This excerpt is taken from the complete article that appears in the January 2017 issue, which is available here.

Jazz Drummer’s Workshop

Papa Jo Jones Drum Fill

Incorporating a Classic Jazz Lick

by John Xepoleas

In this lesson we’ll explore a versatile and great-sounding fill from jazz legend Papa Jo Jones. The basic pattern is notated in Exercise 1. Pay close attention to the sticking—it’s essential to start and end the fill with your lead hand.

 
For the complete lesson with transcriptions, check out the January 2017 issue, which is available here.