Category Archives: Audio

Nice to Meet and Hear You, Smokey Johnson

Posted on May 25, 2018 by

SKF NOTE: There’s always one more drummer to learn about, isn’t there? This morning, scrolling through online news I stop at this provocative headline about New Orleans drummer Smokey Johnson: “His playing wasn’t just hot; this New Orleans drummer was … Continue reading →

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Roy Haynes: Still Standing Tall

Posted on May 12, 2018 by

SKF NOTE: Thank you Fox 5 in New York for this uplifting story on Roy Haynes. Also, thank you Shawn Martin from The Great Drummers Facebook page for bringing this video to my attention. A one-of-a-kind man and drummer. It’s … Continue reading →

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Dave Weckl – Learning Different Styles as a Kid (1983)

Posted on May 1, 2018 by

SKF NOTE: This excerpt is from my August 5, 1983 interview with Dave Weckl. Dave talks about learning different styles of drumming, starting when he was a kid, through St. Louis drum teachers, and by playing along with records. His … Continue reading →

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Shelly Manne: A Bluish Bag

Posted on April 19, 2018 by

SKF NOTE: Going through my old cassettes, looking for keeper material and discarding the rest, I found a 90-minute tape of one of my Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon radio programs on WMHB at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. That … Continue reading →

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Krupa: The Sound That Launched a Million Drummers

Posted on April 9, 2018 by

SKF NOTE: I am among the millions of drummers first inspired by Gene Krupa’s sound to play drums and study drumming. Krupa has described his role in drum history as making the drummer a high priced guy. Others say Krupa … Continue reading →

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Henry Glover: Remembering Levon Helm

Posted on April 7, 2018 by

SKF NOTE: This is an excerpt from a 22-minute recorded interview I did around 1982 with American songwriter, arranger, record producer Henry Glover. I was, according to what I told Mr. Glover at the start of this interview, just four … Continue reading →

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John Von Ohlen: I Couldn’t Get Mel Lewis’s Burning Ride Cymbal Out of My Mind

Posted on April 1, 2018 by

SKF NOTE: An excerpt from the full transcription of my interview with John Von Ohlen on October 12, 1984. You can listen to this exchange on the YouTube video posted here. John Von Ohlen: When I first started playing drums … Continue reading →

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