Steve Smith Improvisation: Uptempo to Half-Time on the PAS Billy Gladstone Drumset 

On June 4, 2024 I spent an afternoon at PAS Headquarters in Indianapolis, IN. Joshua Simonds, the executive director of PAS, invited me to see the rare Billy Gladstone kit that was generously donated to the PAS Museum by David & Colette Wood. Of course, I wanted to tune up the kit, which has all calfskin heads, and play some solos! All of the drums in the Billy Gladstone kit have a beautiful deep, rich tonal quality. I put up my 15” Zildjian Concept Shop Fat Hats and a 21” Staccato ride, attached my single chain DW5000 bass drum pedal and started improvising. Here is the first of a number of solos I played that day at PAS. - Steve Smith