Family-friendly drum or percussion records

[Wombatz]

So my younger son (2 3/4) is madly in love with drums now. He builds little sets from our dishes and wants to hear things. A couple of days ago he was completely bowled over by Varese’s Ionisation, which Dohol had posted on FB, had to listen to that 5 times in a row and then still drag him away forcibly. Andrew Cyrille is ok for both of us, Keiji Haino’s solo drums he doesn’t like at all (I think the record’s pretty great), Xenakis’ Pleiades really get on my nerves by now. And not just on mine, while all that’s nice for listening sessions, I need stuff we can allow at dinner and still have conversation, that would save us some tantrums, friendly, modest drums, tuneful percussion, no shocking jumps in dynamics.

No other instruments allowed (sirens are permissible), and it must sound like drums to a kid, though, pure gamelan or bowed cymbals etc. won’t help.

[mono tony]

max roach - m'boom.. though there's a lot of colored percussion (vibes, bells, marimba, etc.) on the album
bernard purdie - "master drummers" vol. 1 + 2 -- crisp, unaccompanied funk-ness

[bedouin]

"Wind, Near You" from the album "Walking, North, North" by Makiko Nishikaze (on Wergo). Quiet, but not quite dinner music. Like listening to Feldman on drums. Works with kids too.

[surfer]

Seconded on M'Boom, I was going to mention that one. Great album, very bright.

My son (4 years old) is also very into drumming, to the point that I am thinking of buying him a toddler drumkit. He's likes Mickey Hart's Planet Drum, though I have a feeling it might be way too new age-y for you. Though it is of very high musicianship, featuring Zakir Hussein and Olatunji and Airto.

Also, 23 Skidoo - Urban Gamelan is close to what you are looking for. Check out "Kongo Do" and "Jalan Jalan".

My son also really likes Enoch Light and all his percussion albums. Provocative Percussion is great, but doesnt meet your "pure drums" criteria. It also might drive you bonkers for a different reason.

[surfer]

This album is more what you're looking for.



Tuned traditional drumming from Benin. Excellent. I got it on a cassette when I was in Africa and I can upload it if I can figure out how to do it.

[J.F.]

I'm not a fan, but Günter Baby Sommer's solo-records (at least the first two from 1979 & 1983: Hörmusik I +II) might be okay... well-structured, colourful, often pulse-based post-free drumming with a sense of (definitely not everybody's) humor. I believe to hear in those recordings that Sommer wants to unceremoniously entertain the listener, and that results in some music which to me sounds well-balanced in regards of accessibility and listening-challenge.

[vienna1896]

This has some really excellent moments in it. But is perhaps a little slow.

[vienna1896]

Also very exciting...

[Gaendaal]

Do what I did last night after a few too many glasses of port and play Gene Krupa solos on Youtube.

[Wombatz]

max roach - m'boom.. though there's a lot of colored percussion (vibes, bells, marimba, etc.) on the album
bernard purdie - "master drummers" vol. 1 + 2 -- crisp, unaccompanied funk-ness

Both great suggestions. I'll try them out.

The Purdie reminds me how a week or so ago we sat listening to the James Booker Paramount Tapes grooving and bobbing heads wildly until he says, between bobs: Dad ... I don't ... like this music ... at all ... now can you stop the thing with our heads?

[Wombatz]

This album is more what you're looking for.



Tuned traditional drumming from Benin. Excellent. I got it on a cassette when I was in Africa and I can upload it if I can figure out how to do it.

An amazon review says it also features singing, is that true? (Because that's also not allowed.)

Funny, this guy now lives in Germany offering new agey music therapy courses and one could probably book him through kindergarten if he was a little nearer to here.

[Wombatz]

Do what I did last night after a few too many glasses of port and play Gene Krupa solos on Youtube.

The Baby Dodds record w/out the talking should work, and it's fantastic.

[frozen reeds]

Masahiko Togashi's Rings might be perfectly suitable:

http://pharaohs-dance.blogspot.com/sear ... gs+togashi

[surfer]

This album is more what you're looking for.

Tuned traditional drumming from Benin. Excellent. I got it on a cassette when I was in Africa and I can upload it if I can figure out how to do it.

An amazon review says it also features singing, is that true? (Because that's also not allowed.)

Funny, this guy now lives in Germany offering new agey music therapy courses and one could probably book him through kindergarten if he was a little nearer to here.

I listened to it last night because I hadnt heard it in ages. I didnt recall singing, but yes, there's singing though its not the typical high-pitched nasal West African call and response. Nevertheless upon listening, I now dont think its what you're looking for. The drumming though excellent is a little fast and perhaps too complex.

[Dohol]

[fslmy]

that is cute. not even 3 though? I'd be playing Hi-Fi Percussion records from the 50s and 60s (ping pong percussion type stuff).. instrumentals with easy tunes

[theblackplume]

I know you requested only percussion and no other instrumentation but when I played my 4 year old nephew (who is also into drums) Moondog, he went bananas. Especially his pieces for percussion and two violins.

His reaction was quite amazing... first he listened really intently, then he started dancing and grooving, then he tried to play along.

Just a thought...

[bedouin]

Not thread related, but there is a disc John Cage - Variations II on Wergo with Malcolm Goldstein and Matthias Kaul worth checking out.
Kaul appears twice in this thread (on the James Tenney, and on my earlier post on Wind, Near You). A special percussionist.

[Wombatz]

So, so far we've tried Mickey Hart's Planet Drum on youtube and after the synths came in he hurled the phones away and I was a proud father. (Though really, that's just because he won't accept any other instrument or voice with his drum records. Maybe church organ, that was his previous favorite instrument, and we still have to go into every church by the wayside to see the organ.)

Purdie he sort of expected himself to like, so he said yes it was good, but his heart wasn't in it. (I couldn't listen to this as music myself, I must say, though cerebrally I dig the feeling.)

M'boom is an absolute winner. Doesn't leave the boombox anymore. And while it's not exactly dinner music, it's much easier to feel a happy family to this than to Xenakis.

Surfer said: My son (4 years old) is also very into drumming, to the point that I am thinking of buying him a toddler drumkit.

I got a little plastic set at that age, which was perfect for me, because it felt natural to augment it with kitchenware, desklamps with springs, cookie tins and whatnot. I still have the little cymbal from that, and together with a tambourine that's now in the basic set again ...

PS: oh and the link to Rings was dead, and I can't find my Korean stuff because it's all been rearranged, and also I seem to remember a Kenny Barron Mino Cinelu CD with killer percussion parts ... now here's a guy who should have done a solo record.

[D.D.]

Odwalla - Minotauro (CMC). Percussion ensemble from Italy. The CD is OOP, though.

Beaver Harris - African Drums (Owl / Universal). Great solo drums record. Very energetic.

Gunter Sommer - Sächsische Schatulle (Intakt).

Something by Kodo would work too, I guess.