Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Chris "Daddy" Dave

Chris Dave is dangerous, plain and simple. When he was finally on the cover of Modern Drummer magazine in February 2010, I braved the seven inches of snow St. Louis got that given day and made it to Drum Headquarters to buy it. I put it on the counter and told the dude working that I'm glad Chris Dave is finally getting some of the credit he deserves. He replied that he'd never heard of him and asked who he's played with. I flipped open the magazine to page 46 and showed him.
"Robert Glasper, Kenny Garrett, Mint Condition, Mary J. Blige, Pat Metheny, Toni Braxton, Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Erykah Badu, Kim Burrell, Ron Blake, A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def...he just recorded with Maxwell and is currently on tour with him."
Chris Dave's resume speaks for itself. Then you actually hear him play. That's when the word "dangerous" will come to mind.
I first heard of Chris Dave after seeing him perform with Mos Def on Letterman in 2009. The way he played completely blew me away, and I spent the next three days scouring the internet for information about him. At that time, he didn't even have a page on DrummerWorld.com, but he did have tons of videos on YouTube. I found every single one and then hit the practice room for the next three days after that.
Chris Dave grew up in Texas. Like many other great drummers, he got his start playing in church when he was only six years old. However, he personally describes his discovery of jazz as the beginning of his education. His music loving father played Miles and Coltrane albums constantly. When it was his mother's turn to choose what was played, it was gospel music. His brother was into funk. With all that music in the house, Chris Dave gained an appreciation and ear for all types of music, and most importantly, learned what it meant for music to groove. The recording that was most influential on him in those early days was Miles Davis' landmark "Footprints." The legendary drummer on that was of course none other than The Tony Williams. After that, Chris spent hours and hours every day simply listening to jazz recordings and digesting what it was that Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, and Philly Joe Jones were doing on the drums.
He studied with Craig Green and Sebastian Whittaker. He mastered every exercise and pattern in the book "4-Way Coordination." He got into J Dilla beats and learned those (as impossible as that may sound. And if that means nothing to you and you're a drummer, set aside some time and look that dude up. J Dilla is one of the greatest and most innovative hip-hop producers that ever lived). He became an expert sight reader. He studied at Howard University. Then he landed the gig with Mint Condition.
Since then, Chris Dave has been around the world and back again, impressing and blessing jazz lovers, hip-hop heads, and soul aficionados with his innovative playing. He has the innate and unmatchable ability to drop ridiculous polyrhythms into any beat. He can be playing in 5, switch to 7 for a few bars, and come right back in on the down beat like it's nobody's business. He can metrically modulate anything and never lose it. He has crazy fast chops and seems like he gets faster every time I hear something new from him. Most recently, he recorded on Maxwell's 2009 platinum selling album "BLACKsummers'night," which won two Grammy Awards including Best R&B album. I haven't even mentioned his set up (currently, it's five snares, a bass drum, 18 inch hi hats, and an assortment of cymbals that changes by the minute). Whether you're a drummer or not, whether you're a musician or not...when Chris Dave plays, you'll listen. It doesn't matter what he's doing. He could be playing the simplest 6/8 ballad groove or soloing over a jazz tune. His playing will make you listen. You might not get it, but he will hold your attention and never let it go. He is dangerously pushing the envelope and changing drumming on a daily basis.


"Humility isn’t just shown in your attitude. It’s also shown in the way you approach the kit. Do you have enough respect for the instrument to really learn it? How much time do you put into learning the history of the drums and how drumming got where it is now? All of that matters."
- Chris Dave

That's absolutely true. You've got to learn the rules if you want to break the rules. And if you ever want to come close to Chris Dave, you've got to master the rules. Now go practice.




On your disc:
1. Quiet Dog – Mos Def
2. Bad Habits – Maxwell
3. Cold – Maxwell
4. Pretty Wings
5. Help Somebody – Maxwell
6. Stop the World – Maxwell
7. No Worries – Robert Glasper
8. Yes I’m Country (And That’s OK) – Robert Glasper
9. Think of One – Robert Glasper
10. Delta Bali Blues – Kenny Garrett
11. Happy People – Kenny Garrett
12. Fellowship – Me’Shell Ndegeocello
13. Good Intentions – Me’Shell Ndegeocello
14. Sometimes – Mint Condition
15. Raise Up – Mint Condition

Selected Discography:
BLACKsummers'night - Maxwell
Double Booked - Robert Glasper
Happy People - Kenny Garrett
Simply Said - Kenny Garrett
Standard of Language - Kenny Garrett
Definition of a Band - Mint Condition
Life's Aquarium - Mint Condition
Livin' The Luxury Brown - Mint Condition
From the Mint Factory - Mint Condition
Comfort Woman - Me'Shell Ndegeocello
The Spirit Music Jamia - Me'Shell Ndegeocello
Ali Shaheed Muhammad- Shaheedullah and Stereotypes
Mary - Mary J. Blige
Sonic Tonic - Ron Blake
Try Me Again - Kim Burrell


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