Witness A Drummer’s Dream

The brainchild of Canadian John Walker, his newest film A Drummer’s Dream gathers some of the world’s most talented drummers together where they share their insight and inspiration with a class of approximately 40 students.

Filmed over the course of one week, A Drummer’s Dream features master drummers Nasyr Abdul Al-Khabyyr, Dennis Chambers, Kenwood Dennard, Horacio “El-Negro” Hernadez, Giovanni Hidalgo, Mike Mangini and Raul Rekow. Frankly, the list of whom some of these musicians are performing with or have backed is jaw-dropping: Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Carlos Santana are just some of those names, covering musical styles including progressive rock, latin and more. The film captures the drummers talent and the passion they hold for their instrument and the craft.

A drummer himself, Walker is no stranger to making the world of documentaries. His 2003 documentary on Cape Breton chorus Men Of The Deeps won three Gemini awards including best performing arts, best documentary photography, best sound and a best director nomination. A complete list of Walker’s works can be viewed here.

A Drummer’s Dream is screening at Empire Theatres throughout the Maritimes tonight (October 20) at 7:00 pm. Here is the list of theatres and cities where you can catch this amazing film for yourself.

Sydney, NS – Empire Studio 10 (325 Prince St.)
Halifax, NS – Empire 8 in Park Lane Mall (5657 Spring Garden Road)
Moncton, NB – Empire 8 (127 Trinity Drive)
Fredericton, NB – Empire Studio 10 in Regent Mall (1381 Regent St.)
Saint John, NB – Empire Studio 10 (175 McAllister Drive)
Charlottetown, PE – Empire Studio 8 (670 University Ave.)
St. John’s, NL – Empire Studio 12 (48 Kenmount Road)

The MusicNerd Chronicles recently had the chance to chat with  John Walker about A Drummer’s Dream and how he got into film making:

Where did your passion for film-making come from?

Walker: It started with a passion for photography when I was a kid. I was the camera club president in high school. Eventually, my interest in photography lead me to explore cinematography and then I eventually started to direct films.

How did making A Drummer’s Dream differ from your past work?

Walker: The biggest challenge was definitely the fact that we were dealing with drums. They are a very complex instrument, especially when it came to getting the right sounds. The film was shot in a big wooden barn so getting the right quality of recording and ensuring the sound was perfect was the biggest challenge from the beginning through to the mixing phase of the film.

How important was it to feature such a wide range of drummers and styles in the film?

Walker: I felt it important to make a film that had a wide range of sounds and styles so that it wasn’t just a film about guys banging away on drums. With the musicians that got together in the film, I knew that they were master performers and musicians. Not all drummers are both. But these guys have huge personalities which I believe show through in the film.