Buddy Rich in 1970

Today's post features the master himself Buddy Rich in a brilliant clip from around 1970. Rich is often criticized for his highly technical style and approach to the drums but Buddy has always has a place in my heart since he was one of the first jazz drummers that got me interested in jazz music and big band drumming when I was a kid.

I never met him or heard him play in person and of course he had a reputation of being a tough person to deal with....however this doesn't change the fact that Buddy was an amazing musician, played with the utmost sense of taste and swing. His technical prowess is always impressive but he really used those chops to make music on the drums, not a purely technical circus on the drum set.

People often forget that it was Buddy Rich on drums on the "Bird with Strings" sessions. No drum solos on that one !

So here's the clip:



Dig the part where he accidently smacks the microphone above the drum set. "Who put that there ?"

I've also really been digging the album "Blues Caravan" featuring the Buddy Rich Sextet (from the late 50s)

John Riley suggested that I check out this little known group that featured a young and amazing Mike Mainieri on vibraphone. This group apparently was put together to tour the Middle East on a US State Department tour. Some really nice playing on this album and we get to hear a small-group side of Buddy Rich that we don't often consider.