Still Drumming After 75 Years

The Evolution of My Drumming Over the Years... What's Yours?

• Age 3 Classical piano - with my aunt.

• Age 6 Began drum lessons with Master Sergeant William Hartman.

• 12 Years of school band - High School teaching assistant.

• 1960s Trinity University Classical Percussion with Harvey Biskin, Houston Symphony.

• Mid 1960s Moved to LA. Staff percussionist with CBS. Active in LA jazz scene.

• Met Elvin Jones at Pro Drum Shop. He borrowed my trio for his local gigs. I received intensive drum studies with him. Polyrhythmic drumming.

• Later, I met Max Roach at Pro Drums. Did drum clinics with him. I was the student. Great lessons, melodic drumming, tune-smithing.

• Worked off and on with legendary jazz pianist, Horace Tapscott.

• Late 1960s Moved to New York. Looked up Ornette Coleman, friend of friend. I spent time at his house, learning about his harm0lodic music theory and the use of two drummers: Billy Higgins and Ed Blackwell. Ed "Boogie" Blackwell was a genius drummer from New Orleans. I played duets with Billy Higgins. Active in NY jazz scene. Played with alumni of Miles Davis in the NYC Jazzmobile.

• 1970 Brief interlude - University of Ohio. Artist and Composer-in-Residence. Taught Jazz History. Same year as Kent State shootings - students killed protesting Viet Nam War. Played concerts all over Ohio and neighboring states, including with the eccentric Sun Ra. Look him up.

• Back to California, this time to San Francisco. Very active in Latin jazz scene - Santana heyday. Much studio work with alumni Santana, Sly Stone, Graham Central Station, Tower of Power. Led fusion-jazz trio -34 piece drum set with various players Bay area. Became interested in electronic music. Studied at San Francisco Conservatory with Serge Tcherepnin, including study of Russian music descended from Rimsky-Korsakov through the Tcherepnin family.

• Highlight from San Francisco: first use of a synthesizer in a major jazz festival: 2nd Annual Berkeley Jazz Festival.

• Performed multi-media performance art for Museum of Conceptual Art, NEA-sponsored concerts at annual Edinburgh Art Festival, and futher concerts in city of London at International Contemporary Art Gallery. Opportunities arose down South as San Francisco was waning.

• Back to LA. Hired off the bandstand in the middle of a concert to teach Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California. Jazz gigs with local artists, studio work, hired as staff producer for Hollywood Records (Disney). Found myself producing "Gangsta Rap". Turned out to be real gangsters. Quit Disney and resigned from USC.

• Moved to Orange County, California. Began graduate school in Judeo-Christian theology at Simon Greenleaf University and, on my own, studies in ancient modal church music, just like my favorite modal jazz.

• Produced acoustic jazz trio, Haverim (see video.)

• Co-composed and produced Judeo-Christian rock album, Shiloh's Cup "Wounded."(https://www.amazon.com/Wounded-Shilohs-Cup/dp/B002FG9INC/ref=sr_1_2?crid=9RQ002031WN1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.g-i3-OHTWLWiH_ksrPKSyQ.Ut5XokYiZbW-68f92c4yVq1nckk4n-lS2hztgkzsoBM&dib_tag=se&keywords=Shiloh%27s+cup+CD&qid=1765060695&sprefix=shiloh%27s+cup+c%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-2)

• Continued to play classic acoustic jazz around S, Ca. with my own group, and as a sideman for legendary bassist Art Davis. who performed and recorded with John Coltrane and many others.

• Throughout my career, I have always maintained a teaching studio. I taught jazz drumming and percussion, wherever I was and with whomever was interested.

• I am an inventor - drum tuning system and medical devices. I am an investor and investment advisor. It's all math, just like music, except musical math are the tools of a spiritual art. I divide everything into two categories: jazz and not-jazz;

  jazz is a Ferrari, not-jazz is a Prius.

  Inspired = In-Spirited is authentic jazz; overproduced not-jazz is mechanistic

• There is a great diversity of inspired music around the world. As a musician, to ignore it is only to your detriment.

• "History is very important to a jazz musician" - Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong. He conquered the world with a jazz trumpet. BTW, the number one best selling book in the world, the Bible, is full of all kinds of trumpets.

• If I would advise you, I would only say - just be your only, unique self.

• I am currently on the advisory board with RYTMO.org. Digital Music Production EDU.

• I also hold an instructor position with Berklee College of Music Online Program PULSE ,pulse.berklee.edu

Elias "Eliyahu" The Drum Teacher.