Episode 83 – The Shuffle Show
The shuffle is one of the most elusive grooves for any musician to master. It certainly complicates matters when there are numerous regional and genre interpretations to consider. In this show Phil and Jon spend some time discussing their experiences and listening to some of their favorite recorded shuffles. But first we take a moment to discuss the lean winter months and answer listener questions. We tackle an inquiry regarding the perceived importance and differentiation between the various types of wood used to construct drum shells. If all other tuning and equipment variables are equal are different woods discernible to our audience? What about fellow musicians? We then discuss the recent deaths of drumming greats, Leon Ndugu Chancler and Pat Torpey. We talk about their drumming careers, great recordings they appear on, and Ndugu’s educational legacy. Finally the main topic of the day is addressed with each host mentioning how they first learned to play various shuffles. We also remember which shuffle songs made the biggest initial impression on us. We then go through the many different genres and eras of music that popularized the various shuffles that all drummers must be familiar with. Great drummers such as: Art Blakey, Mel Lewis, Steve Gadd, Bernard Purdie, Jeff Porcaro, Jabo Starks, Chris Layton, Billy Cobham, and more are discussed. Furthermore we listen to some of our favorite recorded shuffles and talk through what makes them great.
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