Congratulations to Louie Bellson, who was recently given ASCAP's Living Legend award. He also received the congressional lifetime achievement award at the Temecula Valley International Jazz Festival.

His best performance on disc? Stanton Moore is absolutely killin' on Galactic's upcoming release, From The Corner To The Block.

Bobby Jarzombek was laid up for six weeks earlier this year with a broken left wrist. Thankfully he's back playing at 100%. Bobby recently performed with Fates Warning and is in the process of setting up a clinic tour. For more info, check out his Web site, www.bobbyjarzombek.com.

Joey Castillo is on Era Vulgaris, the new one by Queens Of The Stone Age.

Anton Fig, Keith Carlock, and Vinnie Colaiuta are on guitarist Oz Noy's latest CD, Fuzzy. For more info, visit www.myspace.com/oznoy.

Ben Gillies is on Silverchair's fifth studio record, Young Modern. The band was also part of the '07 Lollapalooza summer tour.

Jim Donovan (Rusted Root) has launched a free drumming education Web site, www.RhythmResource.com. The site features hundreds of hand-picked video lessons, rare performances, and educational articles about drumming from all over the globe.

Peter Criss, founding member and drummer of iconic rock group KISS, has just released his new solo CD, One For All, on Silvercat Records (distributed by Sony/Red). The lead vocalist and co-writer of what to this day remains KISS's biggest Billboard hit, "Beth," goes back to his songwriting roots with this new CD. Says Criss, "The most important thing is that my fans and other people will get a whole new outlook on me with this CD. I've reinvented myself at my own pace, and for me, it's now, more than ever, about being true." Joined by longtime friends and acclaimed musicians—Late Night bandleader Paul Shaffer and bassist Will Lee, as well as guitarist Mike McLaughlin—One For All draws on Criss's love of rock and R&B. For more info, go to www.petercriss.net.

Ryan MacMillian of Push Stars and Redcar fame has been recording a few new tunes with Matchbox Twenty for a greatest-hits CD, Exile On Mainstream, due out in October. According to Ryan, he will also be touring with the band in January. Original drummer Paul Doucette is scheduled to play guitar and piano on the tour, sharing the front of the stage with Rob Thomas. Also, look for Paul's new recording, Milk The Bee, with his side-project, The Break And Repair Method. For more, visit www.myspace.com/thebreakandrepairmethod.

The White Stripes' new CD (with Meg White on drums), Icky Thump, is riding high on the Billboard charts.

Bon Jovi's latest release, Lost Highway (with Tico Torres on drums), recently hit number-1 on the Billboard charts.

Remembering Jeff Porcaro
And His Incredible Time Feel

by Mike Haid

The following interview is excerpted from our September issue, which focuses on time and groove. It's available on newsstands now.

As the guitarist in Toto and as an experienced session musician, Steve Lukather was able to experience the brilliance of Jeff Porcaro firsthand. Best friends as well as musical partners, Jeff and "Luke" worked together for many years.

We asked Steve to provide insight into Jeff's phenomenal groove. He did just that.

I met the Porcaro family when I was a teenager, and I learned how to groove and play time from Jeff. For studio drummers at that time, he set the standard. The groove didn't get any better. Jeff took the time to explain to me where the time was supposed to be and how the groove was supposed to feel.

In terms of time and feel, Jeff came from the school of Jim Keltner and Jim Gordon. They were his idols. Keltner taught Jeff how to capture the laid-back feel. They were doing some double drumming things together, and that's where Jeff really learned how to lay it back.

The concept is that the backbeat is the last thing that gets played, and everyone is supposed to play behind that. But it can't sound jerky or like you're dragging. It has to become a natural thing, and you either have it or you don't.

God gave Jeff a little extra something special. It wasn't just his playing, but also his personality. He had an aura that lit up a room. He was very humble and, when it came to recording, he could polish a turd like no one I've ever seen.

Jeff had incredible chops, but he wouldn't show them off. I would show up for rehearsal and listen outside the door to him playing these amazing drum solos. I would ask Jeff why he wouldn't do that in front of people, and he would just start laughing and say, "I don't want to play all that crap. I just want to groove."

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Snare Drum Spectacular
There's been a lot of news about nifty snare drums lately. So much, in fact, that we decided to dedicate this month's MD Wire product coverage to that news. We've got snares from veteran companies and newcomers alike. And there's even…well...check 'em out for yourself.

We begin with Yamaha's 40th anniversary Phoenix snare drum. This special-edition model is hand-engraved with part of the same logo that adorned the reed organs that Nippon Gakki (predecessor to Yamaha Corporation) made in the late 1800s.

The 6 1⁄2x13 drum features a brass shell for a clear, well-balanced tone, and it comes fitted with aluminum die-cast hoops and one-piece lugs. The engraving is applied by hand to the shell's black lacquered finish. The interlocking triple tuning fork logo used by Yamaha today derives in part from the tuning fork prominently featured in Nippon Gakki's Phoenix logo from yesteryear. Only twenty Phoenix drums will be offered for sale in the United States, at a list price of $1,799.99.

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Next we come to Ludwig's Maple Classic, Supraphonic 400, and Black Beauty snare drums. No, they're not new. In fact, these three models have been time-tested in virtually every possible musical situation. What is new is that the snares are currently being promoted at special prices at participating Ludwig dealers. So if you've ever wanted to get your hands on a genuinely legendary drum, this might be your chance.

The 5x14 Black Beauty was one of the first specialty snare drums ever created. Developed in the mid 1920s, Black Beauties featured a heavier solid brass shell than was currently available on other drums. Today's version features a host of Ludwig upgrades and a choice of polished, hammered, and engraved black-nickel finishes.

The Supraphonic 400 Series was the "go-to" snare drum throughout much of the late 1950s jazz and early 1960s rock eras. The drum is still noted for its unique balance of power, sensitivity, and depth. The 5x14 and 6 1⁄2x14 chrome-over-brass models with their trademark Imperial lugs remain among the most-recorded snare drums in music history.

Ludwig's Maple Classic snare helped establish the fat backbeat and deep grooves of pop and R&B music in the 1970s and '80s. The Classic's 7-ply, all-maple shell features the clarity and warmth that drummers have come to expect from maple drums, with outstanding projection and musicality.

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You may have missed seeing Sounds Like Art Series 2 snare drums from a new custom drum company called Phattie Drums. So don't miss their version 2.1. It expands the available options to further allow drummers to make their drums even more one-of-a-kind.

Available wood options include maple, mahogany, birch, oak, ash, jarrah, walnut, cherry, purple hear, padauk, bubinga, and rosewood. Each wood can be complemented by a range of finish options from clear lacquer to dyes, or by Phattie's exclusive Scorched Maple paint job. The overall shell thickness has been increased to 1" at the bearing edges, with a nominal thickness of 1⁄2" throughout the carving area for increased power and projection. The shell carving has also been slightly modified to include a third highly detailed dragon.

Solid brass tube lugs and Dunnett R2 strainers are standard equipment, in chrome, black, brass, Scorched Copper, Scorched Silver, and Carbon Black finishes. Street prices for drums with most wood, finish, and hardware configurations start around $1,249.

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Okay, you got us. This isn't really a drum at all. But if you're a drummer who also happens to have a computer (and if you're reading this, you obviously do), how cool would it be to have the innards of that computer mounted inside what looks like a really big snare drum?

The L-20 drum-style computer case from Spotswood Custom Computers is slightly less than 20" in diameter. It has enough room to house an ATX form factor motherboard, a power supply, four internal 3.5" hard drives, and either one external slimline/notebook CD/DVD drive or two 5.25" external CD/DVD drives. A 3.5" I/O panel on the front of the case contains four USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire port, one headphone input, and one microphone connection.

Each individually crafted case is cooled by a rear 120-mm exhaust fan, a 120-mm blowhole fan, and a side 140-mm intake LED fan. Optional features include choice of the number of external drive bays, side panel colors, fans, hard drive activity and power LED colors, lugs, motherboard trays, and wood stain colors.

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Taking The Reins
NINA NASTASIA & JIM WHITE YOU FOLLOW ME
"Difficult folk," anyone? To be fair, there's nothing terribly tough to digest on You Follow Me. But this duo's approach to the acoustic guitar/drums instrumentation certainly tells you right off the bat this isn't a fluffy singer-songwriter snooze fest. Close attention is definitely required to understand the depth of emotion within these songs. But you'll be handsomely rewarded for sticking with them.

White, drummer with highly regarded Australian instrumental group Dirty Three, plays in kind of a rambling but cool manner that easily follows and prompts Nastasia's sweeping songs. Frankly, I don’t know a lot of drummers who could pull off this approach without coming across as annoyingly busy. White -- definitely a full-blown partner on these tracks -- accomplishes the feat by mixing it up between brushes and sticks, and sometimes playing on the rims or shells for color. He also picks his spots wisely, working wonders with skittery but quiet flourishes, so Nastasia's vocals don’t have to fight for attention. And it sounds like the duo rehearsed this material just enough; there's a certain seat-of-the-pants energy, yet the two musicians are clearly on the same emotional page at all times. Unique and profound music. (www.fatcat-usa.com) Adam Budofsky

MORE DRUMMER-LED RELEASES TO CHECK OUT
CHARLES MCPHERSON II WISDOM www.jazzworld.com
MICHAEL LIPSEY SO LONG, THANKS… www.capstonerecords.org
E. DOCTOR SMITH THE DRUMMSTICK 2 www.drummstick.com
FORTY MARSHAS (THE GOO GOO DOLLS' MIKE MALININ) FORTY MARSHAS www.beatville.com
PAYTON MACDONALD WORKS FOR TABLA AND PERCUSSION www.atmaclassique.com
JOSE DUQUE'S ZUMBATRES FAR AWAY www.zumbaotrio.com
PAUL SAMUELS SPEAK www.paulsamuelsmusic.com

This month we're going to take a fresh look at a classic double bass lick: the quad. This simple hand/foot pattern has been used (and abused) since drummers first started playing rhythms with both feet. You can hear this treasured double bass rudiment in the playing of early pioneers like Louie Bellson, Ginger Baker, and Cozy Powell, drum gods Neil Peart, Terry Bozzio, and Vinnie Colaiuta, and modern masters Jason Bittner, Chris Adler, and Danny Carey.
Here's the basic hand/foot pattern.

After you get the basic coordination down, get creative and find some of your own ways to play the lick. Here's a variation that superimposes a three-voice orchestration (snare, rack, floor) over a phrase that progresses from triplets to 32nd notes. Be sure to practice this with a metronome, and start at a slow tempo like 72 bpm.

Focus On Time And Groove With:
Josh Freese
Quick: How many drummers can you think of who hold first-call status with punk bands, folkies, metal heads -- even jazzers -- live AND in the studio? This month MD explores the universal grooves of Josh Freese, the busiest drummer in town.

It's All About Time!
Time and groove: They’re a drummer's ultimate responsibilities -- and don't kid yourself, they're also the toughest skills to master. But have no fear, MD is here with a massive report featuring timekeeping tips from the very best players today. Plus a special tribute to Jeff Porcaro by Steve Lukather. Get your grooves together here and now!

R&B/Soul Legend
James Gadson
So Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Paul McCartney, and Beck are at a bar. In walks James Gadson. Conversation stops, and the pop stars break out in applause. It could happen. It SHOULD happen. Meet the immortal James Gadson.

Heaven And Hell's Vinny Appice
Journeyman drummer Vinny Appice is back in the saddle with Black Sabbath, '80s-style. That's what's called a perfect fit.

A Different View With Glenn Hughes
Classic rock's ageless blue-eyed-soulster riffs on Ian Paice, Chad Smith, and many other rhythmic confidants.

Also featured: Sevendust's Morgan Rose, The Tonight Show's Vicki Randle, Reel Big Fish's Ryland Steen, Ex–Lynyrd Skynyrd Drummer Artimus Pyle, and "Avant-Garde-Ist" Stephen Flinn

Plus much more. Don't miss it!

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The Modern Drummer Festival 2006 weekend returned to the incredible New Jersey Performing Arts Center on September 16 and 17, 2006 for its most ambitious festival ever. Sixteen drummers and percussionists performed with more than twenty musicians making for one of the most exciting festival weekends in its eighteen-year history.

And while these incredible performances were taking place, Hudson Music was taping interviews with each performer. Each artist was interviewed in front of a practice kit and each interview features playing and demonstration, as well as in-depth discussion on technique, warming up, and much more.

And for the first time ever, drummers interviewed drummers: Steve Smith interviewed Thomas Lang, Thomas interviewed Steve, Aaron Spears interviewed Gerald Heyward, Gerald interviewed Marvin McQuitty, etc, etc making for some truly historic moments.

Saturday Disc One: The Performances
Ronald Bruner, Jr., Jason McGerr, Teddy Campbell, Gerald Heyward, Aaron Spears, Marvin McQuitty, Glenn Kotche, Thomas Lang, Luis Conte, and Stewart Copeland with Gizmo.

Saturday Disc Two: VIP Backstage Pass, The Interviews
Extensive and in-depth interviews at a practice kit with each of this year’s featured performers, including demonstration and discussion of technique, practice and warm-up routines, and specific playing examples from their MD Festival performance.

Saturday Run Time Total: Six hours and twenty-two minutes

Sunday Disc One: The Performances
Dave DiCenso, Bobby Sanabria with Ascension, Brann Dailor, Mike Mangini, Danny Seraphine with CTA, and Steve Smith’s Jazz Legacy

Sunday Disc Two: VIP Backstage Pass, The Interviews
Extensive and in-depth interviews at a practice kit with each of this year’s featured performers, including demonstration and discussion of technique, practice and warm-up routines, and specific playing examples from their MD Festival performance. Thomas Lang interviews Steve Smith.

Sunday Run Time Total: Six-hours and thirty minutes.

Weekend Complete Run Time: Almost Thirteen Hours!

Click here to see clips from this year's festival. MD Festival Highlights

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