Ari Hoenig

I like this guy a lot. I'm definitely in need of an album. I love how percussive and musical he is. What should be the first album I buy with him on it?

Hey man, I would suggest any with Kenny Werner. They are amazing. Also he has some albums out as a leader and as a sideman with Jean Michel Pilc (great pianist who plays in his quartet). Any of these are a great place to start. You can get most of these from the internet easy enough.

Latin. I generally stick to JB. They have most of the stuff I'm after across the stores throughout the city. Otherwise I check out some of the little independent and secondhand ones or if it's hard to find which it often can be, I get it off the internet. Theres a groovy little jazz store in the city but for the life of me I can't remember what it's called. I'll find out and get back to you. JB though, is surprisingly well stocked usually (Elizabeth and Bourke st stores). Borders, of course, is good but way too expensive.
 
Man, Ari whigs me out. He's so far out of the sense of convention it almost seems intentional, but listening to him its obvious that its all legit. It's interesting to me that he usually favors pingier ride cymbals. It's different and not so much what I prefer, but it always seems to suit Pilc's playing. I have his "Live at the Fat Cat" dvd. There are clips of it on the site. The whole dvd is spectacular and you can get it pretty cheap on ebay.
My only complaint about his records as a leader is that there's something about his quartet that bothers the hell out of my and I can't figure out what it is.
Otherwise he's a great player.
 
He may not be the greatest jazz drummer, but he's my most favorite. He makes jazz drumming exciting to me, and to be honest (and not to offend anyone), I'm not a big jazz listener, nor do i hate it. He's awesome and I love his kit too!
 
I saw Ari three days ago at the Jazz @ Liège 2007!! Intersting!!!
I saw him after Gene Lake and E.S.T. trio!!! Waw, it's a seriously crazy drummer and his style is very interesting
 
He may not be the greatest jazz drummer, but he's my most favorite. He makes jazz drumming exciting to me, and to be honest (and not to offend anyone), I'm not a big jazz listener, nor do i hate it. He's awesome and I love his kit too!

Hey man, he is certainly one of the best around today. He is doing some pretty amazing things so it's great you're listening to him and don't worry, I don't think anyone will be offended if you don't dig a style of music :)
 
Just recently turned on to him and very glad about it. He's just amazing and despite his often minimalist, fantastic melodic style, the guy definitely has chops. I'd really like to hear his playing when he was with the 1 O'clock Band at UNT.
 
I just saw Ari Hoenig yesterday (10-29) at a clinic at Chad Sexton's Drum City here in LA (actually North Hollywood to be precise!) and was also very impressed with him. He used a small 4pc kit here, too, and was able to get a wide range of notes out of it by pressing on the heads with the sticks, mallets, his fingers, even his elbows. And talk about melodic, he even played a gospel song (title escapes me) on the two toms and snare.

Yeah, his style was unusual. I was trying to put my finger on exactly what it was. Then I read a few earlier comments here, and I see what it is. He does play more from the shoulder. Less using the elbows as hinges and more pushing forward with the forearms. Looks a litte stiff, actually, but his playing is anything but stiff. He can play real soft and delicate or real LOUD. On the brushes, he really has a different style. Holds his hands perpendicular to the drum, palms facing in, and then uses them like hinges, in and out to the sides. He's also got some real original ways of hitting the drums. Like with the brushes, he'll do like a rimshot with a brush, but keep it angled a little up, so the brush vibrates and does a series of diminishing hits on the drum.

I also saw Gregg Bissonette at Drum City a few months back, and although he seemed like a overall better teacher, imparting more nuts and bolts all around great info, Ari was definitely a lot more inspiring and entertaining imho.

Seems like a nice and friendly guy, too...
 
Just recently turned on to him and very glad about it. He's just amazing and despite his often minimalist, fantastic melodic style, the guy definitely has chops. I'd really like to hear his playing when he was with the 1 O'clock Band at UNT.

Wow!? You would call his playing minimalist? I think he is quite the opposite. He is a very busy player. Apart from that you're right. He has an amazingly melodic approach to the drums and such a light fine touch.

Sounds like it would've been a lot of fun criz p. critter. Wish I got to see him in a clinic, it would be very inspiring and enlightening. With the brushes thing you were talking about, did you mean he hit the actual shaft of the brush against the rim so the wires flexed into the head a bunch of times? Like a multiple bounce brush stroke? It's a very common brush technique but I'm not sure if you mean that or something else.
 
With the brushes thing you were talking about, did you mean he hit the actual shaft of the brush against the rim so the wires flexed into the head a bunch of times? Like a multiple bounce brush stroke? It's a very common brush technique but I'm not sure if you mean that or something else.

Yeah, jazzin', that's exactly what it was. It was new to me as I'm pretty ignorant of brush technique. Pretty flippin' cool even if it is a common move.
 
I met Ari in a club in NYC watching Chris Dave play with Robert Glasper. I was impressed on one hand because he was SO kind and modest when I talked to him. I was also impressed that he gets out to support other "young lions."

Oh yeah, which brings up another point: Ari Hoenig apparently knows that Chris Dave is one of the baddest drummers on the face of the earth right now. Why doesn't Drummerworld have a page yet? See the Chris Dave thread for details...

http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20&highlight=daddy
 
Wow Criz P. I was in L.A. the week of Ari's clinic at Chad Sexton but had to drive back the day of the clinic. Wish I could have stayed. Chad's sure is a great place to hang.
 
Great that there is an Ari Hoenig thread already.
He is an amazing musician! His way of playing, his swing and his musicality seriously makes myself feeling warm whenever I see/hear him.

Here`s another great video of him with the Kenny Werner trio:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMB4YmHdD60&feature=related

I´ve never listened to Kenny before...always focused on Jean-Michel Pilc but that is really happening music, too. :)

Karl
 
North Texas State (one o'clock) Jazz Band came to my high school when I was 14, did a clinic, then a show that night. During the clinic, with Ari a feet away, I saw him do the coolest stuff a jazz drummer could do, absolutely flawless. What made the biggest impression on me was his innovation: he removed a metal bead chain from around his neck, tossed if on top of his ride cymbal, and made it sound like it was riveted! This was in 1994, years before Pro Mark came out with their Rattler device. He also had an Ayotte snare, way before that company became well known among drummers.
He was friendly and amicable, to myself and the other drummers in attendance.
After the show, Ari and a few other members of the band autographed my show poster. He filled me with inspiration that day, and it's really cool to see how his career has evolved since then.
 
Where you somehow disappointed on the other hand?

Haha, not at all. I probably used the wrong expression. Looky here, it's 3 years later, and I still love Ari's playing. Had the opportunity to study with him and he's also a fantastic teacher.
 
I watch Ari play every chance that I get.
He plays at Smalls in NYC sometimes and vid is live streamed from that club nightly.
He is amazing!
 
I got to go to a clinic of his today, great player, really nice guy! It's awesome to see how much fun he has while playing. He has a great approach, that I think I can learn a lot from. If you get the chance to see him, take it!
 
I'll put in a Kudos for his Book: "Systems: Book 1"

Much like using Stick Control, New Breed and other similar concept books but this one includes written "systems" for the taking that perhaps you many have missed before while going through those.
 
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