251 – Eric Kalb: Playing with Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and John Scofield, Merging Groove and Improv, Finding Work that Suits You

Southpaw drummer Eric Kalb is a versatile musician who enjoys playing groove based music. A devotee of R&B and Soul drumming, his improvisational aesthetic is colored by sudden bursts of rock aggression. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Eric is a multi-faceted studio and touring drummer whose “energetic and exhilarating style” (Jazz Times) keeps him in constant demand.

Over the course of his twenty-year career Kalb has taken to both studio and stage with a dazzling cavalcade of influential and innovative artists. He’s laid it down hard for the supernatural force of Miss Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, the seven-string guitar wizardry of Charlie Hunter, jazz guitarist John Scofield and living organ Legend Dr. Lonnie Smith; to name but a few.

In this episode, Eric talks about:

* How he got into Soul and R&B music* Being part of the Sharon Jones “machine”* John Scofield’s “hands-off” style of bandleading* Making Southpaw, his first record as a leader* The many ways success can be defined

Eric endorses DW drums, Istanbul Mehmet cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, and Evans heads