I am definitely being educated! Thanks everyone. And there was me thinking there weren’t many female drummers. Obviously there are and some pretty damn good ones! Appreciate everyone pointing it out to me. Must confess that I’m a Krupa, Rich, Bonham, Moon, Baker, Hiseman kind of guy though .....
+1 for female drummers. Rebecca Lucy Taylor from Slow Club. Now performing solo (not drumming sadly) as Self Esteem.
I have been playing nothing but Arthur Blythe in my car this week. I love his alto playing but , regardless of that fact, I defy anyone to find a jazz record as infectious as "Down San Diego Way,"
Dave You should check out Terri Lynne Carrington too. She is one of the best drummers in contemporary jazz although I think she has been performing for about 30-0dd years since she made her name with Stan Getz. I have always been impressed whenever I have seen her live or listened to her on record. Cindy Blackman ( Mrs Santana) is also really good. As far as Gene Krupa is concerned, I think it is interesting that whilst he enjoyed his greatest reputation in the 1930s when he was with Benny Goodman's band, he got better with age. He was also one of the nice guys in jazz. If the record is still available, you need to acquire the record he made in the late 1950s where he played arrangements written by the great Gerry Mulligan. It is one of my favourite big band records of all time and features stellar soloists such as Hank Jones and Phil Woods. The writing is exceptional but you expect that from GM. I quite like drummers who kick-arse but my favourites change to whatever I am in to at that particular moment. Jack DeJohnette is always someone I have loved listening to. If you can snap up the album "Rypdal / Vitous/ DeJohnette" on ECM, this disc is wirth the money alone for the opening "Sunrise." (Unable to find on Youtube but if you like the rockier side of things, this will come as a surprise. )
RIP Tim Smith, who has died at the age of 59 after 12 years in a nursing home following his stroke in 2008. Here’s one from his prime with Cardiacs:
NOOOOOOOO!!!!!! One of my absolute guitar heroes. The man who started me on my love of blues music ..... I’m shattered ....
Was just about to post the very same link. A startlingly talented guitarist, singer, composer and a huge loss to the music world at large.
So sad to hear of Peter Green’s demise, another of the all-time greats gone. A true genius, albeit a troubled one. Here’s my particular favourite of that amazing first incarnation of Fleetwood Mac: RIP Peter Green
BB King once said "Peter Green has more talent in his little finger than I have in my entire body" and "He was the only one that gave me the cold sweats". R.I.P. Peter...
It is difficult to believe that groups could take it's cues from "authentic" music in the late sixties and still remain popular. You cannot really imagine that happening in 2020. There have been two documentaries on TV lately about Eric Clapton which were real eye openers to me and made me realize the importance of improvisation in music at that time . A track like "Black magic woman" could not really cross over into popular music these days, especially as popular music nowadays has little room for technical prowess if indeed the artists can play any instrument. To my ears, pop music has split in to those who know their instruments and those whose music seems to consist of samples or not much going on musically. Musicians like Green and Clapton are effectively "specialist" artists and the closer their music adhered towards the blues, I think the quicker they would lose a broader audience. You can bet that young guitarists practising in their bedrooms in 2020 will not be influenced by B.B. King, if they have ever heard of him let alone the likes of Buddy Guy, Howlin' Wolf or Muddy Waters. I have got to say that I have always felt that improvising is at the core of all great music. I used to practice Bach P &F's and you can appreciate that this music came from improvisation and I think later composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin were also great improvisors. The raison d'etre of jazz is improvisation and that also applies to the blues too - especially when the music became electrified in Chicago in the 1950s. Of course, it is also key to understanding players like Hendrix and Clapton. For me, it is a key ingredient in music.
Agree with most Ian but I do know a number young musicians that appreciate the historical relevance of the blues players and have a lot of their tunes in their collections. Often influenced by parental guidance as were my kids now in their mid thirties.
