A Great Drummer – And A Great Man

 

John Marshall – one of the world's greatest drummers – has died. He was not only a great musician – who had played with literally hundreds of the biggest names in jazz and rock, and pioneered the fusion of those two genres into something powerfully new – he was also a great human being. And I am proud to say that he was my friend and teacher.

He was the driving force in Soft Machine – for whom he had played drums for half a century – almost to the end of his life. 

Although I didn't know it at the time, I was at his last gig, with the Softs, at Ronnie Scott's, in 2022. 

And I was also with him at his home, just a few weeks ago, when he picked up the sticks for the very last time – to show me how something easy for him (but not for me) could be done.

His passion for playing the drums was still there then. It never died.

Kofi Time

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time with Kofi Baker. Not literally, but with his excellent drum tuition book, The Forgotten Foot. 

The drummer’s forgotten foot is, of course, the left foot – unless you’re left-footed (in which case it’ s the right one).

And Kofi is, of course, the son of the legendary Ginger. Whether they are speaking to each other these days, I don’t know. Kofi said a while back that their relationship was “distant”.

But one thing that unites them, apart from that distinct Baker drum sound, is their appreciation of the left foot as time-keeper.

For many of us of the rock persuasion, the left foot just sort of follows on in there with the left hand. But if you come from the jazz direction, the left foot on the hi-hat is the crucial master control – the original click track

Once this fact is grasped, the left foot becomes the linchpin rather than an add-on.

Ginger’s left foot – on hi-hat or second bass drum, or on both of those at the same time (in what is known as pedal-bridging) is a marvel, and I’m beginning to find the joy in having that left foot taking on a life of its own, inspired by watching great jazz drummers and particularly my mentor, the great John Marshall.

I’m also indebted to Kofi for his book and its wonderful exercises for every foot and hand. He comes over as a modest man with a true passion for the drum kit and its infinite possibilities. And he deserves to be remembered for Forgotten.

The BBC? Don't Knock It...

If you thought the BBC was just too outdated and too unwieldy for anyone to manage it, a few moments inside the labyrinth of its Maida Vale studios in London would confirm your opinion.

People could go into this ancient maze of characterless corridors and rooms and never be seen again.

I was there last night because I had the honour of acting as roadie for drummer John Marshall, one of the legendary jazz musicians (along with Roy Babbington and Art Themen) playing with the BBC Big Band in a memorial concert for the late and great Graham Collier.

And once you were guided through the tangle of passageways and were inside the studio with some of the finest players in jazz, then you appreciated the fact that there are certain things the BBC does better than anyone else ever will. (As if to accentuate the timeless quality of the place, a plaque by the stage informed us that this was the studio where Bing Crosby made his last recording.)

Collier's music — especially in the hands of these master players — was absolutely stunning, running from dirty blues to sophisticated jazz, via grooves that could be (and have been) sampled by contemporary DJs and hip-hop musicians.

If you want to hear how good a night it was, the concert will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at 11pm on Sunday November 25 and will also be on iPlayer.

Young, Gifted And Jazzers...

Policeman have been looking younger for quite a while. But when you start finding jazz singers looking younger... 

A few days ago, I was playing in a band backing the amazing Ceri Wood (above) who looks so young but sounds so full of experience and deep emotion.

And three days later, at a Sound Connections networking event for musicians and music teachers, I met Vilija Leitanaite (below) whose youthful appearance belies her feel for the music.

So are jazz singers getting younger? Or am I getting older? Both, I fear...

Thanks To Monk...

I love jazz. There, I've said it. It's taken a long time, but now I know it's the real thing. One of the turning points for me came when I was stuck for five hours at Miami airport on the way back from a writing job in the Canary Islands. The bookshop was filled with books I preferred not to read... but I was drawn to the one pictured above, because I'd recently finished reading Composing Himself, the Jack Bruce biography, and Bruce had mentioned the inspirational qualities of Thelonious Monk.

Robin Kelley's book is one of the best I've ever read. And this brilliant telling of Monk's all-too-human story led me to the man's music, which now never ceases to lift my spirits. I won't attempt to convey the tragedies and triumphs of Monk's personal, musical and mental life... go get the book and listen to the music. I just wanted to express gratitude to Thelonious and his genius. I was late getting there, but thanks to Jack Bruce, Robin Kelley and Miami airport, I made it in the end...