The "1 Slice Rule"

After having some initial success and filling the coffers with hard earned shekels, my band Someone & The Somebodies decided it was time to "Move On Up" the recording studio food chain and booked several sessions at Blue Jay. Richie Blackmore's Rainbow preceded us. The first day was the typical " Get The Sounds Day". The engineer, a guy named Bruce, said he'd read the session notes for the first Van Halen album where Ted Templeman had Alex Van Halen record each drum separately, and that's how we were going to execute. If any of you drummers out there have tried playing your cymbal parts "ala carte" I'm here to say, "Bah Humbug!". After a few run throughs the band collectively assessed that Templeman was either an idiot or had "mis-remembered" the facts. So, on with the plan. A plan based on "want" is not a plan. We REALLY REALLY WANTED a perfect take of the tune Tristram and I brought from our first band The Molls called, "People Are Dumb". This was a neo-punk tune and my part was 16-32nd notes to the bar. We did about a baker's dozen takes. Even if the rhythm section performed well enough for prime time, it was always something: The middle section was too long/too short or "what the f*ck??", one or both guitarists flubbed the ending, or the ARP 2600 would melt down. And after the 12th take I melted down. We called it after 10 hours of frustration with Tristram and I acknowledging this was not meant to be, and we should write a list of tunes for the next day's session. After an evening of drug and alcohol infused analysis we stumbled into an 11:30AM session around 12:15. Bruce looked up from the console, "You're late!". The reply is not worth recounting. We demanded food and Bruce produced a stack of menus. We chose pizza and due to the lateness we each had just one slice. We nailed a performance of "Working In A Coal Mine" on the first take, and the day rolled on with first take keeper after first take keeper . From then on the mandate for tracking sessions became, "Gentlemen, 1 Slice Rule!"

Are Drum Solos Necessary?

I'm listening to "Radiolarians 1" by Medeski, Martin & Wood and all of a sudden there's a drum solo from Billy Martin which train wrecks the proceedings. I like this guy for his chameleon-Esq in context rhythming.  He can really get it going to help his band-mates reach new heights collectively. The only drum solo I've actually liked is Ron Bushy's well composed segment from "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". It is elegant in it's simplicity, moves through motifs smoothly and segues quietly into the organ solo. Ginger Baker's Cream contribution "Toad" remains for me one of the most tedious workouts because there is no compositional commitment to the tune for setting up an appropriate context. I much prefer what he does in ensemble, his Afro-Beat inspired recordings produced by Bill Laswell are wonderful and his work with Jonas Hellborg sets new standards. I've seen a few Billy Cobham solos and while technically astounding, leave me cold because they exist for themselves. For me context is key. Surf rock drummers flail wildly, good progressive rock drummers apply symphonic techniques to embellish, funk drummers mine feel like veins of precious ore. In my own approach, I embrace the Jim Keltner Mantra Of Humility, "I try not to call attention to myself". Drummers please chime in!

"I Like All Kinds Of Music"

I love getting that answer to the question, "What music do you like?" My first answer, "Cool. How about some Sardinian Bagpipe music?" "Uh, er, okay?" "All righty then!" "Hm..this is a bit er, harsh?" "Now worries, how about some Swedish Two-Step dances done in the heavy psychedelic style by Kebnekajse?" "Really?" "Here Ya go!" "Are the guitars in tune and do the singers ever harmonize correctly?" "Ah, bit of a stretch, eh? Here's something more straight laced by by  a German band called Guru Guru" "What kind of music is this and do they ever play a normal rhythm?" "Okay, Krautrock not your thing it seems. Hm...Ah!..Hawkwind keep the beats simple and the tunes are not very complex" "What's with all the noises swirling around and what's an argon accumulator?" "Maybe something in a world music groove....Ah!...How about some Thai Shadow Music from a tape my bass player picked up in Bangkok? It's a bit long but the beat is easy" "Are those out of tune harmonicas and when does the beat change?" "Ah..a bit too far east? Let's see....Ah!..Here's some beautiful secular Bali Gamelan music by E. Koestyara and Group Gapura" "It sounds like someone is pounding a cleaver on butcher block and playing with kitchenware. What's that shrill chirping and does the low frequency throb ever stop?" "Okie Dokie...Hm...Jazz!...Here's John Coltrane's famous Quartet live at The village Vanguard" "Do the sax player and drummer ever calm down? And why does the piano player have to pound so hard?" "Post be-bop isn't for everyone...Let's try something else....Here Ya go!...This is a great trio called Scorch!" "Why is the guitar so distorted. Yikes that's the bass?? Oh my, the guitar player seems a bit stressed and the drummer isn't making any sense" "Okay, Finnish free jazz not your thing obviously....Dance!...This band Kraftwerk always gets me up" "I know this! Sprockets!!"

Who's Your Favorite Drummer?

As a drummer I get this question from people I meet for the first time 99.9% of the time. How can I possibly pick ONE drummer?? That's like asking "Who's your favorite author?"! So, I thought I would go on a stream of consciousness musing on the drummers, living or not, who continue to inspire me. The first drummer called to my attention was Gene Krupa for his work on Benny Goodman's "Carnegie Hall Concert of 1938", on 78 lacquer from my dad's wartime collection. Dad couldn't get enough of his breaks in "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon", always saying, "LISTEN to that DRUMMER!" every time he put that one on the Garrard 401 turntable.  Buddy Rich for his work with Count Basie, Billie Holiday and Charles Mingus. My dad and I loved how fast Buddy could roil it up with boundless energy. I love Charlie Watts for his consistency, accuracy on the snare and behind the beat jazzy R&B feel. Jim Gordon not for his work with Derek & The Dominoes rather for the rock-steady beats he laid down on Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band album, "Bongo Rock" especially the break in "Apache" which is one of the most sampled beats ever. Bill Bruford for his awe inspiring acrobatic/ultra flexible/take no prisoners poly-rhythmic assaults as the drum chair for Yes in their early years, and especially the incredible King Crimson band featuring John Whetton on bass. Robert Wyatt of Soft Machine who could play in one time signature and sing in another. Cleve Pozar who was asked to join Weather Report several times, and I had the amazing experience to play in a band with this genius. Greg Errico of Sly & The Family Stone who I actually did see in performance with Weather Report. Terry Cox of Pentangle who could effortlessly shift from traps to hand drums played in the Renaissance dance and Moondog poly-rhythm styles to tabla. Keith Moon of The Who for sheer audacity, playing fills that no one else would dare attempt and pulling them off 99% of the time. Corky Laing of Mountain who revolutionized hard rock drumming and laid the template for generations to come. John Densmore of The Doors for rock solid grooves and contextual adaptability. Lenny White for his work in Return To Forever, I saw him in performance effortlessly chewing gum against whatever he was doing with his limbs. Bill Ward of Black Sabbath for hanging in there coping Tony Iommi's multiple riff shifting compositions. Billy Cobham for just being him. Jack DeJohnette who continues to drive passionately, able to leap from light and bouncy to fire breathing dragon of death in an instant. Brian Keenan of The Chambers Brothers who kept me dad's attention through the long version of "Time Has Come Today", "This drummer is really keeping it interesting!" Jim Keltner for his "I don't try to call attention to myself" humility in the service of music. John Garner of Sir Lord Baltimore for balls to the wall kicking it out while attempting to sing lead vocals. Tony Williams for his work with the great Miles Davis Quintet from the late 60s and The Tony Williams Lifetime band with Larry Young and John McLaughlin. Elvin Jones for what he accomplished in the 3/4 time signature. Robbie McIntosh for his work with Brian Auger's Oblivion Express which blows away anything he did with Average White Band. Klaus Dinger of NEU! for being happy with Teutonic 4/4. Jaki Liebezeit of Can who still defines "Human Beatbox". Ndugu Leon Chancellor for his jaw dropping agility with George Duke's great electric trio of the mid 70s. Jimmy Carl Black for his contributions to The Mothers Of Invention. Chris Frantz of Talking Heads for his conviction and authority, especially live. Billy Hart for his work on the extended Herbie Hancock/Eddie Henderson sessions for Columbia and Capricorn. Billy Higgins for his elegance and sympathetic approach. And finally, the great Mel Taylor of The Ventures who inspired me to become a drummer and play music.

In Awe Of Pat Martino

I first heard Pat Martino during a party at a friend's apartment in 1975. I walked into their room and became transfixed by some of the most articulate post-bop guitar playing. Clearly under the spell of Wes Montgomery but already developing a new voice. The album was called, "Pat Martino - Live!" and the tune was "Sunny". What Pat Martino accomplished on that tune is reputation making. Relying more on instinct than "taught" methods of improvisation he takes chorus after chorus. Just when you think he has nothing more to say, he takes it to another level, again and again. He has become one of a handful of musicians whose albums I buy immediately upon hearing they are released. His latest effort, "undeniable: Live At Blues Alley" is a return to the in your face organ based groups with which he cut his chops, and is well, "undeniable". His talents as a guitarist and composer extraordinaire are enough in and of themselves. What makes his story so compelling for me is in 1980 he underwent major surgery to address a brain aneurysm that almost took his life. As a result of the operation he experience selective amnesia, forgetting much of his playing technique and large parts of his musical experiences. Through intensive rehab, the help of friends, and listening to his records he learned how to play again. How grateful we are to have him back. I consider Pat Martino a National Treasure, a true bearer of the torch who shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Thank you for all the great work to date Pat and wishing you many more creative and fulfilling years to come!

Remembering Jon Lord

Deep Purple co-founder and keyboardist Jon Lord has passed away at 71 years of age after losing his battle with pancreatic cancer. I discovered Deep Purple on their second album,"Book of Taliesyn" on Bill Cosby's label Tetragrammaton Records. At this stage they were still doing a lot of covers and Jon's arrangements of "Kentucky Woman", "River Deep, Mountain High" and the iconic "Exposition/We Can Work It Out" medley really got me hooked. My parents even liked Deep Purple, especially on the later albums "In Rock" and "Fireball" when Jon and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore would exchange modal lead breaks. My mom, who was schooled at Longy in Cambridge MA under Nadia Boulanger and E Power Biggs, loved how Jon would go out of key during his breaks and his aggressive guitar-like fuzzed out sound. It was his open mindedness and "follow the muse" approach to arranging that made Deep Purple stand out from the crowd. Just take the mid-section of "Fools" from "Fireball" for example. Even earlier he composed the first "Concerto for Group and Orchestra" and in later years became a prolific composer of classically oriented works. His contributions to the canon of Rock are undeniable and he is deserved of mega tributes. Thank you for all the excellent work Jon!

Celebrate Your Favorite American Musician Today

Happy 4th of July! In the spirit of celebrating America take a few minutes and listen to your favorite American musician, even if it's Uncle Donny singing in a drunken stupor by the pool, or my favorite living American icon of the guitar, Mr. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.  When Jimi Hendrix appeared on the Dick Cavett show he was asked, "Are there any guitarists currently playing whom you like?" and Hendrix answered, "There's a guy down in Texas by the name of Billy Gibbons who's doing some good things."  Certified Testifyin'! Time to put on "ZZ Top Live at Rockpalast 1980" and bask in Texas Sizzle. Rock On America!

"Oh Yeah, THAT Guy"

I was visiting my friend Chris O'Dea in Northampton after he'd moved there in '75. We had become friends after he introduced himself at one of the shows by my band, The Molls. I brought along some gems including "Puzzle" by Mandrake Memorial which he loved immediately, fired up his tape deck, then realized the album was too long for the only tape on hand, a 60 minute cassette...oops. For his share he pulled out a 7" and said, "This is beyond heavy!", and cued up a song called, "White Line Fever" by Motorhead. Ouch! It was snake bitten love at first decibel. I love these guys. Their recorded output is staggering. Lemmy Kilminster's muse is a fertile beast for sure. Highlight albums for me include "Another Perfect Day" with Brian Robertson of Thin Lizzy replacing original guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke. The story I've heard is Robertson agreed to do the album only but the band hadn't found a suitable string slinger by tour launch so the band made him an offer ($$!!) he couldn't refuse to do the tour. They came to the Paradise rock club in Boston on this tour and my Someone & The Somebodies mates Tristram Lozaw and Rob Rand (sound man extraordinaire!) went along. as pre-show entertainment, WBCN sponsored an air guitar contest. At the urging (alcohol fueled) of my mates I joined in, to a Judas Priest song I didn't know, won the contest, and WBCN DJ Tony Berardini bought me a beer (OH Boy! Prizes were er, lacking back then, no offense Tony). Time for the show! Rob produced foam ear plugs just as the first chords erupted. To say Motorhead were amped beyond the abilities of the Paradise sound system would be conservative. They were so loud the front of house system collapsed followed in short order by the stage monitor system, and you could STILL hear Lemmy screaming over the din. THAT'S Rock & Roll my friends! At one point Rob turns to me with a fiendish grin and mouths, "Take the ear plugs out!". I complied. The sound went from "rrrroooaaarrr" to "SSSSIIIINNNNGGGE!!!". Couldn't get them back in fast enough. A highlight of the stage antics came when Lemmy crossed the stage and shook his sweat drenched hair at Robertson covering him. Robertson's expression was priceless. Great show. In the following years, not every album was stellar, but one standout gem, "Orgasmatron" was produced by Bill Laswell. Of all people! It was a fine effort with songs, "Deaf Forever", "Claw" and the title track. Fast forward. My friend Brendan was over recently, we were listening to Motorhead's recent live set, "The World Is Ours Vol. 1". Brendan recalled an interview with Lemmy where he was given a few blind listening tests. The interviewer played a Bill Laswell tune and Lemmy says, "I've got NO clue as to what the F*CK this is", the interviewer says, "This is Bill Laswell. He produced 2 of your albums", Lemmy says, "Oh yeah, THAT guy".

The Night I Saw Passport

One of my favorite rock/jazz-ish bands from the '70s was Passport from Germany, led by Saxist/keyboardist/composer Klaus Doldinger. I became interested in Passport because of the unique cover art on their second album. When I turned over to the back side saw that John Mealing, a founding member of the great band IF, was the keyboardist. Intrigued I picked the album up and was pleasantly surprised. The compositions were melodic, evolved well and the band actually rocked. I automatically picked up their next album, "Looking Through". The rhythm section had changed to include drummer Curt Cress, bassist Wofgang Schmid remained and Mealing was replaced by Kristian Shultze. From the opener, "Eternal Spiral" it is obvious this band has something to say. The compositions are even more spectral, Schultze's multi-keyboard/synthesizer shadings and Fender Rhodes abilities add a perfect balance to Doldinger's sax and keyboard textures, and drummer Curt Cress brings an updated "Cobham-esque" attack that bassist Schmid locks into with hard bite and precision. This lineup would record several of my desert island records including, "Cross-Collateral" and "Infinity Machine". With each new effort the rhythm section of Cress/Schmid becomes more muscular, flexible and telepathically insane. The first section of the 13 minute title track, "Cross-Collateral" is a fine example. I played this to a sax player friend who quipped, "The sax player's just playing pentatonic bullshit, but the rhythm section is incredible". I informed Peter the "bullshit artist" wrote, arranged, produced all the music plus played synthesizer/string machine and clavinet. "Uh, okay he's really good!" I was working at the New England Music City store in Kenmore Square (on the corner where there is a convenience store now, for those who would remember), and the Atlantic sales rep came in to say Passport were conducting a 10 city US tour and The Jazz Workshop Boston was on, and did anyone want comp tickets. YES!!! It was a beautiful summer's evening on the appointed show date, the band had been to Fenway Park, and keyboardist Kristian Schultze was wearing a Red Sox jersey and cap. The rest of the band assumed the stage quietly, tuned up, then were introduced by Klaus Doldinger's German label head. I make no apologies for what I'm about to say. Passport were simply jaw-dropping. They played 2 sets and the albums "Looking Through", Cross-Collateral" and "Infinity Machine". They began by equaling the studio sonics then surpassing that by gradually increasing the house volume until the band became presented a through the biggest, cleanest stereo I'd ever heard. At the intermission I got to chat with bassist Schmid who asked, "Can you hear Curt?" to which I replied, "Yes, very clearly." to which he replied, "That's good because the drum microphones haven't arrived yet so now you know how good he REALLY is!" I sought out Kristian Schultze and found him at the bar, introduced myself, said how much I enjoyed his contributions to the Passport palette, and I played keyboards in a local group, "The Molls". He said, "Thanks Jon! It's great to meet another keyboard player, would you like to see my setup?" (OH YEAH!!). He took me to his stage area and walked me through his arsenal. When we came to his synthesizer I asked him what brand. "It's a Ah Kah Ess (AKS) what do you think?" "The pin-grid interface reminds me of a Putney VCS I played a few years ago." "Ja Jon! It is based on that. Do you like this way of programming?" "It's more intuitive than the ARP 2600 we use in The Molls, but that's an unfair comparisson don't you think?" (Much laughter). The second set had the drum mics in place and The Jazz Workshop rocked! This band, 4 hugely talented musicians, working through excellent compositions and sounding more like 6 people, presented themselves in a league of their own. For me, the music of Passport remains viable, intense and persistent. If you are a fan of jazz rock with the emphasis more on the progressive rock side, I can't recommend Passport enough. Thanks Guys!