# Big Band drums **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 4, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652 "2014-11-04T18:37:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/1 "2014-11-04T18:37:41Z")
I really enjoy some cool drum solos on Big Band music, such as Sing Sing (with a swing) (Benny Goodman’s band). Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/2 "2014-11-04T18:59:04Z")
That was Gene Krupa, \*the \*big name in the biz, who later had his own band. So, anything with him. ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/3 "2014-11-04T19:04:15Z")
[This is a decent starting point](http://www.drummagazine.com/features/post/big-band-recordings-every-drummer-should-own/). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/4 "2014-11-04T19:06:30Z")
Babalu with Desi Arnez has a big solo in the middle on the Conga drum. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/5 "2014-11-04T19:32:26Z")
Search for Buddy Rich on YouTube. Some great stuff there, and a drumoff with Krupa also. I also found a video of Sing Sing Sing made for some movie. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/6 "2014-11-04T20:42:16Z")
> [@Eddie\_F](#): > > [This is a decent starting point](http://www.drummagazine.com/features/post/big-band-recordings-every-drummer-should-own/). Indeed their first suggestion was the very song I really like. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/7 "2014-11-04T22:11:25Z")
Krupa. Check. Rich. Check. Don’t forget Louie Bellson, who played with Goodman, Duke Ellington, Tom Dorsey, Harry James, and more. [Here’s a taste](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBQWaCLlK9Y). ---
**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:** [November 4, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/8 "2014-11-04T22:23:56Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Krupa. Check. > Rich. Check. > > Don’t forget Louie Bellson, who played with Goodman, Duke Ellington, Tom Dorsey, Harry James, and more. [Here’s a taste](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBQWaCLlK9Y). Agree on Louie Bellson, disagree strongly on Buddy Rich. Listen closely to the brilliance of Bellson on Skin Deep, then try to find anything remotely comparable for Rich, who was mainly a crash and bash drummer with a lot of speed. ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/9 "2014-11-04T23:25:43Z")
Rich was flashier than Krupa, but I’ll take Krupa’s deft playing over Rich’s any day. ---
**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:** [November 5, 2014, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/10 "2014-11-05T01:39:33Z")
> [@Subterraneanus](#): > > Rich was flashier than Krupa, but I’ll take Krupa’s deft playing over Rich’s any day. No contest. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/11 "2014-11-05T01:47:36Z")
I only meant to note that Krupa and Rich had already been mentioned, and that Bellson should be, too. I’m not going to even attempt to rank them. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/12 "2014-11-05T03:07:33Z")
> [@Eddie\_F](#): > > [This is a decent starting point](http://www.drummagazine.com/features/post/big-band-recordings-every-drummer-should-own/). I was going to mention Cozy Cole and Chick Webb, and I see they are on that list. (Cozy Cole may also be the only drummer to have a drum solo hit the Billboard Hot 100.) ETA: looks like not the only one, but “one of the few.” Wonder who the others are. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/13 "2014-11-06T08:39:49Z")
[Big Noise from Winnetka](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtwX6jmUDCM) by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats. This first recording of the piece isn’t really big band music - it’s a drum and bass duet. At one point the drummer Ray Bauduc uses his drumsticks on bass player Bob Haggart’s strings. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/14 "2014-11-06T13:35:48Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > [Big Noise from Winnetka](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtwX6jmUDCM) by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats. This first recording of the piece isn’t really big band music - it’s a drum and bass duet. At one point the drummer Ray Bauduc uses his drumsticks on bass player Bob Haggart’s strings. You can watch them playing it [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfFBdViZHzk). ---
**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:** [November 6, 2014, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/15 "2014-11-06T16:39:58Z")
There could be a thread for small group drummers, methinks. The likes of Philly Joe Jones, Joe Morello and many others come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/16 "2014-11-06T17:18:50Z")
Yes, I was going to mention [Joe Morello](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-dtpYdQwPE), too. He’s not big band at all, but he swings, and employs a lot of the same technique when playing the strange time signatures The Dave Brubeck quartet used in their early days. ---
**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:** [November 6, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/17 "2014-11-06T18:21:33Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Yes, I was going to mention [Joe Morello](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-dtpYdQwPE), too. He’s not big band at all, but he swings, and employs a lot of the same technique when playing the strange time signatures The Dave Brubeck quartet used in their early days. I’ve mentioned before that Louie Bellson used to visit the Morello family home, and jam sessions would usually result. A young Joe must have been influenced by Bellson’s style, and you can hear similarities on their recordings. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Mama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5ac83/32.png) [@Atomic\_Mama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Mama)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/18 "2014-11-06T22:20:47Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > [Big Noise from Winnetka](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtwX6jmUDCM) by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats. This first recording of the piece isn’t really big band music - it’s a drum and bass duet. At one point the drummer Ray Bauduc uses his drumsticks on bass player Bob Haggart’s strings. Yup. It’ll drive you crrrrrrrrrrazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzyyyyyyyyyyyyy or insane, or WAKE YOU UP! My home town is down south from Winneka … Hinsdale. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-band-drums/703652/19 "2014-11-06T22:30:59Z")
Gene Krupa is the beginning and the end.