Kirk, I think what ben & many others say about VD is...let's just put it this way.
He knows where HE's "at." Sometimes he goes firing away right into a chopsfest that tends to sometimes leave guys who are more predisposed to "the musical statement, commentary, & build-up," such as many drummers do, like Ersk or Weck, whereas sometimes Virg just launches into an all-out assault that sounds like a big wall of blazing chops to many folks. He is very advanced in thinking & he does have the chops, so if you aren't listening carefully you may miss where he's going [& even if you ARE! [img]wink.gif[/img] ].
When I first heard him it was so strange & wonderful, this all out display of sheer power & command...it took me a little while [but not too long!] to settle my ears in to his signature style.
Sometimes he solos over a many-barred sequenced ostinato or long multi-oddtime phrase & just "does his thing" ["modulation" etc], going for it, so it can be quite the mental onslaught...for all of us! [img]tongue.gif[/img]
I liked the way someone else once put it...his rhythms & fills seem to expand &/or collapse in on themselves, because of his deep understanding of polyrhythms & moduilation...he can really seem to "sstrretchhhh" a phrase &/or "shrink" it [because of the groupings, time mods, & poly-layered phrases]! I wonder how he did with fractions in school... ;c)
Even tho I don't listen to NP nor haven't for many yrs now, he still would "tell a story" with his solo. Virg has so many ideas, so many rhythmic twists, so much technique, & can "break it up" so much that you could get quite lost if you're not paying attention to where he's going! He has a LOT of shtuff going on in his head to say. It's often a LOT of notes, so, if you're not into dense, IN your FACE, UP yer axe, & over the top, but prefer less is more, or prefer a musical commentary "build up" [even tho Virg can do this too, but often does not] from sparse to climactic, then Virg is not [usually] your man.
Some folks get him, & some do not [not saying that Ben doesn't; just maybe he prefers differently]. Often the same reasons I like him is exactly why the next person does NOT.
I had to give a lot of his sh** a serious 30th listen... [img]wink.gif[/img]
Buddy's forte was driving a Big Band right up yer archway for sure. There are guys out there now like VC, DW, & Virg who have taken his chops & gone beyond...
I'm really digging on this Langguth cat. Those vid clips that were posted a while back from the Montreal drumfest were very hip stuff.
...& Virgil is, well, Virgil. [img]wink.gif[/img]
I've beenn turned on to many a great player I hadn't yet heard of prior, such as Langguth, DiCenso, Todd S, Hass, Tribbett, Spears, Moore, Creemers, Carlock, Zach D, Cliff A, etc etc, NTM the regular HOD members that hang here from time to time, thanks to the folks in here...
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 08, 2005 11:01 PM: Message edited by: got_a_matchgrip? ]</font>
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