I first became aware of Brad Webb as part of Extended Trio and got to see them play in St. Paul, MN a couple of years ago.
I didn’t know anything about the group, other than that they were from New Orleans, which was enough for me. Later I’d find out how lucky I was to see them this far north. They’re all incredible musicians and rarely travel up this way as a group.
I was immediately taken with the whole band and watching Brad play is infectious. He’s got such a contained energy and his ideas flow freely.
I got to talk to him after the show and learned that he has a deep classical music background and studied at New England Conservatory.
He also showed me his beat up ride cymbal (I think I remember him telling me that he found it near a shed in a rural area) and introduced me to LA Backbeat drumsticks, which are made in Louisiana.
Brad Webb Making Faces
Aside from playing in Extended Trio and other groups, Brad Webb is a composer and has his own group that’s active in New Orleans.
https://vimeo.com/112642916
Brad’s new album was just released. Get it on Bandcamp.
Update – June 2020
Here’s a new interview with Brad from the Talkin’ Jazz: The Virtual Sessions. Fred Kasten hosts the long-running Talkin’ Jazz interview series, which is a collaboration between the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park and the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Enjoy!
For as long as I can remember, Ed Blackwell has been on my short list of favorite drummers. I was first introduced to him by a teacher and mentor of mine, Phil Hey, who studied with Ed and later played with Dewey Redman.
When I was studying with Phil he had me to get two albums that Ed Blackwell plays on:
I think both albums are essential and they hold a special place in my collection.
The Transcription
I’ve always liked the first drum break on Sounds of Joy and have had it written out in my notebook for a few years. I love the simplicity of Blackwell’s phrasing.
As an exercise to learn how to use MuseScore, the free music notation software, I decided to get it into the computer. Let me know what you think.
I’ve been listening to podcasts for over a decade and am a bit obsessed. I find it so informative and inspiring to hear other musicians talk about their lives.
This is by no means a comprehensive resource and I’ll update this post as I discover new podcasts and episodes that are worth checking out.
Leave a comment if I missed something that should be included. What are your favorite music podcasts?
Here’s a sampling of the jazz related shows and podcasts for drummers that I listen to (in no particular order):
Bernie’s Bootlegs
This one is really nice. In his own words, the host describes the podcast as “to explore the stories of successful musicians and share their perspectives on important aspects of being a professional artist in a digital age.”
Notable interviews so far: Colin Stranahan, Nicole Glover, Charles Goold, Justin Barber, Noah Preminger, David Binney, Glenn Zaleski, Kelly Green.
Another good one! Long form interviews with an incredibly impressive list of musicians: Bill Stewart, Joey Baron, Wayne Shorter, Jeff Ballard, Dave Holland and the list goes on.
Available as a podcast, but I suggest watching the videos if you can.
This podcast is a more recent discovery for me and I’ve heard that there are new episodes in the works. Darrian Douglas is a great interviewer. Notable guests have been Jason Marsalis, Charles Goold, E.J. Strickland and Kelly Green.
This is a thoughtful interview show by Leo Sidran, son of Ben Sidran and I always get something out of each episode. There have been some really great guests. Check out the episode index.
Trumpeter Dave Douglas leads monthly conversations with significant jazz artists on music, composition, improvisation, and concerts. Guests include Henry Threadgill, John Zorn, Carla Bley, and Andrew Cyrille, among many others.
This is essentially a deep dive album review show and there have been some great episodes. They rarely release interview episodes, but there’s one standout: The interview with Charles McPherson is gold. If you listen to nothing else, seek this one out. He talks about meeting Charlie Parker and playing with Mingus. So good!
A great podcast for drummers by mystery man Dave, who is clearly friends with most of the guests, which makes it really fun to listen to. This show seems to be on hiatus.
This is a pretty loose podcast format that I go in and out of listening to. Drummers should check out the Johnny Vidacovich interview and explore from there.
This is a new discovery for me and it’s really great. I was excited when I heard Ulysses Owens Jr. talking about the brush book he’s putting out, especially since he studied brushes with Kenny Washington.
There’s also a great interview with Johnny Vidacovich.
