run through, sowe had more time. Then we started toplay larger houses, and the drums were alittle further away from Danny. So wewent back to the real drums, and I havemuch more control of the band, which issomething that I had really missed withelectronic drums.PL: As aggressive as the Boingo's musicis, does it give you any room for dynam-ics?JH: Yeah, it does. But getting a largeensemble the size of Boingo to playdynamics can get a little unruly andrough. With real drums, though, I have abit more dynamics. With electronicdrums, just forget it.PL: In a live situation, do you use trig-gers at all on your acoustic drums?JH: No, I haven't done that. I haven'tfound a trigger that really works. You canplay the drums, but you can't play therims. If they're shock-mounted on the

shell, they're going to be set off by a rimor a click or when somebody pounds thestage too loud. You've got to reset thesensitivity, then you have to beat thedrum to get a quiet sound. It just neverreally works. The only thing that I'vefound that has worked so far is the DWelectronic bass drum pedal. You playacoustic drums, and the switch is actual-ly underneath the pedal—kind of a mag-netic switch that puts out a trigger.That's been highly successful, but eventhat I've only experimented with, andnever really live. Generally I'm verylucky, I can get a really good drumsound. And to ensure that, I carryaround a couple of microphones that willhelp the kick drum. I have an AKG D1 12and a Sennheiser 421, Live, I stick themin a little off-axis, about a hand's widthaway from the head. Sometimes duringrecording, I put them a little bit closer.Of course when you're in the studio, youcan use a more expensive mic', like anElectro-Voice RE-20 or something.Those are beautiful, because the sound'sall around the mic' and in a more con-trolled situation.

PL: How does Boingo record?JH: The drums are in a room by them-selves. The room is actually free andopen to all drums, so it's important thatwe get a really good, solid-soundingroom. And I just try to play the room andtry to make the walls shake.PL: So you lay down the drum tracksfirst?JH: Well, we usually lay down a basicrhythm track first—drums, bass, guitar,piano, and very often sequenced parts.PL: And you're all playing to thesequenced parts?JH: Right. Sometimes we'll keep thebass track. But generally we always buildup from the drums.PL: How long does an average Boingorecord take to record?JH: Well, Danny's really gotten it down.We've really been the kings of bringing itin on or under budget. We do a lot ofpre-production and really scope it out,work on parts, and get it all down. Sowhen we get into the studio, we burnthrough everything. We can go througheverything—from recording to mixingdown to picking out the colors for the T-

shirts—in six weeks.PL: Since Elfman and Bartek are soheavily involved with computers, do theyever use the programmed drum tracksfrom their demos on the actual record-ings?JH: Only in very rare cases are the drumtracks from the demos ever the finaldrum parts. There was one case, howev-er, on our latest album, on the song"When The Lights Go Out." It wasinteresting because it was kind of a big,marching drone of drums. On one sideyou've got a computer playing my sam-ples, and on the other side you've got meplaying my acoustic set along with it. So,you get this James Brown double-drumkind of thing. It sounds like this big wallof drums. And if you turn the stereo upreal loud, you can hear the difference.That's the only time that I've really donethat. And then there's been a couple ofsongs where they've used my samples todeliberately get a real electronic sound.But it's never something done behindmy back. It's something that we alldecide on together.PL: I've heard that Danny Elfman'squite a perfectionist. How do you dealwith such a perfectionist on a day-to-daybasis in the studio?JH: It's perfect, because we're all per-fectionists. We all lock horns and get itdone right. We keep each other in check.And we all work on things together. Andthat's what's been so good about thisband. Everyone's into everyone else'sstuff. If the horn player doesn't really likea fill or wants some help here or there,he doesn't hold back. And of course, if Iwant somebody to tune up before westart playing a song, I'm usually the onewho's screaming. Danny is the leader,and he definitely functions as a greatleader. And he is a perfectionist, andthat's okay by me.PL: Does he have the veto power or theultimate power to say, "This is it"?JH: Oh sure, because he's the guy whohas to sing his heart out, which is sohard sometimes to fathom. I mean, thewriting is great, but he really sings hisheart out—all of the time. No one worksas hard as he does.PL: Does Danny write out your drumparts note-for-note, or do you come upwith your own parts?

JH: It depends on the song. When hefirst started writing and playing, he andSteve would write out a part, and itwould look like a medley. I'd say, "Whatis this? Is this three or four songs?" Andthey'd say, "No, that's what we want youto play." And I'd say, "Okay," and I'd playit. And then they'd say, "Why does itsound so bad?" "Because there's noth-ing happening," I'd say. "This is not asong." So I had to rewrite the parts. Atfirst [Elfman] couldn't do it that well,but after a couple of years he got the pic-ture and actually got to the point wherehe knew what I would do with it. Sosometimes he'd come in with specificparts, and other times he would just letme come up with my own parts. With thelast couple of albums, it's been prettyloose. He has a basic idea, but still leavesthings open. Even in the studio, we'realways tweeking things. It's an ensemble,and that's the situation that is importantfor me to be in. I need to be a part ofthat.PL: What about all of this film compos-ing that Danny's doing? Are you at allput off by the amount of time that hespends away from Boingo?JH: I'm really glad for Danny. When Isee him playing with his orchestra, hereally communicates to me. And we bothhave such a great love for orchestras.Sure the band has suffered, but not thatmuch. Besides, with the larger recordcompanies, it takes time for an album tocome out. You can have it recorded, andit may not come out for six to ninemonths afterwards. So there's all thistime, and rather than sit around,Danny's a workaholic. One of the thingsthat we're kind of glad about the moviething is that Danny used to bring in 30songs to the band, and we'd be beatingour brains out. Now he's so busy he canonly bring in 15 songs. And we still havetoo many to choose from! Now thingsmight change if we were to get large,worldwide acceptance and have to go onthe road a real long time, which hasn'thappened yet. But we did real well inBrazil and Australia on this last tour, sowe might start doing more internationaltravel.PL: Elfman's lyrics deal with some pret-ty morbid subjects, like isolation, death,and suicide. Do you personally subscribe

to his philosophies?JH: You could say that I'm humored bythem. It's very entertaining. His viewsare his views, but sometimes we do thinkalong the same lines. I do identify withwhat he's saying. I also think that the sit-uation with pop and rock 'n' roll musictoday has become so unbelievably stupid.I mean, you've got people blaming thedeath of their child on a piece of plastic,and somebody's artistic freedom is beinginfringed upon in the process. I've reallyfought for Danny's freedom to writewhatever he wants. Danny's a fantasychild and he has pretty vivid dreams. Andif he wants to write songs about themand somebody takes him seriously...Imean, you're not suppose to. It's all forfun. With a name like Oingo Boingo, isn'tthis suppose to be fun? And talk aboutbackward masking—we got so angryabout all that stuff. When it was juststarting to happen, we put backwardmasking on one of our records that said,"If you're listening to this backwards,you're an idiot," and another one was,"Mickey Mouse is God."PL: You use a click track in the studio.

What are you hearing in the head-phones?JH: All I'm hearing is a click. It mighthave two pitches so that I can hear thedifference between the downbeat andthe upbeat. I use that as a guide to makesure that I'm locked in with thesequences and stuff. Now with all sortsof control, you can zero the click intoeverything. For about 3/4 of the live showI use a click, because there's so muchgoing on and I'm relied upon to do it all.PL: Does that leave you any room forspontaneity?JH: Not with a band like Oingo Boingo,which is a very large ensemble. And likeall large ensembles, somebody's got tohold down the fort, and that's my job.The spontaneity comes when we go intothe studio with set drum parts and thenwe'll change everything around, so noth-ing is ever set. So in the studio it'salways interesting. But as far as doingthings like playing a roll around thedrums, you have to think of the overallproduction. When you're working withguys and you know what guitar partsthey're going to be laying down and you

know how everything's going down, youwant to make sure to leave room,because in the medium of recording, lessis more.PL: Since you play to a click so much ofthe time, you must be very comfortableworking with click tracks. Do you haveany advice for those of us who aren't?JH: You just have to keep working at it.You have to learn to lock into the rhythm.If you can make up a rhythm in yourhead and keep that going along with theclick, then you'll be able to count out themusic. If you just keep working on it, ithappens.PL: It's also a matter of not fighting it.JH: Sure. You also want to analyze yourplaying, make sure that you're well-cen-tered and that you never tighten up anyof your appendages. You always have tohave a point of relaxation. So you alwayshave an "on" and an "off." For example,if your foot is constantly riding up realhigh and the heel never gets to rest, oryour hands are constantly tense—youhave to really center your appendagesand then breathe, attack, breathe, attack.You certainly don't want to tighten upand get yourself all worked up when theclick starts to stray or your time strays.PL: How do you keep things interestingplaying to a click?JH: You have four appendages, and youcan do anything. I mean, it's even moreamazing if you constantly hear time thatway. That's how guys like JackDeJohnette and Vinnie Colaiuta doit—they can step right out of the worldand come right back in. It's fun. That'sthe beauty of it. Also, I'm freer in othersituations outside of Boingo, where I playwithout a click. But with Boingo, it's soorchestrated that I'm locked in. Andthat's what really locks me in, not neces-sarily the click.PL: When you're playing to a click in alive situation, can you hear the band aswell?JH: All I have is the click for a reference,and I have a real small, open set of head-phones, so I can hear the monitors and Ican hear my drums. I don't totallyenclose my ears. I need to hear the bal-ance. Here's the scary part about theclick, for all of the Boingo songs: There's

a four-count click count-off. "Click,click, click, click"—then the song starts.Sometimes I'm one click off—becausethe crowd's yelling too loud and I can'thear it. Or sometimes I won't hear thecount-off at all—now that's a real funmoment. I mean, everybody's screaming,it's total confusion, and everyone's rely-ing on me.PL: How do you prepare for your liveshows? Tell me about the "Vatos" rituals.JH: "Vatos" rituals usually consist of get-ting there early, like around 12:00 or 1:00in the afternoon. I usually change thetom-tom and bass drum heads everyother show. I go out on stage, and mydrum tech will have pre-tuned thedrums, and then I go out and re-tunethem. Then we go through a soundcheck, and we'll go through all of theindividual drums. Then the band comesin and we go through all the relation-ships with all the other instruments.Then generally, if I'm going to havesomething to eat, I'll eat. Then I'll goand lay down usually for about an hourand just get real quiet and focus and notthink of anything else—try to clear mymind. At that point, I just like to be leftalone. You see, in order to put out somuch energy, one of the things that Ihave found is you must be calm. Other-wise, if you go out there all nervous andoverly pumped, you burn out real quickly.It's better to build the fire. It's better togo out with the strength and the confi-dence that you have with clarity of mind,and that building up and tension will justnaturally happen.PL: Do you still practice stretchingbefore the shows as well?JH: Oh yeah, I do that all the time beforethe shows, because once you start goingforward and leaning and pushing, youwill tighten up. The looser you can go in,the better, the more balance andstrength you have. I do a lot of stretch-ing, breathing, and back twists andturns, just to make sure all the energy isflowing. You've got to make sure yourlegs aren't going to fall asleep becausethey're cramping.PL: You seem so buried in drums. Doyou sit low on your throne?JH: Actually, I sit pretty normal. I sit up

straight and my trunk is always upstraight. I like stuff in front of me. Peo-ple who usually sit behind my drumscan't play them because they say I sit uphigh.PL: Since a typical Boingo show lastsclose to three hours, does sitting likethat increase your stamina?JH: It connects the strength. Whenyou're leaning over a set, you have toconstantly throw your upper body into it,rather than having your upper body setand just being able to reach. It's likebeing able to punch a guy to your left-hand side, without having to lean intohim. Once again, if you lean into it,you're committed into the drum or intopunching that guy. And that guy's goingto pull your arm out, or you're going tofall into the drum and get real tight. It'sa good balance of strength and centerand poise. So I sit up real straight; that'sone of the things that I work on.PL: How important is it for you to dupli-cate the song in a live situation note-for-note?JH: Well, the note-for-note thing in alive situation is important with the largerensemble. The larger the group, if youdo something strange, the more you'regoing to throw something off. With Boin-go, I'll change a drum fill or I'll changethings slightly, but it's pretty much beenworked out. Otherwise everybody has acomment. The horn players can say,"Wait a minute, we're playing a figurehere, so don't open your hi-hat"—thatkind of stuff. And everyone relies on you.If I drop one snare drum beat or one hi-hat beat, they'll all turn around and lookat me. But I complain too. I'll yell atDanny or Steve: "Can you tune up?!"PL: You're a very hard hitter. Wheredoes all that power and precision comefrom?JH: It comes from having a good founda-tion, a good teacher. Freddie Gruberreally taught me how to use my entirehand. You've got to use the support fromway back at the back part of your wrist allthe way up to the front of your fin-gers—using your whole hand like you'regoing to pick up a club and just beat anold tire. It's like taking martial arts,where you beat on a big bag with a big

stick. It's the same kind of technique.Dan Inosanto and Jet Kun Doe and mostof the Filipino martial artists hold a stickpretty much the same way. It's reallykind of centering the whole hand. AndI've been really lucky with all the supportand the right foundation, I can really layinto the drums and get out of them. I'malso able to preserve the front end—thefeathering, the finger stuff, and all thereal light things that I like to do, too. Itgives me a chance to club and thrash,and that's one of the reasons that I'm notafraid to go into the drums, because I'mnot going to hurt any of my other tech-nique. Some people play with differentparts of their fingers and hold the sticksfunny, but I've got a good set of mitts,and they're deeply rooted with all thegreats that Freddie Gruber has taughtand has been influenced by.PL: You do drum clinics around thecountry. What is one of the more impor-tant points that you try to stress to theyoungsters?JH: You have to study and really get toknow your instrument well. Learn every-thing that you want to learn to play ormight want to play, because you neverknow where the cards may fall. I tell allthe kids that now is the time to practice,now is the time to do it. If all of a suddenyou're playing country music and you'remaking a lot of money and you're takingcare of your life and it's good music—maybe like the Desert Rose Band...whatthe hell? You're going to turn it downbecause, "I want to play with Guns N'Roses"? Wait a minute, Guns N' Rosesalready have a drummer. So keep yourmind open and make sure you keep everyopportunity open, because it's all fun.Whether you're playing drums at thepizza parlor or sitting in with yourfriend's blues band, it's fun.You can't get narrow-minded about

anything. Oingo Boingo said to me, "Youwant to play in this band? Well then, puton this monkey suit. And underneath themonkey suit, put on a jazz outfit. Andunderneath the jazz outfit, put on a tanktop and a pair of shorts. So you will grad-ually strip down into another outfit."Now, what if I had been very narrow-minded and not done any of that?

Mistakesby Roy Burns

I don't like to make mistakes. I find themfrustrating, and I imagine that most peo-ple feel the same way. How many timeshave we said, "Why did I do that?" or "Ican't believe I did that!" We are all humanand we all make mistakes at one time oranother.

School, especially when we are quiteyoung, teaches us that mistakes are bad.In fact, mistakes are often punished. Weare told, "Do it again, and keep doing ituntil you get it right!"

In school, there is always a "right"answer to the problem. But in real life it'snot so simple. And in drumming, there isvery often more than one way to play asong and make it sound good. A lotdepends on how creative the player is. Sowhen you begin to play a musical instru-ment, or engage in any creative activity,mistakes take on a different meaning.James Joyce, the famous writer, once said,"Mistakes are the portals of discovery."Woody Allen said, "If you aren't makingmistakes, you aren't trying." Withoutmistakes there is no experimen-tation...no learning...no growth. Mis-takes are a necessary part of the learningprocess.

Unfortunately, I know of a few drumteachers who yell at their students whenthey make mistakes. As a result, some-times a student decides not to try. (If youdon't try, you can't make a mistake, andtherefore no one will yell at you.) This issad, because real teachers should bethere to explain, encourage, and offersupport. They should not berate, putdown, or intimidate their students.

Do you ever say things like, "I hatemyself" or "I'm really stupid"? These

ideas don't help. They just make you feelbad, and you don't learn anything.Instead, try this approach: The next timeyou make a mistake, askyourself, "What causedme to make the mistake?Did I stop concentrating?Did something distractme? Or was I simply notwell-prepared? Should Ihave practiced this piecemore?"

In other words, insteadof criticizing yourself, tryto identify the problem.Once you understand whyyou made the mistake, youcan go about correctingit—and avoid making thesame mistake in thefuture.

By understanding themistake, you can learnfrom it. After all, making amistake doesn't make youa bad person. It justproves that you're humanand not a machine.

Preparation helps toreduce the number andseverity of mistakes. Afterall, it is much better tomake several small mis-takes than one giganticone. Preparation helps youto improve your average. Ifyou make fewer mistakesas you develop and grow,then you are improving. As long as youare improving, you are doing many thingsright.

When things go well we tend to takethem for granted. Consequently, we don'tlearn as much when everything goessmoothly. A wise man once said,"Mistakes are life's way of getting you to

"Making amistakedoesn't

make youa bad

person.It just

proves thatyou're ahuman

and not amachine."

pay attention. The most aware person isone who has just had a close call." Forexample, if you've nearly been in a car

accident—but just managedto escape injury—you willusually drive more carefullyin the future.

Making a mistake playingthe drums won't be a risk toyour person—but it can befrustrating. Ask yourself,"Do I concentrate on mymistakes as a musician? Do Iremember my mistakes bet-ter than I remember thethings I do well?" Manytimes we agonize too muchover our mistakes. As aresult, they often rob us ofself-confidence. The bestapproach is to develop a bal-anced view of things. Forexample, if you play 20 songsvery well and only mess upon one, then I would say youhad a good night. If one mis-take can ruin your wholenight, you're in need of anew viewpoint. Strive forexcellence, not for perfec-tion. Your goal should besimply to do your best.

The next time a mistake isreally getting to you, make alist of all the things you didwell that day. You will proba-bly surprise yourself. We alldo more things well in one

day than we give ourselves credit for.So look at it this way: Be aware of mis-

takes, learn from them, keep improving,and give yourself credit for all the thingsyou do well. You will be happier, morebalanced, and almost certainly more pro-ductive. You will also make fewer mis-takes.

pro system will put a triple-figure dentin your pocketbook. But, after adding upthe total value of drums, amps, key-boards, P.A., recording equipment, andmiscellany housed in the rehearsal area,the question to pose is, "Can we affordnot to contract a professional service?"

How much will a quality system run?Expect to pay an installation fee of about$300 for a motion sensor and coverageon two doors. Add approximately $100for window protectors. After installation,a monthly monitoring fee of $30 will beassessed. Figures may vary in your area.

A motion sensor detects the presenceof an intruder who has entered throughan opening rather than a door or window,for example, a hole cut out of the roof.The monitor is a circuit board at thesecurity company's central station underround-the-clock scrutiny. When an alarmis tripped, a signal travels from the siteto the monitor, where the sentry imme-diately informs the police.

Security specialist Ray Resnick ad-vises, "Install two sirens—one on theinside, and another in a strategicallylocated spot outside. If the telephone

line is cut (triggering the monitor line),the outside alarm will go off, alerting theneighbors." Adds Resnick, "The loudnoise of the external siren is usuallyenough to scare off burglars."

Securing The VenueFew musicians form bands without theintent of performing in public. Playingfor strangers in an unfamiliar environ-ment takes concentration as it is. So whybe distracted with concerns about equip-ment security?

A little organization goes a long waywhen it comes to eliminating securityproblems. Before playing anywhere,decide who is going to be doing whatfrom the moment you leave the rehearsalhall until you return. In addition todefining roles, this gives a more profes-sional image.

Develop a rotational system for totingequipment from buildings to vehiclesand vice versa. Never leave a partially orfully loaded vehicle unattended. It onlytakes a moment for a dishonest passerbyto stop, grab an item, and drive off.

A loader should not enter or return tothe building until another band memberis within close proximity of the car orvan. When leaving the concert hall orclub after a show, rotate in a way thatallows a third person to maintain a posi-tion by the equipment remaining inside.This prevents a) a member of anotherband on the bill from accidentally (orotherwise) loading one of your cases intohis vehicle, and b) scam artists from ply-ing their trade. We'll go into greaterdetail about the latter in another section.

Club owners generally expect bands toset up between mid and late afternoonthe day of the initial gig of the engage-ment. A security problem arises in clubsthat double as bars or restaurants duringthe period prior to show time. An orga-nized band will schedule meals andother breaks in a manner that requireseach member to spend an equal amountof time keeping an eye on the equip-ment.

A mistake that may have dire conse-quences is assuming that because a bar-tender or waitress is on duty, there is noneed to guard instruments. The clubemployees have no idea who is author-ized to handle equipment for you. Most

importantly, their job is to serve cus-tomers, not to baby-sit a drumset, sothey cannot be responsible for what goeson away from their stations.

To provide quick identification from adistance, mark all cases and their lidswith a large, distinctive design. Thecommon practice is to make a stencil outof heavy cardboard and spray-paint themusician's name onto the case in a colorthat vividly contrasts that of the case.Use of stickers is discouraged becausethey can be peeled off.

Labeling with a name is not mandato-ry. Paint any unique design you desire.The idea is to mark cases so they are dis-tinguishable at a glance.

If your artistic abilities are strictlymusical, don't fret. Get a few rolls ofmasking tape of different widths. Choosea sequence of widths and run the tapeacross the case, leaving a randomlyselected space between each strip. Uponduplicating the pattern on all cases,spray paint directly over the taped areas.Allow a few minutes for drying, peel offthe tape and—viola—you've created aneat "racing stripe" effect you can iden-tify from across the room.

The preceding precautions put asevere dent in the scam artist's style.Equipment under constant scrutiny isimpossible to access. Nonetheless, therewill be times when the musicians by thegear will be distracted by post-concertactivities. An opening as brief as a fewseconds may be all the scammer needsto lay his hands on a cymbal caddy andhead for the exit. In the event of such anoccurrence, a well-marked case willeliminate the con man's key weapon ifcaught—the argument over to whom theequipment belongs.

Unfortunately, the best-labeled casesunder FBI surveillance won't eliminatethe scam artist. He may strike during thevery vulnerable period between the endof the last set and the time equipment isplaced in the cases.

The span during which the stage isstruck after an opening act is particularlyinviting because there are two teams ofequipment handlers at work, half ofwhom are strangers to the other half. Ascam artist may feign being part of thestage crew, casually grab a snare drumand, instead of placing it in the appropri-

EQUIPMENT THEFT

Obvious MarkingsThe previously described case-labelingtechnique is an example of an obviousmarking. I'm not suggesting you stencilyour name or paint a racing stripe onyour shells. But there are ID methodsthat instantly confirm ownership whilebarely affecting the aesthetic quality ofthe equipment.

Drums manufactured by major com-panies have serial numbers on the"badges" (metal logo labels). Have theseller write all numbers on a datedreceipt at the time of purchase. Thereceipt will then serve as a second-partyverification of ownership. Store thereceipt in a place where it won't be lostor accidentally discarded. I keep mine ina small fireproof strongbox along withother important documents.

Copy the serial numbers on a piece ofpaper to be carried in your wallet orshoulder bag. Make a second copy of thenumerical list and place it somewhere athome where it will be accessible to ahousemate. A list attached to the insideof a personal phone directory will do justfine. The duplicate record may come inhandy in an emergency when the on-per-son list is misplaced or in question.

A more personalized ID system avail-able to musicians is a metallic plateengraved with "Property of (musician'sname)" and attached to an instrumentvia rivets or super adhesive. Having aname affixed to an instrument has oneserious drawback: You have to removethe plate when it comes time to sell.Unlike a thief, you have plenty to lose ifyou damage a shell attempting to removea plate. For that reason it is advisable tosteer clear of labeling drums with aproper name.

Don't entirely discount the use ofplates. With a little creativity they canstill serve a useful function. Make up afictitious, official-sounding securityagency name such as "DrumGard."Have the technician engrave "RegisteredWith DrumGard Security Systems" onthe plate. You will know the agencydoesn't exist, but the would-be thiefwon't. The phony label may be enough todiscourage the criminal.

You can also have the plate engravedwith a generic pattern of your owndesign. It can be something simple like a

star enclosed within a triangle. Have thedesign engraved on a leg of each cymbalstand and the bottom of pedal foot-boards, too.

The design will not scare off anythieves. Nevertheless, it provides a dis-tinctive mark, making your kit easy toidentify. The criminal will have to gothrough a lot of trouble to disguise yourequipment before he can sell it. Onceagain, you will make the thief's work dif-ficult, in compliance with the GoldenRule. Of course, a plate sans a propername will pose no problem when theequipment is sold by its rightful owner.

It is impossible to affix a plate to acymbal without radically altering its tone.Because of their abundance, size, value,and (with the exception of the recentPaiste line) lack of serial numbers, cym-bals are cherished by thieves. They arefar and away the percussion instrumentsmost frequently stolen at live engage-ments. After all, it's much easier to con-ceal a pair of hi-hats than it is a floortom!An indelible felt-tip marker is a

superlative tool for labeling cymbals.

ate case off stage, stroll right out thedoor with the drum concealed under ajacket.

There are two excellent ways to thwartscams while clearing a stage with theassistance of strangers. You can use arotation similar to your loading routine,pairing band members with strangers soall equipment remains within eyesight ofat least one member of your group. Asecond method is to form a line from thestage to the cases and pass equipmentfrom one person to the next, the sameway old-time fire fighters manned thebucket brigade. Have band memberspositioned at the first and last places inline to prevent "appropriations" oneither end.

After the equipment is struck, makean effort to thank the strangers. Younever know: They may be admirers ofyour music who will volunteer to help atfuture shows because you showed grati-tude, not attitude. Every friend you havein the house provides another pair ofeyes to watch your equipment—not tomention hands to carry it!

Marking YourEquipment

Labeling cases is a good first step. Butwhy not take it one step further and labelyour equipment? Markings serve a two-fold purpose. First, they prevent back-stage mix-ups. For example, say you'resharing a bill with two or more otherbands. Because of limited area in thewings, your equipment is crammedtogether with that of another drummerwho also happens to use a Speed Kingbass pedal. Properly marked equipmenteliminates the confusion over whatbelongs to whom.

More importantly, markings simplifythe process of identifying equipment inthe event it has been stolen. We have allheard the expression "Possession is ninetenths of the law." In other words, if youshould locate what you believe to be themissing gear, it is not enough to simplyclaim it is yours; you must prove it.

I have split markings into two cate-gories, obvious and subtle. Obviousmarkings are those that are plainly visi-ble to the eye. Their subtle counterpartsare intentionally obscured.

Unlike paint, the marker fluid is so thinit will make no noticeable difference inthe tone of the cymbal. Affix a designclose to the bell on the bottom of thecymbal. It will not be very visible to anaudience, nor will it wear off via repeatedsticking and fingertip choking. Felt-tipswork equally well for marking cowbells,gongs, and other metal traps.

Tubular chrome cymbal stands andpercussion mounts lack a flat, poroussurface, rendering the felt-tip ineffec-tive. We need a liquid so thin it will notaffect the ability of the hardware to tele-scope closed, yet one that will adhere tochromed metal. The miracle fluid: nailpolish! Granted, you are restricted toextremely basic markings. But you areonly applying a stripe or two to a seg-ment of tubing, not touching up theMona Lisa.

The prescribed methods for markingcymbals and related metal objects pro-vide limited protection. For that reason,and due to the frequency of theft, cymbalstorage should take top priority whenpacking after a show. Time and spacepermitting, bring the trap case on stageand immediately place the cymbals andsnare within it.

If all the equipment must be struckbefore packing, load the trap case first.Secure the lid once the case is filled. Iknow a drummer who locks a chainaround his trap case. Some find this a bitextreme. To them he replies, "Yes, but Ihaven't lost a cymbal yet."

Have a few color photos of your settaken. Thirty-five millimeter camerasare preferable over Polaroids becausemultiple prints can be quickly processedfrom a negative should the need arise.Photo prints will be an immeasurable aidin illustrating the exact appearance ofthe missing items to police officers andmusic store employees.

Shell color is the first thing laymennotice about a drumset. A verbaldescription of a color is vague at best; aphotograph leaves little room for misin-terpretation. The more exotic the shellfinish, the more important it is to have aphoto.

A pro rarely swipes an item for his ownuse. His modus operandi is to unload thestolen goods for cash as quickly as possi-ble. Every obstacle we place in his way

gives authorities time to catch him red-handed.

Subtle MarkingsDiligent thieves will do their best toremove, alter, or cover an obvious mark-ing. Therefore, you will need a means ofidentification the crook will overlook.This is where subtlety comes into play.

It may appear as though the deck isstacked against us in regards to post-theft identification through obviousmarkings. However, we have a definiteedge in the subtlety department: Adrummer knows the instrument betterthan anyone else. Exploitation of thisknowledge is the key to gaining anadvantage over the criminal.

The types of subtle markings fall intoeither the camouflaged, concealed, orinvisible subcategories. There are tricksof the trade in each group. The followingare some, but certainly not all, of theoptions.

An item that is camouflaged is onethat blends in with its surroundings sowell it is difficult to detect. One of myfavorite stratagems involves the use ofinexpensive rubber stamps. They areperfect for creating authentic-looking,false markings that a layman will over-look.

Have a print shop make a stamp with1/4" letters of your initials and yournumerical birth date. For example, ifBob Remington was born on June 30th,his stamp would read "BR630." Applythe stamp just below the logo on eachdrumhead. Wite Out is a suitable substi-tute for ink when matching the logo on acolored head. By this simple procedureyou have affected what appears to be aninconsequential product number that inreality is a subtle label.

It is improbable the thief will have theknow-how or willingness to spend themoney to replace all heads on a stolenkit. Since it is a possibility, you must usea similar deception to mark shell interi-ors.

This time, due to the roundness of thedrums, you'll need individual stamps andnumerals preferably in the 1/2" to 1"range. Ask your printer to sell, lend, orgive the five or six pieces of lead typeneeded. Toy and hobby shops stock rub-ber stamp kits that work equally well.

Apply the initials and numbers in astraight line but not in the center of theshell interior. (An off-center mark is lessconspicuous). This will give the appear-ance of a matter-of-factly marked manu-facturer's imprint.

Why use specific letters and numbers?Upon locating missing drums you canpoint out the markings to a law officer,then present your driver's license toillustrate the similarities. Even the mostcreative thief will have a difficult timeexplaining how your initials and birthdate happened to be on "his" drums.A concealed ID is one that is visible

but out of plain sight. There are hollowportions of your kit that are ideal forconcealment techniques. Examine yourequipment thoroughly, paying closeattention to metal parts.All cymbal stands and most tom

mounts have a hollow section. To place aconcealed mark on these you'll need aflashlight, cotton swabs, and light-col-ored nail polish. Shine the flashlight intothe hollow to illuminate a section of thepiece normally not exposed to light. Dipthe swab in polish and apply the liquidliberally to the selected area.You now have a hardware part of which

only you are aware of the mark location.To the thief's eye it looks like any otherpiece of equipment. Because of peelingdue to metal-on-metal contact, it is wiseto regularly check markings. They mayneed a periodic touch-up.

The majority of acoustic drums have ahollow area in the tension rod casings.Remove one head and unbolt the casingclosest to a reference point, for example,the initial/birth date stamp or a mountingbracket. Type or neatly print your sur-name on a thin strip of paper. Fold thepaper and place it into the hollow, andbolt the casing back to the shell. Repeatthe procedure on each drum.

No code name is needed in this proce-dure. The odds of a thief unbolting everycasing or even being aware it's possible todo so are extremely small. If he did andfound a hidden slip of paper, he wouldtoss it regardless of what was written onit.

Invisible markings are those that areimperceptible to the naked eye. A sec-ondary tool is required to disclose theirpresence. So an invisible mark can be

placed anywhere and on any part of thekit.

Some video rental outfits daub a clearliquid known as coin lacquer on thespools of each tape. That way they can besure customers are returning the sametape they borrowed. Due to the chemicalcontent of the liquid, all object parts coat-ed with the lacquer will give off a lumi-nous glow when placed under a "blacklight."

You can do the same on your drumset.Because it is transparent, you can applythe lacquer on any shell or hardware fin-ish with a swab or paint brush. The driedfluid loses its reflective quality in time, soit should be reapplied routinely. Blacklight tubes come in a variety of sizes andshould be available at your local homeimprovement store. One will last years.

The obvious and subtle marking tech-niques illustrated above are only a fewexamples of what can be done to imple-ment the Golden Rule. If you've got agreat marking tip you would like to share,why not send it to MD care of DrumLine?You will receive a $15 check if your sug-gestion is published.

LiabilityIf your equipment is stolen, there is apossibility that someone may be liable.That is, a second party may be legallyobligated to financially reimburse thevictim for the loss. This does not meanthey are particularly at fault and, as such,should not be blamed for the crime.Pointing fingers after the fact does noth-ing but create ill will.

Rehearsal Hall TheftContrary to popular belief, musicianswho practice in a band member's house

may not be entitled to recoup the fundsneeded to replace stolen gear throughthe member's homeowners' insurancepolicy. It all depends upon the reason theequipment is on the site in the firstplace.

The insurance adjuster may deter-mine that the band functions to makemoney and, therefore, is classified as abusiness. A homeowners' account willcompensate for no more than $2,500 inbusiness property losses. Separatefloaters are available for higherlimits—at an additional cost. Conversely,if your unit congregates for pleasurerather than financial rewards and you doso on one of the musician's personalproperty, compensation is in order.

Rental property tenants should notassume the landlord will shoulder theresponsibility of theft insurance as partof the rental agreement. Generally, thefine print on the lease includes a waiverof any such responsibility. Read the doc-ument carefully.

There is a gray area here worthy ofdiscussion. Performers of original mate-rial may work for years before they putany black ink in the ledger. New artistshoping to gain exposure will often playfor fees that do not cover expenses.Though no profit comes from the gigs,money does change hands. The receiptof any payment makes a performer aprofessional and the band a business inthe eyes of the insurers.

It is possible to insure a specificobject. Art and jewelry collectors do it allthe time. You can do the same for yourinstruments. But be forewarned: Thepolicy will be expensive, and it won't beeasy to find an agent willing to write it.Worse yet, this type of policy will have a

$250 - 500 deductible clause. In plainEnglish that means you will not receive acent for lost equipment valued at orbelow the specified deductible figure.

The agent will need two lists and ameasurement to initiate your account.First, record every single piece of equip-ment likely to be used in performance.Be specific, listing brand and modelnames. Don't forget non-musical itemssuch as thrones, cords, cymbal springs,multi-clamps, sticks, and caddies. Thoseaccessories add up!

Secondly, note equipment that willremain in the rehearsal area at all times.Examples include recording machineryand PA monitors. Finally, tabulate thesquare footage of the room. Inform theagent of all theft deterrents installed atthe site; you may qualify for a slight dis-count.

It is an enticement to radicallyupgrade your set by listing more or bet-ter equipment than you actually own.Bluntly put, that makes you a thief. Ifyour avarice overrides your guilt, consid-er this: Suppose your stolen equipmentturns up after you have filed a falsified

claim. You will be in big-time legal trou-ble for attempting to defraud the insur-ance company.

Don't get greedy. Upon the settlementof a legitimate claim, you will alreadybenefit by having your used stuffreplaced with new equipment. Besidesbeing illegal and unscrupulous, insur-ance deceptions drive the rates up foreveryone.

Public TheftYou will occasionally book a date in avenue where the house policy requiresmusicians to return the afternoon fol-lowing the show in order to transportequipment out of the building. Lounge,society, and cover acts frequently arecontracted for extended runs. They mayperform for a week, a month, or a sea-son; some are held over indefinitely.

Under any of these circumstancesthere is a period during which a drum-mer is away from his set until the nextday. In the interim, equipment may dis-appear due to burglary or sticky-fingeredemployees. A question arises as to who isliable for such losses.

Musicians who insure their instru-ments have "worldwide" coverage onitems on the first list. That means theirpolicy will pay for the replacement ofinstruments stolen at home or on theroad—provided the instruments are list-ed on the insurance record. The premi-um is based upon the specified items;consequently, the insurer is under nolegal obligation to award reimbursementfor items excluded from the worldwidelist. That's why it is important to notifythe agency whenever equipment ischanged or added.

In general, venue managers feel it isup to the owner of valuable property tokeep tabs on it while the Showplace isopen to the public. A manager whorequested anonymity drew an analogy:"If you've got a cigarette case or coatworth a lot of money, common sense tellsyou to take precautions against losing itby not leaving it unprotected. The samething goes for instruments. The estab-lishment cannot be held responsible if amusician fails to safeguard his property.

"On occasion there will be a securitystipulation in a contract rider," he con-tinued. "But we are concerned with per-

sonal safety, not the musician's privateproperty."

Those without insured instrumentsare advised to discuss a loss with a repre-sentative of the promoter's office beforeinstituting formal legal action. Present alist of the stolen items, approximatingtheir value. The rep may file a claim forthe loss on the establishment's insur-ance policy or, if the value is below thedeductible figure, offer to make a reim-bursement with company funds.

A quick settlement as outlined above isfar from automatic. In some cases involv-ing theft it is necessary to take the clubowner to court. Losses valued under$5,000 can be settled in small-claimscourt. It will be the burden of the plain-tiff (you) to provide evidence of willfulnegligence (such as unlocked doors) onthe part of the defendant.

To sue or not to sue? That is the ques-tion. The answer depends on howimportant it is to the band to stay ongood terms with the promoter. Say, forexample, you lose a stick bag at a presti-gious nightspot where you are bookedone weekend per month, and the owneroffers no compensation after the theft isreported to him. A lawsuit over an itemof low financial value could ruin whatwas otherwise a solid business relation-ship, jeopardizing future bookings.

By the same token, the desire to main-tain goodwill sometimes works in theplaintiff's favor. When asked how hisemployer, one of the East Coast's largestpromoters, would handle such a suit, ouranonymous source said, "If Mr. X was abig draw and we wanted to keep bringinghim here on every tour, we would offeran out-of-court settlement and write itoff as a business expense. Not only arewe keeping Mr. X happy, we're alsoavoiding friction with his agent, whohandles other acts we book."

Post-TheftThe ugly reality is, despite thorough pre-cautions, you may become a theft victim.As previously stated, a thief attempts tosell the stolen goods as quickly as possi-ble. A swift "counterattack" on the vic-tim's part often spells the differencebetween retrieving an instrument andlosing it forever.

Although you will be in a frazzled state

of mind upon discovery of the theft, yourfirst phone call should not be to a sympa-thetic close friend but to the policedepartment. Do your best to deduct theperiod during which the crime occurredby recalling the last time you saw themissing equipment. Provide the officerwith a detailed description of the stolenitems. The police will keep a record ofyour lost instruments and refer to itwhenever they arrest a criminal in thepossession of stolen goods.

After speaking to the police, your nextobjective is to spread the word on yourloss throughout the community. Find aone-hour photo lab and order numerousprints from your negatives. While thepictures are being developed, break outthe phone book and call every musicshop and pawnshop in the immediatevicinity. Give them a general descriptionof your equipment and a phone numberwhere you can be reached for moredetailed information.

Type or neatly print a list of the miss-ing items, noting brand, color, size, seri-

al numbers, and all obvious markings.Do not mention subtle markings; youmay inadvertently tip off the thief to theirpresence.

Print the word "stolen" in large lettersacross the top of the list and put yourname and phone number along the bot-tom. (An offer of a reward upon thereturn of the instruments is optional.)Make a photocopy for the police depart-ment, insurance company, and each storecontacted. Once the pictures are pro-cessed, attach them to the list and dis-tribute the information.

Drummers who live in large cities canhand-deliver the info to stores in thecentral business district and mail it tothose in the outlying areas. First-classmail usually travels cross-town in oneday. Ask or add a brief note inquiringwhether the store has a bulletin board onwhich to post the notice.

Another method of reaching those whomay come in contact with missing equip-ment is to place an ad in the classifiedsection of the town's most widely dis-

tributed newspaper(s). The ad shouldappear in the "Instruments For Sale"section and the column where bandsseeking new members advertise. Men-tion the reward if one is being offered.

Newspaper ads will reach fellow musi-cians who do not frequent the localmusic stores, and they'll warn drummersin the market for used sets to avoid pur-chasing your stolen kit. You could evenbe lucky enough to have your ad read byan acquaintance of the criminal willingto turn him in for the reward. "Honoramong thieves" often goes straight outthe window when the price is right.

Let's face it: You can follow every pre-caution suggested in this article, but thatwill not guarantee the security of yourequipment. As long as there are valu-ables, there are going to be thieves. Onthe other hand, despite the fact that wecannot eliminate the crime, we can sub-stantially reduce the frequency in whichit occurs by implementing the securitymethods we've described.

BILL STEWART

ing the past three years."Stewart plays the same basic kit for all his jazz gigs, though

he does make some alterations when he plays with Maceo Park-er. "Maceo's gig is more R&B/funk-oriented than his record,even though we do play some material from his record. We endup doing more dance-oriented stuff because some of the peo-ple who come out to see him are people who heard him with P-Funk and James Brown. They're screaming and hollering forthat stuff, and Maceo gives it to them.

"So with Maceo I use a bigger bass drum, and I tune thedrums a little lower. And I don't use the same cymbals; I use aZildjian 17" crash and a heavy unfinished Istanbul ride. TheIstanbul is loud, but not real bright. It's not like a rock 'n' rollcymbal, but it is heavier and louder than most jazzcymbals—which I really need to be heard in Maceo's band.With Sco and most of my jazz gigs, I use two old 22" K Zildjiancymbals from Turkey on my right and a 20" American-made KZildjian on my left."

Bill plays a Gretsch kit—a 22" bass drum for Maceo gigs, an18" bass drum for jazz gigs—with an 8x12 mounted tom and a14" floor tom. His snare for both gigs is a Ludwig 6 1/2 x 14 ham-mered brass, and his hi-hat also remains the same for both set-tings: an old K Zildjian on top and a new American-made Zild-jian on the bottom.

Though Stewart feels he is still growing as a drummer, heprefers to make his leaps on the bandstand rather than in thepractice room. "I work on real basic things when I

practice...things like sound production on the drums, gettingthe sound that I like, playing time. I'll still play along withrecords and practice soloing on standards, but one thing I don'tdo is sit around and practice real technical things out of a book.I've never really been into that. I might play rolls once in awhile just to see if I'm getting a good sound. But I try to prac-tice musical things."

One thing Bill doesn't need to practice is the art of listening,a quality that many young drummers would do well to emulate.Says Bill, "It takes some experience learning to play with peo-ple. And it has to be something that you value for it to comeout. A drummer who's only concerned with what he or she isplaying, and not with what the other musicians are playing, isprobably not going to sound very musical within a group. Soyou have to familiarize yourself with what the other instru-ments are doing. When I play with people, I listen to the othermusicians. Even when I listen to records, I don't just listen tothe drummer. I listen to all the musicians. I guess the key is tomake the group sound good. That's a drummer's first priority;everything else comes after that."

Stewart's solo debut came last year on a Japanese release.Playing with Bill were bassist Gary Peacock, pianist MarcCohen, and trumpeter Tim Hagans. He has recently stoppedplaying with Maceo Parker to concentrate on touring with theJohn Scofield group, and he can also be heard around NewYork between tours with Lee Konitz. Those hefty credits areonly the beginning of what promises to be a full and vital careerfor this exciting new talent on the drum scene.

TIMEKEEPING

tized surface that rests on the drumheadand picks up the vibration that comesfrom each strike. It divides the intervalbetween any two consecutive strikes intoa minute, then displays a figure that sig-nifies beats-per-minute on the large,easy-to-read LED display. Simply, atevery moment in a tune (assuming thatI'm playing backbeats on the snare) I cantell both 1) how many beats per minuteI'm playing at—the tempo, and 2)because the read-out is instantaneousfor each strike, how evenly I'm keepingat this tempo—the meter. Two birdswith one Bug.

Now, with my Beat Bug, I can tell if it'sme or the guitarist who's "right." Itdoesn't matter how many cups of coffeeI've drunk or how much sleep he's got-ten: I have objective feedback. I may stilldecide to move with the guitarist, tospeed up a bit or slow down, dependingon the organic flow of the band and thetune; but now I can do this with a confi-dence I never had before. I still feel incontrol of things, no matter which way Imight go; and the band, in turn, feelsthat confidence. They know, moresecurely than ever, that I am the time-keeper, even if I'm, in fact, followingthem.

The Beat Bug does have its limitations,however. Because it provides bpm feed-back only on intervals between strikesthat are regular and repeating (such asbackbeats), it can give only indirect dataabout fills. Also, it cannot provide feed-back during tom-tom or bass drum-alonepassages. It carries with it, as well, thepotential for abuse: You can easily start tofixate on those insistent red numbers,eyes narrowed and unblinking, becomingoblivious to your bandmates and to thefeel of the tune itself.

Indeed, my bandmates were worried,at first, that I would fall into this trap.However, when playing with them I havelearned to use the Beat Bug only for"spot checking"; sometimes I forgetabout it for many measures at a time,paying more attention to them, the audi-ence, and my general "feel." If it feelslike we're beginning to rush or drag, Igive it a check. Often, it just turns out tobe some kind of subjective sensation; Ifind (to my repeated surprise) that we'rereally right on. Other times, I might usethe feedback to fine-tune the tempo upor down. It's amazing, I've found, howsubtle a modification in stroke action canchange those LED numbers—and fromthose, the performance of the wholeband.

All the same, there are times you mightchoose to ignore the device altogether.While we were working up one tune dur-ing practice, my bandmates actuallyinsisted that I not play a certain repeatingfigure that the Beat Bug said I was solidon, in favor of one that I was ratheruneven on. They just preferred the feel ofthe latter, regardless of the "objective"perfection of it. So that's the one I'mplaying now, all the while improving myevenness during performance with thehelp of my ever-present digital friend. Inever leave home without it.

Using A Drum MachineBeyond basic metronomes of any kind,

perhaps the most useful device for thetraining of timekeeping skills is the drummachine. The key word here is variety.Used as a click track, the drum machinecan give you as your signal anything froma rimshot to a conga. As a sequencer itcan give you infinite varieties of patternsand tracks, pre-programmed or pro-grammed by yourself. It can give you anynumber of standard or non-standardrhythms to practice to, all with soundseither from its own bank or triggeredfrom other sound modules via MIDI.

Undeniably more interesting to spendtime with than a mere metronome, thedrum machine constitutes a formidablelearning tool. I would just caution, how-ever, that it's easy to get so complicatedwith it that, as with recordings, the

Naked Pulse can get overshadowed.Sometimes, because of similarities indrum and drum machine frequencies,you might find that you can't always tellif your stroke is exactly on thebeat—flams tend to become blurred.Also, working with drum machinesounds may not prepare you for thestarkness and unforgiveability of thestandard click track you might encounterin a studio situation. Still, these are justquibbles; practice time with a drummachine can be time well-practiced (punintended).

And The Practa Pal, TooThere was one particular situation,

however, where no amount of training orfeedback seemed to help me: when I hadto keep up a steady four-on-the-floorbass drum beat for many measures,without striking anything else. I don'tknow, but I can't help but suspect thatI'm not alone here: I find it hard toremain steady with only the bass drumdoing quarter notes alone for a minute ormore—a situation that happens to occurseveral times in my band's repertoire.

So I came up with a simple solution. Icover my wood block with foam and play"silent" 8th notes on it with my righthand, as if I were riding the hi-hat.That's all there is to it. There is justsomething about the simple act of play-ing that accessory pattern with anotherlimb that keeps the foot even on thequarters—at least for me. At times whenI don't want to clutter up my bass drumrim with the woodblock, I strap on myPracta Pal—a rubber practice pad prod-uct that uses a Velcro strap to secure iton the thigh—and play my 8ths on that.Works like a charm.

Just another way I have found to adaptto this, the Day of the Click. Sometimesit can be a tyrant, yes, and sometimes itcan feel heartless; but the fact remainsthat The Click cannot be ignored, if youare going to play popular music today.And meanwhile, if you can use itsdemands to turn you into a better time-keeper—if you can harness it to fuel yourgroove—then it has really done nothingbut make you a better drummer. Andwhat can be the harm in that?

Pro-MarkProject X ContinuesPro-Mark's Project X, which seeks to getdirect response from drummers regard-ing the company's products, has yieldedpositive results, according to SalesManager Pat Brown. After running an adsoliciting participation from drummers,names were selected via computer to rep-resent a wide range of ages, geographiclocations, and musical preferences. Whenthe company needs product evaluation,Project X members are sent samples andasked to send back evaluation forms by aspecified date. "Doing so assures thatthey will continue to receive periodic no-charge samples for testing," says Brown.Members who don't respond are taken offthe mailing list and replaced by membersfrom an alternate list. The companystates that so far they have had nearly100% participation.

Indy QuickiesYamaha drums are being used on stagefor each of the city of Chicago's six 1991Summer Events, including the ChicagoGospel, Blues, Jazz, and Country MusicFestivals, as well as the Viva! Chicago andTaste of Chicago shows.

Slobeat Music Products has promotedRandy White to the position of NationalSales Manager. White has been the gen-eral manager of the company for the pasttwo years, and will continue in that capac-ity, as well as handle the duties that hisnew position demands.

Premier drums will now be offeredwith RIMS mounts as optional equip-ment with selected kits.

Mapex Percussion has been awardedtwo patents for their design of the tensionadjustment mechanism on their Orion,Saturn, and Mars series hi-hat stands.

Endorser NewsMason Treat with country artist JohnAnderson is endorsing Ludwig drums,Evans heads, RIMS mounts, and Pro-Marksticks.

Paiste cymbals are now being struck byMichael Blair, Andy Sturmer ofJellyfish, Scott Crago with Stevie Nicks,John Dittrich of Restless Heart, RogerEarl of Foghat, Dan Hickey with JoeJackson, Michael Baker of the JoeZawinul Syndicate, and David Palmerwith Rod Stewart.

Vinnie Colaiuta, Dennis Chambers,Rick Marotta, Jim Keltner, Stu Nevitt,and Doane Perry using KAT products.

New PureCussion RIMS endorsersinclude Jeff Crandall of the Altar Boys,Alan White, Chris Branco of Black EyedSusan, Joe Bellia with Dave Mason,Bruce Carter with Kenny G., JohnnyDee of Britny Fox, Mark Craney, LynnWilliams with John Hiatt, and SeanBurke of the Atlanta Rhythm Section.

New Impact BagsImpact has released two new bags—adouble pedal bag and a deluxe cymbalbag. The double pedal bag is 32" long andfeatures foam padding, a removable hard-shell insert, and soft-grip handles. It canalso be used as a hardware bag.

Impact's deluxe cymbal bag is 22" indiameter and features a separate hi-hatcompartment on the side, 1/2" foam cush-ioning, and a large pocket for accessoriesand sticks. Both types of bags come inSignature (rip-stop Tolex) and Impact II(1000 denier polypropylene) versions.Impact Industries, Inc., 333 PlumerSt., Wausau, WI 54401, (715) 842-1651.

Octagon GlovesOctagon drummer's gloves are madefrom super-thin, strong, and moistureresistant Cabretta sheepskin and calfskinleather, and are available in three styles.The gloves go through a chemical treat-ment process that makes them repelmoisture up to 40% more than otherdrummer's gloves on the market, accord-ing to the makers. Octagon Corpora-tion, 6970 Aragon Circle, Suite 2,Buena Park, CA 90620, tel: (714) 522-1471, (800) 828-8877, fax: (714) 522-6490.

Overby Flutter BarOverby's OVB-1000 Flutter Bar is adevice designed to allow drummers toquickly and easily perform one-handedrolls and fly-away drumstick tricks.Overby claims that this device (whichattaches inconspicuously to any drumrim) will increase showmanship and

technical ability. Overby Enterprises,P.O. Box 5436, Bryan, TX 77805.

Aquarian Kick PadAquarian's Kick Pad is an impact pad forbass drums that, according to the compa-ny, will save drummers considerablemoney on bass drum head replacements.The pad measures 3 3/4" in diameter.According to Aquarian, this small sizeallows the Kick Pad not to inhibit thebass drum from speaking. A Double KickPad measuring 6 1/8" x 3 1/2" is also avail-able. Aquarian Accessories, 1140 N.Tustin Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807.

Simmons Trixer IISimmons' Trixer II offers expandedsounds and programability over thecompany's original model. In addi-tion, owners of the original Trixercan send their units back toSimmons to have them upgraded tothe Trixer II's capabilities. (CallDennis Grzesik at [805] 494-5007for return authorization.) The price

of the upgrade is $250, which includesup/down, kit select, and footswitch.Trixer II enhancements include anincrease in the number of factory pre-setkits from four to eight, and an increase ofuser-programmable kits to ten. Sim-mons Drums, 756 Lakefield Road,Unit C, Westlake Village, CA 91361,tel: (805) 494-5007, fax: (805) 494-9415.

New FromPureCussion

CappellaMarching SticksCappella's Patriot Marching Series sticksare made from white hickory and areavailable in 1S, 2S, and 3S models, allwith wood tips. The company's Elite9000 model stick comes in nylon tip, andis also made from white hickory.Cappella Drumsticks, P.O. Box 247,Applegarth Road, Hightstown, NJ08520, (609) 448-1153 or (800) 262-BEAT.

PureCussion's shell-less 12" snare drumhas been introduced, and the companystates that its lack of sympathetic vibra-tions makes it an ideal recording "picco-lo"-type snare.

The company's Rimbali is a combina-tion of 12" and 14" NE series drums fittedwith Evans Cad/Cam white-coated 750heads. The pairing simulates timbalesounds, and a set comes complete withan adjustable cymbal holder, a cowbellholder, and a Tolex carrying bag. Anoptional suspended brass shell sectionmay be added to achieve a traditionalpiala sound.

Also new from PureCussion is a tradi-tionally shaped 14"-diameter throne seatthat features a grey velour top, and theirDouble Drop Clutch, which can be usedas a regular hi-hat clutch or as a dropclutch. PureCussion, Inc., 3611Wooddale Ave. South, Minneapolis,MN 55416, (612) 927-2330.

Slingerland MarchingPercussion CarriersSlingerland's Magnum marching percus-sion carriers include models for snareand bass drums, plus one for multi-toms.All are made from aircraft-grade alu-minum. Snare carriers mount easily and

offer four-way adjustability, bass carriersfeature three-way adjustability, and multi-tom carriers offer five-way adjustabilityplus a tilt feature to help reduce fatigue.HSS, Inc., Lakeridge Park, 101Sycamore Dr., Ashland, VA 23005,(804) 550-2700.

Updated LudwigEducational PackLudwig has introduced their updatedPercussion Educational Materials Folder.Featuring articles by Danny Gottlieb, EdShaughnessy, Butch Miles, and others,the pack is available in two forms. Thefirst is aimed at band directors and con-tains articles helpful in assisting youngerstudents. The second contains articlesintended for the "serious percussion per-

former." Some of the subjects coveredare snare drum care and tuning, timptechniques, an Ed Shaughnessy drumclinic, and the 40 P.A.S. rudiments.Folders are available for $3.00 fromLudwig Industries, P.O. Box 310,Elkhart, IN 46515, (219) 522-1675.

New From PearlTwo new Pearl kits have been intro-duced—the CZX Studio, and the PrestigeSession Elite. CZX Studio drums aremade of 100% birch, and kits come stan-dard with Pearl's B-914D brass-shellFree Floating snare drum. Pearl's aim wasto create a kit that "projects presence inthe upper and lower frequencies unparal-leled in professional birch drums."

The Prestige Session Elite drums,which are made from a blend of birch and

mahogany, have been engineered as "aplausible alternative to the total birch ortotal maple sound," according to Pearl.The makers state that the drums produce"the same pronounced upper- and lower-end frequencies present in the 100%birch Prestige Studio."

In other Pearl news is Pearl News, thedrum company's periodical, whichincludes articles on Pearl players, reviewsof their recordings, new Pearl productoverviews, and info on Pearl "imagewear"and posters.

Finally, the Pearl Corporation hasentered into a distribution deal with OmPercussion, makers of a wide variety ofwind chimes and other percussion prod-ucts. Pearl Corporation, 549 Metro-plex Dr., Nashville, TN 37211, tel:(615) 833-4477, fax: (615) 833-6242.

SPECIAL BUYER'S GUIDE ISSUE:THOUSANDS OF PRODUCTS,

PRICES, AND SPECS

DRUMMER'S GUIDE ToSHOPPING, PRICING,TESTING, AND BUYING

DRUM MANUFACTURERSDIRECTORY

ADVERTISERABK RocksAlfred PublishingAquarian AccessoriesAtlanta Pro PercussionAustralian Drum Manufacturers (A.D.M.)Boulevard MusicCalato/Regal TipChardan Percussion/The Kick-StopDCI Music VideoddrumDL ProductionsDrum WorkshopDrummers CollectiveDrums on SaleDrums OnlyDrumstixDuratech Music ProductsEvans ProductsFalicon DesignGibraltar/Kaman Music Corp.Glenn Weber Drum StudioGrant's Drum CityGretschHQ Percussion ProductsHouse Ear InstituteImperial ,Impact IndustriesKansas City DrumworksKAT, Inc.KawaiL.T. Lug LockLatin Percussion, Inc.Ludwig IndustriesMapex PercussionMD Festival WeekendMD SubsriptionsMD & Ludwig Trivia Contest

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ADVERTISERMechanical Music CorporationMeinlMusic TechMusician's InstituteOM PercussionOverby EnterprisesPaistePearl CorporationPlay It StraightPrecision Drum Co.Pro-MarkPureCussion, Inc.PureToneRemoRhythm Tech, Inc.Roc-N-SocRolandRussian Dragon/JeaniusSabianSam Ash Music StoresSlingerlandSound Judgement RecordsSuncoast Music DistributingSuper Gloss/Sam BarnardTamaThe Woodwind & BrasswindThoroughbred MusicUDU DrumsUnique PercussionValley Drum ShopVater PercussionVic Firth, Inc.Waddell's Cymbal WarehouseXL Specialty ProductsYamahaZildjian

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