"I realized that technique
doesn’t mean a shit if you
can’t play a back beat in a place
that fits, and lock it in. I had
never thought about that before,
mainly because I didn’t grow
up playing rock. I grew up
playing bop. I heard kids who
didn’t have my technique but
they could lay down
a backbeat that
would kick ass.
I started practicing playing
uncomplicated things and solid
time. To play as simply and
as unnoticed as I could became as
challenging as playing at a high
energy level. They’re still both
equally challenging to me."
-Steve Gadd