Jazz Articles about Dave Weckl

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Dave Weckl Band: Perpetual Motion

by Glenn Astarita
December 26, 2002

Just about anyone who has followed jazz and jazz-fusion should be familiar with drummer Dave Weckl’s enviable talents. The artist came to prominence back in the '80s, performing with pianist Chick Corea’s electric (fusion) and acoustic (mainstream jazz) bands. Since then, Weckl has issued several solo outings amid guest spots with various ensembles. He’s released instructional videos/DVDs for aspiring drummers out there who need to know either the mechanics behind his technical faculties or to simply pick up a few ...

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Dave Weckl Band: Transition

by Todd S. Jenkins
March 1, 2001

Drum master Weckl continues to hawk the muscular brand of fusion that he began dealing with Chick Corea’s Elektric Band over a decade ago. This album seems a catharsis for Weckl, having just come off a divorce and other personal problems. He’s in better form drum-wise than we have heard in some time, and the music on this disc is more engaging than his prior efforts.

It would be hard to find a better environment for Weckl’s style than this ...

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Dave Weckl Band: Synergy

by Dave Hughes
April 1, 2000

Dave Weckl is one of today's most versatile and technically accomplished drummers. In tandem with keyboardist Jay Oliver, he's also a proficient composer. After a year of touring, the band (which includes veteran guitarist Buzzy Feiten, saxophonist Brandon Fields, and bassist Tommy Kennedy) is cohesive and tight. . This is definitely a band project--all members contribute compositions; some songs are credited to four or all five members of the band. There's a lot more than just head-solos-head over a standard ...

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Dave Weckl Band: Synergy

by Ed Kopp
August 1, 1999

Explosive drummer Dave Weckl leads a talented ensemble that sounds a bit like his old group, the Chick Corea Elektric Band, minus the venerable Mr. Corea. This second release from the Weckl Band is an energetic mix of improvised fusion and pop-jazz.Spunkier than Spyro Gyra and more rock-oriented than the Yellowjackets, the Weckl Band is best when it gives in to its jazzier tendencies -- as on the cuts “Swunk," a fiery track that combines funk and bebop, ...

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The Dave Weckl Band: Synergy

by Jack Bowers
July 1, 1999

Although drummer Dave Weckl and his sidemen (I assume that this is his working quintet) know exactly where they want to go and how to get there, the kind of Jazz they play simply doesn’t interest me in the least. I’m sure they must think it swings; with some exceptions (“Swunk,” parts of “Synergy,” for example) I couldn’t agree with any such assertion. It sounds to these admittedly unschooled ears like a hybrid that embodies rock, smooth Jazz, New Age ...

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Dave Weckl Band: Synergy

by Paula Edelstein
June 1, 1999

When Dave Weckl decided to have a “band writing day, rehearsal kind of jam session” while touring with his present ensemble, he couldn’t have made a wiser decision. That day ended up yielding the foundation for almost half of the material on Synergy, his latest release on Stretch Records. The band, Brandon Fields on tenor sax, Jay Oliver on keyboards, Buzz Feiten on guitar,Tommy Kennedy on bass and Dave Weckl on drums, is captured having fun and being spontaneous with ...

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Dave Weckl: Synergy

by Jim Santella
June 1, 1999

Contemporary jazz offers featured roles for electric guitar, electric bass, horns and keyboard. And then there’s the drummer. No longer a timekeeper, the drummer sits amid his extended set of percussion instruments and propels his band with a variety of tools. Dave Weckl employs practiced rudiments on his large set to create patterns that interact with the other band members. He stretches out occasionally, but prefers to share in each track’s creation instead. Guitarist Buzz Feiten breathes fire in a ...