SKF NOTE: How I came to interview Gary Chester is explained here. The typed transcript is 64-pages, edited for publication in the April 1983 Modern Drummer.
Gary gave many life beyond the cymbals “life lessons” during the interview. Here’s one example that probably deserves explaining in one area. When Gary says, “I look at them as little people,” he is not demeaning his students. He is saying that he talks to his young students as if they are adults in childrens’ bodies. As if Gary’s spirit is speaking to the student’s spirit.
Gary Chester: A perfect example of what I’m trying to explain to my children, my students. I keep saying “children” because I call them all “baby” and “honey.” I look at them as little people.
Anyway, I bought a thoroughbred Japanese rose plant one day. The most beautiful rose. It had maybe three hundred petals on it. It was gorgeous.
But, I put it in the wrong place.
Now you, as a student of mine, are this little rose. What ate my rose up? The weeds!
So, when you’re playing with musicians that are beneath you, they’re going to eat you up.
The first thing you should do is find somebody who’s close to your level or better so you can learn something, rather than play with people that are worse than you to make yourself feel good. Because that rose died because the weeds ate him up.
That’s my philosophy. And it has been like that ever since I was a kid. Every time I learned the book – with all the bands that I’ve been with – I quit!
Scott K Fish: What are some of the common questions you’re asked at clinics?
Les DeMerle: One of the questions I’m asked alot is, “How did you get your break?” That’s a good question.
You really have to be interested in music first. Alot of guys will spend nine hours a day writing their resume and an hour a day practicing. Do your musical homework first. Have your credentials right. Have a good tape. Be on top of the auditions. Show up on time. Look as well as you can.
It’s unbelievable. I hire many musicians to work as sidemen. And no matter how well they play as musicians, if they come to the gig dressed sloppily, it still bugs me. I come from the school where, if you take a Saturday night gig, and you’re going to hit at nine o’clock and be paid well, you should show up on time and look right.
Alot of this has to do with the attitude of playing.
SKF NOTE: Chick Corea is near the top of my list of “Musicians to Dig Deep.” That is, I want to give a more thoughtful, chronological listen to his music. I’ve heard quite a bit: Chick with Mongo Santamaria, the ARC Trio with Barry Altschul and Dave Holland, the trio with Roy Haynes and Miroslav Vitous, Return to Forever, Chick with Miles Davis, Chick with some of his electric and acoustic bands.
I either like Chick’s recordings very much or not at all. He is one of those rare musicians – at least to my ears – who never releases a record I can listen to as background music. Either I give Chick’s music my full attention or I can’t listen to it.
I want to know why. Chick’s 1985 comments on communicating through his music offer a clue.
“The use of free improvisation…. There was no real intention to communicate with an audience. Then after awhile nobody cared. We returned to a form of communication that somebody could understand.”
“I [had] totally re-evaluated my past. I started my life anew – totally anew. Musically my intentions were no longer to just satisfy myself. I really wanted to connect with the world and make my music mean something to people.”
“There are so many ways of communicating, and there are so many cultures and forms of communication, that I find it very limiting to stick to only one.”
Source: Chick Corea, Soldering The Elements, Determining The Future, by Lee Underwood, Down Beat May 1985
I have revisited a handful of albums, for inspiration and/or pleasure, all my adult life. A handful of albums I’ve owned first as vinyl LP’s, then as audiocassettes, then as CD’s, and now in MP3 format. Something about the feel of the music on these albums is always positive, inspiring.
Two examples: Nat Adderley’s “Live at Memory Lane,” and the Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet’s “Here and Now.” Roy McCurdy plays drums on both dates. Every time I listen to Roy McCurdy’s drumming on those albums I smile, shake my head in wonder, feel inspired.
Here’s my 2004 Amazon review of “Live at Memory Lane.”:
About 30 years ago I bought a cutout vinyl copy of “Live at Memory Lane” from a drug store. I didn’t know Nat Adderley at all, but this is one of my all-time favorite records. The band is superb – Roy McCurdy on drums and Joe Zawinul on a slightly-out-of-tune acoustic piano are especially good. Just a great album of great musicians making great music.
Mid-November of last year I came across an MP3 version of “Here and Now” and bought it right away. While listening, I thought, “I wonder what happened to Roy McCurdy?” I did a web search and found he is an Adjunct Professor in the Jazz Studies Department of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.
I sent Roy McCurdy email on 11/17/14 that said, in part:
Dear Professor McCurdy:
I’m writing to thank you for giving me decades of inspiration through your drumming. Just yesterday I found on Amazon the Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet’s “Here and Now” album. I had that on vinyl for years and years, but lost it somewhere along the way.
Also, your playing on Nat Adderley’s “Live at Memory Lane” remains a favorite. Crisp, musical – you play great.
I was managing editor of Modern Drummer magazine (1980-83). I never lost my love of drums and drumming, even when my career path took different turns. I always played and I always kept listening.
Well, Roy McCurdy wrote back. Turns out there is no Modern Drummer Roy McCurdy interview. So tonight I am interviewing Mr. McCurdy. He and I will make his interview public either as a text interview, a podcast, or both. I’m using Google Voice to record with for the first time. I can’t vouch, at this writing, for Google Voice’s audio quality.
I am excited about this interview – my first drummer interview in about 30 years. Roy is probably best known for his work with Cannonball Adderley. It will be fun seeing where our conversation takes us.
If anyone has questions they would like me to ask Roy McCurdy, please feel free to post them here or email them to me at ScottFish422@gmail.com .
SKF NOTE: I was hanging out with friends outside Clark Tuthill’s house in Centerport, NY in the late 1960s. Clark’s record player was outside too. He was listening – as was often the case – to a Thelonious Monk album. At one point, my attention was fully drawn by the sound of Monk’s drummer: the crisp snare and deep toms and bass drum were tuned to perfection. The drummer was on fire, swinging, and musical.
By the time I was working full-time at Modern Drummer, I had listened to Frankie Dunlop on most of his Monk dates. Some of them, I think were no longer in print. I heard a few tracks of Frankie with Maynard Ferguson. And Mel Lewis, who grew up with Frankie in Buffalo, NY, was also a great help. There wasn’t much in print on Frankie at the time – two Down Beat pieces, I believe. Mel helped by suggesting questions I might ask Frankie.
My interview with Frankie took place in New York City at my former in-law’s apartment, and also, at my home in Washington, CT. I’d have to look at the dates on the audiotapes. We may have had two sessions in NYC.
Frankie was easy to interview. My one lament is this: Frankie was a first-class impersonator. During the interview, when he was quoting Thelonious Monk, Frankie became Monk. When he was quoting Sonny Rollins, he became Rollins. And he became Mingus. If I get a chance to digitize the audiocassettes, the public can hear what I mean.
I am honored that author Robin D.G. Kelley quotes from Frankie’s MD interview in Kelley’s book, “Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original.” It seems mine is the only known full-length Frankie Dunlop interview. I’m glad I was able to do it. I’m glad Frankie agreed to do the interview.
Here’s a snippet. Caveat: At the start of this interview Frankie said, “My earliest influence was Gene Krupa.” Enjoy.
Frankie Dunlop: When I came to New York and was playing with Maynard’s band, we played a couple of gigs in Great Neck, Long Island. And Gene Krupa was on the bill with us.
Maynard’s band played two or three numbers, and Gene Krupa was behind the curtain watching me. I wasn’t aware of it.
After the set was over, Gene said to Maynard, “Does your drummer like Slingerland drums?”
Now, I had just come to New York. I’d worked with several small bands, but I hadn’t worked with any large bands – and that was a challenge. Maynard’s band was a challenge. At that time, any drumset would have been an improvement. If it was a good drumset I didn’t care what kind it was.
But Gene Krupa was still on the Board of Directors of Slingerland Drum Company. That’s what the scene was. And they were looking for guys to advertise for the company.
And Gene said to Maynard, “I like your drummer. Budd Slingerland is looking for guys to advertise. He wants to get guys who can play and be exciting. He’ll get a set every year. We’ll take pictures.”
My drums were these little rattletraps that I’d brought from Buffalo. And Maynard said, “Hey, Gene Krupa’s over there. He wants to talk to you. He likes the way you play. Do you think you can deal with a set of Slingerland drums?”
That did me more good…. First of all, Gene said to me, “I think you play great.” I would never have expected that. So for him to say that to me, plus saying that he wanted me to advertise for Slingerland – I think that was the biggest turning point for me.
The compliment was great, and so was the fact that I was going to get a new set of drums and advertise for Slingerland. I needed that. I could never have continued to play with Maynard on the rattletraps that I was playing.
Scott K Fish 
You must be logged in to post a comment.