Not So Modern Drummer

Lynne: So you knew he would not be on that..... portance of it because of George, and it average? George: He named it. changed my playing for the better. Keith: Did you really? Lynne: What did he name it? George: Man, you know what I think George: I knew he would be a profes- George: The big Mississippi beat you absorbed from me more than any-sional drummer from day one. It was (laughs) thing was how to relax your playing. very obvious, the confidence and atti- Keith: (In funny voice) The big Missis- Keith: Yeah and to know when to do tude. sippibeat!!!(laughs) what. Like, you know, it’s not always Lynne: Socool..... George: (laughs) about trying to chop out. It’s about George: There have been very few of my Keith: or the Mississippi groove. knowing when to make the right mature students that I can say that about. Lynne: So you learned what you’re do- choices. You’ve always been that mature, Lynne: You wouldn’t say that if you ing now from him? You didn’t know seasoned groove guy who knows what didn’t know. What did you guys work on about the groove? to do – when to do what and make the back then? Keith: Well I never thought about it be- mature choices and that’s what I love. Keith: It was a lot of application stuff. cause I didn’t know about it. I was thir- And that’s the most important thing a George helped train my ear. He could lis- teen. I just knew that I wanted to play. drummer or any musician should have, ten to something and tell me what it was. But I realized at a young age the im- maturity!

I would bring something in, a record- Lynne: And that’samazing! ing, and he would be able to show me George: It’s not something you can re-what the drummer was doing, and then ally put into words because the student… I could kind of associate what I heard Keith: And you always made me feel with… like I was good. You encouraged me and George: I taught you how to listen and made me feel like I wasn’t wasting my transcribe. A lot of repertoire. time, you know. And sometimes we just Keith: Yeah, yeah. And the main thing jammed, like when we played together was the groove that he… or whatever. It was a vibe that you don’t George: Yeah, we’ve got the same wide always get with a teacher. You know how groove - We played a lot together. some teachers can be...