Marlon Brando. Yeah, sure, he could act. Very talented guy. But, hey, he also invented a radically innovative tuning system for conga drums. Played the congas, too. Yup.
That's right.
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jul 3, 2011 -
23 comments
If you were to ask me "What is the most
artistic drum solo you've ever heard?", I'd say "You mean the one with the most exquisite sense of dynamics? One that doesn't bludgeon you over the head, but instead pulls you in with its subtlety and restraint? Where masterful technique is purely at the service of
musicality? That best conveys a musical vision and a deep understanding of the interrelationships of percussive timbre and tone that make up that remarkable instrument we call the drum set?" You'd say "Yeah." I'd say
this.
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Sep 24, 2010 -
49 comments
One of the most rhythmically solid, tastefully understated and (all too often) criminally underrated drummers in the history of rock music turned 70 today, and you'll forgive me if I couldn't let the day pass without a nod in his direction. You've probably heard of
him.
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jul 7, 2010 -
98 comments
We're mostly pretty familiar, I guess, with the ol'
rum pa pum pum of the
Little Drummer Boy. He shows up every Christmas,
marching drum slung round his waist,
rat-a-tat-tatting for the Son of God, thanks to that familiar song about him. A catchy little tune it is, too... heck,
David Bowie and Bing Crosby think so! Let's keep in mind, though, that back when a certain Holy Infant made his first grand appearance at a stable back in Bethlehem, any little drummer boy that might've serenaded him wouldn't have been playing any
paradiddles or ratamacues. Nah, he'd have been laying down beats more like
this, or
this, or (from actual
boys),
this. I think the baby Jesus would've dug the groove, too. Merry Christmas, y'all!
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Dec 24, 2009 -
32 comments
Fiddle, accordion, and a singing drummer. Seven minutes and fifty seven seconds of Gypsy music from Ukraine, live in Budapest. The real thing. Totally wailing. Kickass.
Técső Banda at Kertem.
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Oct 10, 2009 -
23 comments
"
DrumPants are a set of pants that enable the wearer to produce drum sounds by hitting various parts of the pants with his hands. The wearer thusly becomes a cyborg musician, his body assuming the roles of both player and instrument, allowing for spontaneous electric hambone solos or even collaborations with other musicians in a band setting."
posted by mr_crash_davis
on Sep 7, 2007 -
46 comments
The Story of Mel - Almost everyone's seen the Story of Mel on USENET or via email... the story of the guy who wrote programs for a particular ancient drum computer by using the characteristics of the drum to handle memory allocation and time delays. In a footnote on the Jargon File, it seems that his last name is known... An interesting footnote to an interesting and probably true story.
posted by SpecialK
on Apr 7, 2001 -
5 comments
