Tag: adam nussbaum

Journal #7

I’m in the middle of editing another podcast episode that I’ll put out in the next couple of weeks and have a few more interviews lined up. In the meantime, here are a few things to check out if you have the time.

Billy Hart

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to see Billy Hart with The Cookers, and put up a reel on my Instagram of his incredible playing behind a sax solo.

It was a fun night and I was thrilled that I got a chance to say hi to him after the show. I’m not a big autograph guy, but couldn’t resist having him sign my copy of his autobiography. He was so humble and nice.

Here’s a 10 minute (!) drum solo from the show that I put up on YouTube. This was my first time using iMovie and it was pretty painless, so maybe I’ll do more of this sort of thing.

SF Jazz at Home

I recently subscribed to SF Jazz at Home so I could access their streaming archive. It’s only $7.50 per month. There’s lots of great stuff and the quality is incredible.

Highlights so far are the John Scofield shows from a few months ago. One is the Combo 73 quartet with Bill Stewart on drums, but the one that I’ve watched a few times now is a trio set with Nasheet Waits. I’ve been checking him out more lately, so being able to see this was very exciting.

Here’s one of the tunes from that stream that SF Jazz posted on YouTube. This one is great because it shows Nasheet soloing on a slow groove based tune. It really shows off his incredible time and control.

And here’s one from Combo 73 featuring Bill Stewart.

Zildjian 400th Anniversary Concert

Zildjian put up a playlist of some incredible performances from their 400th anniversary concert. Lots of great stuff, but my favorites are Adam Nussbaum and Marcus Gilmore. You can view the full playlist here.

Adam Nussbaum playing one of my favorite songs, “Ralph’s Piano Waltz”:

Marcus Gilmore:

Have a great weekend.

The Art of Playing with Brushes

The Art of Playing with Brushes dvd

I’ve been working on my brush playing and rediscovered this absolute treasure from Hudson Music. It’s fantastic.

The Art of Playing with Brushes (instant video / DVD) is an amazing resource with over 7 hours(!) of footage that features:

  • Billy Hart
  • Eddie Locke
  • Joe Morello
  • Charlie Persip
  • Ben Riley
  • Adam Nussbaum
  • Steve Smith

What makes this so unique is that you’re not just watching a single instructor explain patterns—you’re seeing multiple masters demonstrate their personal approaches, all playing to the same set of backing tracks.

The backing tracks are included, and they’re some of the best I’ve encountered for practicing—whether with brushes or sticks. Tempos range from 40–320 bpm, with a couple of them in 3/4 and a few Latin tracks as well.

Here’s a sample that features Billy Hart:

I can’t recommend this highly enough! If you haven’t checked it out and you’re a jazz drummer, I’d say it’s a must-watch.

It’s available as an instant video from Hudson Music or on DVD.