When I was a teenager in the 1980s, I often got depressed listening to the radio. Electronic pop music was at the height of its popularity and was ubiquitous. I listened to the radio looking for great drummers and, with a few notable exceptions, I found mostly drum machines droning in my ears.

So I decided I would step back a decade or two and found a treasure trove of rock drummers to listen to, and one of my favorites was Danny Seraphine, the drummer for the band, Chicago. Of course, at the time, he was on the radio all the time, but it was “You’re the Inspiration” and “Hard Habit to Break.” I’ll never forget the first time I listen to Chicago’s debut album, “Chicago Transit Authority.” I couldn’t believe some of the drumming Danny did on that album. I was really drawn to the way he took his obvious jazz roots and incorporated them into the somewhat psychedelic music the band was making. Danny had a lot in common with Mitch Mitchell, but seemed more in control, maybe more focused on serving the song.

Twenty-five years later, I still have trouble nailing down exactly what it is that makes Danny Seraphine such a great drummer, but ultimately that’s not important. The music is. And so, for today’s Friday Drum Launch, I chose Danny performing with his new band, CTA (California Transit Authority), at the 2006 Modern Drummer Festival. In honor of the impact Chicago’s first album had on me, I picked a song I must have listened to a thousand times because it had a long drum solo in it:  “I’m a Man.”

Enjoy!