The session guys!

Dave_Major

Silver Member
Hey gang,

I'm running a 'Session Drummer Day' for budding drummers looking to work in a studio and get experience/tips etc.

I'm currently writing up the workbook for it and am going to include a section on session drummers.
I know there are thousands of guys who do great work but I wanted to focus on 3 and give a short bio, discography and WHY they are so great at what they do.


I'm going to do

Steve Gadd - The original session drummer. Played everything WELL and always as himself.

Vinnie Coliauta - To me the musical chameleon. Can play everything REALLY WELL and does it with such grace. Also the reading thing is something I want to discuss with him.


For the final one I am not sure

I was thinking of Jeff Porcaro for his feel (1 hand 16ths and shuffle) Or maybe Bernard Purdie???



Who do you think I should cover?


Any input would be helpful

Dave
 
My vote would be for Porcaro but there's a lot of others that would fit that spot well. Wish I could come see this.
 
My vote would be for Porcaro but there's a lot of others that would fit that spot well. Wish I could come see this.

I've had a great response to all the advertising so far. Some parts will be filmed so I will post something once it is done.

Cool +2 for Porcaro

D
 
Another vote for Jeff Porcaro if I may.

No feel like his on this earth.

I'd *love* to see your work on this! I had a book some years ago that I found in a drum shop that was specific to session guys. It had short write ups on Gadd, Porcaro, Russ Kunkle and a few others that escape me right now. Possibly Rick Marotta was one of them. I need to dig that book out if I can find it.
 
Cool mate.

If you have that book it'd be awesome to see it (even just some pics of the gadd and porcaro pages)

I'll defo post the videos up here when the even happens.


Dave
 
You can focus on guys like that if also point out that they do their share of 2&4 in the studio. Or as I like to say, Vinnie doesn't make a living doing Burning For Buddy every day.

In other words, balance is crucial for studio musicians. If you put Gadd, Vinnie and Porcaro in front of hopeful players and don't also emphasize the amount of straight ahead grooving they've done, it's going to put unrealistic ideas in their heads.

If you're going to be comprehensive with the artists, then I agree Porcaro is an excellent candidate. But if you want to focus on Gadd & Vinnie's more technical side, I think Jim Keltner would be a good balance to the other two.

And don't forget some of the most successful studio drummers like Hal Blaine and Bobby Graham. While they haven't been on the map for some time, their approach still applies today.

Sounds like a fun day, wish I could go!

Bermuda
 
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You can focus on guys like that if also point out that they do their share of 2&4 in the studio. Or as I like to say, Vinnie doesn't make a living doing Burning For Buddy every day.

In other words, balance is crucial for studio musicians. If you put Gadd, Vinnie and Porcaro in front of hopeful players and don't also emphasize the amount of straight ahead grooving they've done, it's going to put unrealistic ideas in their heads.

If you're going to be comprehensive with the artists, then I agree Porcaro is an excellent candidate. But if you want to focus on Gadd & Vinnie's more technical side, I think Jim Keltner would be a good balance to the other two.

If you really want to focus on successful studio drummers, you cannot overlook Hal Blaine and Bobby Graham.

Sounds like a fun day, wish I could go!

Bermuda


Believe me the whole day is focussed on getting the job done and the importance of playing 2 and 4.

I've actually just got to that part in the worksheet and am just writing up the Gadd page.

I want to show that (especially in Vinnie's case) the importance of playing for the music. That's the main reason I want to use him. He can play off the wall crazy stuff but can also hold it down with the best of them and doesn;t wish he was off doing somthing else when he is.

There a great vid of an andrea bocelli concert (thats not the great part) with Vinnie on drums and he just plays the full selection of ballad drums.

I will be using some of his work with Miley Cirus and the disney crew as well as his work with sting etc to show this.

I think Porcaro is the best choice to show to feel element of it.

I think it might be a bit to advanced for you mate....though I'd have you hosting any day of the week!

Dave
 
I would go for Kenny aronoff.

Kenny yeah, although he's known as much for being a hired gun on tours, as he is in the studio.

There are really a lot of great candidates.

Bermuda
 
How about one of the new(er) guys in town that are doing lot's of session work? Younger up and comer maybe? (Not that I know of any...)

Nothing against the 3 you mentioned, but might be nice to throw in some new blood so that the younger people in your class can relate and not think "yeah but they are old, things are not the same for us younger guys".
 
If the idea is to sell this to budding drummers, then I think you have to include at least one contemporary guy.

Sure, Pocaro, Purdie, and Hal were all great, but you run the risk of making this into a historical document rather than a "how to" document. Particularly given all those guys did their work in a much different environment, before computers, protools, before the home studio, etc.

So I'd say Josh Freese is your guy. He's old enough to be a very experienced session player, but still young enough to have played on a ton of records that students would be familiar with.
 
How about the drummer that has played on the biggest
selling records in history?

John Robinson
 
There's too many to pick from. I like the idea that if this is being presented to newer drummers, then all 3 should be contemporary, so your audience can identify with them. As Ian points out...totally different landscapes between session players of 20 - 30 years ago and now.

However, if you are just focusing on the playing aspect and not the actual, how do you get work aspect, then it doesn't matter.

Keltner, Gordon, Blaine, Marotta... would all provide good balance to Vinnie and Steve.

I wonder who Vinnie and Gadd would suggest. While I'm at it, I wonder who inspires Vinnie and Gadd.
 
I would throw in Keith Carlock and Steve Jordan with the other names mentioned. Cool idea!
 
then wouldn't that be Thriller with N'dugu Chancler and Jeff Porcaro ?

I really should have said "some of the best selling records.."

Either way, he was everywhere in the 80's.
 
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