'Thinking of Jeff' by Nathan Williams

Jeff Porcaro was one of my biggest influences growing up and his groove is still regarded as one the best examples of contemporary drumming ever committed to tape.
As you all know, his half-time shuffle was legendary having been inspired by the legendary Bernard Purdie. Jeff's classic time feel can be heard on numerous hit records that span decades of popular music. Tracks include 'Rosanna' by Toto, 'You Might Need Somebody' by Randy Crawford and 'The Girl Is Mine' by Michael Jackson to name just a few.

This groove is a milestone for many drummers as it requires technical facitlity, coordinated independence, dynamic control and connection to the pulse. This is a great track to work on your Porcaro shuffle with some added phrasing allowing you to stretch out in the set-ups. I've tried to differentiate my parts across the different sections to give the arrangement shape whilst ensuring that I remain tasteful without overplaying.

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I'm available for sessions and drum lessons in person from my studio in Birmingham (UK) or online via Skype and Zoom.

My good friend, the uber talented Nathan Williams, wrote this tune entitled 'Thinking of Jeff' as one of his drum play-along tracks which are available here.

Equipment used:

Pearl Masterworks
22", 10", 12", 14"
14"x 5.5" Mapex Black Widow Snare

Cymbals:
15" Meinl Extra Dry Medium Thin Hats
17" Sabian Evolution Crash
20" K Zildjian Ride
18" Meinl Dual Crash

Vic Firth 5A Sticks
Remo Drum Heads

Sure Microphones
Behringer X32 Rack Mixer
Mixed in Logic

Author: Darren Ashford

You can find out more about Darren here: http://www.darrenashford.com/about

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