Orghici Cosmin (December 15, 1893 in

Ciocile Ciocile is a commune located in Brăila County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Chichinețu, Chioibășești, Ciocile and Odăieni. Chichinețu village was renamed '' Ștefan Gheorghiu'' by Romania's communist authorities; it ...

Brăila County Brăila County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Brăila. Demographics In 2011, Brăila had a population of 304,925 and the population density was 64/km2. * Romanians – 98% * Romani, Russians, Lipo ...

– October 1961 in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States), born William Goldstein, was a Romanian-born

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

builder,

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

, and drum teacher who performed in New York theaters, including the Capitol Theatre and most famously

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

in the 1930s and 1940s. He was perhaps most famous in his day for his snare-drum technique, which is often referred to in the drumming community as "The Gladstone Technique". This technique involves the use of the fingers to control the rebound of the drum stick, as opposed to the "

Moeller Method The Moeller method, Moeller technique or whipping technique is a percussive stroke method that combines a variety of techniques with the goal of improving hand speed, power, and control while offering the flexibility to add accented notes at will. ...

" which utilizes a fluid whipping motion to control stick rebound. Both Gladstone and Moeller are now popularly noted for their individually named techniques, but it is unlikely that either drummer single-handedly invented either technique from scratch. More likely they both observed other experienced drummers and instructors of their time and later expanded and popularized each technique via modern publications and private drum instruction. As a teacher Gladstone taught, formally or informally, a number of noted jazz drummers, including

Joe Morello Joseph Albert Morello (July 17, 1928 – March 12, 2011) was an American jazz drummer best known for serving as the drummer for pianist Dave Brubeck, as part of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, from 1957 to 1972, including during the quartet's "classic ...

Shelly Manne Sheldon "Shelly" Manne (June 11, 1920 – September 26, 1984) was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, s ...

, and

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York ...

. As an inventor and drum builder he devised his own special drum kits bearing his name. These rare

snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

s are considered highly collectible today. Among his inventions is a rare

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

instrument similar to the

Bock-a-da-bock The bock-a-da-bock is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of two small cymbals attached to each other by a set of metal tongs. They are typically played in a pair by one percussionist, much like the castanets. However, sever ...

, a hand-held cymbal apparatus called the “Ludwig Gladstone Cymbal” when it was introduced by the Ludwig Drum Company in 1927. In 1929 the

Leedy Drum Company Leedy is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Denoe Leedy (1900–1964), American classical pianist, music educator and music journalist *Gene Leedy (1928–2018), American architect * Harold Gavin Leedy (1892–1989), American Fe ...

listed it in their catalogue as the "Hand Sock Cymbals." Gladstone was granted a patent September 27, 1927, for his "Operating Device for Cymbals," his first commercially accepted patent (his previous patents were not mass-produced). This launched an illustrious career as an inventor of percussion and non-percussion items. On April 21, 1931, Gladstone was awarded patent no. 1,801,422 for a percussion musical instrument.

Notes

References

* Falzerano, Chet. ''Billy Gladstone''. Anaheim Hills, California: Centerstream Publishing, 2007.

External links

Drum Center of IndianapolisPercussive Arts Society Hall of Fame
American people of Romanian-Jewish descent Romanian emigrants to the United States 1893 births 1961 deaths People from Brăila County 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American inventors 20th-century American male musicians {{US-drummer-stub