Category Archives: SKF Blog

DeJohnette: I Never Studied with a Teacher

SKF NOTE: One night in February 1980 I went to J.B. Scott’s nightclub in Albany, NY to hear Jack DeJohnette‘s New Directions quartet with John Abercrombie (guitar), Eddie Gomez (bass) and Lester Bowie (trumpet). I had a few published Modern Drummer interviews to … Continue reading

Posted in SKF Blog | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fred Below: The Beatles Wouldn’t Have Been The Beatles

SKF NOTE: This interview with Fred Below took place in 1982. I dated the typed transcript March 17, 1982 — so this interview happened on or near that date. My feature interview with Fred Below was published in Modern Drummer September … Continue reading

Posted in Backgrounder Interviews, SKF Blog | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Jimmy Madison: Tony Williams – Jazz vs Rock

SKF NOTE: My interview with Jimmy Madison appears in the October 1982 Modern Drummer. What some MD readers perceived as Jimmy’s put down of Tony Williams‘s playing is, perhaps, the most remembered part of this interview. I wonder if Jimmy’s … Continue reading

Posted in SKF Blog | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Paul Motian: Time is There All the Time

SKF NOTE: My first awareness of Paul Motian — which might be different from when I first heard Paul Motian — was the opening song, Victoria, on his 1974 album Tribute. This haunting, beautiful song written by Paul Motian, is … Continue reading

Posted in SKF Blog | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Vinnie Ruggiero’s Drum Method Book Available

SKF NOTE: Jon McCaslin posted some wonderful news recently on his Four On The Floor blog. Vinnie Ruggiero’s handwritten jazz drumming method book is now available thanks to Vinnie’s son. Since the early 1980’s I have personally heard stories about … Continue reading

Posted in Drum/Music News, SKF Blog | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment