2009.08.15
Solo and groove in one, from drummer Nikki Glaspie
Nikki Glaspie, whose father, Enos Glaspie, lives in preaches in the Roanoke Valley, has a money gig. She tours the world with Beyonce Knowles. She also plays with great soul/jazz sax man Sam Kininger.
On Friday, she came to Roanoke to help her dad raise money for his church, House of Agape Fellowship, and do a workshop for Music Lab at Jefferson Center. The lab worshop was on Friday, and she played for the public on Saturday afternoon at Jefferson Center. All I can say is, the woman combines mercury and lightning. Killer drummer. And her one-off band of primo locals -- bassist Bernard Hairston, keyboardist Mike Randolph and guitarist Greg Ayers -- was right there with her.
If you read what I write, you know I love to listen to Hairston. He's brilliant, and Saturday afternoon was no different. Watching Glaspie interact with him, it was clear that world-class recognizes world-class.
Anyway, I'm going to post a couple of drum breaks that Glaspie played. On this one, she combines groove and solo, and gets butt-shaking results.
