i first saw adam nussbaum at an outdoor jazz festival when i started drumming, and i really liked his playing. i'm happy to say that's still the case [and now i can actually understand most of it, which is even better]

to start, i really gotta plug the dc clinics again. these things usually last 3 hours, and for no more than 15 bux. that's what i call real value. go to an event if you ever get the opp.

anyhow, mr. nussbaum brought two great players with him; one guitarist named vic jurvis, and another bassist named...named. argh. i can't remember.
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jay anderson. that's it.


nussbaum said from jump that he wasn't interested in discussing [or playing] technique or licks, just music. so they launched right into a little blues-jazz, jazz-blues romp, with some tricky changes in the middle. he quizzed us on songform and time sigs after the fact. i gotta admit, i couldn't spot the change from 5/4 to 6/8. it was slick.

he spoke at length about how as drummers the first thing we have to do in a musical setting is get people to trust us, and make all the other players feel comfortable. he said we have all the information we need if we open our ears to hear it, and we should only be focused on playing music, not drums. i think he felt it necessary to press this point, b/c most of the people in the room were half my age, and he feels younger players tend to get too caught up in licks.

he then launched into a few stories about his experiences coming up as a drummer, and how much he learned playing with better players, and by recording himself a lot. he said he used to have a habit of playing swing stuff [namely fills] a certain way, and after listening to himself a lot, he realized how wrong it sounded. so he consciously worked to not do what he was doing.

he moved onto a fairly lengthy discussion on brushwork, which was my favorite part of the clinic. he gave us a handout, then went on to demonstrate how he likes to articulate the time with circular brushstroke movements using two hands on the head, rather than crossovers or 'taps.' he demonstrated this, and it really sounded great. very fluid, and as he stated, the circular movements served as the sustain we'd normally hear with the ride cymbal. he had a really nice, aggressive brushstroke that gave everything a lot of body, and a sort of sloshy approach that made things feel more laid back.

they jammed on another tune; this one had a very freeform head; no time, no barline, then it launched into a straight-ahead jazz thing. i believe it was called 'romulin,' after the star trek people. he talked some more after that; again, anecdotal stuff about his experiences as a jazz player, and how he got the scofield and chuck mangione gigs [that one was great -- basically, he played brushes on a newspaper at a late-nite hang at 55 bar here. chuck heard him and hired him on the spot].

another thing i liked, and now feel less freakish about, because it's what i do, too: he said he sees music as colors, shapes and waves. when i said that, people told me i was whack. nussbaum says it, and now it's legit. go figure.

he is a very funny guy; quite down to earth. he has [to my ears] a schenectady, ny accent, and he does a funny robot-voice to represent nerd drummers who are too analytical. he said he doesn't really stress too much over moeller or freestroke or whatever; just cares about what everything comes out sounding like at the end of the day. he didn't dismiss technique, just said it's not the be-all.

overall, it was a great and enjoyable time. i won a tee shirt for correctly guessing that percy heath was tootie heath's bro. another cool thing was we had a side chat about lessons, and he said he'd be happy to work with me as his schedule permits. i hope it comes to that.

i believe he has a newish cd out with steve swallow and i forget who else. probably something worth picking up.

again, just another musical experience to keep me inspired and aware.

Smoggy,I think you found a new teacher!

Thanks for the details smog. Good reporting!