Posted on January 17th, 2010 by Dave
Sad news that Ed Thigpen, father of modern brush technique, has passed away.
From The Chicago Tribune:
Jazz lovers called him “Mr. Taste,” and the nickname couldn’t have been more fitting.
Always fashionably dressed — and sounding as impeccable as he looked — Ed Thigpen conveyed elegance in every aspect of his life and art.
At the same time, his ability to generate propulsive, hard-hitting swing rhythm made him a driving force in pianist Oscar Peterson’s great trio of the late 1950s and ’60s, which also included bassist Ray Brown.
This high-profile spot established Mr. Thigpen, born in Chicago and raised in Los Angeles, as an international figure. It also made him a featured player at Chicago’s long-gone London House, where Peterson’s trio enjoyed extended residencies.
Mr. Thigpen, 79, died Wednesday, Jan. 13, in Copenhagen, said his daughter, Denise. The drummer, who had moved to Denmark in 1972, performed regularly through October. He was hospitalized in the last two weeks with “weak lungs and weak heart,” said his daughter, speaking from Copenhagen.
Read More
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Posted on July 5th, 2009 by Dave
We learned today that educator and drumming legend, Jim Chapin, has passed away. He died yesterday, July 4th at the age of 89. There is a great piece by Billy Ward remembering him.
Filed under: Artists, News | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 15th, 2009 by Carter
My love of all things Dave Matthews Band has been discussed much on the show, so here goes again. Hulu.com has a video providing an interesting look behind the scenes of the writing and recording of their new album Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. Lots of very interesting tidbits in this video, including shots of the band using legit charts, engineer Doug McKean’s thoughts on drum sounds, and the band’s thoughts on the passing of saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who died during the recording. Also, at one point you see drummer Carter Beauford go for it in the studio (8:02 minute mark). I’ve picked up the album, and I must say it’s pretty great. Definitely a solid effort from a band who’s entering their third decade of existence.
Check out the video here!
Filed under: Artists, Music/DVDs, Videos | 1 Comment »
Posted on May 19th, 2009 by Carter
In a nod to taking himself seriously, Slipknot’s Joey Jordison has left Ahead drumsticks for Pro-Mark. Whether you’re a Vic Firth, Pro-Mark, Zildjian, Vater, etc… I think we can all agree that Pro-Mark’s a step… well… ahead… of Ahead sticks.
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Filed under: Artists, Gear, News | 4 Comments »
Posted on May 15th, 2009 by Carter
Interesting clip here. This shows a few guys demonstrating the visual effects seen when performing with Vic Firth’s LED Lite Stix. The sticks, which have a colored LED light on the beads, are a total gimmick, but some of these look cool. However… can anyone explain to me why Vinny Appice appears to be in a bathroom towards the end of the video?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTLqTPZe9AI&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
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Filed under: Artists, Gear, Randomness | 3 Comments »
Posted on May 13th, 2009 by Carter
For the upcoming tour with his new supergroup, Chickenfoot, Chad Smith is pulling out all the stops. He’s been known to go over the top in kit design before, a couple times. This time around is no exception. Smith’s teamed up with Orange County Chopper motorcycle artist Nub. No… that’s really his name. The kit looks pretty flippin’ sweet. Not a bad design. Check it our here.
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Posted on April 27th, 2009 by Carter
Proving that the Memphis Drum Shop is a top notch and high caliber establishment, a couple of the drumming community’s up and coming players dropped by recently and showcased some of their talent. Ronald Bruner Jr. (Stanley Clark) and Jason McGerr (Death Cab For Cutie) both sat down at the kit in MDS’s cymbal vault (which houses the largest Zildjian collection in the world outside of the Zildjian factory itself) and gave viewers a tiny showcase.
It’s interesting to see the difference in styles between the two guys. Ronald is very flashy and all about the speed while Jason is very methodical and has a more calm, cool, and collected vibe. Love both of their playing.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arZewi6Pw5E&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2yt72JGb8g&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
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Posted on April 20th, 2009 by Carter
You’re never too famous to audition. At least that was the mentality former System of A Down drummer John Dolmayan took with him to audition for The Smashing Pumpkins. Pumpkins frontman/genius Billy Corgan recently auditioned 12 drummers for the spot left open when founding member Jimmy Chamberlin departed in March. Dolmayan would certainly be an interesting fit for the Chicago-based rock group. He’s certainly proved his chops during his 12 year run with System of A Down. Stay locked in to Drummer Talk for more news.
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Filed under: Artists, News | 5 Comments »
Posted on April 17th, 2009 by Carter
Sign Meshuggah drummer Tomas Haake for a pro sports contract. He can’t stay healthy! The Swedish band announced this month that they are cancelling several Scandinavian shows due Haake’s unhealthy back and right leg. Haake was forced to sit out part of Meshuggah’s tour last year due to shoulder problems. At this point, one wonders why this keeps happening. Suppose it’s due to poor posture or technique? It is possible. Perhaps he’s just chronically injured. At any rate, Meshuggah should at least be discussing what to do about this recent development as it relates to the band’s future. Cancelling shows or finding a replacement drummer once a year doesn’t seem like viable option for a successful band like Meshuggah.
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Filed under: Artists, News, tour | 1 Comment »
Posted on April 15th, 2009 by Carter
So while searching for a story for today, I stumbled across the Hudson Music Youtube channel and found a whole channel for Tommy Igoe’s Groove Essentials 2 DVD. This particular clip popped out to me. It’s about rideless grooves and how to use them. I found it incredibly useful. Same ole Tommy. However, I noticed he’s using Evans heads now where he was using Remo before. Enjoy!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlAuXhP9I5o&feature=related[/youtube]
Filed under: Artists, Education, Videos | 1 Comment »
Posted on April 10th, 2009 by Carter
In a victory for drumming purists everywhere, Pearl has announced that 311’s Chad Sexton has left his former company (Orange County Drums and Percussion) for greener pastures. Having endorsed Pearl’s hardware for awhile, he finally saw the light and wisely left ODCP. No brainer to me. Go Chad!
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Posted on April 10th, 2009 by Dave
Drum stick tycoon and legendary Boston Symphony timpanist was recently featured on CBS’ Sunday Morning Show. It’s a pretty good read as long as you ignore all the drummer puns.
Source: CBS.com
What do legendary drummer Buddy Rich, Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, and master chef Mario Batali have in common?
The tools of their trade.
Drumsticks of all kinds … along with pepper mills and rolling pins … are all made by Vic Firth at his factory in Newport, Maine.
“Are you surprised at how successful your company has become?” Mitchell asked.
“Am I surprised? Maybe shocked is a better word!” Firth laughed.
Even today, in the midst of the recession, Vic Firth’s factory turns out between 85,000 and 90,000 drumsticks a day!
Read more …
Thanks for the story tip, Southpaw! Do you have a drum story or cool video? Let us know!
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Posted on April 8th, 2009 by Carter
Finally! Someone has published books with drum transcriptions of big name bands and not made it dull and professorial! Alfred’s released two new song books cataloging the drum transcriptions of two rock heavyweights, Led Zeppelin and Rush. I’m interested to see how they’ve notated “Black Dog” for the breaks and “When The Levee Breaks” to see if they incoprorated the delay on the bass drum. When/if you play that particular groove, do you add in the bass drum delay on your bass drum part? Listen back to the track if you’re drawing a blank. Terrific track. Go Alfred!
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Filed under: Artists, Books/Mags/Web, Education, News | 1 Comment »
Posted on March 31st, 2009 by Carter
In another masterstroke, photographer/drum luthier/webmaster Ronn Dunnett of Drumsmith.com took a trip to Cindy Blackman’s clinic in Vancouver, Canada a couple years back. He brought his camera. What resulted is nothing short of mastery. There’s really nothing more I can say. Just enjoy.
Filed under: Artists, Events, Reviews | 1 Comment »
Posted on March 29th, 2009 by Carter
We’ve lost another legend. Sad day indeed in the drum community. Funk Brother Uriel Jones (name a Motown artist, he played on their record) passed away due to complications stemming from heart surgery. The Funk Brothers were Motown’s house band. A group of guys that together played on more #1 records than anyone in history. These guys were literally the driving force for popular American music in 50s and 60s. So few of the core guys remain. Sad to see Jones go.
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