Jeff Porcaro

I really wish people would stop making instructional videos on "how to play the Rosanna shuffle". He, himself, did that in his own instructional video, so I really don't see the point in some guy on "Expert Village" or even Bissonette on the Drum Channel doing it.

Why the hell not? Given it was a groove he nicked and adapted from Purdie and Bonham by his own admission in the first place, I hardly think Jeff would mind.


NOBODY can make it sound correct and groove like he did.

FWIW I can put up a pretty good argument that the two guys I just mentioned can make it groove just as well as anybody, including Porcaro. Buy me a pint or two and I can put up an even better argument. :)


Isn't sharing info and ideas what it's all about in the first place? So that others can take your ideas, build on them, adapt them, play with them and make them their own.....a little like Jeff himself did in this particular instance?

What does it really matter if someone gets the mechanics of that groove down by watching Porcaro, or Bissonette, or even little Johnny explaining it from the confines of his bedroom.......at least they've managed to discover and learn what really is an exceptionally cool little groove. What do you reckon?
 
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Jeff was passionate about gardening. He did a lot of it and it was one of his favorite hobbies.

Oh I know and I have the same passion. I suppose in 1992, the whole "toxin" thing was not as emphasized and there was no social media to spread (mis)information on either account, so he just used what he thought was the right chemical for the job. However, he apparently went nuts with it because his wife and the medical staff said he reeked of the stuff meaning he got it all over himself. I mean when you see Monsanto employees working on "farms" (in quotes for a reason), they're wearing full-protective suits. I hate to say Jeff died to teach us a lesson but I will NEVER use toxic chemical on my lawn or garden and he is a big reason why. To me the biggest tragedy was that his kids grew up without a dad. I mean, drumming and music will go on without him but the thought of me dying in 3 years and leaving my kids without a dad to raise them and watch them grow up is beyond words. Ineffable.

Pocket... I said what I feel but some things you should not say. I've been having a rough time with life lately, I've not been myself. :)
 
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Groovin to the Boz with Jeff

Just re-discovered Boz Scaggs' '77 album "Down Two Then Left," courtesy of YT.
Without realizing who the drummer was, I was marveling at the tight, flowing, definitive grooves on the drumming track; surfed over to Wikipedia to read that the drummer was none other than the great Jeff Porcaro.

The more I hear Jeff, the more I appreciate how less is more, especially with the tasteful fills and patterns that sound easy, but take a while to transcribe on the set.
The recording dynamics were clear enough to easily discern Jeff's brilliant playing and his drum kit's tones as well. It was a confirmation that using a clean, dynamic technique help bring out the songs' intentions.
So much solid and SMOOTH technique to appreciate as a drummer--to absorb and learn from, incorporate into my own playing.
 
Rosanna "shuffle" is a brilliant one.....but there should have been more "shuffles" within that song instead of repeating the same through out.....just a thought.
 
yeah

and what's up with the Mona Lisa?

she should have been smiling a little bit more instead of that little kind of smirk that no one is really sure of .... not sure what da Vinci was thinking

just a thought

damn "book artists"..... I wish Banksy painted the Mona Lisa


My god that's funny!!
 
yeah

and what's up with the Mona Lisa?

she should have been smiling a little bit more instead of that little kind of smirk that no one is really sure of .... not sure what da Vinci was thinking

just a thought

damn "book artists"..... I wish Banksy painted the Mona Lisa


give it a break bro .... seriously

Mona-Lisa-Smile.gif
 
friends...if everyone agrees on the same thing, where is the excitement?..I am just trying to move ur thought process perspective in all directions......thanks friends for not judging me harshly..:)
 
Jeff Pocaro is a phenomenal drummer/percussionist.Is this the son of Professor Joe Pocaro,California University. The Pocaro family is right at the top of the drumming tree.
I quite liked Toto as a band,dynamic, solid and tight.

Robert Matthew's
 
My personal favorite Jeff tracks:

Gaucho - Steely Dan
Black Friday - Steely Dan
Doctor Wu - Steely Dan
Chain Lightning - Steely Dan
Your Gold Teeth II - Steely Dan
King of the World - Steely Dan (from a very rare live performance at the Record Plant in 1974, playing double drums with Jim Hodder. As Donald Fagen puts it, "COOKIN!")
Night by Night - Steely Dan
Parker's Band - Steel Dan (double drumming with Jim Gordon)
FM - Steely Dan
Lido Shuffle - Boz Scaggs
Lowdown - Boz Scaggs
Jojo - Boz Scaggs
Calling Elvis - Dire Straits
Heavy Fuel - Dire Straits
The Grind - Tommy Bolin
Homeward Strut - Tommy Bolin
Blues for Ronnie - Karizma (double drumming with Carlos Vega)
Space Glide - Lee Ritenour
Mother - Pink Floyd
Hold the Line - Toto
Rosanna - Toto
Girl Goodbye - Toto
Jake to the Bone - Toto
 
My personal favorite Jeff tracks:

Gaucho - Steely Dan
Black Friday - Steely Dan
Doctor Wu - Steely Dan
Chain Lightning - Steely Dan
Your Gold Teeth II - Steely Dan
King of the World - Steely Dan (from a very rare live performance at the Record Plant in 1974, playing double drums with Jim Hodder. As Donald Fagen puts it, "COOKIN!")
Night by Night - Steely Dan
Parker's Band - Steel Dan (double drumming with Jim Gordon)
FM - Steely Dan
Lido Shuffle - Boz Scaggs
Lowdown - Boz Scaggs
Jojo - Boz Scaggs
Calling Elvis - Dire Straits
Heavy Fuel - Dire Straits
The Grind - Tommy Bolin
Homeward Strut - Tommy Bolin
Blues for Ronnie - Karizma (double drumming with Carlos Vega)
Space Glide - Lee Ritenour
Mother - Pink Floyd
Hold the Line - Toto
Rosanna - Toto
Girl Goodbye - Toto
Jake to the Bone - Toto

Great reference list- I'll have to listen to a bunch of these. Lowdown's groove took me a long time to understand and play, since at the time I studied it I was not drumming much. But I love the steady hi hat beat with its permutations and little accents. For Lido, I wonder if that groove is similar to the Rosanna Shuffle with its hat beats and ghosts?
 
Thanks, newoldie.

IMHO, Lido Shuffle is by far the most difficult of his shuffles to get right. It took me hours to get the proper coordination down and several more to actually make it feel somewhat good. Jeff, of course, developed this groove when he was only 21 or so and played it with absolute authority; I still can't wrap my mind around that. He claims he stole this shuffle pattern, in addition to the Black Friday shuffle, from his "shuffle champion", Jim Gordon on the Steely Dan tune Charlie Freak (from the Pretzel Logic album).

This guy does a marvelous job breaking down the Lido groove: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThQ8pKyRFrk

And I'm sure you've seen this before, but here's the master breaking down Rosanna: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwyO1qr0edI

Rosanna has a lot less going on, but it's also a lot faster. I love playing both grooves to a click as a way to work on my time and endurance.
 
Being a big JP fan, I found another upload on YouTube I had missed before.
This is the entire Toto/Live in Paris concert from 1990 and the video is pretty clear.
Not enough of Jeff shown (as usual, compared to the vocalist/guitar players) but enough to get your JP "fix."
Love watching his playing and hearing his powerful but simple grooves, something I aspire to.
http://youtu.be/GROb_lC7uG4
 
Some people comment that on Steely Dan Katy Lied, that Jeff's Performances were not outstanding. WTF?

He was not allowed to be outstanding. You have OCD Donald Fagen basically telling you each time you have to perform a drum-stroke and if that takes 300 takes, then so be it.

Once Fagan realized, that …. "hey this 19 year old kid is the next white Bernard Purdie" the album was complete.

Listen closely to several songs on this album - Chain Lightning in particular, and you will hear a drum clinic.
 
Some people comment that on Steely Dan Katy Lied, that Jeff's Performances were not outstanding. WTF?

He was not allowed to be outstanding. You have OCD Donald Fagen basically telling you each time you have to perform a drum-stroke and if that takes 300 takes, then so be it.

Once Fagan realized, that …. "hey this 19 year old kid is the next white Bernard Purdie" the album was complete.

Listen closely to several songs on this album - Chain Lightning in particular, and you will hear a drum clinic.

Katy Lied was one of my least liked SD albums.
Just not great.
Transitional would be my take.

Now Royal Scam was the sh!tz.
That was one of the most perfect SD albums ever.
 
My personal favorite Jeff tracks:

Gaucho - Steely Dan
Black Friday - Steely Dan
Doctor Wu - Steely Dan
Chain Lightning - Steely Dan
Your Gold Teeth II - Steely Dan
King of the World - Steely Dan (from a very rare live performance at the Record Plant in 1974, playing double drums with Jim Hodder. As Donald Fagen puts it, "COOKIN!")
Night by Night - Steely Dan
Parker's Band - Steel Dan (double drumming with Jim Gordon)
FM - Steely Dan
Lido Shuffle - Boz Scaggs
Lowdown - Boz Scaggs
Jojo - Boz Scaggs
Calling Elvis - Dire Straits
Heavy Fuel - Dire Straits
The Grind - Tommy Bolin
Homeward Strut - Tommy Bolin
Blues for Ronnie - Karizma (double drumming with Carlos Vega)
Space Glide - Lee Ritenour
Mother - Pink Floyd
Hold the Line - Toto
Rosanna - Toto
Girl Goodbye - Toto
Jake to the Bone - Toto

I love listening to him on Dire Straits' Heavy Fuel. Jeff lays an awesome groove to that song.
 
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