The Human Drummer: Thoughts on the Life Percussive

Key West author and musician Hal Howland’s respected memoir The Human Drummer: Thoughts on the Life Percussive, which studio great Hal Blaine said “belongs in every musician’s library” and manufacturer Bill Ludwig Jr. called “truly a masterpiece,” is now available in a revised fifth edition, both as a paperback and as an e-book. The Human Drummer has earned praise from major recording artists, symphonic musicians, and music-industry leaders. The book contains in-depth interviews with the Doors’ John Densmore and the Moody Blues’ Graeme Edge (in the first of which a notorious Ringo Starr rumor is laid to rest); personal recollections of Badfinger, the Beatles, the Bee Gees, Fred Begun, Art Blakey, Dave Brubeck, Gary Burton, Peter Erskine, William Faulkner, Vic Firth, Robert Frost, Saul Goodman, Elvin Jones, John F. Kennedy, Gary Lewis (of the Playboys), Bill Ludwig Jr., Bob Mathias, Joe Morello, Max Roach, Collin Walcott, Tony Williams, Frank Zappa, and other public figures; a firsthand account of the famous 1968 Jim-less Doors concert in Amsterdam; musical and social commentary; advice for students, parents, and professionals; musical memories of America, Europe, the Middle East, and a colorful career in pop, jazz, and classical music; esoteric information for percussionists; groundbreaking timpani research; a professional directory; a satirical glossary; a comprehensive bibliography; an index; and two actual adventures on the high seas.