Reviews
Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
The Art Of Latin Drumming by Jose Rosa and Hector “Pocho??? Neciosup
BOOK/CD LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED $26.99 Kit players interested in improving their independence against clave and broadening their knowledge of several Afro-Cuban and South American drumset styles should be sure to check out The Art of Latin Drumming, subtitled A…
Bass Drum Technique By Colin Bailey
DVD LEVEL: ALL $24.99 Aspiring drummers of all ages should note that jazzman Colin Bailey has transferred knowledge from his acclaimed book, Bass Drum Control, to video. Beneath Bailey’s mild-mannered British accent lurks a monster right foot. The lessons…
The Raconteurs Live at Montreux 2008
DVD LEVEL: ALL $19.98 Stylistic connections are often drawn between Jack White and the bands he’s associated with, including the Raconteurs, and heavy, soulful ’60s and ’70s artists like the Yardbirds, Humble Pie, and Terry Reid, whose “Rich Kid’s…
The Brush Secret: How to Apply Your Own Voice to the Brushes by Florian Alexandru-Zorn
DVD (2) LEVEL: ALL $39.99 I can usually assess the value of an educational DVD based on how quickly it causes me to reach for the remote, hit pause, and start practicing. I made it only about five minutes…
Utsi Zimring Zone 23
CD/ALBUM This moody and organic acoustic/electric jazz collection from drummer/composer Utsi Zimring features an all-star line-up of NYC jazz greats including guitarist Mike Stern, pianist David Kikoski, and saxophonist Bob Franceschini. Zimring dances playfully around the melodies with a…
Creative Brazilian Drumming by Christiano Galvão Afro-Brazilian Percussion Guide By Kirk Brundage
Creative Brazilian Drumming by Christiano Galvão BOOK/CD LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED $14.99 Written by Brazilian native and prolific drumset artist Christiano Galvão, Creative Brazilian Drumming is focused on teaching you to play four popular Brazilian styles and also to develop the…
Beyond the Metronome by Malcolm “Mac??? Santiago
BOOK/CD LEVEL: ALL $29.95 The subtitle of this book, “Becoming an Inchronous Musician,” refers to the ability to play in time. Most of us have sat with a metronome while working on exercises and have been concerned about having a…
Open-Handed Playing, Vol. 2: A Step Beyond by Claus Hessler With Dom Famularo
BOOK/CD LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED $19.99 Volume one of German author Claus Hessler’s Open-Handed Playing book series dealt with the basics of drumming with uncrossed hands (developing ride-hand phrasing, voicing alternatives, etc.). This second volume focuses on linear concepts and…
Out of Time (Drum Video Series Vol. 1) Featuring Narada Michael Walden
DVD LEVEL: ALL $24.95 It’s almost enough just to see the master play. But hearing Narada Michael Walden’s stream-of-consciousness thoughts on whatever he’s throwing down at the moment is both hilarious and highly informative. Out of Time naturally focuses on…
Meshuggah Koloss
CD/ALBUM It’s time to take the usual bank of adjectives used to describe Meshuggah—words like brutal, dizzying, and relentless—and add…laid-back? First let’s be clear that Koloss, the Swedish metallers’ follow-up to the ultra-successful 2008 offering ObZen, includes an…
Billy Cobham Colin Towns HR Big Band Meeting of the Spirits
CD/ALBUM Seventy-four-plus minutes of live bliss, as Billy Cobham reprises his role powering the music of John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra, this time with the marvelous Hessische Rundfunk Big Band. Arranger Colin Towns translates the fusion icon’s music in wonderfully creative…
Symphony X Iconoclast
CD/ALBUM The working man’s prog band? The thinking man’s metal band? However you want to label them, Symphony X occupy a pretty interesting corner of heavy music, and their new album, Iconoclast, is as good a place to discover their…
Eric Harland Voyager: Live By Night
CD/ALBUM Is this really Eric Harland’s first album as a leader? Recorded live in 2008 in Paris and featuring a stellar band including pianist Taylor Eigsti, the engaging post bop of Voyager: Live By Night is full of the drummer’s…
Basic Hand Technique As Taught to Chuck Silverman by Richard Wilson and Murray Spivak
E-BOOK/DOWNLOADABLE VIDEO LEVEL: BEGINNER TO INTERMEDIATE $30 Educator Chuck Silverman’s new e-book/downloadable video bundle distills the wisdom of two of his teachers, Richard Wilson and Murray Spivak, into practical instruction for hand technique. Wilson’s concepts include “wrist turns” and “down…
