Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, and it caused many local musicians to move, disrupting and forever altering the local scene. But this exodus affords an unprecedented opportunity for players outside the region to share the bandstand with New Orleans musicians. A New Orleans drummer is a different animal, so to help prepare you I'm going to focus on playing with the free-wheeling forces behind the Big Easy's rhythms.
A big part of the New Orleans' second line feel comes from playing in between the cracks, or playing 16th-notes in a way that lands somewhere between a straight and swing feel. Stanton Moore gave me a great rhythm lesson that helped me get it together. Put your metronome on 88 BPM and tap your foot along with the quarter notes for a while. Now start tapping 16th-notes on your legs, alternating between your right and left hands. Then slowly morph from a straight to a swing feel (Ex. 1). Try to stay in between for a while and internalize what that feels like. Continue morphing all the way to a pure swing feel. Try to get comfortable with the whole range between straight and swing. This will help you understand how New Orleans drummers phrase. Once you get this concept, tap along with a Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Rebirth Brass Band, or Meters record (see suggested listening) to really hear and feel it. These drummers can play straight and swung within the same bar, so finding this place in the middle of both will aid in a solid groove, like the classics in Examples 2a and 2b.
New Orleans drummers tend to not stick to the same figure for the whole tune; it's like a James Jamerson approach to the drums. In the same way that Jamerson grooves work so well over a steady drum pattern, New Orleans drum rhythms work best with a steady bass pattern. You can alter it a little here and there, but to create a solid groove, committing to a simple part like the one in Ex. 3 works best.
Most New Orleans drummers are interactive with the soloist they like to create tension and release in their accompaniment to help build intensity. Soloists often lock in to a repeated three-note phrase with the drummer in a 4/4 tune, which usually sounds like a syncopated 3/8 figure (Ex. 4a). This creates a lot of tension, especially if you can hold on to the 4/4 feel (Ex. 4b), and it really tests your inner pulse. Hold on for the ride?when the drummer comes crashing back into the 4/4 feel, the whole crowd will probably go wild. Alternatively, you can go with the drummer for an additional texture and momentum builder throughout the gig (Ex. 4c). Be aware that this rhythmic figure pops up in different ways, so look out!
A huge difference between New Orleans drummers and the rest is the big 4.? While most funk drummers put a big emphasis on the one, New Orleans drummers sometimes put an emphasis on the ?and? of four. This comes from the second line feel, which is counted in eighth notes; the big 4 is like beat four of the phrase's second measure. Since we are dealing in funk and counting in 16th-notes, this translates as the and of four. You can also find this emphasis in Afro-Cuban music. Ex. 5 shows a big 4 groove. With all of this shifting of emphasis, make sure not to confuse the big 4 for the one; it can get confusing, but once you understand what is going on, you'll really dig it.
New Orleans drummers are all unique, each using technique and feel in their own way. Each guy will do his own thing, so just hang on and have fun!