Three
On Three
Ed Thigpen, Jeff Hamilton, And Peter Erskine On Playing ln A Piano
Trio
by Rick Mattingly
"There's
something about an acoustic piano trio," says Peter Erskine. "It represents
a really comforting place for listeners to go. Of course, drums and piano
are the granddaddies of all instruments. Add a bass, and you've got the heart
of the jazz band--the rhythm section."
Indeed, a large percentage of jazz groups--from quartets
to big bands--are built on the piano/bass/drums foundation. Take away the
other instruments and you have the jazz trio, an ensemble that lacks nothing
in terms of melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic potential, and one that creates
a particularly intimate mood that not even a quartet can typically approach.
For a drummer, the right trio can offer unlimited opportunities
for creative expression. It can also be the most demanding musical situation
of all--where finesse and subtlety are more important than chops and power,
where intensity has to be achieved at low dynamic levels, where every nuance
is audible.
"With a trio, you're naked," says Jeff Hamilton. "Everything
is exposed and everything you do is heard by everyone. I really like that
aspect of a trio."
Hamilton likes it so much, in fact, that he's been leading
his own trio for many years. The current lineup includes pianist Tamir Hendelman
and bassist Christoph Luty, who also work with the drummer as the rhythm section
for the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, which Jeff co-leads.
Likewise, Peter Erskine has led his own trios. His original
trio, which included pianist John Taylor and bassist Palle Danielsson, performed
live only in Europe and recorded several albums on the ECM label. His current
trio features pianist Alan Pasqua and bassist Dave Carpenter, and Peter considers
this group to have provided him with the most satisfying musical experiences
of his career.
Hamilton and Erskine both credit Ed Thigpen as an important
influence through his pioneering work as a member of The Oscar Peterson Trio
from 1959 to 1965. "Playing with that group put me on the international map,"
says Thigpen. "We did a lot of wonderful music, drawing from the great American
composers."
Recently, all three drummers spoke to Modern Drummer about
trio work. The first topic involved the power of playing softly.
"If you look at great speakers, they draw you into what
they're saying by speaking quietly," Hamilton offered by way of analogy. "They
know where they stand, and they get their feelings across without screaming
at you. My favorite musicians have that mentality: knowing who they are, standing
up for what they believe in, and just offering it to other people without
shoving it in their faces. The idea is to lay your groove down softly and
invite people into that groove."
Thigpen says that Oscar Peterson often played softly to
attract people's attention when a crowd was noisy. "If the people got loud,
we played softer," Thigpen recalls. Hamilton remembers doing the same thing
when he worked with The Ray Brown Trio. "We would decrescendo until we were
down to a whisper, and the people who were talking loudly were left out to
dry," he says, laughing. "They would usually get the message and shut up and
listen. Instead of trying to out-scream them, which never works, you go the
other way."
Erskine admits that learning to play softly was a challenge.
"When I started playing professionally, it was all big band stuff with Stan
Kenton and Maynard Ferguson," Peter recalls. "Sometimes we would do festivals
and all the bands would be at the same hotel. Jam sessions would happen and
I would hear drummers like Ed Soph or Joe La Barbera, who were in other big
bands at the time. I was envious of the way those guys could play with a really
light touch, because I was very heavy-handed."
When Erskine moved to L.A. to join Weather Report, he also
started working with The George Cables Trio. "I approached George's group
with the piano-trio influences I had, which consisted of a little bit of Oscar
Peterson and Ramsey Lewis. In my limited experience at the time, I only heard
the more obvious trappings of it and the traditional way the drums accompanied
the piano and bass.
"But I was very impressed with a Steve Kuhn recording called
October Suite, with Marty Morell on drums and Ron Carter on bass. That gave
me a glimpse into the different possibilities of piano trio playing. The Bill
Evans Trio with Paul Motian on drums also became a model of piano-trio playing."
But Peter says that playing with guitarist John Abercrombie
best prepared him for the type of trio playing he does now. "Playing with
Abercrombie got me away from the left hand of the piano, which seemed to lock
me into that sideman type of approach," he explains. "With John I was able
to let go of my muscle-bound drumming habits and learn to listen better and
play over the form in a more musical way."
Soon afterward, when Erskine formed his ECM trio, playing
softly was one of his goals, and that philosophy continues in his current
group. "I want to play so softly at times that people have to sit on the edge
of their seats to listen," he says. "We live in a world that pays more attention
to speed, volume, and flash. Subtlety has its own power in relation to that.
One is not more valid than the other; they just satisfy different hungers.
"My own musical hunger has found nourishment in expressing
musical ideas in a way that doesn't assault the listener. We're not screaming
at you; we're inviting you in. And when we do play a hefty accent, it's all
the more meaningful because everyone's ears can appreciate the shift in dynamics."
But Erskine has problems on occasion achieving his goal.
"As soon as you get soft, a lot of sound guys will immediately crank up the
volume," he says in a tone of voice that reflects both frustration and anger.
"But if you can keep the music soft, people seem profoundly grateful for this
chance to get into a musical place and escape from all the crazy stuff that
constantly assaults our senses in today's world."
Thigpen says that even though you're not playing loud,
a drummer still has to be able to play with intensity. "Intensity means intent,"
Ed says. "It's a matter of dynamic control and being focused. You really have
to concentrate, but without tightening up. It's a matter of being totally
in the present."
For many, it's easy to play with intensity in a big band
setting or with an amplified group. But playing with intensity at low volume
in a trio setting can be a difficult concept to grasp.
"It's hard to do," Hamilton admits, "and that's why a lot
of people shy away from it. They don't want to take the time to learn how
to get intensity by just whispering. Many people confuse intensity with volume,
but there are a whole lot of people out there playing loud with no intensity
in their beat. They're just loud.
"Intensity was one of the things that grabbed me about
The Oscar Peterson Trio," Hamilton says. "Oscar and Ray Brown played with
such intensity that Ed must have felt like he was facing a steamroller when
he joined the group. Ed brought a subtlety to the group in volume, but he
had all that intensity in the beat. That was something he showed us that we
all should be doing."
Several years later, Hamilton got a chance to experience
that intensity first-hand. "In 1990 I got to play with Ray Brown and Oscar
Peterson together at the Hollywood Bowl," he recalls. "I had played before
with Ray's trio, so I thought I knew what intensity was about. But when we
hit the bandstand, Ray and Oscar were both groaning like we were in a weight-training
room. I tend to groan a little when I play, too, but these guys were practically
hollering. So I thought, ÔMan, I'd better get the quarter note a little hotter.Ő
It wasn't an up tempo; it was just that the intensity of the beat was so high
that if I didnŐt jump on it I was going to be left in the dust. And by the
end of the first tune, I was worn out!"
Hamilton says that intensity involves mental concentration.
"Just focus on where you want to hit the cymbal, tap it, and invite people
in. And a little groaning helps," he adds, laughing, "because the intensity
comes from inside. Intensity is not a physical thing. Intensity comes from
the way you're thinking about the beat."
Some drummers contend that one is automatically freer in a trio setting than
in a larger ensemble. Hamilton is quick to disagree. "It all has to do with
the quality of the musicians," he insists. "If I'm playing with bad musicians
in a big band, then yeah, I've just got to hold it together and I feel restricted.
But I've played with trios where nobody is locking in with anybody, and everybody
is hearing something different as far as where the beat is. And so I feel
like I'm handcuffed and I'm just being paid to hold the damn thing together.
"A trio is about three people all contributing to the beat
and being responsible for the improvisation. The level of trust among the
three members is vital. The players need to feel that they can go in any direction
and the other two will be there to make sure that no one falls on the floor.
By having that trust, everyone is freer to try things.
"But the same is true in a big band. It's all sixteen or
eighteen people contributing and being aware of the time. When I'm playing
with great musicians in a big band, I sometimes play looser in that setting
than I do in a trio. Again, that trust is there and the band knows I'm not
going to drop them on their heads."
Hamilton also disputes the claim that all trio playing
is done at low volume. "It depends on what trio you're playing with," Jeff
says. "Ray Brown had some hollerin' shout choruses, and he would want me to
play louder than I would ever think to play with some of the big bands I've
worked with. Some of his music required the drummer to clobber it and climb
all over the fills and play like you're playing in a big band. And you know
what? It did sound like a big band. Everybody had a huge sound in that trio.
So you've got to serve the music."
Thigpen sees more similarities than differences between
trios and larger groups. "In the accompaniment role, it doesn't matter if
it's a big band or a small group," Ed says. "The basic principles are still
time and form, but you need to make it sound a little bigger in a trio so
that it will sound like a larger group.
"Jo Jones used to tell me, 'Make it sound as big as possible.
Not loud, but big,'" Ed recalls. "That means you let the instrument sing.
Each drum has its own tonal range and its own overtones. You have to tune
the drums to make the most of their sound. And you have to learn to play the
instrument; don't beat it. You will choke a cymbal or drum by beating it.
"I try to simulate orchestral sounds," Ed explains. "Turning
the snares off when I'm playing brushes to get a more harmonic sound coming
through the open snare drum. Using the hi-hat independently. Shading with
the cymbals, using glissandos and swells and all the orchestral effects. Before
I joined Oscar, he didn't have a drummer; he had Herb Ellis on guitar. So
I used to try to emulate that strumming guitar sound with the drums.
"I was still playing 'the drummer's role,' but I was using
the drumset as a percussion instrument," Ed says. "Max Roach calls the drumset
the 'multiple percussion instrument,' and that's especially true in a trio
setting. You have to use the full range of tools so you can make one cymbal
sound like five. Besides sticks and brushes, I carry medium Saul Goodman timpani
mallets, and I've seen Jack DeJohnette use marimba mallets. It's a matter
of personal taste, but the main thing is to blend."
Although some players advocate using smaller drums in a
smaller group, Hamilton uses the same drums and cymbals for trio work that
he uses for big band playing, with the exception of the bass drum. "I use
a 20" bass drum for big band and an 18" bass drum with the trio," he explains.
"But other than that, everything is the same: a Remo Acousticon 5x14 snare
drum, an 8x12 mounted tom, and a 14x14 floor tom. Cymbals are all thin Bosphorous
Hammers: 14" hi-hats, a 20" on the left, a 22" on the right with three rivets,
and a new 22" Hammer China."
Erskine uses the same cymbals for trio work that he uses
for other settings. "But I think the cymbals sound their best in the trio
setting," Peter says. "I'm using three 22" Zildjian cymbals: a K Constantinople,
a prototype cymbal I'm working on with Zildjian that is unlathed and has three
rivets, and a Swish Knocker. It's wild to use three 22" cymbals in a piano
trio, but they give me a full range of color, tone, and sound. I also have
an 18" K crash and 14" K hi-hats."
Lately, Erskine has been using a Yamaha HipGig Jr. kit
with his trio, both in live settings and on the group's most recent recording,
Badlands. "It's a little four-piece kit with a 16" bass drum. It's one less
tom than I usually use, and I like the focus it brings to my choices. By restricting
your choices you expand your imagination.
"I like changing kits for the setting," Erskine comments.
"An important thing to remember is that you have to adjust to the venue, because
the room becomes part of the sound of your instrument. A timpanist in a symphony
orchestra is always changing mallets for different repertoire and different
concert halls, and drummers should also make adjustments to fit particular
situations."
Thigpen says that you also have to adjust to the musicians
you're playing with. "If you have some background, you can tell who someone's
influences are, and then you know what to bring to the table because you've
done your homework and listened to all of the greats who have played with
trios. What did Elvin bring to a trio? What did Roy Haynes bring? Listening
to all these people and having experience playing with different people gives
you a wealth of things to draw upon."
Hamilton recalls a particularly moving experience listening
to a drummer who was not generally known for trio playing. "One night, Buddy
Rich was in L.A. to do The Tonight Show," Jeff explains. "A guy named Alan
Goodman had a club in L.A. called Mulberry Street, and he was friends with
Buddy. The Tonight Show was taped at 5:30 in the afternoon, and after the
show Buddy had the night off. So Alan invited Buddy to come out to the club.
He said it wouldn't be a big deal with the public. Alan would invite some
of his musician friends, Buddy could invite whomever he wanted, and it would
be a relaxing hang. Chuck Domanico would be playing bass, Roger Kellaway would
be on piano, and there would be a drumset there if Buddy wanted to play.
"So Buddy accepted and Alan invited Shelly Manne, John
Guerin, and me to sit at the front table with him, because we had all played
at Alan's club a lot and were friends. Roger and Chuck started playing, and
here comes Buddy. He sat down behind the drums and started to go into his
'Buddy thing' with sticks on the hi-hat, and Roger and Chuck looked at him,
like, 'C'mon, let's get serious.'
"Buddy put down the sticks and played brushes the rest
of the set. He was floating the hi-hat and dancing with the brushes. He had
his head down and he wasn't mugging or showing off. He had a lot of space
in his solos; he could have been playing with Bill Evans. I had tears in my
eyes because I had never seen anything so beautiful--or so unexpected. It
gave me so much insight into what Buddy Rich was about.
"We're the products of what we've listened to and what
we've grown up with," Hamilton says. "You can hear everybody I've listened
to when you hear my trio, but it's not just cut-and-paste. Your influences
become part of your personality."
Hamilton readily acknowledges that his trio is more in
the tradition of Oscar Peterson's group. "My introduction to jazz was through
big band records," Jeff says. "Jazz trios were brought to my attention through
a friend who turned me on to Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner. The ensemble
figures of PetersonŐs trio really grabbed my ear; it sounded like a small
version of a big band. So for many years I played either in big bands or trios.
Quintets and quartets didn't kill me the way big bands and trios did.
"I do own more Oscar Peterson Trio records than any other
trio records," Hamilton continues. "It might surprise you to know that the
second-most trio albums I have are by Bill Evans. I do enjoy playing light,
floating brush playing, but I really love to lay the stick on the cymbal and
have it swingin'. I think one reason some people are put off by jazz is that
they canŐt follow what the musicians do sometimes. But in the early days of
jazz, if people couldnŐt get up and dance to what you were playing, you didnŐt
get the gig. So I think that a danceable beat is often missing in the music.
"I don't mean playing a jive Glenn Miller 'In The Mood'
beat just to get people up to dance," Hamilton hastens to add. "I just mean
that the beat itself has to dance and make people feel they can connect with
it while they're listening to the music."
Thigpen agrees. "Over the years the job has changed and
the drummer has a more integrated role," he says. "But some of the drummers
seem to forget their foundation and then they wonder why it's not happening.
You see, a lot of people don't realize that bebop came out of swing--at least
they don't play like they know it. A lot of that swing element has been lost,
and it makes a big difference in the feel."
Early in Thigpen's career, an important element in the
swing feel was maintaining a steady pulse on the bass drum, and he became
a master at "feathering" the bass drum in a trio setting. But as times changed,
he adapted. "The bass drum pulse was important all through swing and early
bebop," he explains. "But then a stylistic change came about and the bass
drum was used more for punctuation. By this time, the basses were being miked
and the bass players didn't need the reinforcement from the bass drum. So
I had to learn how to not play the bass drum.
"Later on, when Tony Williams came in with the 4/4 on the
hi-hat, I had to learn to do that. I remember seeing Tony and telling him,
'Guess what? I learned to play 4/4 on the hi-hat. Not as fast as you, but....'
Tony just laughed and said, 'Keep going. You're going to make it.'"
Erskine's trio is more in the Bill Evans tradition, and
so a primary goal for Peter in recent years has been to make the trio an equal
partnership. "There's a wonderful quote I heard at a clinic presentation once
that Bill Dobbins gave with his trio," Peter recalls. "They were talking about
the Ahmad Jamal Trio, and I think it was Rich Thompson, the drummer, who said,
'In a trio, each guy doesn't give 100 percent. Each guy gives 331/3 percent.'
You can argue the semantics of that, but I thought it was a nice way to look
at it.
"In that respect," Peter explains, "I want everyone to
treat solos as 'non-events' as opposed to the kind of solo where you're trying
to knock the ball out of the ballpark. I don't want the music to be a series
of home runs. The arc of each solo should fit within the framework of the
entire piece. And the piece should fit within the framework of the entire
evening of music.
"With many jazz groups, the tendency is to start the tune,
then the bass player plays all the cool stuff he can play, the piano player
plays all the cool stuff he can play, the drummer plays all the cool stuff
he can play, and then they play the melody again and it's over. Nobody is
listening to each other, and the density level is full from the get-go. There's
no real interaction or communication. When you play a solo, you are supposed
to be improvising, which means you are supposed to be composing. So I want
everyone to be composing the same tune together."
Erskine says that trio playing, like all drumming, is ultimately
about choices. "At a certain level, when you know how to swing and how to
execute singles and doubles well enough around the kit that you can play any
variety of patterns, then it comes down to, What beat are you going to play?
Where are you going to place those various parts of the beat? What dynamic
are you going to play?
"If you listen, almost all of the answers are automatic.
If you're not listening, then it all becomes a conscious process. Or, even
worse, you fall into the trap of playing for a response, and you play something
that makes the audience give you a whoop and a holler, and you think, 'Hey,
I'm onto something here.' And then you start playing the same boring crap
a lot of other people are playing."
"Playing in a trio takes all the discipline you can muster,"
Thigpen says. "It takes a lot of instrumental technique and a lot of listening
to different types of music. If you play the music as it should be played,
and you play it with sincerity, then it comes across to people. If it needs
to be soft, let it be soft. If it needs to be tender, give the feeling of
tenderness. If it needs colors on the cymbal, use them. Just play music."
Copyright 2002 by MODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited.
Reprinted here by permission from MODERN DRUMMER Publications, Inc.
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