Wanted: new drummer

[Update: New drummer has been found. We'll see how it goes. 2 months to the concert!!]

After the last incident with a runaway drummer, you'd think my jazz band the Moon Jumpers would have got going again. We found a good, new drummer, had a decent rehearsal in January... then we broke for Chinese New Year, someone fell ill, I went on my conference trip, then I fell ill on the way back to Singapore.

Which means to say that we've only had one practice session this year ... and our school concert is in June!!!

We were hoping to meet up this evening for a second rehearsal, when I got the bad news that my new drummer, J, was pulled into another event involving a ceremony with lots of VIPs. Which meant a further postponement of our rehearsal.

So I had to inform the other band members that tonight's session was off. I felt even more sad when my bassist R sms'd back to say that this band was still his top priority. Then I decided to pick myself up and sort out everything. I headed to my music school this evening for a meeting with my teacher/principal. I made a painful decision to ask my drummer, J, if he really could commit to our band. If not, we had to part ways. We needed a stable band, not one with members coming and going every few months.

At just 17, J is much younger than the rest of us but when you play with him, you can't feel the difference. For want of a better word, he's smashingly good. Unfortunately, we are also his third or fourth concurrent band. Even as a full-time music student, it really is too much to handle and he told me as much on the phone. He promised to help us look for a new drummer, though from the sound of it, there may not be many decent ones around who can handle a tight fusion jazz band.

At which point my music teacher told me, "Do your net thing." Which is why I'm here, hoping that one of your readers may know someone who plays the drums and is interested in growing with a fusion jazz band. Being just a four-piece band, every member has to be precise because you can tell when someone's out of time and tune.

Every one of us is on the lookout and I hope to find a few potential drummers by this weekend. Then we will conduct auditions and hopefully get back on track for the concert.