# Best drum solo ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 24, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477 "2011-09-24T19:15:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/21 "2011-09-25T09:47:00Z")
And the winners so far are… drum roll please… Gene Krupa and Joe Morello. Both have nuanced timing that would be difficult to put down on sheet music. I started to fall asleep listening to Morello but not because it was boring but because it was so soothing and multi-dimensional. it had a musical quality above and beyond keeping a beat going. Buddy Rich… sucks. I’ve hated him ever since I was a child. I’ve never understood how someone that technically proficient could sound so one dimensional. His drumming never seems to match any music played or have any musical quality about it. It’s like listening to a metronome. And on an unrelated note, The Who can actually play their own music better live than in the studio. Kudos to a skill that seems lacking in many bands. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/22 "2011-09-25T13:00:13Z")
Cozy Cole: **Topsy, Part Two** ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/23 "2011-09-25T15:09:46Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > And the winners so far are… drum roll please… > > Gene Krupa and Joe Morello. Both have nuanced timing that would be difficult to put down on sheet music. I started to fall asleep listening to Morello but not because it was boring but because it was so soothing and multi-dimensional. it had a musical quality above and beyond keeping a beat going. > > Buddy Rich… sucks. I’ve hated him ever since I was a child. I’ve never understood how someone that technically proficient could sound so one dimensional. His drumming never seems to match any music played or have any musical quality about it. It’s like listening to a metronome. > > And on an unrelated note, The Who can actually play their own music better live than in the studio. Kudos to a skill that seems lacking in many bands. Amen on Buddy Rich. Another contender, and someone that Morello grew up hearing play in his home was [Louie Bellson](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBQWaCLlK9Y&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=AVGxdCwVVULXfWHslZG-Y5ceyQNsyZ7dYE). He doesn’t get a lot of recognition, but the guy’s chops were clearly the influence on Morello’s style. Morello does a lot of non-stick and brush work, which is what gives his playing its ‘musical’ quality and lends to its subtlety. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/24 "2011-09-25T15:26:51Z")
[drum showdown featuring Dennis Chambers, Louie Bellson, Gregg Bissonette](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3znIM8QQdg4) ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/25 "2011-09-25T15:43:36Z")
[Dennis Chambers, Louie Bellson, Gregg Bissonette, shortened version](http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x21bm8_dennis-chambers-louis-bellson-gregg_music) (from the 1989 Buddy Rich Memorialship concert; Los Angeles show) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/26 "2011-09-25T16:07:00Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > And the winners so far are… drum roll please… > > Gene Krupa and Joe Morello. … > > Buddy Rich… sucks. I’ve hated him ever since I was a child. … It’s like listening to a metronome. … A metronome is exactly what I thought when listening to Gene Krupa in Sing Sing Sing. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/27 "2011-09-25T17:22:47Z")
> [@the lone cashew](#): > > [drum showdown featuring Dennis Chambers, Louie Bellson, Gregg Bissonette](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3znIM8QQdg4) Chambers is pretty amazing. Considering Bellson was 65 at the time of the concert, I’d say he aged well. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/28 "2011-09-25T18:40:26Z")
While we’re talking about Buddy Rich, what about [this solo on “West Side Story”?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCcZYBJ3mNo&feature=related) Yeah it doesn’t have much to do with the song in question but when it’s this good why split hairs? ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/29 "2011-09-25T19:19:45Z")
I don’t know if this even constitutes a solo, but I think Steve Gadd’s work on Steely Dan’s song **Aja** (reputedly laid down in one take) has to rank up there somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/30 "2011-09-25T19:55:30Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > While we’re talking about Buddy Rich, what about [this solo on “West Side Story”?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCcZYBJ3mNo&feature=related) Yeah it doesn’t have much to do with the song in question but when it’s this good why split hairs? Having seen two of these now, I think Buddy Rich does indeed sucks as a band member playing with his mates to create a piece of music. It almost like he’s autistic, or a savant, who’s in his own world of rhythm. But IMO this is pretty much what the OP is looking for – not a drummer in a band, but a soloist. Buddy kind of defines what a drum soloist is, in that the rest of the music ir pretty much irrelevant to him. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/31 "2011-09-25T21:53:28Z")
Call me a lame-o, but I’ve always loved Sheila E. Maybe the influence during my teenage years has something to do with it. She was on Letterman in June - [Drum Solo Week!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UNa2IF8Ook) Check out all the solos if you haven’t already. Damn - doing that in a dress and 4-inch stilettos! If I was a dude I’d get a boner. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/32 "2011-09-25T22:48:15Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > A metronome is exactly what I thought when listening to Gene Krupa in Sing Sing Sing. I always liked the song because I thought everybody was on the same page but this was the first time I concentrated on the drumming. There are a lot of little nuances that I can’t define as a listener. A musician could better explain it. He’s striking the drum like a musical instrument instead of just keeping the group bound to a beat. Instead of a thud I can hear something more like a non-linear sound that would show up distinctly on an oscilloscope. The notes he’s playing are stretched and shortened in a creative way and is something that I look for in Jazz and blues music. I could say the same for everybody else in that band too. A pretty talented bunch of people. I’m always amazed by the big bands of that era. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/33 "2011-09-25T23:14:28Z")
Perhaps not the “best ever” (yet), but a local guy by the name of [Todd Strait](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suHMv6UiIwU) has some major skilz. He sits in with a lot of visiting artists. We saw him a couple of nights ago and the guy was ripping up the skins on both bossa nova and samba tunes, accompanying [Alfredo Muro](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mMUXKShfsU&feature=related) on guitar. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/34 "2011-09-25T23:40:31Z")
> [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](#): > > I don’t know if this even constitutes a solo, but I think Steve Gadd’s work on Steely Dan’s song **Aja** (reputedly laid down in one take) has to rank up there somewhere. In case you’re not familiar with this song, [skip to 4:40-5:35.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaNt5S9pibQ) I’d almost call this a joint solo between Steve Gadd and jazz great Wayne Shorter on sax. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/35 "2011-09-25T23:41:20Z")
Joe Morello. Period. Any of his solos on _Take Five_. _Castillian Drums_, as mentioned. This thread is terrifying me, because I remember the joke. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/36 "2011-09-26T09:49:32Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Joe Morello. Period. … _Take Five_. Seconded! ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/37 "2011-09-26T11:19:30Z")
The first two that I thought of were Gene Krupa on _Sing, Sing, Sing_ and Joe Morello, specifically, on _Take Five_. A version of [_Take Five_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1S_vA0ougg&feature=related) with a more classic solo. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/38 "2011-09-26T11:40:03Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > The first two that I thought of were Gene Krupa on _Sing, Sing, Sing_ and Joe Morello, specifically, on _Take Five_. Yep. I think of the Krupa solo more as “most iconic” than “best”; although others have played betterfasterharder, Krupa was a trailblazer who set the bar for those that followed. Also: cowbell! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/39 "2011-09-26T17:05:04Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Michael Shrieve, all of 19 at the time. His drum solo is one of the only two clips I still watch and listen to from Woodstock. [Shrieve’s aforementioned solo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG1ASj7Yh4I). [Full piece](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLDalZ4-53g). ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477/40 "2011-09-26T18:32:34Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > _Take Five_. A version of [_Take Five_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1S_vA0ougg&feature=related) with a more classic solo. CMC fnord! Wow. Many thanks for that link. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drum-solo-ever/597477.md?page=3)