vol.50 steve gadd - july 2015 | muse on muse · steve gadd talked to muse on muse about his new...

7/1/2015 Vol.50 Steve Gadd / July 2015 | MUSE ON MUSE

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Vol.50 Steve Gadd / July 2015

Steve Gadd

Photo by Rob Shanahan

Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder, Chick Corea…the list goes on and on for the countless artists SteveGadd has shared the stage with and recorded for. Steve is definitely one of the best drummers in the world today.Along with his musical friends Michael Landau (guitar), Larry Goldings (keyboards), Jimmy Johnson (bass), and Walt Fowler(trumpet & flugelhorn), Steve Gadd released a new album titled “70 Strong” commemorating his 70th birthday. The albumdisplays a superb band ensemble by a group of worldclass musicians, along with Steve Gadd’s detailed and dynamicdrumming.Steve Gadd talked to MUSE ON MUSE about his new album “70 Strong” and his approaches to drumming.

MUSE ON MUSE



Photo by Steve Singer

Interview / Text Mamoru Moriyama

Translation Louis Sesto (EAGLETAIL MUSIC)

Muse On Muse : Congratulations for your 70th birthday! How does it feel being able to continue music at this age?Steve Gadd : Fantastic! It’s great, I still get a chance to play music for audiences and feel that energy and play with greatmusicians who are all my friends…so it’s great!

MM : You have recorded and toured with numerous artists. Which recording stands out the most in your memory and why?Please share any episodes you might have.SG : No. They are all important to me. You know, I really can’t pick one out over another. The whole journey’s been great andI’ve learned from all the people that I’ve worked with.

MM : Is there anything you do in particular (or keep in mind) in regards to maintaining your long career and the currentstatus/position you have in the music industry?SG : I always give 100%. I exercise, try to stay healthy, I eat right and try to keep spiritually fit. And love what I do and give itone hundred percent.

MM : You have just released your new album “70 Strong”. What was the concept behind this new album?SG : Having fun with guys I love to play with. I think that’s what it is…we just wanted to get together and groove.

MM : The album not only is a pleaser for drummers and players, but the remarkable musicality definitely appeals to mainstream



listeners too. How did you think out the perfect balance when producing the album?SG : Having these guys in the band make that happen. I didn’t really think about anything else but having guys that like to makemusic together. Everything else takes care of itself.

MM : You have the same members as the “Gadditude” album participating on this album too: Michael Landau on guitar, LarryGoldings on keyboard, Jimmy Johnson on bass, and Walt Fowler on trumpet. How is it recording with these members?SG : It’s great! They’re friends, they’re great musicians and we have a great time together.

MM : How long did it take to record the album? Tell us about the actual recording process.SG : It took about a week to record. Everybody wrote songs and I listened to them and tried different things and decided whatwould work best for the album. And we did a couple of covers that we all liked.

MM : All members are credited on “Foam Home” for the songwriting. Tell us about this song.SG : We all wrote this song together in the studio. We started jamming and came up with that song. And on the Gadditudealbum we did Green Foam, so…we’re keeping the “foam” motif for songs that the band writes as a group. (jokingly) If youhear another “foam” song on our next album, you’ll know that we wrote that song as a band too!

MM : You have recorded some songs that are originals of the participating musicians. How did you decide on which songs tohave on the album?SG : It was real simple. I listened and decided which songs would work on the album.

MM : You also feature a song by Eddie Harris called “Freedom Jazz Dance”, which is known to be played by Miles Davis. Whatkind of approach did you take when recording your version of this song?SG : We combined a few Eddie Harris songs. I’m a big Eddie Harris fan and so are the other guys in the band, so we came upwith a combination of a few Eddie Harris songs that we put into one track.

MM : What was the reason behind choosing Jan Hammer’s “Oh, Yeah?” as one of the songs for this album?SG : I was at a party at Walt’s (Fowler) house and a lot of musicians were there and we were jamming and they started playingthis song. Everyone knew it but me and I fell in love with it. As soon as I heard it I thought it would be a great song to play withour band. So we did it. It’s a lot of fun to play always.



Photo by Bill Zules

MM : “Sly Boots” definitely displays a variety of your technical rhythm approaches.

SG : Right!

MM : When are the moments you feel the most happiness when playing with this band?

SG : All of the time. We’re either having fun musically or joking around or enjoy hanging with each other and our wives.

MM : You play in perfect time while having a great groove, and you continue to fascinate and influence many drummers,

musicians and listeners. How did you acquire your current style of drumming?

SG : You have to keep it in the front of your mind and keep working on it. It’s not anything that you learn and then forget about it.

You have to be constantly striving for it.

MM : From your perspective, what do you consider as a ‘good drum sound’ in a band ensemble? Is there anything you keep in

mind while you’re playing, techniquewise, to get a good sound out of the drums?

SG : I think that years of practicing and trying to hit the drum correctly, you know the way I was taught as a kid and constantly

trying to apply that balance. That technique becomes second nature, not anything that I think about…you know what I mean? It

just sort of happens automatically.

MM : Do you have any advice and/or a good practice method to develop a good sense of rhythm, which is essential for all

musicians?

SG : I think it’s good to practice with a click or if you have a drum machine with a programmed feel and they should be able to

use headphones that block out the sound of the acoustic drums in the room like Vic Firth’s headphones. They have to be able to

hear what they are trying to play with louder than themselves. And they have to practice playing with those references for times,

set it at different tempos, different feels, try playing 8 bar phrases and playing fills at the end of the phrases and then they’ll start

to understand how the time fluctuates when they change what they’re doing.

MM : I’m sure strength and stamina is an important part when it comes to playing drums. Is there anything you do to maintain



your physical condition?SG : Exercise. I try to jog everyday or at least 4 or 5 times a week. I think that’s really important.

MM : Tell us about your gear. What kind of kit did you use for the recording? What snare(s) did you use?SG : I used the Steve Gadd metal snare. I used one birch 13” Steve Gadd snare on Foam Home. And then I used the SteveGadd Yamaha custom kit with the 20” bass drum and 12, 13,14 and 16 inch toms.

MM : What do you have coming up next? Tell us about your upcoming schedule.SG : We’re doing James Taylor promotional concerts in New York in a couple of weeks. Then the Steve Gadd Band is doing theRochester International Jazz Festival. Then continuing with James Taylor until August 6th. Steve Gadd Band is touring Asia inSeptember and Europe in October and November.

Steve Gadd official site : http://www.drstevegadd.com/

STEVE GADD BAND / 70 STRONG

1.Foam Home2.Freedom Jazz Dance3.Written in Stone4.The Long Way Home5.Sly Boots6.Duke’s Anthem7.Elegant Squares8.Desu9.De Volta Ao Samba10.Oh, Yeah?11.Blues For…

Steve Gadd – DrumsWalt Fowler – Trumpet, FlugelhornLarry Goldings – Keyboards, AccordionJimmy Johnson – BassMichael Landau – Guitars

Vol.50 Steve Gadd / July 2015



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vol.50 steve gadd - july 2015 | muse on muse · steve gadd talked to muse on muse about his new...

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