Colours of the Drum reviews

Drumscene Magazine (issue 53)

July/Aug/Sept 2008

By Trent Bryson-Dean

David Jones has boldly tackled an ambitious project with his release, Colours of the Drum, a two CD/one DVD set of ‘just’ drums! David has long been recognised as one of Australia’s best and most musical drummers and he proves it here with an impressive display of solo drum pieces that run the gamut of dynamics and percussive sound scapes. Playing everything from acoustic kit through to Japanese singing bowls, the African Kalimba, and an array of mallets, brushes and brooms, David has created a wonderful, and really quite emotional, experience. David has purposely made the first of the two discs to be more atmospheric, calming and peaceful in nature, with the second CD a much more vibrant, explosive celebration of percussive sound! The bonus DVD also contains some great behind-the-scenes footage and takes from the album from one the days in the recording studio. A release of this kind could easily have fallen into the ‘self-indulgent’ category, and been simply for drummers only, but this is music and I can see many non-drummers grabbing this one as well. Bravo also to ABC for backing such an ambitious project in this age of plastic throw-away ‘music’.

Limelight Magazine (ABC)

September, 2008

by Adrian Jackson

There are very few drummers with the technical skill and artistic breadth to attempt an album of solo percussion; fewer still with the audacity to present a double CD set, plus a bonus DVD. That’s what David Jones does here, with the remarkable skill and imagination. Disc 1 is a set of soothing, playful melodic sketches. Disc 2 is a more energetic and joyfully rhythmic affair. In purely technical terms, Jones’ work is a jaw-droppingly brilliant. Yes, 90 minutes is a lot of drums, but Jones employs enough dynamic, textural, rhythmic and melodic range to maintain your interest for most of the duration.

4MBS Classic FM Program Guide

November, 2008

If there is anything that induces a headache, it’s the drums- so I was more than a little apprehensive about listening to two CDs and a DVD featuring all that banging. However, it’s not only angry symphonists and rock musicians who utilize these instruments- there is such a thing as pensive percussion!

In Colours of the Drum, the amazingly talented Australian drummer David Jones brings the drums back from the back of the orchestra and allows them to shine, playing acoustic instruments with extended techniques and implements, including sticks, mallets, brushes, hands and feet in a varied range of works.

Disc A, entitled Ambient: Soothing Soundscapes, includes several tracks that showcase the more subdued side of the drums, in tracks including ‘Kalimba Dancing, ‘Space in Time’, ‘The Ocean’ and ‘Continuum’. Although relaxing in mood, these tracks nevertheless have a rhythmic vitality that is quite hypnotic.

Bold and Bright: Energising Drumscapes (Disc B) creates a more vigorous atmosphere, where highlights include ‘Dance of Four Hands’, ‘Urban Stride’, ‘Moving Energy’ and ‘Travelling’. Jones makes what could be obnoxious banging into a musically interesting and satisfying collection.

The pieces on both CDs are mesmerizing and meditative, and Jones coaxes an astonishing myriad of sounds, textures and rhythms from the instruments.

The DVD, A Day in the Recording Studio, is a highlight of this collection, made so by Jones’ obvious passion for the drums. There is some excellent footage from the recording studio -along with admiring his talent, this allows the viewer to see the amount of work that goes into making such a recording and the ways Jones achieves those sounds.

Colours of the Drum is a fantastic collection exploring the versatility of the drums, to get the feet tapping and the body dancing -a must for percussion enthusiasts and also for those who want to learn what the drums can do outside the orchestra.