Taking care of business

"It's called show business.... so show up and take care of your business."

     We often think of "show business" as some unruly, willy-nilly, free-for-all.  We think of entertainers as these untouchable and elevated people who have nothing to think of except their performances and they live in some kind of fantasy world where, if you "make it" then you're excused from overall responsibility.

     Today, more than any other time, "show business", the word "business" is just as important, if not more, than the word "show".

     Why?  Because if the business doesn't get handled, then the show ain't happening.  Period.

     So what is business?  It's everything, even the playing:  returning correspondence via email, phone, texts.  Being on time.  Being absolutely prepared.  Dressing correctly.  Supporting and serving the music.  Doing your job.  Doing what you say you are going to do.  And further...  maintaining a vibrant social media presence, keeping up with the trends, etc....

     I am reminded of all of this as I observe musicians in various states of preparedness for performances.  I am amazed at some of them, how astute and ready they are.  Others, it's the total opposite, they behave as if some magical force is going to tie up all the loose ends they haven't bothered to take care of.  

     When I'm a bandleader, I am acutely aware of the musicians I hire and their business standard.  If I hire a player, and I've sent them music in advance, it's natural to expect them the have it prepared. And if they haven't prepared, I will never call them again.  If they are prepared, then their number is on my list when it comes time to make calls.

     It's so simple, yet so easy to slack off.  Most of the things that a musician can do to make their playing experience better, to give themselves and the band a better chance of making some actual music, are not difficult but just require caring enough to do them.  In my mind and in my experience, this is what separates great musicians from so-so musicians.  The ones who know that if they want to sound good, then they have to know the music well in order to have a chance at making some good music, and also to show the leader some respect.

     Do yourself a big favor.  Handle your business, leave no stone unturned and you'll see a big difference in your life.  

What You're Doing...

Today I was thinking about all the great drummers I've enjoyed so much over the years and how some of them transcend the idiom, some of them transcend the drums themselves.

Ever hear Roy Haynes play funk?  Or Mel Lewis play a funky backbeat?  Or hear Tony Williams play a rock feeling?  It's still totally them, still has their fingerprint all over it, it's improvised and loose, but it's not "stock" by a long shot.  It's their personality, their sound, their ideas, transcending the idiom.  

You transcend the idiom by learning the vocabulary and the devices, the nuts and bolts, etc... then you're getting started.  

On the flip side, check how the drummer on Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On" plays a jazzy three feel.  Or check the loose feel that Stevie Wonder plays drums on a song like "Seems So Long"

Or check how Paul McCartney plays drums on his first two solo albums and also on "Chaos and Creation", the way they both orchestrate for the music when they play drums is so perfect, so natural and easy sounding.

They transcend the drums, by not thinking like drummers.  How can they?  They play all the instruments and the drums are just one part of it all.

How can drummers do this?  To free themselves of the patternistic trappings of the trap set?

They are not thinking about what they are playing.  They are thinking about what they are doing.  And that function doesn't change all that much from idiom to idiom.  I mean, in be-bop a drummer may be employing a conversational and melodic approach as opposed to in rock or funk a more beat oriented, repetitive approach.  But essentially, they're doing the same thing.  Serving the music.  And hey, a rock song can have conversational/melodic drums in it, too, if the music asks, answer.

Always play for the music.  The Melody.  The Form.  The changes.  The dynamics.  The statement being made. The musical vision, the composers intent. The energy.

Remember, it's not about what you're playing, it's about what you're doing. 

The "Truth Kit"

     As an impressionable kid of 12 years old, I used to marvel at fancy drum kits.  The rock drummers that captivated my attention on MTV played colossal set-ups designed to wow audiences.  Drum magazines capitalized on music video culture with advertisements of popular drummers perched atop  unfathomably big set ups.  Many of us young cats took the bait.  I would add any piece I could get my hands on to my kit:  cowbells, root-toms, extra cymbals... you name it, I tried it.

     One day in band class I innocently asked my teacher, "What's the best drum kit out there?"  I wanted to know, so I could start calculating how many lawns I'd have to mow to get that kit.  His reply was short and simple
   
     "The one with the best drummer playing it."

     I felt kind of silly.  But still, I persisted.  My kit grew, and my playing, did not.  I went to see a band who's drummer had an incredible drum rack system and his cymbals hung from the rack by chains.  So, I drilled holes in my parents basement and hung my cymbals by chains.  Poetically, it was a nightmare to try to set my kit up underneath the cymbals just right and I went back to using cymbal stands, just like all the mere mortals did.  Another time I bought a set of electronic pads, but they just sounded too out of place against my acoustic drums and they quickly felt novel.  I ditched those, too. Another time I bought all these fancy double ply heads and fancy "dead ringer" mufflers and the drums sounded so bad I tore the mufflers out, effectively wasting my hard earned money.

     As a senior in high school I got a brass piccolo snare like my favorite drummer, but it sounded thin and abrasive, nothing like my hero's drum sounded on the records, and I quit using it and went back to my old no-name drum I'd had since grade school.  I also tried using the same "power tom" sizes that the hero used, but the drums always sounded flat and weird, so I sold those too.

     I learned the hard way.  And, the expensive way.

     I finally traded the fancy power tom kit in on an old, but very solid, vintage kit from the late 60s which I still own.  Those drums have a tone and a soul.  They are no nonsense and allowed me to get on with the business of just playing.  I used those drums all around Kansas City and cats loved them.  I used them on records and I still love the sound.  I tried a few other kits here and there, but I stayed with those drums.

     After moving to NYC and relinquishing my car to live in Manhattan, I paired my kit down even more.  I couldn't carry toms around, or even a crash cymbal.  So I learned to play on what cats call "The Truth Kit".

Playing the "truth-kit" in NYC with Eliane, Hagar Ben-Ari and Bill Ware

      The truth kit exposed me, musically and physically.

     For soloing, the Truth Kit was a major challenge.  It exposed my then lack of rudimental foundation, forcing me to confront my weakness.  I went on to study with Michael Carvin who helped me re-tool my playing from the ground up, and soloing on a lone snare drum then became no problem.  The kit exposed me physically, too.  I felt like there was nothing to hide behind and now knew what vocalists and guitarists feel like.  It was a real trip to discover that.  My creativity was exposed, not having toms and extra cymbals to play, I was forced to make it all happen on a snare, bass, hi-hat and cymbal.  And you know what, you should be able to make it happen on that.  What good will all the other stuff do you if you can't??

     I need to add, that physically, with the Truth Kit, there's a piece for each limb:  Right Hand = Ride Cymbal.  Left Hand = Snare.  Right Foot = Bass Drum.  Left Food = Hi=Hat.  Unless you are an octopus, then you've got your hands and feet full.  If you need further evidence go take a look at the Jim Chapin book.

      And I paid several years worth of dues on that kit, playing all kinds of gigs on it.  And you know, it never let me down.  I played jazz, brazillian, rock, funk and singer songwriter stuff on that kit all over NYC.  Nobody ever, ever complained.  In fact, many musicians complimented me on being able to make it happen on such a sparse kit.  One time recently I was playing a Truth Kit and T.S. Monk was there checking the gig out.  After the set he raved about it, saying that Max Roach had taught him the lesson of the Truth Kit.

     Now, I'm not saying that every drummer should play on a Truth Kit, because if the music asks for multiple cymbals and toms, then do what you gotta do.  But especially for young drummers, for whom money is scarce, my best advice is this:  Get a solid kit, with standard sizes (meaning no extra deep toms and a modest size bass drum) and put some basic kind of heads on it and learn to deal with what you've got.  If you're going to invest money, invest in quality cymbals, not more drums.  Invest your thought and time into MUSIC... that is, your training.  A fancy snare drum ain't gonna help you play rudiments any cleaner, or some expensive practice pad.  Deal with the basic kit until you get out of high school.  Cats that are constantly changing their kit around, they're usually not doing it for musical reasons.  Learn to TUNE your drums.  Learn about drumheads and how they work.  Learn about cymbals and the various alloys.  Study your rudiments and coordination.  (See Charles Wilcoxon and Jim Chapin).

So, fast forward to now.  My students ask me about drums.  "Mr. Kane what are the best drums?"  And you know the answer is!  All the best to all you great young drummers.

-Matt