Product Details

• Actors: Zoro
• Directors: Tim Landers
• Format: Color, Digital Sound, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Warner Brothers Pub.
• DVD Release Date: September 9, 2002
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00006L57T
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,074 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

In this award-winning DVD, Zoro brings his intense passion for funky music to life with an in-depth and entertaining look at the history of rhythm & blues music and drummers. His unique presentation delves into the evolution of R&B drumming by demonstrating grooves that span a 100-year timeline, from gospel and New Orleans, to funk and hip-hop! Now you can get the original Commandments of R&B Drumming, volumes 1, 2, and 3 all in one DVD! Special features include a performance only feature, hilarious outtakes, a bonus funky Zoro solo, a photo gallery with commentary, an interactive drumset, and interactive menus.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great video, but fire that drunken cameraman, March 6, 2008

By 

Brennan (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Commandments of R&B Drumming (DVD)

I felt compelled to write a review for this video because I am very annoyed by a recent trend in instructional drum videos. I'll get to that in a moment, but first the good stuff.

If you want to learn about R&B drumming, or even R&B in general, Zoro is an excellent teacher. He takes the viewer through the history and evolution of the genre, introduces the notable artists, and demonstrates the key drumming styles. Interviewer Russ Miller does a good job in discussing the subject and engages Zoro in a relaxed, conversational style. The video is also a great companion to Zoro's excellent book of the same title. The thing I like about both of them is they teach you things that are very useful in real world band/performance situations, and clue you in as to what a lot of bands are looking for in a drummer.

Now the bad stuff. Whenever Zoro plays live, the camera work and editing suddenly launches into a frenetic display of spastic camera moves and rapid-fire cuts. I guess this is supposed to make the video more exciting, but all it does is draw attention to itself and away from the subject. This is all the more maddening when you try and look closely at what Zoro is doing. It's nearly impossible to focus on the nuances of his technique while the camera is jerking around or it continually cuts to another angle. As I hinted before, I have seen this MTV approach in other recent drum videos, and apparently the people behind it haven't figured out that most people are watching these videos to learn something, not to be pandered to with gimmicky video tricks.

If not for this glaring problem, I would give this video 5 stars. But despite this problem, Zoro's playing and expertise on the subject still warrant 4 stars.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Commandments of R & B According to Zoro, September 9, 2008

By 

R. J. O. trey (California, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Commandments of R&B Drumming (DVD)

Delivering a historical backdrop of R&B that rivals any previoulsy published, the book is perhaps a little short on performance exercises it more than makes up for it with an indepth look at stylistic differences that occured over time in the genre and gives a representaion of development and progress through the 20th and into the 21st century. Again more quantity of different grooves for comparison and practice purposes. Otherwise Z could have easily turned the book and accompanying DVD in as an ethnomusicological grad project and probably recieved an honorary doctorate. Well done Z man!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars zoro is an amazing drummer,in my top three......BUT, February 18, 2010

By 

Elliott P. Phillips "e drummer" (atlanta) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Commandments of R&B Drumming (DVD)

i agree, the drunken camera man made it hard to learn and nauseating to whatch......but it covers a lot of useful information including a run down r and b history from day 1..... i enjoyed the learning experience and the drumming, but a new camera man is a must!!!!!!!