Transcription: Kendrick Scott - Intro groove to "How We Love," by Gretchen Parlato

If you don't know Kendrick Scott, it's time for you to jump onto itunes and youtube and get educated!  Kendrick is one of the baddest young drummers performing today, but don't take my word for it, just ask Terence Blanchard, Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, or dozens more why they choose him for their bands! 

I graduated from Berklee with Kendrick in 2003, but the first time I ever heard of him was the summer of my senior year at Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan.  At that time, I was playing in a combo with the great alto saxophonist Patrick Cornelius, bassist Matt Brewer, and pianist Roland Hamilton, and having a great time playing with like-minded musicians.  I remember talking to Patrick one evening and he was going on and on about this amazing drummer from Texas named Kendrick.  He was so excited that he gave me his walk-man and a tape of the Texas All-State Jazz Band for me to check out that night.  Needless to say, I was blown away that someone my age could play so well.  Later, I considered taking my stick bag over to Lake Michigan for a little dip, but I refrained and hit the practice room instead!  :) 

About three years after hearing that tape, I finally found my way to Boston and re-united with Patrick and many other amazing musicians at Berklee.  Before I even hit my first class, everyone I met was talking about Kendrick.  It's fair to say that Kendrick pretty much dominated the Berklee straight-ahead scene with his unbelievable musicianship and performances with Walter Smith III, Warren Wolff, and many others.  I spent a lot of time going to the various recitals he was playing, and I learned a lot just by watching him perform.  What always did it for me was his unique touch on the cymbals and how dynamic he was when interacting within a group.  He was also very good at building rhythmic tension through metric modulations and displacement, and like a magician, he didn't show you the cards until the tension was at it's peak, then BAM!  He is an amazing combination of so many great drummers past and present and everytime I hear him he develops more into his own voice.  He is a pace car for many of us, no doubt, and I'm thankful to have had the chance to learn from him all these years. 

Notes on the Transcription:

The other day I heard a nasty little groove on the track called, "How We Love, " from the new Gretchen Parlato CD, The Lost and Found.  It was a Samba, but it also had a little Hip-Hop mixed in.  Right off the bat I could tell it was one of the Houston drummers (Kendrick, Chris Dave, Eric Harland), but all it took was to hear the cymbals at the end of the intro to know it was KADS!  It's difficult to put into words what that touch is on the cymbals, but it is completely his own and you have to check it out for yourself. 

Note #1: I could have written this transcription out as eighth notes, but I thought that it would be easier for you to navigate the ghost notes as sixteenths.

Note #2: You are going to see some ghost notes on the snare that almost sound like they aren't there, but if you slow the recording down (I had it down to 45% it's original tempo), you will hear each one of them.  I think those ghost notes are what makes the groove flow so nicely.  Try it out for yourself... 

Thanks for the great music, Kendrick!

Download PDF here, Thanks!