L'Art de la Batterie Bop [The Art of Bop Drumming]: Drumset Book & CD

Riley grounds bop drumming in the actual practices of its innovators rather than abstract technique. The inclusion of recorded examples with first-rate musicians (Bob Mintzer on tenor saxophone, Phil Markowitz on piano, James Genus on bass, and Riley himself on drums) lets students hear the concepts in real time, bridging the gap between notation and the living tradition.

The energy is scholarly yet grounded in the joy of playing. Riley balances detailed instruction with the infectious spirit of the music itself, making technical concepts feel connected to the emotional and improvisational heart of bebop.

This book serves intermediate to advanced drummers serious about understanding bebop language and its application to contemporary jazz. It is equally valuable for students pursuing formal jazz study and working musicians looking to deepen their command of a foundational style.

• Study the recorded examples multiple times before working through the written charts. Listen for how the comping interacts with the soloist's phrases, not just the melody.
• Work through the brush section slowly. The coordination between hands and feet in bop brush vocabulary requires separate practice from stick technique.
• Record yourself playing the time feels and listen back critically. Your own playback reveals uneven swing eighth notes and inconsistent dynamics that ear training alone can miss.
• Play the charts with the CD accompaniment, but also practice without it. Learning to lock into the bassist's groove and the piano's comping develops independence essential to jazz playing.

Use this in private studio teaching to establish the harmonic and rhythmic vocabulary your students need for jazz ensemble and combos. It also works as a supplemental text in classroom jazz history when you want students to move from listening to playing the idiom.

• Comping with independence from the soloist's phrasing
• Swing eighth-note feel and articulation
• Brush technique specific to jazz standards
• Reading and executing bebop time feels and rhythmic figures
• Listening and responding to harmonic changes while keeping time
• Solo construction and phrasing over jazz chord progressions