View More Hudson Music DVD Reviews

This is now the third in this new series from Hudson following Steve Gadd and Antonio Sanchez.

The concept is that the performance is done live in front of a small audience so it has a masterclass and not a clinic feel. John is joined by his band Gary Granger on bass, Mike Scott on guitar and Corey Bernhard on keys. As you would expect from a John Blackwell DVD, John covers topics on groove, playing in the pocket, timing, showmanship and bass drum techniques.

There is some nice interaction with the band and the audience and John really covers some of the topics in depth that he is known for. I like the way that this series is shot from a visual point of view, as the focus is on the masterclass and performance without lots of moving cameras. It makes you as the viewer feel more part of the masterclass.

The 2 hour 54 minute DVD also features a special guest performance by John’s teacher Marcus Williams who talks about developing his amazing bass drum technique. The DVD is also available with a PDF e-book containing transcriptions of material covered and is translated in to German and Spanish.

I enjoyed this performance and find I can get a lot more out of the Master Series than just a performance based DVD.

By Mike Dolbear

View More Hudson Music DVD Reviews