[Dixielandjazz] Ride cymbals

[john petters]

Pat said
> A drummer who plays the same gizmo all the time will drive one nuts.
>That's why they have so many different things to beat on

There are some that do the same thing all through every number. An example
would be, I think, Les Erskine, If I remember correctly, on the Vic
Dickenson Vanguard sessions. That becomes boring. The later sessions with Jo
Jones are much better, because Jo does different things.
Joe Watkins does very little except hit the ride cymbal. I don't care for
his playing either. Minor Hall on the other hand uses press rolls, hi-hat,
rim shots and brings a moving sound to the band. Alton Redd could do the
same on the 1940s Ory sessions but just banged the hell out of the cymbal on
the Ory 59 sessions. And what about the fabulous Black Happy Goldston? With
Celestin's band. No hi hat or ride, just pure parade drumming with an off
beat cymbal on the out chorus. I'll bet there are many on this list who have
never heard him. If so go to the link below and listen to a couple of great
clips.

www.traditional-jazz.com/pge_gold.htm

Wettling changed over the years - not for the better as far as I'm
concerned. The Wild Bill / Brunies sides as well as the Bud Freeman things
on Commodore are full of surprises and excitement. He plays everything. By
the mid 50s all of this had been abandoned for the ride cymbal. BeBop has a
lot to answer for. The fragmented beat on the bass drum and snare, with the
time moving to the ride cymbal fundamentally changed jazz drumming and a lot
of older guys got messed up. It nearly ruined Gene Krupa, when he tried to
be-bop.The boppers were probably trying to get closer to Africa, but the
closest was Baby Dodds. Try and copy him and find out how impossible it is.
On another tack, I've been listening to Art Blakey's Blue Note album of
African drumming (that'll surprise those who have concluded that I am a
mouldy fygge) and the poly rhythms on this cd are amazing. In fact compared
to the Africans, Blakey sounds stiff 
John Petters
Amateur Radio Station G3YPZ
www.traditional-jazz.com