April 1978 - Modern Drummer - Carmine Appice

• MODERN DRUMMER
• A Contemporary Publication Exclusively for Drummers
• IN THIS ISSUE
• CARMINE APPICE
• MEL LEWIS
• JACK DEJOHNETTE
• REGGAE RHYTHMS
• DRUMSTICK MAKING
• UDWIG
• THE ELECTRONIC DEVOLUTION
• ORGAN AND DRUMS. MAKING IT. WORK

• Subscribe to Modern Drummer
• Gear Reviews
• Exclusive Interviews
• VIP Access
• Backstage Meet & Greet Entry
• Subscribe

New Members Special: Get 2 Months Free w/ Annual Plan

Long Island's First and Only Percus- sion Shop announces special percus- sionist mail order service.

1. We ship anywhere at discounts of up to 40%.

2. We'll ship anything from sticks, to drum re-covering, to sets of drums or timps.

3. Upon arrival of your order, we'll call you with total of your pur- chase.

4. You send M.O., and if possible, we'll ship the same day!

Call or Write:

L.I.D.C.

2204 Jerusalem Ave. N. Merrick, NY 516-781-0777

MOVING TO A NEW ADDRESS?

Attach your present mailing label here, and write in your new address below. Allow four weeks for processing.

• New address:
• Name
• Address
• City
• State
• Zip

If label is unavailable, please write in your old address also. Please address all subscription orders and inquiries to Modern Drummer Magazine, 47 Harrison St., Nutley, NJ. 07110.

APRIL 1978

ON THE PEARL BEAT

Pearl Drums and all that jazz It takes the finest drummers to play jazz-artisans like Art Blakey, Candy Finch and Shelly Manne. They're the ones who put those distinctive beats in the music of Dizzy Gillespie. Thelonius Monk, Woody Herman, The Messengers.

• Candy Finch
• Bel
• Pearl
• DRUMS distributed by Norlin Music, Inc.
• For additional information, write:
• Advertising Dept. MD-2

7373 N. Cicero Ave., Lincolnwood, Illinois 60646

Jimmy Smith and the like. And likewise, it takes a free form, versatile and sensitive drum with a damn good sound to live up to all that jazz. So, these artists drum it up with Pearl.

• Shelly Manne
• Penel
• Art Blakey

Everybody wants a piece of Appice.

If you're good, you get noticed. If you're Carmine Appice, you get offers. Offers to play with everybody everywhere on earth. Appice is one of the all-time heavies and has been a driving force with Vanilla Fudge; Cactus; KGB/Mike Bloomfield; Beck, Bogert & Appice; and is currently with The Rod Stewart Band. If you're striving for his kind of talent and his kind of recognition, do it on his kind of drum. Ludwig.

LUDWIG

• OSC1 asc 2
• TUNE
• NOSE
• OFF
• SLO
• VER

Star makes percussion synthesizers that are amaz- ing for there performance and price impressive instru- ments with a sound they'll re- member

SYNARE 3 is our new- est percussion synthesizer. It looks like a drum; responds like a drum; and can sound like most anything. It's a syn- thesizer and its sound is sure to excite.

SYNARE 2 is our larg- est synthesizer. It's a melodic percussion synthesizer with a memory. Play its' tuned pads and Synare 2 will remember the notes and rhythm and play them back at your command -think of it as having a third arm.

SYNARE 1 was the first percussion synthesizer. This single instrument can synthe- size the entire spectrum of percussive sound - from drums to chimes and beyond.

Experience the magical sounds of electronic percus- sion for the price of an or dinary drum. Available at our many fine dealers. Write Star Instruments, Inc., Box 71, Stafford Springs, CT 06076.

To a professional, purity and excellence of sound are absolute necessities. There is no middle ground. That's why, for almost 100 years, the finest percussionists through- out the world have insisted on Gretsch Drums.

The plateau of excellence achieved by Gretsch Drums is no accident. Outstanding tonal capability is made possible by the superior workmanship of Gretsch craftsmen, using only the finest materials available. Six ply laminated wood shells, die-cast fully flanged hoops, self-aligning tension- ing are only a few of the reasons the best drummers choose Gretsch.

Lenny White

THAT GREAT GRETSCH SOUND

Mel Lewis

But the main reason, of course, is that Great Gretsch Sound-consistent, sparkling, pure sound that only the Gretsch reputation can deliver, time after time. And that's the bottom line for the pros.

GREISCH

1801 Gilbert Ave./Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Charlie Watts, Rolling Stones

Whether you're on the stage or on the field, Gretsch has the right drum to fit your exacting needs. See your nearest Gretsch dealer or write for our free catalog showing the complete Great Gretsch lineup of the world's finest drums.

• Freddie Waits
• No. 4031
• Concert Rock Drum Outfit
• APRIL 1978

APPICE:

As I prepared myself for an interview with Carmine Appice, it seemed hard to believe that it had been ten years since his first appearance on record with Vanilla Fudge. Even then he was a drummer to be reckoned with. His influence on drummers in the 60's was considerable. Since the Vanilla Fudge, Carmine has anchored Cactus, Beck/Bogart and Appice, and KGB. Now he is the driving force behind Rod Stewart. We met at a Ludwig Drum Clinic presented by the Long Island Drum Shop in North Merrick, New York. The clinic was held around the corner at a firehouse and it was like old home week for Long Islander Carmine, as he was besieged by well-wishers, former students and autograph seekers. Three other musicians had been called to form a pick-up band, and after Carmine was introduced, the band kicked off with a jazz-rock jam. Appice was in rare form. He breezed through the jam in 4/4, and then through a demonstration in 7/8, 9/8 and 6/8. His use of Polyrhythms, dynamics and space were as good as any of the more popular drummers known for their jazz-rock drumming. After the clinic, Carmine invited me to his parents home in Brooklyn to do the interview. My first question was in regard to his practice routine. "I try to teach about six hours a week. That's the only way I get to practice. I'm so busy that it's hard to just sit down and practice. I force myself by teaching. I used to practice about an hour and a half a day with books, and at least two hours just playing with people. Whenever I'm home, I call my students up and say, 'Okay, if you want to come, I can put you in here or there! and we get it together. They understand that I travel and they take it for what it is." Carmine uses a unique right hand grip, holding the stick between his index and middle fingers rather than the thumb and index finger. "I hold it that way primarily to twirl the stick. That's the way it came about. It also helps when your hand sweats. It's a better grip between those two fingers, where there's a lot of pressure. This way the stick can't run away. When I'm playing loud, I use this grip about 75%

LEADIN' THE WAY by SCOTT KEVIN FISH of the time because, I'm always twirling." Carmine named

Buddy

Rich, Joe Morello, Philly Jo Jones, Louie Bellson, Bernard Purdie, Billy Cobham and Lenny White as influences. He claimed to have known every lick off of Max Roach's records at one time, and by coincidence, he had plans to see the Max Roach Quintet at Storyville the very evening of this interview. Bearing in mind the ability of Max and others to play great drums without 'flash', why shouldn't a rock drummer remain relatively deadpan on stage without 'tricks'? Is showmanship essential to playing rock drums? "Not only that. The type of music Max plays is a lot lighter than my music. My music is a full force body effort. You've got to put your whole body and soul into it in order to get the power behind it. Year's ago, I used to sit there just like Max, and do all these things and not even blink an eye. Then when I joined Vanilla Fudge, I played louder and I realized I had to put more effort into it." There had been some reservation in Carmine's mind about j o i n i n g the Rod Stewart band, basically because he wanted to play progressive. After Stewart had unsuccessfully auditioned twenty-five drummers, Carmine's wife convinced him to give it a try. "At the first rehearsal they were playing all of Rod's songs with a Chick Corea flavor on drums. It was ridiculous. They were calling me The Dentist,' for fill-ins." In the end, Rod and Carmine came to a mutual understanding. If Carmine would play like he did with Cactus behind Stewart's vocals, he would get his own solo at concerts, thereby not cramping his style or disappointing his own fans. The Rod Stewart band has been getting rave reviews all over the world, and both Stewart and Appice are quick to point out that this is a band and not a group of musicians backing up a lead singer. Everybody in the band gets a chance to shine. "I made the drums polls in England for the first time. Number five. You've got to be in a big group, a steady group, to make the polls. Or be a solo artist. I'm not really a solo artist yet, but I'm not just a band member either. I'm in limbo, and I hope my new solo album takes me out of that limbo. We have a few record labels interested. I've got Max Middleton playing on it. Verdine White, from Earth, Wind

The Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra has been going strong for some thirteen years now, consistant poll winners, and the hit of almost every jazz festival they perform at. All the more reason for my shock when drummer co-leader Mel Lewis informed me that, "there haven't been any profits yet; the profits have all been in the music making — and in the fun and pleasure." Spending the better part of an afternoon at his plush New York City apartment, we listened first to a tape of the 1955 Stan Kenton band, the vehicle which brought the distinctive Mel Lewis brand of drumming to the attention of all who respect and admire him today. Later we listened to a Jones-Lewis Orchestra concert taped live a short time ago in France. In this relaxed and cordial atmosphere, we settled back for an afternoon of conversation where Mel spoke openly about drumming, and about the state of the art to which he's dedicated practically all of his adult life. Later — in transcribing his comments — I realized that some of what Mel said could easily be misinterpreted as egotistical. Not so. To know thyself is a virtue, and Mel Lewis might very well be the most honest person I've ever met. He spoke as an artist dedicated to "pure jazz,"

with the Kenton band, and this is not to MEL LEWIS with its roots firmly imbedded in bop. His style of playing hasn't changed all that much since he first gained recognition slight him. It's just that Mel Lewis has been an excellent drummerfor a long time.

During the fifties and sixties you were one of the most in demand studio drummers in New York. Do you still do much studio work?

What sort of knowledge did a studio drummer have to have in those years? ML:

I do very little studio work now. I guess it's a combination of my own doing, and of the changeover. I've been sort of phased out of the studio's because of style. The average studio drummer today is basically a rock drummer, and most of them don't know how to do a damm thing. I'm not a rock drummer although frankly — I think I play better rock than the whole lot of them. But it's not legitimate what they call the "real rock." I think I play it better and with more feeling. I'm not a pounder and I'm not a cymbal breaker. When I was really heavy into studio work, I'll have to admit the music was pretty damm good and a lot of good writers were involved. I'd perform in a studio daily with anywhere from two guys, to one-hundred piece symphony orchestras. The music was good, and it was challenging. A studio drummer had to know everything. You have to be a good reader, and you had to have good time, or tempo actually, because time to me is really "feeling." When I was doing jingles they didn't use click tracks. I had a secret, a way of playing with a click track where I wouldn't sound metronomic. The secret was not to play with the track, but play around it. Keep it relative but don't keep it exact, otherwise you sound like a metronome. You needed a knowledge of all styles of music. In the course of one day you'd be playing ragtime, or music from the twenties and thirties. You had to know the Goodman style of swing, and early Basie. You had to know how to play a show. You had to know Dixieland, and in my case, I was called upon to play avant-garde and bop which is my main thing. That's where my roots are and that's where my heart is. To me, bop is the most complex music of all. SF:

How did you learn all of those styles of drumming? ML:

Ears. By listening to bands on records and in person, and I never slighted anyone. When I first came to New York in the forties, my evenings weren't all spent at the Royal Roost listening to Max, Kenny Clarke and Shelly Manne. I made sure I heard Sid Catlett, Cozy Cole, George Wettling and Morey Feld. I listened to them all. My father was my first influence. He was a pit drummer, a show drummer, and also a good wedding and bar mitzvah drummer. I knew his style backwards. He could read anything and he had excellent time. Bill Robinson (Mr. Bojangles) was crazy about his feel. He was also a very tasty drummer, and I think I was blessed with his time and taste. My favorite drummers in the thirties were Gene Krupa and Jo Jones. Max made a big impression on me in the forties, and then it was Roy Haynes. I heard Roy talking about things in the forties that Elvin was talking about later. Roy was one of the first "out" drummers. I was lucky enough to be in what was considered a famous Kenton band between 1954-55. Critics and jazz fans alike say that was probably the most swinging band he ever had. That's where I made my name. I was with a slew of commercial dance bands prior to that. I've been playing with big bands since I was thirteen or fourteen years old. SF:

What's your opinion of stuffing drums for recording purposes, and the trend towards making all studio drummers sound alike? ML:

Actually, you hear a drummer playing on his drums, but the sound you hear is the engineers. I'm against all that. No engineer is going to do that to me. You get my sound or forget it, man. I will not take my front head off. I won't stick something in there. Both heads all the

STRAIGHT AHEAD by Scott Kevin Fish time. No muffling on the outside head of the bass drum. Just a thin felt strip and a Gretsch bass drum tone control on the batter head. That's all I still use. SF:

No mufflers on your snare drum?

No mufflers. Tom-toms either. Everything is off, everything open. If I play a rock date where I gotta get that dry sound I throw my wallet or a date book on the drum head. When I used to smoke, I'd throw my pack of cigarettes down there. SF:

Would you do a studio rock date?

Oh sure, I'll do it if they let me do it the way I do it. But, not if they want me to sound like the latest hit record. I don't want to sound like Steve Gadd. To me, he's fine. I think he's one of the best. I've heard his work enough and I know he's probably the busiest studio drummer around, but he doesn't have to do all the things we had to do. He does all the stuff that's done in rock style, most of it. I can't stand that sound. I don't like the sound of Steve's drums at all because it's a rock sound. A dead sound. But, I think Steve does a helluva good job. SF:

I remember reading in the liner notes to a Jones-Lewis composition called Ahunk Ahunk, that you used stuffed drums for that "now sound." ML:

I used the studio bass drum — a stuffed drum — but I didn't take the front head off. I loosened my toms and I didn't take any heads off them either. I put the mufflers on. I used one of my Ludwig & Ludwig snares and I put my wallet on it. That was it. SF:

You're the only drummer I can think of still using calfskin heads. Do you use them on all your drums? ML:

No, just the top of the snare, and the bass drum batter. Plastic on the bottom. I've been doing that for years. I've tried plastic, but with brushes, none of them make it. Only calf. It's a little hard to use them in California. There's something about the weather out there that makes it pretty rough. I like it damp though, I prefer a little moisture in the head, not bone dry. Then they're too tight. SF:

How frequently do you have to tune them? ML:

Maybe twice a night. Sometimes it's perfectly alright when I sit down, and that's the way they stay all night. I don't like tight drumheads, but if a drummer likes a tight sound he can certainly get it with calf. But, he's got to remember that he'd better not leave it that way. The tighter you make a calf head, the more it stretches. The head will probably go dead a lot sooner than if you kept it medium. You have to remember to change tension at the end of the night. There's something about the feeling and sound of calf. Plastic doesn't feel right to me. Plastic heads on the toms are alright. I'm not thrilled with the sound, but I don't have time to mess with them. You hit the toms so hard and get all those dents in them, that gives you an idea of why it's basically dangerous to use calf on tom-toms. I don't hit a snare drum as hard as I hit a tom for some reason or another. When I want volume from a snare, it's usually with a rim shot. SF:

Do you tune your drums in any specific way? ML:

The tuning of my drums isn't exact. As long as the sound is right, I don't care. I start out trying to be exact but it never ends up that way. I don't always have time to finish tuning, so sometimes everything is sitting there a little crooked. Nothing's perfect, but I get my sound. I strive for a full sound. I try to make my drums sound like a fat sounding trumpet. I like to get a big sound. SF:

Are you still using the Gretsch wooden snare? ML:

I use mostly wood, but I own a couple of metal snare drums built back around 1928. I have a Leedy & Ludwig, and a Ludwig

Ludwig. They were the best snare drums ever made. SF:

Have you used them on any of your recordings? ML:

I used them on the vocal albums where I played a lot of back beats, and on the Central Park North album. On all the other live albums I've used the wooden snare. I'm going to start using the metal snares live with the band, because the snare drums aren't coming off too good today. I've been using Gretsch drums for thirtyone years and I'll be using them another thirty-one years — if I'm playing that long — but they're gonna have to get something going on the snare drums. As far as I'm concerned there isn't anybody putting out a good snare. They all sound like boxes — wooden or metal. I still prefer the Gretsch wooden snare drum, but I'm unhappy with some of the workmanship. I'm using calfheads and I'm not getting a fit. They're only worrying about plastic heads. In the old days we all played calfskin and never had those troubles. Why should there be trouble now? We used to tuck the heads ourselves. Some of us did lousy jobs but they still worked. The drum still sounded. Why should it be any different today? The strainers were better too. I think they all make rotten strainers today, all of them. A strainer has a lot to do with the sound of a drum. SF:

You once made reference to your playing as being strong, but not loud. Can you explain the difference? ML:

What counts is the intensity. Volume doesn't mean a damm thing. There's a volume you can play at that's sensible. To me, piano to mezzo forte is enough volume for normal playing in a big continued on page 31

Alex Acuna, world-famous percussionist/ drummer, has earned an amazing breadth of musical credentials. In addition to his important role with Weather Report, he has played with noted musicians representing nearly every part of the music spectrum...ranging from Pablo Casals, Perez Prado and Sergio Mendes to Elvis Presley and Diana Ross.

ROGERS

THE SOUND THE PROS DEPEND ON Rogers Drums, CBS Musical Instruments, 1300 East Valencia Drive, Fullerton, California 92631

ALEX ACUNA

ON CREATIVE DRUM TECHNIQUES AND ROGERS.

"The word creativity means different things to different drummers. For me it all starts with the set-up...the variety of instruments I use. With Weather Report I often play bongos, Paiste cup chimes, cymbals and gongs...in addition to four mounted toms, floor toms, timbales, timpani, congas, snare and bass.

All of these instruments give me flexibility to create the exact sound I'm looking for. In addition, Weather Report supplements my set-up sounds with synthesized special effects and bass special effects to add even more percussive texture to the music we play. It's important to remember, however, that you have to select from this wide scope of percussive sounds with a R

special kind of discipline...so that each instrument blends into the total musical fabric.

With the wide variety of drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments that I use, the exact positioning of each instrument becomes critical. That's one reason I use Rogers. The MemriLoc hardware lets me set up in the identical way for each performance...quickly and accurately! On the dual tom there is a Memri-dial that helps me fix the three- dimensional position of each drum and a key-lock principle that sets the precise height!

Another aspect of creativity involves the mixture of different types of percussive sounds in unusual musical forms. One type of unusual percussive form, for instance, involves the use of poly-rhythms (that is, the use of independence techniques"). In this style, each of three or more rhythms is equally important and must be heard clearly. Since each rhythm must have an equal voice, each individual drum must cut through crisp and clear in order to sustain the integrity of the musical idea.

Sound character and tuning, therefore, become really critical and that's another reason I use Rogers.

Each drum can be accurately tuned without taking a long time to do it...and Rogers has the precise sound that reflects the quality materials used in their construction.

I know this may sound like a commercial for Rogers, but I really do find that their equipment works best for me. I think that good equipment is essential for drummers who are interested in exploring creative new sounds. In that way, the musical concepts you have in your head can be recreated in the music you play. And you can mix this sense of creativity with musical consistency for a professional performance every time!

"FOR THE PERCUSSIONIST/ DRUMMER, CREATIVITY BEGINS WITH THE SET-UP". -ALEX ACUNA

APPICE lan Paice. They're good friends of mine. When Carl Palmer and I are around, we'll call each other up and rap for an hour. I've talked with Louie Bellson and Joe Morello. Like tonight, I'll get to see Max for the first time. Hopefully, I'll get to rap with him, but I feel funny going up to him and saying, 'Hi, I'm Carmine Appice, and I play Ludwig Drums', y'know. The first time I saw Tony Williams was when he had Jack Bruce in Lifetime. He was the only drummer to ever floor me in twenty seconds. Totally blew my mind. When I was with the Fudge, I was on an ego trip. I went to hear Tony and said to myself, 'Alright, let's see what you can do' — well, he played like twenty seconds, and I said, 'are you kidding'. He had a four-piece set with an 18" bass drum and I didn't know where he was coming from, or where he got his rhythms from. As I progressed and started doing more clinics and getting into it, I started realizing what was going on. I probably do the same thing to these young kids. I'll play some odd figure and they look at me like, 'Wow, what is it?' " Drumming has both progressed and digressed since the heydey of the 60's, when Carmine first came on the scene. There are many good players around but there seems to be an increasing public demand for bands that offer little creativity for drummers. We reminisced about the 60's and tried to bring the current music scene, especially the drummers, into perspective. "The business now is almost like it was ten years ago. Underground progressive music like Cream and Mahavishnu aren't making it. All the big Madison Square Garden things are not progressive music anymore. It's all commercial. The Rod Stewart's. . . the Zeppelin's. . . it's very easy drumming. Simple drumming. I feel I was lucky to come into this business when I did. I made my reputation by my association with a lot of big name people. Being with Beck, and now with Stewart. I couldn't play in a band if I didn't have my little spot. I'm known as a soloist. That's where I shine. I shine playing with the band also, to a point, but like playing with Rod, I just play rock. Very simple and powerful. I play eighty-five percent of what I play, with him. But most of my stuff, I do during my solo. I'm worried. I don't think it's a very good time for drummers. I mean, what new drummer has come along that has really blown everybody's mind? Cobham was the last one with Mahavishnu in '72. That kind of music just isn't around anymore. Today, it's all very commercial, image oriented music. Disco, rock, heavy rock, and Kiss type music. When I first made it with Fudge, there was Cream, Hendrix. .all the instrumental based music. People were freaking out over it. Nowadays, it's wierd.

Billy Cobham...the state of the playing art in drumming. Tama....the state of the art in percussion products Billy and Tama together...the magical comgination.

"Before I found Tama, most of my equipment was custom made. I was amazed to find that there was really a drum company who made products designed for the touring drummer. Tama Drums and hardware are twice as strong as anything the industry has to offer and the sound projects better than anything I've heard. You owe it to yourself as a player to consider Tama before you get your next set."

K TAMA

Tama, P.O. Box 469, Cornwells Heights, PA 19020 Tama, P.O. Box 2009, Idaho Falls, ID 83401

The Strongest New Name In Drums

Great cymbals are made, not manufactured.

The one thing that mass pro- duction cannot produce is greatness. That's why no cym- bal with the Zildjian name on it will ever be stamped out of sheet metal.

Like the Zildjian cymbals played by 17th Century musi- cians, the Zildjian cymbal you play is formed by hand from our secret alloy. The metal is melted, rolled, and tempered by artisans who have an average of 20 years' experience. You don't have to be a cymbal maker to hear the greatness that is the end prod- uct of this process. Your musi- cian's ear will easily perceive it. To begin with, you will notice that the Zildjian cymbal has extraordinary cutting power, while all other cymbals fall off prematurely. The dif- ference is in the alloy formula and special metal-forging techniques we use.

You will also notice that while the mass-produced cymbals exhibit rigorous uni- formity, the Zildjian cymbals forego the industrialist's standards in favor of the artist's. Each Zildjian cymbal speaks with an individual voice. This means you are able to choose a sound that is suitable to your personal taste and style of playing.

You will not be the first

Zildjian

Avedis Zildjian Company, Cymbal Makers Since 1623. Longwater Drive, Norwell, Mass. 02061 USA musician to play your Zildjian cymbal. All Zildjians are played and evaluated by our staff of seven drummers before they are allowed to leave our aging vaults.

So when you select a cymbal, take your time, and choose carefully. When you buy a Zildjian, you're not just getting an instrument. You're buying art.

AVEDIS ZILDJIAN CO.