“I used to play every night. It didn’t matter how much money I was making, I just had to play every night. When we’d get through playing at night, it was daybreak: 6:00. Then we’d […]
Category: very occasional quote of the day
VOQOTD: Dave Liebman on rhythm
Eighth notes are the main denomination of jazz time, much like the penny is to the American dollar. Although one may not play only eighth notes, they still serve as the underpinning of […]
Very occasional quote of the day: Monk on rehearsing
“What do you want to do, learn how to cheat?”— Thelonious Monk That’s from Russ Musto’s 2006 interview with Ben Riley on Allaboutjazz.com— highly worth reading. Riley had just been asked to join the band […]
VOQOTD: Bruce Lee
“Before I learned the art, a punch was just a punch, and a kick, just a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick, no longer a kick. […]
VOQOTD: George Marsh on playing odd meters
“[Y]ou don’t have to play the first beat of an odd meter loudly. You have to know where it is, and the musical phrases should flow through the downbeat. Usually that takes playing the downbeat […]
VOQOTD: Hit it loud.
“Hit it! Don’t be afraid to hit it— loud, you dig? Hit it loud.” -Thelonious Monk <iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/SkSbbiQeGpU” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe>
VOQOTD: Keltner on Ringo
Ringo, Keltner, Levon Helm I will always be there to support him. He’s more than a dear friend. He’s like an idol. He’s everything to me. I still think of him musically every time I […]
VOQOTD: on learning jazz
Following Andrew Hare’s Why learn jazz? post: “[I]t seems to me that playing jazz gives a drummer more sensitivity for the drumset and much more of a rounded concept. It’s hard to explain that without […]
VOQOTD: Mel Lewis
“…you should start with a crash and end with a crash. I see drummers ending with a crash cymbal, but then choking it. When you hit that big chord at the end, let it ring. […]
VOQOTD: listening
Because it bears repeating: Through listening alone you can find ALL the answers. – Jamey Aebersold