508 - Robert Blair: Being Your Authentic Self, Subbing with Wang Chung & Martina McBride, Learning from Nashville’s Legends

One of the most highly regarded jazz drummers on the scene today, Joe is known for his blazing speed, precision, musical, and melodic playing. Born in South Hadley, Massachusetts in 1968, Joe grew up in a musical family; his father was a music educator and he has four older brothers, two of whom became professional musicians. He studied with Alan Dawson and Arthur Taylor prior to attending and graduating from William Patterson College in New Jersey in 1994. Upon moving to New York City, he led the weekend jazz combos at Augie’s (now Smoke Jazz & Supper Club). He performed with Junior Cook, Cecil Payne, John Ore, Big John Patton, Harold Mabern, Eddie Henderson, John Jenkins and his brothers, John and James. Joseph’s career includes recording over 100 CD’s as leader and side-man, jazz festivals and world tours with Pharaoh Sanders, Horace Silver, Harold Mabern, McCoy Tyner, Cedar Walton, Diana Krall, Benny Golson, George Coleman, Johnny Griffin, Lou Donaldson, Benny Green, Curtis Fuller to name a few. In this episode, Joe talks about: Studying with Alan Dawson How he arrived at his "just play time" identity as a jazz drummer the centrality of the ride cymbal in all jazz drumming The difference between playing with someone and playing for them Why he chooses to almost always perform in a suit and tie

15 Juni 202351min

As a drummer, Mark Poiesz has performed in front of millions of people on five continents with artists including Tyler Farr, Lindsay Ell, Mitchell Tenpenny, Chuck Wicks, Jon Secada, Lita Ford and Ghost of Gloria. As an alumnus of the University of Miami's prestigious Frost School of Music with a Bachelor of Music degree in Studio Music and Jazz, Mark's career has spanned nearly every conceivable genre of music as he brings his signature energy to each moment. His current role as drummer, bandleader and programmer with multi-platinum country music artist Tyler Farr has involved nearly a decade of touring, major network television appearances and the Super Bowl LI pre-game show. As an ICF Professional Certified Coach, Mark holds the gold standard credential for coaching. He has built real-world experience not just with individuals in the entertainment industry, but also with leaders and high performers at companies such as AT&T, IBM, Boeing, Capital One, Warner Bros. Discovery, HelloFresh, The US Department of Defense and more. In this episode, Mark talks about:    Getting out of his comfort zone    The power of curiosity    His online program: The Big 3: Steps to the Big Stage    When you say no to something, you are saying yes to something else.    Having a clear objective when practicing

8 Juni 20231h 34min

George Coleman Jr. was born into a musical family. As a drummer, producer, composer, filmmaker, and son of two musical jazz greats, saxophone legend George Coleman Sr. and organist, composer and vocalist, Gloria Coleman, he was seven when master drummer Max Roach gave him his first set of drums. George studied with master teachers including Sam Ulano, Michael Carvin and Billy Higgins. In 2019, George took on the role of film producer and released a documentary entitled “Another Kind of Soul: The Coleman Family Legacy”. The film chronicles his family’s personal and musical histories and includes concert footage as well as interviews with his family and other iconic jazz figures including Branford Marsalis. Another Kind of Soul is available on various streaming services including Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, and Tubi TV. He has also released a new record as a leader entitled Resurgence. In this episode, George talks about His dad's jazz legacy that began in Memphis The influence of his mother who was a bassist and organist Being surrounded by Latin music in his childhood neighborhood in the Upper West Side Making his album a culmination of all his mentors What he learned about music from his dad vs. his mom What he learned and continues to learn from Michael Carvin How music has served as a between him and his dad later in life

30 Maj 20231h 5min

Andy Hull is a drummer and a seasoned veteran of the Nashville music scene. He has toured and recorded with many artists including Billy Dean, Ty Herndon, Jaimie O’Neal , Collin Raye, Lee greenwood and is currently on tour with country music super star Clint Black. In this episode, Andy talks about:     Dealing with last minute gigs and sessions     The psychology of working with others     Drumming for Clint Black     Relationship building in the session world     Be prepared to be uncomfortable on the gig or session    Home studio recording     Lessons and inspiration from his son

25 Maj 20231h 29min

Nasheet Waits, drummer and music educator, is a New York native. His interest in playing the drums was encouraged by his father, legendary percussionist, Frederick Waits, who played with such legendary artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Sonny Rollins, Lee Morgan, Max Roach, Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner, and countless others. While attending Long Island University, Nasheet studied privately with renowned percussionist Michael Carvin. Carvin’s tutelage provided a vast foundation upon which Waits added influences from his father, as well as mentor Max Roach and percussionist Fred King. It was Max that first gave Nasheet’s formidable talent international spotlight, hiring him as a member of the famed percussion ensemble M’BOOM. One highlight of Nasheet’s tenure with M’BOOM was the live concert performance of M’BOOM with special guests Tony Williams and Ginger Baker.  Nasheet’s recording and performing discography is a veritable who’s who in Jazz. Waits has boasted stints with jazz notables Antonio Hart, Jackie McLean, Wadada Leo Smith, Dave Douglas, Mark Turner, Bunky Green, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Eddie Gomez, Steve Coleman, The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Greg Osby, Wallace Roney, Jacky Terrason, and The Mingus Big Band. Waits has recorded and toured extensively in Africa, Europe, Japan, Canada, South America and the United States. In this episode, Nasheet talks about: Learning from Christian McBride's "played with everybody" experience, and high level consistency as a performer The early influence of his father, musically and culturally How friends and colleague of his father like like Michael Carvin and Max Roach stepped in to mentor him after his father died Lessons from Carvin His experience attending an HBCU in Atlanta

18 Maj 20231h 13min

Rich Redmond is an award-winning recording and touring drummer based in Nashville and Los Angeles. As an in-demand artist, Rich has recorded/toured/performed with: Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Ludacris, Kelly Clarkson, Bryan Adams, Bob Seger, Joe Perry, Garth Brooks, Chris Stapleton, Jewel, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Thompson Square, Eric Church, Deana Carter, Montgomery Gentry, Alabama, John Anderson, Trace Adkins, Keith Urban, Travis Tritt, Emily West, Chris Cornell, Kelsea Ballerini and many others. In this episode, Rich talks about:    News of the 8 years since our first interview in 2015    Its all relationships    Why aren’t there “cattle calls” anymore in 2023    Time management challenges when being self employed    Mitigating regret    His podcast: The Rich Redmond Show    New book: Making It In Country Music: An Insider’s Guide To The Industry

11 Maj 20231h 25min

John began playing drums at the age of 5 in Oakland California. Oakland proved to be a perfect incubator for John as he thrived playing in many of the school, community, rock, jazz, and funk bands in the area. This experience gave John a diverse background that continues to serve him well today. Early in his career, John was playing in local bands opening for such diverse acts as George Benson, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Who (two North American tours), and many more. John’s reputation quickly grew and he found himself playing with San Francisco/Oakland bay area legends including Joshua Redman, Lenny Williams (Tower of Power), and Miles Davis band alumni Barry Finnerty, Garth Webber, and Benny Rietveld. John continued to cast his net as wide as possible. He began getting calls from New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, and New Orleans to audition with such artists as Pee Wee Ellis, Stephen Jenkins (Third Eye Blind), Cake, and many more. These experiences gave John national exposure which has led to local, touring, and/or studio dates with Josh Groban, Bonnie Raitt, Randy Newman, Pat Benatar, Steve Miller, Booker T., Pee Wee Ellis, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Oz Noy and many more. John has played multiple productions of Hamilton in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Puerto Rico and tours and records with Carl Verheyen. In this episode, John talks about: The resume he amassed in the Bay Area before moving to LA Thinking of different theatre shows as different “dialects” His experience of playing multiple productions of Hamilton Getting called out by his musical director for going on auto pilot The process of constant refinement over the course of a show The broader palate he gets to use with Carl Verheyen

4 Maj 20231h 21min

Drummer, Producer, Recording Artist and Educator Bruce Becker has steadily made his mark in the world of Music. Founding member and Drummer behind the David Becker Tribune, Bruce has recorded and co-produced 10 critically acclaimed recordings. The DBT has performed at clubs and jazz festivals throughout the world for more than 3 decades. In 2015 “Message To Attila” was released on Enja records. Bruce was part of an all star cast to honor the music of Attila Zoller, featuring Ron Carter, Pat Metheny, Mike Stern and many others. Spanning more than 3 decades as an Educator, Bruce has drawn from his more than thirty year association with Drumming “guru” Freddie Gruber carrying on the torch of a unique approach in getting the student to understand the natural principles of the physical body’s interaction with the drum set. Bruce’s reputation has interested a vast array of drummers to seek his teachings. The list includes drummers such as, David Garibaldi, Mark Schulman, Daniel Glass, Glen Sobel and Clayton Cameron. Bruce has performed Master Classes and Workshops in Music Conservatories and Schools in the USA, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, Latvia, Moscow, Argentina, Uruguay and Australia. Over the years Bruce has had the good fortune to work with an extremely diverse group of people: David Becker Tribune, Mike Stern, Ron Carter, Russell Ferrante, Barbara Dennerlein, John Abercrombie, Peter Bernstein, composer Chris Field, the San Francisco Symphony, producer Ken Caillat (Fleetwood Mac), Sunny Ledfurd, Mark Schulman, and Deborah Henson-Conant. Bruce continues to divide his time between International touring with the DBT, workshops, studio recordings, live dates and private teaching. In this episode, Bruce talks about:    Choreographing your movements    His passion for teaching    New book: The Ultimate Guide to Syncopation    Advice for teachers    Teaching and working with David Garibaldi

27 Apr 20231h 40min