Almost everything I've done, I've done through my own creativity. I don't think I ever had to listen to anyone else to learn how to play drums. I wish I could say that for about ten thousand other drummers.
And, well of course, Count Basie, and I think all of the black bands of the late thirties and early forties, bands with real players. They had an influence on everybody, not just drummers.
And, you know, I think the original recording of Ravel's Bolero, probably whoever played percussion on that, will never have It played better than that.
As far as music school goes. I walked through Berkeley one time to visit with some people I know.
Because, as everyone knows, anybody who knows anything about drums-and this is not going to sound like an Alphonse and Gaston type reply-uh... Gene is absolutely the first man when it comes to drums.
But I think that any young drummer starting out today should get himself a great teacher and learn all there is to know about the instrument that he wants to play.
But I've played with so many varied bands with varied musical tastes, that I feel qualified to have my own musical tastes at this point in my life.
But primarily, the drummer's supposed to sit back there and swing the band.
But, I don't think any arranger should ever write a drum part for a drummer because if a drummer can't create his own Interpretation of the chart and he plays everything that's written, he becomes mechanical; he has no freedom.
But, I think it's very important that you read. I think you should read in order to know what the chart is all about.
But, when you have to resort to turntables, trick lights, flashing lights, fire and all that, you're actually saying, I need this because what I do is not all that together.
Every drummer that had a name, had a name because of his individual playing. He didn't sound like anybody else, So everybody that I ever listened to, in some form, influenced my taste.
I can think of a lot better things to do with my hands than to cut them up on the rim of a drum.
I can't sit down long enough to absorb any kind of learning.
I consider every drummer that ever played before me an influence, in every way.
I have other things that I have to do - practice my martial arts , take care of my cars. I don't put too much emphasis on practice anyhow.
I mean, I think I liked every band I ever played in because each band was different, each band had a different concept, and each band leader was different... different personalities and musical tastes.
I play a percussion instrument, not a musical saw; it needs no amplification. Where it's needed, they put a microphone in front of the bass drum. But, I don't think it's necessary to play that way every night.
I think at one time every drummer wanted to play like Krupa or wanted to win a Gene Krupa drum contest. This is the big inspiration for drummers and naturally it has to be the same way for me.
I think Bauduc is one of the truly great drummers and of course McKinley rates right along with him.
I think it's a fallacy that the harder you practice the better you get.
I think the drummer should sit back there and play some drums, and never mind about the tunes. Just get up there and wail behind whoever is sitting up there playing the solo. And this is what is lacking, definitely lacking in music today.
I think-and I think Gene will agree-I think to be an expert at anything, I think the best thing to do is study.
If he's a true symphony artist, he knows better than that because he knows that the only truly creative musician is the jazz musician.
It takes us about four or five days to get an album out.
No, I don't like recording. It's a bore.
So, practice, particularly after you've attained a job, any kind of job, like playing with a four piece band, that's... an opportunity to develop.
So, to come In with a set routine it's something I've never believed in. It should depend on how you feel, because you play what you feel.
The reason you have such a large library is so you can change pieces of music. It gives the band a chance to be fresh.
There were so many individual styles thirty or forty years ago.
They're simply following what was laid down in front and they play the same thing. So, there's no great challenge In being a classical drummer.
To have everything written for you... It's not really creating. That's why I think symphony drummers are so limited. They 're limited to exactly what was played a hundred years before them by a thousand other drummers.
We don't play too many clubs. We play mostly schools. In the summer-time, the schools are closed, so we do more club dates.
Well, I never really practiced because I never had the opportunity to practice.
When we play places like Carnegie Hall where the places are sold out we know that the people are listening uh, we play good.
You could sit around in a room, in a base-ment with a set of drums all day long and practice rudiments, and try to develop speed, but until you start playing with a band, you can't learn technique, you can't learn taste, you can't learn how to play with a band and for a band until you actually play.
You only get better by playing.
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