Jump to content

Favorite Jazz Drummer(Bop, Hard Bop)


mrjazzman

Recommended Posts

Talking about drummers long ago, I love everyone (Philly Joe, Art, Max, Roy, etc.) except for maybe Louis Haynes. (He seems to be playing too loud on some of Cannonball's stuff. Dannie Richmond was stunning, BTW.

As for current drummers, Marcus Baylor, Billy Martin, Roy Wooten, Steve Gadd, Dave Weckl, Peter Erksine, Danny Gotlieb, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 68
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Clifford, Frank Butler, really?  I have only heard his work on "Seven Steps to Heaven" and I find it pleasing but not particularly stunning, sounds like hes trying too hard to fill the hole left by Jimmy Cobb at times.

Get a listen to the Curtis Counce albums that were recorded on Contemporary!

Butler is beyond Cobb... :w

Edited by brownie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would definitely have to say Joe Chambers (can't believe he hasn't already been mentioned - he's on just about all of my favourite Blue Notes, excepting the Blakeys and the ones with T. Williams esq.) Just spinning El Gaucho on 'Adams Apple' right now, which clinches my opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Clifford, Frank Butler, really?  I have only heard his work on "Seven Steps to Heaven" and I find it pleasing but not particularly stunning, sounds like hes trying too hard to fill the hole left by Jimmy Cobb at times.

Get a listen to the Curtis Counce albums that were recorded on Contemporary!

Butler is beyond Cobb... :w

What Brownie said.

Also listen to Harold Land's The Fox and Elmo Hope's Trio - two Contemporary dates from 1959. Cobb could only dream of playing this.

As I understand it, Butler's career was stunted by his "klepto" tendencies. One story I heard had him booted from the Ellington band.

Whatever, he was a very good drummer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Butler is awesome, and it has always sounded to me like, of the drummers most influenced by African music, he has really taken the approach to a more sonic level (apart, that is, from purely rhythmic). I'm actually blanking on it now, but there is a particularly interesting non-isometric solo on that Elmo Hope Trio record that really shows this to be the case - not to mention his work with Trane on Kulu Se Mama.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jo Jones Trio records are among my favorites of all time and I just don't know if anyone ever swung quite as hard as he did, then or with Basie. Plus to a vast extent, any innovations that are attributed to later drummers Papa Jo had already mapped out - that would include the hi hat stuff and the tonality so often attributed to Max (and Max would tell you that as well) and a lot of Klook's time. But speaking of favorites, which is simply aesthetics, not technix, between Jo and Elvin Jones, that's pretty much it.

On the other hand, jazz just boasts countless reams of fabulous drummers now don't it.

Tain in particular never ceases to amaze me. Billy Hart is an undisputed master, as is Victor Lewis. Willie Jones III swings pretty damn hard, but has all the feel you could ask for; ditto Gene Jackson and Greg Hutchison. Jason Marsalis is my favorite musician of that clan and regardless of who his brothers may or may not be, a fine musician. Ari Hoenig is fairly incredible - I've heard him play Caravan note for note, solo. The young (and beautiful) Kim Thompson has a lot to say as well. Don Moye never fails to lift me about 40 feet into the air. I loved Dennis Chambers very much, RIP, and can still smell his vanilla cologne and hear him saying "Formidable" in a French accent. And where would we be without Dannie Richmond?

How lucky we are that even today, there remain too many to name.

Edited by Elis
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jack Dejohnette, Brian Blade and Billy Kilson.  Elvin Jones, Bill Stewart and Roy Haynes are up there as well.

I'm with you.. These are some of favorites as well, especially Jack D.. I also like Tony Sanchez and let's not forget Adam Nussbaum! I heard him with Michael Brecker at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco in 1987 and he blew me away!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Truthfully, there are so many many great drummers out there known and many more unknown.. A good example of an unknown drummer who should be more known is a cat I know originally from the Detroit area, and since 1992 has been in the SF bay area, drummer Danny Spencer.. He was one of only a few white drummers on the Blue Note label in the 60's and played as much drums as Tony Williams on those CJQ (contemporary Jazz Guintet) albums!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Clifford, Frank Butler, really?  I have only heard his work on "Seven Steps to Heaven" and I find it pleasing but not particularly stunning, sounds like hes trying too hard to fill the hole left by Jimmy Cobb at times.

Shit man, the only reason I hopped onto this thread was to mention Frank Butler! I find him especially enjoyable on Contemporary dates like Elmo Hope Trio, Harold Land The Fox, and Hampton Hawes For Real. Definitely give him another look. I like Jimmy Cobb and all but find Bulter much more exciting...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Butler is awesome, and it has always sounded to me like, of the drummers most influenced by African music, he has really taken the approach to a more sonic level (apart, that is, from purely rhythmic). I'm actually blanking on it now, but there is a particularly interesting non-isometric solo on that Elmo Hope Trio record that really shows this to be the case - not to mention his work with Trane on Kulu Se Mama.

Is it "Something for Kenny"? The one where he uses fingers and knuckles...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are so many great jazz drummers that it's not surprising that in a "Favorites" thread hundreds and hundreds don't eventually get mentioned.

Frank Butler contributed strongly to many great sessions!

I love a lot of the prebop drummers . . . Baby Dodds. Wow. George Wettling, a Dodds fanatic himself. Zutty Singleton. Sonny Greer--very unique, Sonny. As the lovely Elis says, Jo Jones. . . swung as hard as anyone ever (and was the Mayor of TasteTown). Dave Tough. Gene Krupa. Kaiser Marshall.

So many!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are so many great jazz drummers that it's not surprising that in a "Favorites" thread hundreds and hundreds don't eventually get mentioned.

Frank Butler contributed strongly to many great sessions!

I love a lot of the prebop drummers . . . Baby Dodds.  Wow.  George Wettling, a Dodds fanatic himself.  Zutty Singleton.  Sonny Greer--very unique, Sonny.  As the lovely Elis says, Jo Jones. . . swung as hard as anyone ever (and was the Mayor of TasteTown).  Dave Tough.  Gene Krupa.  Kaiser Marshall. 

So many!

Isn't Kaiser Marshall the father of SF bay area legend Eddie Marshall?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Butler is awesome, and it has always sounded to me like, of the drummers most influenced by African music, he has really taken the approach to a more sonic level (apart, that is, from purely rhythmic). I'm actually blanking on it now, but there is a particularly interesting non-isometric solo on that Elmo Hope Trio record that really shows this to be the case - not to mention his work with Trane on Kulu Se Mama.

Is it "Something for Kenny"? The one where he uses fingers and knuckles...

That was on A Fifth For Frank from the Curtis Counce Contemporary album 'Landslide'.

An amazing solo!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...