October 1977 - Modern Drummer - Lenny White

• Published Quarterly
• MODERN DRUMMER
• A Contemporary Publication Exclusively for Drummers
• In this issue
• LENNY WHITE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
• TABLA TALK WITH BADAL ROY
• NORTH DRUMS
• BUTCH MILES: ON BIG BAND DRUMMING
• MILESTONE PERCUSSION
• SWISS RUDIMENTS
• JUST DRUMS: EXPO '77 CONVENTION REPORT
• MAX ROACH SOLO TRANSCRIPTION
• VOL. 1 NO. 4

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Lenny W h i t e was born in Queens, N. Y. and travelled to Forever. Excuse the forced pun, but it was with Chick Corea's Return to Forever, that Lenny made the reputation that engendered his foray as a solo act. "I got a call from a different guitar player every day for about a month," Lenny related. "When they heard about the breakup of R T F , they all wanted to play with me. There were some people who played better than others, but I was looking for versatility." That's the key word as far as his direction is concerned - versatility. Lenny wants the group - which was formed in the beginning of 1977

"to mesh into different kinds of styles, and to play any kind of music like post bop, space bop, jazz, rock - anything." That led to the discovery of different musicians who were at home in various phases of the music. Caught up in a busy schedule, Lenny and I sat down in a borrowed office to discuss some of the finer points of his musical career.

W A L D : Are your musicians schooled? Do you look for that? W H I T E : I don't necessarily look for that. One of my guitarists went to Berklee and didn't like it. It's a different thing today because younger musicians are into all kinds of music. You have the fusion groups that play music with diverse roots. They come from traditional jazz music, or from rock and roll. The kids that started out listening to guitar from the Ventures are listening to George Benson. You have a cross reference, a meshing of styles. W A L D : Will you be diluting the effect if you seek to touch all bases? W H I T E : Oh, we'll basically have a concept. I write for the group and I'll concentrate on certain things. Alex Blake writes for us, and the whole group put a tune together. So we have a direction - but we won't be limited. I brought in a theme and had the whole group work on it and find out what kind of influences they would bring into this piece of music. I wanted to see what it would sound like if we all composed a single piece of music. We all use our roots and it's all individual. W A L D : Where did you get your harmony training? WHITE: I listen to a lot of records man, let me tell y o u . (laughs) If you mean did I have formal training - no. When I was young, the music played around the house was Duke, Basie, Trane, Miles and Bird. My father was a Lester Young fan. I listened to classical music in school, and I listened to more of it on my own - everyday. Even today I take a cassette player wherever I go. It's a thing about conditioning. I have a very young son and everytime I turn on the music, he's right there and moving. When my wife was pregnant, she was always around music. Maybe there are vibes who knows. My harmonic approach to music is a lot more limited than someone who's studied piano or whatever, but I don't think it's all that bad. It's a matter of ears. W A L D : I assume you were a drummer to start? W H I T E : I don't remember. I wanted to play trumpet, but the next thing I knew I was playing drums in the school orchestra. They'd have had me playing tuba unless I had two years training on drums. I told them I did and faked my way through it. To this day I don't know whether my teacher knew, or I was lucky. W A L D : Did you ever have any formal drum training at all? W H I T E : No, not sitting down with a teacher. I know about flams and paradidles, but I learned how to do them by watching people play, and by buying a book that told me what to do with what I saw. I still do some things that are incorrect technically. I lived down the street from a club called the Club Ruby and I saw Max Roach and Philly Jo. I'd look in the window and try to do the same thing. I'd listen to records and hear things, and try to create the same sound. Tony Williams was my idol. He would take Philly Jo's style, Max's style, and Roy Haynes, and he'd put his own thing to it. He would do things that were unorthodox. Opening the hi-hats and splash at them. Hit the stick here and there - drag the stick. Roy would hit on all four corners of the beat, not necessarily the downbeat.

His hi-hat wouldn't be on two and four all the time. W A L D : Wouldn't you give the credit for all that to Art Blakey who experimented like that before Haynes? W H I T E : Art played in the middle of the beat. Philly Jo and Tony played on top of the beat; Elvin played a little bit behind, but Art played right in the center, like the pulse. Of course I listened to Art. I could play one of his solos, pressed tolls and all. He was the first person I heard play K. Zildjian cymbals. I didn't know what it was, but the sound on those old Blue Note records

. the crash would be like (makes a sound of rolling surf). Those K. Zildjians were different from the A's. K's are made in Turkey. They're darker sounding with more overtones. I remember getting my first K's and sounding like Art Blakey. W A L D : What do you use now? W H I T E : I use mostly A's, due to the nature of the new music. K's don't cut. I was using K's when I first went with RTF and beating them to death. They wouldn't project.

They're softer and they would split and crack. I did a little research and listening and bought some A's which are brighter and a little bit heavier. They also project more. You need that with all the other electronic instruments up there. We drummers don't turn up an amplifier. It's all pressure we put in the drum or the cymbal. Out of the frequency range they rate near the top. You can get a synthesizer to play notes that are above that, but you can't hear them. There are overtones that you can't hear from cymbals, too. I use A. Zildjian because of the amplification, and because they're brighter and they cut through more. WALD: What about your drums? W H I T E : My first set was an $80 special - didn't even have a hi-hat; just a bass drum, snare and cymbal. Later, a friend of the family - Brad Spinney - gave me a Gretsch set my first real set. It was THE thing to use Gretsch because of that little insignia on the bass drum, and all of the people I admired played them. I still use Gretsch. I use one 22" bass with both heads. All my drums have two heads. I use 12" and 13" mounted toms, and three floor toms; 14", 16" and 18 x 16". My snare is 5 x 14". I have a few snare drums, but the one I use live and on recordings is a Gretsch wood. It has a special strainer on it, and nylon snares by Hinger. I also use an A. Zildjian 24" high buffed heavy

Great artists. Great Drummer. Great Drums.

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You've heard him driving the bands of Doc Severinsen, Tony Bennett, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, and many more. His distinctive styling has helped many albums and movie sound tracks go to the top of the charts.

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You can see Ed and his Pearl Drums this evening on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Then, you'll see why only Pearl fills the needs for one of the world's most versatile drummers.

Why don't you get behind a set of Pearl today?

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Clifford rented the set and experimented with it. Within a month, he owned the set and was playing them in concert. "Red Hot," the Don Harrison Band's latest recording for Atlantic Records, features Clifford playing the full set of Toms and the Bass. "The only adjustment

I had to make," says Clifford, "was to get used to the smaller heads. Each drum sounds bigger than its size. The six-inch Tom is one of the most unique instruments I've ever played, and the bass keeps going deeper when some conventional drums might loose their bottom end." Clifford went on to say that the smaller heads make for tight sharp attack, but that the sound stays tight and gets rounder and mellower, particularly in the bottom ranges. He claims he can get a bassy sound out of a small Tom. "All the Toms are loud, but they are not muddy," he remarked, "they turn out clear, directional, pointed sounds, but they don't hurt the listeners. I can get five Toms in the space I used to use for three conventional Toms. "They're integrated tonally, but each one is distinguishable, either live or recorded, so I can get a lot of movement on any track." (Clifford cultivates the image of an athlete. He is very active

"When we're playing," Clifford concluded, "the drum sound isn't lost in the floor. The other musicians tell me that they can hear what I am playing and respond to it. That's unusual in a rock 'n' roll group. "For me, these drums are to conventional drums what the jet plane is to the Turboprop. Until Roger North came along, the biggest technical advance in drum design was the plastic drum head. But these are all-new instruments." Production facilities are located at Music Technology Inc., in Garden City Park, New York, and went on stream early in 1977. Ernie Briefel, president of MTI promises a plentiful supply of drum sets and individual instruments as soon as back orders are filled. High quality control of drum shells and hardware will be maintained. MTI will also be producing cases and other accessory items for the drums, along with plans for a snare drum. Dennis Briefel, MTI's vice president of Sales and Marketing, is unguardedly optimistic about the future. "These are the best drums made anywhere," Briefel says, "we only wish we could make them faster."

North drum technician works on drum finishing.

on stage. Movement from Tom to Tom is both visible and audible when he plays.)

RESPONSIVE IN RECORDING In recording, Clifford noted, the instruments stay somewhat distinguishable against the string bass at high volume levels. They apparently don't drive the sound mixer crazy trying to equalize individual drum sounds.

But where equalization is necessary for a desired effect, they respond adequately, as they also do to echo, miking, tape delay and other recording techniques.

Furthermore, the units can be miked in the horn of the drum itself in recording and amplification.

REMO, INC. 12804 RAYMER ST., NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. 91605

JUST DRUMS by ROB COOK Over 13,000 members of the music industry converged on Atlanta, Georgia, for the annual "NAMM International EXPO". For most exhibitors the NAMM EXPO is the major advertising and promotional event of the year; they naturally try their darndest to have new (or at least improved) products to introduce. Atlanta was certainly no disappointment for drummers in that respect there were new drums, new sticks and beaters, new pedals and accessories, new hardware, new cases, and exciting new electronics.

2 to 1 snare 12 lugs on the top head, 6 on the bottom.

TAMA INNOVATIONS

Octobans-small plexiglass drums of varying lengths .

"Do It Yourself" finish - The customer can submit any type or artwork, and Slingerland will put it in pearl.

Ludwig introduced new molded drum cases (5 sizes only) which are durable, water repellent, and lightweight. The new "aerial tom toms" are 1" longer than conventional sizes, and in this picture are fitted with removable "sound reflectors" (available separately) .

• SLINGERLAND'S NEW PRODUCTS
• Tubular leg stands, with nylon bushings.
• PEARL VARI-SET

Microphone stands that mount on outfit hardware.

Marching drums angled for tonal projection.

Nashville recording artist Larrie Londin on Pearl Drums and Zildjian cymbals. This set had no floor cymbal stands: cymbals were mounted with Pearl's new booms that attach to bass drum hardware.

Heavy floor stands (with wheels) for mounted bass drums (Cobham style) and melodic

The Balter mallet company displayed new drum set beaters.

Double thickness "Pin Stripe" heads for the "heavy" sound.

Conrad Feirn of Distex, Inc. A man attuned to the case needs of drummers. His best cases are foam-lined fiber, with a polyurethane finish available in several colors. Each stock size drum case is made in "regular" and "large" to allow for the bulkier hardware that some manufacturers use.

Roto-tom reflectors for directing the sound.

Mike Snead and Erica Appleton from MsPerc (Miscellaneous Percussion) show MD a couple of their more unusual products: Leather boot protectors (developed for a drummer who was ruining $200.00 boots on his drum, set) and a hi hat cover that allows packing of the hi hat without removing the cymbals. The firm also makes a line of cymbal bags, drum covers, stick bags, leather washers and pedal straps, etc.

Sue Vogel from Evans with new concert-tom size blue head and head with tambourine jingles. Evans also introduced a mirror-gold head.

GRETSCH has now joined the swing to heavier hardware and metallic finishes.

New from SONOR: Concert tom outfits, 3 metallic finishes, and a snare drum made from "a highly secret special metal".

A seldom seen but much needed new product from Ambico (importers of Camber cymbals) - corduroy cymbal cuffs for travel protection.

ALSO R E P R E S E N T E D AT N A M M -

LATIN P E R C U S S I O N

• ROGERS
• FIBES
• PREMIER
• NORTH

ASBA

LARGEST DRUM COMPANY IN F R A N C E Before you draw your final conclusions about what the NAMM-introduced products signify for today's drummers, where the industry is headed, and where it should be headed, it may be helpful to consider the comments of the proprietors of three of the largest percussion centers in the country — BOB Y E A G E R , of the PROFESSIONAL DRUM SHOP, HOLLYWOOD, C A L I F . There were a lot of very nice products, nice exhibits - a very good show. I handle all the major lines, so I don't want

.to hurt anyone's feelings by singling out specific products. The only plug I can think of is Joe Pollard's Syndrum. It's the first electronic drum that makes any sense. The others in the past have been all noise and distortion. MARTY LISHON, of FRANK'S DRUM SHOP, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Overall, I think it was a good show - there was great dealer participation. There are a number of things that the companies could do better — all of the companies tend to confine the customer with stock drum sets that make him a drummer, not a total percussionist. If you look at the catalogs from 20 years ago, you see sets with accessories like temple blocks, etc. I think the companies should worry more about that than the skyscraper cymbal stand race. I think Larry Linkin of Slingerland really deserves credit for going against the "rock craze" grain with his display of marching percussion manikins. The endorsement thing has really gotten out of hand. I'd have 9 or 10 companies drag me into their booth and tell me the same people were using all of their products. There's very little credibility in endorsements anymore. I did see some new products with real potential especially the Syndrum. It's the first electronic device that really can make sounds like a drum. F R A N K IPPOLITO, of PROFESSION- AL PERCUSSION CENTER, NEW YORK CITY I couldn't wait to leave. The only reason I go to those things is to meet with friends who have drum shops . . . as far away as Hawaii. A lot of money was spent, and that's all the companies care about. There's no one there (at exhibitor's booths) that I can talk to about percussion; nobody really knows anything. You watch — the important innovations all come out of the big drum shops —then three years later the companies market the same ideas at a N A M M EXPO. If your local drum shop or music store cannot supply you with more information about the products reviewed in MD's N A M M EXPO coverage, write directly to the companies at the address listed below. They will be glad to send you literature, answer your questions, and in most cases send you the name of the dealers in your area who stock their products. AMBICO, INC., 101 Horton Ave. Lynbrook, N. Y. 1 1 5 6 3 ASBA, 1 1 , Rue H.-Barbusse, 94450 Brevannes, France M I K E B A L T E R M A L L E T S , 6 5 1 5 N. Seeley Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60645 DISTEX CORP., P.O. Box 958, Bremen, Georgia 30110 D U R A L I N E , 9014 Lindblade St., Culver City, California 90230 EVANS, Box 58, Dodge City, Kansas 67801 FIBES, 1500 New Highway, Farmingdale, L. I., New York 1 1 7 3 5 GRETSCH, 1801 Gilbert Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 LATIN PERCUSSION, 454 Commercial Ave., Palisades Park, New Jersey 07650 LUDWIG INDUSTRIES, 1728 S. Damen Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60647 McPERC, 475 Valencia, San Francisco, California 94103 NORTH DRUMS, c/o Music Tech. Inc. 105 Fifth Ave., Garden City Park, New York 11040 P E A R L DRUMS, 7373 N. Cicero Ave. Lincolnwood, Illinois 60646 PER DEL, 4466 Industrial St., Simi Valley, California 93063 POLLARD, 3749 South Robertson Blvd. Culver City, California 90230 PREMIER, c/o Selmer, Box 310, Elkhart, Indiana 46514 REMO, 12804 R a y m e r S t . , No. Hollywood, California 91605 ROGERS DRUM CO., 1300 E. Valencia, Fullerton, California 92631 S L I N G E R L A N D DRUM CO., 6633 MUwaukee Ave., Niles, Illinois 60648 SONOR, c/o Chas. Alden Music Co. Southwest Industrial Park, Westwood, Ma. 02090 TAMA, c/o Elger, P.O. Box 469, 16948 Winchester Rd., Cornwells Heights, Pa. 19020 STAR INSTRUMENTS, INC. P.O. Box 71, Stafford Springs, Conn. 06076

• ALL OVER THE WORLD
• LENNY WHITE
• TONY WILLIAMS

Lifetime is the sound made by GRETSCH GREATS!

These are not your common ordinary musicians. The sound they make is uniquely their own. But one thing they do have in common is the trademark on their instruments-GRETSCH.

Top pros insist on Gretsch because they know that whatever demands they place on their instruments, that "Great Gretsch Sound" always comes through.

That's why, for almost 100 years, Gretsch drums and guitars have been the standard of excellence for musicians everywhere. Whether you're ready to mix it up with the pros or you're just making your move, you can be sure there's a Gretsch instrument for you.

Ask your music dealer about Gretsch Drums or Guitars.

GREISCH

THAT Great GRETSCH SOUND!

STEVE FERRONE Average White Band for catalogs, write: GRETSCH

1801 Gilbert Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

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