MAY 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MUSICIAN Courtesy of Chester Thompson CHESTER THOMPSON A master drummer’s journey from Genesis to revelations By Howard Massey

IN 1977 CHESTER THOMPSON GOT A CALL FROM GENESIS a musical partnership that has lasted for more than three decades. drummer and lead vocalist Phil Collins, asking if he’d like to go on Thompson, whose previous experience included stints with Frank tour with the group. “Phil was very much looking for somebody who Zappa’s Mothers of Invention and jazz fusion supergroup Weather was comfortable playing with another drummer,” Thompson recalls. Report, took part in almost all of Genesis and Collins’ solo tours “He certainly did not want to give up the drum chair.” Thompson from then on. signed on immediately. Following the massive Genesis reunion tour that ended in The good news: This was a golden opportunity to play with 2007, the Maryland native focused on his newfound career as an one of rock’s most successful acts. The bad news: He had to learn instructor at Nashville’s Belmont University. Although he may not all of the group’s complex progressive-rock arrangements … in nine be rocking stadiums these days, the veteran sticksman is spending days. After he arrived in England for tour rehearsals, Thompson found just as much time behind the kit as he ever did. “If you want to be himself frantically transcribing Collins’ drum parts well into the wee a successful teacher, you have to go so deep within yourself,” says hours. “I literally wrote down everything that he played,” Thompson the soft-spoken Thompson. “It forces you to practice more than recalls with a laugh, relaxing at his Nashville home. “I wish I could ever, which is a really good thing.” Our conversation traced his early fi nd that notebook! I’m sure I’ve got it here somewhere, probably development as a player, the benefi ts and drawbacks of being tied sitting at the bottom of some box.” to one of rock’s most popular bands and the ongoing evolution of That crash course in the music of Genesis was the beginning of his philosophy about the craft of drumming.

‘I’m not a purist of any one genre. I just like to play.’

444444 MAY 2010

M mag 3.indd 44 5/14/10 1:24:09 AM MAY 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM

Looking back, what do you feel were the was no turning back. That band was just STORMYSTORMY WEATHERWEATHER major turning points in your career? unbelievable. I toured with them for a year There was the fi rst tour I did, with [organist] and was in the middle of recording the Black Jack McDuff when I was 21. That was a Market album when Alphonso left and they During a break from recording the Black real education as far as playing jazz at that brought Jaco [Pastorius] in to replace him. Market album in late 1975,1975, Weather Report level. After that, I spent some time in Boston There was actually a bit of misunderstanding bass player Alphonso Johnson informed with keyboardist Webster Lewis. He wasn’t at the time; they assumed I was leaving pianist Joe Zawinul and saxophonist WWayneayne especially well known but that was probably with Alphonso because we were so close. Shorter that he was quitting the band. one of the most experimental and creative (See sidebar.) TThehe two assumed that drummer CChesterhester bands I’ve ever been in. His players had TThompson,hompson, a close friend of Johnson’s, such a high level of musicianship, and we’d Did that cause tension? wouldwould be leaving as well, and quickly drafted get really adventurous. We probably had To be honest, the vibe was ruined after that; bass player Jaco Pastorius and drummer a hundred arrangements in our book, but it never really felt right again. That band was Narada Michael Walden to replace them. So we’d start every set by just going on stage like a family to me, so it was unfortunate, and doodling, so you could never repeat any but Jaco and I never really locked together. one set exactly. (laughs) That opened the I had a year of playing with pretty much total door to making my experience with bands freedom and abandon with Alphonso. Jaco’s like Weather Report possible, because we style was so different that it really meant I covered so much ground musically. It really had to go back to playing backbeats, which opened up my head a lot. In September kind of took the fun out of it for me. My of 1973 I landed an audition with Frank main concern in those days was not fame Zappa, and he really liked the way I played or fortune—believe me, nobody was getting so I ended up staying with him for a couple rich off that kind of music—it was, “How much of years. am I learning here?” It’s not that I wasn’t learning anything, it’s just that things weren’t Was Zappa as tough on his musicians the same after Alphonso left. So I ended up as legend has it? doing a lot of freelancing during that period, Not really. He just expected you to do your playing on a lot of fusion records, and the job, and with the band I happened to be a next thing you know I ended up joining the part of, that simply wasn’t an issue because road company of The Wiz, which is where everybody had a really great work ethic. I met my wife. A few months later I got a Actually, it was OK if you couldn’t play your call from Phil Collins wanting to know if I part on any given day if it was something was interested in playing with Genesis—and new. But there was an unspoken rule that that became my day job … for the next 30 you couldn’t not play your part two days years. (laughs) running. And that included Frank. You know, Frank could rarely play his guitar parts when Do you know why Phil offered you he fi rst wrote them. That’s because he was a the gig? true composer: He didn’t just write what he He was familiar with the work I had done could play—he wrote music that challenged with Zappa, and we had similar roots. Phil everybody, including himself. grew up listening to Elvin Jones and Max

Roach, same as I did. He had the added Courtesy of Chester Thompson What would happen if somebody would plus of also growing up in England listening show up that second day and still not to Keith Moon and Ringo Starr, but by and be able to play their part? large his infl uences were very American, it was quite a surprise for everyone involved I have no idea, because nobody ever did so we got on very well musically. The very when Thompson—who hadn’t intended to that! (laughs) I suppose Frank would have fi rst day of rehearsal with Genesis, the two leave with Johnson and in fact had no idea been pretty upset, but I certainly didn’t want of us launched into a jam while everybody his friend had quit the band—returned from to be the one to fi nd out. I will admit that else was still setting up, and it was magic hishis ChristmasChristmas vacation ready to continue I didn’t get a lot of sleep the fi rst month right away. recording. “That’s how Narada ended up on I was in that band, but somehow I got it a track and a half of BlackBlack Market,” Thompson done. Anyway, after two years with Frank, As a jazz drummer, was it challenging explains.explains. “He ended up getting sole credit for my friend [bassist] Alphonso Johnson invited to adapt to the more straight-ahead pop playing on the title song, but in fact there are me to come down and jam with the guys sensibilities of a band like Genesis? two drummers on there.” Thompson can be in Weather Report, the band he had been Well, I don’t call myself a jazz drummer. heard playing on the fi rst half of the tractrack,k, playing in. It turned out they were auditioning I’m not a purist of any one genre. I just like and Walden on the second half. “There’s a drummers, though I had no idea they were to play. Even today, something I’ve never bigbig edit in the middle of the tune where it doing that at the time—I just went down there done before is way more intriguing than goes from a straight eight feel to a swing to jam. It worked out well, because Frank something I’ve done a million times. I’d never feel,”feel,” he says. “It’s not a diffi cult edit to hear: had just cancelled a tour and I was in LA done any British rock, and in those days, TThehe ambience and the reverb changes and not knowing many people but needing to there were very big differences between then you’re actually listening to another take work. Once I joined Weather Report, there the American approach and the recorded on another day altogether.”altogether.”

MAY 2010 45

M mag 3.indd 45 5/14/10 1:24:36 AM MAY 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MUSICIAN

Thompson on stage in Las Vegas with Genesis’ Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins, May 2007 Kevin Winter/Getty Images Winter/Getty Kevin

it, you never really internalize it. It’s important ‘If you totally rely on reading that drummers be able to read—and read well—but it’s that right brain/left brain parts, you stifl e the creative side.’ thing. You’ve got to fi nd that middle ground and if you totally rely on reading parts, you stifl e the creative side. The magic of, say, playing a big-band gig is being able British approach. When drum Do you feel that your long stint with to engage both parts of the brain at the same machines came along later, I think Genesis and Phil Collins hindered your time, because you’ve got to look at the notes they made things much more homogenized. playing, too? but you’ve also got to know how to set So I found it really challenging because No, not at all. In fact, it was just the opposite. them up. Still, after you’ve been in a band of what I couldn’t play. It certainly wasn’t Whenever I’d get back from a tour I’d get for a while, more than likely you’re not doing what I was used to, and there were into my studio and play for days on end a lot of reading. When I was doing some subtleties that I had to become until I got things back to where I wanted The Wiz for months at a time, I found it aware of, which made it quite a them to be. I would imagine an actor has to was much more fun once I memorized learning experience. do something similar to decompress after the book. playing a role. Playing the Genesis and Phil Looking back on your career, is Collins arrangements became a part of what What are the common drumming there anything you would have I do but they certainly weren’t totally what mistakes you see your students done differently? I do. making? Absolutely. For one thing, I would have The biggest mistake most young players not spent all that time with Genesis Do you prefer working from make, period, is not knowing how to listen. and Phil, because I think that not doing written charts? When they play, they’re thinking, “It’s any other recording for all those years The feel is always the most important thing, just about me; I want to be hip, I want really injured my career. Much as I but back in those prog-rock days there to be known, I want to be recognized.” But loved playing with those guys, and as were so many time changes, it was really the important thing is to listen and to much fun as it was, my reputation as a impossible to memorize very quickly. It’s be able to respond to all that’s going player kind of went down the tubes interesting, because these days I teach on around you. If you have any kind of because I was not doing session work drumming and all of my exercises are written agenda—if you’re trying to prove something, with other artists. And when they don’t out—but once my students have played an if you’re thinking, “I want to get this lick see your name on recordings, they exercise through a few times, I don’t let them in”—the moment you go there, you’re no stop calling. look at it any more. I feel like if you only read longer listening.

464646 MAY 2010

M mag 3.indd 46 5/14/10 1:24:58 AM