Hi drummers,
One of the really nice things about this forum is that every so often someone brings up a name - some familiar, some not so - and everyone gets a shot at either finding out more about the guy, sometimes even discovering a drummer they had since not known about.
A few months back there was a reissue of an album that first hit the scene in 1972 - when I was all of 12! Perhaps in light of that, and the monumental influence and inspiration this album brought me all those years ago it would be nice to throw a new name into the works.
I'll give you a brief outline ...
Since big bands were a big part of my thing back then - especially those that housed a lot of drama and power - Stan Kenton was a very big hero to me. Around '72, BBC television in England had a series called "Sounds For Saturday". A sign of the times indeed ... for this program featured live televised performances of everything from emerging prog rock bands, folk things, jazz/rock (... indeed the famous Mahavishnu televised half hour BBC video bootleg stems from yet another show very much in this ilk, entitled "In Concert".) ... a lot of big bands were featured too such as Harry James (featuring the fantastic Sonny Payne), Buddy Rich of course, Basie and many others.
One Saturday evening I witnessed a show that changed my life. The Kenton band featuring a drummer called John Von Ohlen. This guy gave me all the food I needed. He was totally emotionally charged, boasted a huge open Mel Lewis feeling with a sound the size of John Bonham with a tinge of the lunacy of Keith Moon on occasions. He was literally just "TAKEN" in the music. Totally "gone"!!! Totally catapulting that band, right at the centre of it all.
He played a bigger size Gretsch four-piece set - a slim 22" bass drum with 2 full standard regular looking Ambassador heads on it. His character in this period was very much established by his kick drum - no damping, tuned right down and long, coming off like a tympani! (When he rode it quietly you really heard the presence of that drum, and when he kicked ... EVERYBODY knew about it.) He had what looked like a 9" x 13" and a 16" x 16" floor. To top it all, (and as the story goes) he played gigantic cymbals Stan Kenton himself owned - (maybe Peter Erskine can clarify here??) - I think a 24" heavy sounding ride, maybe even a 22" crash on the other side, a smaller looking crash and the customary grundgy china type. From the looks of it he was also playing 15" hi-hats.
Around two years ago I made an effort to try and find this guy on the Internet. There's not a lot about him (!) other than the fact he's been teaching I think in Cincinnati for quite a time, and recording with a band he leads called the Blue Wisp Big Band. Through the Cincinnati school though I eventually managed to obtain a private phone number for him. One great day I found him in, spoke to him and just thanked him for all that magnificent inspiration he gave me. He seemed surprised and genuinely touched. That was a beautiful moment for me.
So folks ... if you like your music dramatic, emotionally charged, thrilling, swinging and driving then it gives me great pleasure to introduce you to the long-awaited re-release on 2-disc CD of "Stan Kenton Today" featuring the amazing Mr. John Von Ohlen on amazing and exhilarating form throughout.
It's now available at Amazon (Amazon.com: Stan Kenton Today: Stan Kenton: Music), CDUniverse and others.
If you never heard of this guy let me assure you you're in for a treat! He sounds as modern today as he did back then. Totally original, not chops-laden, just a guy completely in and for the music.
Enjoy.
And John, if by any chance you may be reading ... SALUTE.
Sincerely,
GH
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ May 24, 2005 07:26 AM: Message edited by: Gary Husband ]</font>
