#trap kit

There is archaeological evidence from the Paleolithic era of an animal skin stretched over a hollow log that suggests humans were using drums at least 35,000 years ago. However, the drum kit is a new invention, haphazardly coming together out of necessity around 1890. It’s a distinctly American instrument, a hodgepodge of a contraption (for most of its existence it has been called a “trap kit”, short for contraption), bringing together influences from the plethora of new immigrants that were flooding into America at the time. New Orleans was the epicenter of the new music of Ragtime, Blues and Jazz and the trap kit was the pulse of it all. Those early days drummers experimented heavily with different configurations of this new instrument, adding cymbals from Turkey, Tom Tom’s and Buddhist temple blocks from China, snares from Europe, bass drums from Western Asia and various rattles, shakers, etc. from Africa as well as pillaging through tool sheds and barns for whatever else would work like sandpaper, anvils, bike horns, alarm bells, cowbells and woodblocks. It’s a truly global mash-up! Drummers used all of these things to create new rhythms for new music, a succinct version of the Percussion ensembles from West Africa. I like to reflect on this history every time I scratch together a new contraption of my own from the mess that is laying about my studio. This current kit includes an oversized bass drum from the Big Band-era that I bought from a retired drummer that posted it in The Chicago Reader in the mid-90’s. The equally oversized Ride cymbal was left at Scott Tuma’s house by Dirty Three drummer, Jim White (he told me that I could keep it because he found its resonance to be too unruly). The Dholak was brought back from India from my friend @pmtummala , the Changgo was shipped from Korea by my Pungmul instructor and the Pakistani Dumbek I bought off of some weirdo in Wicker Park back when the neighbored was still weird. Those trashy cymbals were picked up at a Rogers Park yard sale by my friend Joe. The Moktak and small bells are from a Buddhist temple gift shop in Korea, the vibrator from an Andersonville sex shop and the “monkey call” was a gift that my next door neighbor brought back from India for G. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo9GsVsli2K/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=vwbio0yncc4q

Tracking one of the prettiest @sjcdrums X @burberry kits I ever did see. (at The Office Recording)