...for the jazz cats ...

Being as this is a jazz related thing, I wanted to announce that yesterday my dad Tom Smith was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Education Hall of Fame as the only inductee for 2013. Pretty cool.
 
Being as this is a jazz related thing, I wanted to announce that yesterday my dad Tom Smith was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Education Hall of Fame as the only inductee for 2013. Pretty cool.

send a heartfelt congrats to your dad from me Matt
that is a tremendous honor and a well deserved addition to his already full bloom resume
 
Hi Leo,

Many players feather - Kenny Washington, Lewis Nash, Eric Harland, Adam Nussbaum...Check of Tony Williams playing Dolores with headphones on, then take one ear off. What do you hear?

There are two issues in mastering feathering: playing it softly and playing it in time. You've got to feel the connection between your right hand and your right foot. To make this connection vivid, and to master feathering, I suggest not worrying about feathering softly at first. Play the bd loud and focus on syncing up your rh and bd. Once you've gained some control it will be easier to reduce the volume of the bd.

When feathering becomes second nature you will find that your groove will feel deeper and fatter. The people you play may not notice when you are feathering but they will certainly notice when you stop feathering.

Hope this helps,

John
 
Hi Leo,

Many players feather - Kenny Washington, Lewis Nash, Eric Harland, Adam Nussbaum...Check of Tony Williams playing Dolores with headphones on, then take one ear off. What do you hear?

There are two issues in mastering feathering: playing it softly and playing it in time. You've got to feel the connection between your right hand and your right foot. To make this connection vivid, and to master feathering, I suggest not worrying about feathering softly at first. Play the bd loud and focus on syncing up your rh and bd. Once you've gained some control it will be easier to reduce the volume of the bd.

When feathering becomes second nature you will find that your groove will feel deeper and fatter. The people you play may not notice when you are feathering but they will certainly notice when you stop feathering.

Hope this helps,

John

Thanks so much John. I will get on that. Also, I don't know if you remember me, but I auditioned at MSM and Purchase this year. It was an honor meeting you and I look forward to collaborating with you in the future.
 
Being as this is a jazz related thing, I wanted to announce that yesterday my dad Tom Smith was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Education Hall of Fame as the only inductee for 2013. Pretty cool.

Great stuff, Matt. Well deserved, given how long he has been spreading the message in Europe.
 
I never really got how important feathering was till I saw a group live, the bass player was having trouble with the mikes and you could barely hear him, fortunately the drummer was feathering and it really beefed up the low end and made the band sound more whole.
 
Hi Leo,

Yes I remember, you also sat in on a class at Purchase.

To continue the discussion: who's the drummer's closest associate in the rhythm section? The bass player. How does a bass sound? Low and woody.

What part of the drum set plays most intimately with the bass? The ride cymbal. How does a ride cymbal sound? High and metallic.

Feathering the bass drum helps the groove because it helps your metallic sound marry with the bass' low woody sound.

All great players feather when appropriate.

John
 
Hi Leo,

Yes I remember, you also sat in on a class at Purchase.

To continue the discussion: who's the drummer's closest associate in the rhythm section? The bass player. How does a bass sound? Low and woody.

What part of the drum set plays most intimately with the bass? The ride cymbal. How does a ride cymbal sound? High and metallic.

Feathering the bass drum helps the groove because it helps your metallic sound marry with the bass' low woody sound.

All great players feather when appropriate.

John

thank you so much for sharing knowledge John ....it is an honor

your books have changed my life.... literally.... every one of them ....and continue to change it

always wanted to thank you for that
 
Being as this is a jazz related thing, I wanted to announce that yesterday my dad Tom Smith was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Education Hall of Fame as the only inductee for 2013. Pretty cool.

Congratulations to your dad, Matt! That's quite an honor.
 
Regarding feathering: I do it. And, to be honest, I think it gives me an edge over some other drummers when playing with jazz musicians. I've had musicians comment on how good my "feel" is when I'm just straight riding the cymbal. I've come to believe that the supporting feathering I'm doing on the bass drum is a big part of what they like, even if they don't explicitly state that it has to do with the feathering.

It fits in with the "more felt than heard" thing, too. You like it, even if you're not sure you can describe exactly why.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Hopefully, this is doable because its my dad's Jazz Education Hall of Fame induction article in the June issue of DownBeat, just out today.
 

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Very cool, Matt. That's a great honor, and one your dad is certainly deserving of.
 
So, the album I'm knee-deep in lately and can't (nor want to) get out of:

John_Coltrane_Interstellar_Space.jpg


This is just pure improvisational beauty. I can't get enough of this. It's like a thirst that can only be quenched by one drink -- this album. Sax and drums. Of all of Coltrane's recordings from his "free" period, this and Ascension are my favorites.

Elvin is by far the bigger influence in my own playing, but what Rashied Ali did with Trane is quite brilliant.
 
So, the album I'm knee-deep in lately and can't (nor want to) get out of:

John_Coltrane_Interstellar_Space.jpg


This is just pure improvisational beauty. I can't get enough of this. It's like a thirst that can only be quenched by one drink -- this album. Sax and drums. Of all of Coltrane's recordings from his "free" period, this and Ascension are my favorites.

Elvin is by far the bigger influence in my own playing, but what Rashied Ali did with Trane is quite brilliant.
I had never heard this before. Listening to it reminds me of drinking an entire pot of coffee in a short period of time. I'm captivated.
 
I had never heard this before. Listening to it reminds me of drinking an entire pot of coffee in a short period of time. I'm captivated.

The more I listen to this, the more I agree with you. It's unbelievable how much of an influence this thread alone has had on what jazz I listen to.
 
That's great to hear, man! I've picked up on a lot of great stuff here myself. It's a great resource.
 
Chick, that is outstanding. Great work, man!
 
So, the album I'm knee-deep in lately and can't (nor want to) get out of:

John_Coltrane_Interstellar_Space.jpg


This is just pure improvisational beauty. I can't get enough of this. It's like a thirst that can only be quenched by one drink -- this album. Sax and drums. Of all of Coltrane's recordings from his "free" period, this and Ascension are my favorites.

Elvin is by far the bigger influence in my own playing, but what Rashied Ali did with Trane is quite brilliant.

I spent twenty minutes the other day trying to describe 'Interstellar Space' to a friend of mine that had never heard it. I realised the only value in trying to describe it comes from the urge to listen to it. Wonderful. One of my all-time favourites.
 
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