BILL BRUFORD ON PETE
'Pete has many strings to his bow. You never know what he's going to come
up with next. He's a specialist in all sorts of other types of music
uncommon to Western music, and therefore brings a lot to everything you do. The group we
have is a very colorful racket. 'Pete writes a lot of the stuff and we cast around to see
what would be the most appropriate type of instruments. I consider myself a student
of his in many ways. The Indian counting system is quite different from the Western,
and Pete is a specialist there. 'I've played with a few percussionists, but not many like
Pete. I've played with kit drummers, and I had a group called The
World Percussion Ensemble - that was a steaming group. Increasingly
percussion being a growth subject and fairly unusual in the UK, there is a growing
acceptance of the percussion ensemble as being an ensemble in its own right. Pete is
in the forefront of that. In England we have Evelyn Glennie
- who everybody here adores. She has put percussion groups on the map. When
she plays there can be a 1,500 seater full, which, around here, is new.'Pete is highly
thought of in this neck of the woods. He has a full understanding of the Indian
system but is able to explain it to us idiots on the drumset. Often you have Indian
drummers who are unfamiliar with the Western kit and can't translate it as much.
Pete, however, is an English boy; he just happened to immerse himself in tabla.'
GARY HUSBAND ON PETE
'Pete has obviously, through his study and diligence, manifested an ability to improvise
eloquently within what must surely be the most sophisticated and strict systems applied to
music anywhere - that of the Hindustani music, or the Carnatic music from northern and
southern India. His consumption of knowledge in these areas alone was enough to
intrigue me, for I have been a lover of the music of India, even when I can't quite
understand it. And all of this is problably just a fraction of his expertise. 'With
Pete I have performed more on piano or keyboards, with him on kanjira and mridangam.
A few years ago, I invited him to be part of my group with guitarist Steve Topping. The second half of an arrangement I had put
together featured a duet I had written for brushes on drumkit and tabla. For this
duet, I incuded solo space for both of us - and interactive playing, too. My
composition had been born of a sense of poetry and intuition, but it was full of obviously
Indian-inspired patterns and devices. Peter, despite his knowledge, simply took on
the piece and liked it for what it was, namely a piece for percussion that didn't
necessarily pertain to any particular governing formula or ruling. We just made
fresh, of-the-moment music together, and hit some highs along the way, which is all I
could ask of him - or anybody. Maybe we should record it; it's really good.'
BILL
BRUFORD FROM INTERVIEW WITH ABSTRACT LOGIC
AL: Speaking of drummers and percussionists, over the course of your
career you've worked with several: Jamie Muir, Phil Collins, Pierre
Moerlen, Pete Lockett... What are some of the specific things you've
learned from any of them?
BB: Whoa...[Sighs] It's hard, of course. You learn so much about music
from all the people you surround yourself with - good, bad and
indifferent. It's extremely hard to be specific. Working with another
drummer is great fun because you immediately have a rhythmic
counterpoint or counterfoil. And I think the best stuff I did with that
in a way was with Pat Mastelotto around King Crimson's "Thrak." And also
this guy Pete Lockett is a bit of genius over here. He's a terrific
player.
AL: Yes, he sent me some of his CDs. I've been enjoying them very much.
BB: Did you get the first Network of Sparks with me on it?
AL: Of course! That's why I actually purchased that particular album.
BB: Yeah, it's a great record.
Such is the diversity of artists assembled for this weekend
that it's no surprise to find the Working With Electronics
seminar succeeded by Pete Lockett and his extensive
collection of non-electrical percussion. One of the country's most employable players,
Pete is consistently on form at clinic events, but today he surpasses even his own high
standards.
His stint in the seminar room is a well balanced blend of
genre-defying playing, featuring tabla, bongos and frame drums and informative audience
participation. He has the assembled throng clapping and chanting as he moves through
various shifting rhythmic patterns and the result is mesmeric.
Having already scored a hit with his words of wisdom in the
previous seminar, Andy Gangadeen joins Pete behind an old
Ludwig kit for a couple of simmering, snaking duets. For the first, Pete plays tablas and
the two of them weave around each other until they finale with a series of note-perfect
unison passages. It's bongos and kit for the closing performance and Pete, who Andy later
describes as "...completely on fire...", crouches over his drums and disappears
into his own little world. For a lot of us, it's the most engaging, unexpected pairing of
the weekend.
...I met a lot of people that I haven't
met before like Andy (Gangadeen), Steve, Kieron (Pepper). I feel like I made a bunch of
new friends. The tabla player, Pete (Lockett) - that was a highlight for
me, seeing those guys play together. Andy's such a tasteful
player... Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Peter Lockett just gets better and
more confident every time I see him, and the icing on the cake was his duet with Andy
Gangadeen. Steve White (Paul Weller)
Seeing Pete for the first time was an
absolute buzz. He's incredible! His hands are so fast and so accurate that you can see
he's got total freedom of expression. It's like the rhythms just come straight from his
brain without his body having to think about them! When he gets into it, his head goes
down and he completely becomes one with the instrument. Kieron Pepper (Prodigy)
Oh man, it was incredible. I've known
Pete for years but never worked with him. He's got such an amazing tone and feel and he
creates lovely textures and space - he was a joy to play with. It was really good... Andy Gangadeen (M People / Spice Girls)
by "Mike Marcionetti"
Well PASIC 99 is over and
it was incredible. Four days of nothing but great workshops, concerts, impromptu lessons, meetings, and exhibits. Over the next few days I will be posting reviews of all the workshops I attended. So here we go with the first one.
Pete Lockett
-
Indian Clinic
My God!
Is this guy human? Well I'm not quite sure! Pete is probably
THE most understated percussionist in the world. Everyone should know who this guy is. Pete started his clinic with a
BLAZING Tabla solo played over pre recorded tamborim. His
phrasing was amazing and his hands are really, really fast. He then moved from
tabla to bongos and soloed over pre recorded tabla and tamborim. Wow again. He has a knack for
weaving rhythms together like a master.
His lecture focused on the rhythmic cycles of north and south India. His explanations made his opening piece make much more sense. Pete explained the Bols (phonetics) and
how to clap the Thala (time cycles). Pete broke the information down into an easily understood format. He then spent some time on the
Adi Thala or 8 beat cycle. He followed this discussion with a performance on the kanjira (small frame drum with one jingle) Jeezz...Unreal! If you have never seen anyone play this instrument you need to check it out.
Pete wrapped up his clinic with the
North Indian teen tal or 16 beat cycle. Pete played a large middle eastern frame drum and spoke the phonetics.
Amazing!
If Pete is ever doing a workshop in your town
go see him. You won't be sorry. I just wish Pete had more time.
I could have listened to him all day.
Click here for
the interview with: WAX
Click here for
the interview with: RHYTHM
Click here for
the interview with: Modern Drummer
Click here for
the interview with: Making Music
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