Ed Soph - "I Don't Teach Jazz Drums, I Teach Improvisation"

Today we have an interview I’m very excited about.

One of the forefathers of jazz drum instruction - though as you’ll hear he doesn’t like the taxonomy, preferring to say he’s an “improvisation teacher”.

The biggest surprise for me upon speaking to Ed is that he’s an iconoclast. His energy is pure punk-rock, and he has no time for the idea of “handedness” on the drums, nor the “walling off” of jazz from other forms of improvisation.

Ed and I chat about hierarchies in music, how Denton, TX became a music powerhouse away from either of the coasts, teaching psychology, the value of honesty in music, and more.

Want to get the podcast early every week? Just click the link associated with this eposide and enter your email!

Chapters

0:00 - how did the University of North Texas become such a music powerhouse 5:30 - how Ed balances "going deep into the roots" with giving a fast overview 9:00 - why does Ed like Warren "Baby" Dodds so much 15:00 - the origin of Ed's brush approach 19:31 - why Ed doesn't believe in "handedness" 20:59 - how to help a student find their voice 28:17 - how to tell if you don't have it yet or you'll never have it 34:00 - why Ed finds it important to incept students with a work ethic 41:10 - gentle ways to teach touch lessons 51:40 - why Ed doesn't like the label "jazz teacher"