NEWS
what's the racket?
ARTHOR VON BLOMBERG
For many months Pete has been collaborating with American drummer, Arthor von Blomberg, now living in Berlin, on a plan to bring the story of Gene Krupa, the first great Super Drummer, to the musical stage. Arthor is hustling backers and producers and Pete is working on the book. Between them they have established a running order for the tunes, which include many great hit songs from the Swing Era. The show will feature singers and dancers as well as a full big band. Arthor and Pete will play drums on the show and re-enact the great Drum Battles of that Golden Age of Jazz. The fascinating life story of this iconic musician Gene Krupa can be found in print and video >from the foremost expert, Bruce Klauber, whose own drumming is well worth
hearing.
HELGE’S LIVE CD
HELGE’S LIVE CD is out now in Germany and contains great chunks of the comedy to be enjoyed on the current tour plus some of the songs performed by the band. Helge’s multi-instrumental talent is heard well here with his piano, trumpet and several saxes. He recently bought a very rare Buescher C-melody sax from 1928 in great condition. You can hear this on C Jam Blues and it sounds very warm. At the beginning of saxophone history it was heard often but fell into disuse as the alto and tenor saxes became the main instruments in jazz. Check out Frankie Trumbauer with Bix Beiderbecke to hear the origins of this sound.
NEW DRUMS AND HEADS
I have added some stunning new drums from the Pearl range to my gigging collection. The Pearl Reference series has been getting rave reviews from the top pros and the magazine reviewers as well as the all-important store owners. My kit is finished in Copperfire Sparkle and it is obvious from first glance that Pearl have made every effort to produce the most sparkling sparkles available anywhere. The sizes are 22 x 16 BD, 12 x 9, 14 x 14, 16 x 16 Toms. I will use my own Signature snare with these drums and I will fit the kit with Aquarian Modern Vintage heads. My old friends at M & T Distribution are now handling Aquarian products and it is a long-awaited step for me to endorse these great heads which come from the hands of Roy Burns. My debt to Roy is great, he helped me many years ago and I am happy and proud that our friendship has lasted well over thirty years.The kit which stands on stage for the Helge Schneider tour is in a similar Champagne Sparkle but these are much older models, although the sound of the kit is still tremendous. There are a couple of You Tube videos where you can see the old kit although the sound is very dodgy.