The Wonderful World of Polyrhythms

The drum set is an instrument that was made for playing poly-rhythms and their use is the difference between one at a one time dimension player and drummer who is a master of multiple time feels. European music tends to emphasize the primary beats of any time signature, which is to say the down beats/ In 4/4, ONE  2  THREE 4. In 3/4, a waltz, ONE, 2,3. UMM pah pah.

On the drum set we emphasize the   upbeats, or the backbeat. In 4/4, 1 TWO, 3, FOUR,

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This is where the poly-rhythmic influence of Sub-Saharan drumming became significant because poly-rhythmic drumming develops  a very strong inner sense of time, not to mention it allows for some fantastic drumming. Within jazz drumming it reached a point where the time was felt and implied freeing the drummer to play all over the set very creatively blossoming with   the genius drumming of Elvin Jones RIP, and everybody after him who understood Elvin heard time very differently. In actuality he heard multiple timelines simultaneously or was able to sub divide the time signature in many different sections each of which implied a different pulse, but the underlying timekeeping was still strongly felt. That is hearing and playing poly-rhythmically. He had to be heard up close and just the way he moved supported my opinion  that a jazz drummer is a  be a percussion ensemble all by himself. That is not to say that other kinds of  drummers are left out. On the contrary, Elvin’s drumming is so influential  by just  the strength of his ideas, that the  drumming  grapevine has succeeded in passing the influence along.  Many drummers use his asymmetric sticking/kicking triplets and the  poly-rhythmic ideas they create and many have never heard of him. I believe very much in explaining where something came from, how it got there, and who gets the credit because to quote a master painter.  “ If you want to paint like  the old masters, copy the old masters” and I add then go your own way. If I learned anything from Elvin it was respect the tradition plus  know the tune as well as the other instrument players  do. I heard the same thing from Max Roach and many others exhibited it and understand that was part of a tradition that allowed them to be so generous in helping me be a better drummer, because passing it on was part of the deal, the part the outlives all drummers and makes us a family. I studied, played with and knew some great drummers, and they all had the same attitude. Hopefully this book will capture some of that and pass it on.