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
Rancid's Branden Steineckert
“I tend to like my snares to be visually fun,” says Steineckert, “but I don’t want it to compromise my sound at all.
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.
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.
New Releases by Santana, Oz Noy, Grupo Fantasma, and More!
New Releases From Santana, Oz Noy, Betty Carter, Grupo Fantasma and more.
Inverted Paradiddle-Diddles
Rudiments can essentially be described as groupings of single and double strokes in different configurations and rhythms.
George Way Drums
Ronn Dunnett acquired the rights to the brand and set out to revive the company by building and expanding upon the innovations that Way created many years ago.
The 5/4 Half-Time Shuffle
For those of you who’ve never heard the coveted half-time shuffle, which is also commonly referred to as the Purdie shuffle,...
Bruce Rowland
Bruce Rowland racked up numerous recording and touring credits through his extensive work in the pop, folk, blues-rock, and rock worlds.
The Bailey Method
The Bailey Method is longtime touring and session drummer Dan Bailey’s first opus in the world of online education.
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.”
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.
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.
Woodland Percussion
Woodland Percussion originated as a summer project for company founder and mechanical engineer Allan Fausnaught. The goal was to build a snare entirely from scratch.
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.
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.”
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.
