[Dixielandjazz] drums

Thu Jan 10 16:25:26 PST 2008

Personally I like to have a drummer providing he knows the styles which is 
getting to be a rare commodity.  NYEve I hired a guy that I had played with 
before and was just plain disappointed.  I had heard him play much better. 
I guess I just bring out the best in some drummers. ;-)

I never liked the big drum solos that were popular in the 40's-50's.  Most 
of the time they were Krupa wannabees.  They usually sounded like falling 
down stairs and the tempo would go nuts as the guy got into it and then the 
idiots half the time would just stop and not really signal the band that 
they might be quitting or the band would be mentally asleep from boredom.

I was really happy when that went out of style and it wasn't a part of every 
third song.

Drum solo's do not have to be loud or long to be awesome.  A friend, Glen 
Kimmel, who died a year or so ago would start the drum solo in "Cute" and 
would end up playing with his fingertips with a finger flip, ping on the 
ride cymbal at the end.  The crowd always went nuts.  Glen was a consummate 
jazzer and never played anything bad.  This man had taste and was an artist.

But then again some drummers actually play them and all the rest hit on 
things sort of along with the band.  My biggest problem is that I have been 
around guys that actually play drums for too long and anything else just 
doesn't cut it.
Larry
St.L

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Petters" <jdpetters at btinternet.com>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 5:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] drums

>
>
> Clive Smith wrote:
>
>> Its an hoary old question, I know, but why is it that the great bands of 
>> the
>> 20's and early 30's (Oliver, Armstrong, Morton, Bix, Bechet et al) seldom 
>> if
>> ever featured drum solos (I am talking about the days of electric
>> recordings) - if they had featured drum solos when playing live, would 
>> they
>> not have recorded with said drum solos included? If today's listeners go
>> bonkers with drum solos, would not our parents have done the same in the
>> 20's and would the band leaders not have included them in their recorded
>> work of those times?
>
> Clive, drums were featured on early recordings. Johnny Dodds Blackbottom 
> Stompers 1927 recording of After You've Gone has a break by brother Baby.
> Jelly's recording of Billy Goat Stomp is based around Dodd's solo 
> drumming.
>
> Zutty solos on Armstrong's Monday Date with those weird little cymbals.
>
> Red Nichols Five Pennies recording of That's No Bargain has a cymbal solo 
> by Vic Berton as well as some tympani breaks.
>
> Krupa played breaks on the Rhythmakers 1932 sessions and Zutty soloed on 
> Who Stole The Lock.
>
> These all pre-date the marvellous output of Krupa with the Goodman band.
>
> What about Chick Webb and his marvellous solo on Liza or Don't be that 
> Way - or Harlem Congo?
>
> Or the Wettling recordings with Condon on Commodore? Or Hamp's Jack The 
> Bellboy? Or Bauduc with Bob Crosby?
>
> The drummer is a key part of a good band as Bill said in his post. Get a 
> lousy drummer and the band will be lousy. Get a good one and it will 
> druive a mediocre band to greater heights.
>
> Many European jazz bands would be better off without a drummer, exceptions 
> being any that have say Colin Bowden playing with them - who knows what 
> it's about.
>
> There is a young guy, Baby Jools, who has just joined Max Coliie, who has 
> a bright future ahead of him. He sat in with my band a Sstratford a couple 
> of months back.
>
> The problem with many drummers who play in traditional jazz and swing 
> bands is that they have not studied the roots, hence they know not the 
> language. Steve Hoog mentioned Hal Smith - who is terrific. He knows where 
> it comes from and where to take it. There are many others over the pond, 
> but not so many in Europe.
> Cheers
>
> -- 
> John Petters
> www.traditional-jazz.com
> Amateur Radio Station G3YPZ
>
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