Modern Drummer 2005 Readers' Poll Awards

[Cameron_Mahoney]

P.S.

The day Ari wins best contemp. jazz drummer is that day I start subcribing to MD. [img]cool.gif[/img]

[drummingjoefromnynj]

Hi there everyone. My name is Joe, and I have enjoyed reading your intelligent posts here for a long time. I finally got around to creating a name to use. Anyway, I agree with so much of what is being said here about Modern Drummer, in that it seems to be going down the toilet. The 25 year archive is physical proof of how much better the magazine was in its yesteryear. I hate to admit it, but a guilty pleasure of mine is to get wrapped up in the Readers' Poll each year. Even though I realize that the mass results reflect nothing other than a popularity contest of morons. I guess my intent is to try and "rock the vote" in the direction of the intelligent and educated drummer. My biggest gripe in previous years has been the hall of fame results. Mike Portnoy getting inducted last year was the last straw for me. I have been trying for over 4 years now to get Peter Erskine in there. I just think it's absurd that a man that versatile and significant is not recognized by the public.

It's not so much the contest that concerns me, but more so the census of what drummers today generally think and regard.

After seeing this year's results though, my frustrations are once again taken back to the big band category. It's just ridiculous, the voters will only vote in large numbers for the people that received cover issues in the previous year. Remember when PHIL COLLINS won the category??? So, this past year there was a cover issue on Louis Bellson (12/04), and wouldn't you know it, he wins the category. Seriously... While, Mr. Bellson holds a tremendous place in the history of the genre, is he really the most noteworthy ACTIVE performer in this genre?? And Ed Shaughnessy makes the list every year! I think the voters are entering names of big band drummers that they were familiar with much earlier in their lives, and are certainly unaware of anyone playing good big band these days. Last year was the first time John Riley finally got his deserved title. Call me crazy, but when I think of modern big band and people that are actually playing, I think of a list including: John Riley, Jeff Hamilton, Peter Erskine, Jonathan Blake (Mingus Big Band), Ray Brinker, Gregg Bissonette, Anthony Cole (Sam Rivers), Ed Soph, Bernie Dresel, Dennis Mackrel, Jim Rupp, Tommy Igoe.... to name a few off the top of my head (and forgetting a host of others).

That's my two cents. I probably shouldn't get so into this stuff.

<font color="#a62a2a"><font size="1">[ April 04, 2005 03:25 PM: Message edited by: DrummingJoeFromNYNJ ]</font></font>

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 04, 2005 03:27 PM: Message edited by: DrummingJoeFromNYNJ ]</font>

[FuseU1]

Man, you guys are sooo right. [& Welcome DJfNYNJ!]

I hear ya about 'labels,' too.

A lot of musos in the past would bag on the whole notion of categories [after all, music is music, right?], & how it's a "device concocted by record companies to sell their product" & all that...

...But I certainly don't want to set out to buy an Elektric Band CD & end up w Madonna or Britney, either... [img]eek.gif[/img] [img]rolleyes.gif[/img] [img]confused.gif[/img] [img]wink.gif[/img]

What i meant was more, the majority of folks who do these polls seem to often not know the differences within stylistic genres, or, categories WITHIN these genres as opposed to "categories" in the retail record bins, due to lack of exposure or institutional learning [being taught]... [img]cool.gif[/img]

I mean, many in my jr/hi school thought "latin" meant Miami Sound Machine...yeah, right.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 04, 2005 03:57 PM: Message edited by: fuseU1 ]</font>

[Klemme]

People are definitely more enthusiastic about CD's today. It also comes with that many CD's now are produced in DIGI packs instead of the old plasticmaterial box. It brings back the Vinyl days in a digital world.

The whole "limited edition" branding is also reaching the CD market with great haste.

But however. The market for the Ipod is also exploding, I will never own an Ipod myself, but I see the huge possibilities in marketing musical products for this Gadget.

The industry were not prepared for the IT boom on Music and therefor the people of the Internet abused the possibilites in exploiting rights of music products.

But I think the Industry is slowly comming after in the loss.

In ten years or more, you will see the good sales in music like we did back in the 80's, it's our responsability as drummers to make sure that we get a piece of the cake in terms of recording the new capasity of records from the labels.

Sorry for the OT "Essay" but i think we've come to the conclussion about MD haven't we? [img]smile.gif[/img]

[peter c]

These polls show who is reading
this magazine.

Anyways, I resonate with you Fuse
and Dazz.

I am not even going to talk about
it specifically, except for the
best all-around, which I will not
and cannot disagree with.

[img]wink.gif[/img] [img]cool.gif[/img]

[Paraflam]

Vinnie is one of the sickest drummers in the world. But to my ears, he's not ALL AROUND. All around means someone who plays all the styles. Even Be-Bop and Latin. Gadd is the only one on the list who's really all around. He can lay a huge rock beat or a small funk groove, play over a jazz tune using be-bop phrases, swing a big band like Sonny Payne, or play clave music authentically without turning the clave around.
Why wasn't Erskine on that list? He's really all around. The others don't belong there. They're not all around.
There are so many more I can mention who are really all around.
MD readers are clueless

[Henry II]

Another problem with the MD poll is that the catagories are limited to performances and publications released in the prior year. You really have to be a commercial junky to have an opinion on all these catagories with that limitation.

[Henry II]

Originally posted by Paraflam:
Vinnie is one of the sickest drummers in the world. But to my ears, he's not ALL AROUND. All around means someone who plays all the styles. Even Be-Bop and Latin. Gadd is the only one on the list who's really all around. He can lay a huge rock beat or a small funk groove, play over a jazz tune using be-bop phrases, swing a big band like Sonny Payne, or play clave music authentically without turning the clave around.
Why wasn't Erskine on that list? He's really all around. The others don't belong there. They're not all around.
There are so many more I can mention who are really all around.
MD readers are clueless

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">For me, Billy Cobham is THE All Around drummer for the ages. No one is more versatile than Billy. JMHO. And legend has it that he's just as good a sight reader as Vinnie.

[troutbrooke]

Originally posted by Paraflam:
Vinnie is one of the sickest drummers in the world. But to my ears, he's not ALL AROUND.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Although I totally disagree with you, there's really no sense in arguing about the poll. These guys aren't competing against anyone. It's just a way of acknowledging some great drummers for what they've done, and how they've inspired us.

Personally, I DO think that Vinnie is best all-around drummer. If you haven't heard him play bop or latin, it's not his fault. But that's beside the point. Everyone has their favourite drummer, and no one among us is qualified to 'decide' who is 'greatest drummer'. The whole thing is silly. It's subjective to say the least. No use getting bent out of shape fellas.

[ashio nz]

Maybe MD needs a 'Sightreader From Hell' category!