Shifty Paradigms

Is there a busier drummer around than Peter Erskine? But as his schedule has gotten even busier, it seems that his playing has gotten less busy. And while there are many drummers in LA that can drive a big band through tricky charts, no one does it better than Peter Erskine. As I said in his Modern Drummer Legends book, I don't think that Peter Erskine has ever made a bad record. He always seems to give the music what it needs, and Shifty Paradigms is no exception.

One of my favorite things on this record is Peter's "oops I forgot to play, falling down the steps, land on your feet" break coming into to the shout chorus on the opener "Dash Cam." WOW! Listen to how Peter sets up the tempo changes on "Bye Bye Blues," again—WOW! Composer-arranger Dave Slonaker has really created some interesting charts for the band to navigate, and Erskine is driving the bus to perfection. Listen to Peter's breaks on "Bye Bye Blues" and "3rd and Four" and how he only exerts his musical muscle when it's absolutely necessary. The navigation that Peter exudes on "Comin' Home" is simultaneously gentle and strong, but never too strong— amazing! This perfect lack of strength is on display to perfection on "Shifty Paradigms." Sometimes it actually sounds like Slonaker's arrangements have been created
for Erskine to show off his wide range of subtle drumming skills. Dave Slonaker's Shifty Paradigms is a great record and a clinic in modern and musical big band drumming.