Product Details

• Actors: Steve Smith, JoJo Mayer, Chad Smith, Keith Carlock, Mike Portnoy
• Directors: Various
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Hudson Music/Modern Drummer
• DVD Release Date: November 18, 2008
• Run Time: 292 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001HKRKF0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,721 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Hudson Music and Modern Drummer Team Up For Ten-Year Retrospective Modern Drummer Festival DVD! Featuring exceptional and inspirational performances by over 50 of the world s top drum artists - the Best Of The Modern Drummer Festival 1997-2006 DVD offers drummers and drum enthusiasts an incredible opportunity to watch heroes and legends at the top of their careers as well as up-and-coming players just starting out. The two-disc, almost five-hour compilation is presented by Hudson Music in association with Modern Drummer and spans ten years and six editions of the drumming event that has become one of the most famous drum festivals on the planet. Digitally remastered footage from the 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2006 Modern Drummer Festivals (some available for the first time ever on DVD) features clips of drumming greats from a diversity of musical styles, including Alex Acuña, Chris Adler, Airto, Eddie Bayers, Charlie Benante, Jason Bittner, Don Brewer, Ronald Bruner Jr., Teddy Campbell, Keith Carlock, Stewart Copeland, Nick D Virgilio, Jack DeJohnette, Dave DiCenso, Virgil Donati, The Drumbassadors, Sheila E, Steve Ferrone, Steve Gadd, Jeff Hamilton, Horacio Hernandez, Gerald Heyward, Giovanni Hidalgo, Hip Pickles, Rodney Holmes, Hilary Jones, Will Kennedy, Glenn Kotche, Thomas Lang, Dave Lombardo, JoJo Mayer, Marvin McQuitty, Rod Morgenstein, Ian Paice, Shawn Pelton, Karl Perrazo, Mike Portnoy, Raul Rekow, Bobby Sanabria, Antonio Sanchez, Danny Seraphine, Chad Smith, Steve Smith, Aaron Spears, Bill Stewart, John Tempesta, Nathaniel Townsley, Glen Velez, Billy Ward, Dave Weckl and Zoro. Also included is a very special, rare performance by late Modern Drummer founder Ron Spagnardi.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent dvd set, April 20, 2009

By 

H. Du Preez "steve du preez" (south africa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Modern Drummer Festival The Best of Ten Years: 1997-2006 (DVD)

This is an excellent double dvd set almost 5 hours long. It has been brilliantly collected and edited. 50 drummers of various genres eg. country, jazz, rock and metal are present and in top form. There are drum clinics and live shows by various sized musical groups. Demonstrations of brushwork, sticks and various percussion instruments are plentifull. The sound is excellent throughout, and although there are no audio options, I am sure that it has been digitally remastered. The visuals 1997-2000 are very good and those from 2003-2006 are excellent. This is an excellent buy, whether you are a drummer or not. Buy it now!!.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Overview of Drum Festivals 1997 - 2006, June 11, 2009

By 

Rainer Remagen "film director/screenwriter" (Portland, ME) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Modern Drummer Festival The Best of Ten Years: 1997-2006 (DVD)

These two discs were helpful in many ways. I have not been able to afford to go to a Modern Drummer Festival. Highlights are from the years 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2006. Performances worthy of study are 1997 -Bill Stewart; John Tempesta and Chas. Benante; 1998 - Jeff Hamilton; 2004 - Hip Pickles; Steve Smith; Drumbassadors; Nick DiVirgilio. I was surprised by the poor grooming and sloppy clothes of most of the other performers. Being loud and fast does not make a good drummer; I have taken lessons and been learning for five years. Two-thirds of the performances are disappointing; the drummers constantly play on the edge, almost being out of control. Also, when audience members ask a question about technique, the drummers smile but NEVER give anything in reply that is useful or worth the cost of admission. Many of the drummers wail on the kit and have facial expressions that say CONTEMPT for the audience, tossing their sticks nonchalantly, walking away at the end of a performance without saying thank you to the audience or showing appreciation for them showing up.

The wide range of drumming styles was interesting, and the variety of music was interesting. There was a small amount of useful instructional material given by some drummers. I have found when buying drum instruction DVDs, nine out of ten take your money and give you a lot of fluff but nothing to improve your drumming. Modern Drummer magazine is very helpful by having reviews of instructional DVDs and informing the reader of the quality and value of the information on the DVD by a celebrity drummer or other. I cannot afford to continually by drum DVDs to finally find one that gives value for money, especially with so many being poor quality in content. The DVDs are rather expensive, even if bought at a discount online.

These two discs give an overview of drum performances that is an education in what NOT to do, what not to WEAR, and reveals how the U.S. drumming community that earns thousands and millions of dollars does not have high standards of quality in grooming, performance etiquette, and display of technique that one can learn from and emulate. If you are a drummer in a band who can play LOUDER and FASTER than anyone else, you got into the Modern Drummer Festival; if your affect is bizarre to the max and yet your technique is so extreme that no one can imitate it, you also got to perform and receive applause. I was also surprised how many performers had poorly tuned drums and some of the bass drums sounded dead or only produced a "slapping" sound from the head with no tone or quality articulation.
One can learn much from these two DVDs, a lot from what was seen and heard, not much from what was said. I will not be saving money patiently to go to any Modern Drummer Festival, after seeing these DVDs. The DVDs are at a fair price for all the years covered and work done to tape them. There are good camera angles over the drum kits using cranes and jibs; closeups at the level of the player; and the sound quality is never cheap or poor quality but in stereo. There were wide angle views, close-ups of footwork while the drummers were performing, overhead shots showing the performer working the kit, and good views of the kit and equipment so one can see the different drums and cymbals and learn from that.
Buy these DVDs, and you will be watching them and your favorite performers again and again. Just do not lend them out to anyone, including your friends, because you might not get them back!

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Short., January 3, 2011

By 

Rob - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Modern Drummer Festival The Best of Ten Years: 1997-2006 (DVD)

It seems like they didn't really want to sell this as the actual "best of show" rather it is more of a sampler so that you buy the full DVD of each year you seem to like the most.

I was waiting for the whole Bill Stewart Trio show with Larry Goldings and Peter Bernstein, but they only put Jive Coffee in here. There is an additional VHS version of the whole bill Stewart Trio show at Modern Drummer festival 2003 (i think it was 2003 im not sure if i recall correctly).
VHS version is not available on DVD. But if ur interested in Bill Stewart stuff get a hold of "Peter Bernstein Live at Smoke DVD". If I remember correctly you can buy the VHS by looking up "bill stewart and his band" in amazon or ebay

Instead of buying this either get the VHS and Rip it to digital format or just visit moderndrummer.com and checkout bill stewart's page.

Besides that well, the Antonio Sanchez clip is the only one i actually considered useful(from MD Fest 2000 i think). The rest kinda sucked in my opinion. I had too many rock drummers and percussion players but not enough Jazz or Latin drumming.

I think the MD fest 2003 does not have the whole bill stewart show they just put a different song in there, i think its called "when johnny comes marching home". so yah dont buy either. just watch bill stewart's videos on his moderndrummer.com homepage and learn from those. or get the VHS and rip it. later.