Drummers
We may have done this one before...
Experiencing reni's playing at the stone roses gig a couple of weeks ago has re-piqued my interest in quality rhythm-meisters. I had always reckoned rene a good 'un, but his effortlessly spot-on timing blew me away. His funky-dancey-breakbeat-indie rhythms propelled the roses whole performance.
I felt similarly abut Sam Kelly when I saw him drum at a recent Cymande reunion gig.
High quality drumming is increasingly coming to mesmorise me during live performances.
So who should I be seeking out?
Experiencing reni's playing at the stone roses gig a couple of weeks ago has re-piqued my interest in quality rhythm-meisters. I had always reckoned rene a good 'un, but his effortlessly spot-on timing blew me away. His funky-dancey-breakbeat-indie rhythms propelled the roses whole performance.
I felt similarly abut Sam Kelly when I saw him drum at a recent Cymande reunion gig.
High quality drumming is increasingly coming to mesmorise me during live performances.
So who should I be seeking out?
Comments
Then again, I personally find that more than any other instrument, drums is the one that gets a bit lost on recordings. I don't know why this should be. It's accurate timing that seems to grab me when live performances impress me. When I was taking drum lessons I loved listening to my teacher demonstrating rhythms for a few bars - the timing of each of his strikes always seemed spot on. I don't get this when I listen to good drummers on recordings on my, or any, system.
May be a dynamics thing....? But when I saw the roses the sound i was hearing was coming through a huge PA system to 70,000 people and wasn't that great tbh (a lot of compression (understandable) and mushy) - yet the drumming impressed. Perhaps it's being able to see the drummer that adds to my experience? But in reni's case that would've only been 25% of the time (at most - the cameras were on ian brown most of the time) on the big screen. I suspect something subjective is going on but I can't say what....
There you go. I realise only Jim Black is alive out of that list, and that he's the only one I haven't seen live, FWIW.
Your gear should do drums/rhythms pretty well. It's one of the main reasons I stay with the TDSs. Shapes of the percussive event and all that malarkey as discussed here before.
Yes, relative to other kits, the TSS does drums well. I don't think it's a sonic thing.
Something about the general vibrancy of the live event I suppose - at which often the sound quality (if amplified) is worse than through a good Hifi.
And Paul Motian completely reinvented time, sometimes suggesting rhythms without actually playing them. I saw him so many times that I've lost count.
Oh and Dave, I can suggest rhythms without actually playing them...
:P
Then there's Sonny Rollins' East Broadway Rundown, Lee Konitz' Motion that I've been playing recently (just hear how he energises arch coolsmith Konitz) and a fantastic album that may be OOP at the moment, Sonny Sharrock's Ask the Ages. It may be a bit far out/noisy for you, but it's one of my very favourite 90s albums. Also OOP, the last time I looked, is Live at the Lighthouse, under his own name. From what I remember, it's a fantastic two-CD set with Dave Liebman on saxes.
One of my favourites, sad to say I only recently found out he has been dead well over a year: Herman Roscoe Ernest III, well known as band leader with Dr John's Lower 911 band for some years. A left field drummer with da funk, full of surprises and a great feel.
Didn't just play with Dr John though, as the doobrie above shows. According to Wikipeadia he was also a deputy sheriff with the New Orleans Police Dept who got called up every year for Mardi Gras & Thanksgiving.
Will get back to it. Thanks. :-)
Also I realised that I had elvin jones already on some Coltrane cd's. Never paid proper attention to him before. Now I have. Thanks.
Mr. Elvin Ray Jones is currently on my right channel playing his way through 'Motion' with Lee Kontitz and Sonny Dallas.
So far very tidy and tight, and not too showy.
Nice recording too.
I have no idea how one plays drum solos like that.
@-)
Very spot-on timing too.
I'm starting a one day a week college course at Gloucestershire college this Friday. On the induction day last week I was given info on how to get an nus card, and apparently nus members get 50% off spotti premium membership fees. Not sure what that equates to...
(So I'll be a member of both teaching and student unions. Daily mail anyone...?)
"...and Max Roach, cymbals socking
Bass drum talking, snare drum rocking
Restructuring.. the metaphysics
of a jazz thing"
That's from Gang Starr's 'Jazz thing' (circa 1991...?) that 'celebrates' various famous jazz musicians and US jazz heritage.
The lyrics are mostly awful, though the sampling and overall effect is a good. At the time me and mates had an embarrassed affection for the tune and to this day when certain jazz musicians are mentioned we still have to recite the relevant lines from the song in a sad 'in joke' kind of way. Been a while since I had reason to wheel out the Max Roach line though - so thank you Paul. :-)
Dave - you should check it out. I'm sure you'll get all the name checks in the lyrics...!
I do know the track from back in the day.
You're the one in the red tracky.
:P