Jim Mussen
 
 

Press and Self-Promotion


“...Jim’s sensitivity, quickness, and sincere concern made my project a very special one...”
                                     (Jon Lucien)

“...The athletic, prop-heavy, whiz-bang staging could have suggested a lack of confidence in the material's power. But the gamble largely pays off, and with the help of lush, propulsive sound design by percussionist Jim Mussen ...TNC's Cino space becomes a veritable theater of combat.”

                                (Village Voice Review of The Lonely Soldier Monologues, March 2009)

"The proceedings get off the ground with spark and vitality on the opening composition titled, Bazillus Samba, featuring the up-front and brassy performances of trumpeter nonpareil, Dave Douglas who rides atop drummer Jim Mussen’s commanding funk induced rhythms..."
                    (All About Jazz review of Marc Wagnon's Shadowlines)


"Drummer Jim Mussen joins the Brothers, making for a truly high energy performance."
                                    (review of the Catler Brothers)


"I enjoy all three of the Neill albums I've heard...but have to say that the added dimension of Jim Mussen's excellent and innovative drumming surpassed anything on the albums. I wish he'd record with Mussen!"
                                    (Web Blog on Ben Neill)

"I think Mike Leslie and Jim Mussen in the rhythm section had a lot to do with that New York thing; Jim was a real straight hard hitting drummer...while Mike had tons of funk chops in his hands, and they pushed each other in a very exciting way."
                                    (Nick Didkovsky on Dr. Nerve)

 
 

REVIEW OF The Lonely Soldier Monologues:  “ William Electric Black, who conceived and directed the project, made the risky decision to shun minimalism: The athletic, prop-heavy, whiz-bang staging could have suggested a lack of confidence in the material's power. But the gamble largely pays off, and with the help of lush, propulsive sound design by percussionist Jim Mussen and a few cheesy toy M-16's, TNC's Cino space becomes a veritable theater of combat.”

I have had the privilege of Appearing in Modern Drummer a couple of times. The first time was back in the early days of the "Downtown" music boom in NYC, when I was playing a lot of experimental and adventuresome music with Elliott Sharp, Dr. Nerve, and various other musicians who frequented the original Knitting Factory and other seminal NYC clubs. You can see part of that article by clicking here: MD1.pdf


Some years later, Michael Cartellone's "Big Apple Beat" article in the March 2006 issue of MD covered the workaday scene in the city from the viewpoint of some very diverse and talented folks. It was a treat to be part of this group interview in MD, featuring some old and some new friends. Major props to Alex Alexander for the idea of a "drummer's lunch" in the first place. You can read that article here: MD2.pdf