SKF NOTE: Having once owned — and listened many times — to Joe Morello‘s Another Step Forward album, I think Jim Szantor’s 1970 review is fair. What is impossible to write about with accuracy is how Joe Morello sounds on his album. To my ears, then and now, Morello’s drums and cymbals always sound beautiful.
I recall very well finding gems of Morello ensemble work, soloing, and use of sticks, brushes, and mallets on this album. And as the years, and great drummers like Joe Morello, go by, musicians — especially percussionists — will cherish every chance to hear the greats, even their three star albums.
SKF NOTE: I found a monaural cut-out copy of John Coltrane’s Africa/Brass album in a drugstore on a wire display rack filled with cut-out albums. Africa/Brass is the John Coltrane Quartet with a big band.
That was my introduction to every musician on that record — including drummer Elvin Jones. Elvin’s playing was different than the more familiar Swing Era drummers like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. But I liked Elvin’s sound. I liked the whole Africa/Brass album.
And from listening and reading Dom Cerulli‘s liner notes for that album alone I read about musicians who influenced John Coltrane — Johnny Hodges, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Eric Dolphy. The Africa/Brass session musicians weren’t listed on the original album sleeve.
My point is, to a young guy with a love for music, that one album offered paths to follow to learn more. Which is exactly what I did — and still do. Each new album, book, magazine article, helped reveal fuller portraits of the musicians, other sounds, and new musical paths to follow.
I recommend this joyful, continuing musical self-education method to anybody.
SKF NOTE: Getting ready to go out last night I set my MP3 player to Herbie Hancock and Santana – Live Under the Sky 1981. Some of the tracks are the VSOP Quartet with Hancock (keyboards), Ron Carter (bass), Wynton Marsalis (trumpet), and Tony Williams (drums). The tracks with Carlos Santana (guitar) also add percussionists Armando Peraza, Raul Rekow, and Orestes Vilato.
I start the music playing and hop in the shower. Shower finished, I’m toweling off just as the VSOP Quartet is burning through the tune, Sorcerer. The tempo? Way upstairs. I’m listening, thinking again of how the rhythm section sounds of Hancock, Carter, Williams evolved from their start in the early ’60s with Miles Davis. The trio played tighter by 1981, their musical conversations non-stop, rolling on and on.
In the midst of the lickety-split, straight ahead, Sorcerer, something new grabs my attention. It sounds like Tony Williams has added rapid fire eighth notes between his floor tom and bass drum? Or was he experimenting at this concert with a double bass drum pedal?
I expect Tony to move on to something else, but he doesn’t. His precision, his stamina, his ability to maintain that eighth note pattern without slowing the tempo, or even missing a note–he’s like a machine!
Wait a second. Could it be? I step from the shower, moving closer to my MP3 player resting on the window sill. The window is open a bit and as I move, Tony’s eighth note drumming sound moves.
I take another step, pause, listen — and start laughing. Tony’s rapid fire notes are, in fact, my neighbor’s Kioti KL2610 tractor engine idling outside – in sync, precise as a click track, with the VSOP Quartet.
SKF NOTE: Carmine Appice said through his Twitter account (June 17), “I went to Peter Criss’s. Last gig ever tonight…. He had a big band [and] even played Sing, Sing, Sing, a Gene Krupa song. His idol and mine.”
Carmine’s first album, with Vanilla Fudge, was in 1967. Almost a decade later, in 1974, Peter Criss made his debut on Kiss’s first album. Both drummers still citing, in 2017, their idol, Gene Krupa, who really hit the public eye with Benny Goodman’s Orchestra in 1938.
Drumming’s heritage and tradition continues hanging on. Sometimes I wonder how best to keep that heritage and tradition alive for the future.
I went to the Peter Criss farewell gig tonight at cutting room was fun. Had a big band with horns strings etc… https://t.co/Ry2zmpz9Xq
http://www.mrt.com Creedence drummer Doug Clifford ponders the then and now
By Rich Lopez jrlopez@mrt.com Published 8:26 pm, Saturday, June 17, 2017
The music industry
“Rock ‘n’ roll was pretty new when I started back in 1953. Radio was certainly different and my dad hated it,” he said…. “Decades later, the industry has changed tremendously — both good and bad. I think quality has gone down with technology. And I just think it’s a lot harder to make it in this business now.”
Popular music
“I was captivated by Etta James and Bo Diddley. I really liked and was influenced by music from New Orleans and Memphis,” he said. “Now I think Bruno Mars is the whole package. I think Ed Sheeran is terrific. He reminds me of a young Van Morrison.”
CCR’s hit songs
My favorite song was always ‘Born on the Bayou’ but I love them all in different ways,” he said.
“I am surprised some didn’t make it like ‘It Came Out of the Sky.’ ‘Effigy’ was also a very powerful, political song but it never became the single I thought it would have.”
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