My trio!

[KCDrummer]

Hey all, my group, The Ten String Trio, finally recorded some tunes. I've posted them on my myspace music page because putfile is acting retarded.

There are three tunes: My arrangement of Thelonious Monk's "Well You Needn't", a cool mellow tune called "North Beach" by a buddy of mine from college (yay brushes!), and a 15-bar altered blues by the bassist called "Question".

Of course, comments on the drumming are always welcome, and any comments you may have about the music and the group overall are appreciated too. Thanks, enjoy!

http://myspace.com/zackalbettadrummer

[Stu_Strib]

Kansas City eh? Lucky! One of the truly great American Music cities (so I've heard, never been).

I would love to live in a city that has a thriving Jazz scene that doesn't cost a fortune to live in (cough, NYC, cough). How do you like Kansas City?

Anyway, the playing is solid. I dig it mucho.

What snare are you playing on "Pere"?

Stu

[Auger]

very nice!

I really liked it. Myspace was a little reluctant to play some of the tunes all the way through. I especially liked the brush tune. Love the guitar and especially the bass on that one too.

[KCDrummer]

Thanks Stu! KC is a very cool town, lots of music and art in general. You can see live jazz for free pretty much any night of the week. There's not as much new or original jazz as I would like, a lot of it is pretty straight ahead, even old school, but a lot of it is still good. Lots of genuinely world-class players around here too. Some of them live here permanently, some of them are sort of back and forth between here and New York or Europe.

I like KC a lot--like you said, it's very affordable to live, cool people, lots of great restaraunts/hangouts, etc.

The snare on Pere is the same as on the other tracks--the one I built with my kit, 5.5X14 10-ply maple shell with maple hoops.

[Paradiddle my snizzle]

Real nice!

I heard them while reading posts and stuff, so i wasn't 100% focused, and therefore can't say much other than, i liked it:)

[KCDrummer]

Real nice!

I heard them while reading posts and stuff, so i wasn't 100% focused, and therefore can't say much other than, i liked it:)

That's OK, most of the people at my gigs are much less than 100% focused. Some of them need sticks thrown at their necks. Maybe I'll do that one night--in the middle of a solo, just fling a stick at the nearest loud drunk. "Sorry dude, I was going for a cross-over pata-fla-fla between the toms and it just slipped. Did I get you in the eye? Oooohhh bummer."

[jazzsnob]

I really like your bass play a lot. Lots and lots of mojo. Guitar player is very professional but his playing reminds me a lot of this local bay area guy who's kind of a jerk so I'm biased, not to mention I'm biased against guitar players in general. But great drumming all around, I liked Question especially. Ah, it's all good though. Great playing Zack.

[Drummer Karl]

Oh KC, you are awesome!! Nice stuff and nice space you got there...awesome! I also LOVE your band`s and your playing a lot!! such a nice swing you all have got. :-)

Keep it up!

Karl

[jollymosher]

Cool. Keep up the good work.

[radiofriendlyunitshifter]

wow. very very nice. i loved it. incredible drumming.

[KCDrummer]

Thanks fellas! What do you think of the drum sound? It's just a simple live-to-2-track recording, but the engineer used a really cool mic configuration, I think it came out really well.

[Stu_Strib]

not to mention I'm biased against guitar players in general.

I thought all of us drummers were biased against guitar players?

[louis]

love it!!

really great individual sound to all of the tracks! i love the sax playing in "Pere" and the guitar in "Question" just awesome buddy!!

and the drumming is superb btw.

and HAHAHA!!!! about the "throwing the stick" thing. let us know how it goes!! hehehe

louis
x

[KCDrummer]

love it!!

really great individual sound to all of the tracks! i love the sax playing in "Pere" and the guitar in "Question" just awesome buddy!!

and the drumming is superb btw.

and HAHAHA!!!! about the "throwing the stick" thing. let us know how it goes!! hehehe

louis
x

Thanks Louis! Yeah, if I ever really wing a stick at a guy, my next post will probably be from the pokey. Whatever, it'll be worth it!

[XAkitAX]

Good job man, keep it up! PS - Loving the Monk cover!

[stoptime]

Thanks for the tunes! I actually get out to KC once in awhile, talk about an up and coming town - there's a lot of development going on there. What places do you guys play at? I'm never quite sure where to go.

Edit: Duh, I see your upcoming shows on myspace. Thanks again, lovin' the tunes...

[Steady Freddy]

Hi KC,

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not into jazz at all. That said, you guys sound great! I like your feel a lot. Really nice drumming. I can tell you really put your heart and soul into it.

Outstanding!

[mattsmith]

There's not as much new or original jazz as I would like, a lot of it is pretty straight ahead, even old school, but a lot of it is still good.
Ahhh...Stu Heaven.

KC, I've never heard anything even remotely weak out of you, and this fine excerpt is certainly no blemish on that perfect record.

Well done...again.

[KCDrummer]

Thanks fellas! Especially to Matt Smith for such a resounding endorsement!

Stoptime--KC is certainly on the rise. It was a heavy town back in the day, and again in the 80's and 90's but it's been in a slump since then. But now they're trying to revitalize the downtown area, create an Arts and Entertainment district, and hopefully there will be more places and oppurtunities to play. It's already started, I hope it continues. It's a well-kept secret that KC has some absolutely world-class cats.

My trio has only played a couple places so far, nothing very noteworthy. I've played with other groups at The Blue Room, Jardine's, The Drum Room, 12 Baltimore, to name a few. I play a lot with singers--KC loves singers. It's kind of frustrating--the other two guys in my trio are two of the baddest you will ever hear, and we play original compositions and arrangements, but it's like pulling teeth to get a gig because all the club owners would rather book some chick vocalist who thinks that the fact that she can carry a tune and has memorized the lyrics to a few tunes like "Fly Me to the Moon" and "Ain't Misbehavin" makes her a jazz singer. A couple of them are genuinely good and fun to play with, but there are some that I consider strictly money gigs.

Again, thanks for the props and let me know next time you come to KC!

[KCDrummer]

Oh yeah, Stoptime, what's the scene in Chi-town like?

[somedrummer]

Well, I just added you as a friend on the myspace, which is something I don't often do.

I'm very impressed. Great stuff.

My cousin just recently moved to KC. Maybe I'll have to come visit her and go to some jazz shows while I'm there...

[KCDrummer]

Well, I just added you as a friend on the myspace, which is something I don't often do.

I'm very impressed. Great stuff.

My cousin just recently moved to KC. Maybe I'll have to come visit her and go to some jazz shows while I'm there...

Thanks man! Yeah, come on out to KC, we'll show you a good time. That is, unless, you hate great jazz and amazing BBQ!

[stoptime]

Oh yeah, Stoptime, what's the scene in Chi-town like?

Hmmmm... I think it's changing. It's weird right now because you have the long standing blues traditions mixing with an up and coming free jazz scene. I appreciate good blues and good free jazz, but I don't really seek them out. But some of the free jazz I've heard is bogus, players that don't have a true understanding of the music before jumping into the stuff. There's no communication, rather, everyone is in their own world, making noise. I think you need to understand where jazz came from in order to take it new places. What I'm saying is the best free players out there can also do a straight ahead gig. But hey, that's just my opinion.

There's a ton of great musicians here, though over the past 5 or 10 years we've lost some of our local heroes to New York, retirement, death (Malachi Thompson), and out of state teaching gigs. In particular, I miss trumpeter Brad Goode, who became a college professor in Ohio, I think. He helped me out a lot, as did drummers Anthony Pinciotti (where are you Tony?) and Rusty Jones. The talent pool is still strong, and being replenished all the time, and there's cool stuff happening. There's a piano player named Jim Trompeter, who puts together incredible bands and has been a first-call side man for many years. Deep Blue Organ Trio is great, drummer Joel Spencer continues to play, as does the Bobby Broom Trio, Karl and Eric Monzka (piano and drums) are awesome, Larry Kohut (bass) is awesome, and sax legend Von Freeman, as well as many others I'm missing. It's actually a very exciting time to be here, admiring the greats while helping shape the city's jazz future.

I myself do a mixture of club and bar gigs, with a dose of wedding and corporate event type gigs to help pay the bills. The most popular club I gig at is Pops for Champagne - my band, Jazz Conspiracy, is the most requested band there, so we play there quite a bit, usually doing Friday/Saturday combos. Our CD is coming out soon, and we hope that will help us become more of a name around town. In a town this size, it's hard to stand out. But at the same time, no matter how good you are, you'll always find someone better - and that, for me, is a good thing.

The rock scene is also blooming - a band called The M's is really making headlines.

But to be honest, when I go out and see a show, it's usually at the Green Mill (the coolest jazz bar/club here - not to be missed if you're in town), and it's usually guys from out of town - I just saw John Michel Pic there, bloody incredible. Jesus. And I got like 3 hours of sleep last night because I was so wound up after seeing Dave Holland w/ Nate Smith at the Showcase. Man oh man! Talk about getting humbled. I've been here close to 15 years, have developed my network of friends and musicians, and don't need to hustle as much as I used to. So I don't get out as much.

So in a nutshell, that's what's going on ;)

[KCDrummer]

Wow! That sounds cool, and oddly enough, it sounds a lot like KC--deep-rooted traditional stuff, up-and-coming modern/original/avant garde, fair share of hacks who give jazz a bad name, and solid rock scene.

[samthebeat]

I really liked that, drumming was amazing, and overall really great sounding bunch muscians playing really good music. Your guitarist is brillaint.

Where can I buy a CD?

[KCDrummer]

I really liked that, drumming was amazing, and overall really great sounding bunch muscians playing really good music. Your guitarist is brillaint.

Where can I buy a CD?

I wish there was a cd for you to buy. This group is still pretty new, and the three tunes on myspace were recorded live-to-2-track--little more than a demo. We've got to play together awhile longer before a full-scale studio album is a real possibility. Also, some money has to fall out of the sky. Thanks for the props, though!

Oh, and you're right--the guitarist is a monster! His name is Danny Embrey and I'm humbled and honored that a badass like him would want to play in a group with a relatively unknown drummer half his age. You should check out his website, dannyembrey.com, his bio and track record are quite impressive. You should also check out the bassist, Jeff Harshbarger. He doesn't have a website, but I'm sure googling him will turn up lots of info.

[KCDrummer]

I really liked that, drumming was amazing, and overall really great sounding bunch muscians playing really good music. Your guitarist is brillaint.

Where can I buy a CD?

I wish there was a cd for you to buy. This group is still pretty new, and the three tunes on myspace were recorded live-to-2-track--little more than a demo. We've got to play together awhile longer before a full-scale studio album is a real possibility. Also, some money has to fall out of the sky. Thanks for the props, though!

Oh, and you're right--the guitarist is a monster! His name is Danny Embrey and I'm humbled and honored that a badass like him would want to play in a group with a relatively unknown drummer half his age. You should check out his website, dannyembrey.com, his bio and track record are quite impressive. You should also check out the bassist, Jeff Harshbarger. He doesn't have a website, but I'm sure googling him will turn up lots of info.

[KCDrummer]

Sorry about the double post, got a little jumpy on the mouse. Someone delete one of them.

[fusssion]

Nice stuff Zach!!

Hey.....have you heard the Jeff Hamilton Trio do that piece ? (Well You Needn't) It's on the "Live" CD from 1996 on MONS records! You shouild be able to find it in stores that have a good jazz department, or just get it on Amazon. They do a great rendition of that piece too!

http://www.amazon.com/Live-Jeff-Hamilton-Trio/dp/B000005R0I/sr=8-3/qid=1162219896/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/103-0821688-0493422?ie=UTF8&s=music

Great job bro....keep it up!!

[KCDrummer]

Thanks man! Yeah, I do have that album, I like that version of "well u needn't". That trio does cool versions of a lot of tunes. I also like their version of "Rhythm-a-ning", another Monk tune.

[fusssion]

Thanks man! Yeah, I do have that album, I like that version of "well u needn't". That trio does cool versions of a lot of tunes. I also like their version of "Rhythm-a-ning", another Monk tune.

Your quite welcome!!

Hey....also,....on JH3's latest releast "Studio 4, Cologne Germany" ...they do Epistrophy, another Monk piece.....this one rips too! :)

As a cool sidenote,....I speak to Jeff Hamilton now and again,...and in the liner notes it says that this CD was recorded with 3 drum mics TOTAL!! He said, "I didnt' beleive it could happen......but when working with a master.....I was blown away at how it turned out"

cool stuff........anyhow, check it out if you have time.........
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EF5N5I/ref=pd_kar_gw_1/103-0821688-0493422

[gretsch223]

wow it sounds very good! what kind of ride are you playing mainly? It sounds amazing! Keep it up!

[KCDrummer]

wow it sounds very good! what kind of ride are you playing mainly? It sounds amazing! Keep it up!


Many thanks! The right ride is a 20" Bosphorus Turk Series and the left is a 22" Bosphorus Master's Series Flat Ride with a sizzle chain. On the far right, I've got an 18" Zildjian China Boy Low with four rivets.

[tomgrosset]

Man, I've been listening to your recordings lately and they are just outstanding. Everyone in your combo knows how to communicate with each other really well, and your playing is very clean and suitable for the music. I can hear an influence from Tony in your playing which is awesome, and that's another reason why I like it so much.

Keep it up, Zack.

[skippy]

love the tunes. nice drumming. love your style. peace

[KCDrummer]

Thank you thank you! We have a gig tomorrow night at this new place downtown, which will hopefully be the first of many there. Send us some good vibes!