The Grand Master Buddy Rich

My first drumset was a kit that Buddy did a clinic on back in '74. But I didn't go to the clinic, and all I have is my brothers word, because it was he who went to the clinic, and it was he who owned the drums before he gave them to me when I was 14. It was a blue sparkle Ludwig 5 piece. They were traded for an ugly Slingerland kit that some guy swindled me into buying, because he was a pro player, and something about the kit on stage threw me.

Anyway, it's hearsay but it's close enough for me. Heck, at least I was aware of Buddy at an early age.

Steph
 
Again....


People in glass houses...


'Cause, apparently, it wasn't understood the 1st time...


Uhhhh....


Thanks.
 
I've just launched a Podcast series for drummers, and it contains some great insight into the careers of both Buddy Rich and Stan Getz. Episode #01 includes interviews with Cathy Rich, (Buddy Rich's daughter) Bev Getz, (Stan Getz's daughter) and an exclusive interview with Donny Osborne. (named as Buddy Rich's protege when he was 14, and at age 17, hired by Mel Torme, where he remained for 25 years.)

You can download it (free of course) at http://www.mikejamesjazz.com/podcast_index.html

The total time of the Podcast is 1 hour, 35 minutes, so be warned... It is a LARGE file. (95 MB for the QuickTime version and 85 Mb for the (iPod) "m4v" version. But, there are so many great stories on it, I think it's worth the wait for the download. (or if you prefer to watch the QuickTime version in your browser, it's set up for streaming.)

Enjoy, everybody!

PS> Guys, don't waste your time listening to, or thinking about these stupid "bus tapes". What Buddy gave us is nearly 70 years of great music and great drumming. Anything else that went on behind the scenes is irrelevant, at best.
 
Not sure about that Mike; part of Buddys appeal to me was the whole persona, the rants against Dusty Springfield/Osmonds/Country music, and his intolerance for people who wouldn't try to do their best!! OK, so his interpersonal skills may have needed work BUT he was right, he didn't need them. If ya work somewhere and don't pull your weight then you get chewed out, and that what Buddy was doing...AS WELL AS giving 70 years of awesome music from the greatest drummer to ever draw breath!!!
 
Jon,

I couldn't agree more. Those of us who grew up listening to and watching Buddy have an "understanding" of the whole person. My comment was really intended for people who are new to Buddy, and "write him off" because they heard a specific (negative) story.

I love and miss him, for a variety of reasons. Whatever else is said, he absolutely was one of a kind.
 
"drums keep pounding rhythm to the brain
ladi-dadi dee....ladi dadi daa! "


kinda says it all...............!
 
Not sure about that Mike; part of Buddys appeal to me was the whole persona, the rants against Dusty Springfield/Osmonds/Country music, and his intolerance for people who wouldn't try to do their best!! OK, so his interpersonal skills may have needed work BUT he was right, he didn't need them. If ya work somewhere and don't pull your weight then you get chewed out, and that what Buddy was doing...AS WELL AS giving 70 years of awesome music from the greatest drummer to ever draw breath!!!

Jon...once again you're right on target! I couldn't of said it any better.

Buddy was Buddy. He "earned" what he got, and where he was. Period. I don't think anyone has ever implied the BR was the "greatest interpersonal communicator to have ever drawn breath".

No one is/was perfect. And I guarantee you, BR didn't think he was either. He was just one of the hardest workers in the business, and he expected nothing less from those around him. His confidence confused people. AND still does.

"Let he who has not sinned...cast the first stone".


Play On! ;-)
 
I turned the radio on to the jazz station the other night. I heard this nice, tasteful solo; perfectly executed, beautifully groovin' and utterly virtuous. No crazy chops, no wild rolls or fills.

I was certain it was Buddy due to the drum sound, but I'd never heard this solo before. Sure enough, the band kicked in and it became obvious.

I've been listening to this guy since I was tiny and he still never ceases to amaze me.
 
Buddy Rich inspired a generation of drummers. I remember watching him on the tube throughout the sixties as I grew up (Johnny Carson loved Buddy!). His left hand was just a monster of control and speed, and he continued great drumming till his death. I was surprised with his interest in the martial arts as I always heard he was somewhat superstitious and concerned about injuring his hands. Probably an urban legend. He probably wacked bricks in half with that left hand. What a legacy with the Buddy Rich Band!!
 
If anyone is interested, I posted a bunch of half speed Buddy Rich solos on YouTube. Follow this link to watch and discuss:

www.youtube.com/richcapo

Watching these videos at half speed reveals some things that might shock you, especially with respect to his speed. A good way to gauge Buddy's higher speeds is to watch closely his hi-hat workout in this video www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kGqppouPvs. The workout runs at 2:07-3:11 and 4:23-5:07. Here, his right hand carries long strings of notes, while his left adds accents here and there on the underside of the hats. At half speed, the right hand sounds like it's playing eighths at 210. When his left hand hand alternates with his right, rather than add accents, as it does to make three and four note figures around 2:39-2:42, 3:09-3:11 and 4:43-4:44, the notes played between both hands sound like 16ths. Believe it or not, at full speed, that makes for a speed of 14 notes per second in Buddy's right hand, and a speed of 28 notes per second between both his hands, which is far faster than I have ever heard any drummer play. (Now, whether Buddy could have sustained that speed for a full minute, a la the World's Fastest Drummer competition, is unknown, of course).

The techniques used during the hi-hat workout are applied from 6:22 to 6:45 on the crash cymbal in the above video. Again, Buddy's right hand plays long strings of what appear as eighth notes at 210, while adding left hand accents on the underside of the cymbal. These accents typical appear at this speed as quarter notes and notes of greater value. At full speed, then, the right hand is push-pulling at a speed of approximately 14 notes per second.

(You can also see Buddy achieve that speed in this video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5k-8iGXjPs at minute 6:15 to 6:35.)

The half speed videos also show Buddy as being able to cruise for long, long periods of time in the 10 or so notes per hand per second range of speed, as he does in this video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RAOTOaBgtA. From :08 to around 1:30 in this video, Buddy's left hand is playing at a speed of around 10 notes per second, from what I can tell. If you measure these notes against a metronome, you'll see that they synch with eighth notes at 150 beats per minute at the half speed pace of the video. At full speed, these are 16th notes, of course, which make for approximately 10 notes per second in his single hand.

Lots more cool stuff in these half speed videos. Check em out, if you like.

_richcapo
 
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Here's my 2-cent Buddy story: I had seen Buddy in various Modern Drummer articles and ads, also the classic Ludwig posters at all the music stores when I first started playing. I knew he was an icon but really didn't know why. Here I was studying Neil Peart and John Bonham thinking "who's this old dude they call buddy?" Well, I got a cold smack in the face one fine winter day in early 1984 at my high school. Buddy came there and my mom bought several front row seats for the show. So, the band started playing some tunes, then buddy did a solo and I was like "wow, this guy is great!". Then, the band took an intermission, they played a few more tunes, then what I was about to witness would change the way I look at drumming and age forever. Biddy went into another solo. This was the REAL solo, though. That cat did the most amazing solo I've ever seen in my life. He made the fastest rock drummers look like they were in slow motion. His agility and awe-inspiring technique was almost unearthly. I couldn't shake his hand. The guy wasn't human. I loved the way he used creativity to create more sonic possibilities rather than adding more toms and cymbals like so many others. I still to this day have not seen a recorded buddy rich solo I perceive to be as incredible as the one I saw with my own two eyes that night. Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me, but I don't care. It was the single best drumming performance in my mind, and it's my favorite musical memory which I'll never forget. That guy was old as dirt, ragged-out looking as could be, and I couldn't for the life of me understand how he could move so fast, in a sweaty blurr of drumsticks. Hope some of you who didn't see buddy in person enjoyed my story...
 
I never cared much for Buddy Rich, Although I respect him for what he did for drumming, I could never listen to him solo, To me, it seems like all his solos are just him doing rudiments very fast, then slowing down, and playing them fast again all while doing stick tricks and show-man stuff like that. It's extremely hard, but I don't find it that interesting. I much prefer the more lyrical solos of Tony Williams or Joe Morello. Their solo's could sing! He was also kind of an A-hole, but thats not relevent to his drumming.
 
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