Manu Katche is one of those guys that I’ve never really checked out, and I don’t honestly know why. I’ve been watching videos of him on YouTube the past couple days and I can definitely see why he is so in-demand as a player. He has a very distinctive style, perhaps reminiscent of Stewart Copeland? He definitely doesn’t come across as an overtly technical player, which I really enjoy; his technique seems pretty average but his sound and his ideas are incredible. That being said, I’ve watched some solo videos of Manu as well, and he can definitely bust out the licks.
Jeff Porcaro explains the “Rosana” shuffle. I’m sure you all have seen this before — but if you haven’t, listen up.
Nir Z KILLING it on an electric kit for a Toontrack Demo. I wasn’t really expecting this level of all-out technical facility from the guy who recorded John Mayer’s debut Room for Squares; it just goes to show how tasteful most studio players are with regard to their overall “headroom” in terms of chops and technique. It’s also very exciting to see how electronic drums are approaching a more musical reproduction of natural drum sounds — kind of makes ya want to buy an electronic kit, doesn’t it? Or, at the very least, check out some of the new software that Toontrack is offering.
Dana Hawkins! This dude is a young lion for sure — he has such an original voice on the instrument.
Dennis Chambers studio footage — great stuff!
Gaylord Birch takes a solo with the Pointer Sisters in 1974. Talk about funky. Notice how rooted his vocabulary is in the tradition of jazz. Remember, that initially there was no such thing as rock drummers, funk drummers, metal drummers — or any other kind of genre-specific understanding of the functional role of the drum set as instrument; there were only jazz drummers. The drum set was invented to play jazz, and those who played it reflected their understanding of its origins. It reminds me of an interview with studio legend Hal Blaine where he discussed playing sessions with the infamous LA “Wrecking Crew” (a 1960’s powerhouse team of players that tracked everything from the Mama’s & The Papa’s and Sonny & Cher to The Beach Boys). Hal basically said he had no idea he was inventing the rock idiom for drum set, simply because he had only considered himself a jazz musician.
Know your roots. There is a wonderful documentary out about the Wrecking Crew right now. Anyone who is serious about the history of popular music needs to check it out. In the meantime, enjoy this clip.
Matt Chamberlain drum clinic from 2001
Travis Orbin (formerly of Periphery, currently Sky Eats Airplane) playing “Never Ending Dream” by Cyclamen. I’m not really into metalcore as much as I used to be, but I can certainly appreciate someone like Travis who has such a unique approach to the genre, as well as his drumming in general. Oh, and this guy is a machine. The ambidextrious kit sort of invokes Bill Bruford’s 1980’s work with King Crimson.
