Jazz Drummer Q-Tip Interview Series: Ed Soph!!

[@hee-hochae]

Hello, I’m a jazz drummer and professor who did like Ed’s educational philosophy of drums. “Do not fit the drums, but fit the drums to yourself.” I was going through a rough patch on my drumming in 2000. On March 30, 2000, I sent a videotape of my performance. Ed Soph's good feedback has greatly influenced my drumming. Thank you Ed Soph.

[@drumqtips]

Thanks for sharing this. Ed is a great musician and a great human as evidenced by your comment. Cheers to you Prof!

[@MikeGomeztheDMG]

Wha a great interview, thx for doing this Q!

[@Batteristo]

"I was playing the drums & not the music!" Classic Ed Soph. I had the pleasure & good fortune to study with Ed for a few years at the Westchester Conservatory. I have never experienced a teacher, or even heard of one who could break ANYTHING down to it's simplest form and get the student to chip away at it from there. Something of his that resonates with me still is "it's not the quantity of the practice but the quality". me: "Really?" "Think about it. You can spend 4 hrs practicing bad habits!" I am a better musician everyday because of Ed's teaching. Thank you Sir!!!!!

[@brewstergallery]

My name is Ned Brewster. When I was 11 and getting serious about the drums I was fortunate enough to have Ed Soph as my first real teacher. Not only in technique but his approach to learning, how to transform the dots into music and put myself into it. I wish I´d applied myself more when I had him around because after a short time he was off touring and working so that was that. Even though my first class with him in Ossining NY was 49 years ago his classes and advice still stick with me and now that I have students I do my best to pass along the tradition to my kids. Ed Soph is a wonderful teacher and musician. Thank you Quincy, and for your terrific videos too.

[@garydonnelly100]

Quincy thanks so much for sharing this. When I was studying at Western Illinois University in the 70s Our Jazz Band director, Bob Morsch, brought in a team of pros, Don Menza, Mike Barone, Alan Broadbent, Rufus Reid and Ed to do a week of clinics, lessons and concerts at the university and at high schools and small colleges in the region. This was around the time when Ed was with Clark Terry's band and he was also starting to do the Jamie Abersold summer camps. That week really changed my life. On the first day these guys made us realize, yeah, we were good, but we weren't as good as we thought we were! From that point, the rebuilding process began. The lessons and clinics were great but the real learning came in the bus rides, dinners and the hanging at people's homes afterward. We'd sit and chat about music and outside interests and life in general. And we'd listen to "sides." Man, to get their perspectives in real time was priceless. I remember Menza, while listening to Chick Corea and Gary Burton doing Crystal Silence...there was A NOTE, a single moment in Burtons' solo. It was more than just a note, it represented the apex of the entire piece and it's so unexpected, the pitch itself was one mystery but the place in the phrase and the dynamic and how it defined everything that preceded it and everything that came after. Menza jumped up out of his seat and went crazy, "where did THAT come from???" Everyone in the room learned something from that. After that week ended I continued to correspond with ED for a couple years and at his invitation, crashed a couple of the Aebersold clinics until enrolling in one sometime later. Great memories and still applying stuff I learned from Ed as I 'shed during this pandemic. I'm even still focusing on some of stuff that I heard him mention in the interview. I think I might go look for the stack of letters I saved from our correspondence back in the snail-mail days. Yeah, as he said at the end, the wisdom he imparts does stay with you. Ed's stuff combined with a richly informative 20 minute lesson from Gary Chaffee also in the 70's, has given me all the material I ever needed to continue to learn for a lifetime. Thanks again for this.

[@tomhoey6442]

A beautiful interview!!

[@picklershawn]

Really enjoyed this. Thanks!

[@darrenashforddrums]

What a joy it was to watch this interview. Thanks Quincy for making it happen. I don't know Ed but he seems like such a nice person and all his students are blessed to have had him as a teacher. Brilliant!!

[@drumqtips]

Thanks for watching Darren. Ed's a wonderful person and a great musician!

[@patrickberkery8854]

Great interview! MD used to have Ed Soph regularly on the 80's. He really perked up at Alan Dawson. Rightly so. Another great that we hear mostly about as an educator. Unsung as a player in a band, but he swung as hard or better than the best, imo. A true master in every sense.

[@drumqtips]

Absolutely Patrick! Thanks for watching.

[@vergon6662]

Hahahaaa! Ed: “Buddy Rich scared the DEVIL OUTTA ME!..”

[@tonymason1959]

What a great interview!!!

[@drumqtips]

Thanks for watching Tony!

[@Layinthegroove]

That shit at the end was hilarious.

[@A.ChristopherJohnson]

TY

[@sfryson]

Great interview. Regardless of your age you can apply those learning principles!!!

[@drumqtips]

Absolutely!

[@sfryson]

@@drumqtips I would like to connect with you. I’m studying with Leon Anderson getting my Master’s in Jazz

[@GaetanoFasano]

Beautifull absolutely amazyng ;)

[@drumqtips]

Thank you so much!

[@bonzomio]

Hi Quincy....Great interview! What was the cymbal at the end that Mr. Soph wanted? Curious minds want to know. :-)

[@thehammer5200]

Not to be nit picky but there’s a typo in the description. Should be hear* ed soph

[@drumqtips]

Thanks Hammer. I'll fix that.

[@JunkerOnDrums]

Interestingly enough - two of the musicians Ed mentions - Ernie Wilkins and Duke Jordan - moved like other American jazz musicians to where I live - Denmark - and were part of a vibrant jazz environment. They lie together with several others - Ben Webster, Thad Jones, Ed Thigpen, Stuff Smith, Richard Boone, Oscar Pettiford, Kenny Drew, Horace Parlan, Dough Raney among others - and rest in various cemeteries in Denmark. And they set an unmistakable mark and direction on a Danish jazz scene that is still flourishing today. Thanks for a good interview :D

[@drumqtips]

That's wonderful! I didn't know ERnie Wilkins and Duke Jordan lived in Denmark. I knew about many of the other jazz musicians who moved over there. I've always enjoyed Denmark and its jazz-smart audiences. Hope to go back soon!