The legendary Steve Gadd

I don't know if it has already been said but if you don't want to go through all gadd's work and still have second thoughts about what he is, I suggest this specific album: Chick Corea & Return to Forever - The Leprechaun

If that's not a legend than I don't know what is... never heard that kind of playin anywere else!
 
Stu_Strib said:
Wow. I'd pay money for that. Was it the low quality streaming radio crap that most of them are?

It was the low quality streaming kind. But when you're getting hit by song after song of Gadd you've never heard before, it just doesn't matter.



phonophunk said:
I suggest this specific album: Chick Corea & Return to Forever - The Leprechaun

Not to nitpick, but that album was billed as only Chick Corea, not Return to Forever. Other than Gadd, who had been playing with him for a year or two (live) by then, the band lineups were completely different. ...Just don't wanna confuse things for the uninitiated.

But yeah, Aja was my first introduction to Stevie (as Paul Simon likes to call him hehe), but The Leprechaun was the album that got me absolutely hooked (and still addicted like a hopeless alcoholic).


"That's Stevie Gadd on drums!"
 
Stu_Strib said:
Wow. I'd pay money for that. Was it the low quality streaming radio crap that most of them are?


Yes Gaddporium was streamed in mono (low streaming crap) at first, i did eventually stream it in stereo afterwards, but unfortunately had to shut it down not too long afterwards. I do hope to eventually open up Gaddporium once again.
 
Ok it seems to me that most people who are not too familiar with Gadds work (and even with some of those who are) when asked what their favorite tune with Gadd on drums is, the answer almost always seems to revolve around the same tunes ( aja, 50 ways... etc)

Of course, Steve has made thousands of recordings. So, i decided to pull out some tunes from my library and attach 15 very short clips, to see how many of these tunes people will actually recognize. All the clips are song intros.

Now i will admit that "most" of these tunes will be hard to recognize, so if anyone gets at least 3 of these tunes, i will be very impressed :)
 

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Beauty lies in the simple things. That's what Gadd is all about. If it wasn't you wouldn't have all the great drummers Weckl etc.....mentioning his name. Yes, many can play chops and dsiplay amazing technique, but you can as well if you put in the same amount of practice. I ain't impressed.

But putting together some groove together that leaves it's mark for years is artistics and creative and that's what puts Gadd at a different level. Let's see how many chop masters will be remembered after they've done their time. Not many, but they can play chops to thier hearts content. Masters leave a mark that's remembered for years.
 
berlioz said:
Ok it seems to me that most people who are not too familiar with Gadds work (and even with some of those who are) when asked what their favorite tune with Gadd on drums is, the answer almost always seems to revolve around the same tunes ( aja, 50 ways... etc)

Of course, Steve has made thousands of recordings. So, i decided to pull out some tunes from my library and attach 15 very short clips, to see how many of these tunes people will actually recognize. All the clips are song intros.

Now i will admit that "most" of these tunes will be hard to recognize, so if anyone gets at least 3 of these tunes, i will be very impressed :)


hard to hear....

1.brecker brothers - night flight
2. Herbie Mann - Dicotheque - Hijack
4. michel petruciani - Chimes
5. al di meola - casino
7. gomez - metwo or mezga
8. sunlightsquare
9. Bill Watrous - Lester Leaps In
10. chuck mangione - tarantella
11. Mark Colby - Serpentire Fire
12. paul mccartney - take it away
14. hubert laws - Airegin


nice drum solo from Jun Fukumachi - New York all Stars live (1978)
Love Play - Drum Solo 3mb
 
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I nominate Berlioz for best post ever. It doesn't take such a huge knowledge of the Steve Gadd discography to recognize his genius. A couple songs will do the trick.

Funny how many of those artists Berlioz posted realized they had Steve Gadd on drums, so they started the songs with drum parts! Smart artists.
 
great Berlioz!!!

Just love it - well done - great job.....

I admit, that I don't know all these pieces. I must PM you if I can get some of those from you for my library.....

Bernhard

No3: Richart Tee???
 
tomgadd said:
hard to hear....

1.brecker brothers - night flight
2. Herbie Mann - Dicotheque - Hijack
4. michel petruciani - Chimes
5. al di meola - casino
7. gomez - metwo or mezga
8. sunlightsquare
9. Bill Watrous - Lester Leaps In
10. chuck mangione - tarantella
11. Mark Colby - Serpentire Fire
12. paul mccartney - take it away
14. hubert laws - Airegin


nice drum solo from Jun Fukumachi - New York all Stars live (1978)
Love Play - Drum Solo 3mb

good job tomgadd, im impressed. 9 correct answers.
# 8 is actually Peter Gabriel- no way out
# 10 your correct, the artist is Chuck Mangione, but the tune is 'The 11th commandment'

The Jun Fukamachi solo is impressive, one of my favs.. fantastic drumming and all around musicianship in the entire album.


Bernhard said:
great Berlioz!!!

Just love it - well done - great job.....

I admit, that I don't know all these pieces. I must PM you if I can get some of those from you for my library.....

Bernhard

No3: Richart Tee???

No problem Bernhard, let me know which ones you want.
btw # 3 is 'Sergio Mendes and the New Brasil '77' tune Peninsula

KzSgDrummer said:
13. Ben Sidran - Seven Steps to Heaven
15. Quincy Jones - Stuff Like That

good job KzSgdrummer... #13 was a tough one (and the last time i checked, a hard album to get a hold of)
and # 15 is one of the funkiest intro's ive heard.

a quote from Quincy Jones himself:
"THE BEST RHYTHM SECTION IN THE ENTIRE WORLD: Ralph Macdonald, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Richard Tee, Anthony Jackson"
 
Posted at the request of forum member Jarek Witkowski, pictures from Steve Gadd's tour last year.
 

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Hmm, I'm not sure anyone noticed these, posted in a thread in the General Discussion section. If you did, sorry for the repost. If not, these are from Friday night here at Berklee during an open rehearsal for their 60th anniversary concert the following night. Here's what I wrote before-



"I SAW GADD TONIGHT!!!!! He walked down the aisle, some 10 feet away from me, as he was going up to practice. It was incredible! There was a full orchestra, plus rhythm section (Abe Laboriel Sr on bass!), and it was great to hear Gadd play with an orchestra, as I've always felt he is a natural fit to that kind of group playing/dynamic (on the other hand, where isn't he a natural...). Plus, it was great to see Gadd having to listen to the conductor for what to do, i.e. there was one cymbal hit that was too loud and he had to write in his music to play softer --- something you'd almost never think of Gadd needing to do. And he SCREWED UP a few times, misread the music or missed a cue here and there, truly still working out the parts. And this was awesome to watch, to see how he learns parts and creates the music that we lovingly accept as yet another page from the ever-evolving Drum Bible."


And the pictures, sorry about the limited angles, but the only way I was gonna get clear shots without a tripod was by holding it against whatever immovable surface was around, i.e. the chair arm rests.



looking over the sheet music



that's Abe on the right



that's Abe on the left



that's Abe's rump on the right, heh





Edit: to resize the photos. But how exactly do you "kill" the layout with pig pics?
 
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Steps Ahead with Steve Gadd at the Mt.Fuji Jazz Festival 2004 in Japan.
 

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KzSgDrummer said:
he SCREWED UP a few times

I think Steve screwed up once when I saw him with Clapton. During Sunshine of Your Love. Out of no where the drums sounded like they skiped a beat, and I would have just thought he did something weird, then Nathan East (the bass player) gave him one of those "what the hell was that" looks. I thought it was funny. It's easy to forget that he is actually human and can make mistakes, that may be hard for some to realize!

The rest of the time he was flawless, of course.
 
tomgadd said:
did a small xvid rip of gadds solo in grover washingtons concert
from june 27,1981
picture quality is not as great as promised...sound is mono...

http://home.arcor.de/tomatoe/GroverWashingtonGaddSolo.avi

enjoy

4:20 min
20mb

www.thomasfein.de
tomgadd

thanks for putting this video up Tom, i used to have this on vhs (it just vanished)
In my book, this is what a drum solo is supposed to sound like (it has to groove)
Bernhard, any way of getting this clip in the video section?
Steve and Ralph Macdonald did a ton of studio work together and have great chemistry.
thanks again
 
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