For anyone that's interested, public television is running a special called "The Best Of The Buddy Rich Show" that was taped in 1982 but never broadcast. Of course, Buddy's working like a madman, showing why he's arguably the greatest drummer. Also featured is Gerry Mulligan and Stan Getz on sax, Woody Herman on clarinet, Ray Charles on piano and both Ray and Mel Torme singing. I kind of dig big band jazz so it was kool to watch Mulligan and Torme playing off each other and Ray singing "Busted".
Once again…giving this thread a ride . The second most well known name in cymbals…Paiste. This one being a 20” medium thickness :
The world lost Mr. Watts yesterday...the Stones can never be the same without him, in my book. Godspeed Charlie…
I dug the Stones from the beginning and up to, including, Tattoo You. I always got a kick out of Charlie, he was Mr. Dependable. He didn't need to be bombastic like, say, Keith Moon. He wasn't a showman, he was a musician. Can Charlie Watts be replaced? Most likely but it would take a hell of a search. Mick and Keef could go on doing a blues thing, while Ronnie can play with most anyone
I was just thinking about a professional drummer that came to and put on program at my high school years ago and thought I would look him up. He set up a concert called battle of the drums with him,me and two other high school drummers playing with our high school band. It was a fantastic experience. I just missed the chance to have a conversation with him after all these years. A sad day.
Every once in a while it is good to get a reminder that most people we are playing for are not musicians. Two weekends ago I was called in the middle of the night by my daughter with an emergency. I was up all night with her and had to play my drums in the morning. With no sleep I got there to run through the list of songs we were going to play and of all time's for this to happen the first two songs required me to give my all with both arms and legs. I threw a stick three times during these two songs and usually I can keep playing while I grab a replacement from the two stick rack on the high hat stand between beats. I did this twice and threw another stick. Luckily that stick hopped around on the snare and Tom's and I grabbed it. There was no way for me to play these two songs with only one hand and my two feet. There would have been a hole in the music big enough to drive a truck through. I was so exhausted from what I went through the night before that I felt like a sloppy noodle. When we were done and leaving a guy came up to me and told me that that was the most awesome drumming he had ever heard and that it was perfect. As embarrassed as I was I needed that more than I knew to realize we are our own worst critics and reminded me that we are mostly playing for non musicians and to lighten up and enjoy what we do.
Just wanted to let you know that I empathize with you completely! I have had similar mornings, while not losing sticks (one of my worst fears) but playing what I felt was sub par. Only to have a couple people, tell me how good it sounded. I agree we are usually, our own toughest critic!
I leaned a very valuable lesson many years ago when I had a habit of making a face when I played something slightly wrong. One night a man came up to me and said do you realize that you are the only person who realized that you made a mistake. After that, I stopped letting people know when I played something wrong!!! Jim Hill
Not exactly mistakes as already mentioned. While watching a Q&A with Ringo Star one night. Ringo stated something fascinating to my ears. Sorry that the wording isn't verbatim but you'll get the jist of it. "After playing something the other members/studio/or what have you liked my reply would be I can't. I can't play anything the same twice"
I swear on the nights I think I'm terrible on stage people tell me I was awesome, and the nights I think I did well they ask if I'm feeling OK..... Lol
Same here. I don't like to do solos anymore but back when I did I would play the very best I had worked on for two weeks of everything I knew up to that point and someone would come up to me and say that was cool, can you play wipeout ? They had no clue how far past the skill level of wipeout I had just played. Again, we are playing mostly for non musicians. We have to remember that when we get but hurt by someone's reaction or comments, they are coming from people who don't understand and we just need to enjoy what we do.
Just “rolling “this thread back to the top. To a drummer, new heads on an old set; always feels good!
I always love browsing this thread, I had a first drum story told to me, but I guess not surprising when you think about it. I recently bought an old handsaw filer from an guy retiring after 47 years, he worked for owner for 22 years and when that guy retired he bought the business and ran it for 25 more years after. He raised 6 kids, his last graduating this year and why he's getting out of the Bay area. He always dreamed of playing the drums, living through much the same music as me...The Beatles, Who, Zep, et al but his parents wouldn't help him get drums. He started playing drums about a year ago in preparation for retirement and plans to play them more as he gets more time. I told him I hoped he could find an old set of Gretch or Swingerland but he didn't have an old set, but wouldn't rule out buying a set if he kept playing. I just thought it odd for someone to take up the drums in their retirement...I'm hoping for acoustic guitar, although I am a bass player, upright bass is a killer on your back...don't you drummers contend with back issues? I guess it's better than standing, but I sit a lot for my work and I get fatigued...same when I drive for 8 hours...take Buddy Rich as an example, the guy is always looking like he's stressed...maybe a Shelly Manne style might not be too bad in retirement...Soon I'll be more suitable for tambourine...I also have a sax, that wouldn't be too bad either.
That there is funny. Comedian Bobby Slayton has of late taken up drumming as well per his girlfriends suggestion. Say's it's a great stress reliever.
That makes sense, thinking about it from a calming effect in the end. I know you can also say that about hauling your kit around, having carts and making trips back and forth to the truck/van to play with people. but I'm getting lazy about hauling my upright around. One day I sure would like to have an old Gretch kit so when a drummer comes over they don't have to haul their kit with them...I've sold a few nice kits in the past, but it's not something most people keep around. I have fake books for piano/bass/alto/tenor but no drums. A drummer could probably use any of them if one ever came over. I want to post something on topic here, I recently saw these on the web. This guy used to plays bass and drums at the same time. Unfortunately he died a couple years ago...he was a great drummer, most of the cats he played with were decent players...but was on this bass/drums kick for years. I don't know what time signature this is in, but being a drummer he always wrote is sigs like 21/13 or 9/15...
I have to plea ignorance to him, but is he a comedian? I googled his name and got an interview with KLOS, that was the radio station I grew up with, Jim Ladd was the main DJ, as I recall. After moving back to the states in '87 there was some new guys, Mark and Brian, but IMO KLOS was lost. Anyway, that Slayton dude is pretty funny...
My latest restoration is a Sonor Teardrop snare from the 60’s Played it this past Saturday at a local pub and it is punchy, loud and full bodied for a shallow drum, you can feel the punch in the chest.
Briechle Drum Co out of Denver Colorado…beautiful steam bent single ply drums. This guy is a great drum builder, this is a beech wood shell with beech wood reinforcement rings, single ply steam bent rosewood hoops and lug gaskets. It’s very lightweight and sounds fantastic.
I watched a video of Foreigner, and they had Jason Bonham sitting in playing and on one song that has a long intro he appeared to be watching the base guitar player very closely and when Mick Jones was almost finished with solo and intro part Jason had his sticks in midair when he looked at the bass player who mouthing the words not yet to him. Mick Jones gave him one of those looks and did not look happy that he did not seem to know when to come in with the drums. Many groups use different intros from night to night to change up the show and I think sometimes everyone is just not on the same page. Jim
So I’m strolling thru a cemetery last weekend in Westwood Ca. It’s the one where Marilyn Monroe is interred when suddenly without expectation’s Buddy Rich’s name jumps out at me. Then I seen Bob Crane. Crazy
This is one of a drummers more unpleasant moments…I guess after about 12 years of use , she was due to give up the ghost! At least it happened at practice:
I just put an ad up for a very rare late-1920s CG Conn tuxedo snare: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/very-rare-late-1920s-cg-conn-tuxedo-snare-drum.1295052/
I've had a late-1970s Slingerland drum set since the early-1980s. I bought it from a cousin that bought it new. It's white, and the drum sizes are 24" bass, 13" tom, 14" tom, 16" floor tom, and 18" floor tom. I also have a blue sparkle 20" Slingerland bass drum of a little earlier vintage that I bought through a local Craigslist ad, and the seller had hot rods and was a HAMB member. I have Slingerland, Rogers, and Gretsch chrome-over-brass snare drums. I have and like using Speed King bass drum pedals. I've learned a little bit about rudiments and such in the past decade or so by watching Youtube videos, but my brain and/or body just doesn't seem to work that way. I suppose that I'm a halfway decent 'by ear' drummer. As the old joke goes: What do you call someone who hangs around musicians? A drummer.
I was surprised to find this thread and I read through it avidly. Some beautiful drums and sets shown along with plenty of talent and experience. I only have OT sets (and musical tastes if I'm honest) but it is cool to hear about others' lifelong experience of playing.
The Jalopy Journal
