Review of  "The Head of the Circle"

​5 out of 5 Stars on Amazon!

"A delight for the ears and cerebellum of jazz aficionados. This is a marvelous creative effort by one of the finest jazz drummers in the business. It's a profusion of eclectic musical ideas in the mainstream vein.I found endless listening enjoyment with every track.The harmonies created by Jim Ridl's piano and Joe Locke's vibes were enormously satisfying. Monster reedman Ted Nash delivers some of the most delectable bass clarinet playing that one could hear. In the liner notes Mr. Horner stated that he is very proud of this recording.

I think he is well justified to feel that way. It's a gem."

- Frank Mulvaney, Former President of New Jersey Jazz Society

As seen on the New York Jazz Workshop website:

"Basic beginning concepts for the young modern drummer. What does it mean to be the drummer , to play a drum set and a groove . In my opinion , great drumming starts and ends with two basic principles which are so important to being a great drummer and so closely related to each other :

1. Steady , Consistent Time
2. A Deep Groove

I’ve always felt that if a drummer starts with and can be satisfied with these two elements above anything else then the world of drumming becomes an open sky . First of all , it’s your main job as an accompanying player to provide the ensemble with a steady and strong feel regardless of the tempo , style or metric time with which you are playing . This is your ” JOB ” as a drummer and the better you can provide that then the better you are now open to personal interpretations , dynamics , sensitivity , bravado and improvisational skills . When I say improvisational skills , I don’t just mean taking a solo. Above and before taking a solo , improvisational skills mean and include the way you play your ideas while accompanying someone else’s solo or even the way you approach playing a melody or written section . Let’s face it , 95% of what you play as a drummer will be in the role of accompanying someone or the ensemble as a whole. Hence , if your time and groove are so strong then you will always know where one is and if you know where one is then you are now open to developing the music you are playing in any direction you want or need to go . Now you may play your solo .

Knowing your rudiments .
Part 1. Rudiments – What rudiments do you need to know ?
Part 2 – Basic Independence – What is basic independence ?
Part 3. A Basic Swing Groove , the Swing Feel .

All of these components as with all groove styles should be played with a strong sense of steady motion . You can think metronomically but you will find out through your studies that perfect you will not be as we are human and time bends even if it’s the slightest bend , it’s natural and that’s beautiful . Even though there will be a bend , we must be steady . No one wants a drummer that speeds up , slows down , slows down a lot and speeds up again . This is the nature of a modern drummer playing modern music from jazz to funk to samba to hip-hop , we must be steady . This is what makes that strong sense of time and groove , that deep groove ."

-TIM HORNER: JAZZ DRUMS, COMPOSITIONS, ARRANGEMENTS

Tim Horner, An Educator 

-take a lesson on drums or composition-

Tim is a long time professor of jazz drumset at New Jersey City University in Jersey City, New Jersey.  Along with keeping a studio at the university and at his home, Tim has been teaching through "The New York Jazz Workshop".  You can contact Tim directly or through the workshop's website to set up a lesson: www.newyorkjazzworkshop.com.  If you are a program director, Tim Horner is an experienced masterclass lecturer and has materials to share at your next program event for musicians at all levels.