jeffwj
Platinum Member
Just Curious, did Joe have kids?
No, he never had children. Joe always said he thought of his students like family.
Jeff
Just Curious, did Joe have kids?
In case you haven't seen this unbelievable performance yet, go for it. Jaw-dropping drumming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WTri4JDYbY
Nobody was better than him at drums. Nobody. Period.
What about Buddy Rich?
Buddy Rich vs. Joe Morello is sledgehammer versus fine crafting tools.
Well, the two were good friends and respected each other's skill.
But ... musically? Buddy Rich vs. Joe Morello is sledgehammer versus fine crafting tools. I just threw on Caravan to see if maybe I've been slighting Rich's musicality ... it's like listening to drums thrown down stairs. If Buddy Rich ever played a ghost note, someone point me to it.
YMMV, it's all personal taste. But I'm right
What about Buddy Rich?
Morello was.......cool...
Rich was......hot....
Thankfully neither one was luke warm, and I enjoy a cold glass of ice tea as much as a hot cup of coffee.
Buddy Rich was fast and precise. But - as already pointed out, Sledgehammer. He lacked IMO the musicality, the versatility, the technical skills that Morello had.
Take e.g. Buddys drumsolos. You exactly knew how they would be, even before he started. Fast faster faster... snare first, then snare with toms then finishing off with "cymbal-disaster". It's always loud, no finesse, no melodies in it. It was always "in your face". And never in 5/5 or 7/4 or 9/4. Always in 4/4. People were impressed by his speed - which is impressive (altough he wasn't the fastest drummer) - his charisma, which is okay. He was a great showman (with a terrible character as it seems). But he was not a stellar musician IMO. Even when he played with his band, it was always drum-centric. He was the star, nobody else should be in the spotlight. It makes the music mediocre imho, because it lacks diversity.
Morello on the other hand was was incredibly melodic, had a ton of feel and groove in him. And he did give others lots of possibilities to shine. He was not the star of his band but a part of his band, thus did everything that was needed to improve the music they created. That's why he readily played with brushes so often, it served the music better. And he knew when to just shut up with this drums. ;-)
When he solo'ed, he was absolutely "unpredictable" compared to Rich. It was sometimes, only hand-percussion, even hand-clapping. Sometimes a 4/4 solo, sometimes a 5/4 or 7/4 solo, snare and toms used in different patterns, bassdrum added as a real(!) accent instrumet, soloing on a groove or keeping time with the hihat while slowing down or speeding up on the other instruments... it's a completely different level. I guess it has to do not only with Morellos immense talent but also with the fact that he studied with some of the best teachers back then. Rich lacked that, he was self-taught.