Drum History
A podcast all about the rich history of the drums - and how they became what they are today! Join Bart van der Zee as he speaks with experts about the curious journey of the ever-evolving drum set.
1000 Year Old Robotic Drummers!? Al-Jazari's 12th Century Mechanical Marvels
In this solo episode, I take a deep dive into the 1000 year old automaton drummers that were created by 12th century Islamic inventor, Al-Jazari. These VERY early robots are amazing marvels of engineering and predominantly feature drummers who play kettle drums and cymbals to alert people in Mesopotamia (now Turkey) of the time of day with extremely elaborate clocks. These drummers are direct predecessors to modern day cars and machinery, as Al-Jazari is credited with the creation of turning rotary motion into linear motion with crank and connecting rods, which is essential for making pumps and engines possible. Basically, drummers are at the core of the history of everything :)
Here are the links:
History channel video - https://youtu.be/fxjh_yodeBo?si=uK82GB1mWRxzQGKL
Al-Jazari Book (free pdf) - https://archive.org/details/cover_20200113_2057/
Podcast Episodes
(The Vault) Drumming for Charlie Brown with Jerry Granelli
This weeks episode is a classic episode from 2020 featuring Jerry Granelli, who was the drummer for the iconic "A Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtrack. Jerry passed away in July, 2021 so I am very grateful to have spent t…
Working for Buddy Rich with Howie Stulberg
Howie Stulberg worked for Buddy Rich as his roadie/assistant when he was 21 years old in 1978 and had the time of his life for 2 years. He shares great stories of how some days he and Buddy would be drinking malts and go…
Biomechanical Drumming with Brandon Green
Brandon teaches us the importance of using ergonomics to set up your drum set and perform in a correct way that allows you to drum for the rest of your life without any pain. He uses many great scientific examples of way…
The History of Q Drum Co with Jeremy Berman and Max Cuzor
Jeremy and Max discuss cutting their teeth with OCDP, the origins of Q Drum Co., and also Jeremy's recent heroic battle with stomach cancer that has brought his career as a successful drum tech to a halt while he recover…
The History of Power Toms with Kyle Schneider
Was there anything cooler than a brand new gigantic Power Tom Drum Set in the 1980's? The answer is a no! Kyle Schneider is a power tom enthusiast who has put together a great history of this iconic type of drum set that…
A Look at John Bonham's Gear with George Fludas and Terry Keating
This episode is an in-depth look at John Bonham's drum kits, cymbals, heads, and sticks through his prolific career with Led Zeppelin. Terry Keating (Bonzoleum) and George Fludas (Bonhamology) are experts on all things B…
Counting Stick Control with Barry James
Barry James has just released a book that he co-wrote with Joe Morello all about how to count the famous "Stick Control" book from 1935. This book is the top selling drum lesson book of all time, and majority of the teac…
(The Vault) Bringing the Slingerland Drum Shell Machines Back to Life with Bernie Stone - 2019
This is a great classic episode from Dec 2019 - Bernie purchased the original Slingerland radio frequency drum shell making machinery on an Ebay auction in 2001, and that began his decade long quest to figure out how the…
OCDP Builders Roundtable with Corey Manske, Nick Turner, and Jarrod Fallon
Orange County was one of the most popular drum brands in the world in the early 2000's, and I am joined today by Corey Manske and Nick Turner who were some of the original builders during the heyday. Jarrod Fallon is a r…
