Boston-based drummer Dave DiCenso has been busy the past several months. He recorded eight tracks for Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci’s debut solo release, toured the States with blues-rock guitarist Johnny A, did a clinic tour with bassist Stu Hamm, and most recently performed on the smoking debut by contemporary-jazz keyboardist Hiromi, Another Mind.

According to DiCenso, “Another Mind has all kinds of feels, including way uptempo Latin, funk, drum ‘n’ bass, ballads, bop, and some crazy odd-time fusion sections. I definitely had to shed some of the tunes before going in. I created my parts by listening to the melodies and harmonies, then responding to them based on how they made me feel.”

One of the more challenging tunes for DiCenso was the album’s opener, “XYZ,” which includes several time signature changes, metric modulations, and a drum solo over a vamp in 9/8. DiCenso recalls, “Hiromi told me this song, to her, represented the end of everything’so that’s what I imagined when recording it.” Advertisement

DiCenso says that a special part of making this record was working with Anthony Jackson and Dave Fiuczynski. “They are two of my favorite musicians,” he says, “and they brought a lot to the table. We recorded the whole CD live – no overdubs’so everyone had to be connected musically, emotionally, and compositionally. I think we pulled it off nicely.”