I always wondered how much woodshedding tony had to do to get that 4 on floor with left foot at up tempos feeling so flawless...I assume that other than creative genius he was like most of us, having to work on technical challenges...like he did his push pull ride stylehardbat said:I seem to remember an old Downbeat magazine in which several top drummers were interviewed all at once, in a room. I think I remember Art Blakey, Shelly Manne, and several others, and a very young Tony Williams. Part of the interview became an argument between Tony and the rest of the drummers, over the bass drum. Everyone said you had to have a (very) light 4 on the bass drum, but Tony was saying he didn't play the bass drum at all except for accents. The rest of them thought he was crazy. Now what Tony was advocating is pretty much standard.
the sheriff said:But, all the bop drummers played 4 on the bass drum, albeit softer than drummers of the big band era. Basically every drummer before Elvin did. Listen to Max Roach carefully - he does it even when soloing.
The problem with playing only on 1 & 3, imo, is that it implies a 2 feel. Some guys do that, but to me it's better to match up with the bass player or just leave the feathering out.
I can't speak for anyone else, but, for me, feathering the bass drum is the foundation of my sense of time.Hi, I’m a beginning student of jazz drumming. As most if not all jazz bassists are amplified and as you can “tap“ your right heel inaudibly on the BD pedal to help yourself keep time, I don’t see feathering as an essential skill for a jazz drummer, as opposed to what some here are saying.
Surely it’s an unnecessary time consuming luxury to learn when there are far more important things to focus on as a jazz newbie. Any arguments to the contrary, or in agreement would be highly appreciated.