Noted musician, author and educator Chuck Silverman died on May 1, 2014. 

After studying musicology at UCLA, Silverman became known as a specialist in applying Afro-Caribbean rhythms to the drumset, and he organized many trips to Cuba at which drummers and percussionists could study Cuban music first-hand. Three of his books, Practical Applications 1, 2 and 3, were named to Modern Drummer magazine’s all time best drum books. Other books he wrote include The Latin Rudiments, The Latin Funk Connection, and Afro-Carribean Drum Grooves, and he co-wrote books with Poncho Sanchez, Changuito, and Dave Lombardo, and made an educational video, also titled Practical Applications. Silverman wrote for and/or was featured in many magazines worldwide including Talking Drums, Modern Drummer, Slagwerkkrant (The Netherlands), Rhythm (UK), Batteur (France), Drums and Percussion (Germany), Sticks (Germany) and Percussioni (Italy). He also contributed articles to Percussive Notes and presented clinics at several PASICs.