Oh man, I love everything about Cindy, her playing, her versatility (she plays rock and jazz equally at the highest level!), her drums, her cymbals, her sound! Thank you MD for this kit rundown!
Great interview with one of the best drummers out there! THIS is Modern Drummer at its finest. Blackman - Santana is still playing with power and explosiveness, she puts all of herself in her music. And it's been awhile since I've hear the term " sock cymbals"
@@drumtravelfun I find these videos are often lacking in detail, but it's understandable. Probably less than optimal amounts of time to get into the heavy gear talk. But yeah, about that side snare... LOL
I've read Carlos book. Funny how life works out. He simultaneously falls in loves with her drumming and with her! Beautiful harmony in music and in life. They make such a great couple and seeing them together on stage is a treat. She was playing with him when Dennis Chambers had his horrible health scare and Carlos sadly lost his legendary long, long time conga player Raul Rekow to cancer, and she keeps the band sounding fresh. I know her as the badass longtime drummer with Lenny Kravitz, so she was already cool with me for sure. I just love the energy and excitement she brings to very show she plays! Carlos jokes that Dennis Chambers had told him to check her out when he had decided to move on from the Santana gig and when he saw her play with Lenny "I was unimpressed.. This is the great drummer he wanted me to see?" But he was watching her just play in the pocket and keep good time on the Lenny Kravitz gig. Great playing but nothing flashy.. He then got to see her again play jazz and said "Wow! Okay! So this is what Dennis was saying! I see it now! She is amazing! I need to meet her!" He offered her the gig in his band and shortly after her hand in marriage. "There was something about the way she looked walking into rehearsal one day.." How about that?
Cindy has real style. Everything she does is well thought out and delivered with passion and total commitment. She is an object lesson in how to stand out from the crowd. Now if I could just find out where she hides that fountain of youth she drinks from every day...
I just love Cindy's drumming and her conviction behind the kit makes people move! That kit has to weigh a friggin ton! haha Sounds amazing. Another great Tour, David!
Stunning kit, it`s a master crafted and finished one as well, and it caught my attention the rack tom configuration, very classic and the using of Black dot heads as resonant ones, among those Istambul turkish cymbal set up, pretty enough to up at her signature sound and style from the 90`s jamming with Lenny Kravitz.
She is on it!! What a set up, absolutely perfect, the solid shell kit by Gretsch and that LP snare drum!! Wow I have a snare with a similar marching style batter hoop which is 10 lug, what's her's here 12 or 14!?? Wow that thing really will get everyone's attention!! And the shell as well, brass just adds to the whole combination of engineering. I'll never let my Premier Signia Maple snare go because of the similarities it has with the snare this lady is using here, there's definitely something in using the marching style batter hoop, mine absolutely grabs your attention, cross stick is so defined and wood sounding and rim shots are huuuge! The sound coming from the 5mm ply maple shell with re-rings as well, really, really sweet. Seeing this video only reassures the fact that Premier did and do make great drums. Great video of a great drummer, thanks for the post!!
She is such a fantastic player, and her ear knows cymbals! When she was with Zildjian, she helped design the K 22” Dark Medium Ride, it is still one of the most popular rides in the Zildjian catalog!
Wow didnt know that ! I have the 22 K dark medium ride and It s just an incredible all arounder. You can get almost any kind of textures depending stick and technique used.
Former Linkin Park drummer Rob Bourdon used Gretsch drums and Vater drumsticks also for cymbal he used zildijan and the heads idk if he used Evans or Remo
What a beautiful solid shell kit with direct to shell tom mounts and re-rings. Gretsch should make this Cindy’s signature kit to go with her signature cymbals and sticks so we can buy one. 😊
Cindy is very influenced by the great Tony Williams. Her kit is nearly identical to William's famous yellow Gretsch kit that he played later in his career/life.
No idea about either line, but maybe one line has more projection? Maybe too much for the venue? Or for the music? Or conversely, maybe the line doesn't have enough punch? I used to have a few models from this brand back in the day. I should see what they're up to now.
I have no doubts that Cindy Blackman could play total circles around me. But why does it always look like she's fighting the kit? It looks like very hard work.
Cindy always looks like she's struggling when she plays. Partly because she's beating the snot out of the poor kit. But that sound... and that rhythm... wow.
@@fleatactical7390 I saw her on one of her jazz gigs where she was the leader. It didn't look like she was struggling in any way, shape, or form. Not in the least.
@@PeterBrown-mz4nv Maybe it's just when she plays heavier stuff then. Or when she improvising, because this is how I usually see her, and it's not usually in a jazz context. Plenty of great drummers are like that. Vinny Appice comes to mind at the moment.
@@fleatactical7390 She was not playing lightly on that gig! Not at all. Except, of course, when she was using dynamics. Plenty of them and a very dynamic, virtuoso performance. I agree with Vinnie Appice.
A WOMEN THAT CAN REALLY PLAY AND MAKE SO MANY MEN LOOK BAD BEHIND THE DRUMSET WITH ALL THIS NONSENSE CHOP AND PLAY AND TUNE THEIR DRUMS ALL THE SAME WAY SHE MAKES THEM LOOK BAD BUT MY GOSH SHE'S BAD TO THE BONE IF YOU EVER GET A CHANCE TO SEE HER LIVE WHAT A LIFE TREAT
Saw Santana a while ago and earth wind fire opened. I will say EWF should have played last. Way tighter and higher energy. Santana came on and it kind went downhill. Also when in Florida Carlos, don't talk about leftist politics on stage. A lot of people didn't like that. Keep to yourself man. Why people go to shows to forget about all the bs. Judging by the amount of booooosss he got I think he learned that. Also the whole band must have had some kind of technical issue because they were not tight. Like at all. EWF was absolutely solid ...... I don't even like that kind of music personally but damn they killed it. Solid shell gretsch huh?? I am sure craviotto or noble Cooley etc built those shells. Pretty cool though. Nice to be a top tier artist. Get all the cool stuff us mere mortals can get. Cindy is a great solid drummer. She wasn't the issue that night. Must have been a in ear or FOH thing. Like they weren't all hearing the same thing. Was good but saw them a few years before and they were way tighter and just had a better energy going on.
Oh man, I love everything about Cindy, her playing, her versatility (she plays rock and jazz equally at the highest level!), her drums, her cymbals, her sound!
Thank you MD for this kit rundown!
Cindy is a legend.
Thank you MD.
Cindy is so confident not only in how she plays but in her knowledge of her kit and the different components.
Great interview with one of the best drummers out there! THIS is Modern Drummer at its finest. Blackman - Santana is still playing with power and explosiveness, she puts all of herself in her music. And it's been awhile since I've hear the term " sock cymbals"
That's a Tony Williams drum set! I love it!
Great kit, average drummer ...!
@@mpcvore Who's an average drummer, in your opinion, Tony Williams? Or Cindy Blackman?
@@el.aye.bee.4477 Cindy, of course ....
@@mpcvore so what gig do you have?
@@ronniek7748 I don't understand your question.
That snare is an absolute monster
I can't thumbs up this enough! Thank you both MD and Cindy Blackman-Santana. What a treat for us!
Man, she is one heck of a drummer. Solid. And she really stands out in such a large band. Fantastic!
We could have had this rig tour with Tony Williams had he lived today, but even with Cindy, we're still honoring Tony's memory here.
Solid shell Gretsch, yeow!!
IKR! I wish they would have spent more time talking about that.
@@fleatactical7390 This. Can't believe he didn't ask about that. I mean, it's only Modern Drummer. He rambled on about the side snare...
@@drumtravelfun I find these videos are often lacking in detail, but it's understandable. Probably less than optimal amounts of time to get into the heavy gear talk. But yeah, about that side snare... LOL
Same bass drum and Tom sizes as Tony Williams her idol. Great Player.
Gotta be over 20k just the tubs alone!!...
I've read Carlos book. Funny how life works out. He simultaneously falls in loves with her drumming and with her! Beautiful harmony in music and in life. They make such a great couple and seeing them together on stage is a treat. She was playing with him when Dennis Chambers had his horrible health scare and Carlos sadly lost his legendary long, long time conga player Raul Rekow to cancer, and she keeps the band sounding fresh. I know her as the badass longtime drummer with Lenny Kravitz, so she was already cool with me for sure. I just love the energy and excitement she brings to very show she plays! Carlos jokes that Dennis Chambers had told him to check her out when he had decided to move on from the Santana gig and when he saw her play with Lenny "I was unimpressed.. This is the great drummer he wanted me to see?" But he was watching her just play in the pocket and keep good time on the Lenny Kravitz gig. Great playing but nothing flashy.. He then got to see her again play jazz and said "Wow! Okay! So this is what Dennis was saying! I see it now! She is amazing! I need to meet her!" He offered her the gig in his band and shortly after her hand in marriage. "There was something about the way she looked walking into rehearsal one day.." How about that?
She is amazing such conviction and power. She gets better and better.
Cindy has real style. Everything she does is well thought out and delivered with passion and total commitment. She is an object lesson in how to stand out from the crowd. Now if I could just find out where she hides that fountain of youth she drinks from every day...
I saw Cindy with Lenny Kravitz back in the 90s. She absolutely crushed it....fantastic drummer.
That was when I first fell in love with her.
I bought your signature sticks in college. Carried that around like it was gold
Glad to hear a drummer that knows what they are playing.
I just love Cindy's drumming and her conviction behind the kit makes people move! That kit has to weigh a friggin ton! haha Sounds amazing. Another great Tour, David!
What a beast of a drummer! And that kit sounds AMAZING!
Cool to see Cindy walk through that amazing kit. Those hoops are beafy as s**t!
It’s a long time since I heard the description “sock cymbals”!
🤘😎🥁👍
the kit's setup looks very Tony Williams influenced.
She has a yellow one that looks almost exactly like Tony's.
Yes those three floor toms in that arrangement… classic Tony. Love how his legacy lives through players like her today. Great stuff
except of the colour...
She would agree.
She’s pretty much a Tony clone so it makes sense.
Stunning kit, it`s a master crafted and finished one as well, and it caught my attention the rack tom configuration, very classic and the using of Black dot heads as resonant ones, among those Istambul turkish cymbal set up, pretty enough to up at her signature sound and style from the 90`s jamming with Lenny Kravitz.
Beautiful kit
She is on it!! What a set up, absolutely perfect, the solid shell kit by Gretsch and that LP snare drum!! Wow
I have a snare with a similar marching style batter hoop which is 10 lug, what's her's here 12 or 14!?? Wow that thing really will get everyone's attention!! And the shell as well, brass just adds to the whole combination of engineering.
I'll never let my Premier Signia Maple snare go because of the similarities it has with the snare this lady is using here, there's definitely something in using the marching style batter hoop, mine absolutely grabs your attention, cross stick is so defined and wood sounding and rim shots are huuuge! The sound coming from the 5mm ply maple shell with re-rings as well, really, really sweet. Seeing this video only reassures the fact that Premier did and do make great drums.
Great video of a great drummer, thanks for the post!!
Very, very lovely and cool explaining and conversation! Thank you very drumming much!!!
Best drumming regards from bavaria in southgermany Ludwig
Truly gorgeous shells
She is such a fantastic player, and her ear knows cymbals! When she was with Zildjian, she helped design the K 22” Dark Medium Ride, it is still one of the most popular rides in the Zildjian catalog!
Wow didnt know that ! I have the 22 K dark medium ride and It s just an incredible all arounder. You can get almost any kind of textures depending stick and technique used.
Gretsch should make Cindy’s kit available for purchase! I would definitely purchase one!
That deep snare is articulate. Beautiful looking and sounding kit. As expected from Gretsch.
The snare is not Gretsch, it's Latin Percussion.
@@twincrows3362Yeah , that was established
Beautiful wood grain and finish!!
Love Cindy 🥁👍
She’s so damn beautiful. And always has the greatest gear and of course is one of the greatest to ever do it.
That's one bad ass kit to match one bad ass drummer.
I like the way she hits those drums like they owe her money.
LOL she's struggling with it! Fighting the kit!
Cindy is awesome!!
The Gretsch website says Cindy's kits are maple, but I don't know if this one is as well...
Sounds like it is. Warm sound. Definitely not birch or oak. And since it's solid shell, there's no mix of plies to color or shape the sound.
❤❤❤❤ drum kit sound good and even snare drum 🎉🎉
thanks so lot for that, is always more interesting drummers talking gear
Bel Set. Grande batteria la Gretsch 👏👋💯
That snare drum has me drooling.
Cindy never stated the wood of the drums! Solid shell custom made by Gretsch but what kind of wood?
She is still in my Top 5 all-time greatest drum solos I have witnessed performed live and in-person, when she was touring with Lenny Kravitz.
A beautiful lady with a beautiful kit x
I want Craviotto Gretsch kits too!!!!
Cindy Blackman’s a trailblazer.
That is a bad azz kick!
Cindy Blackman is a LEGEND. One of the greatest female drummers of all time.
Former Linkin Park drummer Rob Bourdon used Gretsch drums and Vater drumsticks also for cymbal he used zildijan and the heads idk if he used Evans or Remo
Istanbul is growing on me!
That LP Banda snare has 12 lugs. Gnarly!
is she mixing which dimension comes first on the drums? It doesn't seem clear.
Woh is that a craviotto/gretsch kit? If so that’s amazing
So when will Agop release that 18" Mantra to us normal folk? :)
Thank you Cynthia for including both diameter and Depth. Most drummers, including MD just leave it out.
I like this ladies foot Work. She got her own style she would be great to jam with as old Congo player I just love her style. Am I right
woooooooooowwww
she so tony luv her
What a beautiful solid shell kit with direct to shell tom mounts and re-rings. Gretsch should make this Cindy’s signature kit to go with her signature cymbals and sticks so we can buy one. 😊
❤️Cindy Rocks!!!🥁🔥🔥🔥⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gretsch drums with reinforcement rings?
Wanted to hear those cymbals :(
Appreciate you , we meet one day homie 🤘🏾
Cool. Cindy is definitely top tier.
What wood is the kit made of ?
My guess is maple based on its warmness and depth.
👍👍👍👍👍
Her style is unique also.
Unique ... T.W.
🔥🥁
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Cindy is very influenced by the great Tony Williams. Her kit is nearly identical to William's famous yellow Gretsch kit that he played later in his career/life.
Porter and Davies Throne. Should be compulsory for all drummers 🙂
I wonder what Gretsch snare, would be the closest to the main one she’s using here..
Woah! Craviotto/GreTsch hybrid perhaps?
Didn't know she did Mantra line too. I wonder why she don't have any OMs on this kit
No idea about either line, but maybe one line has more projection? Maybe too much for the venue? Or for the music? Or conversely, maybe the line doesn't have enough punch? I used to have a few models from this brand back in the day. I should see what they're up to now.
@fleatactical7390 the OM is definitely a darker drier line
@@coreyw5981 Ahhh OK. If it's a solid shell kit, then it's likely louder with more projection, so the OMs may not keep up.
❤
Wait,,,so can anyone just order a new Gretsch kit with the old stop sign badges?
Bella/Linda.🙏✡️✡️✡️✡️✡️✡️👑
f yeah!!!!! :)
Kiddo is the Best!
I like custom made shells.
I use Agop 🎉
Carlos is a lucky man !!!!!
Awesome!
I wish she played her cymbals a little bit too... Wonder how these sound...
I have no doubts that Cindy Blackman could play total circles around me. But why does it always look like she's fighting the kit? It looks like very hard work.
Those are marching hoops on that snare.
The queen 💖🔥🔥🔥 ...and a 14x8.5 copper snare with 12 lug die cast hoops??? I need one of those 🥰
Dennis Chambers miss him as the Drummer
24" diameter, not circumference... 😁
Higher tuning on pretty much all the drums.
Those are NOT DIE CAST HOOPS on a snare. Those are machined.
I bet there craviotto shells.
That's a very expensive kit.
💤😴
It should be Blackwoman. Maybe she doesn't identify traditionally?
Too bad Frangione has to talk so much
Cindy always looks like she's struggling when she plays. Partly because she's beating the snot out of the poor kit. But that sound... and that rhythm... wow.
Post a vid and let’s see what you look like when you’re playing?
@@jonnykk1 Take it easy, sweetie. I wasn't insulting her.
@@fleatactical7390 I saw her on one of her jazz gigs where she was the leader. It didn't look like she was struggling in any way, shape, or form. Not in the least.
@@PeterBrown-mz4nv Maybe it's just when she plays heavier stuff then. Or when she improvising, because this is how I usually see her, and it's not usually in a jazz context. Plenty of great drummers are like that. Vinny Appice comes to mind at the moment.
@@fleatactical7390 She was not playing lightly on that gig! Not at all. Except, of course, when she was using dynamics. Plenty of them and a very dynamic, virtuoso performance. I agree with Vinnie Appice.
A WOMEN THAT CAN REALLY PLAY AND MAKE SO MANY MEN LOOK BAD BEHIND THE DRUMSET WITH ALL THIS NONSENSE CHOP AND PLAY AND TUNE THEIR DRUMS ALL THE SAME WAY SHE MAKES THEM LOOK BAD BUT MY GOSH SHE'S BAD TO THE BONE IF YOU EVER GET A CHANCE TO SEE HER LIVE WHAT A LIFE TREAT
No need to SHOUT!!!!
Saw Santana a while ago and earth wind fire opened. I will say EWF should have played last. Way tighter and higher energy. Santana came on and it kind went downhill. Also when in Florida Carlos, don't talk about leftist politics on stage. A lot of people didn't like that. Keep to yourself man. Why people go to shows to forget about all the bs. Judging by the amount of booooosss he got I think he learned that. Also the whole band must have had some kind of technical issue because they were not tight. Like at all. EWF was absolutely solid ...... I don't even like that kind of music personally but damn they killed it. Solid shell gretsch huh?? I am sure craviotto or noble Cooley etc built those shells. Pretty cool though. Nice to be a top tier artist. Get all the cool stuff us mere mortals can get. Cindy is a great solid drummer. She wasn't the issue that night. Must have been a in ear or FOH thing. Like they weren't all hearing the same thing. Was good but saw them a few years before and they were way tighter and just had a better energy going on.
24 diameter not circumference, Cindy. You should have studied harder at school instead of messing around on your drums 😂
weird ass comment