from Dave's favorites Honorable Mention
Kobie Watkins Relatively unknown, but has been hard at work melding old school tradition with new school discovery. Incredibly energetic and thoroughly devoted to his craft and his family. And now the ranking: 5) Steve Gadd He was the link between old school drumming the new sound. 4) Ed Shaughnessy The Tonight Show drummer for decades and the first drum clinician I ever watched. He had a great respect for music educators. 3) Dave Weckl THE benchmark for the new school drummers. He took drumming to a whole new level. 2) Peter Erskine I just love the way he plays. He's versatile as he excels in all styles and genres. He can swing a big band or drive a combo. So tasty in placement of every note and sound. He also happens to be one of my favorite clinicians. 1) Louie Bellson One of the greatest drummers ever. He lived in the shadows of Buddy Rich. He's at the top of my list because he wasn't just an incredible musician, but because he was a family man and amazingly humble. And there you have it, Dave's top 5 drummers of all time. There were/are many great drummers, but these are the ones who have been influenced my own development as a drummer.
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A note from dave... Did you know that we will soon add over two (2) dozen arrangements of hymns available to you at no cost? That’s right, no cost! Most of these are in SATB format with piano accompaniment and are available for immediate download thus saving time and shipping costs. All we ask is that you send us a tweet or e-mail with performance information as follows;
Additionally, we would love to receive a digital copy of your performance. If the quality is right, we’ll be asking permission to post it on Taylor Music Press for everyone to hear. Quality music at a reasonable price ~ Taylor Music Press!
Because of an earlier experience with Taylor Music Press, I hope to someday have my compositions affiliated this fine company. While putting together my college manual, “The Drummers Workbook”, I engaged David Taylor’s services as a music notation engraver. I found him to be fast, flexible, affordable and intuitive with an eye for detail and a keen sense of responsibility for his client’s satisfaction. He is a real expert at solving engraving challenges. David Taylor exceeded my expectations in aesthetics and being professional even with onerous deadlines. About Jay Lawrence Jay is a recording artist, live performer, teacher, composer, adjudicator, clinician and more. Having grown up in the Nevada showrooms of Reno, Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas, Jay is now an official Utahn residing in Lehi. Currently teaching at five universities and colleges (probably a world record!), Jay also has a large private teaching practice. Lawrence is also in demand for recording sessions and performances. The terms are negotiable. If you need a band or a drummer Jay can make your event a success whether it be a corporate convention, wedding, business party, or recording an album or jingle.Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Check out his website at http://www.jaylawrencedrums.com/ O Henry Tech (Don't look under the hood) Several years ago I attended a week long music technology conference at Illinois State. There were more workshops, demonstrations, and hands-on lab experience packed into that week than I had conceived possible at that time in my life. In the evenings I found myself trapped in a college dorm room with virtually no one else around. So I spent each evening doing one of the things I most enjoy in life – composing. A comment made by one of the clinicians (Henry) during the second day of events sparked my curiosity and became the impetus for the piece I began and finished during that week. When asked about how all this new “music technology stuff” worked he simply stated; “Don’t look under the hood!” I commenced with a quasi-minimalistic formal structure melded with a dysfunctional and repetitious bass-line that was “almost” a straight-ahead funk feel in 4, but not quite. The result was a piece that sounds fairly simple but looks slightly frightening when you first start to learn it. In addition to several mallet parts and an electric bass part, the work offers the determined high-school ensemble an opportunity to feature soloists on drum set, bongos, congas, and/or any other battery instrument you want to add. I hope you’ll enjoy learning and performing O Henry Tech (Don’t Look Under the Hood) as much as I did writing it. Thanks for the inspiration, Henry! ~David L. Taylor About David L. Taylor David L. Taylor is the Coordinator of Percussion Studies at BYU-Idaho. He is the founder of RixStix Percussion Group. He is a commissioned and published composer and has written a wide variety of music including concert band, orchestra, choir, solo percussion, mallet ensemble, percussion ensemble, string quartet, drum line, and hand bell choir. |