s t s i t r A e r u t Fea e d i u G g n i n e List

In addition to the brushes demonstrations and words of wisdom that we have seen and heard from the exceptional drummers involved in The Art of Playing with Brushes, we recommend that those of you who are interested lend a serious ear to their recordings to get a first-hand listen and feel for these brush masters.

Ben Riley
Ben Riley made many significant recordings with Thelonious Monk (among many others). However, there may be no recording on his resume that is as important as Sonny Rollins The Bridge. This is the perfect recording to check out Bens heavy pulse with a light stroke approach to drumming. Ben plays brushes on much of this record (which also features guitarist Jim Hall). He uses the brushes traditionally, often playing the melodies with brushes before switching to sticks for the solos, as he does on You Do Something To Me. Mr. Rileys relaxed tempo on the ballad Where Are You is a model of patience and relaxation. Because of the musical sparseness on Without A Song, Bens flawless brush sound can be fully appreciated. Check out the authority that Ben exhibits with his brushes when he re-enters the tune after Rollins helping of unaccompanied saxophone. Who ever said that the brushes couldnt be as strong as sticks? Some re-releases of The Bridge include The Night Has A Thousand Eyes, in which Ben plays a relaxed bossa nova feel using one stick and one brush. Many drummers often pick up their brushes for bass solos, but like Kenny Clarke before him, Ben Riley has never really used the brushes just to play quietly. Throughout his career Ben has relied on his brushwork for creating different musical textures, as opposed to a lower dynamic. Ben already has one of the quietest approaches to drumming -- he doesnt need brushes to play quietly. Instead, he uses the brushes to shade the music, providing the soloists and the music with exactly what is needed. Also notice Bens hi-hat work during his brush playing, often providing short upbeats, and long splashes to complement the soloist.

Eddie Locke
Throughout the years with his one-time boss Coleman Hawkins, Eddie Locke made many wonderful recordings. In 1962, Eddie made not one, but two exquisite recordings with Hawkins. No Strings is a quartet date with some of Lockes best drumming on record. He plays brushes on several tunes, and his swinging groove is absolutely masterful. Pay special attention to the clear tone that Eddie gets on the cymbals with his brushes. You can almost hear his hands (and fingers) snapping the brush away from the cymbal to create a crystal clear attack that cuts through, and blends perfectly with the music. This is very evident on the tune Be My Host. On the song The Man Who Has Everything, listen to the silky-smooth sweeping sound that Locke creates, establishing a big soft cushion for the musicians to lean upon. Also in 1962, Hawkins called on Locke for his Desafinado recording. This is a unique recording in many ways. It was made during a time that many musicians were making bossa nova theme records. In retrospect, many of those recordings now sound a little contrived. However, this recording is definitely not one of them. Desafinado is one of the hippest bossa nova recordings ever made. Eddie Locke plays brushes throughout, and contributes a hypnotic groove that creates the feeling of sitting in a Brazilian cafe enjoying the ocean breeze in the sixties. Locke varies his bossa brush grooves slightly from tune to tune, creating subtle variations on the theme. One of the strongest effects of Lockes deft brushwork on this recording is that his sliding brushes often sound very much like shakers, and his short and controlled sweeps are never too legato for the musical style. This important recording could be considered a manual for playing bossa nova music in a jazz setting.

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Another recording that has provided a spotlight for Ben Rileys brushes is pianist Rob Schniedermans Standards. Here, his timekeeping is comprised of a more gentle and staccato brush sound, which matches his sensitive stick work throughout. Check out the many types of strokes that Ben uses on his solo on the tune Love Letters. There are open and muted taps, slides, sweeps, and dead-strokes all contained in this angular and educational solo. For some of Bens best brushwork on record, check out the composition LaVerne from Andrew Hills Shades recording. Bens brushes follow Andrews floating piano approach to perfection. Also check out Mr. Rileys brushwork on How Am I To Know from Johnny Griffin and Eddie Lockjaw Davis recording Tough Tenor Favorites.

tricky enough, Morello navigates the whole tune with a constantly shifting, sweeping brush groove that propels this eccentric composition with a smooth finesse. (There is an outstanding live version of Three To Get Ready on the album The Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall.) Mr. Morellos even and smooth legato brush approach on Strange Meadowlark, is not to be overlooked either. Due to Brubecks sparse comping on this tune, you can hear Joes picture perfect brush sound better than ever. You can also hear Joes hi-hat comping loud and clear on this tune. It is easy to get caught up in the metric abnormalities of Brubecks Time Out and Time Further Out. The odd time signatures that Brubecks quartet use get a great deal of attention from the drum community, and deservedly so. But what is often overlooked is the fact that Joe played many of these compositions with a sweeping, smooth, and musical brush approach. The next time you are working on your odd time grooves, challenge yourself to play in 5, 7, or 9 with a sweeping brush groove. Joe Morellos fluid brush playing in these challenging compositions invented a sub-genre of brush playing: odd-time brush playing. This is an unrecognized approach that few have attempted, and perhaps none have mastered, except Joe Morello. This is a truly unique vocabulary and these recordings are the textbooks.

Joe Morello
How many drummers get to lay claim to participating in an undisputed classic recording? Joe Morello is one of them, and he even contributed a classic drum solo to the recording. However, when you mention Dave Brubecks Time Out recording, most people immediately think of the seminal odd time recording of Take Five and the equally unique Blue Rondo A La Turk. Although these compositions and performances are indeed important in the jazz pantheon, there is much more to this enduring recording. If you overlook the other tunes on the recording, you are doing yourself a huge disservice. Drum-wise, it is these songs that provide a masterclass of brush playing. On Everybodys Jumpin, Joe gets an illustrious brush sound while opting to leave his snares on, and he also takes a very good brush solo. Kathys Waltz begins innocently enough -- in 4/4 time! But you soon hear Morellos brushes implying a metric modulation playing two bars of 3/4 over one bar of 4/4. The band follows and they effectively play in both the basic 4/4 tempo with Joe staying in the new 3 over 2 tempo. He opts to play a straight four type of brush feel, while keeping the hihat playing on alternating beats (1, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2) throughout the entire 3/4 groove of the tune. Three To Get Ready has a rhythmic structure that consists of two bars of 3/4 followed by two bars of 4/4. As if that wasnt

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Charli Persip
Like Joe Morello, Charli Persip can also lay claim to participating in a truly classic recording. The recording Sonny Side Up is a meeting of three musical legends: Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, and Sonny Stitt got together in 1957 to produce a recording that will go down in jazz history, and the rhythm section on the date was anchored by Charli Persip. This recording featured not one, not two, but three classic recordings of three superb compositions. On The Sunny Side Of The Street is one of the quintessential jazz cuts ever recorded. It must have been difficult for Charli Persip to play brushes throughout this entire tune; most of us would have succumbed to the temptation to switch to sticks. While Rollins, Gillespie, and Stitt are simply tearing it up, Persip thankfully shows the maturity he learned while playing in Gillespies big band and sticks to his guns (or his brushes, if you will), by staying with the brushes. Persips understated but monumentally strong brushwork on this tune makes it a true classic. Elsewhere on this essential recording, the song The Eternal Triangle doesnt feature any brushwork, but it has to be mentioned as an archetypal up-tempo performance for the ages. Charli keeps the brisk tempo driving for more than 14 minutes, keeping the feel relaxed when most others would border on frantic. When the band plays After Hours they arent just playing a blues, they are playing THE BLUES, and Charlis fat back beat shows why Louis Jordan, Ray Charles, and Big Joe Turner were all one-time employers. Gretsch Night At Birdland is a jazz drumming extravaganza, with four of the all-time greats converging on one stage. Getting back to the brushes, what can be said about the brushwork on the tune Tune Up? On this selection Philly Joe Jones, Elvin Jones, and Charli Persip trade eights and play extended brush solos. These three legends show us everything that can be played on the brushes, and then some!

Billy Hart
Billy Hart has never played an inappropriate note in his life. He is consistently accompanying the other musicians, and pushing the music into places that were previously uncharted. When brushes are called upon to uplift and compliment the music, Mr. Harts brushwork more than fits the bill. Billy approaches every song with a blank slate, reacting to and complimenting the music like none other. Many musical drummers have cut their teeth playing with singers, and Billy Hart is no exception. Billys brushes and unique accompaniment traits can be heard on any of his recorded work with singer and pianist Shirley Horn, who was a master of slow tempos. Most of her recordings feature Harts (or Horns regular drummer Steve Williams) supreme brush playing. Of special note is Horns 1991 recording You Wont Forget Me. Shirley Horn was one of jazzs great vocalists, and Billy Hart was a distinguished part of so much of her music. Billys most outstanding recorded brushwork to date is on Hank Jones Great Jazz Trio recordings Standard Collection Volume 1, and Volume 2. Not only are these recordings a prime study of Billys sublime brushwork, they are perfect recordings from which to learn the standards. Mr. Harts patient groove on Summertime is the essence of musical maturity. On The Days Of Wine And Roses and Gone With The Wind, Billys medium swing is stupendous, and his brush solos show his pristine touch at the drums. Notice how Harts bass drum and tom sounds match his brush tone. It is important to note that when he is using a pair of brushes, Billy achieves a consistent sound around the set. Billy keeps his snares on for the brushwork on this record, and his sweeping sound is smooth and gentle. When Billy switches from brushes to sticks in On Green Dolphin Street, the switch is hardly noticed because of Harts exquisite touch with both sets of tools.

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Billys cymbal sound with brushes is a sizzling masterpiece. Listen to it on As Time Goes By and the bossa nova stalwart Black Orpheus. Mr. Harts ballad brush sweeping on Summer Knows and Danny Boy is what great timekeeping is about. And listen to Angel Eyes for a surprising and unique accompaniment from Mr. Harts brushes and mallets. For further listening, Billy also plays some loose and free brushwork on Charles Lloyds Canto.

Nussbaums presence on Tom Harrells recording Sail Away is very important. Adam frames Harrells beautiful music with his signature classic hipness. On the title tune, Adams bossa-ish groove is neither traditional nor avant-garde; it floats in the creative and musical world where this marvelous drummer makes his living. Also listen to the unique and hip lope that Nussbaum puts on Glass Mystery. It is with John Scofield that Adam Nussbaum first burst upon the scene. From 1981s Shinola, the ballad brushwork on Scofields tune Yawn is truly haunting. Also pay attention to his subtle brushwork on Alster Fields from the earlier recording Rough House. From Jerry Bergonzis recording Standard Gonz listen to Adams smooth transitions between brushes and sticks on the tune Arbonius Unt. Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s Nussbaums drumming was heard with Michael Breckers working band. With this explosive group, Adams sensitive brush playing could be heard on Don Grolnicks touching composition The Cost Of Living, which is on the live recording of the same name. The 2006 release Three For All by the collective group We Three featuring Dave Liebman, Steve Swallow, and Nussbaum, is another showcase for Adams superior musicianship and prowess with a pair of brushes.

Adam Nussbaum
Adam Nussbaum has some real brush highlights on record. To begin, we have not mentioned many brush recordings in a big band context; the lack of volume from the brushes can often make this a challenge. But check out Adams brushwork on Jim McNeelys big band recording called East Coast Blow Out. On the composition More Questions, Adams brushes guide the band through McNeelys challenging chart with ease and strength. From pianist McNeelys earlier album, From The Heart, Adams effortless brushwork prods the ballad The Answer Without A Question with a relaxed yet forward-leaning groove. The title tune from Dave Liebmans If They Only Knew features a slow progression that begins with Adams aggressive brush approach and ends in a cacophonous rumble. Adams thick brush sound gives way to mallets, and then finally to sticks. With extraordinary maturity, Nussbaum doesnt switch tools until he has absolutely no choice, giving the song a slow and deliberate climb to a thunderous crescendo. This is Adam Nussbaum at his best.

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Steve Smith
When Steve Smiths name is mentioned, it is often his grandiose fusion drumming, jaw dropping double-bass drumming, and hard-working bands that are immediate topics. However, in his heart, Smith is a jazz musician. Throughout his career, this arena rock star, turned bandleader, erudite educator/renaissance drummer, has developed a masterful brush approach. It has been a long time from when Smith played brushes on pianist Gil Goldsteins 1977 debut recording Pure As Rain, to his bluesy brush groove on Journeys Walks Like A Lady, to today where his brush prowess in todays sets with his bands Vital Information and Jazz Legacy make audiences around the world stand up and cheer. With Buddys Buddies, the Buddy Rich alumni tribute band, Smith has recorded the Leonard Bernstein composition Cool (from West Side Story) on Very Live At Ronnie Scotts - Set Two, and on the original Buddys Buddies studio recording, simply called Steve Smith and Buddys Buddies. Steves melodic and musical approach to the drumset is captured on these recordings. His swinging and distinctive time feel on these selections shows a true respect for the history of the brushes and his sincere love of jazz. You Stepped Out Of A Dream, from the studio album, features Steve mixing it up on the brushes with a uniquely modern jazz approach in the context of a sax, bass, and drums piano-less trio. On How Do You Keep The Music Playing?, from Very Live At Ronnie Scotts - Set One, Smith plays with a brush in his left hand (playing a backbeat on the snare), and a Tala Wand bundle in the right hand (on the ride cymbal), showing us how versatile the brushes can be. On various tracks of the Indian/fusion album George Brooks Summit, Smith plays with brushes and uses his patented brush in one hand/ Tala Wand in the other approach, keeping the tunes cooking at an intense low volume burn.

Country legend Ray Price tapped Smith for his recording Prisoner Of Love, and the results are a shuffling and swinging delight. On Ramblin Rose and Better Class Of Losers, Smith provides the classic Ray Price shuffle with authenticity and conviction. Steves unhurried time feel on the ballad Body And Soul is deep, while his 1940s-style of swing on Fly Me To The Moon would make even Papa Jo proud. Later, Smith keeps the snares off for the country back-beat of The Beatles In My Life, sounding as if Ringo were wearing a cowboy hat. Steve Smith also sweeps us away with his 3/4 time feel on the tune I Wish I Was Eighteen Again. To hear Smith use the brushes in a more traditional jazz setting check out his work with his highly versatile group Vital Information. On their 1989 recording Vitalive! Steve uses brushes to great effect on (What Lies) Beyond and I Should Care. From their 2000 release Live Around the World, check out their re-imagining of Led Zeppelins Moby Dick and Santanas Europa. On the same double-live album, Steve kicks off their version of Coltranes Mr. P.C. using brushes at a breakneck tempo. On their 2004 album Come On In, listen closely to A Little Something for a textbook example of using brushes for a long slow buildup before switching to sticks. And on their 2007 release Vitalization, Smith winds down the recording with his subtle brushwork on the albums final track, Positano. The brushes hold a great tradition and they offer new horizons for the drummers of today. The brush masters involved in The Art of Playing with Brushes have given us great insights into the techniques and applications of the brushes in all styles of music. It is time that drummers of all genres embrace the tradition of the brushes and look to the future, because the possibilities are endless!

By Mark Griffith  drummer, recording artist, author, historian Edited By Steve Smith

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