Tag Archives: Arnold Jay Smith

RIP Zutty Singleton (1975)

Posted on December 25, 2020 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: My self-study of drummers started in the 1960s. By age 14 I started my lifelong study of the history of drummers, drums, and drumming. Liner notes, magazines, local jazz radio stations, and books were my prime information sources. … Continue reading →

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Mel Lewis: ‘I Own Four Sets of Drums’

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: Arnold Jay Smith interviewed Mel Lewis for the June 1, 1978 Down Beat. Revisiting that interview last night, I don’t recall Mel owning four drumsets, each different in configuration, that he used for different situations. Mr. Smith asks … Continue reading →

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Gil Evans: The Answer to All Musical Problems

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: This weekend I re-read Gil Evans‘s 5/20/76 interview with Down Beat contributor Arnold Jay Smith, on the cusp of synthesizers’ broad use in jazz and other musics. Evans, creator of unique, acoustic sounds, was an early proponent of … Continue reading →

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Gerry Mulligan: What Music is Supposed to Be About

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Scott K Fish

Gerry Mulligan: “We lose track of what music is supposed to be about. The primary function of music is not for the listener, nor the dancer. It’s for the person who is making it. That’s the first function of music.” … Continue reading →

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Buddy Rich: Still Leaves Me Breathless

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Scott K Fish

[Buddy] Rich’s solo is as exciting now as it has been for the last three decades. His rolls between tom-toms and bass still sound like thunder; his licks are still the cleanest and fastest in the world. I know every … Continue reading →

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