ryangruss.com

Blakey Shuffle

I just realized I’ve posted 116 different loops on this site but not a single one has been a shuffle. What the hell is wrong with me? Some of my favorite songs are shuffles. Pride And Joy, Sweet Home Chicago, Moanin’…. I could go on and on. From jazz, to blues to rock, the shuffle is one of the few grooves that can find a home in almost any genre (except for Viking metal or perhaps Psychobilly).

Superbowl Shuffle

Loop #117

Today’s loop is a straight ahead jazz/blues shuffle ala Art Blakey. With a “four on the floor” feathered bass drum and a steady gallop on the snare drum, it’s the first of many shuffle grooves to come out of the ryangruss.com beat factory.

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131 BPM

Since we’re approaching the holiday season, I figured I’d get in the “giving” frame of mind by rounding up every single loop I’ve ever posted on this site and zip them up into one file for an easy and free download. So, here you go. Everything from country to zeibekiko, 60 to 300 BPM, WAV to AIFF to REX2… it’s all inside this one zip file. Just click the icon below to download:

458 MB of Gruss

Note – These don’t include the 700+ loops that I’ve recorded for my subscribers. If you’re interested in getting in on that action, just click here to sign up.

While perusing the homepage of this site earlier today, making sure everything was in order, something jumped out at me: A major gap in my tempo categories! How did this happen? How have I not recorded anything between 260-300 BPM?? That’s prime wanking territory. I’ve spent years perfecting paradiddles and triple flama-ratama-dingdongs in the this range, yet I somehow neglected to record anything for this blog. I immediately went up to my studio, set the click track to 285 BPM and got to work.

Loop #101

The second-fastest loop yet to be released, today’s groove kicks of my new tempo category with some straight up bebop playing in the vein of Max Roach and Vernel Fournier. A four bar phrase with brushes on the snare drum, this uptempo jazz groove is one of many that I’ll be releasing in the next loop pack.

Max Roach

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285 BPM

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 moving from apartment to apartment in NYC.

Not only is Tony’s playing on this album mind blowing as usual, this record was a significant musical discovery for me because it introduced me to the fantastic drumming of Peter Erskine. Occupying the drum seat for half of the album, a 25 year old Erskine definitely holds his own alongside another legendary jazz musician, Chick Corea.

Relaxin' at Camarillo

Loop #99

Today’s loop (and bonus pack for subscribers) was inspired by the opening track on Relaxin’ At Camarillo, “Y Todavia La Quiero”. Based around an 8 bar vamp, this song not only showcases Joe Henderson’s huge sound and improvisational genius, but also Peter Erskine’s knack for driving a band with dynamics, groove and his trademark musicality. Blurring the lines of latin, funk and rock, Peter takes the chops he honed while in Weather Report and pushes this quartet into new musical territory.

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240 BPM

Subscribers, click on the picture of a scantily clad Erskine (you non-subscribers are really missing out… trust me) below to download the bonus pack containing 10 groove variations and fills (each in WAV, AIFF, REX2 formats) from this session.

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Loop #91

I just realized that all of the straight ahead jazz loops that I’ve posted have been in 4/4. Sure, I’ve done some 6/8 Bembe variations, but those were more in the Afro Cuban realm. Today’s loop is an outtake from a full session of 3/4 grooves I just recorded for Volume IV.

If you’re looking for some extra waltz-based inspiration, just take a look at this list of contemporary compositions. I’m going to sleep a lot better tonight knowing that Joe Satriani’s “Always With Me, Always With You” made the cut. A true waltz classic indeed.

Joe Satriani - Shredder & Waltz Enthusiast

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173 BPM

Loop #82

Well, not totally backwards… but I did displace the traditional bembe bell pattern by two eighth note triplets. Does this really matter? Nope. I think the Afro-Cuban police will let it slide.

It’s one of those grooves that can be felt in 3, 4 or 6/8. Throw this under your next arrangement of “Afro Blue” or “My Favorite Things” and let the 20 minute modal improvisation begin. If this groove has you foaming at the mouthpiece for more, you can get the complete set of fills and groove variations in the upcoming release of Gruss Loops Vol III.

John Coltrane - Bembe Fan

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136 BPM

Apparently I drank something over the 4th of July weekend that inspired me to play nothing but jazz grooves from the late 50’s. Every time I sit down at the kit, all I want to do is put on my trashy, old ride cymbal and pretend I’m Elvin Jones or Art Blakey. Who knew Colt 45 would have that effect?

Speaking of Art Blakey, today I wanted to talk about one of the grooves he’s best known for: The mambo. I first learned how to play this groove after hearing Art lay it down on his 1957 classic, A Night In Tunisia.

Stop whatever it is you’re doing (besides reading this blog, of course) and focus on this track for the next 11 minutes and 17 seconds:

If that didn’t inspire you, then you should probably check your pulse. You may have been prescribed something by one of Michael Jackson’s doctors.

Art Blakey - Mambo Master

Loop #79

Today’s loop takes Art’s patented mambo pattern and chills things out just a bit… all the way down to 240bpm. You’ll have to add your own percussion section and 3:2 clave (sorry, I was out of limbs), but you should be able to get that hard bop sound you’ve been looking for.

The rest of the grooves and fills from this session will be available in the highly anticipated release of Gruss Loops – Volume III.

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240 BPM

As you might recall, I previously blogged about Art Taylor and his masterful uptempo timekeeping. Tonight, I’d like to focus on another aspect of his legendary drumming: playing over vamps.

Art Taylor

For those of you who are new to this term (my wife just asked why I was writing about vampires), here’s a quick definition: A vamp is a repeating musical figure or accompaniment. A vamp may consist of a single chord or a sequence of chords played in a repeated rhythm

This sounds deceptively simple, but locking in with a band making it all swing is the hard part. Check out Art’s playing on John Coltrane’s “Syeeda’s Song Flute” to hear what I’m talking about:

Loop #78

Tonight’s loop is an 8 bar vamp that emphasizes the “1″ and the “and” of 2 of each measure. This is one of the more traditional rhythmic phrases in jazz vamps and is usually supported along with the piano and bass… and guitar (couldn’t leave Wes out).

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220 BPM

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.

We're working on it.

On that note, I leave you with this beat. It’s an outtake from some odd time grooves in Volume II. Four bars phrase in 7/8 with a bit of a drum and bass turnaround on the last measure.

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94 BPM

300 BPM. It’s the tempo that separates the men from the boys. For drummers, it’s the breaking point where playing eighth notes isn’t just a matter of bouncing the stick, but utilizing your arms, wrists and fingers to make it all happen.

I first learned to play at this tempo by listening (and eventually playing) to John Coltrane’s, “Giant Steps“. Released in 1960, this classic album features several uptempo tracks that are performed masterfully by drummer, Art Taylor. Two cuts in particular, “Countdown” and “Giant Steps” showcase Art’s relaxed yet technically adept drumming at tempos of 300 BPM+.

Art Taylor

Loop #64

Today’s loop is another 8 bar phrase recorded at the “balls to the wall” tempo of 300 BPM. Rather than a straight groove, it’s more of a dotted quarter note type vamp with some slight fills in between.

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300 BPM