Mark McLean plays the TD Toronto Jazz Festival
Mark McLean/RON SCHUSTER
By Angela Walcott
A drummer’s only responsibility is to keep time, right? Wrong. There is a lot more than tapping sticks, banging skins and brushing cymbals involved, and after listening to seasoned drummer Mark McLean play at the 25th TD Toronto Jazz Festival, you begin to hear and appreciate the instrument in a whole new way.
No stranger to the festival, Mark McLean performed for the first time back in 1997. “A drummer doesn’t always have to take the lead,” McLean explains. “Sometimes it is about initiating– not always reacting,” he says.
International piano sensation Andy Bey, whom McLean worked with, once described the drummer as an “intelligent, immensely talented musician with a curious mind and a listening ear.” McLean smiles and explains, “Good drummers can create tension and release without playing a lot of notes and by listening.” He has performed with the likes of Macy Gray, Quincy Jones, Gladys Knight, Jane Bunnett, the late Oscar Peterson and Molly Johnson, to name a few.
McLean, a gifted classically-trained pianist, made the switch to drums. Coming from a long line of musicians, McLean honed his skills with lots of practice. Practice came in the form of his high school band and the competitive U of T Jazz Performance School (he was accepted to the prestigious Berklee College in Boston, which he declined).
Practicing at home alongside his brother Lester McLean, who is an exceptionally talented saxophonist/vocalist, helped, too. The McLean brothers formed the acid jazz and funk band “The Colour of Soul” which also included multi-talented pianist, radio and TV broadcaster Andrew Craig.
Although inspired by classical music, “Jazz came easily,” the New York-based musician says. “There was an immediate freedom.” Interestingly, McLean mentions that some of the popular James Brown beats evolved from jazz. Major musical influences for the drummer include Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder who he says he would like to perform with one day.
Mark McLean says a common misconception about drummers is that they have no knowledge of musical theory. He admits, “I think melodically and use musical notes to bring out certain colours that imply the harmony.”
His words are true poetry and phrasing it so beautifully, curiosity took hold. The need to explore the jazzy drum sounds for myself, drove me to the Festival headquarters at Metro Hall the next day where McLean was set to perform.
Dressed casually in jeans, a blue t-shirt and sports jacket, he soon had me understanding what the life of a drummer was all about. There’s an ongoing dialogue between his band members. And so with Andy Bey’s comments about McLean’s curious mind and listening ear, I too began to grow more curious and listen more carefully.
A hypnotic rendition of “I Am Calling You” from the movie Bagdad Café struck a chord with the audience. His final song, “Wheelhouse”, from his new CD, Mark McLean’s Playground offered mind-boggling tempo changes from beginning to end. Teasing the audience with quick-slow beats intermingled with major pauses, are the curve balls that keep his band and the audience on their toes.
So what else is on the horizon for the drummer? Animation. He is working on a script for an animated feature.
While McLean insists that a drummer doesn’t always take the lead, as far as things go, he is a leading musician.
From June 24th- July 15th Mark McLean’s Playground will be touring across Canada.
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