Ryan McNeil
Deep in Canadian cottage country, they amass. They are the butt of many a musical joke, but without them much of the greatest music ever made could never have been. They are drummers – young drummers, old drummers, rock drummers, Latin drummers. Literally drummers from all walks of life. They have gathered to teach and to learn, and it’s all been captured in A DRUMMER’S DREAM.
This doc from director John Walker, will impress as it juxtaposes making quite a racket in such a serene setting. You’ll watch scenes of drummers doing what they do best, and you’ll swear that the footage has been sped up – but it hasn’t. The legends we’re watching are indeed just that fast. As percussionists who have backed Carlos Santana, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis wail away, the movie takes great strides to avoid becoming a mere “drum solo video” You know – the sort of thing that would include dry ice and a hydraulic riser.
Instead the film shows us how drumming is as much about pitch as it is about rhythm. These Jedi Masters and Padewan Learners are aiming for tone just as much as they are tempo, and just when we think we are starting to understand it all, the Latin drummers take over and demonstrate an art form that seems to break every rule and re-write the rulebook at the same time. This doc will have you tapping your toes and is not to be missed.
Though I might not suggest it if you feel a migraine coming on.
A DRUMMER’S DREAM plays tonight – 10 pm, and again on Sunday May 9th – 1:30pm. Both screenings are at The Royal Cinema.
Just got back from this…3 of the 7 drummers were in attendance (including Dennis Chambers) and it was a terrific experience.
Even if some of the solos were show-offy, none of those drummers ever lost the musicality of what they were doing. The grooves were always present underneath and they were never out of ideas.
The Mike Mangini solo early on was freaking amazing. That one overhead shot did absolutely look like it was sped up. No joking around, it truly, truly looks like it's from some silly comedy where the drummer has been given some magical potion and can suddenly play inhumanly fast, so they speed up the film to make it look that way. But it's real time. Good lord…
And Dennis Chambers. Wow. That quiet stuff he played on the snare was tremendous.
But my favourite part was the one student Chris…When he talked about learning Latin music ("Oh my…") and after he joined that jam ("It was the best day of my life…Ever."). I wish they had a bit more time with the students actually…
They had DVDs for sale in the lobby so I snagged one. I kinda wish I had picked up another two or three for some of my drummer friends. They'll have to make do with only borrowing mine.