Jerry Allison: Simplicity Was Part of the Plan

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: Jerry Allison’s description of his “keeping everything relatively simple” approach to playing drums with Buddy Holly & the Crickets is from a longer interview with Mr. Allison in 1982. It’s still good advice.

Jerry Allison: We always tried to keep everything relatively simple. That was part of the plan. I have run across a lot of drummers in the 25 or 30 — however-the-hell long it’s been — and they play every lick they know. And a lot of them, they play so much you can’t even pick it up on a recorder. It’s all blurred.

I always liked to kind of keep it pretty simple.

Besides that, you don’t have to practice as much.

Scott K Fish: You didn’t practice a whole lot after [learning] the rudimental stuff?

JA: No. After that I figured, “Well, this is working. I’ll sort of stick with this.”

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Max Weinberg: How He Tunes His Snare

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: This is another conversation from one back-up cassette I sometimes used at Modern Drummer for short phone interviews, such as getting answers to reader questions from drummers.

I had interviewed Max Weinberg for his April 1982 cover story. On this later tape, Max is clearly answering a MD reader question on how Max tunes his snare, or how he gets his snare sound. There’s probably an edited version of Max’s answer in an MD “Ask a Pro” column, but I’ve forgotten the specific question.

You’ll hear passing reference to a “Russ” using Ambassador drum heads, who is Russ Kunkel. Max and I had interviewed Russ for Max’s book, The Big Beat.

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Vibra-Fibing Neil Peart’s Drums: The Process (1982)

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: I think this is Neil Graham of Percussion Center, Wayne, IN speaking with me about the Percussion Center’s process of Vibra-Fibing Neil Peart‘s drumset, probably in response to a question from a Modern Drummer reader. If this is not Neil Graham, I would really appreciate any knowing source who will write and help me correct the record.

As I’m listening back to these old tapes I wish I had thought to record the interviewee’s name and the date of the recording. Lesson learned.

This conversation was probably in 1982 after Neil Peart launched a contest through MD to give away the Tama drumset pictured here. Vibra-Fibe was a unique process at this time. Especially since Neil Peart had his drumset Vibra-Fibe treated, lots of drummers wanted to know what the process was all about.

SKF NOTE: After this post I heard from a couple of people who knew Neil Graham. They confirmed that the person I’m speaking with in this audio excerpt is Neil Graham. (9/15/19)

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Morello – The “Take Five” Cymbal Documentary

Posted on March 26, 2018 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: Wow! Thinking I had a better than average knowledge of Joe Morello’s career I almost skipped this video. I’m glad I didn’t. What a wonderful, warm vignette, full of Morello facts brand new to me. Thank you!

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Tony Williams: I Am a Big Fan of The Beatles

Posted on March 25, 2018 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: This is a curious interview with Tony Williams on The Jazz Network, a show produced by John Sterling which aired 1991-96. This video appears to be a copy of a master video delivered by The Jazz Network to local tv stations offering the show to local viewers. YouTube viewers might want to fast forward through the three segments of white lettering on black background notifying local tv stations these sections are “Space for three minutes of commercials.”

This episode of The Jazz Network is in two segments: footage of The Tony Williams Quintet Live in NYC (1989), and then some Q&A between tv host Bobby Lyle and Tony. I would have liked more of the interview. I’ve watched the Quintet in NYC full video a few times, and good interviews with Tony Williams are hard to find.

My favorite part of the interview is Tony answering Mr. Lyle’s question about how Tony got into composing music. Also, Tony’s unqualified admiration of The Beatles!

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