The Drum Shuffle

Dylan Jack and his Dylan Jack Quartet have one of the most unique releases of the year with their Eine Quartett Des Grauens. It is a "spontaneously composed soundtrack to F.W. Murnau's 1922 film Nosferatu." Released just in time for Halloween, (on October 28, 2023) a fully improvised album set to a silent horror film has to be one of the coolest ideas we've ever heard of. On episode 161, Dylan joins Jamie to discuss this project and the rest of his career in a wide-ranging interview that covers a lot of topics and ground.

Bobby Falk is a Louisville, KY native, who grew up in a musical family. Bobby is a graduate of Youth Performing Arts School (YPAS) High school and the University of Louisville jazz studies program, graduating in 2005 with BA Jazz studies (emphasis Percussion). Upon graduating University of Louisville, Bobby started composing music and established the “Bobby Falk group” a contemporary jazz ensemble, in addition to sideman/freelance work in the Kentucky-Indiana area. Bobby has performed with such notables as Lionel Hampton, Lew Soloff, Bobby Shew, Jamey Aebersold, Dave Zoller, Tommy Poole, Phil Woods, Craig Wagner, Curtis Fuller, and Shelley Carrol.

His new release Coming to Fruition is a must-listen release featuring a stellar band and compositions that will make you need to dance. On episode 160, Bobby and Jamie discuss the record in detail and preview the upcoming tour of Texas and the midwest region celebrating the release of this great new album.

Hailing originally from Tokyo, Japan, Rintaro Mikami is a jazz drummer, percussionist and composer based in New York City. Known for a wide range dynamics, supportive orchestration, and very narrative performance and compositions, Rintaro draws from a jazz tradition to a range of influences from rock to world cultural music such as Brazilian, Argentinian and mid-Eastern. 

He started playing drums at the age of 12 and immediately showed his talent in local music community. After working as a drummer in rock music scene in Tokyo, his musical interest gradually gravitated towards Jazz. 

Rintaro's early life on the small island of Kuchinoerabu in the south of Japan inspired his debut release as a leader, First Fish. For two years during childhood, Mikami gained life lessons on Kuchinoerabu that he likely wouldn’t have in his native Tokyo.

First Fish refers to Mikami’s earliest experience living on the island, a memory that would guide him as he matured and developed his own artistic sensibility after returning to Tokyo. Later he pursued music studies for seven years in the great music capital of New York, and grew to become the fine drummer and creative, well-rounded musician that we hear now. All nine tracks on First Fish weave together the story of Mikami’s journey, from the island to this day.

Tina Raymond is making waves in the Jazz drumming world. Her second release as a bandleader, Divinations, will be out on October 6, 2023. She is also the Director of Jazz studies at Cal State Northridge and is president-elect of The California Alliance for Jazz. She certainly has a lot going on. Jamie caught up with Tina to discuss her brilliant upcoming release along with everything else she has going on. This interview covers a lot of ground and will be useful to all. If you aren't aware of Tina's drumming, here is your chance to get hip to a bright young star in the world of Jazz.

Cindy Blackman Santana. Need we say more? Cindy took time out of her tours with Santana and the Cindy Blackman Santana Band to discuss her stellar career, the state of music in general, and she offered up some undeniable advice that is pure truth. You would be hard-pressed to speak to anyone who is more thoughtful or insightful into the instrument that we have chosen to pursue. This is a cannot miss episode of The Drum Shuffle podcast and we are certain that Cindy will be back again soon to continue this epic conversation. Enjoy!

Nick D'Virgilio's drumming has been been heard with many bands, including Spock's Beard, Big Big Train, Tears For Fears, and most recently on the current Asian leg of Mr. Big's The Big Finish Tour. Nick is also the drum and percussion product specialist at Sweetwater Sound, so he is known around the world as a "drum guy." He is also a fantastic singer and multi-instrumentalist as evidenced in his solo releases under his own name. On episode 156, Jamie catches up with Nick to discuss all these things in an epic drum hang conversation with one of this era's great artists. There is a lot of knowledge to be gained in the episode of The Drum Shuffle podcast.

On episode 155, we are joined once again by Mark Poiesz. Not only is Mark a superb drummer, he is also a certified coach. He has mixed together both of these attributes to create The Big Three: Steps to the Big Stage, a multi-part course designed to help musicians advance their careers to the next life-changing gig. If you know anything about Mark, it's that he is always willing to help anyone. This course is no different...It is designed to help. Full stop. We had a great discussion around some of the things musicians can do to continue moving up the ladder of this crazy business that we all love. Mark is one of our favorite humans, and we can't wait for you all to hear this episode.

John Sparrow has been drumming for Violent Femmes since 2006. A class-act in every sense of the word, John spent some time with us to discuss the Femmes' recent tour, being in an iconic band, the insanity of the music business, always keeping your bags packed, restoring old drums while off the road, and so much more. This is such a great conversation that will brighten your drumming day, guaranteed!

Jamie Wollam has been drumming for Tears For Fears since 2010. After wrapping up the band's North American tour and a promotional tour of Europe, Jamie sat down with Jamie to discuss his backstory, the new Tears For Fears record, his pandemic day job, and they also discuss the difficulty of maintaining sobriety as a musician. This is such an important and educational interview, we know you're going to enjoy this one! Jamie is such a great guy and is a monster player that everyone should be hip to.

On episode 152, Jamie sits down with Dennis Diken of The Smithereens to discuss The Lost Album, a recording from 1993 by the band that was recently brought out of their archives. A true Smithereens record in every sense of the word, it is a can't miss for anyone that loves the band. Jamie and Dennis also talk about the earliest days of the group, getting back to the sheer joy of drumming, and of course, Ringo! Dennis is a true gentleman that has immense knowledge of all things rock n' roll. This is a must-listen episode of The Drum Shuffle.