About Bruce Ditmas

Drummer Bruce Ditmas used to wonder "what if?" What if he could bring together a stellar group of players -- like guitarist John Abercrombie, pianist Paul Bley, saxophonist Sam Rivers, and bassist Dominic Richards? What if he could make an album of aggressive improvisational music with no compromises that would perfectly represent his modern approach to music and drumming?

He found out when he assembled those very players at New York's Electric Lady studios to record What If, released on the Postcards label. "The whole idea behind What If was the potential for discovering the unknown," Ditmas says. "I wanted to set up situations that would feature all of these musician's talents. I just took it for granted that the music would happen because of the people I was bringing together, and I was not disappointed. These guys were fabulous and their improvisations were amazing."

Paul Bley was Ditmas's first-choice keyboardist for the album. "We did a record together in the '70s with Jaco Pastorius and Pat Metheny, and that was so great," Ditmas says. "So I wanted him for the unique harmonic base he would provide. And I had to have John Abercrombie because he's the only guitar player who has the rhythmic concept I needed. As soon as my producer, Ralph Simon, uggested Sam Rivers, I knew he was the perfect horn player. And I've been working with Dominic Richards for a while now. He has a lot of roots and he's a real good listener."

Holding it all together is Ditmas, who incorporates a lot of drums, as opposed to cymbals, in his timekeeping. "I like to think of the entire drumset as a functional color," Ditmas says. "I think there's a little rock influence in there too, in terms of the in-your-face style of really playing the drums upfront."

Ditmas has worked in a variety of settings during his 30-year career, which began at age 18 when he backed Judy Garland. He was a member of the Gil Evans orchestra for several years, and appears on several Evans albums, and he has also worked and/or recorded with Lee Konitz, David Sanborn, the Brecker Brothers, Steve Kuhn, and Stan Getz. His commercial credits include work with Barbra Streisand, the Merv Griffin Show, and Broadway pit orchestras.

For all of the albums he has appeared on, Ditmas is most happy with What If. "I wanted to play some real open music that wasn't bebop but wasn't just free music either," he says. "A lot of people have been sidetracked by the retro idea, and they're going back to playing like it's 1962. I wanted to redefine the tradition of modern, aggressive playing, as if to say: What if the music from the late '70s and early '80s had continued to develop naturally? What if this kind of music had been played all along?"

The tunes represent a rich variety of influences and highlight different combinations of musicians so that each individual is showcased. In addition, What If features the historic first collaborations on a recording of Sam Rivers with Paul Bley, and Sam Rivers with John Abercrombie. "Island Seven" reflects the Latin music Ditmas was exposed to when growing up in Miami, while the suite "3348 Big Easy" is a tribute to one of Ditmas's favorite cities, New Orleans, and features both Dixieland and Voodoo flavors. "Clever Conversation" showcases Paul Bley ("Playing with Paul is really like talking with someone," Ditmas says), while "Pulp" is an aggressive guitar trio that highlights Abercrombie's blend of rock and jazz influences.

The final cut, "Don't Wake Me," feature synthesizer, and its title reflects the fact that Ditmas was overjoyed at seeing his "what if" dream being realized in the studio. "Everything was happening so nicely that I was afraid someone would wake me up and it would be over," Ditmas laughs.