Dave Letterman's Drum Solo Week

I will have to listen to that when I get home. I have it on my iTunes Library. Not sure I've listened to that in some time. Thanks for reminding me that I have it!
 
I will have to listen to that when I get home. I have it on my iTunes Library. Not sure I've listened to that in some time. Thanks for reminding me that I have it!

are you speaking of Reaching Fourth?

if so.......you will rejoice in rediscovering it.....that record had me literally raising my arms and screaming out last yesterday.....seriously

its just makes you shake your head at how amazing it is......and make that face we all make when we smell something awful
 
I thoroughly enjoyed Roy's solo. It had some space, but not too much. A flurry of nonstop notes loses it's effectiveness on me, unless it is part of an evil groove (stole that phrase from Boomka).

Roy's drum tone really shone through. His little 18" kick sounded sweet. I have to say, I was disappointed that he didn't play alone. That to me is the acid test. Even I have a much easier time "soloing" when there is accompaniment. As soon as the accompaniment drops out, and there is no melody to play against, (except in your head) that's what I wanted to see. It's always interesting to me to see how a player handles all that space with no melody, just a drumset.

I don't want all fireworks immediately, I want composition first, and fireworks for the climax. It's more musically mature that way. Hold back on your best stuff a bit and work the composition and build some intensity and desire. It's like making love really. Give me some tasty exciting foreplay and build up some yearning and anticipation before laying it all on me. Don't show all your cards at once. Then when you do lay it on me, I'm primed for it and the climax will be much sweeter. Damn that was good!
That's my blueprint for a solo.
 
When I watched the first five seconds of Roy Haynes I got a little nervous because as Abe mentioned there was a little frailty there that after all this time is only now beginning to show. I watched him at 2005 IAJE and he was still a world beater...nothing frail at all...still kicking butt and still taking names.

But what I have always admired if not worshipped about jazz icons is their ability to dig into the experience and resource well to literally pull a rabbit out of a hat...mostly because the really great ones have melodicism embedded into their eyeballs even when the chops are no longer there. That performance was saavy in spades, including being smart enough to create his own universe that you had to enter on his terms. It was a real nod to veteran instincts and smarts. Mostly I was in awe of it...all the way down to the slick suit and shades that resembled what I hoped Miles would have looked like had he made it as far.

Geez, can you imagine having that much taste still in the tank, looking so clean and playing such music when most guys that age are doing the rocking chair?
 
When I watched the first five seconds of Roy Haynes I got a little nervous because as Abe mentioned there was a little frailty there that after all this time is only now beginning to show. I watched him at 2005 IAJE and he was still a world beater...nothing frail at all...still kicking butt and still taking names.

But what I have always admired if not worshipped about jazz icons is their ability to dig into the experience and resource well to literally pull a rabbit out of a hat...mostly because the really great ones have melodicism embedded into their eyeballs even when the chops are no longer there. That performance was saavy in spades, including being smart enough to create his own universe that you had to enter on his terms. It was a real nod to veteran instincts and smarts. Mostly I was in awe of it...all the way down to the slick suit and shades that resembled what I hoped Miles would have looked like had he made it as far.

Geez, can you imagine having that much taste still in the tank, looking so clean and playing such music when most guys that age are doing the rocking chair?

read my mind
...................
 
Mr Hayne is a truly class act drummer. Is it how you say this in english??
 
When I watched the first five seconds of Roy Haynes I got a little nervous because as Abe mentioned there was a little frailty there that after all this time is only now beginning to show. I watched him at 2005 IAJE and he was still a world beater...nothing frail at all...still kicking butt and still taking names.

But what I have always admired if not worshipped about jazz icons is their ability to dig into the experience and resource well to literally pull a rabbit out of a hat...mostly because the really great ones have melodicism embedded into their eyeballs even when the chops are no longer there. That performance was saavy in spades, including being smart enough to create his own universe that you had to enter on his terms. It was a real nod to veteran instincts and smarts. Mostly I was in awe of it...all the way down to the slick suit and shades that resembled what I hoped Miles would have looked like had he made it as far.

Geez, can you imagine having that much taste still in the tank, looking so clean and playing such music when most guys that age are doing the rocking chair?

Well put, Matt. You really captured what was in my head with this post and articulated it perfectly.

I will say that one common turn-off I had with Fig and E. was the gratuitous use of double-pedal. I guess these were just two more pieces of evidence of many that tell me I just don't care for that sound as much as I used to.

I would echo the sentiment that the mere fact that the Letterman show is providing this showcase for drum solos is one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. I have to begrudgingly concede that shows like American Idol have at least reintroduced American audiences to the concept of recognizing talent. Not that the best artists are always featured on, or win, those competitions; but for a long time, appreciation of actual musical skill seemed to vanish from the public's consciousness completely.

I'm cautiously optimistic that this trend is reversing somewhat.
 
Sure, BB is a grump but I've never met him so I don't care :)

I loved those displaced accents - it gave the music an unpredictable feel that kept it fresh for future listenings (to my ear). I also love his unconventional sounds and ideas; every new KC album was a surprising new treat. On the other hand NP has a more conventional range, both sonically and stylistically. Oh, and I also dug BB's tricky, jazzy side. I simply think he's a better, more rounded drummer.

Okay, I'm a tragic, I admit it ... but you have my word that I never spam Rush's YouTube threads :) Of course, these kinds of comparisons are generally moot but I've dug BB since I was a wee teenyprogger and a touch of that childish, territorial side of teen fandom seems to remain in me lol

I can dig it, Polly. Neil was a big influence on me as a kid in a similar way, I'm sure. Except most Neil fans like myself were also stimulated by his literacy and approach to writing. The whole band has a cultish appeal that transcends the music, especially in that the band is really all about the music. Which sounds like a contradiction, but it makes sense, if that makes sense. Confused? Heh.

If you haven't already, I strongly recommend viewing Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. It's a documentary about the band that does a fantastic job explaining what it is that Rush fans love about Rush.

I moved into other areas of music decades ago and I put Rush away for a long time. But Rush will always hold a special place in my heart and I've come to realize that will never change.
 
Well put, Matt. You really captured what was in my head with this post and articulated it perfectly.

I will say that one common turn-off I had with Fig and E. was the gratuitous use of double-pedal. I guess these were just two more pieces of evidence of many that tell me I just don't care for that sound as much as I used to.

I would echo the sentiment that the mere fact that the Letterman show is providing this showcase for drum solos is one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. I have to begrudgingly concede that shows like American Idol have at least reintroduced American audiences to the concept of noticing talent. Not that the best artists are always featured on, or win, those competitions; but for a long time, appreciation of actual musical skill seemed to vanish from the public's consciousness completely.

I'm cautiously optimistic that this trend is reversing somewhat.

I agree about the double pedal use .... especially when it is used in a application that could have easily been executed with one foot .....as both Fig and Sheila did

yeah Dave is doing a great thing......no one has really given the drummer some since Johnny Carson went off the air
 
are you speaking of Reaching Fourth?

if so.......you will rejoice in rediscovering it.....that record had me literally raising my arms and screaming out last yesterday.....seriously

its just makes you shake your head at how amazing it is......and make that face we all make when we smell something awful

I had it on my iPod and listened to it on the way home. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed McCoy Tyner in general, smiles all round given that earlier today I was at a rehearsal and had one of the hardest music lessons of my life!
 
I found both Anton's and Sheila's solos enjoyable. Granted neither were dazzling displays of chops, but I'm more than OK with that. I've seen more people get off on "Wipeout" or "Sing, Sing, Sing" or "Inna Gadda Da Vida," than I have some intricate sticking pattern played at warp speed.
 
Care to elaborate? make it at least 20 characters.

I'm playing in a friend's degree recital next Wednesday and it's a quartet suite for Jazz Trio and Flute. She's the flute.

I've played it with her before (and very well) but we had a rehearsal today with her instructor there and it was in equal measure fascinating, difficult, embarrassing and rewarding. The bass player couldn't make it and it was then that I realised how much I was leaning on the bass player to get a solid time feel. Combine that with having to play at very low volume (all acoustic), challenging material and having to really listen to tiny changes in phrasing from all the others and it was a lesson in how to play with a band.

Honestly, it was the best drum lesson I've had in ages - and the instructor knew a lot about music, but not a lot about the drums; which is by far the best way of going about it in this instance.

So when I see players like Roy Haynes pulling off this amazing material live, with the energy, skill, humility and passion that he (and others) do in a reactive music situation, I am totally humbled. And it's not like I'm a bad player, I'm fairly good - but these guys are lifetimes ahead of me and rightly so.
 
larryance said:

Actually I expect a flowing musical statement that I can follow as a listener. People hitting things, no matter how impressive, lacks musicality to me. It's hard enough without being able play any type of melody with the drums, to not make it rhythmically compelling is taking the easy way out IMO. Not that those chops are easy, but it misses any mark that matters to me.

Its like saying: Dog!! fly running sand...... coal mine. Octopus inversion! Trouble estate! What does that mean? I need something I can latch on to, not a bunch of unrelated musical phrases.

It's effin hard, I can't do it. I understand the blueprint, but I can't really execute the work yet.

LOL, best post in this thread. I agree, I like to hear drum solos that are musically cohesive.

+1 (and nineteen other characters)
 
I hadn't really listened to Roy much for I guess the past couple of years and wondered if at his age he could pull off a solo on national tv without seeming frail and embarasing.

I sould have never have worried at all.What can i say but......It was Roy...being Roy.

Well done Mr Haynes.A lesson for us all.

Steve B
 
There is something special about these "older" drummers from the 50' and the 60'. We talk a lot about Rich, 'cause the guy brung it to another level. But "olders drummers" like Krupa, Cozy Cole, Roy Haynes, etc. When you look at them play, they look happy. I know it sounds stupid, but they really look happy, like in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTzP7ecGQiw. It's completely different from Neil Peart for exemple. The guy is AN INCREDIBLE drummer, but damn he looks like he doesn't have any fun doing it..... I really like watching and listening to the 50's big band music. It really puts a smile on my face :)
 
I'm actually not expecting a whole lot from Neil.

Even on the last few Rush tours, he's more or less played the same exact solo, to the point even I'm thinking, oh, come on, just skip the solo and play another song instead..

Rush just got back from a European tour, and this appearance is on a small break before the next leg of the US tour starts, so I very much doubt Neil has any time to work up anything different. So I imagine it will be his usual solo he plays every night.

Unless he decided to do the Hockey theme instead.

Still, I'm excited because Neil rarely does many appearances outside of Rush, especially not on TV, and it will cool just to see him in a different context.
 
There is something special about these "older" drummers from the 50' and the 60'. We talk a lot about Rich, 'cause the guy brung it to another level. But "olders drummers" like Krupa, Cozy Cole, Roy Haynes, etc. When you look at them play, they look happy. I know it sounds stupid, but they really look happy, like in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTzP7ecGQiw. It's completely different from Neil Peart for exemple. The guy is AN INCREDIBLE drummer, but damn he looks like he doesn't have any fun doing it..... I really like watching and listening to the 50's big band music. It really puts a smile on my face :)

Hey Stitch,

Why wouldn't you put BR in the category of "older" drummers. He started in vaudville in 1917, got the sideman job with Joe Marsala in 1937, played with Tommy Dorsey in 1939. He was older than Roy Haynes. There was no mistaking BR's pleasure when his band was smokin'. Sorry for the rant. I'm good now.

I agree, the big band era is of the 30's, 40's and 50's was great. I'll take a 16 piece big band over a Marshall stack any day.

-r
 
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