Dan McGuinness

Dan McGuinness is the funkiest drummer in New York. He even says so himself, ("Ben, I am the funkiest drummer in New York"). His influences? He wouldn't say. His reason? "Thieves, Ben. All of them. These young musicians are just cockroaches trying to jack all of my shit. Like car rims. Bling bling!" Though not willing to share his influences, one can tell that he digs on guys like Philly Joe Jones, Tony Williams, and Rodney Green for starters (when confronted with these names, he responds with "who the fuck are they?") Stubborn little guy! Though he continued to be a pain in the ass for our entire interview, twitching his head and complaining about his luke-warm coffee, I managed to squeeze out of him a few enlightening details about his approach to playing jazz: "narcasism, my man. Self indulgence. Non-versatility. Close your ears, and play staggering poly-rhythms. That's the shit that gets me work." If only we were all so lucky.- Ben Ratlif, New York Times

I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4