After playing a set at a gig, sometimes people come up to me and say nice things about my drumming. This can be anyone: the casual listener; a patron of the bar who’s had a few drinks; and/or a fellow musician up on the band stand with me. I’m...
Read moreStudent Recitals
I had the pleasure of being part of the rhythm section that backed up a number of student performers this past weekend at a student recital. For some of these young students, this was their first time in front of an audience other than their...
Read moreHaving Some Fun
I had the pleasure of playing a jazz trio gig last night – piano, upright bass and me (drums). There’s a fun thing that can happen when playing music, and that’s when the players show up and just have some fun! We tried a few new tunes (for us)...
Read moreLearning Tunes – More Thoughts
OK – So, learning tunes is a great idea and all. However, there are plenty of times when I simply do not have the extra time to go through charts for an upcoming gig. There are also times when I don’t see the music until right before the...
Read moreLearning Tunes and Being Prepared
I’m working on learning some tunes today. Over the next few days, I have three very different gigs. I get to play some jazz, some blues & rock, and then play with a 10-piece big band playing just about everything! There are charts for the...
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