We have now got to the stage at mikedolbear.com that we get sent so many DVDs that we just cant review them all, we try to review four a month and this month I thought we would go for a real contrast in DVDs,

Let It Rip by Danny Raymond

First up is a DVD that I have had for a couple of months and keep going back to. For those who are not familiar to Danny Raymond check out his website www.backsticks.com. Danny has been involved with the Drum and Bugle Corps activity as a member of the New York Skyliners Sr. Drum Corps, as well as a consultant for the Boston Crusaders and Syracuse Brigadiers Drum Corps. He is the 1989 and 1990 Drum Corps Associates Individual Snare Drum Champion and for the past eighteen years has been a performer at the Walt Disney World Company.

The DVD is based around the snare drum and consists of 9 snare drum solos ranging from beginner to advanced with PDF files to print off.

The DVD is in three parts Solos, Tricks and Extras.

The first part, Solos, comes with an optional commentary. These solos are excellent and show Danny’s amazing stick control, dynamics, rudimental knowledge and showmanship. The optional commentary is great but you need to watch with and without, as the commentary is so high in the mix that you miss some off his playing. There is also a good display of snare drums on show of which my favorite was the Slingerland yellow tiger pearl on the solo "Rebel Without A Pause" (nice play on words in the titles). The solo "Clean Sweep" sees Danny using brushes and it is cool to see him bringing in rudimental brush work. Watch out for the cool stick tricks (or brush tricks) used in this solo. Danny’s showmanship is really on show in the solo "Let It Rip"

The second part Danny explains all the tricks that he has been using, like back sticking, twirling, flips, stick tosses and many more.

Special Features is the final part with exercise transcribed across the top of the screen while Danny performs some of the parts below.

This is an excellent DVD - well presented and with incredible playing - and is not just for the snare, there are so many rudiments, sticking patterns and showmanship that you could learn from this DVD and transfer onto the kit.

www.tapspace.com

$19.95

Review: Mike Dolbear

Where The Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles

OK, I know this is not a drum DVD but a live performance DVD, but if you’re serious about your music you need to have a DVD with Steve Jordan playing some deep pocket in your collection.

This is a film by Danny Clinch and taken from the album of the same name and is a must for anybodies collection. This was recorded in the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on December 8th 2007 and covers all of John Mayer’s hits.

The performance is broken up into three parts, the first set being purely acoustic and the second set a trio featuring Steve Jordan and the UK’s own Pino Palladino on bass. This is a great set of 8 tracks and shows Steve Jordan doing what he does best - laying down some great grooves. In the final section Mayer is joined by his band featuring his excellent drummer JJ Johnson. This set features tracks like "Gravity", "I’m Gonna Find Another You" and one of my favorites "Slow Dancing In A Burning Floor".

This is a great DVD with 5.1-surround sound and good camera work and topped off with some excellent musicianship and good tunes. What else can you ask for?

£12.99

Review: Mike Dolbear

Antonio Sanchez "The Master Series"

This is the second DVD from Hudson music in their "Master Series", the first being the Steve Gadd DVD. This 2 hour 53 minute DVD is recorded live in front of a small audience.

To be honest all I had seen from Antonio was on a Modern Drummer DVD in 2003 and there is no doubt that this drummer, originally from Mexico City, is a great player. This was a great DVD with some really educational topics including ostinatos in Jazz and Latin. I liked his advice on playing with a click, disciplined practice, musicality and his concept on the clave.

The nice thing about this series of DVDs is that it’s very educational and like you are sitting in the room while its taken place, the structure of the contents goes in the way that the audience take it as the DVD appears to be shot live with minimal editing.

Another nice feature is the opportunity to print PDF files of patterns he is playing and an e-book with transcriptions of grooves and patterns he plays. The DVD concludes with Antonio playing along to various tracks.

I really enjoyed this DVD and the opportunity to learn more about Antonio Sanchez. I really enjoyed the concept behind the DVD and I have taken some of the concepts that Antonio talks about and already started to use them in my teaching and playing, so that’s money well spent!

Hudson music

$29.95

£19.95

Review: Mike Dolbear

Guerrilla Drum Making

Drum making with realistic tactics and realistic tools.

Now this was a very interesting and different DVD to review. To my knowledge I don’t think there is anything else like this out on the market and I think the makers have carved a niche in the market. More and more drummer out there are turning to the custom made drum companies and are looking for something a little more personal when spending their hard earned cash, so why not build your own?

I really enjoyed this 86-minute DVD and learnt so much, the DVD is well filmed and really hip in its presentation; there is good lighting and close camera work when needed to everything is visually clear. The explanations are clear and easy to follow.

The DVD shows you how to: work with new or old shells, veneer drums with exotic woods, wrap drums with laminates, shoot a sunburst or fade with a aerosol can, how to use dyes, create a high gloss on your shells, work with acrylics and line up and drill nut boxes, tom holders and air holes. Everything you could wish to know.

The DVD also covers unique building ideas and tools to help with your project whether you’re a novice or experienced drum builder. OK, the price is a little high but how much would it cost if you took it to a drum builder or brought your new custom kit?

I was really impressed by this DVD, how simple it was to follow and well explained with some great tips. I would highly recommend this to anybody who might be thinking of doing something with their old shells or building a kit from scratch.

www.guerrilladrummaking.com

$41.99