This Drummer's Album will Inspire You!

When I was accepted to Berklee College of Music way back in 1997, I was both excited and scared at the same time. Excited that I had "made it" into the world's best music school, and scared because I knew that I would be challenged musically beyond anything I had experienced before.

Luckily, my cousin was in his junior year of the institution's Music Production and Engineering program and could provide me with some advice on the Berklee experience. While visiting a local music store, yes they did have those back in the day, he found a CD, handed it to me, and stated "if you want to become a great drummer listen to this.

That CD was Burning for Buddy: A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich.

Now before you click out of my page because you are a metal drummer, a rock drummer, a country drummer, or some form of musician other than a jazz player, I want to share something about Burning for Buddy that may change your mind.

It was the production of Rush drummer Neil Peart. You heard me right, Neil "Freakin' Peart".

As it turns out Peart had taken part in the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert series, where he got the chance to swing with Buddy's original big band, but, according to Peart he couldn't cut the gig and wanted a second chance. So he contacted Rich's daughter, Cathy, and asked her about inviting the world's best drummers to play with the big band in a studio setting. This resulted in a killer line-up of the drumming world's best players, many of which, stepping out of their element to perform Buddy inspired tunes with a big band. This is the final line-up and proof that this album isn't just about jazz drummers.

1. "Dancing Men" by Simon Phillips
2. "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" by Dave Weckl
3. "Love for Sale" by Steve Gadd
4. "Beulah Witch"  by Matt Sorum
5. "Nutville" by Steve Smith
6. "Cotton Tail" by Neil Peart
7. "No Jive" by Manu Katche 
8. "Milestones" by Billy Cobham
9. "The Drum Also Waltzes, Pt. 1" by Max Roach
10. "Machine" by Rod Morgenstein
11. "Straight, No Chaser" by Kenny Aronoff
12. "Slow Funk" by Omar Hakim
13. "Shawnee"by Ed Shaughnessy
14. "Drumorello"  by Joe Morello
15. "The Drum Also Waltzes, Pt. 2" by Max Roach
16. "Lingo" by Bill Bruford
17. "Ya Gotta Try"  by Marvin “Smitty” Smith
18. "Pick Up the Pieces" by Steve Ferrone

Many of these drummers were far from the jazz idiom of music. Kenny Aronoff  was the studio go-to cat for such greats as John Mellencamp and Bob Seger; Marvin "Smitty" Smith was the drummer of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; Steve Ferrone was the drummer for Chaka Kahn and Eric Clapton, and Matt Sorum was the hard hitting drummer for Guns n' Roses during their hugely popular Use Your Illusion I & II releases.

Check out this video where Neil Peart Talks about the quality selection of drummers and material Buddy helped craft for the album. 

This film was part of the "Making of Burning for Buddy" video collection that chronicled the making of the album with live performances of each drummer in the studio with the big band.  And if this album provides the inspiration for you that it did for me, it will be a welcomed addition to your library.  You can get it through Amazon.

Perhaps the greatest part of the video is when Neil Peart Talks about Billy Cobham.  Apparently all the other drummer spent months prepping their songs for the recording, when asked which tune he would perform, Cobham told Peart "whatever is left I will take", causing Neil to joke "OK, I guess Billy takes requests." Even more amazing is that after showing up at the studio and selecting his tune, the legend sight-read Miles Davis' Milestones in one take. 

This is just one of the amazing performances on this album and accompanying video. I encourage all the drummers out there to give this album a good listen.


You can stream this great album through Spotify, and download or buy a physical copy at Amazon. Sorry, it isn't available in the U.S. iTunes store.

And when you wear out Burning for Buddy Volume I, Peart and his band of percussionists gave the drumming community Volume II to check out, which is much more Jazzy. You can get that album only at Amazon.

The Risk Record Labels Take

Steven Knopper of Rolling Stone reported this past week that Lady Gaga will need to undergo hip surgery and will have to cancel the remainder of her Born This Way Ball tour. Gaga and her concert promoter, Live Nation, will have to refund close to $30 million in tickets, and due to doctors orders, most likely, will not see Gaga gross another $161.4 million like her 2012 world tromp.

You can read Knopper's full article here.

If anything, Gaga's tour cancellation proves the huge risk that record companies take on when they sign a new artist to their roster.  There has been a lot of negativity cast on the record companies introduction of the 360 deal, which allows them to take a percentage of the artist's entire revenue stream from record sales to touring, merchandising, and sponsorship income. Truth is, the record executives had to push for this new standard contract because musicians have moved away from selling tangible products such as CDs into offering a service to their fans.

For the record companies, artists, and their management a service based business provides a different set-of risk elements for the brand. The biggest in this instance is the concept of inseparability. Under this theory concert goers expect Lady Gaga and nobody else when they purchase a concert ticket, pay for parking, and buy a beer. And as we are witnessing with the current Gaga situation, once the brand must separate the artist from the equation there is no money to be made.

While I will not go on to justify record companies and the 360 deal, I will cut them some slack. Very few business models take on this level of risk and require the hefty investments they are willing to fork over. To get an artist "off the ground"  a record label will invest hundred of millions of dollars in crafting an album, promoting the artist and their music, establishing a brand presence online, in social media, and in the national market, and then fork over more money to establish a tour, merchandise, another album, etc.

That is a huge investment for any company, and while insurance will probably cover the losses for Gaga it often does not, leaving record companies hanging when their product, the artist, gets sick, injured, or goes AWOL.  I encourage all musicians out there to think about this when the time comes to sign that deal. It will help you respect where the label is coming from and provide you with a more educated bargaining position.

Make the most of an hour of practice.

Let's face it. As drummers, we rarely have the ability to practice for hours on end. So when we are afforded the opportunity to hit those skins, we have to make the most of it. Quite honestly, I would rather practice an hour a day for five to six days a week, than three hours every three days, but hey, that's just me.

So if you have an hour of practice time. How do you make the most of it and still enjoy what your doing?

Well, I found the answer lies in breaking apart your practice routine. This is how I roll (get the pun).


Module 1:
1 Hour of Available Practice (20 minute milestones):

First 20: play along to music that is outside your comfort range. I am a fan of using Spotify, MOG, Slacker, or any other Internet based radio station. I choose a channel, say Jazz, and play along.

Second 20: break out the study materials. You can work on your sight reading, Latin rhythms, independence, or anything else that "challenges" your skill set.

Final 20: free play. You should always have some free time in your practice routine. Again, I go to Spotify, MOG, Slacker, or any other Internet based radio station and jam along to the channel, playlist, tracks, or album of my choice.


Module 2:
1 Hour of Available Practice (more in depth study time):


First 15: play along to music that is outside your comfort range. Same rules as module one, but for only 15 minutes.

Middle 30: break out the study materials. Again, same as module one, but you will be devoting more time, about ten minutes, to more in depth rehearsal that challenges your skills.

Final 15: free play. Remember, you should always have some free time in your practice routine. Again I go to Spotify, MOG, Slacker, or any other Internet based radio station and jam along to the station of my choice.

Module 3:
1 Hour of Available Practice (10 minute style challenge):

This practice routine is designed to challenge your ability to play multiple styles. Again I use Spotify, MOG, Slacker, or any other Internet based radio station, and switch the station every ten minutes. For example: country for ten minutes, jazz for ten, rock for ten, pop for ten, funk for ten, and rap for ten. The goal is to move quickly between channels so you can get used to playing in any style "on the fly".

Feel free to use different modules different days of the week, or even make up your own. I find when you break apart your routine, you can accomplish much more in your practice time and really enjoy what you are doing.  So drum on and let me know how this works for you.

P.S. This works for any instrumentalist, by the way.