SKF NOTES: How times change! In November 1982 Gregg Bissonette sent his handwritten letter of introduction, on Maynard Ferguson stationary, to Modern Drummer Founder Ron Spagnardi.
Today Greg Bissonette is among the world’s best known, respected, and loved drummers.
The circled (R.P.) near the top of Bissonette’s letter is Spagnardi’s handwriting, letting MD‘s Managing Editor know he wants this letter published as part of MD‘s “Reader’s Platform.”
SKF NOTE: This collection of papers is drummer Roberto Petaccia‘s first contact with Modern Drummer.
It’s also an illustration of how an idea sent to MD in 1981 established a new relationship with an exciting drummer, which gave birth to a new MD column (Rock ‘N Jazz Clinic).
Readers will see how MD Founder/Publisher Ron Spagnardi, who first received Petaccia’s letter, passed the letter to me, MD‘s Managing Editor, for a follow-up.
Then we have another letter from Roberto, this one written to me because we were now working on his initial column, which is posted here just as Petaccia sent it to me at MD.
Finally, you can see my handwritten note to Spagnardi letting him know Petaccia’s column in hand was being rewritten as two columns. That was strictly for space considerations. Petaccia’s original column is much longer than MD was publishing in 1981.
SKF NOTE: I don’t know if it’s sound guys managing band PA systems, the musicians themselves, or a combination of the two. But I have attended concerts where, opening to closing, the music was just LOUD. No dynamics.
To be fair, I’ve attended more concerts where the sound was beautiful. And the music had soft and loud spots, and even moments of silence.
This morning I’m thinking about the time I walked out of a Tony Williams Lifetime concert.
The venue was a club in Roslyn, NY on Long Island called My Father’s Place. I’d been there for other shows. Chuck Mangione and Captain Beefheart, for example. And I was really looking forward to hearing and seeing Tony Williams perform with his “Fred” band.
It was hot and packed inside the club. I remember that. And I was surely over my beer limit, which didn’t help. The club had a low ceiling. If there was a club ventilation system it wasn’t even coming close to scrubbing the heavy cigarette smoke from the room.
David Sancious’s band opened for Williams. Loud, fast, fusion music. That’s all I remember about Sancious. At one point I became aware Tony Williams was standing right next to my left arm watching Sancious’s band. I didn’t say anything to him. Even if I did, Williams couldn’t have heard me.
Sancious’s set ended. There was a long break. It seemed longer in the heat, smoke, and beer.
The Tony Williams Lifetime took the stage and began playing. L-O-U-D. Standing to his right, looking across the stage at Tony, he was almost invisible in the dark stage lighting and the smokey air. The Lifetime sound was one jumble of musicians trying to overpower each other.
There was no studying Tony. No listening to or watching Tony’s hands and feet. It was hard discerning the any kind of specific sounds from Tony’s playing.
With nothing enjoyable to see or hear, I walked my disappointed self out of My Father’s Place to the cooler, cleaner air outdoors, and made my way home.
SKF NOTE: Like millions of drummers, Gene Krupa holds a special place in my heart. Certainly in my love for drumming, and in my development as a drummer.
Krrupa’s quartet recording of “China Boy.” when I was six years old, hooked me on drumming. More than 60 years later I’m still discovering Krupa recordings, such as these two offerings from TheCrippledDrummer.
Krupa had such a great touch. His playing is always musical. I’m not sure Krupa’s often considered among the musical drummers, such as Sid Catlett. But, that Krupa’s drumming was very musical is evident in these two timeless recordings.
SKF NOTE: From a personal letter, I enjoy re-reading Neil’s take on drummer Manu Katche and some of the musicians Katche was recording with at the time. Neil’s aside on Robbie Robertson’s lyric writing made me smile. The italicized words are Neil’s.
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March 22, 1988 – Toronto
I’ve been enjoying the work of Manu Katche a lot lately, especially on the album by Robbie Robertson (formerly of The Band, you recall?) He really has a unique rhythmic style, and being half-French half-Ivorian (Ivory Coast in west Africa) the cultural and ethnic blend has a kind of dark sophistication that is very easy to listen to, but satisfying at the same time. Not mind-blowing, but refreshingly different.
He also plays for Peter Gabriel, Sting, and on the new Joni Mitchell record. (Very in.) Apparently he’ll be touring with Robbie Robertson at some point too. That record is very good by the way, with lots of good players, great songwriting (even the lyrics are excellent, oh supreme rarity!), and his voice has matured beautifully into a kind of soulful, smoky worldliness.
Terry Bozzio plays on a couple of songs, and the members of U2 (on my least favorite tracks, I must admit), but “Fallen Angel” and “Somewhere Down The Crazy River” are really high on my Hit Parade these days.
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