Phil de Jong, Drum Teacher

GIVE THE DRUMMER SOME - 5

Bernard Purdie

Bernard 'Pretty' Purdie is one of America's most coveted session players, a fine funk, soul and r&b player.
He was born in June 1939 in Maryland, the 11th of 15 children. Deeply influenced by jazz greats such as Papa Jo Jones, Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, and Art Blakey, by the early sixties he had moved to New York City and was touting his wares at the Turf Club, a hang out for musicians seeking session work. By '65 he was working for jazz artists such as Roland Kirk and Jimmy Smith, and by '69 he'd reached the heady heights of James Brown and Aretha Franklin. His discography reads like a who's who of American popular music. (He was even rumoured to have overdubbed drums on early Beatles recordings, beefing them up for the American market, but these turned out to be pre-Ringo Pete Best tracks).
Renowned for his deftness of touch and the precision of his grooves, Purdie has a drum rhythm named after him, the 'Purdie Shuffle', a half time shuffle groove, explored below. He was also the pioneer of the 'shoop shoop' hi hat drags so prevalent in funk.
Now 81 years of age, he is an still active player.

Boogaloo Joe - Boogaloo Joe Jones
For examples of the 'shoop', they're clearly audible on this funky example from 1969.
https://youtu.be/4DMvZWCacTM

Say It Loud, I'm Black And I'm Proud - James Brown
In this 1969 session for the Godfather of Soul, Purdie is right on the money, the groove has hints of rock underpinned by busy ghost notes, the middle section switches seamlessly to bass drum eighths, before dipping back effortlessly into the main groove. This is a fine example of a 'felt arrangement', one which is arrived at intuitively in the studio by repetitive playing and honing the tune on the spot.
https://youtu.be/9bJA6W9CqvE

Rock Steady - Aretha Franklin
Now considered a soul classic, Purdie's playing is exemplary. His touch is deft, his placement of beats is precise, the pitch, weight and balance of his kit is near perfect, and he doesn't get in the way of the groove, in fact he is the groove. The drum break at 2.28 is rounded off beautifully by a finely executed trademark shoop shoop.
https://youtu.be/KB5sMYw37gw

Memphis Soul Stew - King Curtis
This live version is a great example of what a gig night for Bernard Purdie sounded like. Cued in as 'a pound of fat back drums' this is a masterclass in pacing, smoothness and dynamics.
https://youtu.be/0Loy55z4GpA

Home At Last - Steely Dan
This is the Purdie Shuffle. By the late 70s he was a go-to session man, deftly complementing the smooth jazzy funk stylings of Messrs Fagen and Becker. As a consequence, the Purdie Shuffle can be discerned on Led Zeppelin's Fool In The Rain (from In Through The Out Door) and Toto's Rosanna (from Toto IV).
https://youtu.be/_ldtieSEyQM

There are many clips of Bernard Purdie on YouTube, both in live situations and in masterclasses or interviews. Many are well worth checking out.

Give The Drummer Some - 4

Keith Moon

If one were to create a caricature of the archetypal rock drummer, Moon 'The Loon' would be it. His playing could be described as organised chaos, a reflection of his life. There are many stories about him, some true, some apocryphal, but I would like to focus here more on his playing. If you are interested in his life, I would direct you to the excellent biography 'Dear Boy' by Tony Fletcher.
Born in 1946, Keith Moon grew up in post-war Wembley, Middlesex. He had lessons with Screaming Lord Sutch drummer Carlo Little and was hugely influenced by American surf music. A show-off by nature, with a penchant for smoke bombs, by the early 60s he was flamboyantly playing in local group The Beachcombers. He first encountered The Who at a pub gig in 1964. Led by guitarist Pete Townshend, an art school student, they were gradually gaining a reputation as the hippest band in West London, playing r&b. With an unruly reputation, The Who were drummerless at the time, using deps. At the interval, Moon (with died ginger hair) sauntered over to the stage and claimed "I'm much better than your drummer". Surprisingly, they let him play 'Roadrunner' by Bo Diddley. One broken bass drum pedal and two torn skins later he had the gig. He was 17 years old.

I Can't Explain
The Who's first single, the drum sound is tinny and there's not much here to suggest the behemoth they would become. Nonetheless the playing is competent with a few nice rolls. More important here are Pete Townsend's lyrics, which show a sensitivity and understanding of teenage confusion.
https://youtu.be/h3h--K5928M

My Generation
For a drummer who supposedly 'couldn't keep the beat', Moon's playing here is tight on the song's main section and positively explosive on the outtro. Gaining in confidence with every recording, Moon plays a fast shuffle on his crash ride - no mean feat as most rock players would revert to quavers - his rolls are fast, dextrous and unconventional, appearing to flail at his drums, but never losing time.
https://youtu.be/qN5zw04WxCc

Substitute
A word taken from Smokey Robinson's 'Tears Of A Clown' was the trigger for this single, which broke The Who in America as part of the 'British Invasion' behind The Beatles and Stones. A pivotal period, transporting popular music beyond r&b into rock.
https://youtu.be/eswQl-hcvU0

Tommy
Pete Townsend's rock opera, the album can sound a little self-indulgent now (the film certainly is), but this is still a brilliant piece of work, and Moon's playing is right on the money. His drums sound rich, almost symphonic. High points include 'The Acid Queen', where he's playing for the song but still managing to punctuate with lovely rolls, as in 'Cousin Kevin', and of course 'Pinball Wizard' - the whole album is beautifully played.
https://youtu.be/H4lurE-IpHE

Live At Leeds
For a full exposition of what Moon could do in one evening, I direct you to this recording. Playing without a safety net, his fluidity and daring is astonishing. Punctuating the songs with astounding energy, surprising placement of rolls, humour and intensity, this album has stood the test of time. The roll which brings the drums in on 'Magic Bus' is startling, and the whole performance witnesses a drummer at the height of his powers, totally 'in the moment', rock drumming of the highest order. The deluxe version of this album, the whole gig featuring the Tommy album, is now available, recorded at Leeds University before a jovial audience clearly revelling in a fine performance. Moon's Premier drums are captured perfectly.
https://youtu.be/KiWG11Ldk4Q

Who's Next
Clearly on a roll, Townsend's next effort is his Piece de Resistence. On this album it all comes together. Standouts from a Moon perspective are 'Baba O'Reilly' and 'Won't Get Fooled Again', but again the whole album is a joy.
https://youtu.be/QRTNm6GLJYI

Quadrophenia
The Who's last great statement, by this time Moon's health is in decline but he still manages to put in a fine performance. Highlights include 'The Real Me', '5.15', and his droll vocals on 'Bell Boy'.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL705A234F43DA0E34

Keith Moon worked hard and played hard. His contribution to The Who is inestimable - they simply weren't the same without him. His was a bright star which would never get old. He brought a sense of fun, freedom, anarchy and creativity to the rock form, expanding its boundaries and bringing us into the modern era. He passed in 1978 at the age of 32.

DRUM LESSONS

With Phil de Jong MMus BA(Hons)

If you are looking to learn to play the drums, whether you are a complete beginner, intermediate with some experience, or even if you are a seasoned player who would like to take it to the next level, I can help.
Now based in Exeter at Broadfields, I have 40 years' experience behind the drum kit and 20 years' experience as a teacher.
I have played in many different musical settings, and I teach a wide variety of contemporary musical styles, including rock, funk, jazz, reggae and hip hop. I teach both adults and children. I can help get you to a level where you can play in a band and beyond, or just for fun.
I completed a Masters in Music last September at the Academy of Music and Sound in Exeter and have a deep love of the subject.
I give lessons at my home, and also at Tazma Studios in Pinhoe.
Do please contact me for a chat if you're interested. My number is 07941 130801.
I have a page - Phil de Jong, Drum Teacher; and a Facebook group called South West Drummers. Check 'em out!

Give The Drummer Some - 3

DJ Fontana

Today we're going back through the mists of time to look at one of the seminal players of rock and roll music, DJ Fontana. He was of course Elvis Presley's drummer.
Dominic Joseph Fontana was born in March 1931. Originally house drummer for the country and western Louisiana Hayride radio broadcast, in autumn 1955 Sun Records owner/producer Sam Phillips hired Fontana to provide a stiffer backbeat to a promising youngster who had already scored a couple of local hits with his backing band The Blue Moon Boys - guitarist Scotty Moore and double bassist Bill Black. Fontana intuitively accented Presley's onstage gyrations on the drums, drawing from his formative work with strip club artistes. Fontana's inclusion in the band coincided with Presley's move to RCA Victor records and a run of memorable hit singles followed. Thus began a 14 year association with The King Of Rock & Roll.
Stan Lynch (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) said of Fontana: "Armed with accuracy, power, swing, dynamics, great time and — the biggest compliment of all — simplicity whenever it was best, DJ rocked the greatest singer and the greatest songs ... ever. He did it year after year, record after classic record. In a world of one trick ponies and lucky 'Rock Stars', DJ is the real deal."

Blue Suede Shoes
So familiar to be almost impossible to hear objectively, these guys were making it up as they went along, creating a whole new vocabulary for rock music in the process. All done live, ie without overdubs, too. Driving, with an intensity lacking in Carl Perkins' original, oh to have been a fly on the wall for this session! Nothing like this had been heard outside of black r&b, and definitely not within white country and western. Listen to DJ's snare drum as it pops and cracks, propelling the track forward. Seminal.
https://youtu.be/HeXnFx7aPOE

My Baby Left Me
After visiting Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup for his breakthrough single That's Alright Mama, another of his tracks illustrates the exuberance inherent in Elvis' work during this period. The opening drum lick takes things to a whole other level. The ease and flow Elvis has with his performance, underpinned by DJ's busy, swingy groove, with side-sticking, rim shots and interplay between toms during the instrumental break, is pure rockabilly.
https://youtu.be/yGCd39iySWw

Don't Be Cruel
A masterclass in less is more. Anybody who plays drums knows how hard it is to play a complete song without being tempted to put in a fill, at all. DJ just keeps out of the way and plays for the song. The backbeat is solid and would've been educational for a certain Richard Starkey of Di**le, Liverpool.
https://youtu.be/rsRXZ1afhLw

Jailhouse Rock
As Elvis' fame grew, both Hollywood (and the US Army) beckoned. By this time he was moving away from his rockabilly roots and catering to the more lucrative pop market. But occasionally a track snuck through which rekindled that early spirit. This Leiber & Stoller gem is one. Written for the film of the same name, in which an unjustly convicted Elvis stars, the opening motif is instantly recognisable. The main groove is an early example of the 'straightening up' of swing into today's familiar rock rhythm. By now DJ is playing with authority, and the whole unit is a well oiled machine.
https://youtu.be/PpsUOOfb-vE

DJ and the other band members grew disillusioned with playing inferior film filler material behind Elvis and hoola skirted extras and returned to Memphis. Their last hoorah with The King came in the so-called '68 Comeback Special, where they trawled through the old hits with a leather clad Elvis (available on Sky now). But by then the jig was up and Elvis moved into cabaret with a new band and gradual deterioration. DJ continued to play rock right up until his passing in 2018.

Today let's look at the drumming of Mitch Mitchell.
Mitchell was one of the most influential rock drummers of the 1960s, a unique fusion of rock, jazz and psychedelia. His work with Jimi Hendrix, both with the Experience and beyond, is well worth exploring.
A keen devotee of jazz drummer Ronnie Stephenson, after formative stints with the Pretty Things, briefly The Who and Georgie Fame, all stalwarts of the burgeoning swinging London scene, Mitchell auditioned for the Experience in October 1966. Hendrix had been 'discovered' and brought to London from the US by Animals bassist Chas Chandler and had previously cut his teeth as a sideman on the racially segregated Chitlin Circuit, playing showy guitar for such luminaries as Little Richard, King Curtis, Wilson Pickett, the Isley Brothers, Sam Cooke and Jackie Wiison. Mitchell's audition success came down to a coin toss with Aynsley Dunbar, who went on to work with Frank Zappa.
Mitchell's style was flamboyant and busy, with large doses of swing, ably augmenting Hendrix's stunning creativity, leaving bassist Noel Redding as the anchor. Their best work was achieved in the studio, which is where we shall focus. He played Premier, Ludwig, Gretsch and Slingerland kits, often utilising two bass drums.

Hey Joe (Are You Experienced? )
The Experience's first single announces the arrival of a seriously talented group. Originally recorded in straight 4/4 time by garage band The Leaves, Hendrix made this song his own by slowing it down and allowing Mitchell to explode all over the recording, with his double stroked triplets showing his rudiments were well practiced, turning a repetitive chord sequence into something far groovier.
https://youtu.be/rXwMrBb2x1Q

Third Stone From The Sun (Are You Experienced?)
An ambitious early attempt at melding Rock and jazz, Mitchell is all over this track with Elvin Jones inspired rolls and a driving bebop swing, moving seamlessly into a mid-paced rock groove for the sublime guitar motif.

Up From The Skies (Axis: Bold As Love)
Although there's no pyrotechnics here, this track amply shows Mitchell's jazz brush chops are in order.
https://youtu.be/2TUNpGZVnAk

Voodoo Chile (Electric Ladyland)
Not to be confused with the more famous 'slight return', this blues rock centrepiece shows Mitchell could augment and let his bandleader shine, and also take off on his own when given the opportunity. The drum solo at around nine minutes is succinct but to the point. Heaviosity personified.
https://open.spotify.com/track/0auKlivXpm76wR63mMJ3pR?si=CYTXQzTyQVuS5A4BKcLhog
(unavailable on YouTube)

1983...(A Merman I Should Turn To Be)(Electric Ladyland)
Conjuring up images of an underwater dream, Mitchell's drums and percussion accompany Hendrix on an expansive journey through the ocean, less a song than a soundscape. This is what can happen when exceptionally talented people are left to their own devices in a top recording studio. Very influential on Pink Floyd's 'Echoes'.
https://open.spotify.com/track/5uDpwSGjljhIgDB1ZYdp9c?si=0mgq4nKfSYu_d3gNetvMzg

Drifting (The Cry Of Love)
Another mellow tune, Mitchell's playing is unhurried and stretches time. A posthumous Hendrix release but well worthy of investigation.
https://open.spotify.com/track/4xmlBI4xprNK78GSoTtkxp?si=RzCQYJT5QWib2IZPMVcX6w

There is much live concert footage of The Experience, most of which is patchy at best (Hendrix was often on something). Notable exceptions are live at Monterey, the performance which brought Hendrix to the attention of the great and groovy in America, unavailable in its entirity on YouTube but still worth watching individual clips for their ferocity and tight but loose qualities; their tribute to Cream on the Lulu Show(!); and live in Maui has very good shots of Mitch Mitchell in full flight.
Mitchell passed on in November 2008, but his contribution at the cutting edge of rock music lives on.

Today I'd like to focus on John Henry Bonham, the powerhouse drummer with Led Zeppelin. A former hod carrier from the Midlands UK, Bonham possessed strength, imagination, dexterity and groove. His drums were Ludwig Superclassics, his snare a Ludwig Supraphonic LM402, and he played Swiss Paiste 2002 cymbals. His drums were large sized (including a 26" bass drum) which he tuned high as his jazz drumming idols would. This gave him the depth of the large sizes, combined with the 'bounce' on the tight drum heads. For more info on his kits, this is a great site - http://www.johnbonhamdrums.com/

Bonham joined Zep in August 1968. Over the following 12 years, until his death in 1980, Bonham provided drums and percussion for many magnificent recordings. Here are a few:

How Many More Times (Led Zep I)
A tour de force to end a great debut album, Bonham's swing and bravado are to the fore here, but with control. The timing, the drum sound, the 'without a safety net' rolls at the end cap a fine performance.
https://youtu.be/2Vbn2XQ7GPo

Whole Lotta Love/Heartbreaker (Led Zep II)
So well known but still an arresting listen. Hear the isolated drum track here - https://youtu.be/4dT2YWMqw5A
In Heartbreaker, listen out for the way the drums bring in the guitar solo at 2.50, breathtaking!
https://youtu.be/e5O4073zCKA

Since I've Been Loving You (Led Zep III)
Aside from the hard rocking, Bonham was the master of a slow blues, developed from years playing the clubs in and around Birmingham. Drumming is all about dynamics and here Bonham amply demonstrates the push and pull between verse and chorus.
https://youtu.be/K8R7zjJMIfU

When The Levee Breaks (Led Zep IV)
Often sampled and famously recorded in the stairwell of country pile Headley Grange, using herculean amounts of compression, this is the track that launched the careers of Aerosmith's Joey Cranmer and Nirvana's Dave Grohl, both of whom we shall meet farther down the road. This is a fine example of power, timing and brevity.
https://youtu.be/uwiTs60VoTM

Kashmir (Physical Graffiti)
I've chosen this one for it's sheer magnificence, but this whole album is a masterclass in rock drumming. Apparently the insistent groove was whispered by Bonham into guitarist Jimmy Page's ear. It takes gusto to hold the tension for 8 minutes plus, especially as he's essentially playing a very basic groove.
https://youtu.be/SsaFBNvhceA

Other tracks to forage for are - Achilles Last Stand, Fool In The Rain, and of course the drum solo Moby Dick.

John Bonham is the benchmark to which other rock drummers are compared. Many have come close but he has never been bettered imho. Sadly missed.

👌🎶

Hi guys, it's been a while - some of you may know I've been focusing on establishing my recording business - but I have space now to take on some new drum students.

If you are keen but don't want a 'real' kit, then this is a great option for under £300. The guys at Soundpad in Barnstaple know their stuff and there's many alternatives. Though the full spec for this particular kit can be viewed here...

https://www.soundpad.co.uk/drums/electronic-drum-kits/carlsbro-csd130

Connecting with the roll of the drum🙏