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Is Steve Gadd the most influential drummer ever? He's not saying

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One thing that really struck me on the record is your brush technique - all the different nuances you throw in. Do you feel that brush playing is becoming a bit of a lost art, particularly with younger drummers?

"That's a hard one. There's a lot of music that doesn't lend itself to brushes, but whenever I find a song that calls for them, I with them without hesitation. With this group, I'm in a situation where I can play with brushes quite a bit. I love 'em; there's so many things you can do with them. I think if a lot of younger players did have the opportunity to play with brushes more, they'd fall in love with them, too. But so much of the music that's written today is pretty much all stick-driven. That's just the way it is, I guess."

I love the band's interpretation of Them Changes, which is probably the most 'rock' track on the album. On the other hand, there's Georgia On My Mind, which has a groove that's so relaxed and gentle. In fact, it's almost nothing but groove - two minutes go by before the traditional melody is established.

"Yeah, I really respect the musicality that the group brings to a piece of music that people know so well. They wanted to arrange the song in that way, and I think it worked. The truth is, every time we play it, it's never the same. Georgia On My Mind is one of those songs you can do that with - it's so malleable. What's important is to capture its emotion. No matter how you stretch it, you've got to get the feeling right."

Your playing on that song is notable for what you don't do, which is to go off and be flashy. Do you feel pressure sometimes to perform, to always be demonstrating your chops?

"I think when I was younger I experienced those feelings more, and I'd give in to them. Through the years, I worked on that; I developed discipline. Instead of driving the music with this need to show off, I've learned to let the music dictate what I need to do. You have to really listen in order to do that."

You've done so many high-profile gigs. Playing with this group of musicians, is it a chance for you to recharge your batteries in a low-key, no-pressure kind of way?

"Hmmm. I don't know if I have to recharge my batteries. This is just more of an opportunity for me to have a little more say in what's going on. The way this whole group came about is because I found myself with some extra time on my hands, some work fell through, and these are guys that I love so it all came together. We got together and played, and it was a lot of fun. The music sort of evolved, and it continues to."

What are your plans for the band? Are you planning on doing some more gigs, or maybe an actual tour?

"We'll have to see. It depends on everybody's schedule. I'd like to play as much as we can."

As I'm sure you're aware, your drumming style and patterns have been studied extensively. What do you tell players who want to emulate you? Do you feel as though people want to copy you to the point of obsession?

"It's good to be inspired by other drummers; not because you want to sound just like them, but you can take different things from them and create your own style. I'm very flattered that people like what I do, but at the same time, I would tell them to take what they like about it and turn it into their own thing."

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