Presenting one of todays leading drum artists along with a host of LAs top studio musicians and more than a dozen of the worlds best-known drummers and percussionists, this is an unprecedented, three-disc package that contains a full-length audio CD, a minus-drums play-along CD and a jam-packed DVD with artist interviews, extensive instructional content and documentary footage of these historic recording sessions.
“I had been working on the concepts and material for a new record more than two years when the idea of exploring how different musicians interpret rhythm and pulse came to me,” Russ explains. “Nine superstars of the drum world agreed to be involved and we composed pieces featuring two full drumkit parts, based on the styles of the drummers I was going to play with. Then, those pieces became the inspiration for the songs with the band.This was a huge project and a very humbling, exciting and incredible learning experience for me.”
Arrival, the featured 80-minute audio CD, is Millers third independent record project and features ten new compositions performed by an all-star line-up of musicians, including world-class percussionists Pete Lockett, Luis Conte and Richie Gajate Garcia.Interspersed with these ensemble performances are nine Rhythmic Conversations original drum duets between Russ and modern drum heroes Steve Gadd, Steve Smith, Jeff Hamilton, Rick Marotta, Zoro, Johnny Rabb, John “JR” Robinson, Akira Jimbo and Wolfgang Haffner.
A second CD containing minus drums tracks and printable transcriptions of both parts of the drum duets, gives players an opportunity to sit in with some of the greatest drummers in the world and learn a variety of challenging rhythmic concepts and techniques.Completing the multi-media learning system is a 3-hour and 20-minute DVD in which Miller demonstrates and explains how to analyze, play and develop many of the musical ideas used in the Arrival pieces.
The DVD also includes interviews with all the drummers and documentary footage taken throughout the 3-year production process.Additional bonus features on the DVD are split-screen video for multiple views of the recording sessions, DTS 5.1 surround sound and an e-Book with printable charts and exercises as well as Pro-Tools data files that allow the listener to re-mix the tracks.One of Los Angeles top studio musicians, Russ Miller has recorded with a wide variety of internationally-acclaimed artists. He has also performed on more than 300 albums including multiple Grammy award winning recordings as well as the soundtracks of many feature films. The five-time Modern Drummer Readers Poll winner has also released two books, three videos and two solo albums while remaining active as a clinician and part-time inventor of drum accessories.
