“[D]o all the listening you can, to everyone who is on record, or live. Try to evaluate what really makes them function in the setting they’re in. Try to add it to your arsenal or […]
Category: very occasional quote of the day
Very occasional quote of the day: cymbal selection for bop
Roy Haynes talks about what cymbal used to go with what soloist in the 1940s: “I just liked the sound of a cymbal with the sax. It was cool with a trumpet, too. Back in […]
Very occasional quote of the day: time in perspective
A good few lines about time from Robert Glasper, in an interview with Ethan Iverson: People worry about the metronome, “I’m not gonna move, I’m not gonna move!” because that means you are good. If […]
Very occasional quote of the day: Steve Gadd on reading
“Reading improves just from doing it. It wasn’t easy for me, but thanks to the encouragement of my teacher, John Beck, I stuck with it and it has been very useful. The more you do […]
Very occasional quote of the day: studying Zen
“Do not be too interested in Zen.” —Shunryu Suzuki, Zen scholar, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
Very occasional quote of the day: classical in jazz
“[T]hese days I think there can actually be too much ‘classical’ sounding stuff in jazz. In a master class I heard Paul Bley warn about this. Bley thought it was better for young jazz musicians […]
Very occasional quote of the day: it’s an instrument
“You don’t beat the drums— you play them.” – Kenny Clarke Thanks to Scott K. Fish for the quote— be sure to follow his excellent blog Life Behind The Cymbals.
Very occasional quote of the day: Bozzio studies
I always loved this photo from the original interview. First copy of MD I ever read. Also had Jim Keltner and Ed Blackwell. In his 1981 Modern Drummer interview with Robin Tolleson, Terry Bozzio discusses […]
John Cage’s 10 rules for students and teachers
From Open Culture, an amazing site you should visit, 10 rules for art students and teachers, written by Sister Corita Kent, and popularized by John Cage: RULE ONE: Find a place you trust, and then […]
Very occasional quote of the day: Muhammad Ali
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’”