Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'drummer'

Danza Quartet Welcomes 2009, Bayou Style

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:55:00 EST

On New Year's Eve in New Orleans, the Evan Christopher/Tom McDermott Danza Quartet held sway with a set of music that was anything but picayune. With a sousaphone-toting bassist and a tambourine-banging drummer, the quartet made the show an affair to remember.

Ray LaMontagne: Private Among Friends

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:42:00 EST

Initially a solo artist, Ray LaMontagne branches out on his new album, Gossip in the Grain, taking some touring bandmates into the studio with him. In a session from WXPN, he reveals why he wrote a song for White Stripes drummer Meg White.

Little Joy: Strokes Drummer Gets Some Sun

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:45:00 EST

Little Joy is the collaboration between The Strokes' drummer and two singer-songwriters. Their self-titled debut is playful blend of each musician's background: bossa nova and lovers rock meets California pop on the beach. It's an easygoing record, one that escapes from reality.

Ra Ra Riot: The Key To Melancholy

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:42:00 EST

Ra Ra Riot features swooning strings, pop hooks and sinuous rock rhythms in a session from WXPN. After the tragic death of drummer and songwriter John Pike in 2007, the recording process for The Rhumb Line proved to be cathartic. The album takes a positive outlook on the darker side of life.

Hendrix Drummer Mitch Mitchell Remembered

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:21:00 EST

There were great rock drummers before Mitch Mitchell, and there were even better drummers after him. But Mitchell's jazz-influenced drumming was just as indispensable as Hendrix's guitar in The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Mitchell was found dead in his hotel room early Wednesday. He was 61.

A Pretender's Aching, 'Concrete' Return

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:46:00 EST

Chrissie Hynde has gathered up a new batch of Pretenders — including the great drummer Jim Keltner — and wants you to know she's still up for some adventure, anger, and lust.

Swedish Pop, Exotic Creatures of the Deep, The Elephant 6 Orchestra, More

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:28:00 EDT

Sweden has been producing some of the best pop music of the past decade. On our latest mix we've got new music from singer Lykke Li (pronounced Leaky-Lee), and the sprawling, 30-member group I'm From Barcelona. Also on the show: the British band Wild Beasts with their oddly titled new song "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants;" the wildly strange and wonderful Sparks; twin sisters and the former drummer for Secret Machines form the band School of Seven Bells; and the influential Elephant 6 Orchestra reunites for a magical and historic live performance.

Ra Ra Riot Crosses 'The Rhumb Line'

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Ra Ra Riot features swooning violin and cello lines, pop hooks and sinuous rock rhythms like Spoon with strings. After the tragic loss of their drummer, The Rhumb Line was a cathartic recording process that takes on a positive outlook on the darker side of life.

Perhapst: 'Harbour'

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:58:00 EDT

John Moen, best known as drummer for Portland, Oregon's The Decemberists, steps into the spotlight with his side project, Perhapst. On Perhapst's self-titled debut, Moen sings and performs most of the quirky, 1960s-influenced pop music himself, with the notable exception of a guest spot by Stephen Malkmus on guitar.

Ra Ra Riot Navigates The Hype

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:24:00 EDT

The young band overcame the accidental death of its drummer to release its widely hailed debut full-length, The Rhumb Line. Ra Ra Riot performs in the studio and talks about nautical charts, string sections and the influence of Kate Bush.

Dave Holland & Co. At Newport Jazz Festival

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 15:03:00 EDT

The supergroup sounded remarkably communicative for a band on its third gig together. Bassist Holland, pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Eric Harland played a set of angular, thoroughly modern originals.

The Evolution of Latin Jazz

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:16:00 EDT

We continue our series on Jazz with a look at the evolution of Latin Jazz. Farai talks with Jose Rizo, host of the show "Jazz on the Latin Side," as well as Grammy award-winning bandleader and congo drummer Poncho Sanchez.

Can Al Green Lay It Down Again...

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Al Green's latest record is a departure from his satin and sandpaper soul hits of decades past. For Lay It Down, Green collaborated with hip-hop artists such as The Roots drummer Quest Love. The album may be closer to the retro-soul Green helped inspire than to the originator's best work, however.

Circle Wide Quintet, Playing 'Like Before'

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:31:00 EDT

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Like Before, Somewhat After, the new recording from drummer George Schuller and his quintet Circle Wide. The disc salutes the music of pianist Keith Jarrett's '70s-era quartet.

A Weather: Defending the 'Pinky Toe'

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:27:00 EDT

"Pinky Toe" nicely exemplifies A Weather's hushed brilliance. The band's recent Cove is chock full of understated gems like this one — muted vignettes that glow with the half-whispered, intertwined vocals of singer/guitarist Aaron Gerber and drummer/vocalist Sarah Winchester.

BPP Jukebox: The Dodos Play 'Fools'

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EDT

Guitarist and singer Merrick Long and drummer Logan Kroeber of the Dodos stopped by the Bryant Park Project's studios to play their song, "Fools."

BPP Jukebox: The Dodos Play 'Fools'

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EDT

Guitarist and singer Merrick Long and drummer Logan Kroeber of the Dodos stopped by the Bryant Park Project's studios to play their song, "Fools."

Brian Blade: Live at the Village Vanguard

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EDT

Widely recognized as one of the finest drummers in modern jazz — indeed, in all of popular music — Blade leads his celebrated Fellowship Band, fresh off their first new recording in eight years, onto the famed underground stage.

Daniel Lanois: Expansive Pedal Steel

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:21:00 EDT

Performing with Brian Blade, one of jazz's most accomplished and remarkable drummers, Daniel Lanois brought plenty of gravitas to KUT's small vintage studio. His gentle relationship with the pedal-steel guitar astounded a small group that gathered to watch his interview and performance.

Al Foster Quartet, Live at the Village Vanguard

Tue, 20 May 2008 17:18:00 EDT

The master drummer, a longtime anchor of Miles Davis' electric experiments, brings his versatile timekeeping and a hard-swinging group to the legendary basement venue. Hear a live performance from New York City.

The Lisps: Sing Along with Heartache

Wed, 07 May 2008 11:06:00 EDT

Despite the breakup of singers Cesar Alvarez and Sammy Tunis, the pair practically radiates chemistry in The Lisps' fun sing-along "Ann Marie," while drummer Eric Farber and bassist Jeremy Hoevenaar match their energy beat for beat.

On the BPP Jukebox: The Dodos Play 'Ashley'

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:31:00 EDT

When the clattering, mesmerizing Dodos stopped by the Bryant Park Project for a studio session this spring, their drummer set up in our news booth and the keyboardist plinked away on a toy piano.

Musician Buddy Miles Dies at 60

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:21:00 EST

Buddy Miles, a drummer who played with Jimi Hendrix and sang in the claymation commercials featuring the California Raisins in the 1980s, has died. He was 60. Miles had been suffering from congestive heart failure.

Royal Scots Dragoon Records 'Spirit of the Glen'

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 11:15:00 EST

Between deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, the 24 bagpipers and drummers of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards found the time to record an album. Producer Jon Cohen, best known for his work with the Backstreet Boys and the Operababes, talks about the regiment's new Spirit of the Glen.

For Percussion Projects, the Beat Goes Unevenly On

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:39:00 EDT

The clichÃ© about a catchy song: "It's got a good beat, you can dance to it." But things get more complicated when the beat is all there is to it. Two recent albums put the percussion front and center: Batterie, from Loop 2.4.3, and Global Drum Project, with Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and tabla master Zakir Hussain.