[Dixielandjazz] The Greatest Music Lesson - was drums

[BillSargentDrums at aol.com]

I posted the following a few years back on here,  but the current topic 
indicates it bears repeating. I have made a couple of  additions & corrections from 
the original.

Here is what I call "The  Greatest Music  Lesson"

******************************************************************************
*

I  have been blessed to have been taught by some of the greatest people of 
all time  in music, not just through performance association, but private 
instruction.  (See BillSargent.com)

Through all of it, ONE simple lesson stands  out far and above as the 
greatest lesson ever taught and by far the most useful  in all facets of my career.

When I was still in my teens, during my  Clyde McCoy period, I had some 
actual large swing band experience, but it was  very limited. Sure, I had played 
with large orchestras and played with school  big bands, but most of my pro 
experience at that point in life consisted of  smaller ensembles (Clyde was a 6 
piece dixie band at that point). I had,  however, begun spent much time with 
Buddy Rich's big band, both through his  local appearances and daily practice 
with his records.

While on  Clyde's band, there was this wonderful clarinetist, who was to be 
one of the  most influential people in my whole career . . . Edwin C. Reed from 
Vista, CA  (The Riverboat Five on the Mercury label)

Ed had a passion for  Benny Goodman and he got me listening to the big bands 
and I devoured all I  could . . . Goodman, Dorsey, James, Basie, Ellington, 
etc. We talked for hours  and hours, not only marveling over their musical 
precision, but the attitudes,  the spunkiness, the vibrancy. What Krupa REALLY 
brought to the band and what it  did to a generation of teenagers.

However, I still did not consider  myself, in any way a real big band 
drummer. Then the day came I had an  opportunity to play on Ray McKinley's Big Band . 
. . a band and drummer I was  already quite familiar with through a special 
album of McKinley heading the  Miller Band.

If you're reading this and not a drummer, you must  understand that drum 
charts - written drum music, at least up to that time, had  very little actual 
playing cues written and was merely a guideline, or roadmap  of where the tune 
was going rather than what you actually played. Today, they  are still a sketch 
for interpretation.

Ray was a drummer who I  really admired - one of my very favorites. So I 
figured he was the very best  person to ask that big haunting question.

I asked Ray: "How do you  know which horn figures to kick, or accent, and how 
. . . with what? After all,  it's not written. So what are the guidelines, 
the rules . . . the  secret?"

Ray gave me an answer that was far too profound for a 17  or 18 year old . . 
. . it went mostly, over my head . . . a tiny bit filtered in  one ear and out 
the other.

I had expected a detailed explanation of  the thought process, combined with 
hardware matching, and some sort of  scientific formula that would help to 
make me the next great drum  whiz.

Instead, he disappointed my with a far too simplistic one  word answer.

After examining this, I now find that he exhibited  wisdom beyond his wise 
years. Surely he knew that any complicated explanation  would never be 
remembered by a young hot-shot.

So he gave me one  word that never left me . . . was never forgotten  . . . 
and has been more  useful to me in all musical situations than all the rest 
combined. So profound,  it has transcended musical boundaries and crossed over 
into all of  life.

When you read this word, a huge portion of you will say  that's too simple. 
Some will say, I already knew that . . . . but DID you . . .  really? Has it 
been your focus? Have you taken it to it's deepest level and made  it your theme 
as I have mine?

Ray looked at me, put his hand on my  shoulder, smiled and said, "Listen".

I looked at him, waiting  anxiously for the detailed explanation that was 
sure to follow, only to  experience silence. His eyes studied me to see if I 
actually heard what he said,  and nothing else followed.

I thought to myself, “Ray . . .  Ray!  What are you telling me . . . LISTEN, 
JUST LISTEN? Is that all?  Surely there is more!!!!!!!!!!” It felt like a 
flippant brush-off. I thought  sure he was holding out on me; kind of like a 
closely guarded trade  secret.

Although I'm sure it was some time before I actually  started treating that 
exchange all the reverence it deserved, with each passing  year, that one word 
lesson became the most important focus of my  life.

And it has served to carry me onto stages with the finest  players in the 
world and into far more styles and genres of music that I would  have ever dreamt 
possible.

In none of these genres is the lesson  “LISTEN” more important than the one 
discussed on this board.

The  big reward came to me in the couple of years ago.

Through a mutual  friend, I was asked to come to the southeast coast of 
Florida for some informal  recording in my friend's mansion's music room. His 
friend was none other than  the great Tommy Justice.

Tommy and I hit it off right away. We each  showed each other great respect 
and appreciation for the other's talents,  musical taste, musicianship and 
attitude. I was very honored to be in the  presence of this fine gentleman.

Tommy had paid me many fine  compliments during our time. As our couple of 
days together was coming to an  end, Tommy turned to me and said what turned out 
to be one of the finest  compliments ever paid to me. For me, it was the BIG 
payoff. All those years of  work, all those gigs, all that money . . . this 
was the BIG one that was worth  more to me than all the rest.

Tommy said, "In all my life, I've  only played with one other drummer who 
listens like you".

Tommy  never did tell me the name of the other drummer (although I have my 
suspicions),  but it didn't matter, for I knew how many miles this man had 
traveled in his  very long life . . . how many stages, how many he'd worked with . 
. . and to me,  this was the best compliment.

Made it all  worthwhile.

So, when you're at a loss about what to play, or how to  play it, or how to 
respond to whatever . . . just remember Ray McKinley telling  that young 
teenage drummer in the early '70s . . . LISTEN.

Just  LISTEN.

The more time you spend pondering this simple profundity,  the more your 
music, and life, will improve.

ADDED NOTE: This  lesson, to LISTEN is also one of the truly great lessons on 
how to be successful  not just in music, but also in life.

How do you have a great  marriage? Listen to your spouse. Relationship? 
Listen to the other person.  Company or business? Listen to your client. Improve 
your skill? Listen to those  who know better. Your relationship with God? 
Actually listen to HIM instead of  doing all the talking  yourself.




Bill
414-777-0100
BillSargentBands.com

Just  released: "The Best Of Bill Sargent Bands - Volume 1"

Available at:  http://billsargentbands.com/recordings.htm  




**************Start the year off right.  Easy ways to stay in shape.     
http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489