Ziggy Modeliste

Ziggy Modeliste
Modeliste in 2010
Modeliste in 2010
Background information
Birth nameJoseph Modeliste
Also known asZigaboo Modeliste
Born (1948-12-28) December 28, 1948 (age 75)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres
OccupationMusician
Instruments
  • Drums
  • percussion
  • vocals
Years active1965–present
LabelsJZM
Member ofThe Meters
Websitewww.zigaboo.com

Joseph "Ziggy" Modeliste (born December 28, 1948),[1] also known as Zigaboo Modeliste, is an American drummer best known as a founding member of the funk band the Meters. He is widely considered an innovator in the funk genre and New Orleans style drumming. The Meters' music had a defining role and set the stylistic tone of New Orleans funk. Due to his work with the band, Modeliste is credited as an integral part of bringing New Orleans second-line grooves into popular music.[2][3][4]

As a songwriter and session musician Modeliste's work is featured in numerous albums by various artists. His drum grooves appear in hundreds of hip hop samples, television and film. He has released four solo albums. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and continues to perform and tour.

Early life

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Modeliste grew up in the 13th Ward of New Orleans. The eldest of six siblings, he was raised in part by his grandmother, Lula Blouin. His first drum set was a three-piece paid for by Blouin.[1][5] He was nicknamed Zigaboo at age ten by a neighborhood kid, and by junior high school the name had stuck.[6] His drumming style was influenced by Smokey Johnson, Bob French and other New Orleans drum greats as he learned by watching them perform at gigs.[7] He said listening to other musicians was the most important part of his learning process.[5][7] He particularly tried to emulate Smokey Johnson's style.[1][7] He started playing gigs at an early age including a stint with the Hawketts, a band led by Art Neville at the time. Over time the band evolved into the Neville Sounds and by late 1960s into the Meters.[1][6] In a 2013 interview with Modern Drummer, Modeliste said: "Your biggest teachers were those two things you got on the side of your head. (...) It's got nothing to do with rudiments, nothing to do with time signatures, but it's got a lot to do with what you hear."[5]

Early career

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Modeliste was a founding member and drummer of the funk group the Meters.[2] The Meters were formed in 1965 and became well known in the vibrant New Orleans music scene. The band was eventually signed to Allen Toussaint's record label Sansu Enterprises and served as the label's studio band. Over the years the Meters became staple artists and the purveyors of the traditional New Orleans funk sound.[3][4]

Modeliste's work with The Meters solidified his status as an innovative and skilled drummer.[2] This was further displayed when Modeliste, along with the Meters, were invited to tour with the Rolling Stones in 1975 and 1976 serving as their opening act.[3] The Meters also served as the backing band for acts such as Dr. John, Robert Palmer, Lee Dorsey, Paul McCartney, Betty Harris and others – all with Modeliste on drums.[3] When The Meters disbanded in late 1970s, Modeliste continued to tour and serve as the drummer for various musicians – touring with Keith Richards and Ron Wood in the New Barbarians shortly after the split.[2][3][8]

Later career

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Modeliste has released three studio albums and a live album as a leader. His first album titled Zigaboo.com was released in 2000.[9] His second album I'm on the Right Track was released in 2004 and features contributors Dr. John and Bernie Worrell.[10] In 2007 he contributed to a tribute album honoring Fats Domino with the song "I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday" with collaborators Herbie Hancock and Renard Poche.[11] His live album titled Funk Me Hard Live was released in 2009. The drum heavy performance was recorded in 1980 with Modeliste performing with his first post-Meters band, the Gaboon's Gang, at the Saenger Theatre.[12] His third studio album New Life was released in 2011. The album features works by several artists including Wardell Quezergue and George Porter.[13][14]

In 2005 he recorded with Young Gunz on the BMI award-winning song "Can't Stop Won't Stop", and his drum patterns were sampled on the percussion heavy Grammy nominated song "1 Thing".[15] In 2011 producer-musician Mark Ronson collaborated with Modeliste, Erykah Badu, Mos Def and Trombone Shorty for the song "A La Modeliste", which was named for Modeliste's influence on funk drumming and the New Orleans sound.[16][17] He was the featured artist in the August 2013 issue of Modern Drummer magazine.[5][18]

In the 1980s Modeliste moved to Los Angeles and later to the San Francisco Bay Area, settling in Oakland, California. Having been involved in disputes over publishing rights of the Meters recordings, he got involved in the business side of the music industry. He started a record label, JZM Records, and a music publishing company, Jomod Music.[5][6] He performs regularly in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New Orleans.[5]

Legacy and influence

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Since the late 1970s, Modeliste has partnered with numerous artists in both a touring and recording capacity. Some of these artists include:

The Recording Academy awarded Modeliste and the Meters a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award.[when?] Modeliste's work has been influential. His signature drumming style has amassed a large following in the drumming community,[5][20][21] in which Modeliste occasionally gives master classes.[22][23] Some of his best known grooves include "Cissy Strut" and "Look-Ka Py-Py".[24] In reviewing a compilation album of the Meters' early works, music critic Robert Christgau called Modeliste's drumming "the secret" adding "it's almost as if he's the lead".[25] In 2016 he was listed as the 18th best drummer of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.[8] In describing his drumming style, in 2008 Modeliste said, "It's just a collage of all the drummers that I heard play in my lifetime from [New Orleans]."[7]

Modeliste's work is credited on hundreds of recordings by a variety of artists.[26] His drum patterns have been sampled extensively by hip hop artists such as Run DMC, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, Ice Cube, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah and Salt-N-Pepa.[6][24] His performances have been featured in film, television and game soundtracks, including Red, Jackie Brown, Drumline and 8 Mile.[27] Modeliste is a Vic Firth, DW, and Sabian signature artist.[5]

Discography

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Solo

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With The Meters

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As sideman

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Credits partly adapted from AllMusic.[26]

Instructional videos

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  • Zigaboo Modeliste: The Originator of New Orleans Funky Drumming (2012) DVD

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Jason Berry; Jonathan Foose; Tad Jones (1992). Up from the Cradle of Jazz. Da Capo Press. p. 194. ISBN 9780306804939. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Linda Seida. "Allmusic: Ziggy Modeliste – biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Allmusic: The Meters – biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Brian Knight. "Get Dazed by the Meters". The Vermont Review. Archived from the original on November 10, 2004. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Pete Kaufmann (August 2013). "Zigaboo Modeliste". Modern Drummer. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d Lee Hildebrand (March 14, 2010). "Zigaboo Modeliste to get funky all-star salute". sfgate.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d "New Orleans Drum Summit: David Kunian with Joseph "Smokey" Johnson, Zigaboo Modeliste, Bob French – video, recorded 2008". Youtube.com, Ponderosa Stomp Channel. December 15, 2016. Archived from the original on June 29, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  8. ^ a b "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time". Rolling Stone. March 31, 2016. Archived from the original on November 29, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  9. ^ "Allmusic: Zigaboo.com – album review". AllMusic. 2000. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  10. ^ "I'm on the Right Track – album notes". cdbaby.com. 2004. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  11. ^ Jeff Tamarkin (2007). "Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino – review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  12. ^ Aaron Lafont (September 1, 2009). "Zigaboo Modeliste and Gaboon's Gang, Funk Me Hard Live, (JZM)". offbeat.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  13. ^ John Swenson (June 1, 2011). "Zigaboo Modeliste, New Life (independent)". OffBeat magazine. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  14. ^ Nick Deriso (July 14, 2011). "Zigaboo Modeliste – New Life (2011)". somethingelsereviews.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  15. ^ 2005 recordings:
  16. ^ a b "Exclusive Stream: Mark Ronson Teams With Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Dap Kings". Rolling Stone. October 28, 2011. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  17. ^ "Mark Ronson's 'A La Modeliste' Music Video". moderndrummer.com. February 2, 2012. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  18. ^ "August 2013 Issue of Modern Drummer Featuring Zigaboo Modeliste". moderndrummer.com. June 27, 2013. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  19. ^ Natalie Berman (July 8, 2016). "The Meters' Zigaboo Modeliste teams up with Kids on Bridges for new single". Offbeat magazine. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  20. ^ Sam D'Arcangelo (November 25, 2015). "Joseph 'Zigaboo' Modeliste". OffBeat magazine. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  21. ^ Adam Budofsky, ed. (2010). The Drummer: 100 Years of Rhythmic Power and Invention. Hal Leonard. p. 181. ISBN 9781476855899. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  22. ^ "Masters Class with Zigaboo Modeliste – Jazz & Heritage Center". neworleans.me. May 17, 2017. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  23. ^ "Professor Modeliste au Duc". jazzmagazine.com. September 28, 2013. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017. (English trans. title: Professor Modeliste at the Duke) Google translation
  24. ^ a b Sam Pryor (July 15, 2013). "The 15 Greatest Groove Drummers of All Time". drummagazine.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  25. ^ "Robert Christgau – Cissy Strut compilation album review". robertchristgau.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  26. ^ a b "Allmusic: Ziggy Modeliste – credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  27. ^ Use in media:
  28. ^ Bill Dahl. "Allmusic: Good Old Funky Music – review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 18, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2017. Containing previously unreleased material from The Meters' records for Josie Records in the 1960s and 1970s.
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