Jeff Ballard @ stephan's basement

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Jeff Ballard @ stephan's basement
a project by musig im pflegidach, powered by MURIKULTUR, Muri, Switzerland
Stephan’s Basement presents the leading drummers of our time, each performing a short, but
profound solo in Stephan Diethelm’s rehearsal room in Muri, Switzerland. The podcasts, as
work in progress, will create an expanding archive of modern drumming in all its fascinating
diversity. Watch and listen!
live recorded 7. March 2022
sound - Simon Huber
gimbal - Samuel Bitz
color grading - Christian Kaufmann
editing & concept - Stephan Diethelm
with the support of the
Josef Müller Stiftung
Bundesamt für Kultur
Kanton Aargau
Ernst Göhner Stiftung
Rhythms upon rhythms
Jeff Ballard's way of playing the drums could be called semantic drumming. Simply put: He tells stories with his playing. He weaves carpets in which patterns appear, in which there are breaks, in which one semiotic system merges seamlessly into the next, as it were. Colors appear and disappear, on the canvas of the infallible beat he orbits around. Seen in this light, Jeff is the ideal first soloist for Stephan's basement. For he is much more than an sideman who lays the foundation for the music of the others. His solo performance here shows that perfectly: he is not only a musical drummer, he is a storyteller on his instrument. In this way he stands for the emancipation of the drums from the role as a mere part of the rhythm section. And in his playing you can hear echoes of many other drummers cut from the same “musical” cloth. Above all, Max Roach: perhaps the most intellectual of the bop drummers, he has always played "rhythms upon rhythms". What does that mean? Polyrhythms first, but also a kind of meta-drumming, that is, drumming that comments on drumming of the past and present. A historical commentary and at the same time gripping music - simply semantic drumming. In fact, if Max Roach's art has lasted long enough to resound in today's drummers, just as the pioneers, Panama Francis or Buddy Rich, echo in his (Roach), then the same can be expected from Jeff Ballard. Many years from now, drummers will still refer to him. This recording bears striking testimony to that as well.
Rhythmen über Rhythmen
Jeff Ballards Art, Schlagzeug zu spielen, könnte man semantisch nennen: semantic drumming. Einfach gesagt: Er erzählt mit seinem Spiel Geschichten. Er knüpft Teppiche, in denen Muster auftauchen, in denen es Brüche gibt, in denen ein Zeichensystem gleichsam nahtlos ins nächste übergeht. Farben erscheinen und verschwinden, und durch alles führt untrüglich der Beat, den er umspielt. So gesehen ist Jeff der ideale erste Solist für stephan’s basement. Denn er ist viel mehr als ein Begleiter, der die Grundlage für die Musik der anderen legt. Das zeigt sein Solo hier perfekt: Er ist nicht nur ein musikalischer Schlagzeuger, er erzählt Geschichten, die für sich stehen können. Damit steht er für die Emanzipation des Schlagzeugs von der Begleiterrolle. Und in seinem Spiel lassen sich Echos auf viele andere Drummer dieses ›Schlags‹ hören. Max Roach allen voran. Dieser vielleicht intellektuellste der Bop-Drummer hat immer auch »Rhthmen über Rhythmen« gespielt. Was heisst das? Polyrhythmen zuerst, aber eben auch eine Art Meta-Schlagzeug, drumming also, das kommentiert, was es an drumming schon gibt. Ein historischer Kommentar und zugleich packende Musik - semantic drumming eben. Und wenn Max Roachs Kunst so lange weiterwirkt, dass er auch in heutigen Schlagzeugern zu hören ist, so wie in seinem Spiel die Pioniere, Panama Francis oder Buddy Rich, dann ist das selbe von Jeff Ballard zu erwarten. Noch in vielen Jahren werden sich Schlagzeuger:innen auf ihn beziehen. Auch davon legt dieser Mitschnitt beredtes Zeugnis ab.
Text: Michel Mettler

Пікірлер: 9

@jeffjoy1656 Жыл бұрын

Outstanding. Texture unlimited.

@user-hu4qq5id6i Жыл бұрын

Years ago I heard ,, fly,, first album, around 20 years ago, "jj" Song was a punch to me, once l tried to master a drum playing, but success fully realized that was in vain. But Jeff`s playing inspired me to a level, that nothing can be higher then that.

@kofidze Жыл бұрын

Hey Jef I am honored that a great drummer like you has recognized my drum ballet and is teaching it. Be sure to give me the credit due. I am Zinse, composer and choreographer of the rhythms and movements of the drum balle, it took over 15 years. Maybe we can cooperate sometime. I have had the high honor of presenting it to four US Presidents at the same time.