[Dixielandjazz] Drummers Unite

[Ken Mathieson]

Hi Guys,

As a drummer, allegedly, I've got to speak up for drummers, but it's important to distinguish between musicians who happen to play the drums and drummers who play in bands otherwise composed of musicians. There is a world of difference between the two types. Musicians who happened to play the drums would include people like Zutty, Big Sid Catlett, Osie Johnson, Dave Tough, Philly Jo Jones, Billy Higgins, Ed Blackwell among many others. Their common characteristic was that they all played for the band and all were careful about dynamics. Jake Hanna was a classic example: he could play like a powerhouse with a big band or swing a trio just as hard with a pair of brushes and a snare drum and it was always appropriate to what the band or soloist was playing.

We all know examples of the other kind of drummer: heavy handed, heavy footed, overbearing and often inappropriate. Somewhere in the middle was the phenomenon of Buddy Rich: he had unbelievable technical control and, in the right company, could be a wonderfully sympathetic accompanist. However, sometimes in his own band where he was the main attraction, he could be more like a circus act: the amazing technique and imagination were still there, but the musicality could often be lost in the desire to dazzle the listener with virtuosity, over the top showmanship and a desire to dominate performances.

I'm well aware from my own experience that drummers generally tend to play louder nowadays than they did when I was starting out in the late 1950s. The advent of the bass amp pushed up the onstage volume level and the drummer started to compensate. Then the pianist became amplified and the banjoist too, so rhythm sections got louder and louder, which meant that the horn players had to be mic'ed up too. I'm very fortunate that the guys in my Classic Jazz Orchestra prefer to play accoustically wherever possible so that we're always in control of dynamics. If we have to use PA in larger spaces, we always soundcheck without onstage fallback amplification so that we can judge our own levels and we'll generally play the gig without any onstage amplification too. It's about having the knack of playing with energy but without volume and that's a skill that was demanded by the wonderful trumpeter and my old pal John McLevy, who wouldn't tolerate an overloud or over-busy drummer.

As Johnny Griffin was fond of saying: "why is it always drummers....?"

Cheers,

Ken