Great Drummers

[Ducatista47]

I just don't understand why anyone would feel stupid about having a couple of drinks at dinner, a ball game, a concert, or any social function where it's accepted - unless you're easily intoxicated or shouldn't drink at all.

It diminishes the capabilities a bit, takes the edge off. Great while unwinding after work, not so great when taking in a once in a lifetime experience. As I get older I tend to consider every moment a once in a lifetime experience.

Since I love my non working life and hate my job, the ideal would be drinking at work and sober at home. Not to be, regretfully.

Clark

[LowPhreak]

Since I love my non working life and hate my job, the ideal would be drinking at work and sober at home.

I'm signing up for that!

[Bernard Wolf]

Please Please listen to any Coltrane album with Alvin Jones on the drums... Coltrane liked to play with him because he felt as though he sounded like 2 drummers.. not frenzied mind you, just laying down the most incredible and nuanced back beat ever.

[LowPhreak]

That's Elvin Jones, not Alvin.

[Bernard Wolf]

Yeah.. real early in the morning and old age

[LowPhreak]

I hear ya! (or maybe I don't?.... )

[Ralph856]

Marshall Allen was playin over here only a few weeks ago at Cafe Oto but I missed it, unfortunately. Not sure I'll get another chance seeing as he's 85 . But i digress...

Looks like I'm getting another chance!

http://www.cafeoto.co.uk/THESUNRAARKESTRA-Day1.shtm

...Oh, with someone called Wayne Anthony Smith Jnr on drums.

[sba2]

I don't think he's been mentioned in this thread, but all of you have heard some of the great albums that the session drummer Russ Kunkel has worked on. Check out this list--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Kunkel

************

Since I just saw the Woodstock film again, Michael Schrieve comes to mind. Here's his account of getting into Santana (and his reaction to seeing himself in the Woodstock film)--

" When I was 16 years old, I called up about a dozen of my musician friends and asked if they wanted to drive up to the Fillmore with me and see if we could sit in. Michael Bloomfield, Steven Stills and Al Kooper were playing together, billed as "Supersession." Every one of my friends said no, that I was crazy. It would never happen. Until I called my last friend, who was older than me and had actually moved out of his parents' house and was living with a girl, said, "Oh man, that sounds great. Hold on a minute," whereupon he spoke to his girlfriend about it and came back to the phone and said to me "Hey, I think I'm just gonna stay in tonight." Needless to say that one phone call is the reason I didn't marry until my early thirties....

At least I can try, I said to myself. It probably won't happen but tomorrow at least I can say that I tried. So I asked my folks, who were always supportive and trusting of my musical endeavors, for the keys to the car and drove the thirty miles up to the Fillmore. I went in and walked up to the stage, pulled on Mike Bloomfield's pant leg, looked up at him and said, " Hey man, I play drums, can I sit in?" Well I was 16 but looked 12 and I fully expected him to either kick me in the face or say "Go away kid!" But instead he said, "Well the drummer's a really nice guy, let me ask him."

Uh-oh. Hey, wait a minute, I thought. I was just going to try. Oh no! Well he comes back and says, "Yeah, it's cool, you can play." Oh shit. Then it hits me. I'm going to play with Michael Bloomfield, Steven Stills, and Al Kooper, on the sand stage that I'd seen with Cream, The Yardbirds, Van Morrison, Miles Davis, and BB King? Well, I played but I swear to this day I don't remember one note, not one moment of the jam. That's how scared I was. So we finished playing and now I'm backstage hanging out with the other musicians. Am I cool or what?

Well Stan Marcum and David Brown, the manager and bass player of Santana, came up to me and said, "Hey man, we heard you play and you sounded really good. We have a band called Santana and we've been thinking about getting a new drummer. Why don't you give us your number?" Well, I knew who Santana was; everybody did in the area. I had seen them, and even said to my brother once when we were watching them play, "I really want to play with these guys."

Cut to a year later. I never did hear from them. But, one night I was visiting a recording studio that I used to frequent to try to hustle free studio time for my own group. I'm walking in the front door and the drummer from Santana is walking out. I go inside and Santana was in the studio recording their first album for Columbia and Clive Davis, and they had just had a big falling out with their drummer! A couple of the guys recognized me from a year ago and asked me if I'd like to jam.

Well, we jammed. We played all night long and at the end of the night we all gathered in a small room off to the side. Actually, I think it was just Carlos, Gregg, and myself. Carlos asked me if I would like to join the band. I said, " You know, let me check my schedule." Just kidding!

That night they followed me home and I went into the house and woke my folks up and said, "See you later. This is where I get off." I ran out to the street, jumped into the car and drove up to San Francisco's Mission District, where the band was living in a house together. I took my appropriate place on the couch, and despite the excitement and because of the late hour, fell asleep.

I was in the band. And what a band it was! I soon saw this was no peace, love, hippie thing. This band was like a street gang and its weapon was music.

Cut to another year later and the band is set to play the Woodstock Festival. Bill Graham was able to get us on the show. We got paid, I think it was $500.00. We were known in California and we were doing a lot of festivals, always working, but still relatively unknown. We played the Woodstock show, which was of course incredible. It was also a mess. I think Paul Kantner had the best quote about Woodstock. " If you said you had a great time at Woodstock, you weren't there." Needless to say, we went over well. We were the right band at the right time. Our street gang tribal rhythms were perfect for the Woodstock tribe that day.

Another year later and we're touring more, our first record is out and the Woodstock movie is opening in theaters across the country. Santana is playing in New York and our first day off we go to see the movie. We're standing in line waiting for the earlier showing to finish, and as the people are coming out of the theatre, we notice quite a few of the people in line. We didn't know if we were going to end up in the film or not. After all, we were the unknown group there that day.

Halfway through the movie there we are playing Soul Sacrifice. Halfway through into my drum solo the screen splits and there are 6 images of me across it. I didn't know whether to shout out, "That's me!" or sink down in my seat. I sank down in my seat and watched and listened. At the end of the song the whole theatre burst into applause, as the 6 of us turned in our seats and looked at each other in laughter and surprise.

Well, our little musical street gang had just made a sound heard round the world. As the film was released around the world, the band became known everywhere. On our first trip Europe to play the Montreux Jazz Festival, I walked to the train station to pick up some magazines, and there I was on the cover of one, in a small shot from Woodstock.

Everywhere we went people knew us. Our album shot up the charts. This was all pretty heavy stuff for a 19-year old kid, but I loved it. As a drummer, there was no better band to be in. This was about really playing your instrument and these guys would really keep you on your toes. If you didn't play well you would hear about it! We played everywhere. We were one of the first groups to play Mexico and Central and South America. We played Africa, the Far East, the Philippines and Europe many times.

Cut to 15-20 years later and I'm walking down 5th Avenue in New York City. By this time, I'd been out of Santana over 10 years, made about 7 solo albums; played on many people's records, done a lot of stuff. A guy walks up to me and says, "Hey Mike Shrieve! Oh man, I saw you in Woodstock. You were so great! I loved it so much....but what happened man? You've gotten....older."

Well thousands of people have mentioned Woodstock to me. I kept trying to beat it with something else I did, but realized over time that this would never happen, and I learned to live with the fact, and accept that it meant so much to so many people, that you just couldn't fight it. It seemed I was 18 forever to them, and so be it. I'm 48 now and I've had a fruitful and long creative career but nothing has compared to my experience of playing in Santana."
1998

[Tom Brennan]

Dino Danelli of the Young Rascals. He shown to good effect in this live performence from the Ed Sullivan Show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxfDR4CWLME


And how about Mick Waller?

[LowPhreak]

Since I just saw the Woodstock film again, Michael Schrieve comes to mind. Here's his account of getting into Santana (and his reaction to seeing himself in the Woodstock film)--

I mentioned Mike Shrieve above. One of my faves.

[Ducatista47]

I searched this old thread and found no mention of the overlooked Caroline Corr, of the hyper talented family band The Corrs. Even more so than with bass players, I most respect drummers who have metric precision, keep the beat and don't show off. She is a great example. She kept time for a large band on a big, big stage, hit the skins hard, sang harmonies every song and never let it show when she was tired. Another consideration, in a band like this and with no solos, the task is relentless. No breaks. She does get a lot of love, but almost exclusively from other drummers. That says something.

An example of a talented, workmanlike drummer who never shows off and became the most respected of his generation is Jack DeJohnette. In Pop and Rock it will never happen, because showoffs rule.

She may also be one of the prettiest drummers who ever played. Hey, it never hurts.

The description of this video (the second to last song in a long concert) says it all. "Ah Caroline à la batterie !!!"

[4313B]

I searched this old thread and found no mention of the overlooked Caroline Corr, of the hyper talented family band The Corrs.

Oh I didn't overlook her... I always set the DVD to pan on her exclusively...They needed a drummer so she stepped up to the plate.

I doubt she'll ever suffer the same fate as Karen Carpenter with respect to getting moved out from behind the kit.

Sheila E isn't in the thread either.

Maybe they're just good and not great.

[Ducatista47]

Indeed, it is likely that only two classes of people are qualified to single out great drummers. Good drummers, obviously, and musicians who have played with a lot of drummers. I am neither. I do stick with my criteria that flash is an element of showmanship (entertainment) and not talent or the ability to demonstrate it. Let's say I hope I am entitled to my opinion there.

I look at Caroline having stepped up to the plate as no demerit to her ability. I find really talented, hard working musicians and artists (something I do know a lot about) like star college athletic prospects headed for the pros. The same people have to decide between baseball, basketball and football, and would excel at whichever they chose. Size would help with most football positions (Willie Gault being an exception), height with basketball and the mysterious ability to hit major league pitching in baseball. But despite all that it seems to be the same people anyway. There is a reason why musical ability runs in families. Like all artistic ability it appears to be bestowed, not gathered. Teachers can only bring out what is there; they cannot teach talent.

[4313B]

Yep. I just noticed Jeff Porcaro wasn't in this thread either. Nor Dennis Wilson. Merely good I suppose.

Bestowed, not gathered... Have you heard of the "10,000-Hour Rule"?

I'm not sure what to think about Cindy Bradley. I want to think that she is an example of the "10,000-Hour Rule". Bestowed or gathered, she's quite good.

[svollmer]

Did I miss Gene Krupa?

In addition to being a fabulous drummer, Gene was a true innovator. Drumming wouldn't look like it does today and drummers wouldn't play like they do today if it wasn't for Gene.

He invented tunable heads on the top and bottoms of toms, developed what we now know as the hi-hat, and was a fantastic showman and drummer. And to top it all off, Buddy Rich loved him!


Here's him and Buddy. Buddy is the MASTER technician, but Gene had great feel with Benny Goodman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ5B7yqDYbA