October 2019 Issue – Volume 43 • Number 10
On 01st Oct 2019
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Yes, Texas-based drummer JD Beck is only sixteen years old. But he’s already spent several years collaborating with a wide range of artists in the fertile Dallas, Texas, hiphop/urban music scene. He’s also wise beyond his years and thoughtful about drums and rhythm, which comes in handy when he tries to explain exactly what it is he does.
Mentored by Dallas-area drummers like Robert “Sput” Searight (Snarky Puppy), Mike Mitchell (Stanley Clarke), and Cleon Edwards (Erykah Badu), JD Beck has crafted a style of crooked beats and patterns mixed with over-the-barline fluidity that grooves in its own unique way. Singles and ghost notes fly by, and there’s definitely a pulse. But, especially for listeners whose sense of groove was baked in prior to the envelope-pushing approaches of modern kit players like Karriem Riggins and Eric Harland, everything feels somehow…different. “It’s this thing in the air,” says Beck about the unique drummers coming out of Dallas. “People play beats with this live, jazz feel. And everyone sounds like a computer, a program, which is really cool.”
Beck may have started young and with conventional lessons, but he quickly became inspired by a contemporary musical vocabulary that led him down a new path. There was a precedent set by the electronic offerings of producers like J Dilla and the kit work of players like Chris “Daddy” Dave, and Beck began to get his chops together and develop the internal meter that’s so important to sounding authentic when playing these unconventional beats. Jam sessions were attended and drumming friends made, and calls started coming in from local musicians like Jon Bap.
Articles in October 2019
Tony Williams at a Jazz Crossroads
During his years with Miles Davis, beginning in 1963 at age seventeen, Tony Williams radically changed jazz drumming.
Rhythm! Discovery Center Ten-Year Anniversary
The Rhythm! Discovery Center, a gem of the drum and percussion world.
What's Your Favorite Hal Blaine Track?
Readers weigh on their favorite Hal Blaine tracks.
Sam Durkes on Ezra Furman’s Twelve Nudes
Throughout the album drummer Sam Durkes drives Ezra Furman’s distorted up-tempo fervor with a surprising avoidance of cymbals.
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin II was released on October 22, 1969. Although initially panned by some critics, the album became the band’s first number-one album.
Sheridan Riley with Alvvays
For nearly two decades, drummer Sheridan Riley has worked with the intention to lead a life fulfilled as a proactive musician.
Paiste 2002
Paiste’s 2002 series was introduced as a solution for heavy-hitting drummers on the burgeoning hard rock scene who demanded sturdier instruments with more powerful tones.
Talking About Our Generations
A teaser of the momentous drumming from 1969 that our October issue explores—and a chat with the Flaming Lips' Steven Drozd about some of his favorite music from the era.
A Restored Gretsch Steal
This beautifully restored vintage project was from older Gretsch shells to create a road-worn-looking vintage kit that has that oft-referred-to “Great Gretsch Sound.”
Theme for an “Imaginary” Drummer
To most, Corky Laing’s drumming is synonymous with the great heavy-rock band Mountain, and vice versa.
Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Doug Clifford
Given the breakneck pace at which CCR operated in 1969, it’s a wonder Clifford and Cook are still out on the road fifty years later.
Mastodon’s Brann Dailor on the Band’s Heavenly “Stairway to Nick John”
The drummer recently talked to MD to discuss the band’s heartfelt tribute to their longtime friend and manager.
New Releases by Santana, Oz Noy, Grupo Fantasma, and More!
New Releases From Santana, Oz Noy, Betty Carter, Grupo Fantasma and more.
The Starr Festival Snare
Over the years, Gary Astridge has meticulously researched Ringo’s drumkits and assembled exact replicas of the ones used with the Beatles.
Advanced Techniques for Jazz Soloing
For four years I’d been studying intensely with Dom Famularo, who suddenly said during one of my lessons, “Steph, you’re now ready for Jim.”
Bruce Rowland
Bruce Rowland racked up numerous recording and touring credits through his extensive work in the pop, folk, blues-rock, and rock worlds.
Zimbabwean “Tuku” Music
Combining the traditional Jit, Tsotsa, and other rhythms of Zimbabwe, the late Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi’s style could only be defined as distinctly his own.
New Gear From 64 Audio, LP, Schagerl Drums, Tama, and More!
New Product Releases from 64 Audio, LP, Schagerl Drums, Tama, Air Throne, and Canopus
