I was just thinking about what are some of the "essentials" for listening from many of the drummers that are frequently (or not frequently, even) talked about on here?
I just thought it would be cool to have a post that could be solely for people to list recommended listening from their favorite drummers.
Names to start with?...
Here's some easy ones to get it going [img]wink.gif[/img]
Vinnie...
Dave...
Jeff...
J.R....
Buddy...
Virgil...
... but don't stop there [img]tongue.gif[/img]
Really, though, i thought it would be nice to have some CD suggestions to go with some names. Some things to check out that show their spectrum of musicianship. I, for one, don't know all there is to know about everyone who is mentioned on here so it would be cool to have some suggestions of things i may have overlooked or never even heard about. More so, it would be good for a newer drummer who is starting to check these guys out to have a place to start with when looking for some material from them.
Any takers? [img]biggrin.gif[/img]
John Patituccis self named album and on the corner and must haves for vin, ersko, weckl fans and they also feture alex acuna and al foster. these may be overlooked as they have ben out of print for a long time but check out gemm, thats where i got my 2nd hand copies. Vinnie is burning on the track kingston blues, dave on wind spirit from the self named and ersko on searching finding
for Vinnie I really like the Live at the Baked Potato double album... the line up is Vinnie, Abe Laboriel, Mike Landau and Greg Mathieson. Its pretty killer in my opinion and Im really glad I come across it in a second hand CD store. Also Ten Summoners Tales is pretty essential Vinnie in my opinion... but you guys all know this right? In fact Im pretty behind...
For Dave Weckl, I really like his Live and Very Plugged in CD...
Another kind of an essential for me... or a CD i was really really glad I got was Return to Forever's Romantic Warrior, with Lenny White on drums, Stanley Clark on bass, Al DeMiola on guitar and of course chick Corea. This is pretty killer material too.
Also for Tony Williams, I like Miles Smiles... Foot Prints is a killer song... the way he changes the interpretation of the tune by playing different subdivisions as the base of the groove is pretty slick.
I dunoo.... i dont think ive listend to enough music...
Anyone have any essential bop, post bop kinda stuff too?
Let me list so it is easier for people to see
Vinnie
Sting - Ten Summoners Tales
Sting - Mercury Falling
Dyno 4 Live at The Baked Potato
Karizma - Document
Warren Cuccurullo - thanks to frank
Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage
" " - Shut Up n Play yer Guitar
Randy Waldman - Wigged Out, Unreel
Allan Holdsworth - Secrets (A Favourite of Vinnie's)
John Patitucci - John Patitucci
" " - On The Corner
" " - Sketchbook
Chick Corea Live at The Blue Note Tokyo 1992
Abe Laboriel and Friends Live In Switzerland (My favourite Vinnie solo ever in the track dios the bendiga)
Dave Weckl
All dave weckl band albums
Steve Khan - Public Acess
The Chick Corea Albums (Elektric Band and Akoustic Band)
Steve Gadd
Chick Corea - Three Quartets
I won't repeat what's already been said (great selections--some of the stuff on that first Pattituci album frightens me, really), but will add:
Weckl--"Formal Invitation" and "Uptown East" off of Special EFX "Slice of Life" (1986)--a couple of DW's rare, spare, gorgeous tracks. "Formal Invitation" includes one of the most perfect, sensitive solos I've ever heard.
Omar--"B-flat Waltz" and "Predator" from Weather Report's "Domino Theory;" "Procession" from WR's "Procession" and "Bring on the Night/When the World is Running Down" from Sting's live "Bring on the Night" album. Verve, virtuosity. Smokin'. "B-Flat" blows my mind whenever I hear it; I listen to "Bring on the Night" (Kenny, O Kenny) to remind me why I play music. "Predator?" ?berfunk.
Rayford--"Tender Memories" from Jean-Luc Ponty's "Storytelling." Amazing, metronomic, groovin', diced up 5/4. The sh** lives, breathes.
Dennis--"The Nag" (of course) and everything else from John Scofield's "Blue Matter;" "Lessons" and "Upside Downside" from Chroma's "Music on the Edge." Yes, yes, y'all, Freak, freak y'all, to the beat y'all.
"The Rick" (Sean Rickman)--Dapp Theory "Y'all Just Don't Know." Still desperately trying to find "1". His treatment of odd meter, sudivision, and his left foot make me nuts...in a good way. And the man's feel is out of this world--wheels within wheels, circles within circles...
Jack--"Syzygy" and "Nothing Personal" from Michael Brecker's eponymous release. Sizzlin, unmistakeable.
Steve Smith--Vital Information's "Fiafiaga"--the whole damn thing. Tasty. Killin' it on "The Perfect Date."
Acuna--"Havona" and "Palladium" from Weather Report "Heavy Weather;" "Highland Aire," "Slink" and "Teiko" from Lyle Mays eponymous. Visionary, mystical.
Kevin Washington--"Sudden Moves," "Two Things One" and "Conversations" from Moveable Feast's "Directions." Shimmering, distinct, wonderful from this little-talked about Minneapolis jazz powerhouse.
Bozzio--"U.S. Drag" from Missing Person's "Spring Session M"; "Mental Hopscotch" from their EP; "Ceaser's Palace Blues" and "Carrying No Cross" from U.K.'s "Danger Money." Boy's lost his mind.
OK, going overboard here, but I'm on a roll... [img]biggrin.gif[/img]
Matt Cameron--"Let Me Drown" "The Day I Tried to Live" from Soundgarden's "Superunknown"; "Never the Machine Forever" from "Down on the Upside;" "Jesus Christ Pose" and "Outshined" from "BadMotorfinger." Well, not much these guys did that I don't love...Matt's playing is just so THERE...and Kim Thayil and Chris Cornell fry my white posterior.
Ersko--"Pools" and "Human Bites" (with Steve Jordan) from Don Grolnick's "Hearts and Numbers," of course "Ponnochio" from Weather Report's "Mr. Gone" (grew up with that one...Jaco+Ersko=magic). "Pools" is one of my favorite downtempo tunes, then Peter and Steve chop it up on "Human Bites"...chill me then heat me up again, like a microwave pot pie. Thanks, Peter!
Manu (OK, no wise cracks you Vinnie Heads)--"Badman's Song" from Tears for Fears "The Seeds of Love" (has the delicious most delicious splash fill ever); "That Voice Again" from Peter Gabriel "So;" "My Secret Place" from Joni Mitchell "Chalkmark in a Rainstorm;" "Gueca Solo" from Sting "Nothing like the Sun." His touch is deft, often spare; his feel is beautifully askew; and his musical motion is toward the oddly transcendent.
Carter B.-- Forgive me: Carter's my boy. I've listened to the greats for years and yet he gives some goods I just don't get elsewhere, especially in the studio when he can be a little quieter, more precise, less on "show." Just about everything on "Crash" and "Under the Table and Dreaming" feels so damn good to me...there is just love, joy, fun, good humor and warmth in so much of this man's playing, which casts a fat shadow from his precision. Favorite tracks might be "Crash," "Billies," "Sattelite," "Nancies" "So Much to Say" but truthfully so much of Carter's playing inspires me that it's too much to choose.
Last, not least: Richie Hayward from Robert Plant's "Shaken 'n' Stirred." His playing on this album knocks me out, way outshines RP.
So many left out here...but must sleep now.
OK--sure that some of that marked me a hack. Oh well. Also probably as novelist. [img]wink.gif[/img] Thanks for the opportunity to speak love and admiration.
spaceotter
What? is Carter Beauford on the popular... but actually unpopular drummers list too?
My bass player really hates this guys playing... him and his guitar player/sound engineer friend always say " I dont understand how he can get away playing so busy.... "
I love his playing though... hes definitely one of my favourites. I like his playing on "too much" "ants marching" "Last Stop" "What would you say" "Crush" (all by DMB) and "love of my life" on Santana's supernatural album... I think hes a pretty tasty player.
I think we have discussed this more than once already but if we do it again, it is a shame that you forget Nightwalker from Gino Vannelli with Vinnie [img]wink.gif[/img] And the first three albums from Steps Ahead with Erskine are pretty essential too. Porcaro on Boz Scaggs of course. Any other highlights because I can go on for a while.
Agree with ya Spaceotter, love Ritchies playing on that Plant album.
'Little by Little' is a great track, really slammin.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Dood, no way. Those were some great suggestions.Originally posted by spaceotter:
OK--sure that some of that marked me a hack. Oh well. Also probably as novelist. [img]wink.gif[/img] Thanks for the opportunity to speak love and admiration.
spaceotter
& anyone who thinks CB can't play is smoking a little too much of the hippie foilage...or perhaps, not enough [img]wink.gif[/img] ]
I can't stand that "how does he get away w all that overplaying" mentality. It's not like he's playg out of pocket or unmusically; in a time of relative commercial "boxiness," i found him to be a fresh new alternative [as 1 of Nashville's most recorded drummers Eddie Bayers once said, he's the "best 'new' drummer i've heard in a long time"].
Meh...tell them to just stay listening to all those records where the material "puts handcuffs" on the players, & makes them stay "simple," on everything, ALL the time [can ya say 98% of 80's commercial-rock?]...or whatever those might be. Sure there's plenty of 'em. [img]wink.gif[/img]
Of course, that's NOT sayng everything has to be a little busy, ALL the time. We all know there's also some GREAT stuff out there w deceptively 'simple' grooves AW, such as Jeff, Gadd, JR, Marottas, Curry, Kelt, DeVitto, Blaine, Vega, etc, AWA much if not all of the older soul, motown, pop, & RnB stuff...great pocket stuff w less is more. I say this so the "chops nazi's" won't be able to try to nail me against the wall. /:-p
As an "is what it is" kind of guy, I am not a fan of the dividing into 2 camps; ie, the chops/technq camp, vs the simple or groove camps, when there is & should be room in this world of music, at the right time & place when called for, both.<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I never fail to mention Dang $'s Only Thing She Needs[!] when I echo this list...& also, speaking of Ponty, Rayf's Final Truth pt 2 off Mystical Adventures; AWA Scheuerell on JLP Live ['79] [img]wink.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]Bozzio--"U.S. Drag" from Missing Person's "Spring Session M"; "Mental Hopscotch" from their EP; "Ceaser's Palace Blues" and "Carrying No Cross" from U.K.'s "Danger Money." Boy's lost his mind.
Vinnie on Allan's Againt the Clock [Ward. Tower] is a searing lesson in whacked synchop-accented-phrasing as only a select few like he can deliver.
That whole disc has some MIGHTY fine drumming on it [Husb, Chad, Vin]...but it can be a bit "busy" [for those that can't handle a little heat in the kitchen [img]wink.gif[/img] ]...but it's still crispy tight hard-edged groovin'...
We've done a bunch of these lists in here over the last few yrs...try a search, but that might take ya a few daze to sift & decipher through...
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 21, 2005 03:01 PM: Message edited by: got_a_match_grip? ]</font>
I've never heard any Manu bashing on here, has there been some??? I couldn't stand his playing on the Brand New Day tour stuff, but back in the day (see Nothing Like The Sun) Manu was bad ASS!! Also, Peter Gabriel's "Secret World Live" DVD is a must for anyone interested in Manu's playing....very wide open, almost like a percussionist playing kit....it's nuts......
For Vinnie, see this post.... Everyone was very kind to come out of the woodwork and name their Top 5 Vinnie recordings, High Fidelity-style....
My favorite Dennis recording is "John McLaughlin and the Free Spirits, Live in Tokyo".....some sick playing, especially on track 2....
Weckl's solo projects are pretty cool, since most of the music he writes is essentially a backdrop for kick-ass drum fills/grooves/solos, etc.... His work with Chick Corea and Michel Camilo (a MONSTER behind the keys....see Calle 54 if you want to see some wicked playing!!) is pretty tasty as well....
I would also reccommend picking up some Bill Stewart, such as Larry Golding's "As One" or "Sweet Science", Pat Metheny's "Trio 99>00" or "Trio Live", or ANY of his work with John Scofield...
There are just so many greats to learn from out there and soooooo little money.....
(One little trick I've been using is searching for drummers' names at Half.com and picking up ULTRA CHEAP CDs, rather than special ordering specific CDs from Amazon or Best Buy, etc....)
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