copyright 2018, james robert pendell

Steve Houghton: Percussion Artist, Pedagogue, and Leader

By James Robert Pendell, BM, MM

A Document In

Percussion Performance

Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in

Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

the Degree of

DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS Performance (Percussion)

Approved

Lisa Rogers Chairperson of the Committee

Alan Shinn

Stephen Jones

Accepted

Mark Sheridan Dean of the Graduate School

May 2018

Texas Tech University, James Robert Pendell, May 2018

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would first like to thank Dr. Lisa Rogers and Mr. Alan Shinn for their guidance and

mentorship throughout my musical journey. Both of you have been monumental in shaping me

into the musician and person that I am today. I would like to thank Steve Houghton for my

incredible time with him as a student where my musicianship was completely transformed. I

also want to thank him for his willingness to speak with me about his life and career. Thank you

to Mr. Steve Jones for our time together in the jazz department at Texas Tech University. I

appreciate your time and efforts as a member of my committee and towards this document. Last

but not least, I would like to thank my entire family for the love and support throughout my life.

Thank you for always being by my side and believing in me.

!ii


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v

Chapter I. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Justification for the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Limitations of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Review of Related Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

II. The Early Years (1954-1979) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

III. The Middle Years (1980-2001) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Artistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Pedagogy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

IV. The Later Years (2001-Present) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Indiana University Jacobs School of Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Artistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Pedagogy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

V. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

!iii


Implications for Further Research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

A. Interview Transcripts with Steve Houghton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

October 1, 2016 and October 3, 2016. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

November 28, 2017 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88

January 27, 2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

B. Interview with Dave Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

C. Interview with Lou Fischer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

D. Interview with Julie Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

E. Interview with Clay Jenkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106

F. Interview with Josh Roberts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

G. Interview with Sherry Rubins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

H. Interview with Jim Rupp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

I. Interview with Mitch Shiner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

J. Interview with John Tafoya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

K. Lecture Recital Handout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

!iv


ABSTRACT

Steve Houghton is an internationally renowned jazz drummer and percussionist, author, and

educator. It is the aim of this research study to “shine a spotlight” on Houghton’s career through

three distinctive time periods documenting his work as a percussion artist, pedagogue, and

leader. This study further provides a brief biographical glimpse into Houghton’s musical

upbringing that ultimately has led to a long and successful career. As a jazz drumset artist,

Houghton attributes more than one hundred recordings to his credit. Through an examination of

Houghton’s collaborations with musical artists, this study exhibits how diverse and immersed in

various styles he is as a jazz drummer. It also provides an examination of some of his work as an

author and pedagogue, highlighting six of his published method books. The research study

details information about his teaching ideas, philosophy, and methodology. Furthermore, this

study discusses Houghton’s influence as a leader in companies and organizations such as the

Percussive Arts Society, International Association of Jazz Educators, and Avedis Zildjian

Company/Vic Firth Company.

!v


CHAPTER 1

OVERVIEW

In the music profession, it is common to see individuals enjoy success in performance,

artistry, or pedagogy, but it is rare when someone is noticeably accomplished in all three

categories. According to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, to perform means to “carry out

or execute some action, engagement, or the like; to do something with special skill.” 1

Additionally, an artist as defined by Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, is a “a person who

possesses a skill in performance, acquired by experience, study, or observation; knack defines an

artist.” Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines pedagogy as “the art, practice, or 2

profession of teaching; esp., systematized learning or instruction concerning principles and

methods of teaching.” Steve Houghton exemplifies a person who has experienced success as a 3

performer, artist, and pedagogue: “I'm a sideman, bandleader, solo artist (classical and jazz),

author, international jazz and percussion clinician, recording musician, and now a professor.” In 4

jazz music and percussion, particularly drumset, he has been a strong figure whose legacy will

have a lasting impact.

As a performer and artist, Houghton has a vast amount of professional experience playing

drumset with world-renowned artists such as Woody Herman, Gary Burton, Toshiko Akiyoshi-

Lew Tabackin Big Band, Freddie Hubbard, Scott Henderson, Tom Warrington, Lyle Mays, Clay

! .Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, s.v. “perform.”1

! . Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, s.v. “artist.”2

! . Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, s.v. “pedagogy.”3

! . “Steve Houghton: Jazz Drummer, Author, Entrepreneur and Educator,” Indiana University Ja4 -cobs School of Music Project Jumpstart website, (accessed September 3, 2017). http://www.music.indi-ana.edu/departments/offices/entrepreneurship-careers/entrepreneur%20of%20the%20month/entrepreneur-houghton.shtml.

!1


Jenkins, Bob Florence, Paul Anka and many others. Clay Jenkins, Professor of Jazz Studies &

Contemporary Media at Eastman School of Music (Eastman) states:

He’s just got such natural facility. He’s very knowledgeable and he really listens. He’s a big listening drummer. I’ve never played any music where he didn't just “kill it.” I’ve never played with Houghton one time where he didn't play well. He’s just so capable and such a professional. 5

Although Houghton is an accomplished jazz drumset artist, he has also performed with

symphony orchestras, fusing the two worlds of drumset and percussion. John Tafoya, Chair of

Percussion Studies at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (IU-JSoM) said, “Houghton is

the perfect ‘chamber musician’-flexible (both musically and personally) and a pleasure to work

with…He is incredibly comfortable and exudes a great deal of confidence when he performs.” 6

Houghton’s discography from 2010-2016 includes over 15 albums, demonstrating just how in

demand his musical ability remains. His professional network includes an overwhelmingly large

amount of the best musicians living today.

As a jazz drumset educator and pedagogue, Houghton’s contributions to percussion

pedagogy, specifically drumset pedagogy, are unlike any other. Dave Black, Vice President and

Editor-in-Chief of Alfred Publications believes:

He was one of the forerunners of jazz education. He was a huge proponent for jazz and drumming education. He’s taught at the university level, privately, and has written good selling educational books. He was a “player” who was also an “educational guy.” When Houghton and I were growing up, the two didn’t really mix. You were either going to be a professional player or you were going to go on to academia and teach percussion. You didn't really hold both careers at the same time. He was playing with a ton of

! . Clay Jenkins, interview by author, tape recording, Lubbock, December 17, 2017.5

! . John Tafoya, interview by author, email, Lubbock, December 9, 2017. 6

!2


people, but was also teaching heavily in education and felt like that was a good thing to fall back on. He did exactly what he hoped to have done. 7

Houghton has published musical materials that are used in educational settings all over the world

including more than 30 educational books, three original compositions, and 20 commissions.

Clay Jenkins said, “His books have been great. I’ve picked his brain a bit about writing books

because I know his books are like textbooks for drummers.” Additionally, he’s been an invited 8

clinician at more than 700 different venues for different camps, workshops, and conventions.

“He was one of the first guys that was going out and doing clinics years and years ago.” His 9

leadership in organizations such as the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) where he served as

President, and a founding member of the Jazz Education Network (JEN) are other pillars in his

career. John Tafoya said:

As President of PAS, Houghton was instrumental in making sure that PAS was headed in the right direction…Houghton had the right combination of experience, confidence, and vision and showed incredible leadership during his Presidency of PAS. 10

The purpose of this study is to properly recognize Steve Houghton’s career and

contributions to jazz drumset, drumset pedagogy, and leadership. This document will paint a

picture of the different time periods of his career and hence the development of his pedagogical

materials. The author will connect Steve Houghton’s artistry as a musician with his published

drumset method books and other literature. In an article in Modern Drummer magazine, the

! . Dave Black, interview by author, tape recording, Lubbock, December 4, 2017. 7

! . Clay Jenkins, interview by author, 2017. 8

! . Ibid.9

! . John Tafoya, interview by author, 2017. 10

!3


following was written about Houghton; “One reason Houghton is so respected as a teacher is that

he remains an insatiable ‘student’ of drumming, always seeking new challenges and greater

understanding of the craft.” It is his talent as a musician that is at the center of his career, 11

leading to his successes in teaching and advocacy.

The document is divided into five chapters. Chapter one includes a brief overview and

outline, which introduces the subject matter of this document. Also included in chapter one is

the justification for the study, the limitations of the study, and a review of related literature.

Chapter two discusses Houghton’s “early years” from 1954-1979 and his unique

upbringing and musical experiences in the town of Kenosha, Wisconsin. His father being a

“music man” figure in the town, made it possible for Houghton to be completely immersed in

music, providing a multitude of opportunities to see iconic artists. He had esteemed teachers and

band directors that helped develop and refine his natural talent in all areas of percussion. The

exposure to great education and opportunities at a young age influenced Houghton as an educator

later in his career. This is also a particular period of Houghton’s life where he traveled to

Chicago to watch live jazz and began seriously studying percussion. Chapter two also explores

Houghton’s time as a music student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-M) and North

Texas State University (UNT) from about 1972-1974. Originally attending UW-M to be a band

director like his father, he quickly realized that performing music, particularly jazz music, was

his passion. After transferring to UNT, opportunities were quickly presented to him at the

Wichita Jazz Festival, where he was offered and accepted a position to play drums with Woody

Herman and his big band. This period of his life marks the beginning of a long and successful

! . “Drummers: Steve Houghton,” Modern Drummer Magazine, 2004, (accessed October 21, 112017), https://www.moderndrummer.com/2004/05/steve-houghton/.

!4


career. Houghton’s time with Woody Herman and relationships that were built with individuals

in the band will be examined. This chapter of the document will also present information about

his time in Dallas, Texas after finishing with Herman in 1976-1979; this was a time when

Houghton was working and playing in studios as well as teaching. Houghton was developing

educational ideas and identifying needs in the percussion field for method books and other

literature. The chapter also discusses the beginning of Houghton’s relationship and

endorsements with Avedis Zildjian Cymbal Company, Remo, Inc., and Yamaha Corporation of

America.

Chapter three presents information about Houghton’s “middle years” during his time in

Los Angeles, California from 1980-2001. The chapter is divided into his four sections:

background, artistry, pedagogy, and leadership. The first section discusses Houghton’s

background and his transition to Los Angeles, California (L.A.). The second section details

collaboration with artists and groups such as Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band, Clay

Jenkins, Gary Burton, Les Hooper, Bill Holman, Freddie Hubbard, Tribal Tech, Paul Anka, Bob

Florence, and Bob Curnow. Houghton’s project titled, The Manne We Love: Gershwin Revisited,

featuring the Houghton Quintet, as well as the UNT Two O’Clock Lab Band is also examined.

The third section explores Houghton’s work as an educator, publisher, and clinician. As

an educator, Houghton was heavily involved at Musician’s Institute (MI), where he taught

drumset in the Percussion Institute of Technology (PIT) and designed curriculum for the first

time. An examination of four of his method books in chronological order will be presented

beginning with Studio and Big Band Drumming which was published in 1985. The book

provides performance tools such as the “eighth-note” rule and sticking methods such as “Hand-to

!5


Hand” and “Right Hand Lead.” In 1990, Essential Styles for the Drummer and Bassist was

published covering a multitude of styles and genres. Essential Styles ultimately became one of

Houghton’s most successful books. In 1996, The Drumset Soloist was published exploring

soloing strategies for a drumset student. In 1998, The Ultimate Drumset Chart Reading

Anthology was published; this text provides several types of charts that prepare the student for

performance opportunities. The third chapter of the document also examines Houghton’s time at

universities and institutes such as California State University-Northridge, Henry Mancini

Institute, University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas

(UNLV). The fourth section provides details about Houghton’s leadership and advocacy with

organizations and companies such as the Percussive Arts Society (PAS), Avedis Zildjian

Company, International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE), MusicFest Canda, Calato/

Regaltip, Driedahese (Drum Day in Holland), The Midwest Clinic, and Latin Percussion (LP).

Chapter four provides insight into Houghton’s “later years” from 2001-present. The

chapter is divided into five sections: background, employment at IU-JSoM, artistry, educational

publications, and leadership. The first section provides background context including his move

from L.A. to IU-JSoM. The section provides brief details about his accomplishments while

living in Bloomington, Indiana. The second section explores Houghton’s legacy at IU-JSoM in

both the jazz and percussion departments including details his teaching style, methodology, and

the development of jazz curriculum at IU-JSoM. The third section examines his artistic

endeavors with Clay Jenkins, the AHA! Trio and Quintet, Dennis Riggins, Phil Kelly Big Band,

and several groups at IU-JSoM. The fourth section provides details about his method books

including Kid’s Drum Course co-authored with Dave Black and Rhythm Section Workshop for

!6


Jazz Directors co-authored with Shelly Berg, Lou Fischer, and Fred Hamilton. Houghton’s

online Drumset Lesson Series through the Vic Firth website is presented in this chapter as well.

Section five of this chapter provides information on his work and contributions to PAS, where he

played a significant role in founding the PAS Museum, Rhythm Discovery Center in

Indianapolis, Indiana. Furthermore, information regarding his work as a founding member of

IAJE will be presented.

The final chapter of the document provides the author the opportunity speculate on the

impact of further study of Steve Houghton’s publications and commissions. Additionally, it is

the author’s hope that the information introduced in this document will lead to more recognition

of Steve Houghton’s contributions as an artist, pedagogue, and leader.

JUSTIFICATION FOR THE STUDY

It is the combination of Houghton’s performing, teaching, and leadership in musical

organizations that make him worthy of examination and recognition. He is one of the few who

have given back to jazz music and drumset in multiple, successful ways. It is the author’s

opinion that there is no other drumset artist who has performed and recorded with the quality of

musicians and contributed as much to drumset pedagogy as Steve Houghton. Dave Black said:

What I hope people will see is that Houghton has never been one to say, “if you’re a player, you can’t be an educator, or if you're an educator you can’t be a performer.” He really showed through example that you can be heavily involved in both. 12

In addition, Houghton has successfully produced books that provide students clear and

precise information. Studio and Big Band Drumming: Interpretation of Contemporary Studio &

Big Band Drum Parts for Today’s Ensemble Drummer, The Drumset Soloist, Essential Styles for

! . Dave Black, interview by author, 2017. 12

!7


the Drummer and Bassist, The Ultimate Drumset Reading Anthology, Kid’s Drum Course, and

Rhythm Section Workshop for Jazz Directors are method books that are briefly examined in this

study. Sherry Rubins, Instructor of Percussion at the University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA)

said, “He's certainly one of the top artists to bring pedagogy to the subject of jazz drumming. He

is able to verbalize it and write it down.” In 1997, Modern Drummer magazine included Studio 13

and Big Band Drumming and Essential Styles in its “Top 25 All-Time Greatest Drum Books.”

Additionally, Houghton has served as an adjunct instructor at 13 colleges, universities,

institutions, and is currently a Professor at IU-JSoM. This study explores Houghton’s extensive

knowledge and experience as a drumset professor at these schools of higher education. His

curriculum, lesson strategies, and experience with jazz programs are other components of his

career as a pedagogue that are briefly investigated in this study.

The future of percussion and jazz education will always pay homage to the works of

Steve Houghton. He is a key figure, innovator, and pioneer in jazz music and percussion. Not

only is Houghton an extremely respected artist, he is also one of the brightest pedagogues and

educators in the field, having taught a multitude of students with successful careers. It is

important to explore what makes him successful and to shed light on his pedagogical

contributions.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The author feels that this endeavor will be a valuable resource for further study by jazz

musicians and percussionists worldwide; however; due to the size and scope of this project, there

are several limitations. Houghton is an internationally known percussionist who has

! . Sherry Rubins, interview by author, tape recording, Lubbock, December, 2 2017. 13

!8


commissioned music, performed concertos, and published percussion ensemble pieces. His

career as a classical percussionist is of equal importance and value to the world for discovery;

thus, the author has focused this document primarily on Houghton’s work as a percussion

(drumset) artist, jazz drumset pedagogue, and his leadership positions in both the fields of

percussion and jazz. Although Houghton has published many jazz drumset materials, this

document only provides insight into six method books. The author selected these books based

on publication sales and interviews with educators and students.

Additionally, since Houghton has had such an active playing career, much of his

discography has been left unexplored. The author aims to demonstrate how versatile and

immersed in styles Houghton is by providing a sampling of different musical settings in which

he played. The author selected specific recordings and albums based on interviews with artists,

educators, and former students.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

There are several sources containing useful information about Steve Houghton’s career as

an artist and educator. The literature has been helpful in gaining contextual knowledge about the

topics of this document. Articles in Modern Drummer magazine such as Robyn Flans’ interview

with Steve Houghton and Rick Mattingly’s “Distant Thunder: The Great Drummers of Woody

Herman” provided valuable knowledge on Houghton’s artistic and pedagogical endeavors.

Mattingly’s article was particularly helpful in establishing Houghton’s lineage of Woody Herman

drummers.

Additionally, a primary source for the author’s examination of Houghton’s curriculum

and pedagogy at IU-JSoM is available on the IU-JSoM’s “Project Jumpstart” website. The

!9


source provided insight on Houghton’s video series The Jazz Trio: An Inside View and his

relationship with the Vic Firth Company. Furthermore, Lee Mergner’s article in JazzTimes

magazine titled, “Lou Fischer: Jazz Fusion Men of a Certain Age,” detailed information about

Houghton’s time as a drummer with Woody Herman and High Rise. The author’s examination

of this particular article provided information on Houghton’s transitional career stages in the late

1970s.

Studio and Big Band Drumming: Interpretation of Contemporary Studio & Big Band

Drum Parts for Today’s Ensemble Drummer, The Drumset Soloist, Essential Styles for the

Drummer and Bassist, The Ultimate Drumset Reading Anthology, Kid’s Drum Course, and

Rhythm Section Workshop for Jazz Directors are books that the author referred to when writing

this document.

Finally, primary source material was taken from interviews conducted by the author. The

author selected interviewees based upon Houghton’s referral and permission. Former students

that were interviewed were chosen because of the author’s time with them while a student at IU-

JSoM. The author referred to Dr. Jesse Willis’ DMA document entitled “The Caribbean Jazz

Project: Music Beyond Borders” to explore interviewing techniques and formatting of interview

transcripts.

!10


CHAPTER 2

THE EARLY YEARS (1954-1979)

In the 1960s, a successful movie musical entitled The Music Man told the story of a

“scamster,” (Robert Preston) who poses as a band director and sells musical instruments and

uniforms to the people in a small town of Iowa. He promises to train members of the newly

assembled town band, knowing that he is in no way a musician himself. Steve Houghton’s 14

father, Ralph John Houghton, was quite the opposite of a “scamster,” but known as the real

music man in the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin. When asked about his father, Houghton said:

They didn’t have a lot of music going on until he got there. Orchestra, choral, band, jazz, everything came from him. We had big marching band contests in the summer and he ran them all. He also ran all the parades in town. We had a big back yard where we hosted ice cream socials at my house. We had nearly 3,000 people come to our house where they could listen to all of the bands in the summer and everyone would bring pies and cakes and ice cream. It sounds like The Music Man the movie, but that’s what I lived. 15

In his lifetime, Ralph Houghton reached legendary status as a music educator in the State of

Wisconsin and “nourished a program into a musical powerhouse that became a model for public

schools throughout the country.” It was in this musically-rich environment led by a strong 16

fatherly figure that Steve Houghton was raised.

! .”The Music Man,” in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia; (Wikimedia Foundation Inc. Updat14 -ed 22 July 2004, 10:55 UTC) [encyclopedia on-line]; accessed August 10, 2017, available from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Music_Man.

! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, tape recording, Lubbock, October 1, 2016 and October 153, 2016.

! . “Ralph John Houghton Obituary,” Racine Journal Times, 3 June 2009, Racine Journal Times 16Website, accessed October 10, 2017, http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/journaltimes/obituary.aspx?n=ralph-john-houghton&pid=127968458.

!11

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Music_Man


http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/journaltimes/obituary.aspx?n=ralph-john-houghton&pid=127968458




Born in the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1954, Houghton has been around music every

minute of his life. His father played euphonium and his siblings grew up playing musical

instruments as well. Houghton was exposed at an early age to his father’s marching, concert, and

jazz bands, and quickly took an interest in the drums. Houghton said, “They always had to come

over to our house and pick out who’s going to play what for the city and I just started hanging

with the guy who was picking out drums. I just loved it.” In 5th grade, he enrolled in band 17

under the direction of Stan DeRusha, and began learning mallet percussion and drumset with

Manny Mitka. Mitka, a local hero in Kenosha, studied with the “Godfather of Percussion” in

Chicago at that time, Roy Knapp. 18

Houghton’s first opportunity to collaborate with other young musicians came in his junior

high and high school stage bands. These jazz ensembles provided him with the opportunity to

play the music of the day like Buddy Rich, Stan Kenton, and Count Basie. Not only was he

gaining experience playing music, Houghton, thanks to his father, was able to see numerous

professional musicians in person. “Everyone came through our city because my dad brought

them through.” Ironically, Woody Herman, who Houghton would link up with again later in 19

his future career, had a strong impact on him when he was in his youth. Houghton recalled,

“That’s really what did it. Herman’s band came to our high school and I got to see a real pro

band up close. That did it.” Along with Herman, other artists and composers like pianist Bill 20

Evans with drummer Joe La Barbera, Ed Thigpen, Max Roach, and Karel Husa came to his high

! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, October 1, 2016 and October 3, 2016. 17

! . Ibid.18

! . Ibid.19

! . Ibid.20

!12


school and performed concerts. He also traveled to Chicago, Illinois and Lake Geneva,

Wisconsin where he got to see Buddy Rich, a drummer who he was extremely influenced by as a

young boy. “I think that’s what draws any young kid into live music. Any kid that I’ve talked to

they’re like, ‘yeah I saw this band when I was in high school and fell in love with it.’ So that’s

what it was.” 21

As a developing musician, Houghton had influential directors who understood the type of

talent Houghton possessed. They encouraged him to enter in solo and ensemble competitions,

where Houghton would play five solos a year. In 1968-1969, as a 7th and 8th grader, he already

had advanced snare drum technical skills, playing solos like The Badger’s Strut by Jay Collins

and Tornado by Mitch Markovich. His percussion teacher, Manny Mitka assigned Houghton the

snare drum solos of the day such as 2040's Sortie by Alan Abel, Connecticut Halftime, and

Downfall of Paris. It was quite clear that Houghton had a natural gift for music and caught on

extremely quickly.

As a high school musician, Jeff Cesario said he had dreams of being a professional drummer, like his classmate, Steve Houghton. “Houghton could practice something for eight minutes and get it right, while I could practice it for eight hours and never get it.” 22

Along with his technical development on snare drum and other percussion instruments,

Houghton also participated in his high school jazz band. He was particularly influenced by

drummers like Buddy Rich, Billy Cobham, and Joe Morello as well as albums like Woody

! . Ibid.21

! . Rex Davenport, “Comedian reminisces about growing up in Kenosha,” Kenosha News, 28 22July 2015, Kenosha News Website, accessed September 11, 2017, http://www.kenoshanews.com/news/comedian-reminisces-about-growing-up-in-kenosha/article_9a9ad85d-4404-54b4-ae86-26f5d6c8edf-f.html.

!13

http://www.kenoshanews.com/news/comedian-reminisces-about-growing-up-in-kenosha/article_9a9ad85d-4404-54b4-ae86-26f5d6c8edff.html





Herman’s Light My Fire, Buddy Rich’s Big Swing Face, and Keep the Customer Satisfied. The

jazz band rehearsed every day and played charts like “Channel 1 Suite” and “West Side Story.”

Houghton’s artistic musical journey began when he decided to enroll at the UW-M.

Using his father’s advice, he majored in music education with the intentions of following in his

father’s footsteps as a band director. Houghton received a full scholarship and studied multiple

areas of percussion with percussion teacher, Jim Latimer. Houghton recalled his time at UW-M:

I studied total percussion, no drumset. They didn’t have a drumset teacher there; so, I was working on a lot of timpani and out of the Delecluse xylophone book. I was in the wind ensemble and it was great because of H. Robert Reynolds, who was the conductor. We were doing great literature like Leonard Bernstein. My whole thing was total percussion, even up to UNT. 23

While attending UW-M, Houghton developed skills that would contribute to his unique, musical

sound as a drumset player in the years to come. He said, “If you can play drumset and have the

sense of groove and time, mallet playing helps with touch and musicality.” It is quite clear 24

when listening to Houghton’s drumset playing the richness of musicality and touch that makes

his particular sound and style unique.

In 1973, Houghton participated in the Walt Disney All-American College Band. He said,

“I was one of the very first to play in that band and it changed my life because they took us to

recording sessions in Los Angeles, California (L.A.). Ron Logan directed the band who ended up

being Vice President of Entertainment at Disney world-wide.” He remains active with the 25

! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, October 1, 2016 and October 3, 2016.23

! . Ibid.24

! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, tape recording, Lubbock, January 27, 2018. 25

!14


Disney band, serving as a clinician and encouraging his students to participate. When asked

about his affiliation with Disney, Houghton said:

I’ve been a clinician since 1980 and worked with people like Tom Walsh, Joey Tartell, Jim White, and John Hollenbeck. While working for Disney in the summer, you’re in a marching band where you do a Disney march and then play your set, which includes movement and other stuff. You do about four of those a day. When I clinic, I bring music and have them sight read 10-15 charts. I’ve had several students in the band like Mitch Shiner, Steve Sutch, Reuben Gingrich, Jeff Franklin, and Gregg Bissonette. 26

In the spring of 1973, the UW-M Big Band performed a concert with the UNT One

O’clock Lab Band. He described the difference between the bands by saying, “our band was ok,

but then I got to see the level of UNT.” The drummer for the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band was 27

John Bryant and the bass player was Lou Fischer, a person that Houghton would develop a great

friendship with and work with for the entirety of his career. Fischer said, “He was a student

enrolled at UW-M and the drummer in their jazz ensemble. After hearing our performance and

hanging out with everyone that evening, he decided he wanted to transfer to North Texas State

University, now University of North Texas (UNT).” His time at UNT created a strong 28

foundation of relationships, networks, and musical experiences that has stayed with him for the

entirety of his professional career.

Upon arrival at UNT, Houghton’s talents were quickly put to use as he auditioned and

made the prestigious UNT One O’clock Lab Band. Esteemed trumpet player Clay Jenkins, a

former member of the band said, “It was kind of unheard of; someone just walking in and taking

! . Ibid. 26


! . Lou Fischer, interview by author, email, Lubbock, December 9, 2017.28

!15


that chair. There were a lot of guys in line for that spot. He could read and had a lot of chops.

He was always such a natural player and everybody looked up to him.” Other members of the 29

band included saxophonist Pete Brewer, pianist Lyle Mays, and bassist Mark Johnson. Lou

Fischer had left UNT to pursue his career with famed trumpeter Don Jacoby’s band in Dallas,

Texas. While in the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band, Houghton recorded on the Grammy Award-

nominated “lizard album,” Lab 75 and would continue to work with musicians from the album in

future musical settings. Lab 75 remains a highly respected and well-known album in the jazz

community, containing songs like the “Overture To The Royal Mongolian Suma Foosball

Festival” and “F.M.”

In 1975, the band went to the Wichita Jazz Festival and performed their set for the

competition. After winning, they performed a night concert where Pat Metheny, Bill Evans, and

Woody Herman were in attendance. Houghton said:

Later in the day, we played in the night concert and Pat Metheny who didn’t know Lyle Mays, got to hear us. Woody Herman was playing on the same concert and he got to hear us. That night, Herman fired his rhythm section and hired all three of us to go with him. Later that night Metheny knocks on our hotel door and meets Lyle and says, “We’ve got to make music together.” Then Bill Evans ends up getting Mark like a year or two later to play in his group. And I ended up playing with Gary Burton a couple of years later and so that was a pretty crazy 6 hours. It changed everybody’s lives. 30

An important link between Houghton and Woody Herman was Ed Soph. Soph, a drumset

student at UNT prior to Houghton’s arrival, was also Herman’s drummer around 1968. Soph

was in attendance at the festival where Herman approached him for advice. Herman said, “‘I

! . Clay Jenkins, interview by author, 2017.29

! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, 2017.30

!16


think I’m going to get rid of my guys (rhythm section), what do you think?’ Ed recommended

me as a drummer to Herman because we had worked together doing clinics and other things.” 31

Listening to Soph’s advice, Herman hired Houghton to play drums in Woody Herman’s Young

Thundering Herd (Herd). Houghton described Soph’s recommendation to Herman by stating,

“he helped me get the gig and of course I’ll never forget that.” Throughout his career, 32

Houghton has continued to teach at drumset camps with Soph at UNT and Capital University.

Once Houghton accepted the position in the Herd, he returned to UNT and let his

professors know that he was leaving. He learned music for the Herd and concentrated on being

the best musician that he could be. Woody Herman had a lineage of drummers that played in his

band such as; Dave Tough, Jake Hanna, and Don Lamond, all of who represented an older Herd

sound. Those names were of extreme importance however; there were some newer drummers in

the 1960s and 1970s that played in the Herd prior to Houghton who he derived his drumming

from. Houghton said:

A lot of that was Joe La Barbera and Ed Soph with Woody Herman. There were two or three Herman records at that time like Raven Speaks (Joe La Barbera), Giant Steps (Ed Soph), and Light My Fire (Ed Soph). Those three records for me was what I tried to model myself after. I had been listening to those and they happen to be the music that Herman was doing at that time. To be brutally honest, I didn’t listen to the older stuff enough. It didn’t seem like Woody was doing any of the older stuff which he wasn’t, but I still could've gone back and listened to a whole lot more of Don Lamond and Jake Hanna. I’ve since done that. It’s a lineage and it’s cool. 33

! . Ibid.31

! . Ibid.32

! . Ibid.33

!17


For the next year and a half, Houghton toured with the Herd. Most of the band personnel were

young people from schools like UNT, Berklee College of Music (Berklee), and Eastman School

of Music (Eastman). Although the band was largely made up of younger players, Houghton

recalls an older Frank Tiberi, a tenor saxophone player was in the band as well. The first rhythm

section that Houghton was on board with was pianist Lyle Mays, and bassist Kerby Stewart.

Eventually, Stewart and Mays left the group and were replaced by Lou Fischer and Pat Coil.

These various rhythm section members from UNT brought their own unique sounds and talents

to the Herd. While on tour, a younger Jim Rupp, who would eventually become part of the

Woody Herman drummer lineage, was in the audience. Rupp stated:

Houghton was with Woody Herman’s band and he played at Norton’s Brown Derby in Norton, Ohio. I'm almost positive I was a freshman in college and they sounded killin! What an inspiration for a young college student. I went up and met him and he was very nice. 34

Fischer described Houghton’s sound as a drummer with Herman and their experiences together

on the road:

Houghton for me was the quintessential drummer for that band. Herman’s Band was the band that blows, and recognized as that type of ensemble worldwide. The rhythm section had to be a strong on, and Houghton certainly rose to that challenge with Pat Coil on piano by the time I joined the band. Houghton could drive that band no matter what the style of music we were playing. The band also had very strong players and improvisers all around. The discipline one develops by performing at that level every night stays with you a lifetime. There is an element of trust you have to develop and of course we all basically lived together on a bus for all those months. I seem to remember we had four nights off in the 6-8 months I remained in the band. I performed my first clinic ever while on that band along with Houghton and Coil. It’s always a

! . Jim Rupp, interview by author, tape recording, Lubbock, December 1, 2017.34

!18


wonderful reunion when any of us manage to perform together again, but when the three of us do, it’s even triple the fun! 35

Woody Herman’s Young Thundering Herd was known in the 1970s to frequently work

more in jazz education. This meant that not only was Houghton performing every night and

developing into a highly skilled big band drummer, he was also able to gain experience in his

teaching skills. Houghton recalled his time as an educator in Herman’s band:

The way our clinics were set up was that the rhythm section in our band would work with the rhythm section, trumpets with trumpets, and then Herman would listen to the whole middle school and high school band and make some nice comments… He really loved doing that because he loved young people. 36

This would mark the beginning of Houghton’s long and successful career as a pedagogue,

clinician, and educator. It also marks the genesis of a relationship with Avedis Zildjian Cymbal

Company, which continues today. “With Zildjian, I was playing with Herman at Disneyland,

where Armand Zildjian and Lenny DiMuzio happen to be there watching. After the gig they

asked me if I would like to come aboard.” Not only would his affiliation with Avedis Zildjian 37

provide Houghton with an extremely high quality of product to play, but it would help him with

funding for many educational projects. Houghton described his relationships with companies as:

Clinics and companies go hand and hand. Companies help pay, which gets them involved and makes things easier. You submit support requests and they send support and give aways. It happens like a machine and they’ve been a huge part of my career as an educator. 38

! . Lou Fischer, interview by author, 2017.35

! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, November 28, 2017.36

! . Ibid. 37


!19


Performing, presenting clinics, and educating would all become pillars in Houghton’s career. It

was at this time that Houghton began to develop into a man similar to his father; an esteemed

educator with passion and a natural gift for teaching young musicians.

In 1976, Houghton briefly moved to New York. He said, “I moved to New York for 2

weeks and it very quickly became evident that it wasn’t my type of lifestyle. I lived at West 86th

and Broadway where all of the musicians lived in awful rooms. From there I went back to

Dallas, Texas.” 39

From 1976-1979, Houghton returned to Dallas, Texas where he worked playing all areas

of percussion for TM Productions. Working in the studio provided him with the opportunity to

play on jingles and commercials which were broadcasted throughout the area. He also

collaborated with Lou Fischer and Pat Coil, former bandmates. Fischer said, “We quickly

became one of the top two rhythm sections in the studios in Dallas, which were quite active

then.” Coil and Fischer created a jazz-rock “fusion” band called High Rise, where Houghton 40

and another Herd member, tenor saxophonist Pete Brewer, “got together as a band in order to

form an outlet away from both the big band jazz they played on the road with Herman and the

pop music they were playing in the studio.” Fischer recalled his time with High Rise: 41

As much as we loved playing in Herman’s band, after doing it every night for eight months, you want to get away from that for awhile. We wanted an outlet for our original music. We did a

! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, January 27, 2018. 39


! . Ibid.41

!20


couple fairly experimental albums. The group played together from 1976 through 1979, and played all over the Southwest. 42

The final version of the group was a unique instrumentation of pedal steel guitar played by Larry

White, Brewer on multiple woodwinds, Coil on multiple keyboards, Fischer on basses, Houghton

on drumset, and Ron Snyder on percussion. Fischer stated, “I can tell you we were performing

music that was a mix of ALL styles, a true fusion of folk, country, funk, R&B, jazz, reggae, Latin

styles, etc.” 43

Houghton was also continuing to play jazz, where he created a band with Fischer called

the Fischer-Houghton Big Band. Houghton described the big band by saying, “It was made up

of mainly Dallas studio guys who were from UNT and had toured with Herman. That band was

as just as good as Herman’s in some ways.” 44

In addition to performing, Houghton added company affiliations during the 1970s. He

began relationships with Remo, Inc. and Yamaha Corporation of America. Houghton said:

With Yamaha, there was a great brass clinician named Rich Matteson who introduced me to them when they first came over to the United States in the late 1970s. Matteson got me in through the educational door because he was a big clinician and Yamaha had just started to do drums in this country. At that time, there had been no Yamaha drum clinicians in the United States, so I came aboard and started to do them. 45

! . Lee Mergner, “Lou Fischer: Jazz Fusion Men of a Certain Age,” JazzTimes Magazine, Feb42 -ruary, 2011, (accessed November 11, 2017), https://jazztimes.com/columns/tangents/lou-fischer-jazz-fu-sion-men-of-a-certain-age/.


! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, tape recording, Lubbock, November 28, 2017.44

! . Ibid.45

!21

https://jazztimes.com/columns/tangents/lou-fischer-jazz-fusion-men-of-a-certain-age/



The relationships and skills Houghton forged in the 1970s would serve him in the future. He

continued with a variety of individuals, institutions, and companies in the 1980s and beyond.

!22


CHAPTER 3

THE MIDDLE YEARS (1980-2001)

Background

In 1980, Steve Houghton decided to move to L.A. to explore musical opportunities. It

was during the years of 1980 to 2001 that Houghton’s career as an artist, pedagogue, and leader

began to excel. His early life had given him the tools necessary for him to make a significant

mark in the L.A. music scene. Almost immediately upon arrival in L.A., Houghton would begin

to develop new relationships with musicians, publishers, educators, and would sustain

meaningful relationships with musicians from his past.

As an artist, Houghton would collaborate with some of the biggest names in jazz. He

recorded and played at live venues such as Carmellos, Donte’s, Vine St. Bar and Grill, the Light

House, Concerts by the Sea, Persian Room, Catalinas, and traveled all over the world.

As a pedagogue, Houghton began to hone his authorship and publishing skills during this

time period. He would develop an important relationship with Dave Black and Alfred

Publishing, which published educational materials that are still relevant today. Houghton also

began working as a teacher in academia-where he found “holes” in educational sources and

“filled” them. He was becoming much like his father, the “music man,” who was a gifted

musician as well as a great educator.

As a leader, he continued to develop relationships with percussion companies such as

Avedis Zildjian Cymbal Company, Remo, Inc., and Yamaha Corporation of America, as well as

adding new company affiliations such as Calato/Regaltip. His endorsements allowed him to

travel and perform clinics at conventions like the Percussive Arts Society International

!23


Convention (PASIC). He became active as a leader in PAS serving on committees and

presenting clinics and workshops at PAS Days of Percussion.

Artistry

Houghton’s move to L.A. in 1980 was because he “just wanted to be a smaller fish in a

big pond because I was kind of the big fish in Dallas. I wanted hipper studio work and I wanted

to play with some other musicians. Just get more of the big time.” Similar to his arrival at 46

UNT, Houghton’s talents were quickly put to use making him a highly demanded drummer both

in the studio and in live performance. Artists that he worked with in L.A. included the Tosiko

Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band, Bill Holman, Tribal Tech, Les Hooper, Freddie Hubbard,

Clay Jenkins, Gary Burton, Bob Curnow, Billy Childs, Paul Anka, and many more.

Houghton’s first big performance outlet in L.A. was with Japanese pianist and composer

Toshiko Akiyoshi, and jazz flutist/tenor saxophonist Lew Tabackin. The two created a 16-piece

jazz big band called the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band.

Most of the critics voted it (Toshiko Akyiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band) the number one big band from 1978 to the first half of the eighties. The orchestra gets its stamp from the compositions and arrangements of Japanese-born pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi. She writes long pieces, seventeen to twenty minutes, that are not suites in the conventional sense but rather continuous “orchestral stories.” 47

Very much like his beginnings with Woody Herman, Houghton was recommended to play drums

by one of the many people from his growing musical network. Houghton described how people

in his network recommended him for the position with Akiyoshi:


! . Joachim-Ernst Berendt and Gunther Huesmann, The Jazz Book: From Ragtime to the 21st 47Century, 7th ed., (Chicago, IL: Lawrence Hill Books, 2009), 614.

!24


Gary Foster who played lead-alto was one of the guys I knew out there from this network that we all had. Peter Donald who was the drummer couldn’t make this tour, so they asked Foster if he knew anybody. Peter Donald knew me too, and I think he helped recommend me as well. So I did a rehearsal of course, and I guess if I would’ve screwed up the rehearsal I wouldn’t have gotten the gig, but I read the music. 48

For the next three to four years, Houghton recorded with the band on Grammy Award-nominated

albums titled Farewell to Mingus (Farewell) (1980), Tanuki’s Night Out (1981), and on another

album titled From Toshiko With Love (1981). He also toured all over the world in places like

Europe, Japan, and the United States. The band was made up of studio musicians such as

trumpeters Buddy Childers, Steven Hufsteter, Larry Ford, and Mike Price; trombonists Rick

Culver, Hart Smith, Bruce Fowler, and Phil Teele; saxophonists Dan Higgins, Gary Foster, John

Gross, and Bill Byrne; and bassist Bob Bowman.

Akiyoshi’s “orchestral stories” demanded that the drummer have musical sophistication,

rhythmic expertise, and be well-versed in different styles. These different characteristics are

skills that Houghton possessed which made him a perfect fit for the group. Regarding

Houghton’s skills, Lou Fischer said, “Houghton can play any style and play it correctly.” 49

Fischer further commented, his “consistency, attention to detail, and color” matched Akiyoshi’s 50

distinctive musical sounds and textures in her compositions.

The first track on Farewell titled, “After Mr. Teng” is a “fast bebop outing with proficient

players that features a big full-band opening, sax and brass section solis, and solo space for

! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, October 1, 2016 and 3, 2016. 48

! . Lou Fischer, interview by author, 2017. 49

! . Ibid.50

!25


piano, tenor, and bass.” The author believes that Houghton is in complete control of the up-51

tempo-swing style; playing with intensity and clarity. The third track on Farewell titled, “Shades

of Yellow” is a Latin-flavored composition where Houghton is heard playing a variety of

straight, quasi-samba rhythms. He also solos over the band in a “vamp” style, demonstrating a

wide vocabulary of ideas that build musical “tension and release.”

Along with playing for Akiyoshi, Houghton was busy in other musical endeavors as well.

In the early 1980s, he was doing studio work in order to “get his name around.” He “linked 52

up” with the world-renowned virtuoso jazz vibraphonist, Gary Burton and played for six months

and a couple of tours with him. Clay Jenkins who understood the reputation of Gary Burton

said, “Steve (Houghton) was with Gary Burton for a while and Gary had his choice of all of

these players and he picked this guy (Houghton) from L.A., which was cool.” Within just two 53

years of his arrival in L.A., Houghton collaborated with Gary Burton and Toshiko Akiyoshi; two

well known jazz musicians.

He was also in other big bands that were called “rehearsal bands,” which would rehearse

every week. Since Houghton was so good at being able to read and interpret music, he quickly

became the drummer for bands like the Bill Holman Big Band and the Les Hooper Big Band.

The rehearsal bands had original music that would be rehearsed and then performed in a short

amount of time. Houghton said, “At any one time I might have been playing with 2 or 3

different big bands. Les Hooper was also a big-time writer for jingles and television shows so I

! . Kendor Music Inc. “After Mr. Teng,” kendormusic.com, accessed January 5, 2018, https://51www.kendormusic.com/store/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=2479.



!26

http://kendormusic.com


started doing his studio work.” It is clear that Houghton’s ability to read and interpret music is 54

something that elevated his career. Lou Fischer, who was also a member of Hooper’s Big Band

said, “He can read any piece of music you place in front of him, which for rhythm players is not

an easy task as 85-90% of what we do cannot be written down on the sheet of paper.” 55

As his work with Akiyoshi was ending in 1981, Houghton found himself playing

“modern, burning jazz” with small groups throughout the L.A. area. Some of these artists 56

included pianists Billy Childs and John Serry, past friend and colleague from UNT trumpeter

Clay Jenkins, and bassist Larry Klein. Childs and Klein happen to both be playing with the

legendary trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, who was known for playing in the bebop, hard bop, and

post-bop styles from the 1960s until his passing in 2008. Both of them recommended Houghton

to Hubbard and from about 1981 to 1984, Houghton played with Hubbard. Houghton described

Hubbard as:

Just a really cool jazz musician. When he played, he played and he taught me about intensity. For example, when I talked about just playing with a tenor player; Hubbard would do that every night, so you better throw down. He never came down on me, but you knew if you weren’t cutting it, you might get the stink eye. You didn’t want to not cut it, so you were ready. And you didn’t know what music you were going to play, you just played what he called, whether you knew it or not. You wanted to review his latest records and off course Childs and Klein would say “I know we’re going to do this, and he may call this, so give that a listen to.” Those guys made me hip as to what might be called. 57


! . Lou Fischer, Interview by author, 2017. 55


! . Ibid. 57

!27


In December 1982, Houghton, Klein, Childs, tenor saxophonist and flutist Harold Land, and

percussionist Buck Clarke, recorded on Hubbard’s album titled, Born to Be Blue. This marked a

pinnacle highlight in Houghton’s musical career.

Down Beat magazine called Hubbard ‘the most powerful and prolific trumpeter in jazz.’ Embedded in his massive body of recorded work is a legacy that will continue to influence trumpeters and other jazz artists for generations to come. 58

According to a Scott Yanow review for AllMusic, Born to Be Blue is a “fine modern hard

bop CD.” The fourth track on the CD titled, “Joy Spring” is a medium-swing style that the 59

author feels showcases Houghton’s sophistication and “swagger” behind Hubbard, Lands, and

Childs’ solos.

The significance of Houghton’s time with Hubbard cannot be overstated. Mitch Shiner, a

former student of Houghton’s said, “he played and recorded with Freddie Hubbard. He has an

album with Freddie Hubbard. I mean he played with Hubbard. That’s ridiculous.” Jim Rupp 60

recalled, “I first heard him with Woody Herman, but then there is Freddie Hubbard. Houghton

was killin' as a drummer for Hubbard.” 61

Around the same time that Houghton was working with Hubbard, he began working with

Paul Anka, who had a Las Vegas act and wrote such songs like “Put Your Head on My

Shoulder,” “Diana,” “You’re Having My Baby,” and “Lonely Boy.” Anka also “wrote the theme

! . “Freddie Hubbard Biography,” Freddie Hubbard Music Website, (accessed November 20, 582017), http://www.freddiehubbardmusic.com/FrameContent/profile.php#.

! . Yanow, Scott. “AllMusic Review,” Review of Born to Be Blue, by Freddie Hubbard. AllMu59 -sic, https://www.allmusic.com/album/born-to-be-blue-mw0000188314.

! . Mitch Shiner, interview by author, tape recording, Lubbock, December 11, 2017. 60

! . Jim Rupp, interview by author, 2017. 61

!28

http://www.freddiehubbardmusic.com/FrameContent/profile.php#


for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and one of Tom Jones’s biggest hits, “She’s a

Lady.” Houghton recalls his time with Anka:

Ralph Humphrey told me, “I can’t do this week in Vegas, can you do it?” So, I started working with Paul Anka in Vegas. I’d fly to Vegas with a rehearsal in the afternoon and a show that night. This is around 1982 and I know that because my son was born in 1982. This was one of the weirdest 10 days that I have ever had. I went to Hong Kong and the Philippines with Paul Anka, came back and went to San Francisco with Freddie Hubbard for 7 days. I went from playing “She’s a Lady” and “My Way” with Anka, to playing some really hard stuff with Hubbard. I was putting everything together and on display, and by 1983-1984, all that stuff is full go. 62

A group that was much different from Freddie Hubbard, but still an extremely musical

and virtuosic band that Houghton was active with was called Tribal Tech. Led by guitarist Scott

Henderson and bassist Gary Willis, Tribal Tech was a progressive-fusion band in the late 1980s.

The band also included Houghton’s colleague and friend from prior years at UNT and with

Woody Herman, Pat Coil. Jazz saxophonist and woodwind recording artist, Bob Sheppard was

in the group and would be someone that would become an important part of Houghton’s musical

network. The three albums that he recorded on are titled Spears (1985), Dr. Hee (1987), and

Nomad (1990). The author believes that Houghton’s performance of “Mango Prom” on the

album Dr. Hee demonstrates a half-time shuffle similar to Jeff Porcaro’s groove on “Rosanna,”

and Bernard Purdie’s shuffle grooves.

In the 1990s, Houghton worked with Bob Florence; an American pianist, composer,

arranger, and big band leader. Houghton recorded two albums with Florence’s big band:

Funupsmanship (1992) and With All the Bells and Whistles (1995). In an AllMusic review of


!29


Funupsmanship, Scott Yanow said, “Bob Florence has long been one of the most stimulating

arrangers in jazz and this live set from his big band features some of his most interesting

charts.” In his review of With All the Bells and Whistles, Scott Yanow said: 63

Arranger/pianist Bob Florences's release for the MAMA Foundation may very well be his finest; it certainly offers a strong sampling of his talents…The ensembles are consistently clean, exciting, and remarkably relaxed, considering how tricky some of the charts must be. This CD offers modern big band jazz at its best. 64

Some members of the band included trumpeter Wayne Bergeron, pianist Bob Florence,

clarinetist/saxophonist Don Shelton, and bassist Tom Warrington. The relationship between

Houghton and Warrington was important as they would to co-author one of Alfred’s best-selling

drumset and bass guitar method books entitled, Essential Styles for the Drummer and Bassist.

On the opening track on Funupsmanship titled, “Slimehouse,” the author feels that

Houghton sounds as if he is channeling his “inner-Mel Lewis.” His tasteful brushwork at the

beginning of the song followed by a ride pattern played on a “china cymbal” sounds almost

identical to how Mel Lewis sounded at times with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. The

third track on With All the Bells and Whistles titled, “Shimmery” is a Bossa Nova sounding

groove with cymbal work to depict a “shimmery” sound. Towards the end, Houghton adds a

back-beat with fills around the drums, which the author believes it likens the sound to a rock

groove.

! . Scott Yanow, review of Funupsmanship, by Bob Florence, AllMusic, https://www.allmusic.63 -com/album/funupsmanship-mw0000627511.

! . Scott Yanow, review of With All the Bells and Whistles, by Bob Florence, AllMusic, https://64www.allmusic.com/album/with-all-the-bells-and-whistles-mw0000175816.

!30

https://www.allmusic.com/album/with-all-the-bells-and-whistles-mw0000175816


https://www.allmusic.com/album/funupsmanship-mw0000627511



Another highlight of Hougthon’s time in L.A. during 1990s was his work with Bob

Curnow; a trombonist, conductor, arranger, composer, music producer, and owner and President

of Sierra Music Publications, Inc. In 1994, Houghton would record on Curnow’s CD album

titled, Bob Curnow’s L.A. Big Band Plays the Music of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays. Bob

Rusch’s review for Cadence Magazine, called the album “a prime example of the art of arranging

for large jazz ensemble in a contemporary setting.” Some members of the band included 65

familiar faces like Lyle Mays, Bob Sheppard, Wayne Bergeron, and Tom Warrington.

Bob Curnow’s L.A. Big Band Plays the Music of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays provided

Houghton with the chance to play in an “ECM” (Edition of Contemporary Music) style. Two

songs on the album that exhibit this style of playing are “It’s Just-Talk” and “The First Circle.”

“It’s Just-Talk” is a 4/4 groove with cross stick on all four beats. The basis of the groove

incorporates a cymbal pattern with a mixture of sixteenth notes and eighth notes. The cross stick

and cymbal pattern give the song a driving feel similar to that of the original composition by Pat

Metheny. “The First Circle” is a mixed meter piece that “is rhythmically complex and demands

the full attention of the players.” The author recognizes Houghton is active with his ride 66

cymbal and snare, while remaining “out of the way” of the rhythms of the rest of the band. The

entirety of the piece is a build, spearheaded by Houghton and the rhythm section.

From the early 1990s through the 2000s, Houghton played drums for American singer

and broadway actress, Maureen McGovern. Houghton described how he began playing drums

for McGovern:

! . Bob Rusch, review of Bob Curnow’s L.A. Big Band Plays the Music of Pat Metheny and Lyle 65Mays, by Bob Curnow and Lyle Mays, Cadence Magazine, Volume 21, Issue 3 (1995).

! . Sierra Music Publications Inc., “The First Circle,” advertisement found at sierramusicstore.66 -com, accessed December 1, 2017, http://www.sierramusicstore.com/First_Circle_The_p/smp-119.htm.

!31

http://sierramusicstore.com



I was doing “Salute to Singer Songwriters” which was a big show in L.A. We performed with a studio orchestra and every singer song writer performed for free because it was a benefit show. I was getting to play drums with each singer that would come in and do a song with orchestra. McGovern was one of them who had a great gig and remembered who I was. Shortly after that, I was playing in a band made up of L.A. musicians at the Jerry Lewis telethon at Hotel Riviera. McGovern asked me if I could do that telethon because she wanted me to play drums on her songs. This would have been in the early 1990s. After the telethon, she asked me to come and do symphonies and so then I started touring with her. While I was touring with her, I played with a lot of symphony orchestras and quartets. During Christmastime, she would do 6 beautiful holiday and Christmas shows. It taught me all of “The Great American Songbook” standards, and music by composers like George Gershwin, Harold Arlen, and many others. I played with McGovern for about 12 years, which went on into the 2000s during my move to Bloomington, Indiana. I never recorded with her, but I learned how to play with an orchestra. McGovern had a big band within the show and certain things had to swing. “Pops Singer” on page 38 in The Ultimate Drumset Reading Anthology is based on McGovern’s style. 67

Lastly, in May 2001, Houghton produced and recorded charts by John Williams that were

previously recorded by Shelly Manne in 1965 titled, Manne, That’s Gershwin. The new

recording, The Manne We Love: Gershwin Revisited, features the Houghton Quintet, as well as

members of the UNT Two O’Clock Lab Band. The Houghton Quintet members included

trumpeter Clay Jenkins, alto saxophonist Dan Higgins, pianist Stefan Karlsson, and bassist Lou

Fischer. Fischer said:

Another big band project that is near to my heart is the remake Houghton decided to produce of Shelly Manne's 1962...Gershwin: The Manne We Love. We all received the original music and the recording to study ahead of time. We gathered together in Dallas that year and rehearsed/recorded the music for two days with the UNT Two O'Clock Lab Band lead by the infamous Jim Riggs. The

! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, January 27, 2018. 67

!32


CD featured five alums of UNT as guests: myself-bass; Houghton-drums; Stefon Karlsson-piano, Danny Higgins-saxophones, and Clay Jenkins-trumpet. Remember the recording techniques of the 1960s were not quite as transparent as present day. The arrangements by John Williams of the timeless Gershwin music was so ahead of its time for 1962 it came alive once again, as we now had the ability to multi-track and mix the intricate timbres and textures Williams was hearing in his head. To listen to that music develop as it did, and to be able to study the Williams’ scores, and listen to it even now today...the harmonies, moods and emotion it portrays...at least to me that project remains light years ahead of what we are hearing in the world now. 68

The charts were a gift to Steve Houghton from Mrs. Shelly Manne. Houghton described

Manne’s drumset playing:

It was Manne’s versatility that really amazed me, Houghton explains. He did studio work, played percussion, and composed; he could play small group and big band. I really liked his jazz playing, especially his work with Bill Evans. It was so musical, and it was always a bit understated. Yet it had a cool humor. 69

All of the royalties from the sale of the recording would benefit the “Shelly Manne Memorial

Scholarship Fund,” a jazz percussion scholarship fund at UNT conceived by Steve Houghton.

The project also facilitated secured funding of $10,000 to date from both corporate and private

donors to establish the scholarship with a full endowment of $20,000 as the immediate goal.

Pedagogy

Steve Houghton’s time in L.A. is where he began excelling as a clinician, author, and an

educator. It was his experience as a performer that propelled ideas about how educational

materials should be written. His time as a teacher at PIT program at MI, UNLV, and the Dick

Grove School (Grove) of Music provided him with the opportunities to find deficiencies in

! . Lou Fischer, interview by author, 2017. 68

! . “Drummers: Steve Houghton,” Modern Drummer Magazine, 2004.69

!33


drumset pedagogy and fill them with practical materials that genuinely made a positive impact.

“Sometimes guys write things that might be a re-hash of other stuff, but Houghton never did that.

He really found niches that filled a big hole and were real practical. That’s what he did and he

made a huge impact.” 70

In 1980-1981, he began teaching in the PIT program. As an in-demand drummer in L.A.,

Houghton was one of the many teachers at the school. He started as a substitute teacher until the

students asked for him more often. Some of Houghton’s students at PIT included Cliff Almond,

Kurt Viscera, Maria Martinez, and Enzo Todesco. Almond went on to play drumset with Michel

Camilo while Viscera went on to play drumset with Rod Stewart. “Many MI alumni know Steve

Houghton as one of the most passionate and challenging instructors in PIT’s history.” 71

Houghton would eventually become the chairman of the department at PIT. When asked about

Houghton’s teaching, Jim Rupp discussed Houghton’s legacy at PIT:

I've had a couple of students go study with him when he was at Percussion Institute of Technology (PIT) in Los Angeles, California. All of them really raved about his teaching. The students there used to call him the “colonel.” I had an eighth grade science teacher who was an ex-Marine Drill Sergeant and he was a tough guy. At our 25th class reunion, he was the one teacher who everyone wanted to have back because he was so cool and demanded a lot, but you really loved him. I think it’s the same thing with Houghton. He gets you to go from point A to point B quickly without sugarcoating anything and isn’t mean about it. He gets you there. 72

Although Houghton had prior teaching experience at some junior colleges in Dallas, Texas, this

would be his start designing drumset curriculum. One of the first successful books that

! . Jim Rupp, interview by author, 2017.70

! . “Drummers: Steve Houghton,” Modern Drummer Magazine, 2004.71

! . Jim Rupp, interview by author, 2017.72

!34


Houghton would design and publish was Studio and Big Band Drumming: Interpretation of

Contemporary Studio & Big Band Drum Parts for Today’s Ensemble Drummer. Houghton said:

Studio and Big Band Drumming was written because I didn’t have a book to use at PIT. I wanted to use “right hand lead” ideas but I didn’t want the students to have to go buy Syncopation, so I incorporated it in this book. The kids didn’t know styles; so, I had page 10 where I put all those things together to give the students some stylistic concepts. I put a discography in the back to give the kids an idea of stuff to listen to. I also had play along tracks that I recorded in Dallas and used in Studio and Big Band Drumming which was nice for them to play along to. 73

The book was published through C.L. Barnhouse publications in 1985. Dave Black described

Studio and Big Band Drumming as:

One of the first of its kind to ever be on the market. Ron Fink had done a book with Alfred in the early 1980s called Drumset Reading: Drumset Book but it didn’t have any recordings with it. Studio and Big Band Drumming did have recordings and play alongs which was a “door opener” for the industry. 74

According to page iv in the book, Studio and Big Band Drumming:

Provides a drummer with fundamental skills to perform in a studio orchestra, big band, show band, or small combo. The book includes ideas and philosophies concerning how to play musically with any type of ensemble. The book covers different musical styles, fills/setups, jazz phrasing, chart reading, and several other concepts that are invaluable to the gigging drummer. 75

The book is broken down as following into eight different sections with multiple subsections in

each:



! . Steve Houghton, Studio and Big Band Drumming, Oskaloosa: C L Barnhouse Co., 1985, iv.75

!35


1. Definition of Terms, which gives a “representation of the more common terms or phrases found in contemporary music.” 76

2. Styles, which “represent some of the more popular styles of today’s music. Each style is briefly analyzed, including its various components. These beats are only a basis from which to build your ‘catalog” of beats.” 77

3. Interpretation, which goes in depth about a drummers musical role, articulation around the drumset, fills setups, singing of figures, “eighth note rule,” and jazz phrasing. 78

4. Common Figures, which “represent common rhythm figures that will be encountered in contemporary music.” 79

5. Ensemble Passages, which is a “collection of ensemble passages or shout choruses.” 80

6. Studio Chart Reading, which illustrates the most common formats in studio work. Each chart is discussed briefly, concerning major points of concern. The charts were written and arranged by Phil Kelly and Les Hooper. 81

7. Bibliography, which consists of a list of method books suggested by Houghton for students to go through and explore in several different ways. 82

8. Discography, which includes a wide variety of music with titles of songs, artists, record label, and drummer for each tune. 83

“Fatback, Jones & Smith” is a big band rock chart located in the “Studio Chart Reading”

section, which prepares a student for what he or she might see when playing in a big band

! . Ibid, 1.76

! . Ibid, 6.77

! . Ibid, 12.78

! . Ibid, 24.79

! . Ibid, 35.80

! . Ibid, 44.81

! . Ibid, 65.82

! . Ibid, 66.83

!36


setting. This example in the book provides an audio recording of Houghton’s interpretation of

the chart. A student can listen and play along with Houghton while also experimenting with his

or her own musical ideas. There are several other charts included in the book that provide audio

recording examples of Houghton playing through the piece.

In 1990, Houghton desired a “real need for essential styles.” Houghton said, “at that time

there were little to no books that addressed styles for drumset students, so that’s when I came out

with Essential Styles for the Drummer and Bassist.” This marks an important time in 84

Houghton’s authorship and publishing career because of his relationship with Dave Black. He

recalls:

I went to them with my Essential Styles project. The editor for that book was Julia Frasier but it had to go through Dave Black who was the larger editor on that. Whenever Essential Styles was published would’ve marked the beginning of my relationship with Black. 85

Dave Black was a serious jazz drumset player, who also was an editor for Alfred Publishing in

L.A. during Houghton’s time there. Their relationship couldn’t have been more perfect as

Houghton was finding needs in educational materials in his teaching and playing, while Black

was the right person to help fill those needs in designing method books. Houghton said, “Every

one of my books have been designed as a result of my teaching.” He also went on to say, “The 86

hook-up with Dave was good. He edited several of my books…Dave was a valuable asset on all

! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, November 28, 2017. 84

! . Ibid. 85

! . Ibid. 86

!37


of those books and a great editor. He’s taught me an awful lot about publishing.” When 87

Houghton approached Black about his essential styles idea, Black said:

I thought it was a great idea because at the time, there wasn’t anything like that; which is why the book did so incredibly well. It was the first time where there was a book that had bass and drums with different styles, and it discussed how they “lock-in.” At that point, CD’s or cassettes were out and we made it to where the drums were mixed on one side and the bass on the other. With the CD’s, the first track was with drums and the second track was without drums. That book started a trend. 88

The co-author of the book was bassist Tom Warrington, someone who Houghton performed with

often in the L.A. music scene. Houghton and Warrington were playing with Bob Florence

around this time and can be heard together on his album Funupsmanship, which was released in

1993. It was the trio of Houghton, Black, and Warrington that made this book so special.

The book includes written-out charts of each selection and performance tips for both drums and bass. All of the grooves have been recorded with a rhythm section and woodwinds, with drums mixed on the left channel and bass on the right, so either instrument may be dialed out. In addition, many of the tracks contain open choruses of comping so any instrument can practice playing solos! Essential Styles emphasizes the most important aspects of solid group playing---locking-in between the drummer and bassist---providing a strong rhythmic foundation and creating an authentic feel for whatever the style demands. 89

This book gives a student the chance to work on popular genres that he or she will be asked to

play such as rock, funk, R&B, fusion, Latin & jazz. John Tafoya said, “I do know that his

Essential Styles book is considered ‘the go to’ book for drummers who are working on various

! . Ibid. 87


! . Alfred Music Co., “Essential Styles for the Drummer and Bassist, Book 1,” advertisement 89found at alfred.com, accessed January 1, 2018, https://www.alfred.com/essential-styles-for-the-drummer-and-bassist-book-1/p/00-4300/.

!38

http://alfred.com

https://www.alfred.com/essential-styles-for-the-drummer-and-bassist-book-1/p/00-4300/



styles - and can play along to the many tracks provided in the book.” When asked about 90

which books of Houghton’s have been the most successful and sold the most, Dave Black said:

Essential Styles will always be the soft spot for me because that was the start of a real-working relationship with myself, Houghton, and Alfred. That was Houghton’s first publication with Alfred. That book was probably one of the best if not the best of all of them because it came around at the right time when there wasn’t a lot of publication’s flooding the market, digital copying, or downloads. It became a standard book that everybody used. I remember other drummers saying “I wish I had written that book” or “why didn’t I think of that type of thing?” 91

A total of 30 tracks are as follows:

1. “Medium Funk”

2. “Pop Funk #1”

3. “Pop Funk #2”

4. “Fusion-Funk”

5. “Funk-Shuffle”

6. “Funk-Rock”

7. “R& B #1”

8. “R&B #2”

9. “Rock & Roll”

10. “Bright Cross-Stick Fusion”

11. “Slow Fusion Vamp”

12. “7/4 Vamp”

13. “Raggae-Funk”

14. “Bossa Nova”

15. “Fast Samba”

! . John Tafoya, interview by author 2017. 90


!39


16. “Medium Samba”

17. “Slow Samba”

18. “Baion”

19. “3/4 Samba”

20. “Cha-Cha”

21. “Mambo”

22. “Songo”

23. “6/8 Afro-Cuban”

24. “Medium-Shuffle”

25. “Medium-Bright Swing”

26. “Basie Groove”

27. “3/4 Swing”

28. “Broken Swing Feel”

29. “Ballad”

30. “Up-Tempo Blues”

Houghton also found a need for a method book that developed a student’s drumset

soloing skills. In 1996, he published The Drumset Soloist through Warner Bros. Publications.

“The Drumset Soloist came from constantly working with students on soloing concepts, so I

decided to make a book that helped with that.” 92

The Drumset Soloist was written to provide drummers with the practice material to approach any solo, in any style, with ease. Techniques such as trading, playing over vamps, and playing over kicks (or figures) are examined, demonstrated, and made available in a CD play-along format. 93


! . Steve Houghton, The Drumset Soloist, Van Nuys: Alfred Music Co., 1996, iv.93

!40


What makes this book so valuable is that it provides audio of Houghton playing over tracks. In

some cases, a full transcription is provided so that a student can see exactly what Houghton is

playing. A total of 31 tracks are as follows:

1. “Slow Blues” is based on a 12 bar blues form, with drums trading 2’s with the piano. 94

2. “Medium Blues” is based on a 12 bar blues. 95

3. “Rhythm Changes Demo” is based on “Rhythm Changes,” the drums trading 8’s. This particular track has a written transcription of Houghton’s playing. 96

4. “Rhythm Changes” is written to help the student understand the form of the tune AABA. 97

5. “3/4 Swing” works on inflections of different feel in 3. 98

6. “Up Tempo Blues” describes how to use more eighth note oriented ideas because of the faster tempo. 99

7. “32-Bar Tune” is an “example of a tune that utilizes decreasing 8’s, 4’s, 2’s and 1’s.” 100

8. “Fast Modal” describes a common modal form, AABA over 32 bars. It also describes rhythmic motifs that can be heard in melodies or solos in modal music. 101

! . Ibid.94

! . Ibid.95

! . Ibid.96

! . Ibd.97

! . Ibid.98

! . Ibid.99

! . Ibid.100

! . Ibid.101

!41


9. “Medium Latin Demo” describes form and trading 4’s. This particular track has a written transcription of Houghton’s playing. 102

10. “Medium Latin” describes form and how the drums trade 4’s. 103

11. “Bright Samba” describes form and how the band trades 8’s with the drums. 104

12. “ECM Demo” is a solo chart based on ECM, “a record label that features primarily straight eighth note jazz music. This particular chart has a written transcription of Houghton’s playing. 105

13. “ECM Vamp” describes the solo format over vamps that can be found in the music of Pat Metheny. 106

14. “Jazz Latin Vamp” describes an ostinato pattern based on a piano comping rhythm. 107

15. “Salsa Vamp” represents a “very common situation in Latin music where the rhythm section grooves and the drums or percussion solo over it.” 108

16. “Vamp in ‘5’” has a “Brazilian flavor to it,” and suggests incorporating elements like a samba bass drum and surdo in playing. 109

17. “Vamp in ‘7’” has “a couple of comping/ostinato elements.” 110

! . Ibid.102

! . Ibid.103

! . Ibid.104

! . Ibid.105

! . Ibid.106

! . Ibid.107

! . Ibid.108

! . Ibid.109

! . Ibid.110

!42


18. “Fusion Samba Demo” is a “track based on samba feel with with the agogo bells playing a repetitive rhythm.” This particular chart has a written transcription of Houghton playing. 111

19. “Fusion Samba Vamp” is the same track as “Fusion Samba Demo.” 112

20. “Montuno Vamp” is based on the mambo/songo groove. The groove provides ways to imply different feels over the track. 113

21. “Hip Hop W/Kicks” is “more of a contemporary rock or pop groove.” It is based on kicks with a swing feel. 114

22. “Songo Demo” is a solo format that “features playing over kicks that form an eight bar phrase and is based on a song groove. This particular chart has a written transcription of Houghton’s playing. 115

23. “Songo W/Kicks” is the same track as “Sogno Demo.”

24. “3/4 Fusion Demo” is based on a “half-time groove in ‘3’.” This particular chart has a written transcription of Houghton’s playing. 116

25. “3/4 Fusion W/Kicks” is the same track as “3/4 Fusion Demo.” 117

26. “Weather Report Fusion Demo” is a track that is based on a kick sequence allowing the soloist to solo “freely and inventively.” This particular chart has a written transcription of Houghton’s playing. 118

! . Ibid.111

! . Ibid.112

! . Ibid.113

! . Ibid.114

! . Ibid.115

! . Ibid.116

! . Ibid.117

! . Ibid.118

!43


27. “Weather Report Fusion W/Kicks” is the same track as “Weather Report Fusion Demo.” 119

28. “Chick Fusion W/Kicks” is “reminiscent of something Chick Corea might play.” 120

29. “Fusion Swing Demo” is a track with many kicks/figures. This particular chart has a written transcription of Houghton’s playing. 121

30. “Fusion Swing W/Kicks” is the same track as “Fusion Swing Demo.” 122

31. “Mambo W/Kicks” is based on a mambo groove with kicks. 123

“Rhythm Changes” prepares a drummer for what he or she might see on a “jazz gig.” It allows

plenty of time to groove and “lock-in” with the bass player while providing opportunities to trade

solos with a professional sounding pianist. This example out of the book is great because it

provides a written transcription as well as an audio track of what Houghton plays. A student can

practice the transcription and get some very nice ideas that they can use in their own playing.

There are several other tracks in this book that include similar transcriptions which can help

ignite musical imagination within a student.

Two years after the release of The Drumset Soloist, Houghton published The Ultimate

Drumset Chart Reading Anthology with Alfred publications.

The Ultimate Drumset Reading Anthology is a diverse collection of drum charts that comes with a CD of accompaniments recorded both with drums for demonstration and without drums for playing

! . Ibid.119

! . Ibid.120

! . Ibid.121

! . Ibid.122

! . Ibid.123

!44


along, and includes analyses and performance suggestions. Performance settings like big band, small group, live shows, Broadway, studio work, dance jobs and cruise ships are discussed in terms of responsibilities, challenges, expectations, awareness and problem areas. 124

The book is broken down as following into seven different sections with multiple subsections in

each:

1. “Big Band” includes performance notes/suggestions and six different charts titled: “Basie-Straight Ahead,” “Ya’ Gotta Try,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “I’ll Never Smile Again,” “Magic Flea,” and “Mambo de Memo.” 125

2. “Small Group” includes performance notes/suggestions and six different charts titled: “Bogus Blues,” “Rio Rhythm,” “The Audition,” “Fall Leaves,” “Funk,” “Voyage Home.” 126

3. “Broadway Shows” includes four charts titled: “Act II; Scene 13,” “Bubbles,” “Vaudeville Chase,” and “The Coup.” 127

4. “Live Shows” includes performance notes/suggestions and nine charts titled: “Pops Singer,” “Circus March,” “Play-On 1,” “Play-On 2,” “Play-On 3,” “Play-Off 1,” “Play-Off 2,” “Show Medley,” and “Another Opener.” 128

5. “Cruise Ships” includes five charts titled: “Nagila Bows,” “Zardos the Violinist,” “Espana Carni-Escape Artist,” “The Carlsons-Juggling Act,” “Bernie’s Magic Act (cue sheet).” 129

! . Steve Weiss Music Inc., “The Ultimate Drumset Reading Anthology,” advertisement found 124at steveweissmusic.com, (accessed January 4, 2018), https://www.steveweissmusic.com/product/steve-houghton-ultimate-drumset-reading-anthology/drum-set-methods-cd.

! . Steve Houghton, The Ultimate Drumset Reading Anthology, Van Nuys: Alfred Music Co., 1251998, 9.

! . Ibid, 22.126

! . Ibid, 30.127

! . Ibid, 37.128

! . Ibid, 45.129

!45

http://steveweissmusic.com

https://www.steveweissmusic.com/product/steve-houghton-ultimate-drumset-reading-anthology/drum-set-methods-cd




6.“Studio Work” includes 13 charts titled: “TV Sports Promo,” “M11- Movie Underscore,” “Toon No. 1,” “Toon No. 2,” “Bank Commercial,” and “TV/Radio ID 1,” “TV/Radio ID 2,” “TV/Radio ID 3,” “TV/Radio ID 4,” “TV/Radio ID 5,” “TV/Radio ID 6,” “TV/Radio ID 7,”and “TV/Radio ID 8.” 130

7. “Dance Jobs” includes performance notes/suggestions and six charts titled: “Slow Fox Trot,” “Samba,” “One O’Clock Bump,” “Cha-Cha Fuego,” “String of Diamonds,” and “In a Mood.” 131

“The Audition” which is located in the “Small Group” chapter is a chart that prepares a student

for what he or she might see in a “real-world” drumset audition. It incorporates several styles of

drumming such as medium-swing, up-tempo swing, samba, and rock/funk. “The Audition”

provides audio of Houghton interpreting and playing the chart which a student can play along

with. Most of the charts in the book contain audio tracks with examples of Houghton playing

along. A student can take ideas and incorporate them in his or her own playing while

experimenting with their own ideas.

As Houghton’s time at PIT was coming to an end, other teaching opportunities were

opened at the Grove: “I taught drumset, chart reading, small group combos, and led a percussion

ensemble. The percussion chairman at Grove was Peter Donald who I knew, so everything goes

full circle.” Through the 1990s to about 2001, Houghton held positions at at California State 132

University-Northridge (adjunct instructor), Henry Mancini Institute (faculty), UCLA (guest jazz

lecturer), and the UNLV (visiting faculty).

Leadership

! . Ibid, 51.130

! . Ibid, 64.131


!46


Houghton’s leadership in organizations and music companies sheds light on his character

and charisma. From 1988-2001, he was heavily involved with PAS, Avedis Zildjian Company,

International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), MusicFest Canada, Calato/Regaltip, Drum

Day in Holland, The Midwest Clinic, and Latin Percussion (LP). Beginning in 1986, Houghton

served on the Board of Directors for PAS.

PAS is the world's largest percussion organization and is considered the central source for information and networking for percussionists and drummers of all ages. Established in 1961 as a non-profit, music service organization, our mission is to inspire, educate, and support percussionists and drummers throughout the world. 133

While on the Board of Directors, Houghton designed special rhythm section workshops

initially offered in 2001 that are now an integral part of event offerings. He also conceived and

authored the “How-To Handbook” for presenters of the PAS Days of Percussion, and organized

and designed the premier, Swedish Day of Percussion in April 2000. Additionally, he:

Designed and initiated the Fundamental Percussion Track series, a hands-on master class designed for junior-high percussion students and their teachers. The classes involved local students and teachers in addition to convention attendees. The content emphasized the specific teaching styles of their individual presenters. To date more the 2,500 students and teachers have participated in the series. 134

In 1997, Houghton received a “Distinguished Service Award” from PAS. This accomplishment

foreshadowed many other leadership achievements from 2001 to 2011.

During this period, Houghton was busy working on special projects with Avedis Zildjian

Cymbal Company. He headed a team that designed a new line of mallets/sticks for students and

educators. He also created and developed a music educational research team focused on

! . “About PAS Page,” Percussive Arts Society Website, accessed January 3, 2018, http://133www.pas.org.

! . Steve Houghton, email message to author, Lubbock, September 29, 2017.134

!47

http://www.pas.org

http://www.pas.org


troubleshooting in both the United States and overseas; conceived and facilitated the creation of

a semi-annual newsletter; and initiated and facilitated Zildjian’s involvement with MusicFest

Canada, the country’s largest music education event involving 10,000 students. The project

included the creation of a scholarship program funded by Zildjian and involvement by Zildjian

artists in educational and performance capacities at the event. Houghton also fostered

involvement by Zildjian in the Wisconsin Honors Project (All State). This effort ensures each

student in the project plays on a new Zildjian product each year for rehearsals and performances.

From 1988 to 2000, Houghton was on the Board of Directors for IAJE. Houghton had a

long history with IAJE and was a founding member. “Lou Fischer and all of my friends were

involved in the organization. There were good educational things like workshops and clinics, but

was eventually replaced by JEN.” In 2000, Houghton was an invited member to serve on the 135

Strategic Planning Committee of IAJE. The committee charted a course of organization:

international involvement and national education projects. In 2000 he was the co-designer of

workshops detailing useful, practical knowledge of the music business for the “Industry Track,”

a series of presentations unveiled at the 2000 IAJE Convention and integrated into each

subsequent event. In 1999 he facilitated the design of Artist Track Workshops tailored

specifically for professional performers. From 1998-1999, he helped design a curriculum for the

IAJE Teacher Training Institute, a series of training institutes conducted in multiple locations

each summer across the United States. He also designed and implemented the reorganization of

the national chair structure into a streamlined unit entitled the “Resource Team.” The

reorganization improved response and service to individual IAJE members. The changes


!48


included: individual accountability by team members, the publication of short articles in the

IAJE Journal by team members, the creation of a new column in the IAJE Journal designed in a

question and answer format, the creation of a new web site, and the requirement of team

members to actively define and recommend clinic sessions for presentation at the annual

convention.

From 1996 to present, Houghton has served as Vice President on the Board of Directors

for “Musicfest Canada.” He is also the leader of the All-Star Big Band, which performs at this

event. From 1998-2000 Houghton worked with Calato/Regaltip. He conceived and designed the

“Survival Kit for Band Directors,” a collection of sticks, mallets, and educational literature for

junior-high and high school band directors to simplify teaching percussion. He has also been a

contributor to the Calato/Regal Tip educational website.

In 1997, Houghton worked at Drum Day in Holland, where he initiated, organized, and

implemented the premier drum camp presented exclusively to Dutch students. Eighty high

school and university students attended the event conducted at a school in Hoogstraten, Belgium.

The faculty included: Dennis Chambers, Chuck Silverman, and Cesar Zuiderwijk. The

Slagwerkkrant magazine sponsored the event.

At the 1995 The Midwest Clinic, Houghton designed and initiated a series of clinics that

were “Fundamental Jazz Tracks” for students and faculty unfamiliar with the subject of jazz.

The clinics are now an important features of the annual workshop.

Finally, in 1994 Houghton conceived and initiated the LP Educational Board, a board that

publishes a quarterly newsletter designed for universities, music and drum shops.

!49


CHAPTER 4

THE LATER YEARS (2001-PRESENT)

In the early 1990s and early 2000s, Houghton sensed that a transition point in his life

might be inevitable. “The L.A. scene started to change because there was less work, a lot more

home studios were developing, and self-contained bands were coming in.” Dave Black states, 136

“He saw the writing on the wall in L.A. as far as the fact that the studio thing was dying, and the

playing opportunities were not as frequent.” His colleagues were beginning to work full-time 137

in the university setting. Tom Warrington began working at UNLV and Clay Jenkins was at

Eastman. Houghton began to keep an eye out for college position openings. “I interviewed at

UW-M as the head of the percussion program, when my former teacher Jim Latimer retired.” 138

Eventually, Houghton pulled his name out of the running because he wasn’t looking to teach

total percussion. After that, Houghton said:

I got a call from Gwyn Richards who was looking for someone to teach drumset at IU-JSoM. Jerry Carlyss was the percussion chairman at IU-JSoM and Vic Firth told them he should hire me. I agreed to a deal where I’d teach every 2 weeks and would stay at the hotel on campus. This went on for about 3 years. 139

His career from that point on was rooted in teaching. Dave Black said, “He got into a perfect

situation where he had time in his early years as a performing and writing artist which provided

him the perfect recipe for his job at IU-JSoM.” A seasoned, experienced Houghton would 140




! . Ibid.139


!50


leave a lasting legacy at IU-JSoM. Along with teaching, Houghton continued to publish

educational materials and would use technology to reach many more people. He would remain

working with Dave Black and would develop new method books with Alfred Publishing

Company.

As a drumset artist, Houghton continued to play with musicians and groups like Clay

Jenkins, the AHA Trio/Quintet, Dennis Riggins, the Phil Kelly Big Band, and the Ray Brown Big

Band. As a leader, Houghton would further his leadership roles in certain organizations like PAS

and would continue to build relationships with educators, industry leaders, artists, and students.

He would be on the forefront of monumental developments that would make lasting impacts.

Indiana University Jacobs School of Music

From 2000 to about 2003, Houghton was an Associate Professor at IU-JSoM where he

would teach every two weeks and then travel back to L.A. He said, “I had about seven drumset

students and taught a rhythm section class. There was no combo program yet so I started

one.” In 2004, Houghton accepted a full time position at IU-JSoM and moved to 141

Bloomington, Indiana. He explained, “Anthony Cirone was the chairman of the department.

Gerald Carlyss and Wilber England were there teaching as well so I taught drumset to jazz

students and percussion students.”

Josh Roberts, a former student of Houghton’s said, “When I was in school, there was a

saying that “if you wanted to get something done in the jazz department at IU-JSoM, you went to

Houghton.” That statement is certainly true; he created the combo program for the IU-JSoM 142


! . Josh Roberts, interview by author, tape recording, December 6, 2017. 142

!51


Jazz Studies Department in 2004, which is now a vital part of the core curriculum for jazz studies

majors. When asked about Houghton’s presence in combo and big band settings, Josh Roberts

said:

Obviously big band and combo are an important element of his musicality and when he would come in to our rehearsals, the band “gets in line.” He's got ways and devices of doing that. He’s got such a command just as a person and as a musician. 143

Additionally, he created the Rhythm Section Masterclass (RSM) for the IU-JSoM Jazz Studies

Department in 2005, which is now a fundamental part of the core curriculum for jazz studies

majors. Houghton described RSM:

RSM is a survey class. We discuss introductions and endings of tunes. We also explore different concepts, techniques, literature, and go through about 200 different tunes in 2 semesters. The students are required to take 4 semesters of RSM which is a playing class, not a lecture class. 144

He went on to elaborate on artists and concepts explored in RSM:

Bill Evans, Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery, tune organization, ECM, Ballads, playing with singers, Freddie Hubbard, Coltrane, Hancock, Chick Corea, Count Basie, small group stuff, odd time signatures and Brazilian. Michael Spiro provides some afro-cuban stuff as well. RSM is an information intensive class which is performance based. We have the concept “Big Rake” where every couple of weeks we figure out what needs to be cleaned up and rake stuff back up. 145

Mitch Shiner, a former jazz major at IU-JSoM said:

I think Houghton had a lot of good information especially in RSM. His variety of style was always nice because there are so many

! . Ibid.143


! . Ibid.145

!52


other faculty who could only play one style of music and that was the only thing that they would talk about. Houghton would say “we need a Brazilian week, a fusion week, a groove week, an ECM etc.” I’m sure that the structure of that class in particular had a lot to do with Houghton’s input. 146

In the same year, he created “Hollywood Comes to Bloomington” for the IU-JSoM School of

Music, bringing in studio percussionist Don Williams from Hollywood to conduct his

brother's (composer John Williams) music from Raiders of The Lost Ark. From 2007-2008,

Houghton served as chair of the percussion department and helped rebuild the entire department,

due to retirements. He produced, performed, and served as the master of ceremonies at the

Holiday Celebration in November 2011 at IU-JSoM, where faculty and students “jazz up”

seasonal favorites during Holiday Celebration, a seasonal concert. He also produced and

performed on the Holiday Celebration companion CD of the Holiday Celebration concert which

sold over 2000 copies. Houghton produced the Jazz Celebration for the jazz studies department

in 2012 titled, Tribute to Cole Porter, and one in 2013 titled, Tribute to Wes, Hoagy, and JJ. In

2013, he also served on the IU-JSoM Innovation Committee called Blue Sky Group to examine

every facet of the school of music and develop a strategic plan for the future. He’s served on the

percussion faculty at the IU-JSoM Summer Percussion Academy from 2009-present.

Along with the many achievements listed, Houghton has been a tireless teacher who has

developed many talented jazz drumset/vibraphone players and percussionists during his time in

Bloomington. “As a teacher he's got this persona and command that is consistent in all areas. He

! . Mitch Shiner, interview by author, 2017. 146

!53


never takes a break…He’s on it 24/7.” According to John Tafoya, Chair of the Department of 147

Percussion at IU-JSoM, Houghton’s legacy in the percussion department is:

Providing a solid education on obviously the instruments he teaches (drum set, jazz vibes, etc.) but also helping his students cultivate a vision for future careers; asking them what their short-term and long-term goals are and also making sure they have other skill sets (recording, internet presence, etc.) that will help them succeed. I must say that a good part of the reason I decided to join the IU JSoM percussion faculty was watching Houghton interact with the percussion students. He had (and has) a very genuine and caring way about him-but this is also balanced against his ideas and goals for each student. His practical outlook on how the music business works and what students need to become successful matched up with my way of thinking as well. 148

Houghton explained that his teaching “has always been rooted in reality and practicality. I don’t

teach ‘licks,’ I teach my guys how to be valuable in the work place and to get gigs. One thing I

teach is jazz, but it has gotten more expansive over the years.” Josh Roberts described 149

Houghton’s teaching:

He “fills holes” in every student. Basically, first semester/year, he’s going to “fill holes” so a student is going to be doing transcriptions like Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, and Art Blakey. He’ll also have you do some different styles like a little bit of “odd-time,” ECM, Brazilian, and big band reading. He’ll expose you and sort of “pound you” over and over. I think he might use that first semester/year to weed some people out who might be “fools” or aren’t really trying to do work. So that process was exactly what I got when I arrived there; tune lists and learning tunes. I didn’t necessarily have a lot of jazz experience so he basically had me listening to some recordings like the album Relaxin by the Miles Davis Quintet, all of the Max Roach solos,

! . Josh Roberts, interview by author, 2017.147

! . John Tafoya, interview by author, 2017.148


!54


some Philly Joe Jones solos, a little bit of brush work, and some reading out of his book Studio and Big Band Drumming. 150

Mitch Shiner described a particular time with Houghton:

We definitely worked out of the The Drumset Soloist. After my freshman year, I had won the Walt Disney All-American College Band audition. So then Houghton gave me Studio and Big Band Drumming and told me that he’d be the first guest clinician for the Disney Band. He told me that I needed to know that book front and back. I remember working on the “eight note rule,” and all of the kicks, and internalizing all of the different formulas which was really amazing. The fact that he told me to do all of that stuff, which I did, really prepared me for the job. 151

The majority of Houghton’s students are made up of jazz majors. His curriculum consists of

drumset styles and technique. Houghton said, “we’re always working on a style and everyone is

doing something different, almost working up ‘drummer reports’ in weekly lessons.” Lesson 152

topics vary among students; however, there are some topics that Houghton covers with all of

them. He elaborates:

I work with them on how to function in a big band. I make sure they know some Mel Lewis and spend time on their ride cymbal pattern. Usually it’s all in the jazz world at the beginning. We also work on their combo material and study the drummers on recordings of tunes that they’re playing. 153

Along with making sure that his students are immersed in styles, Houghton also works on the

technical element. He said, “There’s the technical element and routine is important; so I have my

guys do some Stick Control and Syncopation as well as Tommy Igoe's Hands for Life.” 154

An important part of Houghton’s teaching is how much he holds students accountable for

! . Josh Roberts, interview by author, 2017. 150

! . Mitch Shiner, interview by author, 2017. 151


! . Ibid.153

! . Ibid.154

!55


working hard. Josh Roberts explained:

Another thing with Houghton is accountability. As you know, you’re going to bring that notebook in and he’s going to write it down and you’re going to bring it back next week so you better have done something or have a really damn good excuse as to why you didn’t do something…the accountability element is huge. 155

Artistry

Although Houghton’s career from 2001-present has been primarily focused on educating

and guiding young people at IU-JSoM, he has found performing outlets to make music as an

artist. Dave Black said:

He’s got a steady job that he can give back and enjoys. He doesn’t have to take every playing job that comes along…He can pick and choose the things that he’s really passionate about and things that artistry please him. 156

Clay Jenkins remains a close friend and a musician that Houghton continued to record

with in the 2000s. Jenkins said, “I’m proud of Houghton because I think he’s starting to become

a jazz musician again. People don’t realize just how good he is because he's kind of been out of

that scene. He’s really an amazing player.” In 2004, Houghton recorded on Jenkins’ album 157

titled, Matters of Time which included artists such as bassist Bob Bowman, vocalist Karrin

Allyson, pianist Harold Danko, and tenor saxophonist Rich Perry. The album contains songs like

the up-tempo, high energetic, opening “Two-Below” and “Chet’s Maze.”

In 2006, Houghton recorded with Phil Kelly & The SW Santa Ana Winds on an album

titled, My Museum. The album is described on Houghton’s music website:

Phil Kelly brings together many of his friends from his days in Los Angeles for a hard-swinging look at his arrangements of standards such as "Jeannine," "Body & Soul," and Ellington's "Daydream," and originals including the haunting and lush title cut, "My

! . Josh Roberts, interview by author, 2017. 155



!56


Museum" featuring the vocals of Greta Matassa. Propelled by the drumming of Steve Houghton and lead players like Wayne Bergeron, Lanny Morgan, Andy Martin and Pete Christlieb, Kelly's crisp, modern take on the Big Band will inspire all lovers of the genre. 158

In 2009, Houghton recorded with Ray Brown’s Great Big Band on an album titled Kayak

which features rhythm section players like pianist Eddie Mendenhall, bassist John Shifflett, and

guitarist Steve Brown. The album includes songs that Houghton is quite involved in such as

“Seven Steps to Heaven” and “Our Love is Here to Stay.” According to Ray Brown’s Kayak

Liner Notes, “Our Love is Here to Stay” is a “ballad, medium swing, samba, fast swing, half-

time swing, samba…held together by the phenomenal drumming of Steve Houghton.” 159

While in Bloomington, Indiana, Houghton created the AHA! Trio/Quintet which is made

up of pianist Steve Allee, bassist Jeremy Allen, trumpeter Clay Jenkins, and saxophonist Bob

Sheppard. Allee said, “(Houghton) has an instinctive ‘sixth sense’ in knowing what combination

of musicians will have the perfect chemistry together.” In 2011, the quintet recorded an album 160

titled Freespace which included several tracks composed by Steve Allee. In 2016, the trio of

Allee, Houghton, and Allen released albums titled Brother to Brother and Driftin’, which

included vibraphonist Rusty Burge. The trio and Burge also recorded several pedagogical videos

that are available on the Vic Firth website titled, The Jazz Trio–An Inside View.

Pedagogy

Houghton co-authored two books in the 2000s that found success titled Kid’s Drum

Course and Rhythm Section Workshop for Jazz Directors. Kid’s Drum Course was published

through Alfred Publishing and was co-authored by Houghton and Dave Black. Black elaborated:

! . “Steve Houghton’s Recordings,” Steve Houghton Website, accessed August 27, 2017, http://158houghtonmusic.com/recordings/.

! . Ray Brown, Our Love is Here to Stay, Ray Brown’s Great Big Band, Ray Brown, Brown 159Cats Productions, 2009, One compact disc, Liner notes by Brown.

! . “Steve Houghton’s Recordings,” Steve Houghton Website, accessed August 27, 2017, http://160houghtonmusic.com/recordings/.

!57

http://houghtonmusic.com/recordings/





Kid’s Drum Course was a lot of fun because it included objects from around the house. A Disney artist designed the characters, the book interior, and some really neat graphics. It dealt with kids and a different way of thinking. That book has continued to do pretty well and then of course we followed up with Kid’s Drum Course Book 2. 161

Kid’s Drum Course is broken down as following into 27 different sections with several musical

topics discussed in each:

1. “Selecting Your Sound Source” includes non-traditional and traditional instruments. It also discusses how to care for instruments. 162

2. “Sticks, Mallets and Beaters” includes how to hold the sticks, mallets, and beaters (matched grip). 163

3. “Beats” includes body drumming and a song titled “Time to Clap and Stomp.” 164

4. “Getting Acquainted with Music Notation” includes notes, introducing the quarter note, the staff, the clef, bar lines, measures, and time signatures. 165

5. “My first Rhythm” includes general practice tips. 166

6. “Introducing the Quarter Rest” includes two songs titled “Three Blind Mice” and “Troubadour Song.” 167

7. “Introducing Two Sound Sources.” 168


! . Steve Houghton and Dave Black, Kid’s Drum Course Bk. 1,, Van Nuys: Alfred Music Co., 1622003, 4.

! . Ibid, 2. 163

! . Ibid.164

! . Ibid.165

! . Ibid.166

! . Ibid.167

! . Ibid.168

!58


8. “Single Beats, Then Improvise.” 169

9. “Introducing the Quarter-Note Slash.” 170

10. “Introducing the Half Note.” 171

11. “Introducing the Whole Note.” 172

12. “Introducing the Eighth Note” includes a song titled “Skip to My Lou.” 173

13. “Introducing Repeat Dots” includes two songs titled “Merrily We Roll Along” and “London Bridge.” 174

14. “Introducing 2/4 Time.” 175

15. “The Double Stroke.” 176

16. “Three Rhythms in One Song” includes one song titled “Rain Comes Down” and improvising on a sound source. 177

17. “Introducing Coordination” which includes one song titled “Love Somebody” and More Advanced Coordination. 178

18. “Introducing Dotted Notes.” 179

19. “A Brief History of Dixieland.” 180

! . Ibid.169

! . Ibid.170

! . Ibid.171

! . Ibid.172

! . Ibid.173

! . Ibid.174

! . Ibid.175

! . Ibid.176

! . Ibid. 177

! . Ibid. 178

! . Ibid.179

! . Ibid.180

!59


20. “Introducing the Accent” includes three songs titled “When the Saints go Marching In,” “Jumping Around,” and “Yankee Doodle.” 181

21. “Introducing Singles and Doubles” includes two songs titled “Elizabeth,” the “Elephant and Brave in the Cave” as well as Paradiddle Exercises. 182

22. “Introducing the Sixteenth Note” includes a song titled “Up-Down-Up and Trio (Up-Down-Up).” 183

23. “Introducing 6/8 Time” includes six songs titled “La Raspa,” “The Mountain Climber,” “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” “Ping Pong Song,” and “Soccer Game.” 184

24. “Introducing Two New Rhythms” includes five songs titled “Pumpkin Song,” “Ode to Joy,” “A-Choo!,” “Jingle Bells,” and “Alouette.” 185

25. “Introducing Jazz” includes two songs titled “Taking a Walk” and “Little Steps and Big Steps.” 186

26. “Introducing Syncopation” includes three songs titled “Swing, Taiko, Tango,” “Aura Lee,” and “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain.” 187

27. “Certificate of Promotion” certifies that the student has mastered and perfected the book. 188

Rhythm Section Workshop for Jazz Directors was co-authored by several people from

Houghton’s musical network including Shelly Berg, Fred Hamilton, Lou Fischer, and Houghton.

! . Ibid.181

! . Ibid.182

! . Ibid.183

! . Ibid.184

! . Ibid.185

! . Ibid.186

! . Ibid.187

! . Ibid.188

!60


Lou Fischer said:

This is another 'favorite' project with Houghton! Shelly Berg, Fred Hamilton, Houghton and I were all sitting around having a relaxed conversation in Toronto, Canada in 2008 and I said, “hey guys, we've all been performing & presenting clinics on our own instruments for years. As the rhythm section is traditionally the weakest link in the jazz ensembles we hear around the world, why don't we pull something together that can teach Directors how to teach the rhythm section?” The idea morphed into over the next two years a real project and it became a reality. We presented the project to Alfred Music and they immediately were on board with the entire project. There is a Director's Manual, a DVD for the students to watch, a play-along CD and workbooks for the directors to take into the classroom to teach their rhythm sections how to play the basic styles presented. Houghton was in charge of the production end, Berg handled the music notation, Hamilton handled the reference material, and I handled the word processing component of the project. It was truly a labor of love that has become a mainstay in the industry today. I use it for my masterclass on 'Rhythm Section Pedagogy' as the textbook and require the rhythm players that come through my rhythm sections to watch it. 189

Houghton was also a lead educational consultant and content developer for Vic Firth. He

created educational programs and initiatives for the Vic Firth website and educational team.

Houghton developed four major comprehensive video lesson series featuring over 100 internet

video lessons that resulted in over one million views titled; Beginning Drumset lessons, Drumset

101, Rhythm Section 101, and The Jazz Trio–An Inside View. Houghton describes The Jazz Trio-

An Inside View as:

“Inside the Jazz Trio” project is an insights video where we talk about what’s going on within the ensemble and what each musicians role is. Players discuss energy levels and hook ups between each other. It discusses how to play music and how to make things sound cleaner within the ensemble by utilizing pedal points for tension and other things. 190



!61


Recently, Houghton has developed another video lesson series through the Vic Firth

website titled, Inside the Teaching Studio. Houghton said, “The series was fun to feature my

students and was based on my teaching concepts. My concept to Vic Firth was to let me start it

and then we’d pass it to other schools.” 191

At the 2017 PASIC, Houghton presented a 20-minute presentation in a similar

fashion to a TED Talk. According to TED’s website:

TED is a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics-from science to business to global issues-in more than 110 languages. 192

During the presentation, Houghton discussed several teaching strategies. Houghton explained:

The presentation was based on my 8 core teaching principals. It was my idea with Vic Firth to try it at PASIC. I asked Firth “why don't we do a concise, cool, ‘TED Talk?’ “There wasn’t a drum in the room and it wasn’t designed to be a drum clinic. It was more of a powerpoint presentation where I discussed “blue collar teaching,” analyzing what’s wrong and coming up with a solution. I also discussed teaching strategies like bringing music to the practice room, creative drumming, and creative practice. Going into the practice room and being creative, not just playing a beat and then moving on to the next beat, is a core principal of mine. We’d like to do more of those talks and archive them. 193

Leadership

Houghton has served on the Board of Directors for PAS since the 1980s, but it was in the

2000s that he began to serve as an officer for the organization. From 2007-2008 he served as

Vice President, 2009-2010 he served as President, and 2011-present he has served as a Past

President. Houghton said, “In 2004, I was nominated to be Vice President and I accepted

! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, January 27 2017. 191

! . “TED: Our Organization Page,” TED: Ideas Worth Spreading Website, 2018, (accessed Feb192 -ruary 11, 2018), https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization.

! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, January 27 2018.193

!62

https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization


because I wanted to be in leadership. I wanted to guide PAS to be hipper, more drumset and jazz

world, and to make it more progressive.” 194

During his presidency in PAS, Houghton’s reputation was similar to that of his as a

teacher. He was known as a very practical, “get things done,” type of leader which led to some

monumental achievements for the organization. Dr. Julie Hill who served as an officer with

Houghton said, “Houghton’s great…he’s got that rockstar, high visibility background which

gives him some star status; but he’s really a ‘worker bee’ as I called him. He’s a roll your sleeves

up and do the job type.” 195

Another person who worked with Houghton during his time as a leader in PAS was Dr.

Sherry Rubins. Rubins said:

I don’t think Houghton does anything half-heartedly. If he’s going to do something, he’s usually all in. He chooses the organizations that he supports because he believes they have integrity and a purpose for good. He did an awesome job of making some changes to the organization…I think he has really great vision for the overall health of PAS and I think that’s important because not everyone possesses that. 196

One of the qualities that made Houghton a great leader for PAS was his relationships with

educators and people in the music industry. Houghton elaborated by saying, “I had relationships

with some of the industry giants like Vic Firth Company, Remo, Inc., and Avedis Zildjian

Cymbal Company.” His ability to understand both worlds gave him the chance to do things 197

that were necessary for the organization. He said, “PAS gives you a platform that can help build

relationships with companies.” 198

During his time as president, he faced some challenging times because of the United


! . Julie Hill, interview by author, tape recording, December 11, 2017. 195

! . Sherry Rubins, interview by author, 2017. 196

! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, January 27 2018. 197


!63


States economy. He detailed, “When I was PAS President, the country was in a recession.

It was a challenging time, but very rewarding.” While president, Houghton helped moved the 199

society to Indianapolis, Indiana; setting up its headquarters and hosting the International

convention called PASIC, which draws 6000 attendees a year. In addition, he oversaw the

opening of the Society’s new museum called Rhythm! Discovery Center, which continues to

meet with great success within the Indianapolis community. When asked about Houghton’s

leadership in PAS, John Tafoya said:

The website (which needed a huge overhaul) was something he pursued which resulted in a much nicer website presence for PAS. He was also very hands on when it came to the unveiling of the Rhythm! PAS museum as well. I remember he contacted me because extra sound files were needed for a couple of exhibits. I left sound files on a CD in his mailbox-and by the next day or so those sound files were playing in the museum! 200

He was able to achieve both of these incredible tasks while the country was in a recession,

demonstrating just how good Houghton is at getting things done. Houghton said:

The museum opened in 2009, but was many years in the making. The offices were moved from Oklahoma to Indianapolis the year prior in 2008 and the building process started in 2009. Rich Holly and Gary Cook helped find a site for the museum and negotiated the terms of the lease. The first year PASIC was in Indianapolis was 2009 and that’s when the museum opened. That’s also when the website was changed. Michael Kenyon was the Executive Director and managed money well during this time of recession in the country. 201

! . Ibid.199

! . John Tafoya, interview by author, 2017.200

! . Steve Houghton, interview by author, 2017. 201

!64


CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION

“Drummers are like the navigators of jazz. They do not merely accompany; rather, they

also point the way, define the course. If the drummer is off course, the whole ship sinks.” 202

Steve Houghton has always been the commander of the ship in his life; tirelessly committing to

excellence in every facet of his career. He truly has been a positive influence on all members of

his community by demonstrating integrity, fairness, and professionalism. Houghton has

questioned what is right and what is best; simply not accepting what has always been done. He

has navigated ways to achieve success and has helped guide others to their own professional and

personal achievements. He has instilled in his colleagues and students a sense of worthiness,

pride, and has made them more than they thought they could be; extraordinary.

Houghton’s natural musical gift is the focal point of his career. His collaborations with

artists, educators, and pedagogues emerged because of his talent as a jazz drummer. Throughout

the periods in his life, he never failed when setting his mind to a musical endeavor. His career as

an artist by itself, is more distinguished than other’s could ever dream to achieve. Similarly, his

career as a pedagogue has incorporated teaching at some of the world’s most prestigious musical

institutes. Furthermore, he has published several of the most popular, best-selling, drumset

method books of all-time. Additionally, Houghton has been a leading advocate in international

music organizations. He was willing to step in to leadership positions and seemed to be well-

respected for doing so. His achievements as an artist, pedagogue, and leader are three pillars in

! . Berendt and Huesmann, The Jazz Book, 468.202

!65


his career that are unlike any other. Each pillar, equal in success, combine to tell the story of

Steve Houghton; a man like his father, the “music man.”

Implications for Further Research

The author believes that Steve Houghton’s multifaceted career provides other

opportunities for research in the areas of artistry, pedagogy, and leadership. First, the description

of the recordings that Houghton played on which are presented in this document are limited to

specific albums and artists. Through research, the author found that Houghton’s discography is

extensive. An interesting continuation of this project would be to transcribe Houghton’s playing

on the recordings listed in this document or any other recordings in his discography.

Houghton has a vast amount of method books, educational materials, and compositions

that are not explored in this document. In particular, Houghton’s compositions and commissions

are an extremely significant part of his career as an author and pedagogue. An extended analysis

of these educational materials would be very appropriate because they remain relevant in the

musical world.

Finally, the scope of this document only allowed for a performance analysis of one small

aspect of a few of Houghton’s educational method books. There would be several ways that one

could expand on this research. For example, rather than being limited to one specific section of a

method book, one could broaden the analytical scope and examine the entirety of the method

book. It is the author’s hope that the work presented in this document opens the door for further

and more extensive studies of Steve Houghton’s recordings and publications.

!66


BIBLIOGRAPHY

“About PAS Page.” Percussive Arts Society Website, accessed January 3, 2018. http://www.pas.org.

Alfred Music Co., “The Drumset Soloist,” advertisement found at alfred.com, accessed January 1, 2018. https://www.alfred.com/the-drumset-soloist/p/00-EL9602CD/.

Alfred Music Co., “Essential Styles for the Drummer and Bassist, Book 1,” advertisement found at alfred.com, accessed January 1, 2018. https://www.alfred.com/essential-styles-for-the-drummer-and-bassist-book-1/p/00-4300/.

Berendt, Joachim-Ernst, and Gunther Huesmann. The Jazz Book: From Ragtime to the 21st Century. 7th ed. Chicago, IL: Lawrence Hill Books, 2009.

Black, Dave. Interview by author. Tape recording. Lubbock, December 4, 2017.

Davenport, Rex. “Comedian Reminisces About Growing Up in Kenosha.” Kenosha News, 28 July 2015, Kenosha News Website, accessed September 11, 2017. http://www.kenoshanews.com/news/comedian-reminisces-about-growing-up-in-kenosha/article_9a9ad85d-4404-54b4-ae86-26f5d6c8edff.html.

“Drummers: Steve Houghton.” Modern Drummer Magazine, 2004, accessed October 21, 2017. https://www.moderndrummer.com/2004/05/steve-houghton/.

Fischer, Lou. Interview by author. Email. Lubbock, December 9, 2017.

“Freddie Hubbard Biography.” Freddie Hubbard Music Website, accessed November 20, 2017. http://www.freddiehubbardmusic.com/FrameContent/profile.php#.

Hill, Julie. Interview by author. Tape recording. Lubbock, December 11, 2017.

Houghton, Steve. Studio & Big Band Drumming. Oskaloosa, IA: C.L. Barnhouse Music Co., 1985.

Houghton, Steve. The Drumset Soloist. Santa Monica, CA: Warner Bros. Publications Inc., 1996.

Houghton, Steve. The Ultimate Drumset Chart Reading Anthology. Van Nuys, CA: Alfred Music Co., 1998.

Houghton, Steve and Dave Black. Kid’s Drum Course. Van Nuys, CA: Alfred Music Co., 2003.

Houghton, Steve and Tom Warrington. Essential Styles for the Drummer and Bassist, Bk 1. Van Nuys CA: Alfred Music Co., 1990.

Houghton, Steve. Email message to author. Lubbock, September 29, 2017.

!67

http://www.pas.org

http://www.pas.org

http://alfred.com

https://www.alfred.com/the-drumset-soloist/p/00-EL9602CD/

http://alfred.com






http://www.freddiehubbardmusic.com/FrameContent/profile.php#


Houghton, Steve. Interview by author. Tape recording. Lubbock, October 1, 2016 and October 3, 2016.

Houghton, Steve. Interview by author. Tape recording. Lubbock, November 28, 2017.

Houghton, Steve. Interview by author. Tape recording. Lubbock, January 27, 2018.

Jenkins, Clay. Interview by author. Tape recording. Lubbock, December 17, 2017.

Brown, Ray. Our Love is Here to Stay. Ray Brown’s Great Big Band. Ray Brown. Brown Cats Productions, 2009. One compact disc. Liner notes by Brown.

Kendor Music Inc., “After Mr. Teng,” advertisement found at kendormusic.com, accessed January 5, 2018. https://www.kendormusic.com/store/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=2479.

Mergner, Lee. “Lou Fischer: Jazz Fusion Men of a Certain Age.” JazzTimes Magazine, February, 2011, accessed November 11, 2017. https://jazztimes.com/columns/tangents/lou-fischer-jazz-fusion-men-of-a-certain-age/.

“Ralph John Houghton Obituary.” Racine Journal Times, 3 June 2009. Racine Journal Times Website, accessed October 10, 2017. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/journaltimes/obituary.aspx?n=ralph-john-houghton&pid=127968458.

Roberts, Josh. Interview by author. Tape recording. Lubbock, December 6, 2017.

Rubins, Sherry. Interview by author. Tape Recording. Lubbock, December 2, 2017.

Rupp, Jim. Interview by author. Tape Recording. Lubbock, December 1, 2017.

Rusch, Bob. Review of Bob Curnow’s L.A. Big Band Plays the Music of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays, by Bob Curnow and Lyle Mays. Cadence Magazine, Volume 21, Issue 3 (1995).

Shiner, Mitch. Interview by author. Tape Recording. Lubbock, December 11, 2017.

Sierra Music Publications Inc., “The First Circle,” advertisement found at sierramusicstore.com, accessed December 1, 2017. http://www.sierramusicstore.com/First_Circle_The_p/smp-119.htm.

“Steve Houghton: Jazz Drummer, Author, Entrepreneur and Educator.” Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Project Jumpstart Website, accessed September 3, 2017. http://www.music.indiana.edu/departments/offices/entrepreneurship-careers/entrepreneur%20of%20the%20month/entrepreneur-houghton.shtml.

“Steve Houghton’s Recordings.” Steve Houghton Website, accessed August 27, 2017. http://houghtonmusic.com/recordings/.

!68

http://kendormusic.com









Steve Weiss Music Inc., “The Ultimate Drumset Reading Anthology,” advertisement found at steveweissmusic.com, accessed January 4, 2018. https://www.steveweissmusic.com/product/steve-houghton-ultimate-drumset-reading-anthology/drum-set-methods-cd.

Tafoya, John. Interview by author. Email. Lubbock, December 9, 2017.

“TED: Our Organization Page.” TED: Ideas Worth Spreading Website, 2018, accessed February 11, 2018. https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization.

Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. Updated 22 July 2004, 10:55 UTC. Encyclopedia on-line, Retrieved 10 August 2017. Available from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Music_Man.

Yanow, Scott. Review of Born to Be Blue, by Freddie Hubbard. AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/album/born-to-be-blue-mw0000188314.

Yanow, Scott. Review of Funupsmanship, by Bob Florence. AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/album/funupsmanship-mw0000627511.

Yanow, Scott. Review of With All the Bells and Whistles, by Bob Florence. AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/album/with-all-the-bells-and-whistles-mw0000175816.

!69

http://steveweissmusic.com



https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization



https://www.allmusic.com/album/born-to-be-blue-mw0000188314

https://www.allmusic.com/album/born-to-be-blue-mw0000188314






APPENDIX A

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

Steve Houghton

October 1, 2016 and October 3, 2016

J.P.: Where did you grow up? Was your family musical? How did you get involved in music?

S.H.: Have you ever seen the movie The Music Man?

J.P.: No.

S.H.: It was a big movie with Robert Preston that was filmed in the 1960s where this guy was kind of a “scamster" but got the whole city into music. My dad was the music man in my city of Kenosha. He wasn’t a “scamster,” he was the “real-deal.”

J.P.: Where is Kenosha?

S.H.: Kenosha, Wisconsin. They didn’t have a lot of music going on until he got there. By the time he retired, they were one of the 10 best music programs in the country and received more money than the sports programs.

J.P.: Was it the high school music program?

S.H.: Orchestra, choral, band, jazz, everything came from him. We had big marching band contests in the summer and he ran them all. He also ran all the parades in town. We had a big back yard where we hosted ice cream socials at my house. We had nearly 3,000 people come to our house where they could listen to all of the bands in the summer and everyone would bring pies and cakes and ice cream. It sounds like The Music Man the movie but that’s what I lived.

J.P.: What instrument did your father play?

S.H.: He played euphonium. I’ve been around music every minute of my life. He used to direct the high school band, and would take them marching at lunch time and come down our street where he’d stop them in the front yard and they would play a song for us. This really happened. That’s how I grew up.

J.P.: Do you have siblings? Did they play music as well?

S.H.: Yes they all played music.

!70


J.P.: What drew you to percussion?

S.H.: My dad was running the whole program and every year they would have to recruit new students; you guys probably went through that in what ever city you were in. When did you start playing your instruments? 5th grade?

J.P.: Yeah.

S.H.: So somebody got you interested and he was that guy. They always had to come over to our house and pick out who’s going to play what for the city and I just started hanging with the guy who was picking out drums. I just loved it. Also, watching my dad’s high school band and listening to the jazz band, I really got into drums quickly. It seemed like the coolest one for sure.

J.P.: Yeah, definitely the coolest one.

S.H.: Much different than euphonium that’s for sure. (Laughter)

J.P.: Was he your band director?

S.H.: No.

J.P.: Who were your directors?

S.H.: Stan DeRusha was one of my directors. We also had a great percussion teacher in Kenosha, named Manny Mitka. Everybody studied mallets and snare drum.

J.P.: When did you begin to work on snare drum and mallet percussion?

S.H.: 5th grade. He was a great drumset teacher, so everybody did a little bit of drumset as well.

J.P.: Who did he play with?

S.H.: He was just a local hero, but he studied with Roy Knapp. Do you know that name?

J.P.: Yes I do, but I don’t know much about his life.

S.H.: Roy Knapp is kind of the “Godfather of Percussion” in Chicago, Illinois and Manny studied with him. Since it is only about 60 minutes south of Kenosha, we’d go down to the big city and hang out. We’d go to Frank’s Drum Shop as well.

J.P.: When did you start collaborating with other musicians? When did you first start to play drumset?

!71


S.H.: Junior high school stage band. We had a good stage band, and our high school stage band was really good. It was a jazz ensemble.

J.P.: What were you guys playing?

S.H.: We played the music of the day like Buddy Rich, Stan Kenton, and Count Basie. They don’t do that now days. Now days they do this watered down material.

J.P.: When you were growing up and you were first getting into drumset, what drew you to jazz? Your father of course, but were you listening to jazz? What were you listening to?

S.H.: Buddy Rich.

J.P.: Do you remember your first jazz album that really got you into it?

S.H.: No not really. We were all kind of digging into Buddy, and then Woody Herman came into town. That’s really what did it. Woody’s band came to our high school and I got to see a real pro band up close. That did it.

J.P.: Who was drumming?

S.H.: Joe La Barbera. He was Bill Evans’ last drummer.

J.P.: You saw him live?

S.H.: I saw him and Bill Evans. Everyone came through our city because my dad brought them through. We had composers like Karel Husa and many others that would come through and hang out.

J.P.: What was Bill Evans like?

S.H.: We really just saw the concert. By that time I was a senior, but I had never heard anything like it. I had heard a great big band and a great trio, and everyone else in town was doing rock bands and cover bands. The Beatles were just coming on board.

J.P.: Were you into the Beatles?

S.H.: I loved them, big time. A lot of my friends were into Led Zeppelin and some of that stuff because that was big then. I wasn’t so much into them, but I dug Ringo. Not so much Ringo, I dug the music.

J.P.: Ringo was perfect for the Beatles.

!72


S.H.: It was perfect. Perfect. But then, all of the sudden, Billy Cobham came onto the scene with Mahavisnu, and that was wacky; this guy with super chops. That set the table. This was all during my senior year of high school. I heard Buddy Rich too.

J.P.: You saw Buddy Rich live?

S.H.: Yeah, many times. I went to the Playboy Club and Lake Geneva and Buddy’s band was there. I think that’s what draws any young kid in is live music, you know? Any kid that I’ve talked to they’re like, “yeah I saw this band when I was in high school and fell in love with it.” So that’s what it was, although our school bands were great. I did not have bad band directors, or a crummy percussion teacher. They were all first class. We did State Solo and Ensemble and I would play five solos a year.

J.P.: Do you remember any specific solos?

S.H.: I did the solos of the day which were Badger’s Strut, Tornado, and all of that stuff. That was about 1968-69.

J.P.: What grade were you in when you played those?

S.H.: We were doing it in 7th grade and 8th grade.

J.P.: It seems like you were working on technique at a very young age.

S.H.: We weren’t driven to do that. But our teacher, Manny was into these cool solos because they were the solos of the day. That’s all. 2040's Sortie, Connecticut Halftime, Downfall of Paris, and all of that old, old stuff.

J.P.: Oh yeah, Downfall of Paris is definitely a classic.

S.H.: I can still do that one in any sleep (laughs).

J.P.: You never went through a rock band/garage band phase? Were you in to Frank Zappa?

S.H.: I auditioned with Frank Zappa when I lived in Los Angeles (L.A.). We had a couple of little garage bands; but no, it never really got me going.

J.P.: So your main style of playing when you were young was?

S.H.: Jazz.

J.P.: Do you remember the people that you were playing with?

!73


S.H.: It was all through school.

J.P.: Big band primarily?

S.H.: Yeah, but we’d do several concerts and would rehearse every day. It was great. We’d travel and go play at conventions. That still goes on today in a limited fashion. We did a steady diet of it. By the time I got to college, I had a lot of playing experience.

J.P.: Who were the drummers you were listening to? Of course like you said, Buddy Rich, Billy Cobham, but anyone else in particular?

S.H.: Those guys and Joe Morello because again it was the music of the day. But I wasn’t this real “jazzbo” who knew all the Coltrane and all of the Miles stuff, that came later.

J.P.: Right, but then you were listening to?

S.H.: Bill Evans. I was also listening to Oscar Peterson because Ed Thigpen came to town and did a clinic. Max Roach came to town as well.

J.P.: This is all when you were in junior high school? You saw all of these guys?

S.H.: Yeah I saw all of them in the band room. It was great. We’d go to Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin and see some really great bands.

J.P.: That explains why you’re a packers fan.

S.H.: That a boy, Jim Bob. Basie never really make it through there and I don’t remember going to see his band live. That came much later.

J.P.: When you were in high school, what were some of the albums you were listening to?

S.H.: Again, Buddy Rich album’s, Big Swing face, Keep the Customer Satisfied. We played Channel 1 Suite and West Side Story. The Maynard book was pretty cool back then, but I don’t remember the names of all of his records. Woody’s records were really happening back then as well. Light My Fire was a great one. These were records, LPs.

J.P.: Was your next step after high school attending North Texas State University (UNT)?

S.H.: It wasn’t UNT, it was the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-M). My dad wanted me to be a band director on the surface because that’s what he was comfortable with and he thought it was secure. And they’re good reasons. I got a full scholarship to the UW-M and they had a nice program there. Jim Latimer was the percussion instructor and H. Robert Reynolds was working there. Have you heard of him?

!74


J.P.: The name sounds familiar.

S.H.: He was the conductor there and was really great. They had a jazz band, but didn’t have a jazz program.

J.P.: So you were enrolled in school in Madison?

S.H.: Yeah I was enrolled there for one and a half years. We had a local jazz band and we played a lot, so I was busy. However, my dad wanted me to be in marching band and I said “no I don’t want to be in marching band.” All of the music education majors had to be in marching band, but I didn’t want to. So then, he realized that I was serious about playing and he was cool, totally cool. And then the UNT Big Band came to town.

J.P.: The One O’clock?

S.H.: Yeah the One O’clock and we split a concert with them. It was like baby band and real band. Our band was ok, but then I got to see the level of UNT, and so I transferred immediately.

J.P.: When you enrolled at UW-M, what were studying and working on?

S.H.: Total percussion, no drumset. They didn’t have a drumset teacher there so I was working on a lot of timpani and out of the Delecluse xylophone book. I was in the Wind Ensemble and it was great because of H. Robert Reynolds who was the conductor. We were doing great literature like Leonard Bernstein.

J.P.: You were playing all percussion, not just drumset which I find interesting.

S.H.: No my whole thing was total percussion, even up to UNT.

J.P.: Do you think that that exposure to all aspects of percussion made you a better drumset player?

S.H.: Sure it’s easy to say that, and my drumset made me a better percussionist. It doesn’t just go one way. If you can play drumset and have the sense of groove and time, mallet playing helps with touch and musicality.

J.P.: What year did you move to UNT?

S.H.: 1975. We went up to the Wichita Jazz Festival and played our little set for the competition. We won the competition, so we met the judges of course. Mark always wanted to play with Bill Evans, and this is where he got to meet him. Later in the day, we played in the night concert and Pat Metheny (who didn’t know Lyle Mays) got to hear us. Woody Herman

!75


was playing on the same concert and he got to hear us. That night, Woody fired his rhythm section and hired all three of us to go with him. Later that night Metheny knocks on our hotel door and meets Lyle and says, “We’ve got to make music together.” Then Bill Evans ends up getting Mark like a year or two later to play in his group. And I ended up playing with Gary Burton too a couple of years later and so that was a pretty crazy 6 hours. It changed everybody’s life.

J.P.: This is all at the 1975 Wichita Jazz Festival?

S.H.: Yeah. That’s where we also met J.C. Combs.

J.P.: What was Gary Burton like?

S.H.: That night, we just got to enjoy and listen to him. But when I worked with him, he was pretty intense and he doesn’t make mistakes. He’s just a serious, dedicated musician.

J.P.: Is he one of the reasons that you incorporate vibes into your teaching?

S.H.: Yes he’s certainly one, however there is so much to be learned from vibraphone study for drumset players and vice versa. For me they have to go together. When the drumset guys get over to the mallets and they’re really stiff, we have to relate all of the drumset stuff. They work hand in hand. My work with Gary Burton, Dave Samuels, and Bobby Hutcherson confirmed my love for vibraphone. It has so much to do with feel, phrasing, and harmony.

J.P.: You go to the Wichita Jazz Festival and that’s where Woody Herman hires you. Did you start that night?

S.H.: No we started about two weeks later.

J.P.: So you decided to not pursue…

S.H.: Bail.

J.P.: You decided to bail?

S.H.: Oh absolutely.

J.P.: How does that conversation with your professors at UNT go? You have great things happen in Wichita with Woody Herman. Do you go back to UNT and let the professors know you’re leaving?

S.H.: No problem. UNT had a history of doing that. All of their guys were getting the gigs.

!76


J.P.: Who were the drumset students before you at UNT?

S.H.: Ed Soph was the main guy in 1968, but he was with Woody Herman. In fact, Woody told Ed at the Wichita Jazz Festival in 1975, “I think I’m going to get rid of my guys (rhythm section), what do you think?” Ed recommended me as a drummer to Woody because we had worked together doing clinics and other things.

J.P.: He was the link between you and Woody Herman?

S.H.: Oh yeah absolutely. He helped me get the gig and of course I’ll never forget that. I’ve done a ton of drumset camps with Ed. Did you go to any of those?

J.P.: No.

S.H.: We’d do them at UNT and Capital University. It’s like our summer workshop at Indiana University (IU-JSoM) except it was just drumset. We would usually have about 60 kids and it was always a nice experience. I’ve done a lot of teaching with Ed the last 15 years.

J.P.: When you were at UNT before hitting the road with Woody Herman, what was your practice focused on?

S.H.: I was learning Woody’s music and preparing for the gig.

J.P.: But in your schooling?

S.H.: I was trying to be the best musician that I could possibly be. It’s not as academic as you might think.

J.P.: Right, I’m just trying to relate some of what you were doing to your teaching style and ideas.

S.H.: No, a lot of those things and the majority of my teaching came together as a result of my experience. I didn’t have all of that together and then go play, I played and brought that all together and applied it to my teaching. I think that’s the way it needs to go.

J.P.: You were in Dallas working with TM Productions, playing all percussion, and in High Rise fusion band. You were also playing in a big band called the Fischer-Houghton Big Band. This was around 1980?

S.H.: No it was after Woody; so, it would have been 1976-1979. I think I moved to L.A. in 1980.

!77


J.P.: Was there any particular reason why you moved to L.A.? Did you know some people out there?

S.H.: Yeah I knew guys out there, but I didn’t have a gig. I just wanted to be a smaller fish in a big pond because I was kind of the big fish in Dallas. I wanted hipper studio work and I wanted to play with some other musicians. Just get more of the big time.

J.P.: When you first moved out there, what was your first gig?

S.H.: Well actually, before I moved there I was working with Gary Burton when I lived in Dallas.

J.P.: Did you record an album with Gary Burton?

S.H.: No, but we had several gigs and it was nice. When I moved out to L.A. I had no gigs going, but very quickly I got in the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band.

J.P.: How did you get that gig? Did you have to audition?

S.H.: No, it was kind of a recommendation. Gary Foster who played lead-alto saxophone was one of the guys I knew out there from this network that we all had. Peter Donald who was the drummer couldn’t make this tour, so they asked Gary if he knew anybody. Peter Donald knew me too, and I think he helped recommend me as well. So I did a rehearsal of course, and I guess if I would’ve screwed up the rehearsal, I wouldn’t have gotten the gig however, I read the music.

J.P.: How long were you with this big band?

S.H.: I was with Toshiko for about 3 or 4 years and I think we did at least 3 recordings. However just because I was with them for 3 years didn’t mean I was on tour for 3 years.

J.P.: You guys were based in L.A.?

S.H.: They were all studio guys. We went to Europe, Japan, and did a tour of the states. It was not a full-time gig at all but it was fun, and we rehearsed almost every week.

J.P.: Were you guys playing charts that people brought in?

S.H.: No it was all her music. We had an album or a tour and it made it worthwhile.

J.P.: What was the other work that you were doing out in L.A. along with this big band?

S.H.: Well, I was starting to do studio work because you need to get your name around. I was also doing other big bands. In L.A. there are these ensembles called rehearsal bands which were

!78


basically just big bands. There were a lot of bands that rehearse every week so once you find a guy who can sub for you and read this stuff, you get his name. I was doing the Bill Holman Big Band and the Les Hooper Big Band. You’ve probably played some of their charts I’m guessing.

J.P.: I have. Was everything that you were playing written by them?

S.H.: Yeah all of the rehearsal bands had original music and they’d have gigs. At any one time I might have been playing with 2 or 3 different big bands. Les Hooper was also a big time writer for jingles and television shows so I started doing his studio work.

J.P.: This is all from 1980 until when?

S.H.: About 1980-1982. Just getting going in L.A. And then there was a lot of small group stuff.

J.P.: Was this when you were playing with Freddie Hubbard?

S.H.: Leading to that, I was with Scott Henderson in Tribal Tech which was kind of a fusion band. I was playing with Billy Childs who played piano for Freddie. He’s the one who recommended me to Freddie, so that’s how I started playing with him. There was another group too with John Serry who was writing a lot of percussion stuff. Have you heard of Night Rhapsody?

J.P.: Yes.

S.H.: That’s his piece. Serry was a great pianist and had a small group that was very hip. So, I played in his band and the bass player in that group played with Freddie as well.

J.P.: What was his name?

S.H.: His name was Larry Klein. He and Billy recommended me to Freddie.

J.P.: What was Billy Childs’ group like?

S.H.: Just modern, burning jazz. Not real crazy stuff, but it was just good, modern jazz.

J.P.: Same with John Serry?

S.H.: Yeah, we weren’t doing “Autumn Leaves.” I was also playing with Clay Jenkins about every week.

J.P.: How did you meet Clay Jenkins?

!79


S.H.: I knew Clay from my time at UNT because he was in the One O’clock with me. Our wives were sisters as well.

J.P.: Was Clay coming in and playing with those groups?

S.H.: No, separate.

J.P.: You were playing everywhere.

S.H.: Everywhere.

J.P.: What were some of the clubs you were playing in?

S.H.: There was Carmellos, Donte’s, Vine St. Bar and Grill. With Freddie, we played at the Light House, Concerts by the Sea, Persian Room, and Catalinas.

J.P.: Sounds like you were doing a ton of stuff.

S.H.: Yeah, just trying to keep my toes in the water.

J.P.: Freddie came after Toshiko?

S.H.: Yeah at one point, Toshiko was ending and Freddie was starting. This was probably around 1980-1981 and when I began teaching in the Percussion Institute of Technology (PIT) program at Musicians Institute (MI).

J.P.: How were you hired at MI?

S.H.: I was one of many teachers there. It started off that they needed a sub; everything starts out with subs. I subbed a bunch of classes and the students were starting to ask for them to hire me.

J.P.: What exactly were you teaching?

S.H.: Chart reading. That’s when I first started designing curriculum. Of course, in Dallas I did teach at some junior colleges but that wasn’t heavy duty teaching. I taught lessons to Greg Bissonette and some other guys when I lived in Dallas because all the UNT guys would come to study with me. The “eighth note rule” developed when I was teaching Bissionette and others. Studio and Big Band Drumming was written while I was at PIT and in fact, those pictures are all taken at PIT. So that’s exactly the time I was at MI, and really, Studio and Big Band Drumming was written because I didn’t have a book to use at PIT. I wanted to use “right hand lead” ideas but I didn’t want the students to have to go buy Syncopation, so I incorporated it in this book. The kids didn’t know styles so I had page 10 where I put all those things together to give the

!80


students some stylistic concepts. I put a discography in the back to give the kids an idea of stuff to listen to. I also had play along tracks that I recorded in Dallas and used in Studio and Big Band Drumming which was nice for them to play along to. This was around 1982.

J.P.: Back to Freddie for a second. What was he like?

S.H.: Just a really cool jazz musician. When he played, he played and taught me about intensity. For example, when I talked about just playing with a tenor saxophone player; Freddie would do that every night, so you better throw down. He never came down on me, but you knew if you weren’t cutting it, you might get the stink eye. You didn’t want to not cut it, so you were ready. And you didn’t know what music you were going to play, you just played what he called, whether you knew it or not. You wanted to review his latest records and off course Billy and Larry would say “I know we’re going to do this, and he may call this, so give that a listen to.” Those guys made me hip as to what might be called.

J.P.: 1980-1981, you’re at PIT?

S.H.: That’s just one of the things I was doing. For a musician to survive, you have got to do a lot of different things. If we review what I was doing, we have big band, small group stuff, studio work, and teaching. So really 4 different things.

J.P.: Who were some of your students from PIT that are well known right now?

S.H.: Cliff Almond who plays with Michel Camilo. Kurt Viscera who’s playing with Rod Stewart and a ton of other people. Maria Martinez who has written many books and is doing quite well. Enzo Todesco. Those are just a few.

J.P.: So what else is happening in L.A. as far as your career goes?

S.H.: I was at PIT and Ralph Humphrey was teaching there. Ralph was doing some work with Paul Anka, who had a Vegas act and wrote the Tonight Show theme. He’d make a hundred grand on that theme every year just because it got played. He also wrote “My Way,” and was a big-time song writer. Anyway, Ralph Humphrey told me, “I can’t do this week in Vegas, can you do it?” So, I started working with Paul Anka in Vegas. I’d fly to Vegas with a rehearsal in the afternoon and a show that night. This is around 1982 and I know that because my son was born in 1982. This was one of the weirdest 10 days that I have ever had. I went to Hong Kong and the Philippines with Paul Anka, came back and went to San Francisco with Freddie Hubbard for 7 days. I went from playing “She’s a Lady” and “My Way” with Paul, to playing some really hard stuff with Freddie Hubbard. I was putting everything together and on display, and by 1983-1984, all that stuff is full go.

J.P.: Sounds like an extremely busy time.

!81


S.H.: Yeah busy teaching at PIT, where I eventually became the chairman somewhere around 1983-1984. Fast forward to leaving PIT in 1988 where I started some other teaching endeavors at the Dick Grove School (Grove) of Music. I taught drumset, chart reading, small group combos, and led a percussion ensemble. The percussion chairman at Grove was Peter Donald who I knew, so everything goes full circle.

J.P.: Do you remember any of your students from the Grove School?

S.H.: One of them is a big-time author now and wrote the book with Zoro. He was a drumset student and he’s doing quite well. So now, there’s more studio work and the Freddie and Toshiko stuff went on for about 5 years.

J.P.: While you were at Grove, did you have any new developments in your curriculum?

S.H.: Yeah, at PIT there was a real need for essential styles. There was no Tommy Igoe or anything like it so that’s when I came out with Essential Styles. Then there was the Drumset Soloist that came from constantly working with students on soloing concepts, so I decided to make a book that helped with that. Every one of my books have been designed as a result of my teaching. There was an attempt in the 1990s to hit a lower market for younger players, so books like Drumset 101 and Kids Drum Course were developed. It’s not that I was bored with drumset for kids in high school and college, it was that I saw a need to reach the younger market and develop younger players. Kids Drum Course was aimed for young kids, perhaps around kindergarten, and contains cartoons and play along tracks. I taught a little bit about the drums, different rhythms, and took them around the world with several different tracks. Remo helped to design the percussion instruments that went with it as well.

J.P.: Can you talk a little bit about your book Rhythm Section Workshop?

S.H.: I was in L.A. and worked with Shelly Berg, Lou Fischer, and Fred Hamilton on a book and DVD project. It was designed for rhythm sections in big bands. This was a time where I was putting a lot of energy into workshops and doing a lot of rhythm section clinics at conventions like the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) and The Midwest Clinic. I told Dave Black I had an idea for a book and he helped me and Tom Warrington produce that book.

J.P.: What caused you to leave L.A. and how did you transition to IU-JSoM?

S.H.: The L.A. scene started to change because there was less work, a lot more home studios were developing, and self-contained bands were coming in. So, I started to keep my eye out for college positions. Tom Warrington was working at University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and Clay Jenkins was at Eastman School of Music. I interviewed at University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-M) as the head of the percussion program when my former teacher, Jim Latimer retired.

!82


J.P.: Did you have to play a recital for them?

S.H.: I played Perpetual Motion on timpani and Golliwogg's Cakewalk on xylophone. It was an audition for a percussion job, so I played a lot of things. I eventually pulled myself out of the running because I didn’t want to teach total percussion. So then I got a call from Gwyn Richards who was looking for someone to teach drumset at IU-JSoM. Jerry Carlyss was the percussion chairman at IU-JSoM and Vic Firth told them he should hire me. I agreed to a deal where I’d teach every 2 weeks and would stay at the hotel on campus. This went on for about 3 years.

J.P.: What all were you teaching when you first got to IU-JSoM?

S.H.: This was 2000-2003 or so. I had about seven drumset students and taught a rhythm section class. There was no combo program yet, so I started one.

J.P.: When did you decide you wanted to work full time at IU-JSoM?

S.H.: In 2004 I was offered a full time position and I accepted it. Anthony Cirone was the chairman of the department. Gerald Carlyss and Wilber England were there teaching as well. I taught drumset to jazz students and percussion students. The rhythm section class became a part of the curriculum and the combo program was starting to become a reality.

J.P.: Do you remember the first combo concert?

S.H.: Yeah it was in room 401 on campus. Jesse Nolan played who is now a Professor of Percussion at Marshall University.

J.P.: When did you start to get involved in the Percussive Arts Society (PAS)?

S.H.: I had been involved with PAS since the 1980s, and really started to be active in the 1990s. I was doing clinics at PAS schools and had about 2 to 3 big clinics at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC). I also designed a fundamentals track which was aimed at teaching band directors how to teach beginners. I was invited to middle schools and grade schools to clinic these fundamentals sessions. In 2004, I was nominated to be vice president and I accepted because I wanted to be in leadership. I wanted to guide PAS to be hipper, more drumset and jazz world, and to make it more progressive.

J.P.: Who was involved in leadership when you became vice president?

S.H.: Rich Holly was the PAS President, Mark Ford was PAS Past President, Gary Cook was PAS President-Elect, and Lisa Rogers was Secretary.

J.P.: What were the responsibilities that you had as a PAS Vice President?

!83


S.H.: The vice president is in charge of committees, President-Elect is in charge of state chapters additionally striving to make committees and chapters better, and the President is in charge of everything.

J.P.: Can we talk a little bit about your association with the Jazz Education Network (JEN)?

S.H.: In the 1980s and 1990s it was the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) which I was heavily involved with. Lou Fischer and all of my friends were involved in the organization. There were good educational things like workshops and clinics but was eventually replaced by JEN. Lou Fischer and Mary Jo Papich started it in 2009 and I remember because I was PAS President at that time. I had a long history with IAJE as I was on the advisory board and a founding member.

J.P.: Can we talk a bit about your endorsements?

S.H.: I’ve been with Vic Firth since the late 1990s, Avedis Zildjian Cymbal Company since 1979, and Yamaha Corporation of America and Remo since the late 1970s. I met with Armand Zildjian after working with Disney and have moved forward with them in the years. I also met people at conventions and was one of the first guys with Yamaha after they had just come to the country. I still have an original marimba from 1980 and a great set of vibes that sound fantastic. I had a brief time with Pearl, but since then, have been with Yamaha. Remo has supported me through PAS for 30 to 40 years. Clinics and companies go hand and hand. Companies help pay, which gets them involved and makes things easier. You submit support requests and they send support and give aways. It happens like a machine and they’ve been a huge part of my career as an educator. That’s the biggest question for young people is how to get support.

J.P.: How do young people go about getting support?

S.H.: You need to be able to pick up support from companies. You should do some regional clinics and then it’s time to make a case that you’d be valuable and that you love their instruments. PAS gives you a platform that can help build relationships with companies.

J.P.: I’d like to ask you a bit about your time at IU-JSoM now. How do you view yourself as a teacher and what are some of your ideas and philosophies that you incorporate at IU-JSoM?

S.H.: My teaching has always been rooted in reality and practicality. I don’t teach “licks,” I teach my guys how to be valuable in the work place and to get gigs. One thing I teach is jazz but it has gotten more expansive over the years.

J.P.: Have you always used “drummer reports” in your teaching? I know that I always enjoyed developing one and reading other students’ reports.

!84


S.H.: When I first got to IU-JSoM, my students weren’t doing reports; once I became full-time, I could demand more out of the students. Therefore, I started assigning end of the year reports. And the reports aren’t just transcribing, but digging deep into other things. My guys are checking out cool recordings and sharing work with everyone else.

J.P.: When did you start to incorporate vibraphone in your teaching?

S.H.: In the beginning at IU-JSoM, I wasn’t doing vibes very much. But over the years, I’ve used them more and more. I want to make sure that my guys aren’t just drumset players; furthermore, they need to have an understanding of harmonic knowledge. It serves a drummer well.

J.P.: Did you ever formally study vibraphone?

S.H.: I studied some with Manny Mitchell and played “Sunny Side of the Street” in junior high. Some of the harmony has come through school, but I’ve just picked it up over the years.

J.P.: I’m interested in your curriculum for classical majors at IU-JSoM who take a semester or two with you. What do you focus on with those guys?

S.H.: I like to look at their current skills. Some already come in with some skill.

J.P.: What is a first lesson like with someone coming from a classical background? S.H.: First lesson I have them sight read and chart read. I have them play styles and take a solo because I want to look at their hands. Throughout the semester, I design a plan to try and make their technique better while attempting to give them as good of an understanding of style as possible. We design a practice routine and a concept for chart reading. I introduce them to the ‘eighth note rule’ and try and get an estimate on how much work to give them, and how fast they can move. Sometimes we work on the “Jordu” Max Roach transcription, maybe some material out of the Drumset Soloist and Essential Styles, and just getting them listening and working.

J.P.: What about your jazz majors? What does your curriculum entail for them?

S.H.: I work with them on how to function in a big band. I make sure they know some Mel Lewis and spend time on their ride cymbal pattern.

J.P.: Do you have them doing ECM or Fusion right away?

S.H.: Not really. Usually it’s all in the jazz world at the beginning. We also work on their combo material and study the drummers on recordings of tunes that they’re playing. There’s also Rhythm Section Masterclass (RSM) where there are different topics every week.

!85


J.P.: What are some of the topics?

S.H.: RSM is a survey class. We discuss introductions and endings of tunes. We also explore different concepts, techniques, literature, and go through about 200 different tunes in 2 semesters. The students are required to take 4 semesters of RSM which is a playing class, not a lecture class.

J.P.: Who and what are some of the artists and concepts that you explore in RSM?

S.H.: Bill Evans, Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery, tune organization, ECM, Ballads, playing with singers, Freddie Hubbard, Coltrane, Hancock, Chick, Count Basie, small group stuff, odd time signatures and Brazilian. Michael Spiro provides some afro-cuban stuff as well. RSM is an information intensive class which is performance based. We have the concept “Big Rake” where every couple of weeks we figure out what needs to be cleaned up and rake stuff back up.

J.P.: I remember having a lesson book when studying with you. That seemed to keep things extremely organized. What else are you doing in lessons with your jazz majors?

S.H.: The lesson book is very important and every week they are pretty full. There’s the technical element and routine is important, so I have my guys do some Stick Control and Syncopation as well as Tommy Igoe's Hands for Life. We’re always working on a style and everyone is doing something different, almost working up “drummer reports” in weekly lessons. They’re also bringing in their combo and big band stuff. It’s a triage. We have the “drumming happy hour,” where they present a masterclass about something they’ve been working on in lessons. Handouts are given to the other students and there is a small performance that brings it all together. Right now, we’ve been working on a combo video project where they come in and capture those tunes on video so they can start to develop a nice library of videos. My guys are busy.

J.P.: I remember being extremely busy but I learned a tremendous amount at my time at IU-JSoM. I’d like to ask what’s next for you? What is the next chapter for you?

S.H.: Playing as much music with friends as possible.

J.P.: What about as an educator?

S.H.: It’s all about the music. We are working on an Inside the Jazz Trio project, which provides insights into ensemble playing. Players discuss energy levels and hook ups between each other. The video examines how to play music and how to make things sound cleaner within the ensemble by utilizing pedal points for tension and other things.

J.P.: How much longer do you see yourself at IU-JSoM and what do you want to do after your time there?

!86


S.H.: I’d say another 3 years. I want to inspire musicians to make music. It’s about finding a need, analyzing, getting to the source of the problem, and fixing it quickly. It’s not about teaching by intimidation. I don’t waste time, but I do want students to walk away feeling good because we fixed something and made it sound better. Teachers should model music and should play for students because it helps your teaching tremendously if you can.

J.P.: I know you were PAS President during the development of the PAS museum. Can you talk a bit about that process and what it was like?

S.H.: When I was the PAS President, the country was in a recession. It was a challenging time, but very rewarding. The museum opened in 2009, but was many years in the making. The offices were moved from Oklahoma to Indianapolis the year prior in 2008 and the building process started in 2009. Rich Holly and Gary Cook helped find a site for the museum and negotiated the terms of the lease. The first year PASIC was in Indianapolis was 2009 and that’s when the museum opened. That’s also when the website was changed. Michael Kenyon was the Executive Director and managed money well during this time of recession in the country. By the time 2011 came around, I was done and took a sabbatical from PAS.

!87


APPENDIX A

TELEPHONE INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

Steve Houghton

November 28, 2017

J.P.: You’ve published so much through Alfred Publications and worked with Dave Black a lot throughout your career. What is your relationship like with him and when did you all first start to work together?

S.H.: I went to them with my essential styles project. The editor for that book was Julia Frasier but it had to go through Dave Black who was the primary editor on that.

J.P.: He’s co-authored materials with you as well correct?

S.H.: Yeah he co-authored Drumset 101 and Kid’s Drum Course. After the Ultimate Drumset Reading Anthology, Dave had a great suggestion that we co-author a book geared towards younger players. The hook-up with Dave was good. He edited several of my books like Essential Styles. Julia Frasier was a part of the Master Track Series. Dave was a valuable asset on all of those books and a great editor. He’s taught me an awful lot about publishing. Sandy Feldstein for Warner Brothers taught me a lot as well.

J.P.: Back tracking a little here to your days with Woody Herman. I am interested to know how you describe your particular sound in the lineage of drummers before and after you? Was Ed Soph the drummer for Woody right before you?

S.H.: A drummer named Jeff Brillinger was right before me, but he didn’t last too long. Ed was on and off with the band as a sub. My concept for Woody really came from Ed Soph.

J.P.: Did Woody have a particular sound that he wanted you to sound like such as Dave Tough and Don Lamond?

S.H.: No, he really didn’t. All of those guys were great but I certainly wasn’t trying to sound like either of those guys. If anybody it was Ed Soph and Joe La Barbera who was also with Woody. I saw Joe La Barbera with Woody when I was in high school and that made an indelible mark on me.

J.P.: It’s interesting that you saw Woody with Joe La Barbera when you were young, not knowing that you would eventually be touring with him someday.

!88


S.H.: A lot of that was Joe La Barbera and Ed with Woody Herman. There were two or three Woody records at that time like The Young Thundering Herd, Raven Speaks (Joe La Barbera), Giant Steps (Ed Soph), and Light My Fire (Ed Soph). Those three records for me was what I tried to model myself after. I had been listening to those and they happen to be the music that Woody was doing at that time. To be brutally honest, I didn’t listen to the older stuff enough. It didn’t seem like Woody was doing any of the older stuff which he wasn’t, but I still could've gone back and listened to a whole lot more of Don Lamond and Jake Hanna. I’ve since done that. It’s a lineage and it’s cool.

J.P.: I know there was a concert with the Woody’s drummers at PASIC. What was that like?

S.H.: We did a round table panel discussion. Jeff Hamilton, John Riley, Ed Soph, Jim Rupp, Joe La Barbera, and myself were all on the panel. It was a really cool night.

J.P.: You were with the Young Thundering Herd who was known for its educational outreach correct?

S.H.: Right.

J.P.: What was Woody like as a clinician and what were some of the things you learned being around him?

S.H.: The way our clinics were set up was that the rhythm section in our band would work with the rhythm section, trumpets with trumpets, and then Woody would listen to the whole middle school and high school band and make some nice comments. He wasn’t a “super” educator in that sense. He couldn't go fix a band.

J.P.: But it was his decision to have those clinics?

S.H.: Absolutely. He really loved doing that because he loved young people. His players in the band were young.

J.P.: A lot of the Young Thundering Herd seemed to be from North Texas University (UNT).

S.H.: There were three schools; UNT, Berklee College of Music, and Eastman School of Music.

J.P.: Lou Fischer, Pat Coil, and Lyle Mays were all UNT guys in Woody’s group. How does it work with both pianists Pat Coil and Lyle Mays in the group together?

S.H.: All of the UNT rhythm section ended up working for Woody. It was me, Lyle Mays, and bass player Kerby Stewart. Once Kerby left, I got Lou Fischer in the band, and when Lyle left, Lou and I got Pat in the band.

!89


J.P.: Pete Brewer was also in that band, correct?

S.H.: Yeah, Pete Brewer was also in that band.

J.P.: Were there any older guys in the band that you got to be around? Guys who had been in the band for a long time?

S.H.: Frank Tiberi who was a great tenor saxophone player was in the band. That was a lot of fun. We were young and the guys older than me only had me by two or three years.

J.P.: So you tour with Woody for about a year and a half to two years and then you come back to Dallas, Texas, where you're busy with TM Productions. You’re also in a fusion band with Pat Coil, Lou Fischer, and Pete Brewer who are all Woody guys.

S.H.: Yeah it was fantastic. We had a great life in Dallas. We did studio work during the day and then most nights we were playing in High Rise and the Fischer-Houghton Big Band.

J.P.: Was the Fischer-Houghton Big Band a jazz group? Who all was in it?

S.H.: Oh yeah. It was made up of mainly Dallas studio guys who were from UNT and had toured with Woody. That band was as just as good as Woody’s in some ways.

J.P.: I would like to get my hands on some of those recordings. They’re really hard to find.

S.H.: I would too. It was a great band.

J.P.: How did you get the gig with Gary Burton?

S.H.: The opening was in Los Angeles (L.A.) when I moved out there. It was right at the end of my time in Dallas and somehow we linked up, and I got to do six months or a couple of tours with him.

J.P.: How did your company affiliations with Remo, Yamaha, and Zildjian happen?

S.H.: With Zildjian, I was playing with Woody at Disneyland where Armand Zildjian and Lenny DiMuzio happen to be there watching. After the gig they asked me if I would like to come aboard. With Yamaha, there was a great brass clinician named Rich Matteson who introduced me to them when they first came over to the United States in the late 1970s.

J.P.: Do you remember the first Yamaha drumset that you owned?

S.H.: They sent me so much stuff. I think it might’ve been a Yamaha 9000 or something like that. It was birch with a black finish which is because that’s what Steve Gadd had and he was

!90


the big Yamaha guy. Steve Gadd got signed up in Japan, so if you look back into the late 1970s, he was playing Yamaha drums with a black finish with birch rims, which was cool looking kit. That’s the kit I had. Rich Matteson got me in through the educational door because he was a big clinician and Yamaha had just started to do drums in this country. At that time, there had been no Yamaha drum clinicians in the United States, so I came aboard and started to do them.

J.P.: You linked up with Vic Firth in the 1990s. Who were you with before Vic Firth?

S.H.: I was with Calato Regaltip. I went from Regaltip to Zildjian because Zildjian offered me a drumstick line and I got to design a series of vibraphone mallets. Then, Zildjian discontinued the mallets or sold it to Lee Howard Stevens, and the drumstick line took a different turn and that’s when Vic Firth happened. I went with Vic in the 1990s and have been with them ever since.

J.P.: When you were at UNT, Leon Breeden was the director of the UNT One O’clock Band when you all recorded Lab 75.

S.H.: Yeah he was “the guy.” He basically started the One O’clock and was there through me and maybe another five years after until he retired.

J.P.: Who was the drumset teacher at UNT when you were there?

S.H.: There really wasn’t one.

J.P.: So it was a bunch of young guys listening, playing, and practicing together?

S.H.: Basically it was. I took mallet lessons with Tom McGuire who came down from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and a bit from Ron Fink.

J.P.: Who were some of the classical percussion majors at UNT while you were there?

S.H.: Doug Walter and Danny Armstrong were two guys who stand out. “Douggie” was cool. We dragged him into the jazz scene because he was a killer marimbist and Lyle Mays needed him on Lab 75. I think that turned Doug into a jazz guy.

J.P.: Who was the drummer playing in the UNT One O’clock Lab Band when you were at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where you all shared a concert together?

S.H.: John Bryant. He was great.

J.P.: Were you around him at all when you arrived at UNT?

S.H.: No he had graduated by the time I got there.

!91


J.P.: Do any of your siblings still play music and did they study music seriously?

S.H.: No.

J.P.: You’re the only one of your siblings that has made a living in music?

S.H.: Right.

J.P.: Similar to your father?

S.H.: Right.

J.P.: I’ve done some research on your father and he was a huge impact on the state of Wisconsin.

S.H.: Yeah, he was a heavy dude. I owe everything to him.

!92


APPENDIX A

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

Steve Houghton

January 27th, 2018

J.P.: How did your affiliation with the Walt Disney company begin?

S.H.: In 1973, while I was at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I was in the Disney All-American College Band. I was one of the very first to play in that band and it changed my life because they took us to recording sessions in Los Angeles, California (L.A.). Ron Logan directed the band who ended up being vice president of entertainment at Disney worldwide. I’ve been a clinician since 1980 and worked with people like Tom Walsh, Joey Tartell, Jim White, and John Hollenbeck. While working for Disney in the summer, you’re in a marching band where you do a Disney march and then play your set which includes movement and other stuff. You do about four of those a day. When I clinic, I bring music and have them sight read 10-15 charts. I’ve had several students in the band like Mitch Shiner, Steve Sutch, Reuben Gingrich, Dave Skulia, Jeff Franklin, and Gregg Bissonette.

J.P.: I know you briefly lived in New York, New York. When did you move there?

S.H.: After touring with Woody in 1976, I moved to New York for 2 weeks. It very quickly became evident that it wasn’t my type of lifestyle. I lived at West 86th and Broadway, where all of the musicians lived in awful rooms. From there I went back to Dallas, Texas.

J.P.: How did you begin playing drums for Maureen McGovern?

S.H.: I was doing salute to singer songwriters, which was a big show in L.A. We performed with a studio orchestra and every singer songwriter performed for free because it was a benefit show. I was getting to play drums with each singer that would come in and do a song with orchestra. Maureen was one of them who had a great gig and remembered who I was. Shortly after that, I was playing in a band made up of L.A. musicians at the Jerry Lewis telethon at the Hotel Riviera in Las Vegas, Nevada. Maureen asked me if I could do that telethon because she wanted me to play drums on her songs. This would have been in the early 1990s. After the telethon, she asked me to come and do symphonies, and so then I started touring with her. While I was touring with her, I played with a lot of symphony orchestras and quartets. During Christmas time, she would do 6 beautiful holiday and Christmas shows. It taught me all of The Great American Songbook standards, and music by composers like George Gershwin, Harold Arlen, and many others. I played with Maureen for about 12 years which went on into the 2000s during my move to Bloomington, Indiana. I never recorded with her, but I learned how to play

!93


with an orchestra. Maureen had a big band within the show and certain things had to swing. “Pops Singer” on page 38 in The Ultimate Drumset Reading Anthology is based on Maureen McGovern’s style.

J.P.: Can you talk about Inside the Teaching Studio?

S.H.: Inside the Teaching Studio through the Vic Firth website is where I think education is going. The series was fun to feature my students and was based on my teaching concepts. My concept to Vic Firth was to let me start it and then we’d pass it to other schools. The University of Southern California, University of Texas, and the University of North Texas are next. I started the series and that’s pretty cool.

J.P.: What did you discuss during your “Ted Talks” presentation at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC)?

S.H.: My “Ted Talks” presentation at PASIC was really cool. The presentation was 20 minutes and was based on my 8 core teaching principals. It was my idea with Vic Firth to try it at PASIC. There wasn’t a drum in the room and it wasn’t designed to be a drum clinic. It was more of a powerpoint presentation, where I discussed “blue collar teaching,” analyzing what’s wrong and coming up with a solution. I also discussed teaching strategies like bringing music to the practice room, creative drumming, and creative practice. Going into the practice room and being creative, not just playing a beat and then moving on to the next beat, is a core principal of mine. We’d like to do more of those talks and archive them.

J.P.: Do you have any final thoughts about your time as President of the Percussive Arts Society (PAS)?

S.H.: During my presidency with PAS, I wasn’t able to do very much special fundraising. PAS was hurting and we had to cut back and thanks to everyone we birthed a museum. We didn’t really have the money to start it, but we did start it. About a year later the country was still in a recession and the museum wasn’t doing too well. Eventually, the recession got better and now the museum is doing better. I've talked a lot about development, but it didn’t take place until well after I left. Now there are a lot of grants and money coming through gifts. I did have relationships with some of the industry giants like Vic Firth Company, Avedis Zildjian Company, and Remo Inc.

J.P.: How important was your experience working in studios?

S.H.: The Dallas studio scene gave me the opportunity to play total percussion. I played drumset with big bands and on a lot of sessions, I would play percussion. That set the stage for the work I would do in L.A. where I got to play percussion and drumset on television work, movies, and award shows. My time working in L.A. studios was a big part of my career and what I did.

!94


APPENDIX B


Dave Black

December 4, 2017

J.P.: When did you first meet Steve Houghton and how long have you known him?

D.B.: I think I might have met Steve at a clinic in Los Angeles, California (L.A.) before I started working at Alfred Music in 1985. I can’t remember if he approached me or if I approached him about doing something.

J.P.: From what I understand, he might have approached you guys for his concept of essential styles for drumset.

D.B.: I think he may be right about that. I thought it was a great idea because at the time, there wasn’t anything like that which is why the book did so incredibly well. It was the first time where there was a book that had bass and drums with different styles, and it discussed how they “lock-in.” At that point, Cassettes were out, and we made it to where the drums were mixed on one side and the bass on the other. With the CDs, the first track was with drums and the second track was without drums. That book started a trend. The country genre was big at that time and Brain Fullen came out with a great country book called, Contemporary Country Styles for the Drummer and Bassist, where we did the same thing as Essential Styles.

J.P.: What are some of your favorite method books that Steve Houghton has published through Alfred? Which one’s sold the most?

D.B.: Essential Styles will always be the soft spot for me because that was the start of a real-working relationship with myself, Steve, and Alfred. That was Steve’s first publication with Alfred. That book was probably one of the best if not the best of all of them because it came around at the right time when there weren't a lot of publications flooding the market, digital copying, or downloads. It became a standard book that everybody used. I remember other drummers saying “I wish I had written that book” or “why didn’t I think of that type of thing?” From a personal standpoint, he and I have co-written several books.

J.P.: Kid’s Drum Course?

D.B.: Yeah that one was the first and it was a lot of fun because objects around the house, a Disney artist who did the characters, book interior, and some really neat graphics. It dealt with kids and a different way of thinking. That book has continued to do pretty well and then of course we followed up with Kid’s Drum Course Book 2. After those books we did Drumset 101

!95


which came about because the characters from Kid’s Drum Course were a little too off putting for junior high kids. Drumset 101 was basically the same book with some expansions but we removed the caricatures that young middle schoolers might think of as silly. The first book that Steve came out with called Studio and Big Band Drumming with Barnhouse publications was one of the first of its kind to ever be on the market. Ron Fink had done a book with Alfred in the early 1980s called Drumset Reading: Drumset Book but it didn’t have any recordings with it. Studio and Big Band Drumming did have recordings and play alongs, which was a “door opener” for the industry.

J.P.: A lot of the people who I have interviewed and talked to about Steve Houghton mention all of those books you just mentioned.

D.B.: It’s so funny because Steve and I are serious jazz drumset players who went to respectable schools. I remember telling Steve when the first kid’s book came out and I had printed copies prior to going to the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) that year, “this book is going to end up defining our careers.” Of course it didn’t but it was so different and unique, and has really done quite well.

J.P.: What are your thoughts on Steve Houghton’s career as an artist and who are some people that you associate him with as a drummer?

D.B.: There are a lot of things that I love about Steve and that have worked in his favor. He learned early on that it is important to be well-rounded and to be able to do multiple kinds of things. He ended up being a good player, teacher, author, and recording artist. He basically spread his net over a wide area so that he covered all bases of stuff. The great thing about his teaching is that he’s a great player and is authentic about what he’s trying to pass on to his students. He “talks the talk” and he “walks the walk.” He came from the University of North Texas and is easy to work with. What I like about Steve working with students is that he won’t put up with any crap as you know, but he’s a humble guy. He's more than willing to sit down and work with somebody. There’s no ego and he’s not a difficult person to work with. His well-roundedness is something that is great. He’s not just a drumset player. He’s had several different pieces written for him for marimba and orchestra, multiple percussion, and still is a damn good percussionist; period. He’s played with Maureen McGovern which is a trio/quartet type of thing and is equally at home in a big band setting. He’s a great teacher who knows how to take a student and get what he needs out of them; almost immediately. If he’s doing a clinic at PASIC or anywhere else where he asks someone from the audience to come up and sit down and play something, he’s really good. He’ll talk about what they did right and what they could do better, which he zero’s in on and is always right.

J.P.: He's extremely observant and can give really good advice on how to fix a problem.

D.B.: He really is. Alfred purchased Warner Brothers in 2005 which added a ton of drum publication on top of what Alfred was doing on its own. For the first year or two after that, I

!96


wanted help to continue to grow the catalogue and find material. We hired Steve as kind of an associate drum editor, where we worked on ideas about how to find what the catalog was missing and the materials needed. Steve talked and reached out to people and he would help me with decisions. If there was something that I was “on the fence” about, I would send it to him and ask “what do you think of this?” We worked really well in that capacity. He had really good ideas and really good instincts about publications because he taught so much. He's spent a lot of time playing through or at least becoming familiar with what was out on the market, which was a wealth of information. He knew what publications we had seen before or a “spin on this” by a particular author could be good.

J.P.: I believe he was already in Bloomington, Indiana in 2005?

D.B.: Yeah, he had just left, and it was fine because of the internet where we could talk about ideas. Back then, he was still coming back to L.A. much more often than he does now. He still had some loose ends to tie up like recording and playing until people realized he wasn’t coming back. When he was here, he would stop by the office or I’d go up to his house and we’d talk about things and come up with a game plan.

J.P.: You guys have had an incredible relationship. Other than the artists he’s played with, I don’t know if there’s anybody else who’s worked with him as much as you have. It’s cool to hear your side.

D.B.: We are just great friends. He's a little bit older than I am but we grew up in the same era liking the same kinds of things. We’ve had to deal with illnesses and deaths of family members. Just getting older and things changing like the business. Aside from our professional and working relationships, we’re really good friends. He’s somebody that I can certainly talk to and vice versa. When he was going through some health issues, lost his parents, and his sister, we spent a lot of time together. We’ve spent a lot of time listening to each other.

J.P.: How has Steve Houghton made an impact on jazz drumming education?

D.B.: He was one of the forerunners of jazz education. Steve, John Riley, and Ed Soph were all from that same era. He was a huge proponent for jazz and drumming education. They’ve all taught at the university level, privately, and have written good selling educational books. The three of them were the “players” who were also the “educational guys.” When Steve and I were growing up, the two didn’t really mix. You were either going to be a professional player or you were going to go on to academia and teach percussion. You didn't really hold both careers at the same time. Ed Soph was playing with Clark Terry and a ton of other people but was also teaching heavily in education and felt like that was a good thing to fall back on. Steve did too. He did exactly what he hoped to have done. He saw the writing on the wall in L.A. as far as the fact that the studio thing was dying, and the playing opportunities were not as frequent. As you get older and you have children and grandchildren, you don't want to spend as much time on the road. He got into a perfect situation, where he had time in his early years as a performing and

!97


writing artist which provided him the perfect recipe for his job at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (IU-JSoM). It doesn’t mean that he’s given up playing because he still goes out and performs. However, he’s got a steady job that he can give back and enjoys. He doesn’t have to take every playing job that comes along that he doesn’t like because he needs the money. He can pick and choose the things that he’s really passionate about and things that artistry please him.

J.P.: He still gets to play at an extremely high level with both the professors and some students at Indiana University.

D.B.: Absolutely. He’ll still go out and play with Shelly Berg or any number of people. He can come out to L.A. and play in a club or do a recording. I think he’s in a good place in his life because there are really on regrets for him. He’s done a little bit of everything that he’s wanted to do and now towards the “downflight” of his career, in a good way, he’s doing exactly what he wants do to.

J.P.: Exactly. His career has been incredible and he still is doing really great things.

D.B.: What I hope people will see is that Steve has never been one to say “if you’re a player, you can’t be an educator, or if you're an educator you can’t be a performer.” He really showed through example that you can be heavily involved in both. He always has a “plan b” and you have to be ok with that.

J.P.: Have you guys talked about collaborating on any new method books?

D.B.: He’ll joke around and ask “when are we doing our next project?” The hard part now is that does the world really need another drum book? Part of that is true because you have so many hundreds of drum books out there. Especially now with Finale and a number of self-published books on the market; it’s completely saturated. We got started in the infancy of some of those ideas and that’s why they continue to sell quite well. To write another snare drum or drumset method book, it’s like; what are you going to do differently?

!98


APPENDIX C

EMAIL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

Lou Fischer

December 9, 2017

J.P.: Can you talk about your early relationship with Steve Houghton during your time at the University of North Texas (UNT)?

L.F.: I met Steve during a tour while I was performing in the North Texas State University (now UNT) One O'Clock Lab Band in the spring of 1973. He was a student enrolled at University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-M) and the drummer in their jazz ensemble. After hearing our performance and hanging out with everyone that evening, he decided he wanted to transfer to UNT. We actually were not in school together as I left school the next year to pursue my career joining famed trumpeter Don Jacoby's Band in Dallas among others. In fact, I was involved in the audition process that year and placed Mark Johnson in the One O'Clock Lab Band, Mark being the bassist in the first Grammy Award-nominated so-called "lizard album,” Lab75, along with Lyle Mays compositions and Steve on drums.

J.P.: What was Steve Houghton like as a drummer for Woody Herman? What are some characteristics that defined his sound as a big band drummer with Herman?

L.F.: In 1976, our drummer in Jacoby's band was ill and Steve was hired to sub. That is the first time we played music together. We were an instant fit with each other's approach, time feel, style and talked of performing together again somehow in the future. Steve joined the Woody Herman Band shortly thereafter. A few months later he called me. He asked if I was interested and after some initial hesitation, I decided I should do it. Steve for me was the quintessential drummer for that band. Woody's Band was the band that blows, and recognized as that type of ensemble worldwide. The rhythm section had to be a strong, Steve certainly rose to that challenge with Pat Coil on piano by the time I joined the band. Steve could drive that band no matter what the style of music we were playing. The band also had very strong players and improvisers all around. The discipline one develops by performing at that level every night stays with you a lifetime. There is an element of trust you have to develop and of course we all basically lived together on a bus for all those months. I seem to remember we had four nights off in the 6-8 months I remained on the band. I performed my first clinic ever while on that band along with Steve and Pat. It’s always a wonderful reunion when any of us manage to perform together again. However, when the three of us do, it’s even triple the fun!

J.P.: Who are some jazz artists that Steve Houghton has played with in his career that stand out to you? Are there any particular albums that he’s recorded on that you think are important?

!99


L.F.: Steve and I played together in the big bands of Woody Herman, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Les Hooper while living in the L.A. area. Steve also toured with Freddie Hubbard, Gary Burton, and Paul Anka and was very in-demand as a clinician/guest artist on percussion. He plays various mallet instruments well and is no stranger to wind symphonies or orchestras around the country. I remember at one point he auditioned for Frank Zappa and made it through several rounds of the process before making a decision to accept the gig or not. If I'm correct, he felt he wanted to focus on his dual career as both a drummer and pedagogue. So, he turned it down when it was all said and done.

J.P.: What are elements of Steve Houghton’s drumset playing that make him great?

L.F.: Steve can play any style and play it correctly. He can read any piece of music you place in front of him, which for rhythm players is not an easy task as 85-90% of what we do cannot be written down on the sheet of paper. He is the consummate student of the music and pursues that level of discipline I mentioned as a live performer, a studio musician, and teacher in my humble opinion.

J.P.: How has Steve Houghton made an impact on jazz drumming education and pedagogy?

L.F.: Steve has written a multitude of books. I lost count many years ago after there were about 30. All books that are continually used today in drumming studios at all levels of institutions today.

J.P.: Have you worked with Steve Houghton as a clinician? What are your thoughts on Steve as a guest artist/clinician?

L.F.: As I mentioned, we performed our initial clinic together on Herman's band in 1976. We have performed hundreds of clinics together over the years at many major conferences and institutions globally and have written a book together with pianist Shelly Berg, and guitarist Fred Hamilton.

J.P.: What are your thoughts on Steve Houghton’s leadership in the Jazz Education Network and the work that he’s done for the organization?

L.F.: Steve does not necessarily have a leadership role in the Jazz Education Network as he's a busy guy and is much more active in the Percussive Arts Society as a past-president. With that being said, he is involved as a clinician, performer, and attendee as often as he is available. When he is on site, his impact to the future students of the music and to the audiences that hear him perform is talked about!

J.P.: What are some of your favorite projects/albums that you’ve worked on with Steve Houghton?

!100


L.F.: I have many! In 1976 after leaving Woody's band, we both wound up back in the Dallas, Texas area. We quickly became one of the top two rhythm sections in the studios in Dallas, which were quite active then. We played music all day written by others in many styles but often were bored with it all. Consequently we felt a need to lead the way for others and started a “fusion” group performing many nights and rehearsing and developing new original material by the members as often as we could. The band was very popular in Dallas and was called High Rise. The final version of the group was a unique instrumentation of pedal steel guitar (Larry White), multiple woodwinds (Pete Brewer), multiple keyboards (Pat Coil), basses (Lou Fischer), drumset (Steve Houghton), and percussion (Ron Snyder). I can tell you we were performing music that was a mix of all styles, a true fusion of folk, country, funk, R&B, jazz, reggae, and Latin styles. Another big band project that is near to my heart is the remake Steve decided to produce of Shelly Manne's 1962...Gershwin: The Manne We Love. We all received the original music and the recording to study ahead of time. We gathered together in Dallas, Texas that year and rehearsed/recorded the music for two days with the UNT Two O'Clock Lab Band lead by the infamous Jim Riggs. The CD featured five alums of UNT as guests: Lou Fischer (bass), Steve Houghton (drumset), Stefon Karlsson (piano), Danny Higgins (saxophones), and Clay Jenkins-(trumpet). Remember the recording techniques of the 1960s were not quite as transparent as present day. The arrangements by John Williams of the timeless Gershwin music was so ahead of its time for 1962 it came alive once again, as we now had the ability to multi-track and mix the intricate timbres and textures John was hearing in his head. To listen to that music develop as it did, and to be able to study the Williams scores, and listen to it even now today-the harmonies, moods and emotion it portrays-at least to me remains light years ahead of what we are hearing in the world now. Another is a CD we decided to record while putting together the Rhythm Section Workshop project, as if that wasn't enough to do that particular weekend! The CD is titled Beaux J Poo Boo after the great Les McCann tune. It includes our good friends Shelly Berg on piano and Fred Hamilton on guitar. It was a magical endeavor recorded in a two day span, many first takes. A most recent project we recorded together was a trio CD called Decisions, adding Stefon Karlsson on piano. It features several classic pieces such as Bach's “Prelude in Eb,” and a free approach to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, among other originals penned by both Stefon and I. No matter what the project I do with Steve, its always a challenge to my musicianship and we always strive to push the envelope somehow, while remaining true to the need to be in tune with what the listener might wish to hear. After all, music is not to be performed in a vacuum. It should aesthetically be for anyone and everyone that hears it, and should be approached in that manner.

J.P.: How did your method book with Steve Houghton titled, Rhythm Section Workshop for Jazz Directors come about? What was it like collaborating on a method book with Steve Houghton?

L.F.: This is another “favorite” project with Steve! Shelly Berg, Fred Hamilton, Steve, and I were all sitting around having a relaxed conversation in Toronto in 2008. I said, “Hey, we've all been performing and presenting clinics on our own instruments for years. As the rhythm section is traditionally the weakest link in the jazz ensembles we hear around the world, why don't we pull something together that can teach directors how to teach the rhythm section?” The idea

!101


morphed into over the next two years a real project and it became a reality. We presented the project to Alfred Music, and they immediately were on board with the entire project. There is a director's manual, DVD for the students to watch, play-along CD, and workbooks for the directors to take into the classroom to teach their rhythm sections how to play the basic styles presented. Steve was in charge of the production end, Shelly handled the music notation, Fred handled the reference material, and I handled the word processing component of the project. It was truly a labor of love that has become a mainstay in the industry today. I use it for my graduate class on “rhythm section pedagogy” as the textbook and require the rhythm players that come through my rhythm sections to watch it.

J.P.: Do you have any other thoughts on Steve Houghton as an artist, educator, and a leader?

L.F.: Steve is truly one of my oldest and dearest friend so my opinion is at minimum biased. With that being said, Steve Houghton is the tastiest drummer I have ever had the privilege to work with, regardless of style mind you. He approaches every gig with the most knowledge of that genre, and like the other world-class drummers I have worked with, has amazingly big “ears”…not really of course, its a figure of speech referring to how well he 'hears' what is going on and the amount of “radar” he performs with. He often knows what’s coming. The knowledge he has gained as the life-long student follows along with him to the performance arena, to the classroom and studio, and in his textbooks. He is the consummate educator and performer. In my opinion, when one is the consummate educator and performer, it’s the best of both worlds! His older textbooks have withstood the test of time and remain strong tools, and any new texts he brings to the marketplace are spot on and in tune with insight and produce instant results for the educators that use them. Steve is a visionary and is always searching for a new project. We have performed, lived, and worked together for many years. I look forward to many more.

!102


APPENDIX D


Julie Hill

December 11, 2017

J.P.: How long have you known Steve Houghton and when did you all first meet?

J.H.: I don’t know if I remember specifically the first time that I met him. I was targeted as an emerging leader of Percussive Arts Society (PAS) back when Gary Cook was a President. I was invited to a pretty small meeting with potential leaders and Steve was a part of the PAS Executive Committee at that time. I know he spoke with me and was encouraging at that meeting. I don’t know if that was the first time that I met him. I also worked with him within the capacity of my trio called the Caixa Trio. We commissioned a work for drumset and percussion trio called Neophilia in 2006, which was written by a friend of mine from the University of Kentucky named Michael Aukofer. All of this happened roughly around the same time, more or less. It would've been early 2000s where we worked on that and recorded a CD and this project was on it. Steve came down to Nashville, Tennessee and we recorded. We’ve performed it live multiple times and of course performed the premier of it together. All of that started pretty much around the same time, and it “jump started” our relationship.

J.P.: What are your thoughts on Steve Houghton’s leadership in PAS and the work that he’s done for the organization?

J.H.: Steve’s great. This sounds terrible but he’s got that rockstar, high visibility background which gives him some star status; however, he’s really a “worker bee” as I called him. He’s a roll your sleeves up and do the job type. I was surprised that he was taking on the service in PAS at the level that he did, and I think some of the others were surprised as well. We didn’t really expect him to be willing to sacrifice because it would take away from advancing his own career and “practice and performance time.” It’s kind of a thankless job where you don’t make any money. There’s been a movement in PAS especially since I’ve been apart of leadership of anti-nepotism, where your career is at a detriment. You’re not supposed to support your own activities in any way where it could look like you’re using your leadership position to advance yourself or your school. My students won the PAS World Percussion Ensemble Competition, which was a blind audition. But Steve took a hit in a way, where he wouldn’t be able to promote himself. Granted, he didn’t do all of the positions like starting at secretary, he started pretty high up which didn’t take up the time commitment like it does for some people. Some people put in 10 years and work their way up, which is too long in my opinion. Yes, he was willing to step in and take that leadership role. Additionally, his leadership style was very refreshing. He’s the same way as he is as a friend which is completely honest, and sometimes painful. I love that about his playing, my friendship with him, and his leadership. I try and model that in my own

!103


leadership. I try not to paint a picture that doesn’t exist to help someone “sooth his or her sores.” Sometimes when your a leader, you have to say things that frankly are not what people want to hear. Yet, it’s best for the organization. I try and model that in a slightly more gentle way.

J.P.: He is very transparent.

J.H.: Yeah he is and I love that. It saves time, energy, and everything else. He’s also that way as a player. I remember when we were recording Neophilia in the studio, we were paying by the hour and we were trying to go in, knock it out, and be very professional. I remember Julie Davila, another member of the trio saying “We finished kind of fast?” Steve looked at her and said, “You guys set the tempo. I just follow.”

J.P.: When you were in college did you ever use or study out of any of his method books? Do you use any of them in your teaching?

J.H.: I was not aware of their existence when I was a student. During my undergraduate degree, we didn’t even cover drumset. My master’s degree is from Arizona State University, where we didn’t use any of his method books in my drumset lessons. When I became friends with Steve around 2005, I had the job at the University of Tennessee of Martin, and he came down to work with the students. That’s when I learned about his method books and now we use his books, not exclusively, but there are some that are apart of our drumset curriculum.

J.P.: What was Steve Houghton like as a clinician when you brought him in as a guest artist?

J.H.: He’s the same as he is in every single endeavor. He cuts to the chase, but also has the great heart of a teacher. He's kind and encouraging, but also calls the kids out. Just like he probably was with you. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything just because he’s in a place for 2 or 3 days. He’s going to get to it.

J.P.: In your opinion, how has Steve Houghton impacted jazz drumming education and pedagogy?

J.H.: I’m going to be honest, I think if I was in the jazz world and that’s all I did, it’d be an easier question to answer. I just wear every hat here in the percussion curriculum. I would certainly like to think that his method books and pedagogy have helped be transformative for young people. However, I think you would have to send out a survey to really know the answer to that.

J.P.: Do you have any other thoughts about Steve Houghton as an artist, pedagogue, leader, and friend?

J.H.: Steve is one my top five personal friends who is also a confidant, as even though we are both busy, he would be there if I needed him. When I stepped into the PAS president position,

!104


we had changed our board of advisors/directors structure and were going through some huge governance changes that all fell on my watch. We had a controversial board member who really thought he knew everything, thought we weren’t doing stuff right, and was really pushing my buttons all at the same time. It got to the point of almost panic attack on my part. I was given some good advice that was “find your confidential 3, don't tell anybody else who they are, trust them with anything, and confide with them when you need guidance.” Steve was one of my confidential 3. I trust him with anything. He’s also just a good friend, a good guy, and I’d take a bullet for him.

!105


APPENDIX E


Clay Jenkins

December 17, 2017

J.P.: Can you talk a little bit about when you and Steve Houghton first met at North Texas State University (now UNT)?

C.J.: He came and jumped right in to the One O’clock Lab band. I believe he came in 1974 and just knocked everybody out. That’s when we first met, in the One O’clock. I think he was there for another year or so and then went out with out with Woody Herman after that.

J.P.: What was Steve Houghton’s reputation like at UNT?

C.J.: It was kind of unheard of; someone just walking in and taking that chair. There were a lot of guys in line for that spot. He could read and had a lot of “chops.” He’s always had really amazing hands. He was always in the best groups and heads above everybody. He was always such a natural player and everybody looked up to him.

J.P.: You moved out to Los Angeles (L.A.) before Steve Houghton did, correct?

C.J.: I did. He went with Woody Herman and I went with Stan Kenton. By the time I had gotten with Kenton, he had left and John Riley was playing with Herman. Kenton’s band and Herman’s band played a lot of gigs together, but Steve and I were never on the same gig together. He left Herman before I left Kenton. I was in school a couple of more years than he was. He then moved back to Dallas, Texas. I don't know if you know this but our ex-wives were sisters.

J.P.: Were they from Dallas?

C.J.: They were actually from Houston, but we all knew each other from UNT. So he was in Dallas and I moved on to L.A. in 1978. Steve moved out to L.A. shortly there after and lived there for almost the same time that I did.

J.P.: Let’s move on to some of your time in L.A. with Steve Houghton. I am a big fan of your album Matters of Time with Steve Houghton on drums. Are there any other recordings that you've done with him that stick out to you?

C.J.: Yeah he played on my very first album called Rings and he played on Matters of Time. We also did some stuff of his with Steve Allee.

!106


J.P.: The AHA! Quintet?

C.J.: Yeah with Bob Sheppard which, was a lot of fun. We’ve also done some big band stuff together as well. When he was in L.A. he was playing with the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band, which I was not part of. We never did those types of bands together but we did a lot of playing together. Through the years we’ve probably done four or five records together.

J.P.: I really do love Matters of Time, and I’ll have to check out Rings.

C.J.: That was an interesting one. He split that up with another drummer.

J.P.: Who are some of the artists that Steve Houghton has played with during his life that you associate most with?

C.J.: Well he was with Gary Burton for a while; and he had his choice of all of these players and he picked this guy (Steve) from L.A. which was cool. He was always real close with Lyle Mays and Mark Johnson. He also had a band of his own with Bob Sheppard and that was a great band. Everyone really loved that band. It was Shep and Pat Coil. I think Lou Fischer was a part of that as well.

J.P.: Those were all guys from his days back at UNT.

C.J.: Yeah there were so many. Lyle, Mark Johnson, and Bob Bowman. A lot of the real strong players that we played with were people that we knew in school. It was a real fertile time when we were there. It was Steve and John Riley. It was really an amazing time, especially with the rhythm section. He was also doing a lot of studio stuff in L.A. along with some shows which he really didn't like but he was just so good at it. He is such a great percussionist. We did a concert with John Serry, a great composer. One time we did a show with the Clayton-Hamilton Big Band.

J.P.: I love that band.

C.J.: Yeah me too. We used to play at the Hollywood Bowl for six weeks at a time. If we were playing with a singer, they’d bring their own rhythm section. I believe Steve came in and was playing with Maureen McGovern and he sounded great. A few years later John Clayton and I were having dinner, and he didn't realize that Steve and I were that good of friends. Someone asked him “of all of the drummers who played in the band besides Jeff Hamilton, who was the best?” He said, “Steve Houghton.” And I told Steve that. He really sounded great with the band, he really did.

J.P.: That brings me to another question. What are some of the things that you like about Steve Houghton’s drumming compared to others?

!107


C.J.: He’s just got such natural facility. He’s very knowledgable and he really listens. He’s a big listening drummer. I’ve never played any music where he didn't just “kill it.” I’ve never played with Steve one time where he didn't play well. He’s just so capable and such a professional. We’re such good friends and we’ve gotten to be better friends throughout the years.

J.P.: Have you ever brought Steve Houghton in as a guest artist/clinician at Eastman School of Music?

C.J.: No, but we’ve talked about it a lot. Michael Burritt talks about it all the time too. In fact, Steve is going to be on sabbatical next semester and we’re talking about trying to have him come in. Steve is actually probably more well-known amongst percussionists than he is jazz musicians. That’s one of the things about Steve. I think he’s a great jazz musician. People tend to know him more as a percussionist, but he’s a great jazz drummer.

J.P.: How do you feel Steve Houghton has made an impact on jazz drumming education? With all of his published materials, how do you think he’s made an impact on the pedagogical side of jazz drumming?

C.J.: He was one of the first guys that was going out and doing clinics years and years ago. He came to an adult camp here in Rochester, New York a few years back. He stayed at my house, and we had a great time. He came in and taught, so I got to watch him. He’s just so knowledgeable. He knows Latin rhythms, he knows equipment, he knows orchestration for the drummer, and knows a lot about technique. His books have been great. I’ve picked his brain a bit about writing books because I know his books are like textbooks for drummers.

J.P.: Yeah, a lot of the books that he came out with were really the “first.”

C.J.: Yeah they were.

J.P.: To wrap things up here. Do you have any other thoughts on Steve Houghton as an artist, educator, leader, and friend?

C.J.: We are really close fiends and pretty much like family. I am his son’s Godfather and he’s my son’s Godfather. His daughter and I are real close. His ex-wife and I are actually close as well. We both knew each other’s parents really well. We have known each other for forty years now, and it’s been amazing knowing him. I’m really proud of him. He's just such a natural musician. He doesn’t even have a bachelors degree, and he’s the head of the department at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. It’s really just unheard of. You were his student right?

J.P.: Yes, I was.

!108


C.J.: Yeah he’s just so knowledgeable about percussion. He was President of the Percussive Arts Society, and all of the students here at Eastman know about him. He also gives such great clinics. He gave a clinic a few years ago, and he involved me in it. He’s a wonderful teacher. He’s demanding right?

J.P.: Yes he is. He expects you to put in the work which is good for you.

C.J.: Yeah, I think so. It’s been inspiring for me. I’m pretty demanding myself. Maybe not as much as him (laughter). I’m proud of him, because I think he’s starting to become a jazz musician again. People don’t realize just how good he is because he's kind of been out of that scene. He’s really an amazing player. He’s great. He knows the tunes, vocabulary, and the repertoire. It’s amazing.

!109


APPENDIX F


Josh Roberts

December 6, 2017

J.P.: What was it about Steve Houghton that drew you to Indiana University (IU-JSoM)?

J.R.: I auditioned and was accepted at the University of North Texas (UNT), Berklee College of Music, Belmont University, and IU-JSoM. Steve was the first person who actually said, “I want you to come here, let’s work some stuff out.” Through the entire process he was really the first and only one who showed a personal interest. His personal investment in me and his students is unparalleled with my other experiences. He went out of his way, followed up with me, and stayed on top of emails. He wasn't fake or flattering. He was genuine and seemed to take an actual interest in me.

J.P.: How did you know about Steve Houghton prior to auditioning at IU-JSoM?

J.R.: I didn’t really know about him, but once I started looking into IU-JSoM, I discovered his Vic Firth Drumset Lesson Series videos. Essentially I was playing in Branson, Missouri when somewhat of a mentor figure in my life, out of the blue, randomly said, “Have you considered IU-JSoM?” When I first looked Steve up, I was really into Tribal Tech, and I noticed that he had played with them. Then I started listening back and forth to some of his discography like the album he did with the UNT One O’clock Lab Band.

J.P.: Lab 75?

J.R.: Yeah with “Overture To The Royal Mongolian Suma Foosball Festival” and some of that other stuff which was pretty epic. For the record, actually some University of North Texas (UNT) people have “mad-respect” for that album. It’s kind of a known album. I also looked up some of his work with Scott Henderson. The audition process at IU-JSoM was really personal, and I notice coming off the plane that Indiana is just so nice.

J.P.: Are you in Indiana right now? Are you going to Bloomington or Indianapolis?

J.R.: Yeah man, I just landed in Indianapolis. We’re doing a couple of shows in Bloomington and then I’m coming to Texas actually. This show is with a Christian group with artists that travel and play at “mega churches.”

J.P.: Is it the Hillsong stuff?

!110


J.R.: It’s separate, but it’s with people that I met through Hillsong.

J.P.: When you arrived at IU-JSoM, what was Steve Houghton like as a teacher? Was there a system in place for you like working out of method books? What exactly were you doing when you got there?

J.R.: He’s got this book that I found towards the end of my time there that’s got 80 or so pages. It was called, The Plan. If you ever mention that you talked to me, ask Steve what The Plan is and he’ll probably start laughing. Essentially, I came to IU-JSoM as a player constantly playing and doing all of this stuff and became super frustrated actually. He “fills holes” in every student and I’ve talked to him about that. Basically, first semester/year, he’s going to “fill holes” so a student is going to be doing transcriptions like Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, and Art Blakey. He’ll also have you do some different styles like a little bit of “odd-time,” ECM, Brazilian, and big band reading. He’ll expose you and sort of “pound you” over and over. My theory is that jazz is becoming more “stacked” at IU-JSoM, so it’s really not a problem to get people to attend there. I think he might use that first semester/year to weed some people out who might be “fools” or aren’t really trying to do work. Therefore, that process was exactly what I got when I arrived there-tune lists and learning tunes. I had a decent amount of experience with a little bit of touring, a lot of commercial music, and church and gospel playing. I didn’t necessarily have a lot of jazz experience; so, he basically had me listening to some recordings like the album Relaxin by the Miles Davis Quintet, all of the Max Roach solos, some Philly Joe Jones solos, a little bit of brush work, and some reading out of his book Studio and Big Band Drumming,

J.P.: So you worked out of Studio and Big Band Drumming?

J.R.: Yeah that one and Essential Styles and Drumset Soloist. He basically gave me all of these things. I remember pretty vividly during my first semester, I have always been this way, and I hate school. I am not a fan of sitting in a classroom and learning about species counterpoint. I just hated it so I kind of stopped going to class. I remember going to a lesson like the second week of school, and I came in with like four or five new transcriptions. Then Steve asked me, “how are your grades doing?” They were not good. They were like Cs and Ds. He dug the fact that I was getting into our lessons, but he was helping me go to class. He pushes you super hard, but he understands that school is school, and calls it the “other side of the pond.” All of the classical stuff and the theory. He knows that you have to take care of all of that stuff if you want to stay at IU-JSoM. In a nutshell that’s what I was doing my first year at IU-JSoM. A ton of transcriptions and a ton of vocabulary stuff.

J.P.: What do you think Steve Houghton’s impact has been on the jazz department at IU-JSoM? What was he like in the combo/big band settings or any of the jazz classes like Rhythm Section Masterclass (RSM)?

J.R.: He was present in RSM, big band, and combo. When I was in school, there was a saying that “if you wanted to get something done in the jazz department at IU-JSoM, you went to

!111


Steve.” That was the deal even with my scholarship when I got there. I went on the “run-around” with some other people, and then I finally talked to Steve and he said “I’ll make something happen.” Obviously, big band is an important element of his musicality. When he would come into our rehearsals, the band “gets in line.” He's got ways and devices for doing that. He’s got such a command just as a person and as a musician. As a teacher, he's got this persona and command that is consistent in all areas. He never takes a break. I guess when he goes home, he finally will watch some football and maybe take a break. He’s on 24/7. So that’s really what it is. Musically, he has these techniques and devices of “locking the band in.” He reminds me a lot of Stefon Harris who I’ve done some stuff with here in New York. He knows exactly how the compositions are, how they should so go, and he knows all of the parts. He has a way of articulating that is huge in Steve’s teaching. Another thing with Steve, and sometimes I forget about this is accountability. As you know, you’re going to bring that notebook in and he’s going to write it down and you’re going to bring it back next week. So you better have done something or have a really damn good excuse as to why you didn’t do something. That also is true for Ed Soph at UNT; however, I haven't found that at a lot of colleges. Here in New York, there’s sort of this artist mentality, where you have these jazz superstars teaching who aren’t necessarily educators. Not to shit on anybody; but John Riley and Billy Drummond are known completely for that. They’ll talk records and could “shoot the wind,” but if you take control and tell them what you want to work on, they're amazing.

J.P.: Steve Houghton is really a great educator with a lot of different strategies and holds the student accountable.

J.R.: He is really great and the accountability element is huge.

J.P.: Has he been helpful at all since you’ve left IU-JSoM? Has he hooked you up with any gigs in New York? Do you guys still keep in touch?

J.R.: Yeah, we do stay in touch a lot, and he's always been great about that. I know if I ever had something that I needed to call him about, he would answer. Every time I come back to Bloomington, we get together and hang out. There have been a couple of times where I’ve had some crossroads musically, and he would give me some insight on it.

J.P.: And it looks like you're going to see him soon?

J.R.: Yeah, he’s having something tonight for Christmas, and I’m going to try and run by after our rehearsals.

J.P.: Who are some of the artists that Steve Houghton has played with in his career that really stick out to you? I know you mentioned Tribal Tech, Scott Henderson, and the album Lab 75, but is there anyone else?

!112


J.R.: I really like some of the newer stuff that he’s doing with the AHA Trio with Jeremy Allen and Steve Allee. When I first got to IU-JSoM, they had just put out their first record, I always went back to that album and enjoyed listening to it. I was shown a lot of things by Mitch Shiner who was always sort of obsessed with Steve. He did a short stint with Bill Evans. It’s funny, I think he actually could’ve gotten the gig with Bill Evans in New York but he really didn’t vibe in New York. I don’t know if he’s ever told you that.

J.P.: Yeah, he told me he was there very briefly and then bailed.

J.R.: Yeah, he’s always been a West Coast or Texas kind of guy. New York was definitely not his taste; but, I definitely think he could have nailed that with Bill Evans. He’s definitely a “take care of business” type player. One of my best friends, Conner Kent from UNT and I have had some conversations about UNT and IU-JSoM. They are both schools that make sure you’re a functional player. Since moving to New York and knowing our “homies” at The Julliard School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and all of these East Coast schools are cool. However, they’re all small group based and they can be really contemporary. Sometimes those players from those schools are always doing stuff like Mark Turner and other contemporary jazz. That stuff is amazing and great, but can you please just play a groove tune? Long story short is, it is what we have talked about how Ed Soph and Steve really made sure that we could read, do styles, and all of those things. If you can’t, none of the other stuff matters.

J.P.: Yeah, Steve Houghton is a very practical teacher. That’s about all of the questions that I have for you. Do you want to add any other thoughts or comments about Steve Houghton?

J.R.: Yeah man, just that element of investment that he has. I hear that he’s still at combo and big band concerts. He’s still always giving feedback, if you use the wrong cymbals, you’re going to hear about it.

!113


APPENDIX G


Sherry Rubins

December 2, 2017

J.P.: How long have you known Steve Houghton and when did you first meet?

S.R.: We met at the Stephen F. Austin University percussion camps in the mid 1990s. He had been teaching at those before me, and I met him when I was hired to start teaching at them as well.

J.P.: What are your thoughts on Steve Houghton’s leadership in the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) and the work that he’s done for the organization?

S.R.: I don’t think Steve does anything half-heartedly. If he’s going to do something, he’s usually all in. He choses the organizations that he supports, because he believes they have integrity and a purpose for good. He did an awesome job of making some changes to the organization that not everyone was happy with at the time; however if they were to take the time to look back, they would realize that they were necessary, positive changes. I think he has really great vision for the overall health of PAS, and I think that’s important because not everyone possesses that. I think some people were surprised because they just thought of him as a drumset artist. They found out quickly that that’s not all he is. There is so much more to him. He really can play anything if he wants to. When I saw him in action this past Percussive Arts Society International Convention (2017), he played at the end of the conference and I sit back and think “this man comes from a family of educators.” It shows all the time that even still, he is so passionate about teaching.

J.P.: Do you use any of Steve Houghton’s method books in your teaching?

S.R.: I do. I don’t get to use them all of the time because I don’t teach a lot of drumset. I have certainly used some of them in the past like Essential Styles vol. 1 and 2 and The Ultimate Drumset Reading Anthology. I’ve also used some of the books that he wrote with Dave Black for younger students. I used them with my son, and I found them to be so practical. As you know there are a “gazillion” drumset books out there, and so many of them are typical, “Here are some beats, go practice this.” Steve’s books have so much quality educational information in them as well as “learning beats,” and having fun with it at the same time. His approach to his books have meaning in my opinion.

!114


J.P.: Have you brought Steve Houghton in as a guest artist/clinician? What are your thoughts about him as a guest artist/clinician when you’ve brought him in at the University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA)?

S.R.: I’ve had him in about four or five times since I’ve been at UTSA. We brought him in last fall (2016) when I think he visited you guys at Texas Tech University as well. He’s always willing to go the extra mile. He’s thought out what he wants to present, is extremely organized, and can go in complete “educator mode.” He’ll bring kids up and talk about what they need to know and is so engaged with students. The students are always so pumped up while he’s here and after he’s left.

J.P.: He always makes someone sound a little bit better in that brief amount of time than they did prior to the clinic.

S.R.: Right, not everyone can do that. There’s an art to it. It’s always been a positive impact whenever he’s on campus.

J.P.: In your opinion, how has Steve Houghton made an impact on jazz drumming education and pedagogy?

S.R.: He's certainly one of the top artists to bring pedagogy to the subject jazz drumming. He is able to verbalize it and write it down. He’s not the only one, but he’s been one to think through things, write it down, and talk about it. He's a part of a handful of guys like Peter Erskine and Ed Soph who have actually brought pedagogy to the jazz world. I think he's had a huge impact.

J.P.: Do you have any other thoughts on Steve Houghton as an artist and educator?

S.R.: I've know him for such a long time, and he’s one of the guys in the business who’s integrity, ethics, and expectations are extremely high. Along with being a great artist, he’s a great guy.

!115


APPENDIX H


Jim Rupp

December 1, 2017

J.P.: How long have you know Steve Houghton and when did you first meet?

J.R.: He doesn’t remember it, but Steve was with Woody Herman’s band and he played at Norton’s Brown Derby in Norton, Ohio. I'm almost positive I was a freshman in college and they sounded killin! What an inspiration for a young college student. I went up and met him and he was very nice. I was just a young college student, and I don’t think he would remember that interaction.

J.P.: When did you guys meet officially after that encounter?

J.R.: It feels like I've know Steve forever. When he and Ed Soph did the summer workshops at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio we would hang out. We met in the mid 1970s but it seems like we were reacquainted again in the mid-1980s when I was with Woody Herman.

J.P.: What are some of the qualities of Steve Houghton’s drumset playing that makes him unique?

J.R.: He covers such a broad range of styles extremely well. He can do a “Basie” style, a loose “Motian” style with a trio, a funk chart, a Latin chart, and can read “fly-specs.” The thing that amazes me so much is that he has such strong “classical chops.” It’s extremely rare to have a drumset guy that is playing at that incredible level and can also cross over and play a marimba concerto.

J.P.: Are there any specific artists that you associate Steve Houghton with the most as a jazz drummer?

J.R.: Of course I first heard him with Woody Herman, but then there is Freddie Hubbard. Steve was killin' as a drummer for Freddie. There’s also his work with Maureen McGovern. He was so sensitive when he needed to be and really driving the bus on other tunes that needed it. I always think of those three, where I heard him and was really impressed.

J.P.: How has Steve Houghton made an impact on jazz drumming education and pedagogy?

J.R.: Huge. He has so many practical materials out there. That’s the thing about Steve's stuff; it’s really practical and concise. He was the first guy to do so much of that stuff. For example, Studio and Big Band Drumming and a lot of his other materials were written for a need.

!116


Sometimes guys write things that might be a re-hash of other stuff, but Steve never did that. He really found niches that had a big whole and were real practical. That’s what he did and he made a huge impact.

J.P.: Do you use any of his other method books besides Studio and Big Band Drumming in your teaching?

J.R.: I use the Ultimate Drumset Reading Anthology with show drumming and chart-reading. I use that one to guide and talk through charts with students as to what they might see. I really like some of the newer books with Dave Black that are geared towards kids. I thought those were really cool and practical. I think that's the biggest thing with Steve. He's a really practical guy whether it be in his books or in his approach to teaching the instrument.

J.P.: Have you ever brought Steve Houghton in as a clinician or have you ever witnessed an you them?

J.R.: I’ve seen his clinics because he was always at the drumset workshop for a long time. We would always hang out there and I got to see him teach. I've had a couple of students go study with him when he was at Percussion Institute of Technology (PIT) in L.A. All of them really raved about his teach. I don’t know if you know this but the students there used to call him the “colonel.” I had an eighth grade science teacher who was an ex-Marine Drill Sergeant and he was a tough guy. At our twenty-fifth class reunion, he was the one teacher who everyone wanted to have back because he was so cool and demanded a lot. You really loved him. I think it’s the same thing with Steve. He gets you to go from point A to point B real quickly without sugarcoating anything and isn’t mean about it. He gets you there.

J.P.: I completely agree. He developed my drumset playing tremendously and I owe a lot of it to him.

J.R.: I would say that there’s a fine line as a drumset player. We’re like the quarterback of a football team. You have to have enough confidence and ego to be confident in what you do. You can't go out there and be shy. However at the same time, if you have too much ego it can get in the way. Steve has a very nice balance. He’s an extremely confident player and there is no ego that gets out of line. He goes and does what he does and does it great. He’s not trying to “fluster” up anything.

J.P.: What are your thoughts on Steve Houghton’s contributions to the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) and the Jazz Education Network (JEN)?

J.R.: I’m not very familiar with his work with JEN other than I've heard people say he was a real asset to have on board. I think the same attributes to his teaching apply to his work with PAS. An extremely practical guy who everyone likes. Steve tried to make PAS a very practical organization and tried to help it reach a much broader range of percussionists and drummers.

!117


When he works with other people, he has a great way of moving things along. He likes to get things done and isn't a jerk about it so people like working with him.

J.P.: Do you have any other thoughts or final words about Steve Houghton before we wrap this interview up?

J.R.: He's just a real, authentic guy who you really like and admire. Both who he is personally and musically. He's done so much like commissioning pieces with drumset and percussion when there was almost nothing that existed before him. He’s found a niche where nothing existed and filled it with quality materials. I'm a big fan.

!118


APPENDIX I


Mitch Shiner

December 11, 2017

J.P.: What was it about Steve Houghton that drew you to Indiana University (IU-JSoM)? Why did you decide to go there and study with him?

M.S.: I met him when in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when I was in high school at a Woody Herman Tribute Festival. It was through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, I was playing in a big band that he coached and was a guest clinician. I got to play and work with him and he said, “you should audition at IU-JSoM” and gave me his card. The rest is history.

J.P.: Was that the only place you considered going or did you audition anywhere else?

M.S.: I did, but IU-JSoM was my first audition and I felt really good about it. At the time, around 2009 or 2010, the financial crisis had just taken place. I had mentioned to Steve about my financial situation and he worked his butt off to get me in the door. He put me in touch with all of the right people and he even worked with the financial aid people to make it happen. I did an in-person audition in Bloomington, Indiana in January.

J.P.: When you first arrived at IU-JSoM as a jazz major, what was his system that he had in place as a student? What did you begin with in your lessons and how was your time with him over time?

M.S.: I believe he started with the “Houghton Sampler” with like 10 tracks on it, where he said “this is the final project and we’re going to work to get to the end of it.” It had everything from the Michel Camilo trio to Paul Simon.

J.P.: Were you studying and transcribing particular drummers on those albums?

M.S.: Yeah, he said we’re going to learn all of these styles. One of the first things when I got there was the “Walkin’ About” assignment, which I still use in my teaching with high schoolers. Basically you need to learn everything about the melody-forwards and backwards. I think that was the moment that really opened my eyes to the fact that I was like “ok, I’m playing drums and I’m playing this chart, but it’s really about knowing what’s going on around you.” I think Steve made it really clear that you have to be doing your thing as a drummer but you need to know every horn hit, the melody, and every fill that Mel Lewis plays. He would say, “Sing the melody but play the fill that Mel played.” It was ridiculous you know? It wasn’t necessarily to re-create that in a performance setting, but more as how it would stretch your mind. Now I can look back

!119


and see that he was really trying to drive a wedge in to my brain to see how much I could tolerate.

J.P.: Were there any specific method books of his that you remember working out of?

M.S.: We definitely worked out of the the Drumset Soloist and then I had just won the Disney All-American College Band audition after my freshman year. Steve had gone on sabbatical and when he came back he was like “Wow! Cool.” So then he gave me Studio and Big Band Drumming and told me that he’d be the first guest clinician for the Disney Band. He told me that I needed to know that book front and back. I remember working on the “eighth note rule,” and all of the kicks, and internalizing all of the different formulas which was really amazing. The fact that he told me to do all of that stuff, which I did, really prepared me for the job. It helped that I was hungry as “all hell.” We did a lot of sight reading and worked on “jingles.” I know we used some of the stuff that was more for commercial music purposes. I also remember around my junior year, we worked on the Pat Metheny big band material, and this was interesting because Steve had all of the charts that were used from the recordings. We could actually work on the stuff that he did on those recordings and charts.

J.P.: I remember all of that Bob Curnow stuff like “It’s Just-Talk” and “The First Circle.”

M.S.: Right all of the Curnow stuff and we learned all of them.

J.P.: I know you’re an amazing vibraphone player. Were you a vibraphone player before you got to IU-JSoM? How did Steve Houghton help you develop in that area?

M.S.: I think it was a combination of Steve and David Baker’s improvisation classes where the first assignment was “learn the hardest bebop heads ever.” Steve opened the door with my vibraphone playing and composition with more “ballad” type tunes like Crystal Silence and others. That style got me use to playing the melody and being able to “comp” with yourself while playing the melody. What was interesting was Steve would hypothetically tell me, “you have a hotel lobby solo vibraphone gig coming up in two weeks. So next week, I need ten tunes out of the Great American Songbook set by you, the solo vibraphone player.” He would give me real-world experience that made it relevant. He’d actually turn the lights down in his office and expect solo vibraphone style playing. Then, he’d say, “You need half of a set of Beatles music. Come back next week. Goodbye.” I would move up with a vibraphone for the next 2 weeks and nobody would see me.

J.P.: What was Steve Houghton’s impact on the jazz department at IU-JSoM? What was he like in the combo/big band settings and in other classes like Rhythm Section Masterclass (RSM)?

M.S.: I think he had a lot of good information especially in RSM. His variety of style was always nice because there are so many other faculty who could only play one style of music and that was the only thing that they would talk about. Steve would say “we need a Brazilian week,

!120


a fusion week, a groove week, an ECM etc.” I’m sure that the structure of that class in particular had a lot to do with Steve’s input.

J.P.: Are there any particular albums or artists that Steve Houghton has played with that you find are pillars in his artistic career?

M.S.: Tribal Tech is cool. But really, he played and recorded with Freddie Hubbard. He has an album with Freddie Hubbard. I mean he played with Freddie. That’s ridiculous. He also did the Bob Curnow thing which was amazing. I think the AHA! Trio has been a great outlet for him and is important for him now. It’s good for his students to see him play in a group like that.

J.P.: As a student you were able to go out and watch him play a lot. What are some things that you like about his playing? What is it that you admire as a musician?

M.S.: Consistency, attention to detail, and color. The textural element is there in addition to his consistency of playing. A lot of times, you get people who are really good at playing the colorful stuff whose sound and consistency of groove and tempo is not all there. He can play in a very aggressive “Art Blakey” style at times too.

!121


APPENDIX J

EMAIL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

John Tafoya

December 9, 2017

J.P.: What was your relationship like with Steve Houghton before you arrived at Indiana University (IU-JSoM)?

J.T.: I did not know Steve very well personally...I knew Steve professionally-seeing him at PASIC, etc. and I was very much aware of his reputation as an incredibly successful jazz drummer and teacher.

J.P.: What is Steve Houghton’s Legacy when it comes to the percussion department at IU-JSoM?

J.T.: Providing a solid education on obviously the instruments he teaches (drumset, jazz vibes, etc.) but also helping his students cultivate a vision for future careers; asking them what their short-term and long-term goals are, and also making sure they have other skill sets (recording, internet presence, etc.) that will help them succeed. I must say that a good part of the reason I decided to join the IU-JSoM percussion faculty was watching Steve interact with the percussion students. He had (and has) a very genuine and caring way about him, but this is also balanced against his ideas and goals for each student. His practical outlook on how the music business works and what students need to become successful matched up with my way of thinking as well.

J.P.: What are your thoughts on Steve Houghton’s system that he has in place for the classical percussionists that go study with him?

J.T.: I do know that Steve has had previous experience playing in orchestras etc. however, I am not fully aware of his "system" for teaching classical percussion. Obviously, at IU-JSoM if there is a serious "orchestral" student - they will most likely study with me. However, I have seen Steve's students prepare and perform concert style snare drum etudes and they are always thoroughly prepared.

J.P.: How has Steve Houghton made an impact on jazz drumming education and pedagogy? Are there any method books that he has written that you find valuable?

J.T.: I believe Steve now has well over 30 drum set books available today - an incredibly accomplishment. I do know that his Essential Styles book is considered “the go to” book for drummers who are working on various styles - and can play along to the many tracks provided in

!122


the book. His most recent project, Inside the Teaching Studio, via Vic Firth has very successful and is unique in that it features his students. There are other important video series as well including: Jazz Rhythm Section 101, Drumset 101, Steve Houghton Lesson Series, and The Jazz Trio: An Inside View-which is one of my favorites as there was a nice CD that resulted in this project.

J.P.: In your experiences with Steve Houghton in a musical setting such as the premier of the drumset and timpani duet, Santorini what makes him a great musician?

J.T.: Steve is the perfect “chamber musician" - flexible (both musically and personally) and a pleasure to work with. Always upbeat and positive, probably the funniest moment was when we were rehearsing an "open" section where I was simply to play 16 measures of an improvised solo and I kept playing beyond that (lost my place)-Steve looked at me and smiled saying: "John, you've already played about 24 measures.” In a piece like Santorini, which was written out in some places and open in other spots, he was an incredible listener, and picked up a lot of what I was doing and once I was aware of this, I began listening even more as well. He is incredibly comfortable and exudes a great deal of confidence when he performs.

J.P.: What are your thoughts on Steve Houghton’s leadership in the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) and the work that he’s done for the organization?

J.T.: As President of PAS, Steve was instrumental in making sure that PAS was headed in the right direction. The website (which needed a huge overhaul) was something he pursued which resulted in a much nicer website presence for PAS. He was also very hands on when it came to the unveiling of the Rhythm! PAS museum as well. I remember he contacted me because extra sound files were needed for a couple of exhibits. I left sound files on a CD in his mailbox - and by the next day or so those sound files were playing in the museum! PAS is a unique organization since it is 99% volunteer driven. Steve had the right combination of experience, confidence, and vision and showed incredible leadership during his Presidency of PAS.

!123


APPENDIX K

LECTURE RECITAL HANDOUT

Steve Houghton:Percussion Artist, Pedagogue, and Leader

!124


The early years (1954-1980)

The Music Man Kenosha, Wisconsin

Woody Herman Light My Fire and Buddy Rich’s Keep the Customer Satisfied and Big Swing Face

!125


North Texas State University Lab Band Lab 75 “lizard album” with musical example “Overture To The Royal Mongolian Suma Foos-

ball Festival” (1975)

Woody Herman’s Young Thundering Herd Woody Herman 1730 (1976)

!126


Woody Herman 2030 (1976)

Woody Herman and His Big Band in Poland (1976)

!127


High Rise High Rise (1977)

Alumni Series from the North Texas State University Jazz Lab Bands The Dan Haerle Quartet (1978)

!128


Woody Herman Raven Speaks (Joe La Barbera), Giant Steps (Ed Soph), and Light My Fire (Soph)

The middle years (1980-2001)

Toshiko Akyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band Farewell to Mingus with musical example “After Mr. Teng”

!129


Tanuki’s Night Out (1981) From Toshiko With Love (1981)

Freddie Hubbard The Best of Freddie Hubbard: Live in the Studio (1981)

!130


A Little Night Music (1981)

Born to Be Blue (1982) with musical example “Joy Spring”

!131


Freddie Hubbard Classics (1984)

!132


Tribal Tech Spears (1985)

Dr. Hee (1987) with musical example “Mango Prom”

!133


Nomad (1990)

Bob Florence Big Band Funupsmanship (1992) with musical example “Slimehouse”

!134


Bob Curnow Bob Curnow’s L.A. Big Band Plays the Music of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays (1994) with musi-

cal example “The First Circle”

UNT Two O’Clock Lab Band, Steve Houghton Quintet The Manne We Love: Gershwin Revisited (2001)

!135


Method Books

Studio & Big Band Drum Parts for Today’s Ensemble Drummer (1985) with playing example “Fatback, Jones & Smith”

Essential Styles for the Drummer and Bassist with playing example “Songo”

!136


The Drumset Soloist with playing example “Rhythm Changes”

The Ultimate Drumset Chart Reading Anthology with playing example “The Audition”

!137


Later Years (2001-Present) Artistry

Clay Jenkins Matter of Time (2004) with musical examples “Two-Below”

Phil Kelly & the SW Santa Ana Winds b.) My Museum (2006)

!138


Ray Brown’s Great Big Band Kayak (2010) with musical examples “Seven Steps to Heaven”

AHA! Quintet Freespace (2011)

!139


AHA! Trio Brother to Brother (2016)

Method books

Kid’s Drum Course (2003) Rhythm Section Workshop for Jazz Directors (2005)

!140


Complete list of Steve Houghton’s method books (2007-1984)

Drumset 101 (Alfred Publications) Dave Black co-author, 2007

Rhythm Section Workshop for Jazz Directors (Alfred) 2005 DVD and book series Shelly Berg, Lou Fischer, Fred Hamilton co-authors

Kid’s Drumset Course (Alfred) Dave Black co-author, 2004

Kid’s Drum Course 1&2 (Alfred) Dave Black co-author, 2003

Play and Teach Percussion (GIA) Linda Petersen co-author, 2003

Killer Grooves (Carl Fisher) 2002 A collection of drum grooves from today’s top drum artists.

Do It! (GIA) James Froseth co-author, 1998-2001 Books I, II, and III. (Band method – percussion)

The Ultimate Drumset Chart Reading Anthology (Alfred) 1998

The Contemporary Rhythm Section (Warner Bros.) 1996 A series consisting of five educational videos/books.

The Drumset Soloist (Warner Bros.) 1996

The Drumset Performer (Warner Bros.) 1996

Mastertracks (Alfred) 1996 A four-volume improvisation series: Jazz, Fusion, Latin and Blues.

Percussion Recital Series (Warner Bros.) 1996 A four-volume set.

Pat Metheny Series for Percussion Ensemble (Sierra Music) 1992

Essential Styles II for the Drummer and Bassist (Alfred) 1992

Essential Styles for the Drummer and Bassist (Alfred) 1990

Jazz Beginnings (J and J) 1988

!141


Stylistic Etudes in the Jazz Idiom (Lou Fischer) 1987

Studio and Big Band Drumming (C. L. Barnhouse) 1985

A Guide for the Modern Jazz Rhythm Section (C.L. Barnhouse) 1984

!142

copyright 2018, james robert pendell

Documents