Modern Drummer
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.
Alexis Razon of Vinyl
To start, it is an honor to write for an outstanding magazine that caters to drummers and percussionists worldwide. MD is a great resource for the drumming community. My first introduction to drumming started at ten years old. The age…
Paiste Cymbals: Inside Paiste
(March 2010 Issue) Paiste has more than a thousand artists who endorse the company’s products, ranging from industry icons to up-and-coming players. Here, a cool dozen give props to their cymbal maker of choice. Ndugu Chancler (George Duke, Santana, Patrice…
Listen to Sound Files of Tama’s Starphonic Aluminum Snare Drum
Read the review in the March 2010 issue with Stanton Moore on the cover.
Cole Marcus: Blog
Hey, everyone, this is Cole Marcus. I recently turned eleven years old, and I’ve been playing drums professionally since the age of three. I actually started playing by myself when I was ten months old. Sounds weird, but it’s…
Mark Rhoades: Blog
Hey, everybody, this is Mark Rhoades from the Fold. So honored to be a part of MD! I’d like to take this opportunity to answer questions I get regarding the custom drumkit that I’ve built myself. At the time I…
Sonny Greer: Duke Ellington’s Crowd Pleaser
Sonny Greer was born in 1903 in Long Branch, New Jersey, and studied drums with vaudeville drummer J. Rosemond Johnson. His first professional job was as a youngster in a pit band in Red Bank, New Jersey. Within a few…
Chick Webb: The First True Drumming Idol
Chick was born in Baltimore, Maryland on February 10, 1907. He suffered from tuberculosis of the spine, which left him badly crippled. It wasn’t until he underwent a painful operation as a child that he was able to use his…
What Do You Know About...Richie Hayward?
by Bob Girouard Classic Hayward A hallmark of Richie Hayward’s style is his feel. The New Orleans influence is all over his playing, especially in the way he approaches shuffles and second-line rhythms. Here are a few of the drummer’s…
Listen to Sound Files of Ludwig’s Vistalite Jason Bonham Zep Kit
Hear audio from the kit here.
Timothy B. Schmit’s Herman Matthews
Howdy, MD readers. It’s been a long time, and I think I may have to reintroduce myself. My name is Herman Matthews and I play drums. For the past seven years I’ve been laying down the foundation for the legendary…
Max Roach: Setting Standards And Raising Bars
If you were to ask any jazz historian to name who they feel is most responsible for setting the standards in bebop drumming, 99.9% of the time you’re going to get one name: Max Roach. Roach wasn’t the first drummer…
Elvin Jones: The Great Liberator
When Elvin Jones moved from his home town in Michigan to New York City in 1956, the jazz-listening world wasn’t quite ready for the drummer’s outer-space conception. His loping, circular sense of swing and abstract, barline-blurring breaks weren’t easy to…
Influencer: Alan Dawson
Alan Dawson was an outstanding jazz drummer and a legendary teacher. He was strongly influenced by Papa Jo Jones, and his first break came in the early ’50s with the Lionel Hampton band. By 1951 he was working with Sabby…
Philly Joe Jones: One Of The Greatest Hard Boppers
Philly Joe Jones is one of the greatest of the hard boppers. His contributions to the art of jazz drumming are immeasurable. He was a virtuoso with a pair of brushes, and a genius at turning the rudiments into fluent…