Danny Gottlieb represents true excellence in the art of drumming. He possesses
control that most drummers can’t even imagine, let alone replicate. His playing
credits pay tribute to his technical prowess, having played with the likes of Pat
Metheny, John McLaughlin, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Al Di Meola.

Accompanying Danny at this master class are special guests Richard Niles and Rob
Rickenberg. Richard is one of the industry’s most highly respected song writers (Pat
Metheny, Paul McCartney, Kylie Minogue, Pet Shop Boys, Tina Turner etc..), while Rob
is a top end UK jazzer (John Etheridge, Pete Cater). These are really quality personnel
and the air of anticipation hanging in the room is electric.

Respectfully all fell silent as the trio kicked off with one of Richard’s own compositions.
Danny’s versatility is apparent from the outset. He switched seamlessly between sticks to
brushes and back again, demonstrating his delicate musicality in their uses. Conducting a relaxed Q&A with the crowd, Danny began breaking down the history of the instrument and quoting the lineage of pioneering figures that have influenced not only his playing, but the whole drumming community’s. The origins of the kit obviously mean a lot to Mr. Gottlieb and his attitude is exemplified in the meticulous manner in which he quotes names and dates.

In an analysis of his own playing, Danny explained why both his dynamics and time-keeping are so well honed - he is the former student of Joe Morello (Master Studies) and Gary Chester (New Breed). Joe Morello, in turn, is a former student of George Lawrence Stone (Stick Control) and helped to develop Danny’s precise stick work. Demonstrating his technical command, Danny played a ghosted open single stroke roll using the tap stroke; sounding like a purring cat this blew us away in its unwavering accuracy. He then raised the dynamic threshold, jumping straight to full strokes, within the same blistering tempo. Proving that he truly is a sick individual, Danny then alternated between the two settings. His expertise and huge cymbal collection have made him a much in demand artist in the sampling world. He basically guarantees exactitude in every stroke.

Talking of time under studio legend, Gary Chester, Danny explained how the New Breed
author would make him sing the quarter note pulse while playing his exercises. Gary also
stressed that each exercise be executed as if in a studio session, regardless of the viability of the groove. These methods had, according to some of Danny’s contemporaries,
hermetically tightened up his time-keeping like never before in his career.

As the evening closed, Danny sat with the Drumtech students, chatting, offering personal
advice and even handed out his e-mail address. A master class from a class master!