Friday, September 11, 2009

Terreon Gully


Although Terreon Gully plays jazz with Stefon Harris and Christian McBride, to call him simply a jazz drummer would be as diminishing as to call Albert Pujols a good hitter. Terreon Gully is an amazing all-around drummer. He can lay it down for R&B and pop as well as he can rip it on straight-ahead. He can do more than just hold his own in Afro-Cuban, fusion, and gospel too. There's no box to put him in. After growing up in St. Louis, Terreon attended the University of Houston where he studied percussion and got his Performance degree. Terreon's playing is full of creativity and attitude. His solos as well as his time playing show his incredible chops and solid pulse. Although he keeps very busy with touring, recording, producing, writing, and arranging, Terreon has been Professor of Drumset and Jazz History at the University of Manitoba in Canada since 2008. Those Canadians are lucky to have him.


ARTISTS - Stefon Harris, Christian McBride, Geoffrey Keezer, Joe Locke, Javon Jackson, Russell Gunn, David Sanborn, Common, Charlie Hunter, Joshua Redman.


What's on the CD:
1. Nothing Personal – Stefon Harris
2. [Untitled] – Stefon Harris
3. The Lost Ones – Stefon Harris
4. King Tut’s Strut – Stefon Harris
5. Technicolor Nightmare – Christian McBride
6. Boogie Woogie Waltz – Christian McBride
7. Say Something – Christian McBride
8. Out Jam / Give It Up or Turnit Loose – Christian McBride
9. In This Corner – Javon Jackson

Great albums with Terreon:
African Tarantella - Stefon Harris
Evolution - Stefon Harris
Grand Unification Theory - Stefon Harris
Live at Tonic - Christian McBride Band
Vertical Vision - Christian McBride Band
Live in Seattle - The Joe Locke/Geoffrey Keezer Group
Have You Heard - Javon Jackson
Smoking Gunn - Russell Gunn

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Adam Deitch


When Adam Deitch is the drummer on any given project or record, you know what you're going to get: solid time, funky driving beats, creative fills, and just a great sound from the drums. The drums are always in the forefront of any song Adam plays on, though he's never a distraction from the rest of the music. Having attended Berklee, his playing is heavily rooted in funk and r&b with a jazz mentality. He's the drummer for Lettuce and The John Scofield Band, and has also played with Average White Band, Ledisi, Raphael Saadiq, Eric Krasno, and many more. Adam's playing is very active and conversational. His breakbeats are unbelieveable. He has also produced for many hip-hop artists, such as Talib Kweli, Jurassic 5, 50 Cent, and Snoop Dogg. Currently, Adam has put out recent records with Lettuce and Ledisi and is performing with the Eric Krasno (guitarist for Soulive) led band Chapter 2 as well as his own band called Break Science. He is also on the associate faculty at the New School in New York City.

ARTISTS - Lettuce, The John Scofield Band, Ledisi, Average White Band, John Medeski, Talib Kweli, Raphael Saadiq, Eric Krasno, Anthony Hamilton, Big Daddy Kane, Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Lauryn Hill.

Here's what's on the CD:
1. Thikhatali – John Scofield Band
2. Uberjam – John Scofield Band
3. Watch Out For Po-Po – John Scofield Band
4. Freakin’ Disco – John Scofield Band
5. Every Night Is Ladies Night – John Scofield Band
6. Acidhead – John Scofield Band
7. Ideofunk – John Scofield Band
8. Jungle Fiction – John Scofield Band
9. Express Yourself – Lettuce
10. Outta Here – Lettuce
11. Soon the New Day - Talib Kweli feat. Norah Jones
12.Knockin’ – Ledisi
13. Say No – Ledisi

Albums to check out for Adam's drumming and production:
Uberjam - John Scofield Band
Up All Night - John Scofield Band
Rage! - Lettuce
Outta Here - Lettuce
Live at Blue Note Tokyo - Lettuce
Eardrum - Talib Kweli
Turn Me Loose - Ledisi

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Philly Joe Jones




Early on, Philly Joe Jones took alot of influence from Max Roach and Art Blakey, both of whom were still coming into their own in the 40s. But by the 1950s, Philly Joe was establishing himself as a distiguishable drummer. His biggest claim to fame was being part of Miles Davis' first great quintet with John Coltrane, Red Garland (piano) and Paul Chambers (bass). He was also practically the house drummer for the Blue Note and Prestige record labels. Philly Joe played very unapologetically and with alot of fire and humor, and his solos are what set him apart from other jazz drummers. His precision and energy in his solos are complemented by his clever mimicking of the other soloists and the melodies. Philly Joe and Max Roach were two of the most preferred drummers by band leaders during the 50s. Philly Joe went to London in the early 60s to teach and made a huge impact there, but when he came back to the US, he had a difficult time getting back to the forefront of the scene. Other drummers like Tony Williams and Elvin Jones were coming up and making their own impression. But Philly Joe's solos stood out from the rest and he no doubt gets the credit he deserves.


ARTISTS - Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Gordon, Thelonious Monk, Red Garland, Hank Mobley, Bill Evans

What's on the CD:
1. Milestones – Miles Davis
2. Billy Boy – Miles Davis
3. Dear Old Stockholm – Miles Davis
4. Two Bass Hit – Miles Davis
5. ‘Round Midnight – Miles Davis
6. Surrey With the Fringe on Top – Sonny Rollins
7. When Your Lover Has Gone – Sonny Rollins
8. The Changing Scene – Freddie Hubbard
9. Smile – Dexter Gordon
10. Moment’s Notice – John Coltrane

Albums with Philly Joe Jones:
Workin' With the Miles Davis Quintet - Miles Davis
Relaxin' With the Miles Davis Quintet - Miles Davis
Someday My Prince Will Come - Miles Davis
Blue Train - John Coltrane
Tenor Madness - Sonny Rollins
Keystones! - Red Garland
Another Workout - Hank Mobley


VIDEOS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIPIc3bkYoc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSvehgKsFTM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLiqKTSDEtQ

http://www.drummerworld.com/Videos/phillyjojones78.html


LINKS:
http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Philly_Joe_Jones.html

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=8188

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philly_Joe_Jones

http://hardbop.tripod.com/philly.html

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Benny Benjamin



Honestly, it's tough to write anything about William "Benny" Benjamin without a small degree of frustration and even sadness. His career was brief, underappreciated, unknown, and massively influential. Playing in Big Bands and heavily influenced by jazz and afro-cuban drummers, he had a very unique and identifiable style of playing and flawless time. Benny was basically a jazz drummer who became a pop musician in the 60s. He was the first-call of three drummers for The Funk Brothers, Motown's impeccable studio band. Benny played on huge hits for The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, The Supremes, The Miracles, and Gladys Knight & The Pips. And yet, his name is mostly unknown. Ask somebody to sing the words to "My Girl" or "Do You Love Me" and they can probably do it (at least hopefully). Ask them who is playing the music on that song and they haven't got a clue. Even the internet is relatively bare of information on him. The picture above is one of the very few known photographs of him. Video footage is practically non-existent, except for the documentary film Standing in the Shadows of Motown, which I highly recommend. The Funk Brothers recorded more #1 hits in less than two decades than The Beatles, Elvis, The Beach Boys, and The Rolling Stones combined. Benny Benjamin was playing the drums on at least a third of those recordings up until his tragic death in 1969.


When I have kids somebody, I have always planned to name my first born son Benjamin. That's the least I can do for the man that got me playing drums when I was 11 years old.


ARTISTS - The Funk Brothers (Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, The Miracles, Barrett Strong, The Contours, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Miracles, The Four Tops)


Here's what's on the CD:

1. Ain’t Too Proud to Beg – The Temptations
2. Get Ready – The Temptations
3. I Can’t Get Next To You – The Temptations
4. My Girl – The Temptations
5. For Once in My Life – Stevie Wonder
6. Uptight (Everything’s Alright) – Stevie Wonder
7. I Heard It Through the Grapevine – Gladys Knight & The Pips
8. Money (That’s What I Want) – Barrett Strong
9. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell


In some cases it's arguable whether it was Benny Benjamin, Pistol Allen, or Uriel Jones that played drums on any given song. Music credits were given to simply "The Funk Brothers." But most of the #1s are reported to have Benny Benjamin on them since Berry Gordy insisted on having Benny play for any session he was present at.

Watch the documentary on The Funk Brothers called Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSkB15Fw38M


LINKS:
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/benny-benjamin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Benjamin


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Max Roach


Max Roach is probably in the top 5 list of most influential drummers of all time. He is without a doubt one of the most important drummers in history. He was a pioneer in the birth of bebop and cool jazz. He played with huge names that even people outside of jazz have heard -- Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, and Duke Ellington. His biggest innovation came in the 40s when he switched his timekeeping from the thumping bass drum to the driving ride cymbal, which is of course standard jazz drumming today. This created a more flexible style and rhythmic feel for soloists to play over. Other than that, Max was one of the greatest soloists and his contributions to drummers' solo repertoire is massive. He also has a lengthy discography as a bandleader and formed the percussion group M'Boom in 1970 (with whom he made four records). If there was ever a true artist on the drumset, it was Max Roach. He died recently, in August 2007.

ARTISTS - Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Duke Ellington, Clark Terry, Coleman Hawkins, Bud Powell, Sonny Stitt, Stan Getz, J.J. Johnson, Thad Jones


What's on the CD:
1. What Is This Thing Called Love? – Clifford Brown & Max Roach
2. Sandu – Clifford Brown & Max Roach
3. Jordu – Clifford Brown & Max Roach
4. Joy Spring – Clifford Brown & Max Roach
5. Delilah – Clifford Brown & Max Roach
6. Tender Warriors – Max Roach
7. Money Jungle – Duke Ellington
8. Dr. Free-Zee – Max Roach Quintet
9. Humph – Thelonious Monk
10. Wee – Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, & Max Roach

Here's some albums to check out that show Max's genius and significance:
Brilliant Corners - Thelonious Monk
Birth of the Cool - Miles Davis
The Amazing Bud Powell - Bud Powell
Diz and Getz - Dizzy Gillespie & Stan Getz
Bird on 52nd Street - Charlie Parker

Records as a bandleader:
Jazz in 3/4 Time
Max Roach Plus 4
Rich vs. Roach (with Buddy Rich)
Again!
We Insist! - Freedom Now
Percussion Bitter Sweet
It's Time

VIDEOS:






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Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson



Questlove is one the greatest drummers today and a legend in the making. He has an uncanny and unique way of combining the new and the old, and is able to play the simplest 4 beat and the most complex break beat. Clearly influenced by classic jazz drummers such like Elvin, Philly Joe, Tony, and Max, it's obvious that he also takes alot of influence from R&B drummers like Clyde, Jabo, and Benny Benjamin. His feel is almost unmatchable. The grooves and beats that he lays down are second to none, and are so flawless and so solid that most people think they're listening to a programmed beat - a machine, a computer. That says it all. When a musician is so perfect in his playing and his sound that he can fool a listener in to questioning if he's human, that's a testament like nothing else. Something worth mentioning is Questlove's knowledge of a drum's sound. The quality of the tuning and sound coming from his drums gives him a distinct sound for each song, album, artist, and style. Not to diminish his masterful playing, but part of what gives him his own sound is his choice of drums and the quality of his tuning. Aside from drumming, he's a great producer and bandleader whose skills include singing, rapping, and some piano and bass. Questlove is the perfect example of everything an amazing drummer can and should be -- an outstanding musician.


"Whatever the average drummer is doing, I'm trying to do the exact opposite." - Questlove


ARTISTS - The Roots, Al Green, Erykah Badu, The Philadelphia Experiment, Erykah Badu, Common, Joshua Redman, Pharrell

Here's what's on the CD:

1. Put It In Your Pocket – Joshua Redman Elastic Band
2. Philadelphia Experiment – The Philadelphia Experiment
3. Ain’t It The Truth – The Philadelphia Experiment
4. Call For All Demons – The Philadelphia Experiment
5. The Seed (2.0) – The Roots
6. You Got Me – The Roots
7. Here I Come – The Roots
8. The Next Movement – The Roots
9. Mellow My Man – The Roots
10. Doin’ It Again – The Roots
11. Booty – Erykah Badu
12. Window Seat – Erykah Badu
13. The Light - Common
14. Definition – Black Star
15. Lay It Down – Al Green
16. You’ve Got the Love I Need – Al Green

Here's some other songs to check out that are good examples of Questo's versatility:
"Untitled (How Does It Feel)" - D'Angelo
"Playa Playa" - D'Angelo
"Chicken Grease" - D'Angelo
"Break You Off" - The Roots
"Rising Up" - The Roots
"Do You Want More?!!!??!" - The Roots
"What They Do" - The Roots
"Lle Lfe" - The Philadelphia Experiment
"Trouble Man Theme" - The Philadelphia Experiment
"No One Like You" - Al Green



VIDEOS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D671znPDOCU&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EOBI-SpdTA&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIVzt_vGyr8&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_6p6fbdxF4&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZh9Ngjg71E

http://www.okayplayer.com/news/Video-The-Roots-Public-Enemy-Bring-The-Noise-Live-on-Late-Night-with-Jimmy-Fallon.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgMiGqA6xtA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgMiGqA6xtA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s11XaUKsMU8



LINKS:
http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Ahmir_Thompson.html

http://www.myspace.com/questlove

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Questlove


Questlove's Advice for Bands = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85tyZNiSyTk&feature=channel_page

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