Transcription - Benjamin Waterson

“Just When We Start Making It” Drum Transcription — David Garibaldi with Tower of Power

February 23, 2026

This is my first (and very likely last) article commemorating Valentine’s Day, and we’ll be celebrating the occasion with a look at the outro to Tower of Power’s “Just When We Start Making It” from Back to Oakland, which is, at large, one of my favorite albums, not just as a drummer (although being a…
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“Wade In The Water” Drum Transcription — Ginger Baker with Graham Bond

January 21, 2026

This is an odd one for today: an attempted look at a Ginger Baker drum solo, on the tune “Wade In The Water,” with Graham Bond, 1963. This is part transcription, part rant & rave, and part 1000-word raised eyebrow. I found out about this recording from Todd Bishop, who found it on a Reddit…
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“Heavy Soul Slinger” Drum Transcription — Bernard Purdie

November 16, 2025

What time is it? Why, it’s time for another 70s funk drum break: “Heavy Soul Slinger,” written by Horace Ott for Bernard Purdie and his 1972 album Soul Is… Pretty Purdie.* Bernard Purdie has such an incomprehensibly large discography that I feel like a lot of people simply stumble into any one particular recording of…
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“Fire Eater” Drum Transcription — Idris Muhammad with Rusty Bryant

September 1, 2025

Here’s another short but sweet transcription: a little drum break from Idris Muhammad on the Rusty Bryant tune “Fire Eater.” This particular record was unknown to me before I stumbled into it this week — it’s nice when the universe gives me something like this rather than the usual deluge of reasons to regret picking…
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“Foxey Lady” (Live) Drum Transcription — Mitch Mitchell with the Jimi Hendrix Experience

August 10, 2025

I’m in the thick of it right now with a few different things, but I rediscovered this short Mitch Mitchell/Jimi Hendrix “Foxey Lady” transcription I did back in 2017 — I figured I might as well share it to keep things active. We’re looking at a live rendition of “Foxey Lady,” and my transcription focuses…
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