John Vidacovich is a product of his environment. His drum style is a part of this city’s heritage and he has become one in a line of great purveyors of what is commonly referred to, often with some sense of mystique, as “New Orleans drumming.”

"I don't strive for cleanliness," says Vidacovich. "Ijust like the rhythm to have a curve to it as opposed to tight and articulate...[I] play looser."

This "street beat" approach has been the vehicle that has carried Vidacovich's reputation far be...