The Hazel Project

I was in 5th grade when I discoverd TOTO. I saved my allowance to buy the first album and devoured it.

Just beginning to play drums, there was was very little in the form of instruction in Vicksburg MS. I remember one night listening to ‘Goodbye Girl” over and over. Something just clicked with that tune in my preadolescent brain. I went to my dad with my TOTO record jacket in hand, pointing to the picture of the drummer, and said “Dad if l learn how to play like this guy will you buy me a drumset?”

I sought out everything the cat played on after that. Then I figured out that he played on, with at least 1/2 of the other TOTO members, every other record that came out between 1975 and 1990. That’s how it seemed.

So the 80’s. A period saturated with the smell of auqanet and leather in my high school. I was learning from Jeff Porcaro records: how to listen: How to internalize the form and vibe of a tune; that drumming was about making music; about a pocket, about vibe; instead of who could play the fastest paradiddle.

Jeff was my idol, in a time when such were hard to identify. As I was growing up he was such a huge inspiration during a time in the South where musical inspiration seemed rare. It’d probably be weird for him to hear that. I remember reading Modern Drummer interviews where he came across uneasy about such talk.

Now it makes sense to me. He was a guy doing his gig, bringing the best creativity and intention to each session. That gig just happend to have a huge impact on American music and musicianship. That’s my own biased take anyway.

His death deeply altered my perception of things. It signified the beginning of the end of the session musician; which was my dream gig as a kid.

The news of his death made me think of a larger picture of connectedness. Even through radio airwaves or a turntable needle. All the while being grateful for the time he spent making contributions to drumming, & music.

He raised the bar higher than I think he gave himself credit for. That’s just a sign of a guy approaching his gig with humility and gratitude right?

The one thing I wish there was a recording of is his laugh. Only in words and through other musicians stories have I heard about how a laugh had the power to set the vibe, and break tension, at a recording session.

Music for me has taken a differnt turn now from drums towards synthesizers and electronics. The fact remains however I learned an incredible amount of unteachable muscianship from Jeff Porcaro. Even though it was through hours of attentive listening, my own ‘loppy’ form of practice, and reading every article I could find on his art and his band Toto.

Thanks for checking in.

Stephen A. Thomas

This entry was posted on Monday, October 16th, 2006 at 1:19 pm and is filed under on the path, posts & stories . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.