What is jazz drumming?

I couldn't get thru the whole Jazz Sabbath video, but got thru 90%. It got tiring to my ear. Like Bluegrass. Hot for a bit, but tiring.
 
jda said:
sweet opening display here may help some one..


I call (Jack) Circular motion as in like a Horn breathes Circular motion.
one long drone Roll.. Galactical circling passing of the planets around the Sun
it revolves.
drones in a good way like an Indian sitar
infinity
there's a quarter note beat there- which is the Sun- his hands and sometimes feet- are the planets circling.. the Sun

you got that?: ) (lol
Click to expand...
I find more accessible the album Like Minds (easier to listen to): Corea, Holland, Metheney and Roy Haynes.
 
2 hit wonder said:
I couldn't get thru the whole Jazz Sabbath video, but got thru 90%. It got tiring to my ear. Like Bluegrass. Hot for a bit, but tiring.
Click to expand...

anything...other than possibly Rush...gets tiring to me after an hour
 
ravenson said:
Jazz is away of life , frequently articulated musically . It's way of looking at things .

Click to expand...

When I was getting my MFA, one of my cohort mentors, Bob Hicok, frequently reminded me not to think about poetry as some mysterious uber-secret society ya need a decoder ring to answer sorta thing. Like if ya gotta think about it too hard, then it's probably not very good. Same with ethereal hogwash like this. A way of life, frequently articulated musically? Really? That answer is exactly why the OP was asking their initial question. Demystify it for OP don't go deeper into the ethers lol.
 
Rattlin' Bones said:
...frequently reminded me not to think about poetry as some mysterious uber-secret society ya need a decoder ring to answer sorta thing.
Click to expand...
Try reading James Joyce without one. ;)
 
Last edited:
To be honest I feel like learning the clarinet, I want to be able to play a jazz melody. This is probably what is jazz drumming has done for me, an extra boost to become a real musician. 😆
 
Elvin Jones Isolated drum Trackage.. (two albums...


1st is Love Supreme
2nd is Quartet Plays (where I began bookmark)
lots to chew on
 
Last edited:
Unfortunately jazz drumming is......something that is very far away from me. Wish I didn't have to say that. Befor I go to the other side maybe?.
 
Suburbankidz said:
Joyce's "Ulysses" is stream of consciousness. You don't need a decoder ring 😉
Click to expand...
Exactly.

Just listen to jazz and enjoy it. It ain't a way of life , frequently articulated musically. It ain't a way of looking at things- it's just a style/ a genre of music. Like opera. Symphonic pieces for orchestra. The blues.

OP wanted to know what is jazz drumming. It can be as simple as a swing pattern on ride cymbal. I think the majority of jazz you can just swing on the ride. The better you get the more you'll do improvising and playing with what the other musicians are doing. What separates my elementary jazz skills from really good jazz drummers is taking that next step with a lot more independent limb skills than I have. But I play paid gigs once or twice a month with a jazz combo and everyone has fun. I swing the ride 50% of the time. The other pieces I do a basic Latin groove. A few pieces more a shuffle groove. I use brushes on half the songs. That's my jazz drumming.
 
Rattlin' Bones said:
Exactly.

Just listen to jazz and enjoy it. It ain't a way of life , frequently articulated musically. It ain't a way of looking at things- it's just a style/ a genre of music. Like opera. Symphonic pieces for orchestra. The blues.

OP wanted to know what is jazz drumming. It can be as simple as a swing pattern on ride cymbal. I think the majority of jazz you can just swing on the ride. The better you get the more you'll do improvising and playing with what the other musicians are doing. What separates my elementary jazz skills from really good jazz drummers is taking that next step with a lot more independent limb skills than I have. But I play paid gigs once or twice a month with a jazz combo and everyone has fun. I swing the ride 50% of the time. The other pieces I do a basic Latin groove. A few pieces more a shuffle groove. I use brushes on half the songs. That's my jazz drumming.
Click to expand...
That's relatable. What I think of as "proper" jazz drummers, like the type I used to see at clubs in the 70s and 80s, not only had great independence, but amazing stick and foot control, ridiculous left hand dexterity and the ability to draw multiple sounds from each element of the kit.
 
moxman said:
I’ve seen all 4 of those wizards in their own shows.. but never all together.
Click to expand...
This is a band from 1989-90... they played a lot around back then... meaning 33 years ago...The Parallel Realities Group...
 
Last edited:
moxman said:
I watch a lot of jazz bands playing in local clubs or virtual online concerts sometimes - and I'm usually amazed by the drumming. It's not my bag to play as I'm more of all round rock, funk, shuffle demon kinda guy. I played a lot of big band stuff early on and played in a few jazz bands.. but not really my thing (also playing for tips doesn't work for me either). But I love listening and watching jazz wizards.. and I was watching one the other night it got me thinking..
- what is it about modern jazz drumming that sets it apart?
- Is it the avoidance of playing the backbeat on 2 and 4 ... and just dancing around it with offbeat shots on the snare or kick?
- Why? If I got thrown on stage to sit in I would tend to straighten things out and punch out the groove more.. but most jazz drummers I find go out of their way to avoid that.. there's a groove for sure but it's hidden by rolls across the bar or accents in weird places (just because..)

Maybe I'm old school and harken for days of old, where people would get up and dance to jazz (jump swing is my favorite genre).
I'm sure there is a spectrum of today's modern jazz ranging from free form to jazz standards. But even most standards are often interpreted in many different ways.
Maybe the thing about jazz drumming is.. you just can't put your finger on it!
Click to expand...
Swing, improvisation, communication with other musicians.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top