James Black: How I Got Into Playing Jazz

Posted on December 28, 2017 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: My James Black interview appeared in the December 1982 Modern Drummer. The first person to get me excited about James Black’s drumming was Jaimoe. We were listening to records and Jaimoe asked me if I’d ever heard James Black. I said, “No.” He pulled out an old Riverside record of the Adderley Brothers (possibly The Adderley Brothers in New Orleans), placed it on the turntable, put the needle on the record and said, “Listen to this!”

Jaimoe also raved about James Black’s drumming on Yusef Lateef’s Live at Pep’s album.

Later, Jim Keltner called me from New Orleans where he was touring with Bob Dylan. Jim said James Black was one of the first persons he called when he was there. James attended the Dylan concert, then he and Jim stayed up until the wee hours talking drums.

James tended to give brief first answers to my interview questions. I would wait for James to finish his thought. Then I would take him back and ask for a more detailed answer. If our interview was a court hearing, and I was an attorney, you might say I would wait for James Black’s answer, and then rephrase my question.

In this excerpt James talks about his transition from playing R&B gigs to learning to play jazz under the guidance of New Orleans musicians Roy Montrell (guitar) and Nat Perrilliat (saxophone).

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Roy Haynes-You Figure The Interviewer Will Be Creative (1978)

Posted on December 26, 2017 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: This excerpt is from my interview with Roy Haynes at his home on November 15, 1978.

Roy Haynes was a challenging interview, questioning or dissecting most of my questions. It almost impossible for me to have the go-with-the-flow creative interivew Roy talks about here. As frustrated as I often was with my questions and comments being sidetracked, Roy Haynes taught me valuable lessons about interviewing.

I often asked drummers what I asked Roy: “Is there anything you’d like to be asked that no interviewers ever asked?” This excerpt is Roy’s answer to that question.

In my interview notes from that day I said, “It was raining, traffic was heavy, a chilly…evening, and I was nervous about meeting him. Roy and I had spoken a few times by phone. The week before [this interview] I saw Roy perform with the bassist and guitarist from his Hip Ensemble, at Sonny’s Place, a small Long Island jazz club in Seaford, NY.”

You’re hearing me as a 27 year-old freelance writer for Modern Drummer. My start as MD‘s managing editor was still three years away. MD itself was only two years old. So new was MD, that Roy had forgotten our interview was for drummers only.

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Simon Kirke – Bad Company Drum Recording Studio Setup

Posted on December 24, 2017 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: Simon Kirke‘s excerpt is from a longer conversation we taped. I had forgotten about it until I came across it digitizing my work tapes.

It’s clear from this tape that freelance writer Simon Goodwin had previously interviewed Kirke for Modern Drummer. So why was I interviewing Kirke? I don’t know for sure, but I will give you three educated guesses.

1. One or more MD editors wanted to ask Kirke questions not included in Mr. Goodwin’s interview.

2. One or more MD editors wanted to expand on Kirke’s answers to one or more of Goodwin’s questions.

3. I was gathering info for a Kirke updater in advance of his upcoming tour with the band Wildlife, and that conversation simply rolled into a Q&A on other topics.

Whatever the reason(s), here’s Simon Kirke, on August 3, 1983 (or thereabouts) detailing the drumset and recording techniques he used on Bad Company’s albums. I had the impression from Goodwin’s interview that Kirke – a Ludwig Drum endorser – used a Gretsch drumset in the studio. Simon says, “No.” He used a “mongrel set,” which he explains in this excerpt.

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Art Blakey’s 1960 Gretsch Drumset

Posted on December 23, 2017 by Scott K Fish

blakey_art_gretsch_601205_downbeat

SKF NOTE: A classic Gretsch ad from 1960 with a classic drummer. I always favored the Gretsch logo as it appears here on Art Blakey‘s front bass drum head, but was never able to find a logo like that to use on my Gretsch drumset.

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Paul T. Riddle: The Influence of Joe Morello

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: This excerpt is Paul T. Riddle talking with me about the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Greatest Hits album. Specifically, Paul talks about Joe Morello‘s playing and sound and the influence Morello with the Brubeck Quartet had on Paul’s drumming.

I don’t remember the exact purpose of this interview. My best guess? I had a concept for a magazine feature where well-known drummers would talk a bit about key records and musicians that influenced them. And also, to talk about songs on their own albums that they really liked.

I’m sure Paul and I were talking from our homes. Although my idea never got off the ground, I do have my taped conversations with Paul T. Riddle circa 1982. And Paul’s recorded thoughts on drummers and records that influenced him should be of interest to Marshall Tucker Band fans, Paul’s many drum students, and to rock n’ roll historians.

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