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Apr 1, 2000 12:00 PM, Dan Phillips

           
 

POWERFX The Drummers of Motown When producer and drummer Bil Bryant heard that original Motown drummers Richard "Pistol" Allen and Uriel Jones were planning to visit town for a drum clinic, he quickly ran the idea of recording a CD of drum loops by them. The two agreed and, after lining up Motown tambourine player Jack Ashford, Bryant put together the session that became The Drummers of Motown.

Heard It Through the Grapevine All three players have stellar Motown resumes, and most of the loops on the CD are modeled after their own hit tunes. So, for instance, there are two sets of loops based on "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," one in the style of the Marvin Gaye original (on which Allen played), the other modeled on Gladys Knight-s take, which featured Jones on drums.

Perhaps less recognized, Ashford deserves a special call-out on Motown. According to Bryant, the tambourine player sat in on nearly all of the Detroit Motown sessions-yet even without that history, his playing here is critical to the groove, clearly sparking the performances of Allen and Jones.

The Motown Sound The recording technique itself mimics the original: a single, lightning-fast five-hour session, with no overdubs and everyone playing simultaneously. Also drawing from Motown example, Bryant chooses to feature the two drummers playing as a team: one on a full kit and the second either doubling or playing an added hi-hat pattern.

Most of the loops are done three ways: close-miked, room-miked, and dual-mono (drums on one side, percussion and additional hats on the other). The room-miked and dual-mono versions brilliantly capture the feel of the original Motown recordings, while the close-miked technique means added flexibility for the loop user. Confusingly, some loops seem to use different performances for each version, instead of offering alternate mixes of a single recording-a bummer if you find a loop you like only to realize it isn-t available in a particular version.

Most of the loops resonate with a warm and distinctly human beat. Winners include the Gaye-style "Grapevine," with its solid, throbbing tom rhythm, the perky drums, conga, and tambourine combo of "Can-t Get Next to You," and "Psychedelic Shack," with its fast party tick. A number of great soloed conga and hi-hat loops check in as well, some featuring tambourine.

A few audio and performance glitches show up. Some loops, including several in the "My Cherie Amour" set, are marred by wavering tempos, while others have noticeable time-stretching artifacts. Tape hiss is an occasional problem, though it didn-t bother me except when it appeared on the individual hits at the end of the CD.

The disc is solidly organized, with sensible sample grouping and meticulous documentation of tempo. All of the loops fall at 10 bpm increments between 80 and 130 bpm, making them easy to mix and match.

Minor flaws aside, The Drummers of Motown delivers well on its promise: to deliver authentic, vintage-style recordings performed by the era-s originals. If you-re looking to inject your recordings with a Motown drum groove, this would be a fine place to start.

Overall EM Rating (1 through 5): 3.5