This is not a drummer DVD per say, but as a musician and a fan of Jazz, A Life in the Jazz Century is a special DVD.  If you don't know Stéphane Grappelli (he's a self taught violinist) you should and this DVD is a great intro to his, and Django Rheinhart's, music and genius.  This took a very long time to make.  One of the best collections of amazing old footage I've seen - of course Grappelli's life and music spanned decades - most of the 20th century.  It is a documentary with interviews and history but has lots of scenes featuring the songs in full.  The whole family got into this one.  It was a little difficult understanding his thick accent in some of the interviews but I think that gave the whole thing more flavor - and it makes you listen very carefully.  If you need a break from monster drumming videos, this might be just the right medicine.

Hmmmmm??   Theres been some interesting discussion about Marco Minneman on the café.  I have not been exposed to him or his music previously but thought Id give it a try so I "NetFlixed" his Extreme Drumming DVD.  Hmmmmm??  He is truly a phenom!  He is definitely (at least in my limited opinion) breaking new ground on the drum set.  I would also say his musical/technical skill set is approaching brilliant.  His speed, control, flavor and use of the set are top notch.  Do I like it?  Hmmmm?? 

The DVD itself is very well produced.  This is not an instructional DVD although there are a few takes on his technique i.e., finger control, music phrasing, interdependence, etc.  This is mostly a demonstration of his awesome chops and his somewhat interesting music – basically, like so many of the drummer DVDs; its a big infomercial for his other stuff.  The sound and camera work are very nicely done – you generally get the views/angles you want.  His kit sounds great.  He seems like a genuinely nice and interesting guy. 

Musically, Im a fan of lots of styles, including complex fusion, some prog-metal, etc so Im not scared of odd time signatures (listening, not playing) and the like.  Most of the tracks were played to a tape and several had a live Bass and Keyboard playing along.  I generally like the songs with real people playing vs computers.  There are a few songs, I think "Kate" was one of them, that I really liked.  His groove on Motor was fun and exciting but reminded me of a Rube Goldberg machine – perhaps this was intentional.  In fact, Id call his drumming style a kind of "Rube Goldberg" style, i.e., if it is possible to do it, throw it in there.  For you folks not familiar with Goldberg.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg.  Like a lot of avant-guard artists, he has just enough musical taste or artistic sense to pull this off without embarrassing himself. 

Do I like it?  Hmmmm, Im still working on that.

I'm an older guy and I play country and classic (old stuff according to my son) Rock.  He's 13 and listens to alternative rock.  Last week he picked up this CD that was released on July 18th. 

I'm still not a big fan of screaming vocals and the sudden endings of a couple of the tunes, but over all I was very impressed with this band and their debut CD.  What especially got my attention was Jon Wilkes on drums.  His licks are tasty, lightning fast and he has outstanding double bass chops. 

Two of the tunes, In Fate's Hands and Face Down are fine examples of new Rock music.  You can hear and see the group at their web site www.redjumpsuit.com

Wow you are right.  Our percussion player just lent me a couple of their CDs: "Local Band Does Ok" and "Anchor Drop".  I like it a lot.  These are not the live jamming tracks but the songs are reall well crafted and compelling.  The playing is near flawless. Lots of cool stuff for drummer Kris Myers to sink his teeth into and he does it brilliantly.  There are a couple of tracks that are just so so but all in all, top notch!

It's About Time

You guys HAVE to get this book, especially if you are serious about your groove.  I cannot tell you how much fun I'm having with it.  I also believe it is helping me tremendously since I am doing better with it's exercises than when I first started it.  It makes for a great warm up or an entire practice session.

The first section gets one used to playing with their 5th limb as Fred Dinkins calls it or voice.  What you basically do is count out loud in different subdivisions (and's/E's and AH's etc.) and play against them.  Child's play right?  'Fraid not and I have been hip to playing and counting one, two, three, 4 part counting along time.  Good refresher for advanced players and a must for novice players. 

Then you get into this lovely three limb ostinato section of grooves where you play just about every possible bass drum pattern underneath several pages of very nice osti patterns which we use all the time.  This has really helped my hat work in particular.  The goal is to line everything up perfectly, read the rests correctly and work on independence.  This isn't "sick" independence but independence that a working drummer can use all the time.  Extremely practical stuff!

Then you get into playing "space".  It's awesomely (is that word?) fun.  You get slow, med. and fast tempos (on cd) per exercise.  Within these three tempos you are advised to play a 1/4, 1/8th, 16th note and triplet groove at the different tempos.  Once you lock into the cowbell intro's you play a couple 2 to 4 bars with the CD and then it drops out.  Your goal is to come back in right on the "money" or bass drum click.  So as well as a timing exercise it gets one counting.  You start out dropping one beat and move on up to 8 measures.

There is a section on "burying" the backbeat. 

There are a couple funky charts to play along with.  With and without drums

There is also section on stick clicking intros (ever start a song off too slow or fast?).

There is a section on playing ahead, behind and on the beat.

There is a section where you play a chart where all the great time players (Ricky Lawson, Harvey Mason, Etc.) play their interpretations of ahead, behind and on the beat.  ALL IN THE SAME CHART!
It's so cool.  Then you get to take a crack at it of course minus the drums.

It's such a great book.  Check out this link and read thru the table of contents.

If you are in the drumstore and look thru it, don't let the lack of ink on the page fool you.  You could insert any of your mega chops, linear grooves, backwards permutations in the exercises.

Plus the CD's are really easy to follow along with the book.

Best book I think I have ever bought.  I am not getting paid for this rave in any way.  I have never seen anything like it. 

His groove and ear for time as well as his dedication to groove is unparalled in my experience.  And honestly he is one of the nicest (tough teacher though) most genuine people I have ever had the honor to take from.  Can't wait till he comes out with his "It's about odd time" book which he told me he's working on.   

Nice to hear that it's really good - I had a feeling it was going to be great when I heard that Sir George Martin produced it. The guy's a genius, and I doubt he did it for money, he's got more money than he can spend anyway.

Cool! Gotta buy it.

Ringo is one of the best players around....He gets thrashed much more than he deserves. I feel that I was very lucky to have seen them play in their early years. He's shaped the style of many drummers over the years, including me. Now if I just had his talent and money....     Over the years the Beatles have remained a favorite of mine. I should get that for my daughter for Christmas. Then I can borrow it.   

Sevendust - Alpha

Sevendust has gone through some major changes and setbacks in the last couple of years (you could also say over their entire career), and this last year was no exception.  They left their label, lost a guitarist to another band, and drummer Morgan Rose has had some real troubles in his life.  He goes into detail on the "special behind the scenes super BEST BUY special edition movie thingie" included on the disc. 

Drumming - This could be Morgan Rose's most powerful drumming yet, and that's saying something.  I don't think it's as inventive as previous efforts, like Animosity and Seasons, but the band has changed a little bit.  The music is a little bit simpler, and the songs aren't as hook laden as they were on Seasons.  The drums sound GREAT on this cd.  It seems that they FINALLY captured a good drum sound, something Sevendust has always struggled with.

Music - Sevendust is mad, and they're going to tell you about it.  The opening track, Deathstar, pulls no punches, opening with singer Lajons throaty growl, and the band in full Mosh pit mode.  They're calling this a "concept" album, but I don't really get the concept...yet. 

My conclusion:  If you are a Sevendust fan, like me, this will be exactly what you've come to expect from them.  It's a loud, raucous cd, with plenty of dueling vocals from Morgan and Lajon.  It's worth picking up, and it'll bother the neighbors.  It's definitely on the heavy side of things, so if you aren't into that, you might want to check out Animosity or Seasons, which are (slightly) less angry.

Nate

http://typeonegative.net/tour.html

The sound was absolutely perfect.  Like a cd or something.
I've never heard them better. 

Basically these guys take an entire concert to do what most bands do in two songs.  It is something to behold!  The first guitar solo (this was played with the band) did not happen until about 35 minutes into the set.  It hit like a freight train too.

The whole concert was just bizarre and just when I didn't think it could get any better it did. 

John Kelly has a green sparkle pearl kit with ahead sticks.  Really huge sized 5 pc. kit.  He ghost notes everything underneath the huge back beats he was kicking.  I learned alot.  He's just so incredible- he didn't miss a note and man can he play SLOW.  Did not play his cowbell or dbl kick pedal until the encores.

Best 22 bucks you will spend to see a rock band this spring.  It's just really really different.  Highly recommended.

Ok, I'll preface this by stating the obvious - this recording is a few years old already (2001) - but it's an inspiring album that no drummer should miss. A recent thread brought up Jack's name and I had to pull this gem out for a listen.

The back story for this London performance is that they decided to scrap the material just for a hoot and just improvise. The result is a beautifully recorded concert of three masters interacting as only musicians that have played together for so long can do. I can't stress how nice this album sounds. We're talking crystal clear - every "chick" of Jack's left foot will snap into your gut with amazing digital quality, and those Sabian signatures just shimmer throughout. Jack is like a waterfall of time, honestly.

There are too many moments on this recording to point out in one review. Despite the lack of form, you can't help but be floored by Jack's time. Listen to him start out the second track, "Inside Out." Meter is irrelevant, it's just grooving. The intro to "Riot" is also amazing - it's an undulating current of time punctuated by some of his little splash cymbals every now and again. The whole album is a highlight, really.

I can't stress how much you'll enjoy this if you dig improvised music and good drumming. Jack sets the bar on this one. If you aren't normally a jazz guy give it a try anyway, the drumming will make it worth your while.