The Significance of Jojo

In case you haven’t heard, Jojo Mayer is THE SHIT right now. Insanely talented. Superior chops. Innovative and musical, blah blah, blah. From the freak-out rock/jazz of the Screaming Headless Torsos to live Drum ‘n Bass ala NERVE and his Prohibited Beats series in NYC, he is, in my opinion, re-writing the direction of how the drum set will be played in the future. Jesus, can I lay on the hype any thicker?

So, what’s the big deal? Live Drum n’ Bass? So what? Lot’s of folks are doing that sort of thing…

For me, what makes Jojo so interesting is the philosophy behind his approach. It’s not about trying to recreate programmed drum machine beats into live performance, referred to as “reverse engineering,” it about rethinking the musical context in which drums are used and, more significantly, the language with which they speak.

For decades now, the study of modern drumming has involved a primary focus on 1.) technique, 2.) coordination/independence and 3.) the study of specific rhythms – rock, jazz, Latin, etc – and their historical context. Couple this with the “get in there and start banging” approach that rock/punk helped nurture and we have a rough landscape that (for my purposes) sums up the current state of (western) drumming.

Although the guy is a master at this traditional approach, Mayer is now re-thinking the way he plays his instrument. No longer is the focus on technique and coordination, its about texture. “You don’t need rudiments,” he says in the latest issue of Modern Drummer magazine. “It doesn’t matter what you play. Texture is the future of drumming.” – or something like that…

So what does this mean? Forget for a moment that you are a musician and think about music as a listener and consumer. Sure, there will always be jazz purists and rock purists and folks who think that the Ramones created the most sublime music ever recorded. But go ask a DJ what they are listening to. Or better yet, someone under the age of 30. Chances are that they are not differentiating music in terms of whether it was played by traditional instruments or programmed by a DJ/producer. It only matters that its good.

In music, beat culture is real and it is powerful, not only on the dance floor but in the marketplace as well. Who better than a drummer to take it and try something new? Innovation is the goal we strive for, and Jojo is currently influenced by Jungle/Drum n’ Bass. Next year it may be something else.

Take it a step further. Maybe you’re a bass player. The bass tends to play a very specific roll in a lot of programmed, beat driven music. It tends to be more sub-tonic, filling up only the very low end of the harmonic spectrum. I’m sure this is what Bill Laswell is using as reference when he does his dub explorations (you know, in addition to traditional dub reggae). Who knows what everyday bass players will sound like in twenty years? My guess is that they will sound a lot more like Aphex Twin than Jaco Pastorius…

For me, this all is truly exciting. As a musician who came of age during the same time that the DJ and MC became a major focus in music, I welcome any opportunity to create bridges and explore new sounds. Hopefully, the lines that separate live and programmed music will continue to blur. As a student of the drum set, it’s a really fucking cool way to approach the instrument, regards of (your access to) tools or skill level. It’s all about your ears. There are no rules.

Anyway, I think it's cool.

Note: I haven’t checked out Mayer's DVD, yet. In fact, I’ve never checked out any drummer DVDs, but from what I’ve heard, it might be time to start.