Tiger Bill Reviews

Paul Wertico - Drum Philosophy

DVD

 

 

Paul Wertico first came to fame as a member of the Pat Metheny Group and, after collecting numerous Grammy Awards, moved on to play with jazz greats from Eddie Harris to Larry Coryell, not to mention his own trio. Here I check out Paul's DVD Drum Philosophy.

Main Chapters
Following an introduction where Paul introduces the members of his band, who play the original tunes throughout the DVD, the main chapters are:

Stick Technique: Paul offers his take.

The Smuggler: Paul explains his approach to this tune and offers some practical tips before performing the tune with his band.

The Smuggler Explanation: More detailed analysis by Paul of what he was playing throughout the song.

Cowboys and Africans: This original tune has Paul starting out with a drum solo that includes some pitch bending and bare hand chops.

Cowboys and Africans Explanation: A detailed explanation by Paul.

The next three chapters are interviews with some of Paul's band members covering their thoughts on Paul as a musician and drummer:

Laurence Hobgood's Thoughts on Paul: (Paul's keyboardist)

John Moulder's Thoughts on Paul: (Paul's guitarist)

Eric Hochberg's Thoughts on Paul: (Paul's bassist)

Magical Space: Paul performs a condensed version of this song, opening with an explanation of his approach to the tune.

Playing Musical: Paul explains his musical approach to the drums and how he strvies to keep things constantly moving and always interesting.

Ghost Notes: Paul demonstrates his use of ghost notes to enhance dynamics and chops, which include making his cymbal time playing appear to be faster than it actually is.

Advice for Young Drummers: Includes practice tips, the importance of getting a good sound out of your drums from the beginning, and the difference between time and feel.

Barbara Unger-Wertico's Thoughts on Paul

Time Impulse: An original tune that has no time signature where each musician plays off the other freestyle, while Paul plays his drumset with knitting needles!

More Philosophy: Paul's explains his philosophy of always relating what he plays on the drums to melody.

Special Features
These include Metrum 3, a short film featuring painter Magda Bielesz and Paul; excerpts from Paul's appearance on Columbia College Chicago's TV show Musician's Studio; Drum solo from Paul's performance at Sligo Jazz Project; Paul's band Earwax Control playing at Curt Bley's wedding!; and excerpts from Paul's solo performance at Modern Drummer Festival 1997.

Bottom Line: Paul Wertico - Drum Philosophy DV D
As you might have gleaned from this review, Paul is an extremely musical drummer whose ample chops take a backseat to his groove with the band, as it should be. I recommend this DVD to all drummer's looking to improve their musicianship and creativity.

And if you haven't checked out Paul's work with Pat Metheny or with the Paul Wertico Trio yet, I suggest that you put that on your short list too.

While a good value at $19.95, you can find Paul Wertico Drum Philosophy at a substantial discount online at: