A Salute To Joe

Welcome to MD Wire, the e-newsletter companion to Modern Drummer--the world's #1 drumming magazine. We have a lot to get to this month, and hopefully you'll find several tidbits to inspire you and your drumming.

A few weeks back I had a rather remarkable three-day run of drumming-related "events"—not all playing, but very interesting. First, my wife and I attended an 80th birthday "gala" for jazz drumming giant Joe Morello. It was a wonderful event. (Please see the story about it in our News section.) The following day, I received a call from rock drumming legend Mitch Mitchell, the man who so amazingly played with guitar icon Jimi Hendrix. Mitch called to thank us for including a chapter on him in our latest special edition, Drum Gods II. I'd never spoken to Mitch before, and it was a real pleasure to trade a few words with this fine gentlemen. Immediately after that, Steve Jordan called, thanking us for the plaque we sent him for his recent Modern Drummer readers poll win. Then, that night I saw In The Heights, one of the hottest shows currently on Broadway. Drummer Andres Patrick Forero plays brilliantly in the show, ably handling the contemporary grooves as well as the wide variety of Latin styles in the score. Very impressive. I believe Andres is a true talent with a long, successful career ahead of him. (And yes, the life of a Modern Drummer editor has its perks!)

In other Modern Drummer news, please check out our newly redesigned and revamped Web site, www.moderndrummer.com. Besides the clean new look, the site now contains several new features, including all sorts of sound and video files, a drummer gallery, educational materials, and so much more.

Finally, we're about five weeks away from the 2008 Modern Drummer Festival Weekend. The lineup for this year's show is incredible, and we have several surprises in store for attendees, including a special surprise performance from a living legend as well as thousands of dollars' worth of drum gear to be given away. We hope you'll join us. (FYI, there are some good seats still available. For more info, please go here: www.moderndrummer.com/festival.)

Now let's get to this month's MD Wire. Enjoy!

All the best,
Bill Miller
Editor In Chief

P.S. I'd like to thank Dixon Drums for sponsoring of this edition of the MD Wire.

NEWS Virgil Donati, Tony MacAlphine, and Billy Sheehan are part of a new progressive rock instrumental power trio called Devil's Slingshot. Their CD, Clinophobia, is available now. For more info, visit www.mascotrecords.com. Ricky Lawson is on The Morris Brothers' latest, One Less Dream. For more, visit www.morrisbrothersbiz.com. Alan Hertz is tearing it up on Woot, the new release by jam-band supergroup Garaj Mahal. John Blackwell spent the summer touring Japan with the number-one Japanese pop star, Double. The concerts were filmed for her upcoming DVD, Live From Tokyo. Chester Thompson is on the Steve Cropper and Felix Cavaliere collaboration, Nudge It Up A Notch. Earl Young, Morris Jennings Jr., and Bernard Purdie are on The Manhattans' three-CD box set Sweet Talking Soul 1965–1990. For more info, visit www.shoutfactory.com. Dan Weiss is on The Wheel by guitarist Joel Harrison. Shawn Pelton is on Richie Havens' Nobody Left To Crown. Jim Keltner is the drummer on the first new album in six years from The Pretenders, Break Up The Concrete. Jamire Williams is on Kenny Garrett's Sketches Of MD. Megadeth's guitar master Marty Friedman's latest CD, Exhibit "A"--Live In Europe, features Jeremy Colson on drums. Drummer/multi-instrumentalist Matty Amendola's solo CD =Ecstasy is available on iTunes, Rhapsody.com, and emusic.com. Matty also plays drums on the Weird Old America debut CD, as well as bass on The Classic Futures' CD Another Way. (That group features MTV's Damien Fahey on drums.) For more info, visit www.mattyamendola.com. Alfred has released two scores by Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche, Fantasy On A Shona Theme for solo vibes or marimba, and Glenn's arrangement of legendary new-music composer Steve Reich's Clapping Music for percussion ensemble.

Congratulations, Joe! Jazz drumming legend Joe Morello turned eighty this past July 17. To help commemorate this landmark occasion, several former and current students, friends, and Joe's wife, Jean, gathered for an evening of good cheer and camaraderie at The Essex House in West Orange, New Jersey. The crowd of well-wishers included many top professionals and educators, such as John Riley and Danny Gottlieb. But the chat heard 'round the room was all about Morello, with drummers sharing fond memories of their time studying with Joe and the inspiration he provided. Modern Drummer editor in chief (and former Morello student) Bill Miller was on hand to present Joe with a lifetime achievement award (shown). "I feel so honored," Joe said. "What a wonderful evening. And what a lovely turnout; it would take me a year to thank all of these people." Kudos to another former Morello student, Mike Walter, for organizing the event.

QUICK BEATS Pat Mastelotto Pat Mastelotto has had a long and successful career as a leading session drummer and an "experimental" player. He's currently on tour with prog-rock giants King Crimson, playing double drums with Gavin Harrison. The following is an excerpt from a Quick Beats article on Pat (appearing in our September issue, out now), where we ask "personal" questions of artists to get a better idea of how they think. Place of birth: Chico, California Hobbies/interests: Recording engineer Favorite album: The Beatles' "White" album, Todd Rundgren's Something/Anything, Peter Gabriel's 3 Favorite drink: Calvados, Scotch, vodka, espresso Favorite movie: Spartacus, Help!, Grindhouse Vehicle I drive: 1996 Nissan Pathfinder Pets: Four dogs (Sunny, Stormy, Elvira, and Moondog) Other instruments I play: Pro Tools and my laptop Person I would like to talk to: Jesus, Keith Moon, Ian Wallace, Leonardo de Vinci I wish I'd played drums on: Anything by Bill Withers or Al Green Musicians I would like to work with: Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon (not in a hurry!) Text and photo by Joe Perry click here

EQUIPMENT BLITZ This month we have some of the coolest stuff that was introduced at this year's Summer NAMM show in Nashville, Tennessee. Check it out!

EVANS' new single-ply G-Plus tom heads are designed for players who prefer the tone of a single-ply, but need the strength and durability of a double-ply head. These heads are constructed from 12-mil film and are available in clear or with a translucent frosted-style finish, in 6"–20" sizes. click here for more information

PAISTE'S SIGNATURE CRYSTAL THIN cymbals are soft and glassy, making them ideal for low-volume acoustic gigs or symphonic situations. click here for more information

WARWICK'S 16x18 RockBag bass drum muffling pillow comes with a built-in mic holder. click here for more information

TODD SUCHERMAN's METHODS & MECHANICS *********************Sponsored Message********************** Todd Sucherman brings the knowledge of thousands of gigs, shows and recording sessions along with over three decades as a professional drummer to this useful and unique DVD package. Astonishing technique, power and musicality explode from the various musical and solo performances throughout this presentation. Working with artists over a myriad of genres diverse as Styx, Brian Wilson, Spinal Tap, Eric Marienthal, Peter Cetera, John Wetton, Steve Cole, The Falling Wallendas and countless more, there's a wealth of knowledge imparted that goes way beyond just the technical aspects of drumming. Filmed in High Definition at a stunning location this DVD features music from Styx, Taylor Mills and Jerry Goodman and contains various solos and playing examples in an array of styles as well as technical lessons to enhance your rhythmic and musical vocabulary. click here for more information and to order

FROM THE CRITIQUE DESK by Adam Budofsky HOSSAM RAMZY SABLA TOLO III There are several things I love about Egyptian percussionist Hossam Ramzy's albums. First of all, much of Hossam's work can roughly be termed "belly dance music," and any time sound can elicit visions of gyrating harem ladies, it can't be a bad thing. On an academic level, Ramzy's CDs are valuable because they're often accompanied by detailed liner notes, extending, as they do here, to musical notations of the various rhythms used on the tracks, the meanings behind the titles, and historic origins of the beats. This collection is subtitled Rhythmic Illusions Unveiled. That doesn't precisely refer to the intentional displacement of accents, as we’ve come to understand the term via Steve Smith or Gavin Harrison, but rather to the creation of an aural illusion that occurs when beats are added and subtracted from traditional rhythms, or when rhythms are superimposed onto one another. Of course, none of this would be worth a hill of beans if the music was lame. But anyone familiar with Ramzy's work knows there's no chance of that. Western fans usually know the drummer/percussionist through his work with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant (No Quarter), Peter Gabriel (Passion, Up), or Chick Corea (The Ultimate Adventure), where he can be trusted to add delicacy, fire, and exoticism to rock, jazz, and even folk styles without overpowering the proceedings. On his solo records like this third installment of the Sabla Tolo series, however, it's all about drum rhythms. I've always felt that Middle Eastern percussion grooves offer a fertile but largely untapped well of inspiration for Western drumset players. There would seem to be no better source of such ideas than albums like Sabla Tolo III. Besides the obvious fun gained from attempting to orchestrate the Egyptian tabla, frame drum, and hand-clap parts to snare, toms, and crashes, drumset players can go to town interpreting concepts like call & response, theme & variation, severe tempo shifts like the ones on this CD's "Groove Sanctuary" track, and of course the rhythmic illusions Ramzy focuses on throughout this the collection. (www.arcmusic.co.uk)

TAKING THE REINS MORE DRUMMER-LED RELEASES PAUL GOLDBERG STAIRCASE TO THE SPIRITS www.paulgoldbergdrummer.com PETE ZIMMER QUARTET CHILLIN' LIVE @ JAZZ FACTORY www.petezimmer.com

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LICK OF THE MONTH When young Gospel/fusion drummer Thomas Pridgen took over the drum throne with modern prog/rock madmen The Mars Volta, no one really knew what to expect. Sure, Pridgen was known throughout the drum community as a superstar in the making, having already made waves with his incredible chops, bouncy groove, and daredevil mentality with artists like jazz trumpeter Christian Scott. But how would he stand up against the volatile environment of The Mars Volta, especially considering how much of the band's sound was influenced by their original drummer, Jon Theodore? Well, Thomas's debut recording with MV, The Bedlam In Goliath, should put all the naysayers at bay, as it features some of the most ridiculous drumming we've heard in recent years. Here are three highlights. (For more of Pridgen's magic, check out the September issue of Modern Drummer.) On the song "Ilyena," Thomas plays a super-funky and syncopated beat that features bass drum/China stack unisons.

In "Cavalettas," Pridgen plays another beat where his bass drum and right hand are locked together. This time he's navigating through 5/4 and 6/4 time signatures. And the tempo is blazin'!

Lastly, here's a quick and powerful lick that showcases Thomas's ability to integrate his kick into the mix.

If you'd like to share some of your licks, send them to miked@moderndrummer.com. We'll include the most inventive ones in a future installment.

THE NEW ISSUE OF MD (September, Out Now) The Mars Volta's Thomas Pridgen Thomas Pridgen was a true musical child prodigy. All grown up now, and playing in what many say is the coolest rock band on earth, he's a child no longer. In fact, on drums, Thomas Pridgen is clearly THE MAN. Asia's Carl Palmer The guy simply does not slow down. Then again, for any rock fan who's witnessed Carl Palmer's über-intense kitwork with ELP or Asia, that observation is strictly CP 101. Wynton Marsalis's Ali Jackson As the occupant of the most coveted jazz drum seat in New York City--and possibly the world--Ali Jackson must summon every ounce of his creativity, technique, and emotion. Jam-band Great Raymond Weber For New Orleans mainstay Raymond Weber, a groove is a groove, whether he's playing with The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Harry Connick Jr., Irma Thomas, or Trey Anastasio. Reflections: Tom Brechtlein On Steve Gadd The top jazz/fusion journeyman on why Steve Gadd still rules. A Different View: Sonny Rollins The saxophone colossus has played with all the heavy cats--Max, Philly Joe, Elvin, Tony--and in this exclusive interview, he reflects on each one's unique gifts. Off The Record: Memphis Soul Legend Al Jackson Jr.'s Coolest Grooves Plus Stone Temple Pilots' Eric Kretz, Paramore's Zac Farro, Blind Melon's Glen Graham, and much, much more. Don't miss it! click here

READER INPUT: Your Thoughts About Joe

In our reader input section, we like to ask specific questions about your drumming and musical interests. In the intro and News sections of this month's Wire, we discussed Joe Morello turning eighty, and the wonderful celebration that many of his former students organized for him. This brought to mind some of the great performances that Joe made with The Dave Brubeck Quartet, one of the most popular jazz groups of all time. No question, Joe has inspired a lot of people.

With that in mind, we'd love to hear your thoughts about Joe. It could be a comment about his playing, your favorite Morello recording, a memory you have of seeing him perform, a clinic you may have seen him conduct, something you may have learned from his books, or the inspiration he provided. We'd love to hear your thoughts, which we would then forward to Joe. We're sure he'd be pleased to hear from you. If you'd like to comment, please send your response to billm@moderndrummer.com. Thanks!