Buddy Rich - The Best Drummer the World will ever know.

Update: 8/30/2005 Check out these great Buddy Rich videos
Check out Buddy Rich: Jazz Legend Part II. Great Buddy Rich footage, solos, bands he played with. Watching and listening to it is like sitting in a fine art museum studying paintings.
Also, a fine CD: No Funny Hats. This is Buddy playing with his most prized band: The Killer Force.

One of the best drummers in the world - Buddy Rich? No. Rather, the best drummer the world will ever know. Will a debate follow? Usually, but not in this case. I think Buddy Rich is the best drummer the world will ever know. The speed, the style, the chops, the charisma, the determination, the dedication, you name it.

I've tried to express it a number of different ways over the years but no one has said it better than Neil Peart of RUSH and I quote:

This came off the fantastic video Buddy Rich Jazz legend Part II (1970-1987). No one can express better how amazing Buddy Rich was. It defies conversation.

Below is another worthy quote from Kenny Aronoff:

I first saw Buddy Rich at the Spoleto JAZZ Festival in South Carolina in, I think it was....1981. He must have been in his prime because if he was ever any better than he was that night I would have fallen over. One thing you must constantly remind yourself of while watching Buddy Rich perform is that there is only one drummer. Not two, one. If you don't remember that you will looking for the second drummer and never find him.

Buddy Rich had style. He did things that other drummers would or could never think of doing. I mean let's talk about drum solos on the just the rims of the drums, or, drum solos on only the bells of the cymbals. Let's talk about using the left stick on the snare drum and the right hand stick beating on the right side of the drum stool. Buddy always used one of those cylindrical shaped Slingerland stools that doubled as a stick holder so banging on the side of it always sounded cool. Better yet I watched Buddy once use the left hand on the snare and counter it with the kick drum as the right hand. This went on for about 30 seconds and he never missed a beat. For you drummers out there, he wasn't' only doing single strokes in this configuration...I could hear paradiddles, five stroke rolls and many other drum rudiments. His right arm was sticking straight up in the air while he loudly proclaimed, "Yeeeeeaaaa!"

I had a front row seat at the Spoleto JAZZ Festival and Buddy was hot. I'll never forget losing my breath the first time. Buddy was doing a single stroke roll on the high hats. He decides to adjust his seat so he removes his right hand to grab hold of the seat. It wasn't a quick adjustment, he took his time. While he was doing this the rhythm of the single stroke roll never missed a beat. If you weren't watching him remove one hand you would never have known he did! He then straightened his right hand into the air as if to show those that may have missed this feat that he was only using one hand on the high hats. That's the kind of showman he was. Flashy yet subtle.

I walked away that night not only a disillusioned drummer but a disillusioned human being as well. I thought about what I had been doing with my life as I had just witnessed a man that had spent his entire life refining his profession and playing drums like no one ever would again. I had a lot of practicing to do.

I once read an interview with Buddy Rich. He said he used to practice playing on a pillow. Why? So he wouldn't have the advantage of the bounce back effect you get when playing on a tightened drum head. He would create the bounce effect himself by simply pulling back on the sticks thereby strengthening his wrists. He also pounded on a pillow with the kick drum pedal. I never thought about that kind of training. Buddy Rich was also a black belt in Martial Arts. This came thru in his speed, precision on the drums.

I saw Buddy Rich a second time in North Carolina in a small bar. I don't know how I did it but I was standing on the stage right between the bass guitar player and Buddy himself. My pictures show this well. Buddy never said a word to me. He just let me enjoy the show. Do you see that towel on the tom tom? Every time (5 times) I saw Buddy Rich perform he had the exact same drum setup, even down to the towel on the tom tom. He never hit that tom tom he just used it to hold his towel.

Later that night, when the band took a break me and my friend walked back to the band's break room and enjoyed Heineken beer and ordervours.Buddy wasn't there though, he wasn't feeling well that night. He was resting in the bus. But as he walked by us he took the time to shake our hands. The band members were very cordial. They talked to me and my friend (also a drummer) offered us advice and said how grateful and honored they were to be playing in the Buddy Rich band. And, they said, it wasn't an easy gig. Buddy was tough. You could see and hear Buddy as he, like a marine Sergeant, ordered his musicians one after another to perform their solos. And when Buddy soloed, they all watched.

My fondest memory of Buddy performing was when he would perform a solo on the rims and the cymbal bells. The rims solo was awesome. The speed, intensity and movements of the rim solo matched that of his regular drum head solo but during the rim solo he never ever slipped and hit the drum head once. You only ever heard the sticks on the rims. Awesome, and a very pretty sound. His cymbal bell solos same way. He goes around and around the cymbals hitting only the bells. Sometimes he would have to stand up to reach them.

My final Buddy Rich concert was in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. Buddy had just recovered from his heart attack and his quadruple bypass surgery. Buddy went back on the drums 54 days after his surgery. I saw him a few times after that. The last time I brought along a few non-musician friends. Although Buddy was tired and had slowed down my friends could not believe this musician. I didn't take the time to let them know how much better Buddy was in the past I just let them enjoy what they saw and heard in the present.

We have sent men to the moon and devised all sorts of high technological devices and robotics but I don't think we could ever create a mechanical device that could match the power, speed and delicate touch as Buddy Rich could while playing drums.

My favorite buddy Rich song? Birdland.

Do you have any Buddy Rich stories, experiences? Let me know.

If you like this article or maybe had a similar experience and would like to share it with other readers then feel free to:

Simply fill in YOUR e-mail address, your name and your comment. Click the SEND button.

After submitting your comment, you will be transported back to the article you commented on!

	Name	E-Mail Address
You
Sending to
	Your Message

John Cesta is a contract programmer. John's current project is designer and lead developer of the automated hosting software at bestcfhosting.com, a ColdFusion MX hosting company. John is currently working on commercializing his programs and offering them to the IIS community at serverautomationtools.com

Some quotes from happy Buddy Rich Fans!!

This was certainly a wonderful article and I agree with everything mentioned in it!  I saw "Buddy play many, many times over a 40 year period.  He was truly unique.  However, I would like to take this opportunity to put to rest an erroneous statement made by "Tiger Bill" Meligari in one of his website video clips. I must say that it's a given that Bill, who studied with the great Joe Morello, is a very accomplished drummer and has a veritable "boatload" of great information on his site. However, while demonstrating Joe's one handed roll technique in a short video clip, he states that Buddy "cheated" by using right hand and foot substitutions to simulate a left hand roll. While it's true that Buddy often used this technique, Bill is totally in error when he states that Buddy did not have the speed to do Joe's one handed roll.  This is pure nonsense!  On several occasions, in the 1950's, I saw Buddy and Joe together playing at various drum clinics.  Buddy used to do an EXACT version of Joe's roll.  I personally saw this on 4 separate occasions.  So, while Buddy was a master at "substitutions', he could also do everything that Joe could do---including that modified Moeller single hand roll!! Joe was--and is---an absolute master technician.  In fact, he may be the best pure technical drummer of all time, BUT to say that Buddy wasn't fast enough to match Joe's single hand roll is---as I said---nonsense!

Thanks for putting up with this diatribe!! I just had to "vent"!!!  lol   :)"

One other word of advice from Brushmaster: "when you watch any excellent drummer at work, appreciate his or her playing  for what it should be---that person's individual approach to the music". Comparing one drummer's speed and "chops" with another's is not something in which I was ever interested. Suffice it to say that the drumming of players like Buddy, Louis, Joe and a host of others is just plain great---period!  One should enjoy the individual approach of each and not argue as to who is faster or better!  Playing drums should not be viewed as an athletic event! 

  

"Saw Buddy Rich and his band at Disneyland, Anaheim, CA . . . they played at the Carnation Center. We sat on concrete about 4 people back, staight out from Buddy Rich. Unbelievable. I equate his drumming to having majic wands, pointing at the drums to get the sound. So quick, clean, mentally intuitive. I will always, always, be thankful for that experience. I wonder if he knew how much he touched those who had the privilage to watch and listen to him?"

"Yes, Buddy Rich.  My experience watching him was only twice. Once at Concordia Teachers College in River Forest, IL circa 1973. I took the bus ( whatever it took ) to see Mr. Humble play.I was 16.Like you, after the show, I said either hang it up or start practicing. I did a little of both.  Second time was in 1986, Randhurst, IL-of all places-A MALL. I happened to be there and saw his bus in the parking lot-he still had it, AMAZING! The following year he died.  To this day with all of the great drummers out there, B.R. is still "The Worlds' Greatest Drummer".If there's a band in heaven, we know who is on the drums."  Tim

Received this from Dennis on November 25, 2004:

"My favorite drummer is Joe Morello.  But, I know Buddy Rich is the greatest that ever played, a class all by himself.

The first time I saw Joe Morello live was also the first time I saw Buddy.  They were both appearing in concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, June 1961.  I was a high school kid and the Dave Brubeck Quartet became my favorite band ever that night.  Joe did a brilliant solo on Joe's Blues, long and technically a clinic, it was the greatest solo I ever saw.

The Buddy Rich Quintet followed Brubeck's group on the bill and Buddy started with a monster solo just to let everyone know, He's the Best!  The concert included five group a night over a two evening period.  Gene Krupa, Rufus "Speedy" Jones, Sonny Payne, Ed Thigpen, and Sam Woodyard also appeared on the bill.  Each one was absolutely, outstanding and I respected and liked them all.  But, Buddy was the master. I saw him live about 50 times over the years and Morello about 25.  I love Morello's dynamics and playing, but Buddy is all alone, the Master."