‘Abuzzment’ of Grooving

I had a lovely lunch the other day with a friend of mine.  Being drummers, we inevitably landed on the topic of what we drummers gets out of playing with everyone.  He pointed it out it’s all about that lovely buzz one gets when that beautiful connection is pocketed… what I feel is that freewheeling groove that is so sensual and lifting and bodily lovely that it is a joy to play.  We talked about how difficult it is when that is not there and especially, as he put it, when someone plays “at you” instead of with you.

For me it’s all about the space between the notes that lovely endlessly flexible beat that can be breathed on with great nuance, floated feather light, freewheeled or clunked about.  You can propel, drag, bounce and even contain everyone with where and how you lay down that contact. A drummer can lift the stroke and the moment if he is a master of rhythmic space. Rhythm isn’t about the beat it’s about the breath between the beat and how everyone breaths at the same time or in a rolling passover across it.  I love that space and most of my drawings embody my love of that space.

I was thinking about this wonderful conversation and trying to illustrate this desire of the drummer to “hook up” with everyone to not only keep everyone pocketed but to feel that lovely buzz.  The drummer in this case is on the right, sticks out and ready to connect in a beautiful rhythmic wonderment with another.

Britt : )