Mere Noisemakers

Drummers used to be predominantly known as mere noisemakers (not musicians) coming out of the Vaudeville-era, where percussionists were seen as background tools. They often carried out sound effect cues, sent from studios to theaters, for silent films. This left drummers with the responsible task of mimicking the sounds of hurricanes, car crashes and thunderstorms from the orchestra pit. Jo Jones, a multi-instrumentalist who played vibraphone, drums and piano, was one of the musicians sanctioned to these pits. He went on to tour with tent and medicine shows, before being hired as a drummer for Count Basie in 1935. Drummer, teacher and author, Charles Perry, called Jones' style "elastic," putting an emphasis on the "controlled tension" required for a successful execution on the drum kit. Jones was known for translating the footwork of dancers into the rhythm of his playing. This created a natural flow that lifted the bandstand. There was little room to "give the drummer some" among the tightly knit, horn-driven arrangements of the Swing era, but drummers continued the fight to be heard.

Kenny Clarke was a drummer who thought that the Swing sound had become rather dry, while working with the Teddy Hill band in the late 1930s. Clarke set out on a mission of his own, to change the music with his "bomb-dropping" style. This also is eventually what got him fired. After numerous complaints from other musicians, reporting that they couldn't follow the drummer, Hill was left with no choice but to let Clarke go. However innovative Clarke's playing was, it didn't yet jive with others on the bandstand, but that would soon change. Jo Jones, Kenny Clarke and numerous other players, like Gene Krupa, Chick Webb and Buddy Rich, helped to break down a door for drummers in the beginnings of jazz. A door that could never be rebuilt and eventually proved that drummers don't just bang on things but are also musicians after all. Without the help of specific teachers, who helped create and carry on techniques of coordination and control, this accomplishment simply would have never been.

There has been a slew of drum instructors, over the course of history, who have aided players to adapt in any musical scenario. Teacher, Jim Chapin, was one of them. Chapin showed drummers how to take total control over their coordination and seamlessly apply it to their playing. He studied with Sanford Moeller, the developer of the "Moeller Method." This was a whip-like technique of playing the snare, by using one's forearms and elbows in a frog-like motion. Moeller also instructed the famous Gene Krupa. After his studies, Chapin went on to write Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer, which has been a staple in drum education since its publication in 1948. His son, Harry Chapin, also led a dedicated life to music and other arts.

In an International Musician issue from April 1961, the great Max Roach preaches that "Jim teaches the drummer to play all figures with the left hand and bass drum while the right hand keeps rhythm on the cymbal." The idea is to train every limb to play anything, flowing as one single instrument. The Emperor (of the drum kit) Elvin Jones, who regarded Chapin's book as a "milestone," was a drummer who insisted that: "You can't isolate the different parts of the set, any more than you can isolate your left leg from the rest of your body. We live in a world where everything is categorized and locked up into little bitty compartments. But I have to insist that the drum set is one." The goal of the drummer is to view the kit in this manner and simultaneously, life in general. Elvin Jones was given the nick name "Emperor" by his revolutionary colleague, Max Roach.

Drummer, educator and "musical messenger," Buddy Deppenschmidt, studied and taught out of Jim Chapin's book during his forty plus years instructing. The two players were acquainted, from Chapin giving drum seminars at high schools in the New Jersey region, where Buddy ran a drum school in the 1970s. "You must be a musical chameleon as a drummer," Buddy quoted on numerous occasions. He found subtle ways to make his drums more heard, as he was playing with the acoustically driven Charlie Byrd Trio, of the early 1960s. His recording debut with Byrd-after only four days of being hired-on The Guitar Artistry of Charlie Byrd (Offbeat 1960)—features exquisite brush work, showcasing his intuitively adaptable skill on set. By 1960, the brushes had been in existence over forty years, but not always used to the best of their ability. However, Buddy's humble brush strokes shine on every track of The Guitar Artistry, featuring cohesive drum breaks on "Speak Low" and his effective rhythms and solo on "House of the Rising Sun," which Willis Conover of WCBS described as "a sort of rock-pile waltz on two chords." Buddy was a firm believer that the drums should help enhance the other instruments, as opposed to overpowering them. His father, composer Buddy Williams, played clarinet and piano and led his own orchestra, after leaving Glenn Miller in the late 1930s. Buddy Deppenschmidt had his father's same intrigue for music. He used his gained knowledge of Brazilian drumming, on the 1961 South American Embassy Tour, to stretch out on the bandstand and in the studio, on Jazz Samba (Verve 1962). The drummer/instructor also had a verbal approach to teaching students how to read music and would often instruct them to count time using "meta phonics" (vowel alteration based on a taxonomy of sounds), revolutionized by Indian master-musician, Ali Akbar Khan.

Deppenschmidt spent an immaculate amount of time exposing jazz music to the youth throughout his life. He began holding performances throughout regional New Jersey high schools in the early 1970s. This was part of the first wave of "Music In Our Schools" programs, where bands would perform different songs, in different styles and time signatures, exposing students to a variety of musical showcases. The Deer Head Inn (the oldest jazz club in Pennsylvania), located in the Pocono Mountains, was a place Buddy would take select students to come sit in with other musicians, like John Coates, Jr. (piano) and Phil Woods (alto saxophone. From 1970-1973, Deppenschmidt continued his own drum studies with none other than Joe Morello, of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Morello was a master of technique but was always very careful not to misuse or misteach it. He had quoted that, "Technique is only good if you can use it musically," in his book, Master Studies (Modern Drummer Publications 1983). Morello instructed many other successful players, from Max Weinberg (of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band) to Jon Fishman (drummer of the jam band, Phish).

Joseph Albert Morello was born into an orchestral background and played violin with the Boston Symphony Orchestra after only three years of studying the instrument. At age fifteen, he began studying drums with the one and only, George Lawrence Stone, author of Stick Control for the Snare Drummer (Alfred Music 1935). This was a rigorous, but necessary drumming textbook. Stone is known for many techniques, including his mastery of stick rebounding and advocating both rudimental and flat flams. Stone was a true pioneer of brushes in the East, also known as 'fly swatters' or 'sink cleaners.' He incessantly insisted upon their need in the percussion world. The great instructor also had a knack for analogies in his teachings, like the representation of a motorist's ascent and descent of a hill, to explain the crescendo and diminuendo in drum rolls. He relates both the motorist and drummer's need for control, in order to smoothly ascend and descend. Morello quickly took to Stone's teachings and was applying his own innovations to Stone's methods. Stone was so inspired by Morello's ideas, that he not only incorporated them into his second book, Accents and Rebounds but dedicated the entire book to Morello himself. Joe Morello took a two-month touring gig with the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1955, where he would remain for over a decade. Brubeck was masterfully toying with time signatures and imaginatively inventive ideas that intrigued Morello. He had begun delving into more poly-rhythmic arrangements which focused heavily on modulation.

Morello and the Quartet's saxophonist, Paul Desmond, got off to a rough start upon the drummer's arrival. Joe Morello told the story in a NAMM oral history interview from 2007. He explains how he politely asked Brubeck for more room to stretch out on the bandstand, so the welcoming bandleader gave the eager drummer a feature solo at the next gig. This caused an eruption of applause and praise amongst the audience. A praise so great, that it angered Desmond, who up until that point was the star of the show. Desmond stormed off to the dressing room after the set, threatening to quit if Morello was kept on. Brubeck called Desmond's bluff, holding his ground and the argument was settled. The drummer stayed. It was at this time that Morello began studying with Billy Gladstone, who was an innovative drum instructor, most known for developing "The Gladstone Technique" of sticking, and also for instructing the famous Buddy Rich. Morello also used his study of international rhythms, on tours of the Middle East and Turkey in the late 1950s, to push musical boundaries-most notably on Time Out (Columbia Records 1959). The seasoned drummer retired from touring, after an epic stretch with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, lasting until 1972. He then dedicated the remainder of his life to teaching, writing and clinics.

Drummer, pianist and composer, Jack DeJohnette, has an immaculate repertoire, having collaborated with master musicians such as: Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, George Benson, Sonny Rollins, Stanley Turrentine and Ron Carter. Jack DeJohnette was part of the Charles Lloyd group, birthed in 1967. This was a band who were predecessors to fusion, with their blend of jazz, rock and R&B. The Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Sixties (Horizon Press 1966) states that "Charle's Lloyd's liberal musical philosophy has established him as one of the most important and successful figures in the Avant-Garde." This was something that obviously inspired Jack DeJohnette, helping to form his future outlooks on creative expression. Jack's roster through the decades is nearly endless, not to mention his own solo recording career, which he has been chipping away at since The DeJohnette Complex (Milestone 1968). This release features a collaboration with the great Roy Haynes on two tracks. On one of his most recent releases, Hudson (Motena 2017), DeJohnette is still the shape shifting drummer/composer and multi-instrumentalist that he set off as. His emphasis is on improvisation, or "multi-direction" as the drummer himself calls it. He has stayed true to his path and is all about the arts. The devoted drummer has been involved in many musical organizations, such as the "Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians" and the "Percussive Arts Society." Jack DeJohnette knows that passing the torch of musical knowledge is vital for the progression of creative freedom in the world.

Billy Cobham is yet another "multi-directional" musician, whose work behind the kit has been awe-inspiring to drummers of all genres. He played with Miles Davis for a chunk of time and then moved on to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, a group formed by players out of Davis's lineups. They helped aid fusion styles into the mainstream. Cobham's solo release, Spectrum (Atlantic 1973) was entirely composed by the drummer himself, relying heavily on the set as the main vocal point. The album's title says it all. It is simply music from across all spectrums and breaking down all barriers, as true music should. The album opener, Quadrant 4 tunnels listeners in and by the time they reach the title track, they have found the right door into the realms of the musical cosmos. It contains wackily genius arrangements, like Taurian Matador and Snoopy's Search, as well as smooth sailing grooves, like Red Baron. It is a transcendent piece of work, which has had a jaw-dropping effect on an endless scroll of percussionists, including modern day player, Danny Carey, from the hard rock group, Tool.

Most drummers are aware that they will need to prove themselves musically viable at some point on their musical journeys. That's okay, because that's just how the world is—ever changing and constantly pushing forward. Based on the accomplishments of the players described above, as well as numerous others, drummers have proven that they too can hold their own, even handling other instrumental duties. What better way to prove oneself musically viable, than to play multiple "noisemaker" machines? It is a shame that the drummer is often the butt of jokes, yet often both the backbone and heartbeat of the band. Drummers and instructors of the past have continually showed the world that drummers are definitely musicians too. It is inspiring and motivating to know that such brave and dedicated percussionists have come before us to help pave the way. Such players within the jazz realm have aided percussionists in all genres of music. Overall, this is what has helped the drum kit stay musically present, in a musical world ever-changing.

Now, modern drummers can carve a new path of their own and pass the torch to be carried down until the end of time. After the examination and study of previous methods, modern day "noisemakers" can use these master techniques as a base example for their progression onward. To quote the stringent master, George Lawrence Stone... "The sounds and effects of the new school are simply natural extensions of the rudimentary training of the old school. Get a good long-haired training and then snap it up to late!" It was a grind to be heard at first in the 1900s, but drummers quickly took to the challenge of not being shut out of musical exploration, while moving through the formative years of jazz and mending into the future with the help of many great educators. Music education, no matter how big or small, is a vital ingredient for the progression of the arts.

Sources

• Chapin, Jim. "Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer." Alfred Music. 1948.
• Byrd, Charlie and Stan Getz. "Jazz Samba." Verve Records. 20 April, 1962.
• Byrd, Charlie. "The Guitar Artistry of Charlie Byrd." Offbeat. 1960.
• Cobham, Billy. "Spectrum." Atlantic Records. 1 October 1973.
• Hoffman, Duffy. Interview. Conducted by: Troy A. Hoffman. January 2023.
• "International Musician." 4 April, 1961. Pg. 14. (Ad for "Independent Coordination... ")
• Lopes, Josmar. Interview. Conducted by Troy A. Hoffman. December 28, 2022.
• Mathews, Burgin. "Magic City." UNC Press. 28 November, 2023. Pg. 153, 168.
• Morello, Joe. "Master Studies." Modern Drummer Publications. 1983.
• Perry, Charles. "Modern Drumming." International Musician. August 1959. Pg. 16.
• Stone, Lawrence George. "Stick Control for the Snare Drummer." Alfred Music. 1948.
• Stone, Lawrence George. "Technique of Percussion: About That Flat-Flam." International Musician. December 1961. Pg. 24.
• Stone, Lawrence George. "Technique of Percussion: Crescendo and Diminuendo In Rolling." International Musician. October 1961.
• Stone, Lawrence George. "Technique of Percussion: Swat the Fly." International Musician. October 1960. Pg. 28.
• Ward, C. Geoffrey and Ken Burns. "The History Of Jazz." Knopf Publishing. 2005.

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