MARCH 2021MARCH 2021 DETAILS DETAILS PAGE 45PAGE 45 JOHN “JR” ROBINSONJOHN “JR” ROBINSON THE STUDIO KING STAYS AHEAD OF THE CURVETHE STUDIO KING STAYS AHEAD OF THE CURVE FRANKIE BANALIFRANKIE BANALI REMEMBEREDREMEMBERED REFLECTING ON REFLECTING ON 45+ YEARS 45+ YEARS AT THE TOP OF AT THE TOP OF HARD ROCKHARD ROCK ALEX VAN HALENALEX VAN HALEN NEW ALEX VAN HALEN LEGENDS BOOK!NEW ALEX VAN HALEN LEGENDS BOOK! ELVIN JONES’ 1984 INTERVIEW SCOTT KETTNER • GENE HOGLAN THE BUN E. CARLOS DRUM COLLECTION M O D E R N D R U M M E R M A G A Z I N E • • YEARS Of Excellence 4545 THE WORLD’S #1 DRUMMING RESOURCETHE WORLD’S #1 DRUMMING RESOURCEWe Made Ordering Your Next Custom Snare Drum As Easy As Pi. Introducing 3.14” depth snare drums from the California Custom Shop. Combine with any Pure™ Tone Wood or Hybrid Shell offering to create a piccolo snare that is both articulate and expressive. An all-new Mini MAG Throw-Off™ and dual-receiver Mini Turret Lug complete the formula. The Science behind innovative snare drum design, courtesy of The Drummer’s Choice®. ©2021 Drum Workshop, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3 . 1 4 1 5 9 2 6 5 3 5 8 9 7 9 3 2 3 8 4 6 2 6 4 3 3 8 3 2 7 9 5 0 2 8 8 4 1 9 7 1 6 9 3 9 9 3 7 5 8 6 2 0 8 2 CALI CU ST OM SHOPCONTENTSCONTENTS Volume 45 • Number 3 Cover and contents photos by John Douglas Cover inset photos by Joe Schaeffer and Alex Solca ON THE COVER 16 ALEX VAN HALEN For over forty-five years, Alex Van Halen’s brilliant, forceful, grooving, and melodic drumming has been the driving force behind one of the truly great rock bands that ever existed. by Ilya Stemkovsky 8 SCOTT KETTNER The NYC-based drummer/ percussionist has made the best of the craziness of 2020. by Stephen Bidwell 22 ELVIN JONES The December 1984 Interview by Rick Mattingly 36 IN MEMORIAM: FRANKIE BANALI (November 14, 1951– August 20, 2020) by Billy Amendola 46 JOHN “JR” ROBINSON Always ahead of the curve and deep inside the pocket by Bob GirouardEQUIPMENT 10 PRODUCT CLOSE-UP ASBA Rive Gauche Shell Pack and 6.5x14 Snare Malletech SP2 and SP3 Scholastic Packs Canopus 4x14 Solid Bronze Snare Drum 74 NEW AND NOTABLE 78 COLLECTOR’S CORNER Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault: The Bun E. Carlos Collection DEPARTMENTS 4 AN EDITOR’S OVERVIEW Reset, Reflect, and Revive by Michael Dawson 6 READERS’ PLATFORM Drumming Resolutions 82 ENCORE Vinnie Colaiuta on Bromberg Plays Hendrix and More 84 CRITIQUE New releases by Oz Noy and more 86 KIT OF THE MONTH Trixon: Reborn! 88 BACK THROUGH THE STACK Tony Williams, January 1978 LESSONS 54 FIRST PERSON Creative Fills by John “JR” Robinson 56 STYLE AND ANALYSIS Gene Hoglan by Aaron Edgar 64 STRICTLY TECHNIQUE Table of Time by Joe Morello 66 CONCEPTS Practice Like a Pro by Billy Ashbaugh 70 FROM THE PAST The Legendary Chick Webb by Steve Maxwell and Robert HillaryModern Drummer March 2021 4 W elcome to the March 2021 issue of Modern Drummer. Historically, this is the issue that we create and ship to the annual Winter NAMM Show. Like pretty much every live event planned for 2020 and beyond, however, the in-person 2021 NAMM Show was canceled due to health concerns over COVID-19. I’m bummed to not meet up with all my industry friends and colleagues for our once- a-year hang in Anaheim, and I’m very disappointed to miss out on getting the advanced scoop on all the cool new gear that’s going to be released this year. But I’m taking this time to do a little professional and personal reset. It’s easy to get spun up in the hustle and bustle of daily work life, especially when it involves producing so much content for Modern Drummer: a monthly magazine, weekly podcasts, and many other new publications. It’s much more difficult for me to hit the pause button—even if just for a few minutes—to reassess how things are going, including how I’m treating myself (mentally and physically) and how well I’m doing as an editor, educator, drummer, and overall human. There’s always room for improvement, and this year’s NAMM Show sabbatical has reminded me to take a second to reflect. I’m most grateful for my health and the health of my friends and family, and I’m thankful that all of you, the devoted Modern Drummer readers, have stuck with us through all the craziness that 2020 has brought to our lives. In this issue, we have an exclusive interview with Alex Van Halen, which was conducted just before his brother Eddie’s tragic passing. We also catch up with legendary session drummer, songwriter, and producer John “JR” Robinson to pick his brain on staying relevant and active as the music industry continues to morph and evolve. My colleague Billy Amendola put together a beautiful tribute to hard-rock legend Frankie Banali, who was the bedrock of heavy metal band Quiet Riot and one of the greatest and top session drummers of the genre. We’ve also begun mining our archives to share some classic content from the magazine’s early years. This month, we have Joe Morello’s first Strictly Technique article, which ran in the June 1986 issue. And we have legendary post-bop drummer Elvin Jones’s first feature story, which ran in the December 1982 issue. We hope you have as much fun reading the new and classic stories in this month’s edition as we did when we were putting it together. Enjoy the issue! Mike Dawson Managing Editor CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Patrick Berkery, Stephen Bidwell, Keith Carne, David Ciauro, John Colpitts, Bob Girouard, Mike Haid, John Martinez, Ben Meyer, Ken Micallef, Jeff Potter, Will Romano, Ilya Stemkovsky, Lauren Vogel Weiss, Paul Wells. MODERN DRUMMER magazine (ISSN 0194-4533) is published monthly by MODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc., 315 Ridgedale Ave #478 East Hanover, NJ 07936. PERIODICALS MAIL POSTAGE paid at Fairfield, NJ 07004 and at additional mailing offices. Copyright 2021 by MODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING/ ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: MODERN DRUMMER Publications , 315 Ridgedale Ave #478 East Hanover, NJ 07936. Tel: 973-239-4140. Email: info@moderndrummer.com. MODERN DRUMMER welcomes manuscripts and photos but cannot assume responsibility for them. SUBSCRIPTION CORRESPONDENCE: Modern Drummer, 315 Ridgedale Ave #478 East Hanover, NJ 07936. Change of address: Allow at least six weeks for a change. Please provide both old and new address. Call 973-239-4140 Phone hours, 9–5 EST Monday–Friday, or visit www.moderndrummer.com. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Modern Drummer, 315 Ridgedale Ave #478 East Hanover, NJ 07936. Canadian Publications Mail Agreement No. 41480017 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: PO Box 875, Stn A, Windsor ON N9A 6P2 MEMBER: National Association of Music Merchants, Percussive Arts Society THE MD PRO PANEL/ADVISORY BOARD: Chris Adler, Kenny Aronoff, Eddie Bayers, Gregg Bissonette, Jason Bittner, Bill Bruford, Will Calhoun, Terri Lyne Carrington, Matt Chamberlain, Peter Erskine, Daniel Glass, Benny Greb, Matt Halpern, Horacio Hernandez, Gerald Heyward, Taku Hirano, Susie Ibarra, Jim Keltner, Paul Leim, Peter Magadini, George Marsh, Pat Mastelotto, Allison Miller, Rod Morgenstein, Andy Newmark, Stephen Perkins, Dafnis Prieto, Rich Redmond, Brian Reitzell, Jim Riley, Antonio Sanchez, Gil Sharone, Chad Smith, Steve Smith, Todd Sucherman, Billy Ward, Kenny Washington, Dave Weckl, Paul Wertico Music Key MODERN DRUMMER ONLINE: www.moderndrummer.com PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES Founder Ronald Spagnardi 1943–2003 Co-Founder Isabel Spagnardi Publisher/CEO David Frangioni CFO Carolina Frangioni CMO/CRO Tony Terani CTO Jason Mehler COO Santiago Cortés Managing Director/SVP David Hakim Associate Publisher Tracy A. Kearns Senior Art Director Scott G. Bienstock Managing Editor Michael Dawson Editor at Large Billy Amendola Digital Marketing Manager Ricardo Rodriguez Worldwide Education Dom Famularo Director of Special Projects Nic Kubes Brady Hartman AN EDITOR’S OVERVIEW @ModernDrummer @modern_drummer MODERN DRUMMER SUBSCRIPTIONS: Digital $4.99 Monthly – Get the monthly mag digitally + instant time machine access to 45 yrs of MD issues & articles for just $4.99 per month with no contract. Print Delivered US $4.99 (*per month) International $7.99 (*per month) *billed annually. All-Access Digital + Print Delivered US $7.99 (*per month) International $9.99 (*per month) *billed annually. Subscribe today at moderndrummer.com/subscribe modern_drummer Reset, Reflect, and ReviveRoland V-Drums Acoustic Design VAD503 Electronic Drum Set Gretsch Drums Renown 4-piece Shell Pack – Burnt Orange Sparkle Shell pack and tom mount only. Cymbals, stands, and matching snare not included. Does not include snare stand, kick pedal, and hi-hat stand. (800)222-4700 Sweetwater.com Experience theSweetwater Di erenceToday Best Prices thanks to our huge buying power Massive Gear Selection of nearly 40,000 products from today’s best brands Expert Advice and attention to detail from our highly knowledgeable Sales Engineers Free Technical Support from trained professionals on every product we sell Free 2-year Warranty and factory-trained service technicians to solve any issue Fast, Free Shipping from our centrally located warehouse in Fort Wayne, IN More ways to pay than any other retailer. No other retailer o ers more for drummers than SweetwaterWant your voice heard? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. READERS’ PLATFORM A Note from Steve Jordan Thank you for the wonderful article that Ken [Micallef] wrote on me for the January 2021 issue. I’d like to correct two things. One small thing is that the famous rehearsal hall was called Bill’s Music Rentals, not Phil’s. Another oversight, besides numerous ones on my part, was the omission of the many influences who left a mark on me: Grady Tate, Elbert “Woody” Woodson, Steve Ferrone, who I’ve known since I was a teen, Al Foster, Jack DeJohnette, Mickey Roker, Gaylord Birch, Lenny White, Mike Clark, and Billy Cobham. I could list another 500 drummers! I also enjoy watching Phil Rudd, Zak Starkey, and Jason Bonham. Also, a few tunes that I played on that are more recognizable besides the ones that were mentioned include “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys, “Don’t Get Me Wrong” by The Pretenders, and “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes (which also featured Leo Adamian), to name a few. What are your drumming resolutions for 2021? Develop my feel, deepen my pocket, and continue composing. Andrew Romanowski This year I hope to finally finish writing my first book! Andy Thurston Better timing andredurandofficial To make way more drums and to supply as many artists with drums as possible pauledrums Practice more and play live tiziano_di_falco Deep-diving on Dave Elitch’s course, improving my playing, and (hopefully) playing more live! giovanniedera To fully embrace my musical journey and take it one day at a time! jfoxaladydrummer I want to work on my double-pedaling and get my left foot up to speed! yoga.drummer Make my playing more fluid and my solos both more musical and interesting paulgriffiths962 Develop a blistering single-stroke roll. dm__1830 Modern Drummer March 2021 6 JANUARY 2021JANUARY 2021 JUSTIN TYSONJUSTIN TYSON NEW ALEX VAN HALEN LEGENDS BOOK!NEW ALEX VAN HALEN LEGENDS BOOK! DETAILS DETAILS PAGE 41PAGE 41 HANCOCK, GLASPER,HANCOCK, GLASPER, ESPERANZA, AND BEYONDESPERANZA, AND BEYOND RONNIE VANNUCCI JR. • NICK MASON THE RETURN OF STAN LYNCH • DARU JONES ROLAND’S NEW E-KIT: GAME CHANGER M O D E R N D R UMME R M A G A Z I N E • • YEAR S Of Excellen ce 4545 THE WORLD ’S #1 DRUMMING RESOURCE THE WORLD’S #1 DRUMMING RESOURCE Steve Steve JordanJordan TAKES US ON A TAKES US ON A BEAT ODYSSEYBEAT ODYSSEYNext >