Alan Dawson - The 1977 Modern Drummer Interview

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John Robinson: "Once I was finally able to study with Alan, a part of me would have been satisfied just to hear the stories from a legend or to watch and hear him play. Alan's teaching technique showed me chart reading, confidence, song sense and, most of all, groove. What Alan did for music is unrivaled. What Alan did for drummers is godly."

Fred Buda: "During my many years teaching with Alan we shared many musical ideas and thoughts about guiding young drummers through the challenges of the art and profession of music. Alan taught his students about the mechanics of playing, but he mostly emphasized the role of the drummer to swing and to make the time comfortable for other musicians to sound their best."

Casey Scheuerell: "Alan was the best mentor a drummer could have. Music, melody and form were what impressed him. He would bust you in a New York-minute for losing your place in a tune. A.D. had a certain crispness to his sound - a snap, crackle, pop, if you will. Alan was one of the best soloists ever to play the instrument. Alan was 'Awesome Dawson'."

Terri Lyne Carrington: "To be a great teacher, one has to have a big heart and a large capacity to love. Alan had those qualities and was very generous to all that came in contact with him. When I started playing drums at age seven, he refused to teach me until I was fourteen for fear that his discipline might discourage me. I didn't realize until many years later how compassionate this was of him. I'll miss Alan's artistry and friendship, and only hope that he felt the love that we all had for him."

Tony Williams: "Alan Dawson was one of the best drummers in the world. That's a fact, not just my opinion. I met Mr. Dawson when I was nine years old. He went out of his way to encourage me, help me and to see that I had opportunities to develop my meager skills. For example, on Saturday nights he would drive one hundred miles out of his way to pick me up in Roxbury, drive to Cambridge to let me perform with his trio and gain valuable experience, and then return me safely home before returning home himself to Lexington. I was twelve years old. Every drummer, local and worldwide, knew of his legendary speed, precision and control. Mr. Dawson didn't only teach me to play the drums, he taught me how to conduct myself as a musician and as a man. Thank you, Alan Dawson."

Bill Bennett’s annotation about him in The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz [Barry Kernfeld, ed., 1994] states “... in 1957 he joined the faculty at the Berklee College of Music [Boston, MA.] beginning an association that lasted until 1975; among his pupils were Tony Williams, Clifford Jarvis, Harvey Mason and Joe LaBarbera.”

Dan Morgenstern, entitled his 1966 Downbeat article about him - “The Poll Winner as Teacher” [xxxiii/19].

Fifteen years later in the same magazine [1980, xlvii/11], Fred Bouchard entitled his feature on him: “Alan Dawson: Teaching the Traps, Gigging with the Greatest.”

And while there’s no doubt that Alan Dawson [1929-1996] was among the finest of drum teachers, if you really what to know who Alan Dawson was as a Jazz musician listen to his solo on Take Five on Dave Brubeck Quartet featuring Gerry Mulligan: The Last Set at Newport [Atlantic SD 1607 issued in 1972].

The teaching parallels between Alan, fellow drummer Joe Morello and Take Five are perhaps a topic for a future Substack feature. In such an essay, one might also consider how fortunate Dave Brubeck was for a contiguous 16 year period to have Joe Morello followed by Alan Dawson as the drummers in the quartets under his leadership. Talk about a surfeit of riches!

The following interview was conducted by Peter Danckert and appeared in the July 1977 issue of Modern Drummer under the title “Chops and Brains Equal a Boston Master.”