Mastodon’s Brann Dailor is the latest drummer to take on Drumeo’s recurring “For the First Time” segment, which features famous percussionists learning and performing a song on the spot.

The Drumeo hosts made Dailor pivot outside his wheelhouse for this clip, presenting him with the jazz-fusion classic “Birdland” by Weather Report.

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“I could get my teeth cleaned to this,” joked Dailor before hunkering down and tackling the many complexities of the song at hand.

Brann’s prog-metal skills are certainly applicable to jazz, as he juggles bar-length fills and on-a-dime rhythmic changes in his own band. But Dailor is clearly challenged by the Weather Report track — especially during his first pass. The instrumental dropouts in the song, in particular, seem to stump him.

“I would have to make a decision whether or not I’m getting real small, or dropping out completely,” says Dailor...