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. 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.
While we’re talking about Buddy Rich, what about this solo on “West Side Story”? Yeah it doesn’t have much to do with the song in question but when it’s this good why split hairs?
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.
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.
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! 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.
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.
Perhaps not the “best ever” (yet), but a local guy by the name of Todd Strait 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 on guitar.
In case you’re not familiar with this song, skip to 4:40-5:35. I’d almost call this a joint solo between Steve Gadd and jazz great Wayne Shorter on sax.
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 with a more classic solo.
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.