www.BernieKoenig.com

"The information provided on this DVD is well thought out and complete. Koenig has done his homework and speaks well on camera. The camera work is interesting and provides several different angles to showcase his drumming….The beginning of the video showcases his snare technique which is good. The snare drum he uses sounds very boomy on the video and comes across more like a field drum instead of a "tight" snare. The volume of the snare drum is also overly loud and distracting at times. Koenig covers hi-hat technique during the big band era briefly and includes a great clip of a Jo Jones drum solo. (This and other samples are worth the price of admission.)
The DVD is divided into seven different sections. (New Orleans, Swing Era, Be Bop, etc.) Each section ends with a vibes and drum duet. There is no video of the vibraphone parts but it would seem that Koenig played both instruments with studio over-dubbing. I'm not sure which instrument was recorded first, but there certainly is an absence of groove or use of a click track. As well, the melodies are all remarkably similar and don't help to define the musical context.
Advances in technique and feel are covered in each section but I was hard pressed to differentiate between similar examples. As a bonus, video clips have been sprinkled throughout the 60 minute DVD including Dave Tough, Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Andrew Cyrille and others. These clips really help get the point across. This DVD is a good starting point for general background on the history of jazz drumming. The explanations are good but the demonstrations are not detailed enough. Bernie Koenig lives in London, Ontario and is a professor at Fanshawe College. "

-- Review by Jay Boehmer
-- Ontario Percussive Arts Society