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
Uncovering the Legendary Sound of Covington Era Rogers Drums with Anthony Amodeo
Anthony has been on a mission to discover as much as he can on the history of the legendary Covington era of Rogers Drums! Anthony and his Rogers friends are using state of the art techniques to test the species of each…
Vintage Zildjian Collector's Guide with Vincent Ward
Vincent gives us a deep dive into the history of the American made Zildjian Cymbals from 1929 up through the 1990s. We talk about all the various stamps through he generations that can be used to identify vintage A. Zild…
(The Vault) Drum Manufacturing Myths - Europe vs. America with Fritz Steger (2020)
Enjoy this classic episode from 2020! We are lead to believe that the bass drum pedal was invented in the USA, and that the drum set as we know it today was first created in the states - but Fritz shares examples that sh…
A Look at Neil Peart's Gear with Paul Wells (Part 3: 1994-2015)
(Part 3) Paul Wells is a Professor of Jazz Drums at Juilliard and he is also a fanatical fan of Neil Peart and his drum sets. This is part 3 of a 3 part series that covers all of the drums, cymbals, hardware, heads, and…
The History of HQ Percussion / RealFeel Practice Pads with Rob Birenbaum
Rob Birenbaum is the founder of Drum Headquarters in St. Louis, MO and HQ Percussion, which famously produced the iconic RealFeel practice pads and Sound Off drum mute pads. This is a great story of how Rob started as a…
A Look At Neil Peart's Gear with Paul Wells (Part 2: 1982 to 1994)
(Part 2) Paul Wells is a Professor of Jazz Drums at Juilliard and he is also a fanatical fan of Neil Peart and his drum sets. This is part 2 of a 3 part series that covers all of the drums, cymbals, hardware, heads, and…
A Look At Neil Peart's Gear with Paul Wells (Part 1: Childhood to 1982)
Paul Wells is a Professor of Jazz Drums at Juilliard and he is also a fanatical fan of Neil Peart and his drum sets. This is part 1 of a 3 part series that covers all of the drums, cymbals, hardware, heads, and percussio…
The Drum Legends of Wayne Shorter with Mark Griffith
The list of legendary drummers that played with the late Wayne Shorter is absolutely incredible. Mark Griffith takes us through each album and stage in Waynes career and which iconic drummer was involved at any given tim…
(The Vault) The History of U.S. Military Drumming with Patrick Jones - May, 2020
(This is EP49 from May, 2020) We learn the role of drummers in the Military and the purpose they served as a form of communication and a way to keep the troops unified during battle starting with the US Colonies through…
A Look at The Great Rock Drummers of the 1960’s with Bob Cianci
Bob Cianci, the author of "The Great Rock Drummers of the Sixties," takes us on a trip down memory lane to explore the iconic drummers who revolutionized the sound of rock music in the 1960s. Through fascinating anecdote…
