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My style of playing is very melodic and dynamic, tribal, somewhat sparse, very sensitive, intuitive, with flowing rhythms. I study technical aspects and work with charts / notation, but mostly play by feel with feeling. I like to be aware of small and large rhythms, and may sometimes play a figure that spans many measures.
Some people have said I play drums like playing percussion. I can get behind that although I think of it more like painting a scene. At any rate, I don't simply "keep the beat", I play the drums.
Some of this is attributed to my piano playing years, when I got into what could be called classical jazz. I studied theory and reading, made compositions with weird names. Some can be attributed to my desire to do things (not just drums) in ways that aren't considered normal. My whole life is like that (okay, not my whole life).
I consider silence to be a note. I will use silence as an accent.
For the last few years, I've been studying Afro-Cuban rhythms. I studied here in Seattle and in Cuba with Chuck Silverman and others. I worked a lot with my old friend Henry the AC master, and going through a book that I like a lot, Afro-Cuban Rhythms for Drumset put out by drummers collective.
Solid, skilled, creative, dynamic. Genre diverse, style best suits groove oriented modern jazz, reggae, funky hybrid blues, music with groove, flavor, color, dynamics, and syncopation.
Eclectic influences: afro-cuban, jazz, blues, rock, folk rock, country.
