Various Artists – Drum Nation
Magna Carta – 2005
By Russell Garwood
The drive behind this compilation from Magna Carta was to give drummers a way to submit music free of commercial constraints. As a result here we have some of the world’s top percussionists contributing to a varied mix, with styles ranging from rock to jazz and funk. Big names include Dennis Chambers and Mike Portnoy. The very nature of the compilation makes drums central to the music, but the entire disc is awash with excellent performances on a wide variety of instruments. All of the tracks are of a high quality, and the album flows well as a whole, despite the varied styles. The drumming is, of course, all of a very good standard, with all types of percussion being seen. My only complaint with the release is that some songs are too long to fit nicely on a compilation. The full track list stands as:
1. Mike Portnoy - Meetings
2. Pat Mastelotto - Toccata
3. Dennis Chambers - One Less Worry
4. Terry Bozzio - The Last Page
5. Clyde Stubblefield - Cosmic Slop
6. Virgil Donati - Space Martini
7. Tim Alexander - My Fellow Astronauts
8. Keith Carlock - Steriods
9. Rod Morgenstein - Herd Instinct
10. Simon Phillips - The Barbarian
11. Josh Freese - Baby-Faced Assassin
12. Anton Fig - Cissy Strut
13. Stanton Moore - Family Affair
Standouts include the double-bass roll heavy fusion track
‘Steroids’, by
Oz Noy (drummer Keith Carlock) and
Stripsearch’s ’Baby Faced Assassin, with drums by Josh Freese. This release is likely to be very welcome in most drummers’ collections, but as a solid mix it is also well worth checking out for jazz funk and fusion fans.
7.5/10
Official Magna Carta website
