DVDsAreMyLIFE

Recommend me some Jazz. I am looking for some jazz with ALOT of percussion and drum solos.

porieux

Look for albums with these people playing on them. I promise you will not go wrong. Not necessarily THEIR albums, as long as one of these guys is the drummer it will be good.

Art Blakey
Max Roach
Jack DeJohnette
Roy Haynes

porieux

If you are looking for something more over the top, look for Dave Weckl.

Andalusia

Don't forget Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich.

reverie

"Time Further Out" is one of my all time favorite albums, by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. It also has a song that is basically one big drum solo, "Far More Drums", and a really nifty little percussive piece (which the title oddly escapes me at the moment even though I can picture it perfectly in my mind).

porieux

Buddy Rich is severely overrated IMO. I wouldn't recommend him myself.

Joe Morello is a great addition though (Dave Brubeck's drummer).

jonnyrocks

Philly Joe Jones is one of my all-time favorite drummers. One particular stand-out moment is a version of "Salt Peanuts" on the Miles Davis Quintet's Steamin' album.

Arpeggi

Whoever played the drums on A Love Supreme. (Elvin Jones I think).

Cathepsin

Definitely Art Blakey, especially Drum Suite and Holiday for Skins, both of which feature extra drummers and percussionists. Both are available at yourmusic.com if you want to get 'em cheap.

dvduser6

I've been listening to a lot of late-era Coltrane material with Elvin Jones and even though it focuses a lot on his sax work, "Sun Ship" features some downright blistering performances from the whole band, Jones in particular. The way that quartet played off each other and knew how to support the context of the music is very humbling.

porieux

Elvin Jones and Philly Joe Jones are both excellent suggestions!

B5Erik

Dude, you are on crack!

Ever see him live? I did. SEVERAL times (a couple times in the 70's, and 3 or 4 times in the 80's). I played drums for 10 years, and I'll tell you, the most impressive performance on the drums that I EVER saw was in the summer of 1983 - Buddy Rich and his big band playing the amphitheater at the San Diego Zoo! His drum solo was simply astounding. My mouth was literally wide open - my jaw was almost scraping on the ground! Buddy looked at me wearing my KISS t-shirt and smirked, like he was saying, "No, kid, THIS is real music!" It was great!

Quick story from one of his band members as related in Musician magazine about 5-6 years ago...

Buddy and Gene Krupa were the best known drummers of the 40's and 50's - and they would periodically take their respective big bands out to tour together on a "battle of the drummers" kind of tour. On this one tour Gene Krupa's band played first. Each band opened with a song featuring a drum solo. When Buddy came out, he played the EXACT SAME SOLO Krupa played...except Buddy played it with ONE HAND! It was his way of mocking Krupa as an overrated hack! - This comes from one of the guys in his band who played on that tour. If you scour the back issues of Musician you can read the story for yourself if you think I'm making it up.

Having seen him in peak form in '82, '83, and '84 I'd have to say I can easily believe it.

My pick for best Buddy Rich album is The Roar of '74! GREAT album that did a good job of fusing Rock and Jazz (and Buddy hated Rock, so it's really kind of interesting to hear him play some Rock flavored Jazz). Of course, there are a couple straight jazz/swing numbers as well on there.

There's a reason that Buddy is generally considered the greatest drummer of all time - by big time musicians and fans alike. He WAS the greatest. (If he were still alive he'd tell you that he was the greatest, too!)

Little known fact by younger people - Buddy Rich guest hosted the Tonight Show several times in the 70's when Carson wanted time off! He was Carson's choice....

porieux

I'm not saying he sucks, but I don't think he's the greatest drummer of all time.
Personally I think he's overrated, but I do respect your opinion.

B5Erik

Just a couple points...

He was better live than in the studio. He tended to play it safe just a little in the studio, but live he really went for it - showing what kind of chops he really had. That's actually pretty common for musicians (especially Jazz musicians in Big Bands since they did it live in the studio and if one guy messed up they had to do the whole thing over again).


If you think he's overrated, but never saw him live, then you just don't know. Hell, if I based my opinion on his playing solely by the albums I've heard I'd probably think the same thing! I'm just fortunate that my dad is such a Jazz fiend that he took me to see the living Big Band legends play live in the 70's and early 80's! Because of that my opinion is very different.

Another point to consider, the guys you cited before were most likely VERY influenced by Buddy, and they probably built up their techniques by learning to play Buddy's stuff. Buddy was already a drumming legend in the 40's, so anyone who came afterward as a Jazz drummer has at least a little Buddy Rich influence - and most have a lot. Just ask Dave Weckl.

Check out The Roar of '74, it's pretty inexpensive, and it really is a phenomenal album. That band may just be the, "Hottest Band In The World." The Jazz world... (It doesn't feature Buddy anywhere near his best, although he's still damned good on it, but the big thing is that the album as a whole is BRILLIANT Big Band Jazz with just a bit of a Rock flavor to it on a few of the songs.)

Now, Gene Krupa - I will agree, HE was overrated.

Jason

No, Neal Peart is the greatest drummer of all time, but since he worships Buddy Rich, I don't think BR can be considered overrated.

Supermallet

You're all wrong. Bill Bruford is the best drummer of all time. But Buddy Rich ain't half bad, either.

porieux

Neal Peart is awesome but even he would admit he doesn't stand up to the top jazz drummers.

Andalusia

Wow, I wouldn't know who was overrated if it weren't for this thread.