I didn’t want to limit this thread by time period or artist qualifications or genre, so post a link to a YouTube (or similar) version of a favorite drums selection.
I’ll start with not just Preston Epps - Bongo rock but also quite a few of the ones listed on the side of that page.
Most of that song is almost indistinguishable from “Wipe Out” by the Surfaris. Except with a better drum solo.
How about Babtunde Olatunji’s Drums of Passion? Or Tito Puente’s “Ti Mon Bo” Now there’s some *real *drumming.
Here’s Babaunde Olatunji. (He first became famous in the 1960s but I didn’t see any stuff of that vintage on YouTube.)
On edit: Agh! Ninja’d! OK, how aboutM’Boom? Not really old-timey but…
Olatunji made me think of an old Art Blakey album (one of the first records I ever owned) that has some great stuff. A decent example is Art Blakey- Ocalypso
If by “old timey” you mean 50’s and 60’s, you must include the Les Baxter Orchestra, which featured the bongo in smooth instrumental jazz albums like “The Soul Of The Drums” or “Skins!”.
Those are some fine albums, as were others of his like African Jazz and Jungle Jazz and quite a few more.
But I didn’t mean to limit the scope of “old timey” to just that period. Older or newer or from other parts of the world or whatever. Just as long as the drums are at least featured.
And I suppose now is as good a time as any to mention Take Five - The Dave Brubeck Quartet (1959)
Just this morning I heard a version of Oscalypso behind a cruise line commercial. Blast from the past. Fine drumming.
Well, there was Sandy Nelson.
His biggest hit was “Teen Beat,” but I actually liked his revisiting of this tune better: Teen Beat '65.