Classic Drum Solos and Drum Battles DVD

Delivery Time: 7 to 15 Working Days Format: DVD

This 60 minute DVD features 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, R
A must for students and fans of jazz drumming, Classic Drum Solos and Drum Battles should also be seen by those whose exposure to drumming has been limited to crash-and-bang rock drummers, most of whom couldn't play a real solo if their paradiddles depended on it. The solos here are from separate performances recorded between 1957 and 1978. Those by Rufus Jones (who makes clear why his nickname was "Speedy"), Louis Bellson (whose trademarks are flawless technique and two bass drums), Joe Morello (the superbly musical drummer of Dave Brubeck's best quartet), and Buddy Rich (the most blindingly fast and powerful drummer of them all) are alone worth the price of the video. But you'll also see Art Blakey, Gene Krupa, Sam Woodyard, Cozy Cole, and seven other top jazz drummers of the mid-20th century--15 in all.

The "drum battles" are interesting enough--except the nonsensical one between Buddy Rich and Jerry Lewis (yes, that Jerry Lewis)--but they're not the reason for getting the video. Classic Drum Solos is nothing less than a history of jazz drumming presented in a series of uncut drum solos on a single, 60-minute videotape. With many of these drummers now gone, here's a rare chance to hear them again, in all their irreplaceable greatness. --Charles Smyth