Music – A Beautiful Universe

Posted on February 24, 2023 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: In the summer of 1961, multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy joined John Coltrane’s great quartet with Elvin Jones (drums), McCoy Tyler (piano), and Jimmy Garrison (bass), for a summer tour The groups’s “Complete 1961 Copenhagen Concert” album offers us a chance to hear the group in full swing.

Down Beat was the premier jazz magazine of the day. DB Associate Editor John Tynan labeled Coltrane’s and Dolphy’s music as “anti-jazz.” In the November 23, 1961 DB, Tynan wrote, “At Hollywood’s Renaissance club recently.., I heard a good rhythm section go to waste behind the nihilistic exercises of…Coltrane and Dolphy.”

Later, DB Editor-in-Chief Don DeMicheal interviewed Dolphy and Coltrane. He asked them of their music, “What are you trying to do?” Or, “What are you doing?”

Here’s the part of Coltrane’s reply I underscored long ago in my copy of DeMicheal’s Coltrane/Dolphy interview:

“What I’m trying to do I find enjoyable. Inspiring….

“It’s more than beauty that I feel in music-that I think musicians feel in music.

“But, over-all, I think the main thing a musician would like to do is to give a picture to the listener of the many wonderful things he knows of and senses in the universe. That’s what music is to me – It’s just another way of saying this is a big, beautiful universe we live in, that’s been given to us, and here’s an example of just how magnificent and encompassing it is.”

Source: “John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy Answer the Jazz Critics,” by Don DeMicheal, Down Beat, April 12, 1962

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The Hallmark of Great Drummers

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: Who knows why certain memories appear when they do. This morning, a snow storm swirling outside, my high school music teacher, Art Simeone, came to mind. Particularly the drum lessons he gave me from his piano player’s perspective.

Mr. Simeone’s lessons were about, first and foremost, keeping time. Not metronomic time. Improvise a smooch, but keep time “on that ride cymbal,” he’d say.

Right on the heels of Mr. Simeone’s memory fading, in comes a memory of a story I once wrote for Modern Drummer. I asked several great jazz bass players, in brief, What makes a good drummer? What makes a bad drummer?

I have forgotten most of the bassists in the piece. Richard Davis and Eddie Gomez were part of the mix. While their answers varied, I believe all the bassists said good time keeping was the hallmark of great drummers.

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Frankie Dunlop’s 52K Drum Lessons

Posted on February 21, 2023 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: As of this morning, YouTube analytics tells me Frankie Dunlop’s fast/slow drum lesson video has been viewed almost 52,000 times. It has 982 “Likes” and zero “Dislikes.”

Also, historian Robin Kelley shared Frankie’s story in his book, “Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original.”

That’s all good news.

From the late 1980s, when I finished the last of my freelance writing for Modern Drummer magazine, and April 2014 when I started this blog, I periodically worried about what would happen to my MD drummer interview cassettes in my absence.

More to the point, I thought about taped moments in some of my interviews I really wanted to share. Not only in the written word, but the actual voices of drummers telling their stories, passing along their life lessons.

But I lacked the know-how to digitize my cassettes. Finally giving up on finding someone else to do the work, I used my double well cassette deck, downloaded the free Audacity audio app, and figured out the digitizing process through trial-and-error. When the digital conversions of my analog tapes sounded presentable, I began isolating drummer interview audio excerpts and posting them on my blog.

Frankie Dunlop’s disagreement with Thelonious Monk on whether or not fast tempo drumming is harder than slow tempo drumming was high on my list of interview audio segments I wanted to share.

Reading what Frankie had to say is good. Hearing Frankie say it is a million times better.

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Barry Keane Talks Beatles

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: My friend Barry Keane has appeared twice on “The Walrus Was Paul” podcast with host Paul Romanuk, an on-air host, play-by-play announcer, producer and executive producer in the Canadian and European media industries. Mr. Romanuk is also an unashamed Beatles aficionado.

Barry Keane is no slouch either on The Beatles. And I thoroughly enjoyed listening to both men weave stories of their own musical life experiences and knowledge, into engaging discussions about Beatles music.

Here are links to Barry’s two Beatles podcasts. The introductory paragraphs for each episode are from Paul Romanuk’s website.

S2 E17 – With The Beatles, Side One – Barry Keane of The Gordon Lightfoot Band
S3 E3 – Something New – Barry Keane of The Gordon Lightfoot Band
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Drums Like a River

Posted on February 16, 2023 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: If you have recently spent time on social media you have likely seen one of many dance videos, such as the video included here from choreographer Moga Almeri.

What struck me most, the very first time I saw this video, was the contrast between James Brown’s very staccato, precise, up-down rhythms, and the joyful fluidity of the Beat Surf Tendo Dancers interpreting Brown’s rhythms.

The very best drummers I know, famous or not, hear that same fluidity, play with that same fluidity. There drumming is less like a pile driver, more like a flowing river.

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