September DVDs/CDs reviews

The Acoustic Sessions by Panos Vassilopoulos

I first become aware of Panos from Thomas Lang who gave me one of Panos DVDs "A step further" earlier in the year and told me to check him out. If Thomas tells you to check somebody out then you listen, right? This double-disc set contains a multitude of performances and examples, taking the viewer through a series of advanced examples on multipedal drum kits, focusing on multipedal ostinatos and extreme independence. OK so Panos can play but I didn’t know much about him. Click here to have a look at some footage of him on YouTube

So who is Panos Vassilopoulos? Panos was born and lives in Athens (Greece) having had no formal lessons in his career, begun to explore the more complex side of drumming a few years later, by listening to the Jazz Greats Buddy Rich and Joe Morello. In the 90''s the influence of Jazz Fusion is more than apparent. Dave Weckl, Dennis Chambers and recently Thomas Lang, Virgil Donati, Marco Minnemann and Grant Collins have become a major source of inspiration. Currently has been examining the possibilities that are available, with his involvement in the world of electronic percussion. He has three DVDs currently out - Ostinatos and Polyrhythm, Step Further and his latest DVD, The Acoustic Sessions.

I must admit when his latest DVD arrived for review I was surprised as I was expecting another multi pedalled educational ostinatos DVD instead I got the acoustic sessions which is a DVD/CD live Jazz trio performance based package.

Like his previous DVD the production and artwork is second to none with good high definition camera work and sound that captures the performance. This is a performance DVD that shows Panos in a different format to what you might expect, as this is without a doubt a jazz performance.

The package covers 6 jazz standards including Autumn Leaves, Blue Bossa, and Carl Porters I Love You and then the original final track interplay which shows Panos’ musicality and creativity on the drums using a mixture of hands, brushes, mallets and sticks.

I really enjoyed this 120 minute DVD with its excellent musicians. One of the highlights for me is the track, Darn That Dream featuring the vocalist Alexandra Pashali.

If you’re looking for a drum education DVD featuring fast fills or ostinatos, polyrhythms or speed metal do not buy this DVD but if you want a musical jazz performance with great track choice played by superb musicians and presented in a blue note theme with great camera angles then you can’t go wrong with this package.

Mike Dolbear

http://www.acousticsessionsonline.com/

Lessons: Breaking the Code – By David Garibaldi

The ‘Funk innovator’ David Garibaldi has released a new DVD to complement his previous DVD The code of Funk and explains to how to use the E book and audio files included in the package. Most of us know him through his contribution to funk band, Tower of Power and today his reputation has given him the title of one of the great modern funk drummers of our time. From the beginning of the DVD David hits the ground running, taking off where he left off with his previous DVD.

The DVD is separated into two parts. The 1st section includes David performing and explaining 3 funk tracks: Page 1, Pocket of Soul and Back in the Day. The second part of the DVD is centred on a variety of sticking, which is used to form grooves. He also emphasizes and how using other time signatures and genre within 4/4 grooves can open up a variety of unexplored avenues, which can ultimately, changes the feel of the song.

The detail within this learning package is second to none; David gives you the musical notation on the E-book, together with practical demonstration, with ideas on how to expand the groove. His detail is designed to turn the amateur into the pro including the little attention to detail that makes a bigger difference to a drummers playing like dynamics within the groove, push and pull, tension and release and using different voices.

Breaking The Code is a great book for all musicians. Although most of the pieces are aimed at the intermediate looking to stretch their abilities, it encourages the advanced player to hone in on their approach of playing more solid and creative grooves while it inspires the beginners to think about playing a bit of funk.

Without a doubt you’ll be looking for your TOP CD’s to jam along with.

Adrian Graham

Hudson Music

RRP: £21.95/$29.95

Drum Philosophy- Paul Wertico

Paul Wertico has been on the musical scene for sometime now, but his more recent acknowledgement and participation within the Pat Matheny band has brought his playing under the watchful eyes of the drumming community. His new DVD is aimed at answering ‘how to play the drums’ rather than ‘what to play’. The music he focuses on with the DVD is modern jazz although he explains this approach can be used in all genres.

The disc starts with performances with Paul, providing a flurry of fills and solos. He then goes on to describes how he plays a number of tracks with his band. He explains and demonstrates the grooves played in the tracks and more importantly what he is thinking about during performance, what happens during each section and how to adept to the music, the feel and the other players in the band.

The DVD is another goodie; well that’s my humble opinion. It’s not all fireworks but there is a good show and more importantly, a lesson to be learnt. Give it a go... it’s a grower

Adrian Graham

Alfred Publications

RRP: £12/$19.95