165 – Bob Knight: The London Scene, Musical Awareness, Being a “Fixer”

Bob Knight lives in London where he commands somewhat of a dual career, both as an in-demand drummer and a music agent or “fixer,” matching musicians with bands or artists who need backing. He graduated from the jazz program at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London and has gone on to work with some of the biggest names in pop music including Sting, Cee-Lo Green, Charlotte Church, and Jennifer Hudson. His company, BEK Music, has provided musicians for a huge variety of acts from Andrea Bocelli to Eminem. In this podcast, Bob talks about: How to tailor your sound to different types of performance spaces using instrumentation and amplification. The difference between a beat and a groove What he’s practicing, now that he has the time and space His experience at the Royal Academy of Music, and its unique audition process What jazz training taught him that translates to any other genre, and the one skill it all comes down to How his early ambition was based on simply being able to support himself Why he started his own booking agency What he values in musicians as a fixer Bob Knight endorses Yamaha drums, Vic Firth sticks, Remo heads, Zildjian cymbals, Protection Racket cases, and Porter & Davies thrones. This episode is sponsored by Session Ace.