The Shuitar and the Drumitar

Posted on January 21, 2018 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: My friend, Kelly Hamilton Stoddard Cotiaux, introduced me yesterday, via Facebook, to Jano Rix’s Shuitar. Mr. Rix is a member of The Wood Brothers. He plays drumset too — with the largest hi-hat cymbals since Sonny Payne, I think.

Kelly asked, “Have you seen anything like this before?” Not exactly. The first guitar-like percussion instrument I thought of belongs to Roy “Futureman” Wooten: the Drumitar.

Of course, for years musicians have used — still use — objects like suitcases, cardboard boxes, wood boxes, phone books, washboards, and plastic buckets as drums. Still, Jano Rix’s Shuitar is pretty slick. The sounds he gets seem more fluid than Futureman’s Drumitar. Rix won me over with his brush playing on the Shuitar body.

But both the Drumitar and the Shuitar are very cool and musical.

Innovation Onward!

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Remembering Paul Motian: Songs and Drumming

Posted on January 20, 2018 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: Last week and this week I am putting together audio excerpts for posting from my interview with Paul Motian, published in the April-May 1980 Modern Drummer.

The first I remember hearing, and being drawn to Paul Motian’s drumming was through Motian’s beautiful song, Victoria, on his 1974 Tribute album (ECM). Guitarist Sam Brown and saxophonist Carlos Ward interpret the melody so well. And I was intrigued by Motian’s unique accompaniment, far removed from any other jazz drummer I knew.

As is my music listening habit, I bought Motian’s two other ECM releases: Conception Vessel and Dance. Searching for other Motian records, I noticed his name on Keith Jarrett‘s Byeablue album. The title song is a Motian composition. Again, I was drawn to that song as much as I was drawn to Motian’s playing on that track.

I am looking forward to re-listening to my Paul Motian interview almost 40-years later.

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Learning from Singers to Be a Better Drummer

Posted on January 13, 2018 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: Paging through books from my music book collection, reading again the passages I underlined, I remember I did so because all of these passages — or almost all of them — helped me become a better drummer.

Breathing properly, phrasing, melodies, lyrics, rising above mediocre band members — I applied all of these to drumming.

Here are some favorite singer passages I underscored in one chapter of Whitney Balliett‘s book, American Singers.

Teddi King

  • The lyrics direct my choice of notes.
  • A good accompanist breathes with you. An inferior one forces you back into yourself.

Mary Mayo

  • The lyrics light up the melody – give the melody a tongue. Most melodies are dumb before they have words.

Barbara Lea

  • I worked with a piano player in Boston who couldn’t read, couldn’t keep a beat, couldn’t transpose, couldn’t play the songs of the day, and hated to play the piano. And that gae me a great musical independence — I learned to sing with anyone, anywhere, under any conditions.
  • Phrasing has to do with the meaning of the lyrics and the play of rhythm against rhythm.
  • The most important quality musically in an accompanist is rhythm, and that means being able to swing and to control the motion of the song.

Source: American Singers, by Whitney Balliett, Oxford University Press 1979

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Art Blakey on Chick Webb’s Drum Lesson

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Scott K Fish

art blakey photos

SKF: Here’s Art Blakey recounting his drum lesson from Chick Webb.

Down Beat: [T]he public in the swing era always looked to the drummer for a wild solo. After that, as time went on, people began to appreciate the drummer for what he was doing all around, musically.

Art Blakey: When I first started playing drums, we had a trap table. I had temple blocks and a stick with a black string on it to the ceiling. …I wasnt playing drums, I was twirling sticks, and I’d say “bam” and throw the stick out, and the people would say “aaaah,” and it’d come back, and I’d catch it. Big deal.

Chick Webb came in to hear me, and he said, “You’re a drummer, kid?”

And I said, “Yeah.”

He said, “Bring your drums in the dressing room.”

So I brought my drum in there; he said, “Roll.”

I said, “Rat-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta.”

He said, “__________,” slammed the door, and walked out.

I said, “Mr. Webb….”

He said, “Look, rhythm is on the drum — it ain’t in the air.”

Source: Drum Talk – Coast to Coast, Down Beat, 3/26/64

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Harry Stone: Lost Opportunity to Replace Dave Tough

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: I really don’t know anything about Harry Stone. My friend, Chris Conrade, interviewed Harry Stone on June 6, 1979, hoping the interview would be transcribed, edited, and published in Modern Drummer. None of those things happened. Last week, digitizing this cassette, was the first I had listened to this one-hour interview since 1979.

Harry Stone had written the book, music, and lyrics for the Off-Broadway musical, Chase A Rainbow. There are references during the interview to a song, Listen, Little Boy, which was part of Chase A Rainbow. Chris Conrade may have been rehearsing with the show band, but that’s only my best guess. If I can get better information I will update this post.

Mr. Stone was a drummer who played with Jack Teagarden and other bands. What caught my attention in this excerpt is Stone’s story about his missed opportunity to replace Dave Tough in Woody Herman’s big band. This is an interesting bit of history from a drummer who saw Tough play and revered Tough as a drummer. And this is a timeless lesson on grabbing opportunities when they show up in our lives.

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