Archive for the ‘Fusion’ Category
I'm not referring to the lame Sting song (ok ok, I admit I like it... relax), I'm talking about the seven days I just spent on vacation in Mexico. Without going into too many details (most of which, I can't really remember anyway), my wife and I just returned from a much needed getaway to Tulum. A place where the sun is hot, the beer is cold and the tacos are cheap. In other words, my Heaven.
[caption id="attachment_5613" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Watch out for the Green ...
Read More
Since my last odd meter loop stirred up so much interest around the internets, I figured I'd step it up and get all kinds of crazy with another, more complex groove. And rather than tell you what meter it's in, I decided to turn it into a contest of sorts. Here's the deal. The first person to respond in the comments section with the correct time signature will be the lucky winner of:
- A meet and greet with Dream Theater the next time they play in your city (A quick game of D&D is also inc...
Read More
This morning, while eating a delicious bowl of oatmeal and listening to Billy Cobham's classic album, "Spectrum", I realized that I haven't posted an odd meter loop in quite awhile. The whole intent of this blog is to record and write about as many musical genres as my baby soft hands can handle. I can't just cater to the pop songwriters and dance producers... I also need to show the fusion crowd a little love as well. As the final few measures of "Red Baron" faded out, I pounded my third cup...
Read More
Maybe that fourth cup of coffee was a bad idea? Today's caffeine overdose has pushed me to the limit, causing my palms to sweat, my heart to palpitate and my drumming to be completely obnoxious.
[caption id="attachment_4615" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Today's Target Audience"][/caption]
Loop #105
A two measure loop with enough ghost notes to fill eight measures, this groove is short on restraint and heavy on bass. Get your glow sticks and lollipops out, the kids are goin...
Read More
Every winter, when I travel home to West Des Moines, Iowa to celebrate Christmas with my family, I also take part in a "reunion concert" of sorts with some old friends from high school. Fourteen years ago, just before packing up my bags and heading to Berklee, I teamed up with some other members of my high school jazz band to find a way to get into bars without a fake ID. The solution? Start a funk band. And give it a really bad name.
At first we were called Pushin' Chunky. Then we were ...
Read More
While I'm not a big fan of packing up everything you own, moving it into a new place and then unpacking again, it does tend have its little rewards. Like rediscovering items you forgot you even possessed. In this case, that item is Joe Henderson's incredible 1979 album, "Relaxin' at Camarillo". I had purchased this record back in high school while going through my "must own everything Tony Williams ever played on" phase and somehow managed to lose track of it after 10 years of continuous movi...
Read More
Last week I had the pleasure of seeing my old classmate, Adam Deitch, perform for all of the incoming babies students at Berklee. Adam had a great band playing with him, including Eric Krasno and my former NYC roommate, Adam "Shmeeans" Smirnoff on guitar. While the band was officially billed as "Chapter 2", it also consisted of half of the members of Lettuce. If you haven't checked out their 2008 release, "Rage!", then you've missed out one of the funkiest, most soulful albums of the past fiv...
Read More
Loop #73
Things are pretty crazy at Gruss Headquarters right now. Not only am I busy preparing for Volume II of the loop packs, I have a few other musical projects which I'm in the middle of. And on top of that, my wife just reminded me it's my turn to clean the cat box. As much as I'd rather be writing on this blog, making fun of certain fusion drummers and telling stories about random celebrity encounters, I have other work to do. And some poop to scoop.
[caption id="attachment_311...
Read More
So, rather unintentionally, it's turned into "jazz week" over here at ryangruss.com. Maybe it's the large supply of ride cymbals I currently possess, or maybe it's just the warm spring air inspiring me to play something other than Top 40-friendly backbeats. Whatever the case, I keep recording various jazz grooves every time I step into the studio... and like REO Speedwagon once said, "I can't fight this feeling anymore".
Loop #62
[caption id="attachment_2565" align="alignleft" width="30...
Read More
Odd meters aren't just for fusion jams and epic, prog rock instrumentals. They can even be used in hit songs, especially when the meter is in five. From Dave Brubeck to Radiohead, this odd meter has been working it's way up the charts and into the public consciousness for decades.
[caption id="attachment_1496" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="5/4 isn\'t just for these guys."][/caption]
Loop #38
Today's loop is a groove in 5/4 (sans splash cymbals and octobans). To keep it from...
Read More
