Home » Jazz Articles » Take Five With... » Take Five with Clemens Grassmann

Take Five with Clemens Grassmann

View Slideshow

By AAJ Staff
June 19, 2022
View read count

Meet Clemens Grassmann

Berlin-born, Brooklyn-based drummer, percussionist, composer and educator

Clemens Grassmann

drums
b.1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Clemens Grassmann has collaborated across the U.S. and internationally, releasing multiple recordings as a leader, including Grass Machine (self released, 2022). Recipient of the 2015 Armand Zildjian Percussion Award, Grassmann's genre-defiant aesthetic stretches across generations and unites listeners of every sonic prerogative.

Grassmann's compositions exist in two realms: one of intense, deliberate structure; the other, unbound exploration and spontaneity. Each of his recordings reflect a path through the lineage that begins where his heroes and mentors paved the way for his own generation to experiment and explore.

Eager to help the generation behind him, Grassmann teaches varied levels of drums and percussion and has worked as Artist in Residence in both Boston and New York. Grass Machine is a tale of the strength of community and support amidst the unprecedented disunity wrought by the pandemic.

Instrument:

Drums

Teachers and/or influences?

Ralph Peterson

drums
1962 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Ralph Peterson,

Terri Lyne Carrington

drums
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Terri Lyne Carrington,

Billy Kilson

drums
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Kilson,

Kenwood Dennard

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenwood Dennard,

Neal Smith

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Neal Smith,

Ron Savage

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Ron Savage,

Elvin Jones

drums
1927 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">Elvin Jones,

Tony Williams

drums
1945 - 1997

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Williams,

Roy Haynes

drums
1926 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Roy Haynes,

Alan Dawson

drums
1929 - 1996

" data-original-title="" title="">Alan Dawson,

Frankie Dunlop

drums
1928 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Frankie Dunlop,

Philly Joe Jones

drums
1923 - 1985

" data-original-title="" title="">Philly Joe Jones,

Max Roach

drums
1925 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Max Roach,

Art Blakey

drums
1919 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Blakey,

Al Foster

drums
1944 - 2025

" data-original-title="" title="">Al Foster,

Billy Higgins

drums
1936 - 2001

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Higgins,

Billy Hart

drums
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Hart,

Jack DeJohnette

drums
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Jack DeJohnette.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...

I would listen to my dad's music with him in the car. He was a guitarist himself and would playDeep Purple,

Steve Morse

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Morse,

Eric Johnson

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Eric Johnson or

Huey Lewis and the News

" data-original-title="" title="">Huey Lewis and the News. I started drumming along on the car seats. He tried teaching me guitar and keyboard, but I loved the drums so much that he signed me up for lessons and I joined my school's big band.

Your sound and approach to music.

I always try to be supportive towards the music. As a drummer I'm applying form and shape while remaining receptive to what other musicians are playing. It is so important to engage in conversations while we share our craft and love for music with each other, letting it breathe and develop, establishing communication, creating dynamics, arrangements, improvisation; experiencing and living the music as a whole group. Playing music is the best when it feels great on stage and in the audience. Music is shared passion and love.

Your teaching approach

Focus on basics, rudiments, timing and phrasing, articulation, dynamics, and be open to answering students' questions about songs, techniques, drummers or bands they heard in order to help each student develop their own sound and vocabulary.

Your dream band

Billy Hart

drums
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Hart,

Roy Haynes

drums
1926 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Roy Haynes,

Ron Carter

bass
b.1937

" data-original-title="" title="">Ron Carter,

Herbie Hancock

piano
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Herbie Hancock,

Wayne Shorter

saxophone
1933 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Wayne Shorter,

Sonny Rollins

saxophone
b.1930

" data-original-title="" title="">Sonny Rollins,

Mike Stern

guitar
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Stern, Hal Crook and

Randy Brecker

trumpet
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Randy Brecker.

Road story: Your best or worst experience

I had an incredible time on my very first tour ever, with another band along the West Coast. We started in Seattle, played a few shows and spent July 4th there before driving down towards Oregon, Portland, through northern California and eventually into San Jose and San Francisco for about three weeks. We were five people in a minivan with two guitars, a bass, three amps, a keyboard with seat and stand, a PA, a drum set, a saxophone, microphones, cables and percussion, luggage for five people and, of course, coffee and snacks for the road. Needless to say we all were stoked to get out of the van and play music!

Favorite venue

Village Vanguard

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?

Love.

The first jazz album I bought was:

GRP All Star Big Band Live (GRP Records, 1993)

How would you describe the state of jazz today?

The state of jazz tends to reflect the current state of the world.

What is in the near future?

Teaching students and then playing gigs this weekend. Stay updated on my website.

What is your greatest fear when you perform?

That the bassist loses the form.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

"Sing, Sing, Sing."

What is your favorite song to whistle or sing in the shower?

Usually the song that I had just listened to.

If I weren't a jazz musician, I would be a:

Retiree living in a beach house in California.

If I could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be and why?

I would love to have chicken dinner with

Charlie Parker

saxophone, alto
1920 - 1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Parker and listen to his stories.

clemensgrassmann �� Hirni Quartett

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Bill Charlap, Ron Miles & Jean Fineb...
< Previous

Refuge
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.