Drum History

Bart Vanderzee

A podcast all about the rich history of the drums - and how they became what they are today! Join Bart van der Zee as he speaks with experts about the curious journey of the ever-evolving drum set.

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279 episodes
Updated Dec 18, 2025

Episodes279

Newest first

Dec 19, 2023 · 3 min
Drum History Podcast Intro Challenge is live!
Thanks to everyone who submitted videos of themselves playing the Drum History Podcast intro music for the 2023 Drum History Intro Challenge to help me celebrate 5 years of the Podcast. We got 33 great submissions from all over the world and they are all unique and sound amazing! Check it out on YouTube -
Dec 12, 2023 · 47 min
(The Vault) The Birth of the Drum Set with Dr. Jaz Sawyer
(Released May 2019) Did Papa Jo Jones invent the Hi-Hat with the help of a plumber? Find out in this episode! Jaz takes us from the beginnings of drumming in Africa through the advent of the modern drum set as we know it today. The amount of different cultures drumming styles that blended together leading up to "double drumming" goes much deeper than I ever thought.
Dec 5, 2023 · 2 hr 5 min
A Look at Tony Williams Cymbals (Part 4: 1963-1997) with Paul Wells
Paul Wells closes out the 4 part Tony Williams series with a deep dive into TW's legendary cymbals, and his Sticks and Heads. Tony Williams is one of the most iconic drummers of the 20th century, with a meteoric rise from his days with Miles Davis to his Lifetime project, and he became jazz royalty through his tireless pursuit of pushing our instrument to its limits. Tony Williams will always be one of the greatest drummers of all time, and his cymbals are almost as legendary as his playing. How
Nov 28, 2023 · 1 hr 30 min
A Look at Tony Williams Gear (Part 3: 1990-1997) with Scott Garrison
Scott Garrison was Tony Williams drum tech from 1994 through Tony's passing in 1997. He takes us on a journey through the gear and his experiences with Tony Williams in great detail. Tony Williams is one of the most iconic drummers of the 20th century, with a meteoric rise from his days with Miles Davis to his Lifetime project, and he became jazz royalty through his tireless pursuit of pushing our instrument to its limits. Tony Williams will always be one of the greatest drummers of all time, an
Nov 21, 2023 · 1 hr 50 min
A Look at Tony Williams Gear (Part 2: 1975-1990) with Paul Wells
Paul Wells takes us on a journey through the gear of Tony Williams in extreme detail. Tony Williams is one of the most iconic drummers of the 20th century, with a meteoric rise from his days with Miles Davis to his Lifetime project, and he became jazz royalty through his tireless pursuit of pushing our instrument to its limits. Tony Williams will always be one of the greatest drummers of all time, and his gear is almost as legendary as his playing. However, it wasn't always the big yellow monste
Nov 14, 2023 · 1 hr 36 min
A Look at Tony Williams Gear (Part 1: 1940's-1975) with Paul Wells
Paul Wells is back on the show to take us on an a journey through the gear of Tony Williams in extreme detail. Tony Williams is one of the most iconic drummers of the 20th century with a meteoric rise from his days with Miles Davis, to his Lifetime project, and becoming jazz royalty through his tireless pursuit of pushing our instrument to its limits. Tony Williams will always be one of the greatest drummers of all time, and his gear is almost as legendary as his playing, but it wasn't always th
Nov 7, 2023 · 54 min
(The Vault) The Roots of Reggae Drumming with Gil Sharone
Gil is a world renowned drummer who shares his deep passion and knowledge for Reggae drumming in this great episode, He takes us through all the sub genres such as ska, rocksteady, dub, and dancehall. Plus he teaches us about the legends in Reggae drumming such as Lloyd Knibb and Carlton Bennett, and the gear that these Jamaican drummers would use when playing with icons such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Lee Perry and many more.
Oct 31, 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
From “War Dogs” to Drum Machines with David Packouz
David Packouz was the subject of the 2016 film 'War Dogs' (starring Miles Teller and Jonah Hill), which chronicled his incredible experience as a contract gun runner for the US government during the Iraq War. In complete contrast to that, he has more recently created a top-of-the-line drum machine called the Beat Buddy, which captures the feel of a real drummer in a pedal. David shares the story of his wild experiences as a "war dog" and how he made the enormous leap to becoming the inventor of
Oct 24, 2023 · 13 min
5 year Anniversary of Drum History! (Listener Video Project)
Thank you to everyone who has supported the show over the last 5 years! I am excited to announce a project where I am going to make a video showcasing you guys performing the Drum History Podcast Into music. Shoot a video of yourself performing and send me the files to drummingwithbart1@gmail.com by November 7th, 2023 and I will edit everything together! After that date, I will put the link for the video in the description of this video and you can find it on my YouTube channel!
Oct 17, 2023 · 1 hr 15 min
Exploring Calfskin Drum Heads with Rob Cook
Rob Cook joins me to discuss all things calfskin drumheads in this interesting and educational episode! We talk about the differences between calfskin and other animal skin heads, the level of durability, how temperature affects them, what happened to the industry when plastic heads came along and much more! Rob Cook is the founder of Rebeats, runs the Chicago Drum Show and is a renowned author and historian.
Oct 10, 2023 · 1 hr
Mind. Body. Drums. - Drumming and the Nervous System with Adam Gust
Adam Gust teaches us how understanding Neuroscience, The Vegus Nerve, and listening to your body and emotions can help you be a better drummer with less pain and tension in your body. Adam began this quest to combine brain science and drumming after traumatic experience where he lost the ability to play the drums after walking through a plate glass window which shattered all over his hands. He applied what he learned and is now back to drumming better than ever and is on a mission to share this
Oct 3, 2023 · 1 hr 10 min
The Rarest Cymbals in the World with Gerry Porter (Hazelshould)
Gerry Porter deals in the finest drums and cymbals in the world at hazelshould.com, and he shares his immense knowledge of ultra-rare, famous, and valuable cymbals with us in this unique episode! We talk about what makes the Istanbul K's so rare and sought-after, the power of a celebrity owned cymbal (Tony Williams, John Bonham, Roy Haynes), and rare cymbals that aren't just Zildjian Rides - such as hi-hats, splashes, and crashes that you should be on the hunt for! Gerry also gives us the tip on
Sep 26, 2023 · 47 min
(The Vault) The Medal of Honor Drummer Boy with Marlene Targ Brill
Released 12/2020 - Orion was a 14 year old drummer boy in the Civil War when he earned the Medal of Honor for an extremely courageous act in battle. Marlene Shares his amazing story that begins when he enters the war at 12 years old through the rest of his life, and the lives of his musical family. We learn all about drummer boys and the role they played in the war, including Johnny Clem - the youngest noncommisioned officer in army history who began as a drummer.
Sep 19, 2023 · 55 min
The Lessons of Mike Clark with Rob Hart
Mike Clark is one of the most respected jazz, funk, and fusion drummers of the 20th century with his own unique style and approach to the kit. Rob Hart joins me back on the podcast to share recordings of a lesson he took with Mike in 1992 which grew into a 30+ year friendship. We go through 8 clips that were recorded in a San Francisco Apartment with a mix of Mike Clark and Rob Hart playing which makes this a very fun and interesting episode!
Sep 12, 2023 · 1 hr
(The Vault) The History of Remo Drumheads with Herbie May
(Released 2019) Herbie is a 32 year veteran of the Remo Company and shares the full history of the company with us, including the controversial debate between Evans and Remo and who was first to invent the synthetic drumhead. Remo is one of the most famous names in drums and it all stems back to one man, Remo Belli. Herbie was good friends with Remo and worked closely with throughout his career and shares many stories that come straight from Remo himself.
Sep 5, 2023 · 1 hr 29 min
A Look at Lars Ulrich's Gear (Part 2) with Chris Russio
In part 2, Chris and I take a deep dive into each and every kit that Lars used from the iconic Black Album Artstar II kit up to todays yellow StarClassics for the 72 Seasons tour, and everything in between. We discuss his major changes in gear including the shrinking of his kit and him getting rid of the mega power tom kits for the modern StarClassics. Part 2 covers from 1990 through to today and we touch on many aspects of his earlier kits that weren't mentioned in part 1. Lars Ulrich and Metal
Aug 29, 2023 · 1 hr 19 min
A Look at Lars Ulrich's Gear (Part 1) with Chris Russio
Chris and I take a deep dive into each and every kit that Lars used since he was a little kid and received mix and match kit from his Grandmother, up to the iconic Justice tour kit with the monkey strapped to the front from 1988. We discuss his sticks, heads, pedals, hardware, and each and every drum set including the Camco's that got stolen! Part 1 covers from the beginning through the 80's, and Part 2 will pick up with the 90's through to today. Lars Ulrich and Metallica are hard rock icons an
Aug 22, 2023 · 50 min
The Essence of Philly Joe Jones with Tim Carman
Philly Joe Jones is an icon of jazz drumming who is most famous for his time with Miles Davis and his unique style of soloing and swinging that has made him one of the most respected drummers of the 20th century. Tim Carman is the author of "Philly-Isms" which breaks down the style and essence of Philly Joe Jones at its most basic form, so you can learn to play like the master himself!
Aug 15, 2023 · 1 hr 21 min
Lost Gene Krupa Drum Set Discovered in 2023 with Brooks Tegler and Steve Stevens
Gene Krupa's 1954 Slingerland Radio King drum set was recently discovered and rescued from sitting in a wet basement for the last few decades via an online auction that caught the drum world by storm. I am joined today by the winner of this iconic set, Steve, and GK authentication expert, Brooks Tegler, to hear the full story of this legendary kit. This drum set was featured on the cover of the Drummin' Men book, the Krupa and Rich album, it was used in The Benny Goodman Story Film, and was used
Aug 8, 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
The History of Ebenor Drums with William Leclerc
Ebenor Percussion is a Quebec based drum brand that makes everything from the Lugs to the hoops to the shells in-house! William Leclerc started Ebenor Drums 10 years ago and has grown it to be one of the most well respected names in the world of boutique drums. He started the brand when he was just 21 years old and has climbed his way up the ladder to being an extremely respected builder of wood and metal drums with some of the best looking snares and kits I have ever seen! This is a great story

Drum History

Drum History Podcast Intro Challenge is live!

(The Vault) The Birth of the Drum Set with Dr. Jaz Sawyer

A Look at Tony Williams Cymbals (Part 4: 1963-1997) with Paul Wells

A Look at Tony Williams Gear (Part 3: 1990-1997) with Scott Garrison

A Look at Tony Williams Gear (Part 2: 1975-1990) with Paul Wells

A Look at Tony Williams Gear (Part 1: 1940's-1975) with Paul Wells

(The Vault) The Roots of Reggae Drumming with Gil Sharone

From “War Dogs” to Drum Machines with David Packouz

5 year Anniversary of Drum History! (Listener Video Project)

Exploring Calfskin Drum Heads with Rob Cook

Mind. Body. Drums. - Drumming and the Nervous System with Adam Gust

The Rarest Cymbals in the World with Gerry Porter (Hazelshould)

(The Vault) The Medal of Honor Drummer Boy with Marlene Targ Brill

The Lessons of Mike Clark with Rob Hart

(The Vault) The History of Remo Drumheads with Herbie May

A Look at Lars Ulrich's Gear (Part 2) with Chris Russio

A Look at Lars Ulrich's Gear (Part 1) with Chris Russio

The Essence of Philly Joe Jones with Tim Carman

Lost Gene Krupa Drum Set Discovered in 2023 with Brooks Tegler and Steve Stevens

The History of Ebenor Drums with William Leclerc