THE WORLD’S #1 DRUM COMMUNITY SINCE 1977 New product reviews from Roland and Los Cabos April 2023 Grammy Winner Violent Femmes’ John Sparrow Learn from: Peter Erskine • Joe Franco • Chris Lesso Bobby Rondinelli • Jonathan Joseph Kansas’ Phil Ehart A Factory Tour of A&F Drums L.A. Drummer Tammy Glover28 PHIL EHART Phil and Mark have a revealing talk about Phil’s drumming background, Kansas, and the new Kansas collection Another Fork in the Road: 50 Years of Kansas. By Mark Gri th 34 JOHN SPARROW Violent Femmes drummer John Sparrow discusses how his background in Polka and Jazz helped him get and keep the gig with the Violent Femmes for the last 18 years. By Mark Gri th 42 TAMMY GLOVER The drummer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and TV executive talks about playing in the band Sparks, and her new musical Wendy, My Darling. By Mark Gri th 48 A&F DRUM COMPANY Je Ryan and A&F Founder Ramy Antoun talk about what makes the A&F Drum Company very special. By Je Ryan 16 TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON Terri Lyne talks about her new Grammy winning record New Standards Vol. 1, and her new book entitled New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers. By Mark Gri thVolume 47 • Number Cover and Contents photo by Bob Campbell LESSONS 54 BASICS Chris Lesso guides us into the Blue Ocean (Great Unknown) of Practice and Pushing the Edges. 56 ROCK AND JAZZ CLINIC Joe Franco takes us down the road of breaking up patterns between the hands and the feet. 58 ROCK PERSPECTIVES Bobby Rondinelli talks to us about playing lls and beats that incorporate playing three consecutive sixteenth notes, from his book The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming. 62 FUNK FUNDAMENTALS Jonathan Joseph walks us through half time shu es from his book Exercises in African American Funk. 68 JAZZ DRUMMERS WORKSHOP Joe Morello’s further expansion of George Lawrence Stone’s The Stone Killer. 72 TEACHERS’ FORUM Modern Drummer founder Ron Spagnardi wrote a fantastic book called Understanding The Language of Music. This month we include his explanation of accidentals and intervals. DEPARTMENTS 4 EDITORS OVERVIEW Allan, Chick, Edward, Je , and Wayne. 6 KIT OF THE MONTH Cassie Birchmeier tells us about her son Drake’s special kit. 8 JAZZ INSIGHTS Peter Erskine talks about being in the moment when there are Baloons in The Sky. 74 COLLECTORS CORNER Donn Bennett details a famous Tommy Aldridge Sonor kit. 76 OUT NOW Modern Drummer details new recordings from Eric Reed, Dhafer Youssef, Christopher Hale, Ralph Alessi, Robby Ameen, Bobo Stenson, Daniel Glass, Omer Klein, and Tim Carman’s new book Haynes-Ism. 78 EYE CANDY Modern Drummer takes a close look at Brian Hitt’s Ludwig Epic Series REO Speedwagon Tour Kit. Presents: ercises in African-American Funk Jonathan Joseph and Steve Rucker esents: EQUIPMENT 10 NEW AND NOTABLE Modern Drummer brings you the hottest and newest gear from PDP and TRX Cymbals. 12 PRODUCT CLOSE UP Reviews of Los Cabos Sticks, the Roland PM 100, and Roland VMH D1 Headphones.Modern Drummer APRIL 2023 4 THE MD PRO PANEL/ADVISORY BOARD:Chris Adler, Carmine Appice, Kenny Arono , Bill Bachman, Eddie Bayers, Gregg Bissonette, Jason Bittner, Bill Bruford, Will Calhoun,Terri Lyne Carrington, Matt Chamberlain, Peter Erskine, Dom Famularo, Daniel Glass, Alex González, Danny Gottlieb, Benny Greb, Matt Halpern, Horacio Hernandez, Gerald Heyward, Taku Hirano, Jonathan Joseph, Jim Keltner, Paul Leim, Peter Magadini, Pat Mastelotto, Rod Morgenstein, Andy Newmark, Carl Palmer, Stephen Perkins, Dafnis Prieto, Rich Redmond, Brian Reitzell, Jim Riley, Bobby Rondinelli, Antonio Sánchez, Cindy Blackman Santana, Chad Smith, Steve Smith, Todd Sucherman, Billy Ward, Kenny Washington, Dave Weckl, Paul Wertico, Dennis Wolfe CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Donn Bennett, Clayton Cameron, Bob Campbell, Peter Erskine, Dom Famularo, Bob Girouard, Mike Haid, Brian Hill, Daru Jones, Nic Kubes, Chris Lesso, Peter Magadini, James Petercsak, Tony Verderosa Music Key MODERN DRUMMER ONLINE: www.moderndrummer.com Founder Ronald Spagnardi 1943–2003 Co-Founder Isabel Spagnardi Publisher/CEO David Frangioni CFO Carolina Frangioni CTO Jason Mehler Senior Art Director Scott Bienstock Content Director Mark Gri th Contributing Editor & Photographer Alex Kluft Digital Marketing Manager Ricardo Rodriguez Worldwide Education Dom Famularo Live Fom My Drum Room Podcast John DeChristopher Photography & Archivist Felipe Laverde Videographer Tyson Francion @ModernDrummer @modern_drummer Subscribe today at moderndrummer.com/subscribe modern_drummer Allan, Chick, Edward, Je , and Wayne O ne of my favorite sayings is “great drumming lives within music” or simply “music contains drumming (and hopefully Drumming Contains Music.)” In the last few years many of my favorite musicians have died. Throughout their careers these musicians have invited some of the nest drummers ever to come and play in their sandbox, and to join them in their musical playgrounds. They have summoned our favorite drummers to frame their music in ways that have in uenced and changed the face of drumming. The way those drummers have interacted with their compositions and solos has changed drumming lives and built careers, but it wouldn’t have happened alone. Music is a team sport. Us drummers need talented composers, and creative soloists with which to interact. But it goes both ways, most great songs and soloists also need excellent drummers to support their grooves, help create plotlines to their stories and solos, and frame their songs. Allan Holdsworth, Chick Corea, Edward Van Halen, Je Beck, and Wayne Shorter did just that, and on behalf of drummers everywhere I want to thank them. They gave drummers a chance to be themselves and participate in creating amazing music, and that music has inspired several generations of drummers to do the same. What more could we ask for? Songs like “City Nights,” “Matrix,” “Jump,” “Beck’s Bolero,” and “Speak No Evil” o ered countless drummers the opportunity to step to the end of the bending branch and take risks. Through listening to those performances and playing those songs, those challenges have helped us all become better drummers and musicians. And they have left us those songs to play and enjoy. However, great drumming doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Sometimes it’s how we paint within the lines that are given to us, or why we choose to bend or break certain boundaries within a performance, and how we choose to frame and compliment what is happening around us. That is what makes drumming (and music) truly wonderful. So to all of the past, present, and future musicians that have called on us drummers to become a part of your musical visions; together we have made it possible for you to write and play anything that you have heard in your minds. In turn, your music has inspired us to become better drummers, musicians, and band members, no matter of genre, style, or approach. We’ll keep playing in the musical playgrounds that you have thankfully left behind, and keep creating new frames for your classic songs. Thank You! Mark Gri th Editor-in-Chief & Director of Content MODERN DRUMMER magazine (ISSN 0194-4533) is published digitally monthly and print bi-monthly by MODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc., 1279 W. Palmetto Park Rd PO Box 276064 Boca Raton, FL 33427. PERIODICALS MAIL POSTAGE paid at Boca Raton, FL 33427 and at additional mailing o ces. Copyright 2023 by MODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING/ ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: MODERN DRUMMER Publications, 1279 W. Palmetto Park Rd PO Box 276064 Boca Raton, FL 33427. Email: info@moderndrummer.com. MODERN DRUMMER welcomes manuscripts and photos but cannot assume responsibility for them. SUBSCRIPTION CORRESPONDENCE: Modern Drummer, 1279 W. Palmetto Park Rd, PO Box 276064, Boca Raton, FL 33427. Change of address: Allow at least six weeks for a change. Please provide both old and new address and send to info@moderndrummer.com POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Modern Drummer, 1279 W. Palmetto Park Rd PO Box 276064 Boca Raton, FL 33427. 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 CEO Sajan Shiva President Rick Catinella Publisher Alex YoungGEWA music USA, Inc. | 8787 Snouffer School Road | Gaithersburg, MD 20879 THE NEW GEWA G9 SERIES NOW AVAILABLE gewadigitaldrums gewadigitaldrums gewadigitaldrums gewadrums.com // STAGE READY. WITH FULL SIZE SHELLS AND NEW COLORS!Modern Drummer April 2023 6 C assie Birchmeier has submitted a cool little kit, and a nice story for Modern Drummer’s April Kit of the Month. She writes, “My son, Drake, has the coolest kit around. He is seven years old, and we bought him a little kit last year for Christmas. He was born with a rare form of dwar sm, and he is so tiny, only weighing 30lbs. The drums were hard for him to play because of his size and strength. But we found an incredible drum teacher recently named Mr. Ray and he went above and beyond creating Drake’s beautiful kit. Drake loves Avengers and ‘Mr. Ray’ found a bunch of old comics and hodge-podged a work of art. He even set it up so that Drake could access everything perfectly. ‘Mr. Ray’ put pedal extenders and an extra pedal for him to use while he and Drake are playing together. We are beyond lucky to have found someone who ‘gets’ what Drake loves and has the talent to make it accessible to him.” Drake’s Avengers kitheritageaudio.com The sound of yesterday..... built for tomorrow. UNLEASH THE FULL POWER OF YOUR AUDIO INTERFACE The perfect solution for self-recording drummers 8 CHANNEL TRANSFORMER COUPLED CLASS A MIC PREAMP WITH PREMIUM 24 BIT 192 kHz ADC MARCELO NOVATI Juanes “I´ve finally found the sound I´ve been after... ...and my drums have never been so easy to capture”Next >