August 2020 Issue – Volume 44 • Number 8
On 03rd Dec 2020
Articles in August 2020
Billy Cobham’s Spectrum
The ex-Mahavishnu phenom was out to prove he had the drumming and writing chops to stake his own claim with his 1973 solo debut. By the early 1970s, Billy Cobham had spent time drumming with several legendary jazz artists, including…
Thomas Lang’s Coordination and Counting Concepts
A Few Ways to Practice With or Without Drums “Independence, four-way coordination, and ambidexterity are such huge subjects,” says Thomas Lang in a recent video lesson filmed for Modern Drummer by DrumChannel.com. “One way of getting into this is just…
Readers Platform
Neil Peart I am a longtime subscriber to Modern Drummer and have been eagerly awaiting the May 2020 issue ever since I read that you were writing a tribute to Neil Peart. Neil has been one of my biggest drumming inspirations…
The Jon Christensen Approach
Developing a Modern Straight-8th Concept In this article we’re going to explore the broken, straight-8th feel that the late, great Norwegian drummer Jon Christensen utilized to majestic effect on many classic albums for German jazz label ECM. The exercises included…
Alesis - Strike Pro Special Edition Mesh Kit
This eleven-piece set is as professional-grade as it gets, yet somehow keeps the cost-conscious consumer in mind. For a number of years, Alesis has positioned itself as the leading producer of affordable electronic drumsets, multipads, and drum machines best suited…
The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney
In the five years since the band’s last full-length album, the drummer has spread his creative wings as a producer of note. Here we talk about that growth, and spend time with the drummer’s partner, Dan Auerbach. The hiatus between…
Critique
RECORDINGS Testament Titans of Creation The band’s thirteenth studio release proves once again how they themselves are titans of creation in the thrash metal lineage. Although drummer Gene Hoglan is not an original member of Testament, his drumming style created…
Louie Bellson
Drummer, Composer, Bandleader, and Double-Bass Pioneer Last month we talked about the father of modern jazz drumming, Papa Jo Jones. This time we’re featuring one of Papa Jo’s disciples, the great jazz artist and drumset innovator Louie Bellson.Bellson was the…
Khruangbin’s DJ Johnson
At first listen, his drumming sounds simple. But his tone, touch, timing, and focused parts make the indie-world trio Khruangbin’s trance-like music groove hard in a way a lesser drummer would easily muck up and mire. Houston, Texas–based trio Khruangbin…
Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault
Elvin Jones’ Cymbal Collection Elvin Jones was one of the most influential, inspirational, and beloved jazz musicians of all time. Few artists have touched the world as deeply as he did. Though I only briefly met Elvin a couple times,…
Aahad Nayani
The Pakistani drummer has made a name for himself against considerable odds. Aahad Nayani is a bit of a miracle. The thirty-two-year-old is a self-taught, meticulous drumset player from Karachi, Pakistan, who despite years of government internet censorship, used banned…
Jost Nickel’s Snare Book
At Jost Nickel’s website, the drummer/clinician/composer posts about his latest instructional publication, Snare Book (Alfred). “I am happy to tell you that my brand new Snare Book is now available,” Nickel states. “It’s in English so you don’t have to…
Modern-Jazz/Rock/Fusion Powerhouse Ronald Bruner Jr..
Grammy-winning drummer, producer, singer, and songwriter Ronald Bruner Jr. is one of today’s most electrifying performers. His exciting “no holds barred” approach has gained the respect of some of the industry’s top artists, and his genre-busting style is a combination…
Innovative Percussion
LAX-1, SF-1, and MATT-1 Drumsticks and KDB-2 Cloud Beater Versatile drumset sticks and a modern take on the fluffy thumper. Nashville-based Innovative Percussion—one of the leading manufacturers of symphonic and marching sticks, mallets, and accessories—has been steadily growing its catalog…
Lana Del Rey’s Tom Marsh
Serving the singer onstage requires all of this multithreat’s many skills. Lana Del Rey currently ranks among the top pop singers in the world. Steadily releasing albums since 2012, her classic torch-song voice graces moody material with a modern sensibility.…
Matt Laug on Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know”
The existence of live and programmed drums on a track is commonplace today. Twenty-five years ago, though, it was such a fresh idea it could launch a career. If you were anywhere near a radio or MTV in the latter…
Kassa Overall
On his second solo outing, I Think I’m Good, the Seattle native and New York City resident raps/sings over engrossing music built of sampled and live sources, in the process practically creating his own genre: the jazz-hip-hop confessional. A gifted…
Thomas Lang
While “normal” drummers are figuring out how to keep good time behind that guitar solo or how to tune that second rack tom so it doesn’t sound like a cartoon sound effect, Thomas Lang is deeply concerned with something called…
Bad Religion’s Jamie Miller
Sometimes the job you were meant to do comes about when you least expect it. For this drummer, the opportunity came decades after he first imagined it. In 2015, after relocating from Baltimore to California, and barely into a hiatus…
