Dave Weckl talks about his early days playing with Nitesprite in NYC and the game changing gig where Peter Erskine saw the band and ultimately recommended Dave for the gig with Michel Camilo and French Toast!
at 4:32 he says: "I had practiced by butt off..." Proving it takes more than just talent to make it like he has. Those who say he's a great drummer because he has talent take away the fact that he also works hard at his craft to be as good as he can be. The great artist are also willing to put in the hard work to get there.
Dave never slights how much work he does to get ready for things. And after achieving the pinnacle of success, he reinvented himself. Just an amazing musician.
There are other incredible drummers out there. A small few are at a similar level to Dave. But no one is better, so it kind of comes down to whose style do you like better, or maybe whose style do you happen to be more in the mood for at any given moment.
Dave has shown what he can do for nearly 50 years. He is one of the greatest drummer/musicians to ever live. How many people have looked up to this man???
MY game changer was seeing Weckl, Anthony Jackson, and Michel Camilo at Mikkell's in Manhattan in the mid-late 80's. I was sitting next to Michael Brecker and Rick Marotta. Weckl was reading charts for Michel Camilo--why not? suite sandrine, et al; his playing was the most incredible thing I have ever seen. The added bonus was meeting Weckl after the show; he gave me his Vic Firth 5a sticks that still hang on my wall. That gig inspired me to practice and figure out a way to improve. It's many years later and I'm still working hard to get to the next level. I'm not there yet, but Dave continues to inspire me and thousands of others, respectfully. Thank you, Dave, for doing what you do and creating epic music...
So many great Drummers, I follow and follow, but I always seem to come back to Dave. His fluidity is in a class all it's own! I met him in Philly at Penns Landing with MC and AJ. What a great guy he was. I really appreciated him taking the time to talk to me.
yes, dave wekl is a very good teacher. thats a big plus and a sign of a good musician. he teaches quite good. of course he gets better as he ages ..anyways thats what lifes all about ........improvements and change.
So true! I met Dave when he came to my home city down under of Melbourne & he told me the same thing. He told me to keep practising, keep technique sharp & musical knowledge expanding, never stop learning is what he basically said. A true inspiration!!
Dave Weckel ranked among the top 5 best drum set players ever. What do you say to the people that say that about Niel Peart/ John Bonham/Buddy Rich/ Charlie Watts /Ringo Star/ Vinnie Colaiuta/ Steve Gadd/ , if you ask Vinnie Colaiuta , Carlie watts , Steve Gadd , or Peter Erskin that same who are in there oppion the most influential drummers to ever live. They always say, there are many but there personal favorites are Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Bernard Purdie ( aka inventor of the 1/2 shuffle aka the baddest drum grove every invented on a drum set. In other words any one that tells you the top 5 any thing of all time beware of them because they have no idea what there talking about
I was at the basement in Sydney to see mike stern about 15 years ago or something. I go to the gents and I say hey to the bloke next to me and he says how’s it going? I look and it’s this man. What a good musician and humble person. This is how you change the game. Practice and be ready!
I remember NiteSprite playing at Longshore in Westport,CT circa 1981. Your band was on fire and all the musicians in the area came by, and were always blown away every time you + NS played there. Great times, great days. Luckily for us, you and I and my Dad were able to play together a few times (trio gigs)...Thanks for all the great music over the years, we are all really proud of your accomplishments, and to have played with you... and hoping there is much more great music to come. Jamie
Dave was a monster player from before his days in Nite Sprite. I started studying with Gary Chester back in '83, shortly after Dave had studied with Gary and Gary himself told me flat out..."That kid is going to be the next Billy Cobham. He's gonna explode on the scene as more people hear about him." Gary was right!
Dave arrived at the height of the jazz-fusion drum hero era that was propelled by Modern Drummer Magazine. He was this kid who, let's face it, sounded very much like Steve Gadd at times, was too young to be THAT good, and looked like he should have been standing at a microphone singing pop songs. There was some resistance to taking him seriously, possibly because he was the same age of many of those who felt qualified to be critical. Not only a fine player, he was extremely smart about his career, particularly when it came to personal branding. His tutorial books and videos made him a star in the educational and inspiration arena, while being in the Elektrik Band put him on the 'serious' map. Still, unlike some of his peers he was never associated with big names the way Gadd and Colaitua were. Gadd had Chuck Mangione, Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, James Taylor etc. and Vinnie had Zappa, Gino Vannelli, Sting, Jeff Beck, Joni Mitchell etc. True, that was Dave drumming alongside Jeff Beck and Robert Plant on the Honeydrippers' 'There's Good Rockin' at Midnight', though that was a one-off impromptu session, which meant he was never became part of the 'rock' scene like Gadd and Colaiuta did. I know Dave somewhat. He's a serious fellow with little time for timewasters. He is, as we hear in the video above, extremely dedicated and professional. Just as he won't waste your time, he expects you won't waste his. Still, despite that seriousness he can also be easygoing and good for a laugh. I also found him to be very open minded when it comes to accepting critique and suggestion, which based on the impression I had of him really caught me by surprise. He is also one of those musicians who is constantly striving to not only improve but also expand his abilities. Just watch him doing 'Got A Match' with the reunited Elektric Band a few years back at the Blue Note (linked below). Wow! Anyone critical of that should look in the mirror and analyise themselves. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_mpqaj-_UB8.html
My old drum teacher went to college with Dave. He said that Dave was relentless at practice. He said that Dave practiced at least 6 hours a day. It really shows. He still sounds great and gets better every year. Dave weckl is definitely a legend in the fusion world.
On his off season (summer vacation, etc) he practiced between 14-16 hours a day! Not surprised at all. Have you seen his video on using a met? He does some really interesting stuff. He'll move through all sorts of random spots. (ie-click = every dotted 16th in groups of 5). THEN he'd say..."ok, the uh is now one." and then play through grooves. Try it sometime...brain hurts.
Yamaha Hex Rack System holding up those Yammies. I never used a rack in my life until I ran across a set of Sonor DeLites at a steal. These DeLites have a virgin bass drum and I couldn't get my two racks placed where I needed them coming in from either side. love my Yamaha hardware so I bought this very same hex rack, only the front main rack and it changed the whole game. Yo can put your toms anywhere you want them and they are solid. The two end posts can hold boom arms. So well designed, so well done. No one does drum hardware like Yamaha.
YOU HAVE SEEN HIS NAME THOUSANDS OF TIMES.......THOUSANDS !!!!! AND STILL YOU CAN'T SPELL..........LEARN TO SPELL AND DON'T COME BACK TILL YOU DO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I haven`t been that big on Weckl until I actually saw him a couple of days ago. Now I concider him, maybe the no one on my list. And I have a long list- Bonham, Paice, Rich, Chambers, Simon Phillips.. well, I still got Buddy Rich on the top
Another fine example of when preparation meets opportunity and a man gets “lucky” My luck could’ve been so much different if I wasn’t so damn lazy and distracted by LIFE.
and WHEN that moment comes.. GRAB IT!.. I did not.. cack in 1997.. and there is not a day where i dont regret that.. stupid me.. so .. hes right.. be prepared.. and GRAB IT!
I think Dave Weckl is amazingly talented. I just think he comes off too mechanical for me at times. Almost too polished if that's possible. Like my friend says "give me some grease on that funk. Give me some Steve Smith, Brian Blade, Marcus Gilmore, Antonio Sanchez, Bill Stewart, Greg Hutchinson, Benny Greb,etc.
In today's day & age of bullshit music.. the true game changing moment will never come! those days are fucking over!! you have to make your own breaks!! that's the bottom line!! you can be prepared all you want no one gives a shit when the music scene are run by a bunch of talentless robots spewing garbage for us to listen to!!!!
