The Way Drummers Move

I went to Smoke with my son to hear Vincent Herring with Dave Kikoski, Yasushi Nakamura, and Carl Allen. While Kikoski wore every emotion on his face and contorted his body with each phrase, Allen remained still, locked into a groove, interacting with the music sensitively and efficiently. I used to be hypnotised by the movement of Elvin's head. Allen reminds me of Lewis Nash, another amazing and efficient drummer. Billy Hart reminds me of a boxer with lighting jabs at the crash cymbals. Adam Nussbaum talks about being loose and playing in circles. I watched Michael Shrieve from the side one night at Tost and connected his movement with those great grooves I had grown up with listening to Santana records. The movement of a drummer's body reveals their dance through time.