Andrewsmall

Last Updated: Friday 27th June, 2008

A few months back I spent a couple of days hanging out with a great drummer and friend Julien Brown. There were two drumkits in one room and we just played for hours….it was great!! It took me back to when I was a teenager doing the same kind of thing and these tunes are among the many we checked out……Jules!….we’ve got to do this some more.

Track -	‘No Other Choice’ (from the DVD ‘Victory: Live’ - 2006)

Artist -	Tye Tribbett & G.A.

Drums -	George “Spanky” McCurdy

I’d seen many clips from this gig on TV but after getting the DVD I was blown away by the intricate yet accessible arrangements, vocals and band performances. The whole concert seemed to run on 150% energy levels and the approach was a slight twist on many other live gospel productions. ‘No Other Choice’ may not be an obvious pick, but “Spanky’s” pocket on this tune is just fantastic…..I’m still bouncing around now

Track -	‘Possess The Land’ (From the live DVD ‘Thirsty’ – 2007)

Artist -	Marvin Sapp

Drums -	Calvin Rodgers

At first listen, you may think the awesome drumming over the intro was the primary reason for this selection (it IS extremely impressive, as are the rest of the band), but the great shuffle based groove for the main tune is a highlight for me. Calvin Rodgers has great time, great feel and awesome chops….all in all a really tasty player. The album/DVD is well worth a listen.

With the return of this feature you get three for the price of one! My guests this time around also took part in Yamaha’s European Groove Night last March. I hadn’t heard of Oscar Kraal (Netherlands) and Arthur Hnatek (Switzerland) before but they both are fantastic players. Oscar played a great version of ‘Soul Vaccination’ in Frankfurt and at only SEVENTEEN, Arthur is nothing short of amazing. Last but most definitely not least is the legend that is Andy Newmark (from the USA but resident in England) who’s played with many incredible artists down the years like John Lennon, Sly and The Family Stone and David Bowie. Andy also occupied the drum chair for the ‘Lion King’ show in London’s West End for a long time. His contribution is enlightening, breaking the record for the longest article so far on andrewsmall.net (with Oscar not far behind!). I hope you enjoy hearing from these guys as much as I did.

	Arthur Hnatek
	Oscar Kraal
	Andy Newmark