August 2010

Hello Everyone!

I hope that your summer season is going well. I have been busy teaching and performing at the National Guitar Workshop in New Milford Conn for four weeks this summer. Some of our great visiting artists have included bassist Ron Carter and guitarist John Scofield. I am getting ready to teach and perform at a new music seminar being held at the Flat Head Ranch in Big Fork Montana called the Crown Of the Continent Guitar Foundation. This is a first annual event that will feature Pat Metheny, Lee Rintenour, Scott Tenant, Alex DeGrassi, and many other great musicians. You can find out more at www.cocguitarfoundation.org

I have just released my 15th instructional book for Alfred publishers entitled "The Total Funk Drummer". This is an in-depth look at the art of playing funk drums. In this book you will find many examples of funk masters such as Dave Garibaldi, Mike Clark, Clyde Stubblefield, and many others. Topics will also include examples from Motown, James Brown, Boogaloo, New Orleans funk, and Drum 'n Bass.

Recently I have had the pleasure of recording with Nat Phipps and Pete Toigo at the studio of the great producer/engineer/bassist Malcolm Cecil. Malcolm is the engineer on many hit records including "You are the Sunshine of my Life" and "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder. The Nat Phipps Trio recorded nine tracks at Malcolm's studio Tonto for a cd that is scheduled for release in the fall. You can find out more about Malcolm and his studio at www.tontostudio.com


May 2009

I have four new books that have been published by Alfred as part of a series called “The Drum Atlas”. The titles include Cuba, Salsa, Brazil, and Jamaica. These are instructional books that go into each of these regions and explore the folkloric rhythms and cultures of these countries. Each book has a tremendous amount of examples that give the drummer a background for playing these rhythms and applying them in a musical situation with other instrumentalists. In these volumes you will learn basic hand drumming patterns and how to adapt them to the drumset, as well as hybrid beats that have been developed over the years in places like Cuba and Brazil. There are accompanying cds that come with these books, featuring longtime Zappa percussionist Ed Mann. Some of the grooves found in these books are:
Brazil (samba, bossa nova, batucada, Partido alto, baiao, and maracatu)
Cuba (mambo, songo, pilon, Conga, bembe, timba, and danzon)
Salsa (son montuno, Mozambique, cha-cha-cha, merengue, plena, guaguanco, and bomba)

Please click here to see some examples from these books!


Upcoming Workshops and Clinics
I will be teaching some upcoming music workshops and clinics for the National Guitar Workshop this coming July and August. This year they will be held at the campus of SUNY Purchase in Purchase NY. I will be teaching an advanced drumset curriculum beginning the week of July 19 thru July 24. I will be doing a special blues alumni seminar August 2 thru August 7th, and a funk seminar August 9 thru August 14. This will be a great musical experience for all ages and skill levels! For more information, click here.