Herbie Hancock
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.
Alphonse Mouzon Playlist
Alphonse Mouzon was among the premier drummers associated with the jazz-rock fusion movement of the 1970s. The genre was largely inspired by jazz iconoclast Miles Davis, and was furthered by many of the instrumentalists associated with the trumpeter’s groundbreaking late-’60s…
Latin Percussion Icon Milton Cardona Remembered
by Victor Rendón and Ken Ross On September 19, 2014, Milton Cardona, a fixture of the New York salsa and Latin-jazz scene, passed away of heart failure. He was sixty-nine. Cardona, a Puerto Rican who grew up in…
Omar Hakim Video Fluid Time, Groove, and Listener Anticipation
“You don’t want to force it; you just want to be on the ride. Sometimes things that are repeated over and over again gain momentum.” Omar Hakim is talking about the track “Remember to Remember,” from his new solo album,…
International Jazz Day to be Celebrated with All-Star Concerts in Paris, New Orleans, and New York
Video Streams of all 3 Concerts Live on Jazz Day and Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz On Friday, April 27, UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova and UNESCO goodwill ambassador Herbie Hancock will kick-off the first annual International Jazz Day with a full day of…
Billy Higgins: The Shape of Jazz
Billy Higgins, who would come to play on more than five hundred albums, including three of the biggest jazz crossover hits of the 1960s (Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man,” Lee Morgan’s “The Sidewinder,” and Eddie Harris’s “Freedom Jazz Dance”), was born…
Modern Drummer Festival™ 2011 DVD
The Hudson Music team was on hand once again to capture all the action as the Modern Drummer Festival 2011 took place at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey. In a program packed with amazing performances and insightful educational…
Back Through the Stack: Harvey Mason
“I never really thought of being a professional musician,” says Harvey Mason. “Music is something I did for fun and enjoyment, and coming from a poor family, there was no way I was going to do anything that wouldn’t make…
Charley Drayton: The All-Around Natural
By the time he was five, Charley Drayton knew exactly what he wanted to do in life. Born in Brooklyn, New York, into a successful musical family, Charley spent his childhood watching his dad, Bernard, work in recording studios. “I’d…
Sheila E: Way Beyond Latin
Sheila E, daughter of veteran percussionist Pete Escovedo, developed her natural talent by watching family members and friends gather in her home. Sheila was only eighteen when she carved her spot in music history, playing the hippest of gigs, like…
The Greats: Jack DeJohnette
When Jack DeJohnette hooked up with trendsetting trumpeter Miles Davis in 1969, the drummer was immediately thrust into the media spotlight as he became a main rhythmic catalyst behind Davis’s revolutionary electronic jazz sound. With that band, Jack appeared on…
Billy Hart: Of Unsung Heroes and Jazz Giants
This article is an excerpt from the July 2005 issue of Modern Drummer Magazine. Check your newsstands today to read the full article. by Ken Micallef Billy Hart is one of the unsung giants of jazz. He's recorded over six…