Here are CRUISE SHIP DRUMMER! we spend a lot of time with the book Syncopation, and not so much with its more expansive, more serious-seeming companion, Louis Bellson’s Modern Reading Text in 4/4. I use […]
Author: Todd Bishop
Fundraiser time
UPDATE: Bumping this to the top of the blog, scroll down for new posts. You may have noticed I’ve added a Patreon account, for those who prefer to support the site that way. Well, we’ve […]
Heavy Metal triplet groove
This is a 70s type of rock triplet feel groove that doesn’t seem to be used much any more— I don’t know why, it’s easy and fun to play, and must have an easy guitar […]
Dejohnette patterns
UPDATE: Oops, there’s a duplicate pattern in there— I think pattern 9 happens three times. And I got sloppy with my beaming standard. Oh well, it happens when you’re rushing to post stuff. Some […]
Transcription: Jack Dejohnette – Directions
Here’s that Jack Dejohnette transcription I mentioned yesterday— on the intro of Directions, from Miles Davis Live at the Fillmore East – It’s About Time. The 8th note quintuplets I mentioned happen right up front, […]
Quintuplets from normal rhythms
The question of odd tuplets came up in conversation with a student recently, and again when I was working on a Jack Dejohnette transcription, where he was playing some 8th note quintuplets in cut time. […]
The demon-haunted world: jazz snobs
Here’s a desperation special. When I can’t write much, I pull something not-that-great out of the drafts folder, like this: a few snippets of people battering their insecurities into submission by attacking a mythical demon, […]
Tony Williams interview
A nice 1983 interview with Tony Williams in Downbeat magazine, by Paul De Barros. Shared on Twitter by Richard Scheinin of SFJazz. Tony talked a little bit about his time studying with Alan Dawson: What […]
Transcription: Jack Dejohnette – Climax – drum solo
Another drum solo from a Jackie McLean record. Jack Dejohnette early in his career, soloing on a fast tune from McLean’s album Jackknife. The tune is Climax, tempo is about half note = 160. We […]