Rabbit & Pork

What! I’ve just turned on BBC1 and caught the latest “celebrity sing-song career revival knockout” reality tv show called ‘Just the Two of Us’. Who’s one of the judges? Stewart Copeland - yes, the guy who started and played drums for The Police.

Stewart - What are you doing? Stop it. Please. Now.

Nice. Very nice.

Wow, what an evening. Having not really appreciated Jazz before, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the music on offer. I could almost become a convert.

First part of the evening, Peter Erskine was interviewed by Neil Percy (principal percussionist with the LSO and head of the Timpani and Percussion Department at the Royal Academy of Music - the venue for the evening). An interesting conversation, which included some nuggets such as the time one his tutors asked him on their first meeting to play every note of an excercise incorrectly. Reluctantly he did so, and was then asked to look out of the window to describe the scene - of course, even though he couldn’t play any worse, the world outside continued as usual. Something for all of us learning the art to consider.

Then, Peter played with his trio, The Lounge Art Ensemble (Saxophonist - Bob Sheppard, Bassist - Dave Carpenter) who effortlessly knocked out some selections from their new album “Music for Moderns”. The striking aspect for me was the dynamic range shown on the drums - I’m used to people going at it - volume 11. His jazz oriented kit (Yamaha drums, Zildjian cymbals) demonstrated very clearly the different sounds that can be produced when played appropriately. The six string bass was also slightly alarming.

After a short break, Peter was joined by 20 or so musicians who were students in the Jazz and Percussion departments at the Royal Academy. They played a number of pieces (written by Peter, arranged by others) and to be honest, this was just astounding. The combination of talent and variety of music was stunning. Play list: Plan 9 - Scotland, Africa - Northern Cross - Song for Jaco (Song for a Friend) - Bulgaria - Not a Word - Sweet Soul - To be or not to be.

I’m not about to rush out and buy a pile of Jazz albums, but the evening has certainly given me some insight into this new world and different style of drumming.

A while back, I posted some photos of my home drum kit setup. Since then, things have moved on, including the location of where I practice at home. Now, I get to play in the conservatory overlooking the garden (when it’s not too sunny for the blinds to be open). It’s basically the same setup (except for the introduction of a double-bass pedal, which I haven’t really explored yet).

I’m experimenting with seating position - currently, I’m sat to the right of the snare facing the hi-hat and crash, hence the pedal locations.

One issue with this room is ensuring the kit does not slip on the tiled floor when used. Although you can’t see from the photos, everything is actually sitting on anti-slip rug backing cut to shape. Cheap, but it works.

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