VOLUME 17, NUMBER 2 Buddy Rich FEATURES Sound Supplement Ed You can talk about Buddy all you Steve want—it don't mean a thing Thigpen unless you hear what the man Smith could do behind the kit. So here "Mr. Taste" has been doing his thing it is—a classic Buddy solo, incor- Steve Smith may be the epitome with giants like Ella Fitzgerald and porating the chops, art, and wit of the "thinking drummer." Yet Oscar Peterson for the better part of that left a million jaws dropped. with all the acclaim and success four decades. In this special inter- Plus a special "lighter side" look he's garnered, Smith's playing view, this master player and educa- at Buddy from his refuses to stand still. Along with tor shares some of the daughter, Cathy. lots of great drumming tips, pearls of wisdom he's here Steve honestly talks about gathered over the years. his ups and downs—and about • by Bill Milkowski 28 32 how the future of his drumming is tied to the past. • by Robyn Flans 22 Drumming In Las Vegas Beyond the glitter and gambling, Las Vegas is a top entertainmenl city—with a good number of opportunities for working drummers. Learn what it takes to succeed in this unique and challenging scene. • by Rick Van Horn 36 MD Sweepstakes Win a set of Meinl Raker Cymbals—and more! 40 COVER PHOTO BY JAY BLAKESBERG COLUMNS Education 72 Tracking How One Player Covers Three Parts BY EMIL RICHARDS 96 Strictly Equipment Technique Para-Triplets Departments BY STANLEY ELLIS 42 Product Close-Up News UFIP Cymbals 4 Editor's 102 Rock Charts BY RICK VAN HORN Mickey Curry: Overview 8 Update David Garibaldi, "Papa" 45 Cannon Michael Spiro, TRANSCRIBED BY Radical Drumkit 6 Readers' Ron Tutt, and JEFF WALD BY BRIAN ALPERT Platform Tom Brechtlein, 111 Jazz plus News 50 New And 12 Ask A Pro Drummers' Notable Workshop 132 Industry Developing The 16 It's Happenings Baiao Pattern 108 Shop Talk Questionable BY MARK FELDMAN When Calfskin Was King: Part 1 BY WOODY THOMPSON 20 Liaison Profiles 128 Rock'N'Jazz Clinic 98 Critique Sideways 4/4: 90 Up & Coming Sherrie Maricle Part 2 BY ROBERT SANTELLI BY DAVID GARIBALDI 136 Drum Market 130 Concepts 142 Drumkit Of Word Painting The Month BY J.W. BRADY EDITOR/PUBLISHER Ronald Spagnardi ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Isabel Spagnardi One More For Buddy MANAGING EDITOR Rick Van Horn FEATURES EDITOR William F. Miller ASSOCIATE EDITOR Adam J. Budofsky EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Justin J. Cordes It's hard to believe, but April of '93 marks six years ART DIRECTOR since the passing of Buddy Rich. Buddy was fea- Scott G. Bienstock tured on three occasions in Modern Drummer, with ART ASSISTANT Lori Spagnardi the first being the most memorable for early MD ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Tracy A. Kearns staffers. ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Bob Berenson Getting our first issue out back in January of '77 ADVERTISING ASSISTANT was quite a challenge, especially since we were Joan C. Stickel without a strong cover story right up until the very last minute. SALES AND MARKETING Crystal W. Van Horn DIRECTOR Shortly before we were ready to go to press, one of our early free- CONSULTANT TO THE Arnold E. Abramson lance writers approached Buddy and requested an interview to be PUBLISHER conducted during a break on a one-nighter in St. Louis. Much to MODERN DRUMMER ADVISORY BOARD: Henry Adler, Kenny our surprise—considering we were virtually unknown at the Aronoff, Louie Bellson, Bill Bruford, Jim Chapin, Alan Dawson, Dennis time—he consented. Needless to say, we were off the ground and DeLucia, Les DeMerle, Len DiMuzio, Charlie Donnelly, Peter Erskine, Vic Firth, Danny Gottlieb, Sonny Igoe, Jim Keltner, Peter Magadini, on our way with Buddy as our first cover story. George Marsh, Joe Morello, Rod Morgenstein, Andy Newmark, Neil Five years later we celebrated our fifth anniversary with a fea- Peart, Charlie Perry, Dave Samuels, John Santos, Ed Shaughnessy, Steve Smith, Ed Thigpen, Dave Weckl. ture called Buddy Revisited. We'd gained considerable publishing experience by this time and were able to present a much more CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Robyn Flans, Simon Goodwin, Rick Mattingly, Ken Micallef, Matt Peiken, Teri Saccone, Robert Santelli. meaningful profile. That interview turned out to be the essence of Buddy at his best: Opinionated, deeply concerned, somewhat MODERN DRUMMER magazine (ISSN 0194-4533) is published monthly by MODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc., 870 Pompton abrasive, extremely witty, and always brutally honest. Avenue, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009. Second-Class Postage paid at Cedar Another six years would pass before Buddy would grace the Grove, NJ 07009 and at additional mailing offices. Copyright 1993 by MODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. cover of MD for the very last time. Sadly, it was our special tribute Reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. upon his death in April of '87. The issue contained Buddy's life EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: MODERN story in words and pictures, and a host of fond remembrances DRUMMER Publications, 870 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove, NJ from those who admired him for so many years. Interestingly, that 07009. Tel.: (201) 239-4140. issue is among one of the three biggest-selling issues in the entire MODERN DRUMMER welcomes manuscripts and photographic mate- sixteen-year history of Modern Drummer—an indication of just rial, however, cannot assume responsibility for them. Such items must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. how revered Buddy was among musicians around the world. Six years later we found ourselves in search of yet another way MUSIC DEALERS: Modern Drummer is available for resale at bulk rates. Direct correspondence to Modern Drummer, Dealer Service, P.O. to pay tribute to Buddy. However, in all honesty, it didn't take us Box 389, Mt. Morris, IL 61054. Tel.: (800) 334-DRUM or (815) 734- long to decide that this time we'd make his incomparable artistry 6013. the focus of this month's Sound Supplement. Special thanks to SUBSCRIPTIONS: $27.95 per year; $49.95, two years. Single copies Cathy Rich and Steve Arnold for allowing us to use this six-minute $3.95. solo excerpt from one of Buddy's live performances of the West SUBSCRIPTION CORRESPONDENCE: Modern Drummer, P.O. Box Side Story medley. His performance here is only one example of a 480, Mt. Morris, IL 61054-0480. Change of address: Allow at least six weeks for a change. Please provide both old and new address. Toll Free career filled with unforgettable performances. Rest assured that Tel.: (800) 551-3786. drummers the world over will continue to listen, to analyze, and to POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Modern Drummer, P.O. Box marvel at the genius of Buddy Rich for years to come. Some things 480, Mt. Morris, IL 61054. in life are simply timeless. Audit Bureau Of Circulations Membership applied for. Trilok Gurtu Tim McGinley Jeff, we are keeping your memory with Three cheers for your November issue. I I wish to commend you for your article on us in our hearts, so you can remain with arrived in Minneapolis one Friday night Tim McGinley, drummer with the us always. Your drumming will live on in last April and noticed that John Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey the many wonderful performances you McLaughlin was appearing at the State Circus [Oct. '92 MD]. When we think of gave us on so many great albums. Theater. Twenty minutes later I was the best drummers in the music busi- Emil Richards there, grooving with the rest of the crowd ness, the most obvious ones are those Los Angeles CA to the outrageous, electric, otherworldly who we see on MTV and whose names rhythms of Trilok Gurtu. He is a master accompany bands and artists on the hit of time. Don't let all that Eastern percus- charts. We tend to overlook some of the sion fool you; Gurtu laid down funk beats tremendous talent in high, but somehow Drum Workshop Revisited that had everyone slapping each other obscure, places. After reading your article on Drum silly with delight. Rick Mattingly's article Tim McGinley is one of those tremen- Workshop in the November '92 issue, I was right on the money, but nothing writ- dously talented performers who has been felt compelled to voice an artist's opinion ten prepares you for the fabulous, huge, overlooked by many music enthusiasts on a company that is dedicated to the sat- on-edge sound of Trilok Gurtu! simply because he doesn't have his own isfaction of the consumer and working Jon Margolis spotlight. Modern Drummer provided musician. Many of my friends who are Rapid City SD exactly the needed illumination. The cre- DW endorsers are proud to be so, not ativity and innovation Tim displays, his just because of the products, but because flexibility and professionalism, and his of the family atmosphere that the artists confidence will be studied and greatly and the company share. The people The Drummers appreciated by many more drummers, behind DW truly care about those who Of Steely Dan thanks to your article and the attention play their drums, and go out of their way Your November '92 feature, "The MD gives to drummers of his caliber and to make everyone feel important. I think Drummers of Steely Dan," was most illu- noteworthiness. Thanks for bringing DW is a prime example of a company that minating. I enjoyed the way the various Tim to our attention. can retain "old-fashioned" ideals while drummers described their experiences John Perlman still competing successfully in today's working with Fagen and Becker.