VOL. 7 NO. 1 Cover Photo by William Coupon FEATURES PETER ERSKINE Over the past dozen years, Peter Erskine has continued to live up to the promise he showed back when he was the youngest person ever accepted at a Stan Kenton summer band camp. Here, Peter discusses how each phase in his career—including his recent departure from Weather Re- port to join Steps, and his first solo album—have brought him closer to being the kind of musician he wants to be. by Rick Mattingly 8 CHESTER THOMPSON Playing with Frank Zappa requires a special kind of drummer; playing with Weather Report takes a different type; playing for Genesis has yet another set of require- Photo by Joost Leijen ments. That Chester Thompson has been able to handle Photo by Paul Natkin/Photo Reserve all three situations says a lot about his versatility and abil- ity, which he comments on in this MD exclusive. by Stanley Hall 14 MD FORUM: Audio Engineers—on Miking & Recording Drums: Part II by Mark Z. Stevens 18 JIM GORDON One of the true legends of rock drumming, Jim Gor- don began his studio career playing extra percussion parts beside such master drummers as Hal Blaine and Earl Palmer, and he began his touring career with the Everly Brothers. Gordon talks about how he went on to play and record with some of the biggest names in rock, while giving insights into the professional and personal aspects of his life. by Scott Fish 22 INSIDE THE WORLD OF DRUM CORPS by Jay A. Wanamaker 26 Photo by Eric Keltner STRICTLY TECHNIQUE JUST DRUMS 114 COLUMNS Super Slow Practice by Jim Watson 70 PROFILES EDUCATION DRUM SOLOIST PORTRAITS Chuck Flores: "Es Tiempo" Dennis Elliot UNDERSTANDING RHYTHM by Skip Shaffer 86 by Robyn Flans 38 The Quarter-Note Triplet by Nick Forte 32 DRIVER'S SEAT UP AND COMING Big Band Fills: A Two- Vic Mastrianni CONCEPTS Handed Approach by Robyn Flans 72 Do Self-Taught Drummers by Stanley Ellis 96 Play Better? SHOW AND STUDIO by Roy Burns NEWS 56 Notes On The Making of ROCK 'N' JAZZ CLINIC Moving Pictures: Part II UPDATE Hi-Hat Technique in Different by Neil Peart 102 by Robyn Flans 110 Styles INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS. 112 by Sal Sofia 58 CLUB SCENE EQUIPMENT Establishing Tempo PRODUCT CLOSE-UP DEPARTMENTS by Rick Van Horn 62 Accessories EDITOR'S OVERVIEW 2 JAZZ DRUMMERS by Bob Saydlowski, Jr, 36 WORKSHOP READER'S PLATFORM 4 Studies in Style: Part II SHOP TALK IT'S QUESTIONABLE 6 Tony Williams Tips on Cleaning Cymbals DRUM MARKET 106 by Howard I. Joines by Chris King 84 ASK A PRO 108 68 STAFF: EDITOR/PUBLISHER Ronald Spagnardi FEATURES EDITOR AN Rick Mattingly MANAGING EDITOR ENLIGHTENING Scott Fish ASSOCIATE EDITORS EXPERIENCE Michael Epstein Mark Hurley ART DIRECTOR It all happened rather unexpectedly on a hot, humid Saturday evening in David Creamer August as I drove home from a friend's house. Off in the distance, rising ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Kevin W. Kearns from above the walls of a nearby stadium, came the rhythmic cadence of ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR muffled drums. I lowered the car radio to get a better listen to the captivat- Isabel Spagnardi ing rhythms which grew louder as I drove closer. Though it was late—and ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER hot—I was unable to resist. I parked the car, walked five blocks to the sta- Ann Thompson dium, purchased a ticket and soon found myself among 4000 people madly DEALER SERVICE MANAGER cheering 100 musicians in multi-colored uniforms on the field below. Ellen Urry For a second, there were fleeting memories of high school band—but CIRCULATION only for a second. It was obvious this was no high school marching band, Leo L. Spagnardi but rather, one of seven competing drum corps in a Senior Drum & Bugle Robin De Paul Janet Gola Corps competition, and like a great film spectacular, I was being pulled in SALES PROMOTION MANAGER by the excitement and grandeur of it all. Evelyn Urry I watched as a line of buglers, hitting notes reminiscent of Maynard Ferguson, moved in varied formations among flag twirlers and color guard. Meantime, five middle-aged gentlemen, clad in short-sleeved shirts MD ADVISORY BOARD and ties, and toting clapboards and pencils, weaved their way in and Henry Adler, Carmine Appice, Horacee Arnold, Louie Bellson, Bill Bruford, Roy around all the activity, presumably notating imperfections in what cer- Burns, Jim Chapin, Billy Cobham, Les De tainly appeared to be an absolutely perfect performance. At one point, the Merle, Len DiMuzio, Charlie Donnelly, Saul entire drum line marched directly towards the reviewing stand. The snare Goodman, Danny Gottlieb, Sonny Igoe, drums, timp-toms, marching mallet keyboards and timpani formed an arc Jaimoe Johanson, Jim Keltner, Don Lamond, across the 50-yard line. What followed was a dazzling display of precision Mel Lewis, Peter Magadini, George Marsh, snare drum execution, complex timpani and bass drum lines, coupled with Butch Miles, Joe Morello, Neil Peart, Charlie the melodic interplay of mallet percussion. It was an audio/visual treat the Perry, Charli Persip, Joe Pollard, Arthur Press, likes of which I'd never seen. This was my unofficial initiation into the Paul Price, Paul Real, Paul T. Riddle, Ed world of drum corps. Prior to that evening, it had been an area of drum- Shaughnessy, Max Weinberg, Lenny White. ming I'd heard about, but never paid much attention to. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS What makes drum corps such an absorbing activity for musicians and Susan Alexander, Rich Baccaro, Robert non-musicians alike? For one thing, the music itself: the intensity of the Carr, Jim Dearing, Clint Dodd, Robyn Flans, bugles, the stirring arrangements, the drummers who execute with a techni- Stanley Hall, Dave Levine, Michael Rozek, cal proficiency that would make even Rich and Morello smile. It's also the Robin Tolleson, T. Bruce Wittet. people who follow drum corps; a growing number with an enthusiasm that rivals any New York Mets fan I've ever known. One is also in awe of the sheer dedication of the participants. Make no mistake, these are very seri- ous young people who devote many hours to perfecting their performances for competition. A year ago, I commissioned Jay Wanamaker, one of drum corps' most prolific exponents, to write an article on this special brand of percussion. Despite the fact that the majority of MD readers are set players, I felt a strong need to supply a sense of perspective regarding drum corps. The results of Jay's efforts are here in, Inside The World Of Drum Corps. Interestingly, since the completion of the article, I've spoken with nu- merous, well-known jazz, rock and big band drummers, who likewise, have confessed a secret passion for drum corps. Several of these same peo- ple have also impresed upon me the fact that some of this country's leading rock and jazz drummers have roots in drum corps—Billy Cobham and Steve Gadd among them. To any of those who may disagree with the concept of a drum corps ar- ticle in MD, think of it if you will, as the planting of a seed. Read and learn, and then see if perhaps on some hot August evening, you don't find yourself following the sound of the muffled drums rising above the walls of some stadium. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you'll find. I know I was. ROCK HISTORY ISBN number for the book, a Library of deal with coordination against the jazz ride I'm writing in regards to The History of Congress catalog card number (only if beat. The book wasn't written for that pur- Rock Drumming in the Aug./Sept. issue your book is at least 100 pages), submitting pose. It's a basic introduction to the six by Scott Fish. There is some misinforma- for a listing in Books In Print, etc. forms of coordination a drummer must tion and lack of facts regarding the New I found Mr. Brenner's article to be of develop: jazz, Latin, rock, double-bass York scene in the '60s. The records you excellent quality, which I can't say for all drum, reading two lines at one time and named in your article included quite a few of the advice to authors that I read in mag- polyrhythms. It's as simple as that. It is not on which I was the drummer, including azines, and want to congratulate him on a a study in jazz coordination a la Jim Cha- "Spanish Harlem," "Up On The Roof," job well done. pin. It's written as an introduction for "Save The Last Dance For Me," plus A.M.M. drummers into the Jim Chapin study. many, many more. I can recall working Atlanta, GA Keep up the great work you've started with writers like Carol King and Gerry with MD. It's a classic and will be very Goffin, Cynthia Weill and Barry Mann, JOE MORELLO important to all drummers for many years Neil Sedaka, Bacharach and David, and to come. I've been trying to learn Joe Morello's Sam Ulano Van McCoy among others. There were a finger system. I was with Louie Bellson New York, NY lot of good rock drummers on the East and Tommy Thomas two weeks ago and Coast. I feel this article not only slighted Louie explained the system to me, but I'd KEITH MOON me, but the entire East Coast recording like to know how I can get in touch with I thought it would be interesting to cor- scene in the '60s.