Zack Albetta : “Don’t listen to something because you feel you should; listen because you want to”

by Kevin Rabas

Zack Albetta, age 28, is one of Kansas City’s solid, promising young drummers. He has a sophisticated, intricate but soulful style. He performs regularly with his own group, The Ten String Trio, featuring bassist Jeff Harshbarger and guitarist Danny Embrey, and he also is a part of several other burgeoning and high echelon groups, including Horace-Scope, Clint Ashlock/New Jazz Order, Shay Estes and the Mark Lowrey Trio, and DJ Sweeney.

In 2003, Albetta came from Ball State University, in Indiana, to KC, where he was awarded a graduate teaching assistantship in percussion at UMKC. At UMKC, Albetta studied classical percussion with Dr. Jim Snell and jazz with Bobby Watson. Albetta, originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico, was initially most interested in big band drumming, but eventually he expanded his focus to include smaller combo work, as well. Albetta articulated the differences in his roles as a big band drummer and as a small group drummer, along with how he grew to love the finesse of small group playing.

“Big band was my first love,” said Albetta. “I started out playing in my high school big band, and by the time I was halfway through college I took tremendous seriousness and pride in my role as a big band drummer—to drive the bus, herd the sheep, kick a 20-piece band in the ass….I came to small group playing later and more gradually…In small group, my role is less supportive and more interactive. Big band drumming has all the subtlety of a dump truck, so small-group really forces me to explore more sensitive drumming, and it’s a challenge I enjoy…always looking for that blend of simplicity and depth, saying something original and unique without losing the band, and hooking the audience with something other than fireworks.”

Albetta leads a balanced, but disciplined, listening life, and he has recently written a listening recommendation list for young drummers that includes jazz and non-jazz recordings for an online magazine, OnlineDrummer. com. In addition to studying classic and contemporary jazz recordings, Albetta talked about the need to do listening outside of jazz.

“Often when I listen to jazz, especially when it’s something really heady, I feel like I have to do more than listen,” said Albetta. “I have to learn, absorb, remember, analyze, understand—all this high-pressure stuff…I think having time away from jazz keeps me from getting sick of it….I think I listen to less jazz than the average jazz musician. My ears get plenty of jazz on gigs, and listening to nothing but jazz on my off-hours feels like making pizza for a living and then going home and ordering out for pizza.” Albetta’s non-jazz listening favorites include Rush, The Beatles, Pantera, Paul Simon, Frank Zappa, and Tom Waits.

The creation of Albetta’s own sound perhaps lies somewhere in the long middle ground between two of his early idols, Max Roach and Buddy Rich. It is a combination of fire and ice, spirit and subtlety. Albetta spoke about these two early influences and about his thoughts on how one drummer can influence the feel of a whole band.

“Max Roach and Buddy Rich were the first two jazz drummers that I was exposed to and right away I was aware of how very different they were from each other,” said Albetta. “Anyone who has listened to both drummers can tell you that Buddy was energetic, relentless, extroverted, flashy, and superhuman, while Max was subtle, introspective, melodic, and understated. One of the first jazz albums I got was Rich vs. Roach, which featured Buddy and Max playing the same tunes with the same band one after the other. They also played together on a couple of tracks, both playing time and trading. This album made it obvious to me how drastically the choices a drummer makes can affect the overall aesthetic of the music. The drummer’s respective personalities permeated the whole band.”

Albetta spoke about how he enjoys composing and arranging for The Ten String Trio as well as performing tunes beyond the ordinary repertoire. Albetta founded The Ten String Trio as a vehicle for ordinary and eclectic work. “I started The Ten String Trio because I wanted to play music I never got to play otherwise,” said Albetta. “That meant originals, older tunes that are rarely if ever played, and stuff by contemporary composers like Bobby Watson and John Scofield. Both Danny (Embrey) and Jeff (Harshbarger) have been totally up for just about anything, contributing tunes as well as learning stuff that I bring in. That’s the other thing about the trio—it’s been a great outlet for me as a composer/arranger, something that I discovered that I liked while at UMKC.”

Albetta gave the following advice for young drummers, “Well, obviously, listen, listen, listen! But I say that with a caveat: Don’t listen to something because you feel you should; listen because you want to. Find stuff YOU dig, not stuff that drummers who are better than you dig, or things that you’re told you should be listening to. I also think young drummers spend way too much time—and money—developing their chops so they can be Olympic drummers and not enough time developing their musicality, their feel, their ears. I would also encourage them to get out of the practice room and go play with other humans!...And for God’s sake, take a break! I think being a well-rounded human makes you a better musician, so get away from the drums sometimes. Go see a movie, exercise, go out with friends, go on a date for crying out loud, whatever.”

Regularly, Albetta can be found playing Thursdays with The Ten String Trio at JP Wine Bar (1526 Walnut), select Tuesdays with New Jazz Order at Harling’s, and 2-3 nights a month with Shay Estes and Mark Lowrey Trio at Jardine’s.

Albetta is an artist endorser of Bosphorus cymbals. He plays custom built Keller Maple drums.