Drum Beat
June 2005 By Bill Milkowski
Music for the New Millennium
Sacred Sound
On Music for the New Millennium (Sacred Sound), Cindy Blackman comes out hitting hard in the tradition of her role model Tony Williams and barely lets up on her muscular attack throughout the course of this throbbing two-CD set. Maybe being out on tour with...
June 2005 By Bill Milkowski
In it
Mimikalana
An underrated drummer who has been a versatile, creative, reliably swinging sideman to the likes of McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins, Jaco Pastorius and a host of others, Ronnie Burrage steps out as drummer, scat singer and bandleader with In It (RB Music). Accompanied...
June 2005 By Bill Milkowski
Baby Boom
Sketch
Veteran Swiss drummer Daniel Humair (with Martial Solal's trio in the early '60s and Phil Woods and His European Rhythm Machine in the early '70s) leads a group of talented upstarts on Baby Boom (Sketch). With tenor saxophonist Matthieu Donarier, altoist...
June 2005 By Bill Milkowski
Stop-Start
Son of Sounds
A former member of the Count Basie Orchestra and current drumming instructor at the Eastman School of Music, Rich Thompson leads an unconventional pianoless trio of drums, trumpet (Clay Jenkins) and bass (Jeff Campbell) called Trio East on Stop-Start (Sons...
June 2005 By Bill Milkowski
Belle Illusion
Cuneiform Records
Pip Pyle has played with such prog-rock giants as Hatfield and the North, National Health, In Cahoots and Gong. His latest project is Bash!, a vehicle for his jazz-rock compositions. On Belle Illusion (Cuneiform), a live document of a 2003 concert in Paris...
June 2005 By Bill Milkowski
Cloud Plate
Cryptogramophone
On Cloud Plate (Cryptogramophone), drummer Alex Cline plays Zen-like percussionist, making the most dramatic use of silence while summoning up a variety of otherworldly sounds with his experimental ensemble. Along with haunting electronically effected vocals...
November 2004 By Bill Milkowski
Scantet #1
Stunt
Ed Thigpen is one of those jazz artists living abroad who should be more widely recognized in his native country. Since moving to Copenhagen in 1972, the Chicago native and longtime drummer with the Oscar Peterson Trio (1959-1965) has been hailed throughout...
November 2004 By Bill Milkowski
The Best Things Happen
Azica Records
Another superb drummer known for his impeccable brush technique and respected for his tasty, melodic and very disciplined approach to the kit is Jeff Hamilton. A former star sideman in trios led by Monty Alexander, Oscar Peterson and Ray Brown, and the driving...
November 2004 By Bill Milkowski
Wild!!
The versatile studio session drummer Terry Silverlight, a pioneer from fusion's heyday, returns to his fusion roots while also embracing shuffles, funk grooves and bebop on Wild!! (TerrySilverlight.com). Joining him is an all-star cast of New York ringers...
November 2004 By Bill Milkowski
Live and Loaded
RLP
Silverlight's West Coast counterpart may be drummer Rick Latham, whose agenda is clear by the name of his band, the Groove Doctors. Recorded at Hollywood's Baked Potato, Live and Loaded (RLP) is an opportunity for these L.A. session cats to stretch out on...
