Bo Eder
Platinum Member
I had thought about this for some years now and I was a little disappointed they didn't opt to do this.
I'm sure we've all seen the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert videos by now, where drum stars came out to honor Buddy by playing with his band back in the late '80s/early '90s. A number of drum stars have participated and the one that sticks out for me (anyway) is the one with Gadd, Weckl, Colaiuta, and Bellson, Chambers, Bissonette. Great performances by all who participated and it was great.
But what if the organizers said, when the talent arrived, "there you go" and on the stage would be three Buddy Rich drum kits instead of what they normally play? Or better yet, three 4-piece kits with just a ride, crash, and hats? Maybe a cowbell added in.
I'm sure Bellson would have had no problem at all. And maybe the others wouldn't have had a problem either, but I think it would have been quite a refreshing thing to see! I ponder if that event alone, done that way, would have altered the drum market! To see your hero tear it up on a 4-piece kit with one of the best big bands in the world would have been inspiring to see!
And I'm the first one to say the drum kit has got to be the coolest instrument on the planet - just because you can configure it however you want. If you want three bass drums, no problem! 13 cymbals? Be my guest! But part of me remembers what I've learned from the masters: "If you can't say it on a bass, snare, a couple of cymbals and toms, then you might as well go home" That phrase has stuck with me my whole life. And many of us play small kits out of practicality because we don't want to move around all that stuff on our own, yet we participate in discussions here on the merits of the large drum kit versus the merits of the small kit and although most of us know it's the drummer and not the drums, there still exist this vibe between players of big kits and those that play small ones (or maybe I'm seeing something that isn't really there).
I would kill to see Dennis Chambers rip it up on a 4-piece....it would certainly end alot of discussions on whether or not we should add this or that to our kits, eh?
I'm sure we've all seen the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert videos by now, where drum stars came out to honor Buddy by playing with his band back in the late '80s/early '90s. A number of drum stars have participated and the one that sticks out for me (anyway) is the one with Gadd, Weckl, Colaiuta, and Bellson, Chambers, Bissonette. Great performances by all who participated and it was great.
But what if the organizers said, when the talent arrived, "there you go" and on the stage would be three Buddy Rich drum kits instead of what they normally play? Or better yet, three 4-piece kits with just a ride, crash, and hats? Maybe a cowbell added in.
I'm sure Bellson would have had no problem at all. And maybe the others wouldn't have had a problem either, but I think it would have been quite a refreshing thing to see! I ponder if that event alone, done that way, would have altered the drum market! To see your hero tear it up on a 4-piece kit with one of the best big bands in the world would have been inspiring to see!
And I'm the first one to say the drum kit has got to be the coolest instrument on the planet - just because you can configure it however you want. If you want three bass drums, no problem! 13 cymbals? Be my guest! But part of me remembers what I've learned from the masters: "If you can't say it on a bass, snare, a couple of cymbals and toms, then you might as well go home" That phrase has stuck with me my whole life. And many of us play small kits out of practicality because we don't want to move around all that stuff on our own, yet we participate in discussions here on the merits of the large drum kit versus the merits of the small kit and although most of us know it's the drummer and not the drums, there still exist this vibe between players of big kits and those that play small ones (or maybe I'm seeing something that isn't really there).
I would kill to see Dennis Chambers rip it up on a 4-piece....it would certainly end alot of discussions on whether or not we should add this or that to our kits, eh?