Virgil Donati

Ok, guys....I have never heard this man play before, and I hear some of you talking about him. What is an essential recording that I can pick which more or less defines his playing?

I would say any Planet X album. There are also plenty of clips of him on his site.

Plaid, check out some of the previous threads on this site as there are lots of recommendations and clips that have been shared in previous discussions. Also visit

http://www.drummerworld.com/drummervideo.html

where you'll see a video of him and LOADS of all your favourite players.

I just checked out a few tracks, and I certainly like what I hear so far. After looking at his tom set up, I would assume a sequential roll from left to right on the racks would sound a bit odd since the second one is smaller. I want to see a video clip or something visual for this guy. Anyone know where I can see a clip?

Plaid I would definitely recommend His solo disc
"Serious Young Insects" by his Aussie band "ON THE VIRG". We are talking serious HEAVY FUSION. It in my opinion is groundbreaking, Extreme Technique along with very original Compositions and a real rock attitude (punch) throughout the album. Great playing by the whole band. Or you can try out his playing on Joel Hoekstra's(guitar player) solo disc. A real diverse album.
Much of it has a very funky vibe. He shows his great diversity on this album. Great bass playing by Ricc Fierabracci. Or a TOTALLY unrehearsed spontaneous jam session and I mean Spontaneous! with Scott Henderson on guitar and Ricc Fierabracci on bass called Just Add Water. Absolutely Unbelievable stuff, they are tight considering it was on the Fly. They rip it up on this disc. And definitely the new Planet X album Moonbabies. Wonderful heavy fusion. Donati's playing is extreme at times yet tasteful. And he is the primary composer for most of the material yet does not HOG the spotlight. You can get these at AudiophileImports. There honestly is not a ton of video clips around. There are a few at www.xplanetx.com but they are short. There are certain drum sites on the net where you can find clips from his ModernDrummer performance or some of the live Planet X gigs. He has four videos out also. Power Drumming 1991. Modern Drummer Festival 1997. Obsessive rhythm's 1989 and a live bootleg from 2000 which is terrific. Simon Phillips produced the Planet X album Moonbabies and during the process he said flat out(quoted in Modern Drummer interview) that Virg
was the Most technically advanced drummer he had ever seen or heard. Pretty big statement coming from someone like Phillips.

Hope this helps. Digital

as far as video, I would recommend the MD Festival one. it's pretty cheap (less than 30 bucks) and is a great example of why he's held in such high esteem.

here is a website (mine) that has a nice virgil clinic video clip . . . and lots of others too!

?http://homepage.mac.com/matthughen/

Plaid...boy r u in 4 1 of the great major drumming revelations of your life [prob much like the 1st time u heard either Vinnie or Weckl [img]wink.gif[/img] ]...you're either gonna burn your kit, or start practicing a LITTLE harder [or maybe even BOTH?!]...
Like Derek said, the MDF Fest '97 is RUTHLESS...
his "Power Drumming" is also excellent, with some good exercises & wicked playing clips...
In addition to Planet X's "Moonbabies," I would also recommend "Live from Oz" [absolutely STOOPID playing on there]...
His 1st 2 solo efforts are real "HUMBLERS" [aka "ego-crushers"] - go to www.virgildonati.com 4 more info & sound-clips...
if you like the unsinkable Vincent C...
Virg is undeniably conceptually in the ranks of Vinnie & Weckl in his own way...maybe even a LITTLE, "teeny-tiny, eentsy-beentsy bit" scarier [ESPECIALLY in the double-kix dept.]...his hands are ruthless as well...his showmanship/'stick-tricks' abilities are unsurpassed, also...
Then there was that thread in the not too distant past here where Shedder graciously posted a couple of wicked Virgil vid-clips, with that infamous "ceiling shot"...go to page 2 of the [past] topics pages [#'d at top & bottom right of the "topics" main page]...about the 9th topic down, it'll say "virgil"...click on it & get your free bum-whackin clips courtesy of the Shed-man....

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ February 26, 2003 07:43 PM: Message edited by: FuseU1 ]</font>

I just saw the video clip of Virgil from the guy who filmed the ceiling as well.....Oh my God. I know the sound quality may not have been great, but....oh good God....as Holmes said, that was disgusting. That's some SERIOUS technique. ...and it sounds clean.

Here's some fresh Virgil newz for ya!

Freakhouse's "Beautiful Misery" to be released in spring! Catch them in concert in Hollywood, CA.

Freakhouse will be performing in Hollywood, CA on following dates
In March:

March 3rd, 2003 - Club Lingerie - Hollywood, CA
March 6th, 2003 - The Gig - Hollywood, CA
March 8th, 2003 - Coconut Teaser - Hollywood, CA

All shows start at 10:30PM.

For free tickets to the show, e-mail [email protected].

Their upcoming album entitled "Beautiful Misery" will be out this spring courtesy of Reality Entertainment. Check out their official website over at www.freakhouse.com for soundclips and information!
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CAB to tour across the US!

Bunny Brunel and the crew (Virgil Donati, Tony MacAlpine, Patrice Rushen) will be touring across the US on the following dates:

March 12th, 2003 - Knitting Factory - Los Angeles, CA
March 14th, 2003 - Moe's Alley - Santa Cruz, CA
March 15th, 2003 - Red Devil Lounge - San Francisco, CA
March 18th, 2003 - The V'Nuks - Milwaukee, WI
March 19th, 2003 - Isaac Hayes Club - Chicago, IL
March 20th, 2003 - The Blind Pig - Ann Arbor, MI
March 21st, 2003 - Hi-Fi - Cleveland, OH
March 23rd, 2003 - Ryles Jazz Club - Cambridge, MA
March 24th, 2003 - TBA - New Jersey
March 25th, 2003 - The Bottom Line - New York, NY
March 26th, 2003 - Jaxx - Springfield, VA

Make sure to catch them at a gig near you. It will certainly be amazing to watch!

You can also visit the official CAB website at www.cabband.com
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Visit the following sites for related Virgildonati.com information:

http://www.freakhouse.com - Freakhouse's Official Website
http://www.xplanetx.com - Planet X Official Website
http://www.cabband.com - CAB's Official Website
http://www.moderndrummer.com/ - Modern Drummer Magazine