I’d originally planned to post this tune earlier — it’s part of the set that Sticks did with the Gordon Goodwin/CSUN workshop earlier this month, but I forgot about it. Then tonight I received an email from my mother, letting me know that my stepfather’s mother passed away this morning. She was a wonderful lady, married over 60 years to the same man, full of zing and life and vigor. She was Texas through-and-through, and good people. (No one will ever make peach and cherry cobbler the way she did, either.) She was one of those people that was just happy and down-to-earth and a life-lover.

So, in honor of her, and without sadness (because she wouldn’t like that one bit), here’s a tune to send her off to Heaven….where she will be free of all of the suffering she endured at the end. She’s had a great life; we’re the poorer for her passing.

Edna, rest in peace while Sticks plays you up the 7 Steps to Heaven.

Being the mom of an up and coming jazz drummer means that I get to learn a lot about some of the greats, but in the case of Max Roach I already knew. I’d grown up surrounded by jazz — it was my father’s passion. Max Roach was one of his all-time favorite drummers, alongside Buddy Rich and I was lucky enough (though I didn’t know it at the time) to see him play in person on more than one occasion. At the time, I didn’t realize the greatness and breadth of his talent, but when Sticks started playing and studying the jazz greats, it slowly dawned.

Sticks’ passion for odd time signatures gave me a much deeper appreciation for Max Roach’s talent. Mr. Roach was a genius god of time and meter, painting landscapes with his sticks, brushes, drums and cymbals that were unparalleled by any other drummer. Ever. Sticks’ ability and passion to play melodies inside of drum solos comes from his year-long passionate affair with the Max Roach/Buddy Rich solos on the classic Buddy Rich versus Max Roach recording. Max Roach set a standard that is unique, unparalleled, and will stand forever for all time.

Rest in peace, Mr. Roach. There’s got to be one heck of a concert happening in heaven today.

Other tributes:

Blogher: Max Roach Dies, and the Jazz Community Mourns (There are some great links in this post to other tributes, too)
Drummr.com: RIP, Max Roach
New York Times: Max Roach, Master of Modern Jazz, Dies at 83
Washington Post: Max Roach Dies at 83

Technorati Tags: Max Roach, obituary, tribute, jazz, drummer, odd time

I recorded this on my Canon S3 (the camera that does everything - audio, video, stills, sliced bread, the whole 9 yards). Sticks is on drumset for this number, recorded at the Saturday Big Band extravaganza.

Some Skunk Funk is the title tune of the last Brecker Brothers album — winner of the 2007 Grammy for best Large Jazz Ensemble.

Technorati Tags: Brecker Brothers, Some Skunk Funk, big band jazz

Doing a week-long workshop with Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. This is the band he would like to be the drummer for someday. Can’t wait for the concert Friday.

Technorati Tags: Gordon Goodwin, Big Phat Band, CSUN

Update: The YouTube video is down, but here’s the MSN link direct to the Foo Fighters playlist .

Without question, one of the best of the best of the whole 24 hours.

Technorati Tags: Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl, LiveEarth, My Hero

If you aren’t familiar with the legendary Spinal Tap, you don’t know that they tend to consume (or incinerate) drummers on a regular basis. I’m pleased to report (and Sticks will be pleased as well) that Gregg Bissonette survived the Live Earth performance quite nicely and was incredibly fun to watch. Boo-hiss to MSN for not allowing embedded video into our blogs, but I did find it on YouTube. (Just in case it gets pulled down, here’s the MSN Link). For maximum enjoyment, please go to 11 (note: stupid story linked there). (Backstory)

Also, don’t miss the Foo Fighters. They and Spinal Tap were the best of the UK sets (although I wanted to brush the hair out of Dave Grohl’s face about 60 times). Madonna did the usual bump and grind thing - she was okay, but a letdown after the Foo Fighters, for sure. John Mayer (NY) and Yusuf (Germany) — formerly Cat Stevens…a long-time fave of mine– round out a really nice online concert video experience.

Surprisingly, the MSN Video feed was very stable throughout the day. I thought they might encounter some glitches during peak traffic times but I had no problems with it at all.

Technorati Tags: LIveEarth, Spinal Tap, Foo Fighters, Yusuf, Gregg Bissonette, go to 11

Since Marie likes long drum solos, I feel better about uploading my latest video brag book entry. The entire piece is quite long — everyone in the band has a chance to solo — so I’ve just uploaded the beginning excerpt which has the guitar and drum solos (the opening solo is just a leadoff — the real solo starts about halfway in). Recording this was frustrating. We pulled the sound in direct from the mixing board, but the guy doing the actual mixing made the mix extraordinarily piano-heavy, so there’s lots of random piano stuff coming through. Still, it’s a kickass drum solo, so I hope you enjoy.

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Technorati Tags: drums, jazz, drum solo, moorpark college, blues

[This has been removed at the request of Benise Music]

Technorati Tags: benise, nights of fire, santabarbara, djembe, salsa, percussion