Posts Tagged Percussion
Archive
March 20, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Mechanical Ballet (March 17, Wgtn)
Mechanical Ballet: Stroma w/ Sarah Watkins & Stephen De Pledge, Directed by Michael Norris Hannah Playhouse Friday March 16/Saturday March 17 The Mechanical Ballet refers to the dance between human musical abilities – both in a playing and composing sense – and the “mechatronics” of pre-programmed devices; machines that strike, thud, bow, pluck and rasp. […]Archive
March 13, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Marching To The Beat Of Their Own Drums: Short Interviews With Ari Hoenig, Anthony Donaldson and Dave Weckl
There are drummer jokes for most musical occasions but almost all of them feature a punchline mocking the drummer’s intelligence. Talk to a good player and they’ll be thoughtful and wise; focussed and passionate. I talked to three great drummers – all set to be the star of the show for a few moments or […]Archive
February 13, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Bashing Out: My Top 10 ‘Drum’ Albums
I was hooked on Modern Drummer magazine as a teen. And I always liked reading the record reviews at the back of the Modern Drummer, they focused on drums and ‘drum’ albums or at least highlighted the drums and drumming on pop and rock records when they reviewed them. They might write-up a pop album because of […]Archive
February 3, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Playlist: Paul on Drums – Big Macca Attack
“Ringo! The best drummer in the world? He’s not even”, so the famous quip goes, “the best drummer in The Beatles”. Attributed to John Lennon, it’s actually a clever piece of satire by the comedian Jasper Carrott. Not only is it the funniest thing he said it has a deadly accuracy – John Lennon might […]Archive
January 19, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Five Songs For Friday: 22 – Giving The Drummer Some…
Drum Solos! – wait, come back! You don’t often hear people crying out for more drum solos, or any drum solos. Even a lot of drummers hate drum solos. But sometimes you see and hear something special. And sometimes the drum solo – or an extended break – is, I dunno, “musical”, and exciting. Well, […]Archive
September 21, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Sweetman Podcast: Episode 82 – Wayne Bell
Welcome to episode 82 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T, Yeastie Boys and Le Petite Chocolat. I was in Auckland for a brief visit so I made the most of potential-podcast time and finally caught up with Wayne Bell. Wayne is a drummer, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. I’ve met Wayne a few times across the […]Archive
September 14, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Drummers You Just Can’t Beat: # 18 – Mike D (Michael Diamond)
I realised, just recently, that I needed to include Mike D (or Michael Diamond) of the Beastie Boys in these files. There might not be many people out there that think of him as one of the world’s greatest drummers – but for me he was formative, crucial; super important. It comes from being the […]Archive
August 8, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
The 1001 Albums Challenge # 3: Tito Puente – “Dance Mania Vol.1”
This challenge could get expensive – here I am now, three for three, that’s three great albums in a row, that I had not previously heard; all three of them I want for my collection. I love Tito Puente and have some albums featuring him, a terrific, 50-track double-disc compilation being my go-to, and I’ve […]Archive
August 9, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
Blue Man Group: Three
Blue Man Group Three Rhino Records Blue Man Group – a theatrical tour-de-force with long-running shows in Las Vegas, New York, Berlin, Chicago, Boston and other cities, as well as occasional “World Tours” (so really there’s quite a few Blue Man Groups, or Blue Men Groups) – is also a recording artist. The Blue Man […]Archive
December 9, 2015 by Simon Sweetman
Fabiano Do Nascimento: Danca Dos Tempos
Fabiano Do Nascimento Danca Dos Tempos Now Again Records Fabiano Do Nascimento has been building a reputation across recent years and that’s set to be cemented with this, his debut international release, a record that pulses and surges with his dextrous guitar work across a range of Afro-Brazilian grooves that cross all manner of world-music […]Archive
August 30, 2015 by Simon Sweetman