Here’s a trading phrase from the late, great Jimmy Cobb. This is from “Mack The Knife” off of the album “Introducing Wayne Shorter” right around 5:23. This is only the first 4 bars of an 8 bar phrase, but the rest of the phrase (and the rest of the trading… and the album) is great too! Check it out.

Minute of Drums is back! Here’s a fun groove that I originally thought of in 3, but also happened to be in 4 at the same time. A happy accident! The real trick is to try and feel both at the same time.

Here’s another solo phrase for you to try. This is a 3 count sticking that I turned into a longer phrase. There are definitely more ways you can orchestrate this, so get creative! 

No one makes a funky drum machine groove like Prince. His music is on constantly in my house, and I’m a bit obsessed with “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker” from the Sign o’ the Times album. (In the song he orders a fruit cocktail and takes not one, but two bubble baths with his pants on… what more could you want?!) The drum machine groove on this song has several rhythms layered on top of one another, making it particularly challenging to pull off single handedly. Good luck!

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to study and perform with many incredible West African musicians during my time in NYC. This phrase is inspired by one great djembe player in particular, Pablo Dembele @pablodjembe. I think Pablo’s heart beats in 3 and 4 at the same time, because his ability to seamlessly flow between subdivisions is unbelievable. Here’s my attempt to capture a bit of that phrasing on the drum set. 

This groove comes from my favorite Brazilian jazz record “Cannonball’s Bossa Nova”. Featuring Cannonball Adderley and a Brazilian band led by Sergio Mendes, this record was a revelation for me. Dom Um Romão’s drumming is grooving, interactive, and exciting. Far from just playing a single “Bossa Nova” drum beat as young drummers are often taught, his cross stick patterns are COMPING. This variation is just one of the pieces of language he uses woven in to his rhythmic interaction. He plays it all over the place, but it caught my ear on the track “Batida Diferentes”. Check this record out!

For years as a young drummer I knew I was supposed to practice paradiddles, but had no idea how they could actually be applied in a musical way. It turns out there is a world of possibilities if you move the starting note around and experiment with accents. I find that this “inversion” lends itself to melodic phrasing around the set and has a natural groove to it.

Though this isn’t a verbatim transcription, this phrase is undoubtedly Elvin Jones inspired. His use of rolling triplets and 3 beat phrases changed the course of drumming (not just jazz!)

I’ve been playing around with this groove for a few years, and thought I’d share it. This comes from the track “Bena bena” from Malian singer Oumou Sangaré’s 2017 record Mogoya. The groove starts out simple, but as the percussion layers in (around 3:40 into the track) it gets more complicated. Definitely check out this record if you haven’t. Beautiful music, unique production, and it features the late-great Tony Allen on two tracks. Enjoy!

Here’s a triplet solo phrase to explore. The demonstration is in 3/4, but it also works great as a way to phrase over the barline in 4/4 (or any other time signature for that matter!) These orchestration ideas are only the beginning. Experiment with different drum combinations and accents, and find your own ways to play it. Enjoy!

Here’s another Tony Williams phrase from “Oliloqui Valley” on Herbie Hancock’s Empyrean Isles. Tony plays this at about 2:46 into the track. You can hear him exploring ideas like this all over the record. Drop the needle anywhere and you’ll find something to shed… This record is a jazz drumming gold mine! 

Check out this groove from Afrobeat innovator Tony Allen. This comes from the track “Obama Shuffle Strut Blues” from the recent album Rejoice co-led by Tony Allen and the late great trumpeter Hugh Masekela. 

This is no secret to more advanced players, but can unlock a world of pathways around the drum set for intermediate players. “But…” you might ask…”isn’t this just that 6 stroke roll thing that everyone shreds with on YouTube?!” Why yes, it sure is. I never learned this as a 6 stroke roll, but as a displacement of a paradiddlediddle. Conceptually, I teach it to my students as an extension of the ways we can use paradiddles and the related variations to find melodies around the drum set. I find that starting this phrase with the right hand on the upbeat lends itself well to crafting syncopated melodies with the toms and cymbals. Call it what you want, either way it’s useful! Though, it is way more fun to say “paradiddlediddle” than “six stroke roll” isn’t it?!

One of my all-time favorite recordings of Tony Williams is on Herbie Hancock’s Empyrean Isles. This is a phrase that stood out to me upon a recent dive back into the album. Tony plays this on “Oliloqui Valley” at about 1:43 into the track.