Where There's A Will

Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun has been widely recognised with accolades like the Buddy Rich Jazz Masters Award to top ratings from major drumming and music publications. This drummers’ drummer embraces electronics as he continues to broaden his musical horizons. He spoke to digitalDrummer editor Allan Leibowitz on a recent tour Down Under.

- Allan Leibowitz

digitalDrummer: We generally begin these by asking about drummers’ first encounters with the craft. So, how did you get started?

Will Calhoun: My older brother, Charles, played drums. He’s roughly six years older than I and played multiple styles of music. We grew up in a fantastic community in the North East Bronx. We lived in a two-family house, and my mom converted the basement into a rehearsal/jam studio for the entire community. My brother performed with salsa bands, jazz bands, gospel groups, and funk/ fusion combos. I would simply walk into my basement and watch my brother play all these different styles of music. This was quite an impressive and very educational experience. There were also two massive influential drummers from my neighbourhood. Steve Jordan, who lived around the corner from me he turned professional at age 14, and the other drummer was Errol Pumpkin Bedward, who was a massive game-changer in the history of music because in 1972, he was selling beats to record labels before hip-hop really became a style. Pumpkin played brilliant classical piano, great jazz fusion and was the most dangerous pocket drummer I’ve ever heard, after Clyde Stubble field, and Jabo Starks from James Brown’s band. One afternoon I went over to Pumpkin’s house to listen to him practise and, much to my surprise, I saw Steve Gadd and Ralph MacDonald hanging out listening as well. My influences began with those three guys; they introduced me to many important recordings, live shows, drumming techniques, and drumming etiquette. At that time I wasn’t interested in becoming a professional musician.

At age 16, I decided I wanted to take private lessons. I used to read