Mike Shapiro(drummer of Sergio Mendes) and his band appear every Tuesday with some very fine jazz indeed. Mike plays a compact Yamaha Hipgig kit (Rick Marotta signature model) that fits comfortably in the limited space available while offering the tone and response he needs to deliver dynamic, exciting jazz.
Check it out!!Go behind the scenes with legendary drummer Mike Shapiro during his Yamaha photo shoot for All Access magazine.
When the name ”Manu Katché” is mentioned, many people think of the sublime drumming on Peter Gabriel’s album “So.” In fact, Manu has provided rhythmic propulsion both in the studio and on stage for a number of big-name artists, including Al DiMeola, Dire Straits, Joe Satriani, Sting, and many more.
This time Manu is touring Japan with his own band from France.
"Good job!" Manu likes the DK15 Tuning Key with contoured handle.
Let’s start with the bass. Here’s Bassist Laurent Vernerey.
Laurent plays a Yamaha BB2024 bass with a vintage sunburst finish, using some very tricky muting to produce well-defined notes and a fat tone that solidly supports the band.
And now on to the drums. The kit is a PHX series in matte black. Pedal hardware includes an FP9500C foot pedal for the kick drum and an HS1200 hi-hat stand.
Manu Katché’s impressive use of the splash cymbal is part of his signature sound, and you can see that he has the splash cymbal set up in an easily accessible spot. Although we don’t have a picture to prove this (sorry about that), his drum throne is set surprisingly low, and the floor toms are set very low to match.
In the dressing room Manu was telling us how much he loved the PHX drums, an opinion that was fully supported by the incredibly wide dynamic range and fluent musical tones he elicited from the PHX kit during the performance.
We were all so entranced by the show that it was over too soon. But then came a brilliant encore that began with a drum solo! Although Manu was punishing the drums and cymbals with some very powerful full shots, he was always totally in control of the sound, creating some truly wonderful, inimitable music. What a player!
Tom Hunting of Exodus is considered as one of Thrash metals most influential drummers. His accurate timing, speed and dynamics have made him one of metals most interesting drummers.
In the following video, Tom explains the creative process of writing songs, his approach as a drummer and his Yamaha equipment.
Tom has been playing Yamaha Recording Customs for 26 years, before changing to the Oak Custom shells in 2009.
Dave McClain is the driving force behind Thrash Metal heroes "Machine Head" and one of the most versatile metal drummers on the scene.
We caught up with Dave on tour across Europe promoting the bands new album "Unto the Locust". Dave talks about his way to becoming a drummer and his Yamaha Oak Custom kit & hardware.
For this entry we’re at Bluenote Nagoya to hear a drummer whose career is growing by leaps and bounds: Johnathan Blake. Johnathan was among the top 3 winners in the Jazz category of Modern Drummer 2011 reader’s poll.
This counts as Johnathan’s third trip to Japan, where he is currently touring with Sax legend Sadao Watanabe.
Johnathan is using a Maple Absolute Custom kit (out of production) for this tour, with an FP9500C pedal and HS740A hi-hat stand. His snare is a Sensitive Series MSD1455 in Amber Sunburst.
His setup is quite unique, with all instruments mounted low and at about the same level.
The view from chair height.
His snare and toms are at about the same height, and the cymbals are so close that they almost graze the drums. Two felt washers and a well-tightened wing nut ensure that they hardly move at all!
On stage Sadao Watanabe announced that he had wanted to tour with Johnathan, and the tightly-knit performance clearly showed that he had total confidence in Johnathan’s talent.
Once this tour is over Johnathan will be setting off to tour Europe with Omer Avital.
Johnathan Blake is a very busy drummer who’s bound to deliver much more great music in the future!
Super-legend Roy Haynes performed three nights at Bluenote Tokyo with his Fountain of Youth band – November 28 through 30 – demonstrating that he still has what it takes at 86!
Accompanying the Fountain of Youth band was charismatic tap dancer Savion Glover. This same collaboration was a huge hit at Bluenote Ney York, and the overwhelming response at Bluenote Tokyo proved that the appeal is universal.
Roy played a Maple Custom kit in Vintage Natural finish (out of production), the same kit he used for the previous tour, with his signature SD655RH snare.
Copper has a warmth that is similar to that of a wood body, with excellent attack and presence that are suited to jazz as well as rock genres.
And check out the way Roy sets up his drums, with a beautifully smooth flow from snare to floor toms.
We were wondering how the fusion of band and tap dancing would play out, but were amazed at the impact and sense of unity that was achieved. At one point Roy stepped up to the tap floor and displayed some tap-dancing talent that even surprised Savion, and then spun around and returned to the drums with astonishing agility.
Roy’s grooves have not lost one bit of their potency. During the show each of the band members delivered a heartfelt message to their brilliant drummer and respected leader. We hope to be hearing much more from Roy in the coming years!
For a taste of Roy’s extraordinary drumming, check out this clip from his appearance on the Late Show:
Steve Gadd recently presented clinics in South America as part of his extremely successful “Mission from Gadd” clinic tour. The tour visited three stops between October 18 and October 22: Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Venues ranged from music clubs to university theaters, and saw evening attendance reach over 1100 in Buenos Aires alone. The clinics offered a great opportunity for Steve’s fans in South America to see him play. Thanks to our friends at Zildjian as well as our Yamaha staff in South America for working so closely with us on this successful tour.
Yamaha Drumset Artist Eddie Bayers was recently presented an award at the Academy of Country Music's 5th Annual ACM Honors. This event recognizes the special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Eddie received the award for “Percussionist/Drummer of the Year” for his Nashville studio work. He has been bestowed this honor an unprecedented 14 times. Eddie’s drumset of choice is the Yamaha Recording Custom. Yamaha would like to congratulate him on his accomplishments and we wish him continued success.
The Recording Academy® Los Angeles Chapter presented its Annual Grammy Block Party July 30th in Santa Monica, CA. Performances included the OzoKids, MaryMary, Lalah Hathaway, Mindi Abair (Yamaha Saxophone Artist), Dave Koz (Yamaha Saxophone Artist), Sheila E., Brett Dennen, and LoveSick Radio. The event was under the musical direction of Rickey Minor and featured Yamaha Drummer Teddy Campbell. Proceeds from the Block Party will benefit PATH (People Assisting The Homeless).
A tribute to Buddy Holly was held in Hollywood on September 7th, which represented what would have been his 75th birthday. The event featured performances by Yamaha Drummer Russ Kunkel and Yamaha Bassist Lee Sklar.
Dafnis Prieto was recently awarded one of the twenty-two MacArthur Fellowships for 2011. The award is worth $500,000 over 5 years, and is unofficially called the “genius grant.” The grant is designed to inspire and enable the opportunity to reflect, create, and explore.
CHECK IT OUT! Fot more information on Dafnis and the MacArthur Fellowship
Buckcherry, with Yamaha drummer Xavier Muriel, recently joined forces with Shaq and Betty White to record a Public Service Announcement for the fight against child abuse. The announcement was made through the Childhelp organization.
The house band for The Jimmy Fallon Show, The Roots with Yamaha Drummer ?uestlove, were nominated for a number of Emmy Awards. Nominations included Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series, and Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media. The 63rd Emmys aired live September 18th from Los Angeles.
The 54th Annual Monterey Jazz Fest was held September 16-18 in Monterey, California. The Festival hosted over 500 artists on 8 stages, and is consistently voted “World’s Best Jazz Festival” by the readers of JazzTimes Magazine. Performances included Yamaha Drummers Eric Harland with James Farm,Nikki Glaspie with Dumpstaphunk, and Bill Gibson with Huey Lewis and the News.
The nominees have been announced for the 45th Annual Country Music Awards, which is set to take place November 9th in Nashville. Kenny Chesney with Yamaha Drummer Sean Paddock received a nomination for Best Male Vocalist of the Year.
Yamaha Drummer Calvin Napper recently released his sophomore DVD "Rhythmic Inspiration", showcasing his well-rounded stylistic approach to drumming in diverse music genres. The DVD features Calvin playing a number of styles, including jazz fusion, old time, funk, big band, and swing.
Roy Haynes recently released a new CD entitled Roy-alty, an album of classics and under-heard repertory. He is accompanied by his band, The Fountain of Youth, and features guest performances by Chick Corea.
Yamaha Drummer Jamey Tate recently released a new solo album entitled roTATEd. Jamey describes the album as “an eclectic mixture of styles and includes performances by some of the finest musicians LA has to offer,” which includes Yamaha Saxophone Artist Mindi Abair.
In celebration of their 20th Anniversary, megastar rock band Pearl Jam and Yamaha Drumset Artist Matt Cameron will be featured in a documentary about the formation and rise to fame. The documentary, entitled Pearl Jam Twenty, is described as a definitive portrait of the band.
Yamaha Drummer Terri Lyne Carrington recently recorded an ensemble CD, The Mosaic Project,with some of the world's top female musicians, performing music that celebrates different aesthetics in music and in life. Terri Lyne is joined by Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nona Hendryx,Cassandra Wilson, Esperanza Spalding, Helen Sung, Tineke Postma, Geri Allen, Patrice Rushen,Ingrid Jensen, Sheila E., and Gretchen Parlato. The album has been in the top twenty on Billboard’s Jazz Albums Chart for the last five weeks.
