After much delay, my debut library album (not including the drum packs) Intoxicated Skull drops August 4th (vinyl/digital). Streaming shortly after. This is Volume #3 of 12 in the “Madlib Invazion Music Library Series”. (That link is where you’ll find it on August 4th). It’s catalogued as a J-Zone LP but it’s my collaboration with / composer wizard Rafferty Swink – who I played with in Ben Pirani and the Means of Production for 7 years – and my fellow Du-Rite Pablo Martin. Me on drums and all three of us played everything else to come up with a bizarre and funky record that I very much enjoyed making despite the challenges of cutting it back in 2020-21, during the thick of the pandemic. It’s our version of a jazz-funk KPM or DeWolfe – I guess that’s the only way to put it. Stay tuned…
Over the years I’ve posted my drum covers of classic breakbeats, iconic funk grooves and even those same breaks altered when they were sampled in various hip-hop records. Mostly on IG for fun and to show love to the pioneering drummers who’ve inspired me to play. I compiled my faves – some of ‘em never made it off my desktop and others I had to re-film for this – in a mixtape/highlight reel format as smoothly as I could. These go back as far as 2020. Yes, I KNOW there are classics missing – it ain’t a definitive showcase of the most common breakbeats. Just 36 grooves that were part of my drumming education. And yes, I chose 36 as a subtle Wu-Tang reference. Enjoy!
P.S.: I don’t know the name of every drummer who played on every original tune, but the ones I do know, much gratitude: Isaac “Redd” Holt, Brock James, Ed Greene, Greg Webster (?), Jack DeJohnette, Joseph “Zigaboo” Modiste, James Gadson, Idris Muhammad, Jimmy Madison, Bernard Purdie, George Bragg, “Funky” George Brown, Ben Powers, James Black, Earl Williams, Clyde Stubblefield, Steve Gadd, Gary Mallaber, Hal Blaine, Narada Michael Walden, Phillip White, Howard King, Howard Grimes, Jim Copley, Grady Tate, Jab’o Starks, Maurice White, my mentor Leslie Ming (“Ming Mon”) and Lenny White.
As we kick off summer, here’s slice of gas-guzzling, 3-miles-per-gallon funk from The Du-Rites – “Super Phunk” Out now! Have a listen and thanks for your support!
Good times playing drums on this session with Ralph Weeks & the Means of Production in 2021. Now “Nobody Loves Me (Like You Do)” is finally out on Names You Can Trust Records!The percussionists and I even got some dance floor funk solo bars in! Guaranteed to scorch in a DJ set. The ballad on the flip, “Got To Keep On Trying” goes, too. The The 45/digital is out on Names You Can Trust Records’ Bandcamp today. Pick it up and hear it there. Streaming soon. Funk on…
A giant thanks and Rest In Peace to the great Isaac “Redd” Holt. A MAJOR drumming influence for me. From Young-Holt Unlimited/Trio to his work with Ramsey Lewis, he had groove for days and so many layers to his playing. The classic “Wah Wah Man” break (see my rendition in the video below) is one of the more common examples. The ‘clicked’ rim shot on third bar is one of my favorite recorded drumming moments, though likely inadvertent and that’s what makes it so great and soulful. No ProTools to fix it, no YouTube videos about “if every snare hit isn’t identical in volume and tone you’re an amateur” to make us overthink it, life goes on with what was the best take of the song overall and we’ve got gold (Organized!). I’ve covered this at least 2-3 times before on IG and done my own renditions of that groove my break volumes, but every time I revisit I find something I missed before and it’s still a work in progress – that’s a testament to the man’s genius. Just paying homage, as there can only be one. RIP Mr. Redd Holt.
Drum Cover -“Wah Wah Man”: Young-Holt Unlimited. A giant thanks and RIP to the GREAT Isaac “Redd” Holt. From Young-Holt Unlimited/Trio to his work with Ramsey Lewis, he had groove for days and so many layers to his playing. This classic break is one of the more common examples. pic.twitter.com/9qNQSQBQ8i
One time for the wizard Soul Supreme, whose new album Poetic Justice dropped on May 26th and I’m very proud to be a part of. Stream it everywhere or pick it up on Bandcamp. Here’s a promo video for “Fraud Fades,” one of the two tunes I played drums on (the other being “Dues n Don’ts”):
A line up of amazing musicians on this album and the whole thing is dope, with a crazy back story if you do a bit of Googling for the tumultuous circumstances the album was made under. Dig!
Hyped to be back in Austin this weekend with Adrian Quesada and the crew, this time as Jaguar Sound. We’re playing Austin Blues Festival on Saturday at Moody Amphitheater (4/29 – 4:45 PM) and Antone’s the night before (4/28 – 10 PM). Tickets are moving pretty quickly, but if you’re in Austin, check us out!
Till then (or if not), here’s the album. I didn’t play on it, but it’s a killer album you should hear!
The Du-Rites’ JAY MUMFORD, formerly known as the producer/emcee J-Zone, has worn many hats throughout his career—rapper, beat-maker, DJ, author/journalist, and finally drummer. J-Zone developed an underground rap following during the early 2000s indie hip-hop explosion. As he got older, Mumford grew increasingly jaded with the rap industry, before bottoming out. Sitting on the throne of a drum set, Jay would rediscover his passion for the funk music that first inspired him as a teenager.
The major transition began to take shape in 2011, when J-Zone attempted to quit rap, write a hip-hop memoir, and start over as “Jay Mumford on drums” in his mid-30’s. An unlikely story, but one definitively his own. On Episode 065, with no holds barred Jay Mumford takes us through this roller-coaster journey, career highlights, lowlights, battles between his ears, and a-ha moments along the way.
2:30 – Thanks to Discovery 2023, Bicycle Day, Electric KoolAid for sponsoring ep.065
6:30 – The Upful Update
9:45 – Introducing JAY MUMFORD (fka J-Zone)
13:30 – INTERVIEW w/ Jay (119 mins)
Currently, Jay Mumford holds down the drumkit in a few bands, his main gig is The Du-Rites, a garage-funk duo with Tom Tom Club guitarist Pablo Martin. Mumford has been working with Adrian Quesada’s solo projects, including a performance on Austin City Limits with an 18-piece ensemble, an evening Jay refers to as the best experience of his 25 year career.
Mumford remains renowned for his ‘Royalty Free Drum Breaks’ drum packs, ideal for sample-based producers to mine meticulously-crafted breakbeats laid down in his late grandparents’ basement. For a few years, he moonlit as a music journalist, blogging nuanced topics in hip-hop and drummer culture. Jay hosted the phenomenal ‘Give The Drummer Some,’ – an illuminating interview series for now-defunct Red Bull Music Academy. The talk radio-style program highlighted the songs, lessons, and legacies of underground/unsung heroes from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Special thanks to Sucio Smash and The Shop, NYC in Ridgewood, Queens for hosting The Du-Rites for an in-store performance in January. And thanks to everyone who came through to support us and picked up a record. Here’s a clip of us performing “The Bronx Is Burning” from our 2017 Greasy Listening album. This one is always better live!
I’ve always assumed my TV debut would be an interview on the 5 o’clock news for witnessing something wild, but…it was playing drums in Adrian Quesada’s Boleros Psicodelicos ensemble for Austin City Limits. I’ll take it!
The concert was filmed in October of last year and aired over the weekend on PBS. The concert is now streaming on the PBS website for the next month. Catch it before it expires! To say I’m honored to share this moment with so many insanely talented folks is an understatement.
Sung entirely in Spanish by established vocalists hailing from Argentina, Mexico, Guatemala and more, the music is a nod to psychedelic ballads of Latin America from the 1960s and ’70s. The guitar and keyboards capture the psych of that era. The strings, vibraphone and horns take care of the ballad part and the funky drums are covered by yours truly and the rhythm section. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my decades as a working musician, but this was no doubt the pinnacle. I wish my grandmother was still here to watch, but I’m sure she’s somewhere eating a bowl of Gumbo watching saying “you knock em dead, boy!” and asking another elderly woman nearby why nothing is in English. I hope you will enjoy.
/ composer wizard Rafferty Swink – who I played with in Ben Pirani and the Means of Production for 7 years – and my fellow Du-Rite Pablo Martin. Me on drums and all three of us played everything else to come up with a bizarre and funky record that I very much enjoyed making despite the challenges of cutting it back in 2020-21, during the thick of the pandemic. It’s our version of a jazz-funk KPM or DeWolfe – I guess that’s the only way to put it. Stay tuned…
