Ian Wallace

Pollyanna

Platinum Member
Funny how some drummers slip through the net. Not listed on the DW page, no one's included him here either.

I think it's because he's mainly just known for playing on King Crimson's Islands and Earthbound. He's better than those recordings suggest and he was by no means limited to prog, and he's a top echelon player. Some artists he's played for:

Bob Dylan
Don Henley
David Lindley
Bonnie Raitt
Ry Cooder
Larry Coryell
King Crimson
Lonnie Mack
Peter Frampton
Robben Ford
Joe Walsh
Alvin Lee
Warren Zevon
Eno
Keith Emerson
Roy Orbison
Jackson Browne
Jon Anderson
Stevie Nicks
Steve Marriott
Crosby, Stills and Nash
Procol Harum
The Traveling Wilburys
Chuck Berry
Lindsey Buckingham
Tim Buckley
Jimmy Buffett
Eric Clapton
Bo Diddley
John Fogerty
Glen Frey
Billy Joel
Little Richard
Dave Mason
Al Kooper
Linda Ronstadt
Boz Scaggs
Bob Seger
Otis Spann
Sting
Steve Winwood.

Not sure how many have heard his jazz playing ... here he is playing a cover of 21st Century Schizoid Man with the Crimson Jazz Trio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE6Ptqw3DYc
 
Not sure how many have heard his jazz playing ... here he is playing a cover of 21st Century Schizoid Man with the Crimson Jazz Trio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE6Ptqw3DYc

Wow! I liked it, a good "little surprise" for Christmas day, he's got the swing and the feel... :)

It feels like he's using drumsticks and brushes, an amazing skill....

An impressive list of artist too...

Perhaps a little "nudge" on Bernhard's profile won't go amissed Polly?

Thank for posting it ;-))
 
I'm bringing this thread back to life, for better or for worse.
I'm surprised Ian doesn't have a DW page. He's played with so many great artists - I'm listening to Bob Dylan at Budokan (1978) now, a live album which Ian plays on. I love the overall feel of the album - very laid back, minimalistic and simple. Ian's drumming is spot on, I love how he works with the bass player (Rob Stoner) and also how he approaches the melodies and grooves of the songs. Very impressed by that drummer.
 
I was introduced to Ian Wallace by Modern Drummer, back in the 80s. They had a big feature on him, might have even been a cover story. Very good player.
 
The first time I saw Ian Wallace was on a triple bill in 71' (Procol Harum, King Crimson, Yes)
Yes opened (Bruford) Crimson followed (Wallace) then Procol Harum (B.J. Wilson)
He had an incredible jazz-like touch that I found unique for Crimson. He also must have been using close to 10 cymbals with a small 4 or 5 piece kit.
It was a drummers night for sure. He certainly deserves greater recognition. He is surely missed.
 
Seems that more than 6 years later he is still a kinda forgotten drummer..

Thats indeed a huge list and then (in my opinion) his most important one is not even mentioned..

A ton of hip hop tracks contain samples from this, with Eminem being the most famous example, and i agree that Ian Wallace really deserves his place on the Drummerworld site too..

 
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