Re: Steve Smith! Wembley Drum Clinic!
just got back and it was amazing.
didn't see any DW members there but if they were like me their eyes were not scanning the audience and their jaws would have been firmly on the floor.
benny went first with solos and playing along to his new CD. there is no doubt in my mind that this 26 year old is one of the truly great drummers of history already. a lot of the guys around me felt sorry for ol' steve who had to follow such a sublime performance.
they needn't have worried
steve smith showed us all why he is a living legend. his jazz history drumming lesson was superb. he played a jazz beat from the 1900's and while talking over the drums he gradually transmogified it through blues bebop rock and into modern funk including a humourous rip off of the new breed like benny.
he then did a solo that started off er um typical of steve and his old guard but gradually he got weirder and more amazing until he was doing with one bass pedal what 90% of all drummers would be proud to be able to do with two. a real class showman.
then he and benny performed an astonishing duo. they put their two snares at the front and did the jazz standard ''salty nuts'' brush solo. the showmanship and humour made the actual skill more stomachable. i was only metres away and i saw brushes doing what bits of metal have no business doing. the brushes seemed to just play themselves.
then they did a great duo on just hihats. it was crazy and funny.
then they bought on pete locket to play tabla while the two guys went onto drums. the world of tabla opened up before me and beleive it or not i saw just two drums that look like they take more skill to play than a thomas lang sized kit. pete is a genious. and the whole trio together were amazing.
after the show i wanted to meet them but the line was too long and it was getting late. besides i had a splitting headache...not from the drums mind. but from the total concentration of nearly three hours. i think my eyes were red from not blinking in case i missed anything.
no photography was allowed but i snapped off a few so here they are:
BG
MASTER'S PLACE
APPRENTICE RUNNING AMOK IN MASTER'S PLACE
BG, PL and SS