The Drum Room - Jazz Drumming Gear and Tunes

Work on your Jazz skills, get practice tracks, drumming gear and great music!

Learn Some New Jazz Drum Skills

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Practice Comping

Beginner comping in 3 easy steps!

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A Cool Rudiment Fill

Use this drum rudiment to spice up your drum fills and solos.

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Hi-Hat Playing In "2"

Learn one of the most important hi-hat patterns in Jazz drumming. 

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5-Minute Brushes Warm Up

In this video from my Brushes Mastery Course, use my windshield wipers drum brushes pattern to warm up your hands. Learn this and dozens of other patterns in the course! 

Drum Gear and Tunes

Practice Tracks | Stick & Brushes | Drums | Hardware | Cymbals | Thrones | Heads | Quiet Gear | Cases | Rugs & Carts | Real Books | Music


Get Drum Practice Tracks!

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Almost Jazz Standards Jazz Drum Practice Tracks

Practice with 23 Jazz drum practice tracks and 2 of the top Jazz musicians in Japan! 

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Trading 4's and 8's Jazz Backing Tracks For Drums

Push your drum soloing with 36 Trading 4's and 8's Jazz backing tracks for drums!
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Jazz Drumless Tracks Swing, Brazilian and Latin

Tighten your time and refine your feel with 78 expertly crafted Jazz drumless tracks.

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Drum Fuel & Soulful Grooves - Drum Jam Tracks

Stay on top of your drum game with 41 drum jam tracks in a variety of styles!

Recommended Drum Gear

Drum Gear Featured In My Beginner Drum Kit Set Up Course and more!

I personally use or have used all of the the products I am recommending below. It's my hand-curated list to help you drum your best. 

These are affiliate links. Buying through Jazz Drum School is a convenient way to get your drum gear  and music and an easy way to support my work with drummers worldwide! Thank you 🤙
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Drum Brushes, Sticks and Mallets

Vic Firth Heritage Brushes

The brushes I've used for over 10 years. Durable, consistent sound with perfectly gauged wire. 

Tama Traditional M-Jazz Drum Sticks

Standard sizes Jazz drum kit with great tone on stage and in the recording studio.

Vic Firth American Classic 7A Drum Sticks

The standard for 7A drum sticks from the largest stick maker in the World. 

Vic Firth American Custom T1 General Timpani Mallets

A high-end snare drum that will give you incredible responsiveness, tone and dynamics. 

Drums

Pearl Midtown Drum Kit

The best compact drum kit I have played and I own one too.

Gretsch Catalina Club Drum Kit

Standard sizes Jazz drum kit with great tone on stage and in the recording studio.

Yamaha Tour Custom Maple Snare Drum

A solid reasonably priced snare drum perfect for your Jazz drumming. 

Pearl Reference One Snare Drum

A high-end snare drum that will give you incredible responsiveness, tone and dynamics. 

Drum Hardware and Bass Drum Pedals

Yamaha Crosstown  Lightweight Aluminum Drum Hardware Package

The best made lightweight aluminum hardware on the market. 

Tama Classic Hardware Set

A great lightweight drum hardware pack that'll save you money and take it easy on your back.

Yamaha Direct Drive 900 Series Kick Pedal

A sturdy, responsive and very smooth kick drum pedal. Perfect for gigging and practice.

Yamaha 700 Series Kick Pedal

My go-to portable kick drum pedal. Lightweight and compact but still full of power. 

Ride Cymbals, Crash Cymbals and Practice Cymbals 

Zildjian Kerope 20" Ride Cymbal

These cymbals have a dark, defined sound great for Jazz drumming. 

Zildjian K Constantinople Medium Thin 20" Ride Cymbal

Known worldwide for their famous sound, these cymbals are made for playing Jazz.

Zildjian Constantinople 14" Hi-Hat Cymbals

The standard in Jazz hi-hat sound, these hats have a smoky, dark tone. 

Zildjian K 20" Light Flat Ride

A great flat ride cymbal similar to the K Constantinople Flat Ride cymbal. 

Evans dB One Low Volume Cymbal Pack (14 inch, 16 inch, 18 inch, 20 inch)

These cymbals sound amazing and really feel great to practice on. The best low volume cymbals on the market. 

Zildjian 18" A Custom Fast Crash Cymbal Extra-Thin

This crash cymbal is fantastic.  I use it on gigs with my Pearl Midtown compact drum kit for both riding and crashing. 

Meinl Cymbal Bacon

A great alternative to drilling holes in your cymbals and adding rivets. 

ProMark Cymbal Rattler

Another option for that Jazz rivet sound that has thicker beads than the Meinl Cymbal Bacon.

Drum Thrones and Cushions

ROC-N-SOC Original Sadle Drum Throne

The most comfortable drum throne on the market. Worth every penny and I use one in my studio too.

ROC-N-SOC Nitro Gas Original Sadle Drum Throne

This is the same comfortable drum throne I use but with the ease of hydraulics to raise and lower the throne.

Light Weight Drum Throne

This is the lightweight drum throne I use when I transport my drums to gigs. 

Egg Sitter Cushion

The portable drum throne cushion that saved my drumming career. I use it for all of my gigs. 

Drum Heads and Drumming Accessories

Evans Calftone Drum Heads

One of the best Jazz drum heads on the market. Great for playing brushes too.

Remo Fiberskyn Drum Heads

These are the other drum heads I recommend for playing Jazz. The texture also sounds great with brushes. 

Evans G2 Clear Drum Heads

This is the drum head I use on the batter side of my Pearl Midtown bass drum.

Remo Ambassador Coated Drum Heads

These are the standard head for many styles of drumming. Most commonly used on snare drums. 

Evans Tune Up Kit

Every drummer needs at least one of these. Give your snare drum a tune up and some TLC. 

Evans dB One Drum Heads

The best low volume drum heads on the market. Real feel and sound with less volume. 

Remo Ambassador Snare Side Drum Head

This is the standard for snare side drum heads. Long-lasting and great performance.

Evans Clear 300 Snare Side Drum Head

Also a solid and dependable choice for your snare drum. Great tone and durability.

Evans EQ Pods

My favorite drum dampener. Super sticky, long-lasting and great for drum heads of all textures. 

Quiet Drum Practice Gear

Evans Soundoff Drum Mutes

These drum mutes will make peace with your neighbors without sacrificing your practice. 

Sabian Quiet Tone Practice Pad

Reduce your snare drum volume by 80% without reducing your playing enjoyment.  

Zildjian Low Volume Cymbals

These are the cymbals that changed the game for drummers. Real feel and real sound for real-world practice. 

Evans dB One Practice Cymbals

The next generation of practice cymbals with a crisp, warm tone. The real thing but quieter. 

Drum Bags and Drum Cases

Gator Cases Protechtor Series 5 piece Padded Drum Bag Set

Gator cases are road-tested, durable and long-lasting drum bags. Used by the pros everywhere. 

Protec Deluxe 24” 6-Pack Cymbal Bag with Padded Dividers and Puncture Resistant Bottom

These are the other drum heads I recommend for playing Jazz. The texture also sounds great with brushes. 

Zildjian 24" Rolling Cymbal Vault - Hard Case

Top-of-the-line protection for your top-of-the-line cymbal investments.

Protection Racket 28" x 16" x 10" Hardware Bag

These are the standard head for many styles of drumming. Most commonly used on snare drums. 

TAMA POWERPAD Single Pedal Bag

A great single bass drum pedal case I take to all of my gigs. Perfect protection for your prized pedals. 

Gator Cases Protechtor Series Classic 14"x 6.5" Snare Drum Case

To really protect your snare drum investment, get this hard case for travel to and from your gigs. 

Drum Rugs and Drum Carts

Meinl 78" x 63" Drum Rug Mat

This is the drum rug I see at most of my gigs and in the recording studio. Durable and can take a beating.  

Garland Rug Town Square 5' x 7' Area Rug Black

This is the type of drum rug I use for my drum set at gigs. It's lasted me over 15 years!  

Magna Cart Flatform 300 lb Capacity Four Wheel Folding Platform Truck

This is the platform hand truck I use to move my full drum set to gigs. Tough and compact. 

Magna Cart Elite 200 lb Capacity Folding Hand Truck

My go-to hand truck for carrying my snare, cymbals, sticks and kick pedal to gigs. 

Real Books and Sheet Music

The New Real Book

A must have for every Jazz drummer.  Learn the must-know Jazz tunes with arrangements straight from the original recordings!

The New Real Book Vol. 2

This is a continuation of the first New Real Book and also a must have in your music library.

The New Real Book Vol. 3

Hey, if you've already got volumes 1 and 2, complete the collection and be the mastermind at all of your gigs!

Von's Favorite Jazz Albums

(In no particular order)

Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue is a Jazz masterpiece, and Jimmy Cobb’s subtle, swinging drumming provides the perfect foundation for its timeless sound. 

My Funny Valentine - Miles Davis

Miles Davis’ My Funny Valentine captures raw, live intensity, with young Tony Williams’ explosive yet masterful drumming pushing the music forward with dynamic energy and fearless creativity. 

Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section - Art Pepper

Art Pepper’s Meets the Rhythm Section is a hard bop classic, with Philly Joe Jones’ crisp, driving swing adding fire and precision to every track.

Bam Bam Bam - Ray Brown Trio

Jeff Hamilton’s drumming on Bam Bam Bam by the Ray Brown Trio is effortlessly swinging, blending dynamic brushwork and crisp, musical phrasing with impeccable taste.

Terje Rypdal's Album

Jack DeJohnette’s drumming on Terje Rypdal’s album with Miroslav Vitous is fluid and unpredictable, seamlessly blending jazz, fusion, and atmospheric textures with masterful touch.

Reunion - Gary Burton

Peter Erskine’s drumming on Gary Burton’s Reunion is effortlessly smooth and deeply musical, providing subtle swing and dynamic sensitivity that perfectly complement the ensemble.

Poinciana - Ahmad Jamal

Vernell Fournier’s drumming on Ahmad Jamal’s Poinciana is elegantly understated, with his signature brushwork and New Orleans-infused groove, he creates a hypnotic, swinging pulse.

Hot Hands - Ray Barretto

Ray Barretto’s Hot Hands grooves with fiery energy, driven by his masterful percussion and Satoshi Takeishi’s crisp, dynamic drumming that locks perfectly into the Afro-Cuban jazz fusion.

Speak No Evil - Wayne Shorter

Elvin Jones’ drumming on Wayne Shorter’s Speak No Evil is powerful yet fluid, driving the music with deep swing, polyrhythmic creativity, and an unmistakable pulse.

In Montreux - Dee Dee Bridgewater

André Ceccarelli’s drumming on Dee Dee Bridgewater’s Live at Montreux is dynamic and fluid, perfectly complementing her powerful performance.

Standards Vol. 1 - Keith Jarrett

Jack DeJohnette’s drumming on Keith Jarrett’s Standards, Vol. 1 is effortlessly fluid, blending deep swing, dynamic sensitivity, and masterful interplay.

Jazz Poet - Tommy Flanagan

Kenny Washington’s drumming on Tommy Flanagan’s Jazz Poet is crisp and swinging, offering impeccable touch and rhythmic elegance.

Live At Royal Festival Hall - John McLaughlin Trio

Trilok Gurtu’s percussion and drum set playing on John McLaughlin’s Live at the Royal Festival Hall is mesmerizing.  He blends Indian rhythms, dynamic textures, and virtuosic improvisation.

Carmen Sings Monk - Carmen McRae

Al Foster’s drumming on Carmen Sings Monk is relaxed but always in control, locking in with the trio while leaving plenty of space for Carmen McRae to shine.

Big Swing Face - Buddy Rich

Buddy Rich’s drumming on Big Swing Face is explosive and razor-sharp, driving the band with unmatched speed, power, and precision.

Atomic Basie - Count Basie Orchestra

Sonny Payne’s drumming on Atomic Basie is crisp, hard-swinging, and impeccably tight, pushing the Count Basie Orchestra with effortless drive and punch.

Live At The Village Vanguard - Thad Jones & Mel Lewis

Mel Lewis’ drumming on Thad Jones & Mel Lewis Live at the Village Vanguard is deep in the pocket, blending effortless swing, rich cymbal textures, and masterful big band dynamics.

Standard Time Vol. 1 - Wynton Marsalis

Jeff “Tain” Watts’ drumming on Wynton Marsalis’ Standard Time, Vol. 1 is fiery and inventive, balancing hard swing with sharp accents and dynamic interplay.

Festival - Lee Ritenour

Omar Hakim’s drumming on Lee Ritenour’s Festival is slick and energetic, blending tight grooves with a smooth fusion feel.

On Fire - Michel Camilo

Dave Weckl’s drumming on On Fire is locked-in and driving, matching Michel Camilo’s intensity with crisp articulation and a deep groove.

Saxophone Colossus - Sonny Rollins

Max Roach’s drumming on Saxophone Colossus is pure conversation, effortlessly dancing around the beat, pushing and pulling the groove with wit and fire.

Night Train - Oscar Peterson Trio

Ed Thigpen’s drumming on Night Train is all finesse, his brushwork whispers, his swing glides, and every note feels perfectly placed.

The Everest Years - Papa Jo Jones

Papa Jo Jones’ drumming on The Everest Years is pure class—light, effortless, and always swinging, with a touch that makes every beat dance.

The Brasil Project - Toots Thielemans

With no drum set, The Brasil Project highlights the vibrant percussion of Djalma Corrêa, Paulinho da Costa, and Frank Colón, allowing the other instruments to shape the groove and reveal the true pulse of Brazilian rhythm.

Cantando Histórias - Ivan Lins

Teo Lima’s drumming on Ivan Lins’ Cantando Histórias is both dynamic and nuanced, providing a rhythmic foundation that enhances the album’s rich melodies. His skillful interplay and tasteful grooves add depth and energy to each track.

Segundo - Maria Rita

On Maria Rita’s Segundo, Cuca Teixeira and Marco da Costa bring a fluid, expressive touch to the drums, shaping the grooves with taste and precision to match her soulful vocals.

Time Out - Dave Brubeck Quartet

Joe Morello’s drumming on Time Out is effortless and inventive, weaving through odd time signatures with a smooth touch and deep swing.

Question & Answer - Pat Metheny

Roy Haynes’ drumming on Question and Answer is sharp, unpredictable, and full of life, pushing the trio with playful swinging energy.

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Looking to get a new Jazz drum kit? Below are some tips that might help.

Decoding Drum Sets: Choosing the Perfect Jazz Kit

Jazz drum sets are not your typical drum kit. 
Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned drummer, the world of drum sets can be both exciting and overwhelming.

When diving into the realm of drum sets, it's crucial to understand that not all kits are created equal. From the number of pieces and drum sizes to the materials used, each component plays a role in shaping your sound.

Jazz drum sets in particular serve a different purpose than say a Rock drum kit. To learn more, check out my article about the Best Drums For Jazz.

Jazz Drum Sets: Crafting Your Unique Sound

Jazz drum sets have their own sound and purpose.  
For drummers seeking the sophistication and dynamics of Jazz, the right drum set is really important. Jazz drum sets come with their own set of sonic characteristics, emphasizing nuances in tone and texture rather than pure volume.

Some of the specific features that define Jazz drum sets are the snare drum's responsiveness, the warm sustain of the toms, the resonating bass drum and the subtle nuances of the cymbals.

Unlike playing drums with heavily amplified music,  Jazz drum sets are designed blend well with Jazz instrumentation. This often includes acoustic instruments like upright bass, piano, guitar and horns. 

Finding the Perfect Match: Navigating the Drum Set Market

Focus on Jazz kits.
With a myriad of options available, finding the perfect drum set can be a daunting task. From acoustic to electronic, compact to expansive, the choices seem endless.

Focusing on Jazz drum kits helps you to narrow down your options.  Check out my Beginner Drum Kit Set Up course to learn more about choosing the right drum gear and your perfect Jazz drum kit. 

Improve Your Playing and Your Sound

Your Jazz drum set will be an extension of your voice.
Investing in the right drum set is important. Your drums will become your musical voice.

I always suggest going to your local drum shop and trying out different sets. A well-chosen drum set will inspire creativity and make your playing so much more enjoyable.

These days there are many drum manufacturers and they're all making great kits.  I shouldn't take you too long to find a kit that resonates with your rhythmic soul.
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