POST # 354 Pat Metheny On Rhythm and Time

I was able to work with the best musicians in Kansas City starting when I was really young. To me, rhythm and what you do with it is everything. And to get the opportunity to play with KC's best drummer, Tommy Ruskin, regularly starting when I was 14 was probably the single most important, tangible musical education I could have had. Almost everything I still do when it comes to thinking about "time" has to do with things I picked up from listening to and watching Tommy play. In a way I see it more clearly now than ever. He also had a huge impact on the way I think about "touch." The way he plays very gently yet really firm and in the pocket is something that I still try to emulate.