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Chick Webb represented the triumph of the human spirit in jazz and life. Hunchbacked, small in stature, almost a dwarf with a large face and broad shoulders, Webb fought off congenital tuberculosis of the spine in order to become one of the most competitive drummers and bandleaders of the big band era. Perched high upon a platform, he used custom-made pedals, goose-neck cymbal holders, a 28-inch bass drum and a wide variety of other percussion instruments to create thundering solos of a complexity and energy that paved the way for Buddy Rich (who studied Webb intensely) and Louie Bellson.
Alas, Webb did not get a fair shake on records; Decca's primitive recording techniques could not adequately capture his spectacular technique and wide dynamic range. He could not read music, but that didn't stop him either, for he memorized each arrangement flawlessly. Although his band did not become as influential and revered in the long run as some of its contemporaries, it nevertheless was feared in its time for its battles of the bands in Harlem's Savoy Ballroom; a famous encounter with the high-flying Benny Goodman outfit at its peak (with Gene Krupa in the drummer's chair) left the latter band drained and defeated.
William Henry Webb bought his first set of drums with his earnings as a newsboy, and he began playing in bands on pleasure boats. After moving to New York in 1925, he led bands in various clubs before settling in for long regular runs at the Savoy beginning in 1931. Although Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges played with the band early on, the Webb band was oddly short on major soloists during its heyday from the mid-'30s onward; the young alto sax player Louis Jordan made the biggest impression after leaving the band. But the band made up for it with a crisp ensemble sound, Webb's disciplined, ferociously driving drum pyrotechnics, trumpeter Taft Jordan's impressions of Louis Armstrong, and most of all, a series of strong compositions and charts by Edgar Sampson ("Blue Lou" and "Stomping at the Savoy" among them). In 1935, Webb hired the teenaged Ella Fitzgerald after she won a talent contest at the Apollo Theatre, became her legal guardian, and rebuilt his show around the singer, who provided him with his biggest hit record, "A Tisket-A-Tasket," in 1938. The band's fame continued to grow, fueled by its reputation as a giant-killer in the Savoy battles and a continuous string of Decca 78s that featured such irresistible numbers as "T'aint What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)" and the B-side of "Tasket," "Liza." But Webb's precarious health began to give way, and after a major operation in Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, he died (his last words reportedly were, "I'm sorry, I've got to go."). After Webb's death, Fitzgerald fronted the the band until it finally broke up in 1942.
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Source: Richard S. Ginell
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Chick Webb - Ella Fitzgerald
Chick Webb - Artie Shaw - Duke Ellington
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performed with:
Chick Webb and Orchestra
Louis Armstrong
Ella Fitzgerald
Johnny Hodges
Benny Carter
Jimmy Harrison
Mario Bauza
Waman Carver
Alex Hill
Taft Jordan
Mezz Mezzrow
Jouis Jordan
Bobby Stark
Johnny Hodges
Charlie Dixon
Elmer Williams
Louis Jordan
Mario Bauza
Hilton Jefferson
Garvin Bushell
Don Kirkpatrick
Dick Vance
George Metthews
Elmer James
John Kirby
Edgar Sampson
....and many more |
Classic Drum Solos and Drum Battles
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This DVD presents fifteen of the true “legends of jazz drumming” in astounding extended solos and in rare, never-before-seen drum duels filmed over the last five decades. Among the highlights are uncut solos from big band legends Sonny Payne, Rufus Jones, Buddy Rich, Sam Woodyard and Louie Bellson; and small group giants Art Blakey and Joe Morello. Rare drum battles include meetings between Gene Krupa and Cozy Cole, Buddy Rich and Ed Shaughnessy, Chico Hamilton, Gene Krupa and Lionel Hampton; Elvin Jones, Sunny Murray and Art Blakey; and a once-in-a-lifetime battle between Buddy Rich and Jerry Lewis! Bonus track is the original theatrical trailer for “The Gene Krupa Story,” never seen outside movie theaters, where it was shown in 1958.
Running Time:
60 minutes
$29.95 plus shipping
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Classic Drum Solos and Drum Battles Vol. 2
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Fifteen thunderous, drum solos from legends like Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, "Papa" Jo Jones,
Art Blakey, Shelly Manne, Sonny Payne, Sam Woodyard, Rufus "Speedy" Jones and others, spanning the years 1947 to 1989, many never before released on home video or DVD. Bonus clips include Bobby Troup's "history of the jazz drum set," from 1958 and a great segment featuring the Gene Krupa Jazz Trio impersonating Russian musicians from 1946!
Special DVD Features: A photo gallery, notes on each clip, and a short bio of each drummer are available using the web link function!
Running Time: 73 minutes
$29.95 plus shipping
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Classic Jazz Drummers - Swing and Beyond
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Highlights include films of the legendary Sid Catlett with Louis Armstrong, Ray Bauduc with Jack Teagarden, Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich with their own orchestras, Gus Johnson with the rarely-heard Count Basie small group, Joe Harris with the pioneering Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra, Panama Francis with Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton, never-before-seen solo footage of Philly Joe Jones, Stan Levey with a small group, the groundbreaking bop of Kenny Clarke and many others.
A certifiable find: The only existing film of that influential New Orleans pioneer, the one and only Warren “Baby” Dodds.
Classic Jazz Drummers presents six decades of legendary drummers soloing and battling.
Special DVD Features: Four bonus clips featuring Sonny Payne, Shelly Manne, Lionel Hampton and Philly Joe Jones as well as an exclusive photo gallery of these early jazz drummers.
Running Time: 70 minutes
$29.95 plus shipping
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