News
Summer is upon us again and a hand full of things to note.
1. I'm seeing James Taylor at the M.E.N. on 30th June. I know this has nothing to do with me or my drumming but it's still one of the most exciting things going on this year for me! Steve Gadd and Luis Conte are on believed to be on this gig ... Not to be missed. JT's new covers album is also not to be missed. Some beautiful versions of some classic tunes on there.
2. My good friend Paul Bentley is doing the headline gig at this years Manchester jazz Festival. He's doing a tribute to Ray Charles. Iain Dixon and Jeremy Sassoon are doing the arranging and organising. Should be a great gig. There will be a series of small run up gigs, possibly just with me and Jem and Paul ( Crispy DUK ) in the weeks running up to it. Please check Jems new fantastc web site the www.thejazzprescription.co.uk for all the news you'll need.
3. I'm also doing a few gigs with my own project AKoustriK this summer. We're also finishing an album which it starting to sound really good. Have a listen to "The Story Of Us" on myspace for a working progress demo. I've been trying to get my string writing under this tune to sit a bit more in the mix.
4. "Beyond the Basics", my set of drum tuition videos is now available for download in
HIGH QUALITY AVI FORMAT
Follow this link to see the demos and click on the shopping cart link for easy payment/download.
Each clip is priced at £1.50.
Also follow this link to see some nice free vids with bands. Just updated.
On the teaching front, I'm pretty snowed under at the moment with a full schedule so I'm not in the position of giving any one2one tuition on a private basis. This situation will be changing as normal during the spring/summer period. Please email me through the website email if you are interested in booking a slot for spring period.
My main teaching position is at Leeds College Of Music. L.C.M. is the largest music student campus in the UK and offers a fantastic range of courses including a B.A. in Jazz Studies and also a new B.T.E.C. in Jazz Studies with access to the same staff as the B.A. course. A fantastic opportunity for any young player. I'm part of a fantastic team of staff who are amongst some of the best players in Europe.
Go check out the Leeds College of Music web site for more information.
Also one year ago I started teaching at my old school, Chethams School Of Music in Manchester, My Home city. A nice homecoming on many fronts as I was the very first drum kit student at Chethams in 1988. It was then the great Dave Hassell started teaching me on a one2one basis and then the trend began. All percussion students got one2one drum kit tuition after that.
Click here to find out more about Chethams and email me if you feel your child is interested in auditioning for the school as either a drum kit player or a percussionist.
My Drumometer tm video from the DVD makes it on to the drumometer education page. Check out the link to some fantastic Drumometer tm content. The Drumometer tm is a far better choice than a metronome alone in my opinion as it builds timing awaemess in a totally different way as well as helping you improve speed and control in small and rewarding steps.
A big thank you to Mike Donovan at this great web site for everything they he's done to keep the concept of sharing ideas alive and building up a fantastic database of lessons. If you haven't been, check em out. It's got everything about drumming from Repairs to Soloing and The Buzz Roll to Tango.
"Thanks Mike", for your tireless efforts in the expansion of drumming ideas and philosophy.
I am now a proud endorsee of Istanbul Cymbals. Take a look at my drumming page with some info on some great cymbals I've just added to my collection. More to follow. I keep spending money!
