Funk primer no.1

Drum tutor extraordinaire Justin Scott
Drum tutor extraordinaire Justin Scott

Funk primer #1: John 'Jabo' Starks and James Brown

Between the mid-'60s and the mid-'70s, James Brown's music was propelled by a triumvirate of drummers without whom funk's legacy would have been very different. These three highly influential players - Melvin Parker, Clyde Stubblefield and John 'Jabo' Starks - created some of the funkiest, and consequently most sampled, drumbeats ever.

This groove is inspired by John 'Jabo' Starks' playing on the tune Soul Power. First I'll demonstrate it on its own and then you'll hear it with bass and percussion. And remember, the bass and perc loop can be downloaded for you to play along to, completely free, at my website, www.justindrums.com.