Dennis Chambers Thread

[beat hit]

Must be from the Japan import Pick Hits Live album... sweet tune...

[beat hit]

Listened to this Chef-D'oeuvre again tanight.. DC'S Brutal..

@8:23 The bell vs hit-hat pattern absolutely kills here...

[Steve Holmes]

Michael Fucking Brecker. Good lord.

[Julián Fernández]

[sjj123]

its mind boggling to me that Dennis doesnt read music ( as far as I understand) and can play at this level w/ the Cats he plays with....jeeepers

talk about relaxed playing

[Rodge]

Why do think that reading and playing are the same things ?
I know so many people that can read but can't play music because, they are reading...

That's one the multiple reasons why Vince impresses me so much, his work in studio speaks for itself as making music while reading, incredible !!!

[Julián Fernández]

Agreed. Playing, reading and interpreting charts are three separate things all together.

Hey Rodge, ever felt you couldn´t take a gig you´d like to because of that? Some big band stuff for instance? Last minute subbing or something like that?

[Rodge]

I indeed don't take gigs who required high level of reading, I mean big-band musicians, they LOVE to read !!!
I took one big-band gig longtime ago, never again, what a pain in my head !!!
Weirdly musicians were happy with my work because I was playing as simple as possible, I told them that I could not do more than that anyway...
They told me "yeah good stuff Rodge, you missed some kicks here and there, but at least you did not overplaying like (a famous french drummer...)..."

If I don't hear the music and that I'm available, I tend to say yes, if I listen the music before, often I'd say no.

Gene Lake told me that if he heard Steve Coleman's music before, he would have turned down the gig, in the same time, he says that it's good to challenge itself, but me I don't know about that.

[Odd-Arne Oseberg]

I think reading is essential in teaching kids in the beginning. We go don't go over the top if it's not their thing it's mainly to intellectualize rhythm for those(90% of people) who don't get it naturally, at least not that early. It's certainly way more much than SC. Many different ways to do it, too.

It's certainly not everything we do. Every kid and every environment is different. The main job is to nurture, create self motivation and functional social situations.

Missing a few hits sitting in at a big band gig should't matter much. Recording session or TV performance, sure, but in those cases one would think everyone made sure you have the chance to fully prepare for that.

As some unknown drummer dude once said; " Relax jazz nazis. It's just music."

[Peter C]

Steve said to me that reading
is a tool and it helps to organize
but emphasized that with a chart,
my job is not to get my part right
BUT to lay it down so that every
one else can get THEIR part right.

Regards,

P

PS: Dennis is galactico!