Louis Cole Concepts

Louis Cole is unquestionably one of the most unique and innovative drummers in the modern jazz idiom. Over the
past 5 years, Cole has released an album with his electronic jazz group KNOWER, released two albums as a solo
artist, performed with Vulfpeck, produced tracks for Thundercat, and opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Check out a few examples of Cole’s drumming:

https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=0mo9dLm3Q6k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SNTHBtWBVE

You can find my transcriptions of sections of these videos at the bottom of the page.

One of the defining features of Cole’s drumming is what I call a ‘break’. Breaks are like extended fills that last several
bars and generally have a strong rhythmic conclusion before returning to regular timekeeping. Though there are
similarities, breaks are not solos or fills; they still function as timekeeping but at higher intensity. In a break, Cole
displaces the backbeat, replacing them with less predictable, syncopated hits. The hands are still mostly stationary on
the hi-hat/ride and snare drum, as is typical in timekeeping. In many ways, breaks are like a combination of
timekeeping and filling.

Cole’s ‘breaks’ contain several uncommon stickings that can be considered to be one of the elements most
characteristic of his playing. It is also important to listen for when and where these patterns are deployed to
understand what contexts they can be appropriately applied in.

Important Stickings
Here are a few of the stickings that appear most frequently in my transcriptions of Cole’s playing. The stickings are
often displaced to begin at different points in the 16th note subdivision. They are also frequently orchestrated slightly
differently (for example, the hi-hat may be played instead of the snare drum). In the transcriptions below, I underlined
appearances of the stickings so it is easy to see how they are used. I also marked spots where the downbeat is not
emphasized in the kick drum (ND for ‘No Downbeat’).

Break 1 (from Andre 3000 video)

Begins at 0:31 in the video

This break is 16 measures long. Because of its length, it is clear that it functions more as timekeeping than a drum fill.
The hands mostly on the ride cymbal and snare drum, as is expected of timekeeping. On the contrary, note the
absence of a 1-bar repeated pattern, as one would expect in typical timekeeping. There is no regularly occurring
backbeat or ostinato. Instead, there is a ‘call and response’ style exchange of accents between the kick and snare
drum. In Cole’s (and most drummers) regular timekeeping, backbeats are predictable and mostly occur on 2 and 4.

Break 2 (from Andre 3000 video 2011)

Begins at :24

This excerpt from earlier in the video contains all of the same stickings. Note how it ends with the same quarter note
rhythm as the previous break. Again, there is no repeating 1 bar pattern, an absence of kick drums on downbeats,
and displacement of snare and kick accents. The transition into filling is made clear by the shift of the hands away
from timekeeping position on ride and snare drum. Additionally, Cole switches to linear playing, playing only one limb
at a time, which is a stark contrast to the densely layered patterns at the beginning of this break.

Break 3 (from Overtime Live 2016)

Begins at 4:52
This break is very similar to the first. Additionally, Cole introduces an accented offbeat pattern that is repeated
throughout. The context of a live band gives insight into the function of the break. The band reaches a musical climax
in the last 8 bars of the keyboard solo while the keyboard plays long sustained chords. Cole reacts to the change in
texture by immediately switching from regular timekeeping to breaking, building up intensity until the beginning of the
chorus, when regular timekeeping resumes.

Break 4 (from ‘Overtime Live’ video )

Begins at 4:31

This break is similar to break 2 in terms of length and function. It functions more as a fill than timekeeping, though the
hands are still mostly on the hi-hat and snare.

For all breaks, keeping the ghost notes quiet and the bass drum notes loud and at the center of attention is extremely
important. Cole’s syncopation is created by the difference between the loud and quiet notes; if all notes are the same
volume, there is no accent pattern!

Final Thoughts
Though several of the stickings and concepts that Louis Cole uses are not in common use, it is important to mention
that several other drummers utilize the same concepts. Cole has spoken regularly about his admiration for Nate
Wood, Keith Carlock, and Tony Williams among others.

For example check out some of these videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei8psDCGPDU (especially around 1:50 - 2:25, among other spots)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoX7mZSuA4E (especially after solos begin at 1:00)

You can hear these same, uncommon stickings but their usage is very different! Try to think about other creative ways
that you can apply these stickings.
This excerpt begins from around 4:25, when the band returns to full speed.