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 Few
musicians have garnered the international acclaim
enjoyed by Terry Bozzio. Equally home on two toms
or (literally) forty-eight, Bozzio has earned a special
place in the hierarchy of drumset artistry. When he
plays his custom multi-drum kit, he can groove on
bass and snare, or he can orchestrate on toms and
cymbals, delivering essential melody, harmony and,
of course, rhythm. Perhaps his best forum for both
approaches is his collaboration with bassist Tony
Levin and guitarist Steve Stevens, with whom he has
released two albums on Magna
Carta.
Bozzio has always brought a percussionist's
sensibility to the drummer's role. While he first
appeared as a jazz player with Julian Priester, Eddie
Henderson, and Woodie Shaw, by the late seventies,
he made his mark on fusion albums such as the Brecker
Brothers Heavy Metal Bebop. During his tenure with
composer Frank Zappa, Bozzio honed his reputation
as one who could negotiate intricate musical arrangements
in the 20th Century Classical style, while maintaining
convincing rock drums. During spells with U.K., Missing
Persons, Lonely Bears, and Jeff Beck, Bozzio continued
to widen the role of drumset.
Today, Bozzio's
solo drum concerts have more to do with Stravinsky
and Debussy than the drum icons of our age. In fact,
Bozzio proves that the drumset is a viable instrument
beyond the usual confines of the swing beat or the
backbeat.
He has always used LP
instruments for color. "At one time, I used bongos,"
he says. "I wasn't really using them for their traditional
purpose, though. A big part of my setup has always
been my LP
Cyclops Tambourine. I do grooves, mixing it with
the snare and hihat. I've also got a big, oddball
selection of LP cowbells, and I have LP
Jam Blocks that I play melodically, sometimes
even scraping them with my fingernails. I have all
kinds of LP
Caxixis, shakers,
claves,
wood
blocks - and even some things I don't know the
names of!"
Terry is adamant on one point: "I don't endorse
a company I don't totally believe in. The variety
of LP instruments is pretty spectacular and the
quality is really high. For example, I don't think
I've broken a cowbell
since LP started making them! I've got my bells mounted
in this haphazard set. I'll take a fiberglass mallet
and stick it inside the cowbell and roll between the
edges, making a fluttering, sustaining sound. Then
I'll make up different melodies by moving from cowbell
to cowbell, accompanying myself with a clave type
beat."
Recent projects include Melodic Drumming &
the Ostinato, Volumes I and II.
LP Gear: A variety of LP
cowbells, shakers,
and sound
generators taken from across the catalog.
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