Modern Drummer #068.pdf

Cover Photo by Ebet Roberts

CONTENTS

FEATURES

STEVE JORDAN

Four nights a week, Steve Jordan plays for an estimated 2,700,000

people as the drummer for Late Night With David Letterman. In

addition, Jordan has played for such bands as The Blues Brothers

and Eyewitness, and has done his share of studio work. In this MD

exclusive, Jordan talks about the master drummers who influenced

him, and discusses live TV, recording, and the importance of

taking control of your own sound.

by Rick Mattingly

DRUM EQUIPMENT: A NEW LOOK

Are custom-finished drums and colored cymbals merely a passing

fad, or do they reflect a growing concern with visual appeal? MD

spoke with a number of industry officials, and got a variety of

opinions.

by Rick Van Horn

MICKEY CURRY

The drummer for Hall & Oates discusses the challenges involved in

blending his acoustic drum sound with electronic drum sounds

when recording with one of today's most popular groups. Curry

also relates how he began working with both Hall & Oates and

Bryan Adams, and talks about the way in which his own drum

sound has been influenced by the late John Bonham.

by Robyn Flans

JERRY ALLISON

The former drummer with the early rock 'n' roll group Buddy

Holly & The Crickets discusses that group's rapid rise to success,

its early recording experiences and its R&B influences. Allison also

talks about his contributions to the songs of Buddy Holly & The

Crickets, as well as his more recent songwriting efforts and his

work with Waylon Jennings.

by William F. Miller

MARTIN DREW

British Jazz

by Simon Goodwin

COLUMNS

EDUCATION

DRUM SOLOIST

Shelly Manne: "Green Dolphin Street"

STRICTLY TECHNIQUE

Individual Hand Control

by Glen A. Bush

CLUB SCENE

Enjoying The Great Outdoors

by Rick Van Horn

LISTENER'S GUIDE

by Lenny White and John Stacey

EQUIPMENT

SHOP TALK

Understanding Drums

by Paul Matcott

108

PROFILES

PORTRAITS

Wilby Fletcher

by Bill Milkowski

UP AND COMING

Simple Minds' Mel Gaynor

by Bill Wolfe

ON THE MOVE

Les Harris, Jr. and

Mark Breckenridge

NEWS

UPDATE

INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS

DEPARTMENTS

EDITOR'S OVERVIEW

READER'S PLATFORM

ASK A PRO

DRUM MARKET

IT'S QUESTIONABLE

by Mark Hurley

ELECTRONIC INSIGHTS

Amplifying Electronic Drums

by Reek Havok

110

114

JAZZ DRUMMERS WORKSHOP

Solo Ideas For Hi-Hat: Part 3

by Chuck Kerrigan

ROCK PERSPECTIVES

Style & Analysis: Steve Smith

by Bradley Branscum

122

PRODUCT CLOSE-UP

From The Ground Up

by Bob Saydlowski, Jr.

CONCEPTS

International Drummers' Meeting

by Roy Burns

100

SETUP UPDATE

Paul T. Riddle and Carl Palmer

JUST DRUMS

THE MUSICAL DRUMMER

The Communication Cycle

by Bill Molenhof

116

102

130

120

126

Back

Basics

PUBLISHER

Ronald Spagnardi

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Isabel Spagnardi

EDITOR

Ronald Spagnardi

FEATURES EDITOR

Rick Mattingly

MANAGING EDITOR

Rick Van Horn

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Susan Hannum

William F. Miller

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Blaine Cannizzaro

ART DIRECTOR

David H. Creamer

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Kevin W. Kearns

ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR

Isabel Spagnardi

ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER

Ellen Corsi

DEALER SERVICE MANAGER

Janet Gola

CIRCULATION

Leo Spagnardi

Tracy Kearney

Nancy Walter

SALES PROMOTION MANAGER

Evelyn Urry

It was during the mid-'60s when we saw the corporate conglomerate

invasion of our industry, each of them planning to latch on to the incredi-

ble growth of the musical instrument business at that time. We watched as

one American drum company after another was reduced to subsidiary sta-

tus by the larger firm with multiple unrelated interests. Though most of

them lacked an understanding of the basic business of drum making, each

moved into high gear with sophisticated marketing strategy and tech-

niques. However, as of late, it appears as though we're witnessing an inter-

esting trend, as these very same drum companies that were gobbled up by

the corporate giants gradually drift back into private hands.

For example, the Gretsch Drum Company, which has undergone a series

of ownership changes since 1967, has finally made its way back into the

hands of Fred Gretsch, the great-grandson of the originator of the com-

pany. And late last year, Slingerland was purchased from C.G. Conn by

comptroller Larry Rasp, under the Sanlar Corporation name, another indi-

cation of the trend back to private ownership.

Recently, we were astonished by the news that CBS had decided to sell

off its entire musical instrument division, which includes Rogers Drums. A

spokesman reportedly stated that CBS had decided to limit its investments

outside of broadcasting and publishing, which was a polite way of saying

that the musical instrument division had become an unprofitable burden.

What seems to have gone wrong? Several things, I believe. First was the

mistaken assumption that growth would simply continue on its own, with-

out concern for product quality and new development. Money poured into

the corporate bureaucracy of each firm was another contributing factor.

And the loss of dealer loyalty, as a result of the lack of concern for service

and support, certainly added to the problem. Gradually, the consumer

began to get the impression that the American manufacturers were no

longer leading the way—something they'd always been noted for. Just

keeping pace with rapidly developing foreign innovations became a way of

life. In the final analysis, the contributing factors had little to do with mar-

keting techniques, but rather with the product itself.

It always seems that, when concern for product takes a back seat to an

overriding concern for profit, the end is generally close at hand. The best

strategy in the world becomes virtually meaningless if it's not built on a

foundation of solid commitment to product excellence. Perhaps some of

the corporate giants who have bailed out of the drum business simply lost

sight of this basic concept, which ultimately stifled creative product devel-

opment, despite their tremendous financial strength.

Can we expect this trend to continue? Are we seeing the beginning of the

end of the conglomerate involvement in our little corner of the world? It's

difficult to say for certain, at present. We'll just be keeping our eye on new

developments in this area, and do our best to ascertain whether the private

owners, with their renewed concern for exceptional products that lead

rather than follow, can pull the American drum industry back to a position

of strength and leadership. If the back-to-basics formula is a valid one, we

may be in for a rather interesting turn of events over the next few years.

MODERN DRUMMER ADVISORY BOARD

Henry Adler, Carmine Appice, Louie Bellson, Bill

Bruford, Roy Burns, Jim Chapin, Les DeMerle, Len

DiMuzio, Charlie Donnelly, Peter Erskine, Danny

Gottlieb, Sonny Igoe, Jaimoe Johanson, Jim Keltner,

Mel Lewis, Larrie Londin, Peter Magadini, George

Marsh, Butch Miles, Joe Morello, Andy Newmark, Neil

Peart, Charlie Perry, Paul T. Riddle, Ed Shaughnessy,

Steve Smith, Ed Thigpen.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Susan Alexander, Charles M. Bernstein, Scott K. Fish,

Robyn Flans, Simon Goodwin, Dave Levine, Robert

Santelli, Bob Saydlowski, Jr., Chip Stern, Robin

Tolleson, T. Bruce Wittet.

MODERN DRUMMER Magazine (ISSN 0194-4533) is

published monthly by MODERN DRUMMER Publica-

tions, Inc., 870 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove, NJ

07009. Second-Class Postage paid at Cedar Grove, NJ

by Modern Drummer Publications, Inc. All rights

reserved. Reproduction without the permission of the

publisher is prohibited.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $22.95 per year; $41.95, two years.

Single copies $2.50.

MANUSCRIPTS: Modern Drummer welcomes manu-

scripts, however, cannot assume responsibility for them.

Manuscripts must be accompanied by a self-addressed,

stamped envelope.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Allow at least six weeks for a

change. Please provide both old and new address.

MUSIC DEALERS: Modern Drummer is available for

resale at bulk rates. Direct correspondence to Modern

Drummer, Dealer Service, 870 Pompton Ave., Cedar

Grove, NJ 07009. Tel: 800-221-1988.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Modern

Drummer, P.O. Box 469, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009.

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