What is jazz drumming?

S

Stickman

Silver Member
I watch a lot of jazz bands playing in local clubs or virtual online concerts sometimes - and I'm usually amazed by the drumming. It's not my bag to play as I'm more of all round rock, funk, shuffle demon kinda guy. I played a lot of big band stuff early on and played in a few jazz bands.. but not really my thing (also playing for tips doesn't work for me either). But I love listening and watching jazz wizards.. and I was watching one the other night it got me thinking..
- what is it about modern jazz drumming that sets it apart?
- Is it the avoidance of playing the backbeat on 2 and 4 ... and just dancing around it with offbeat shots on the snare or kick?
- Why? If I got thrown on stage to sit in I would tend to straighten things out and punch out the groove more.. but most jazz drummers I find go out of their way to avoid that.. there's a groove for sure but it's hidden by rolls across the bar or accents in weird places (just because..)

Maybe I'm old school and harken for days of old, where people would get up and dance to jazz (jump swing is my favorite genre).
I'm sure there is a spectrum of today's modern jazz ranging from free form to jazz standards. But even most standards are often interpreted in many different ways.
Maybe the thing about jazz drumming is.. you just can't put your finger on it!
 
Well, the answer to your question is to look at the evolution. Focusing on jump swing music, which I love as well, and wondering what today’s jazz is, to me, is similar to asking what a Tesla is because you harken back to a model T by Ford. To understand it, you would be wise to listen to the evolution of jazz, the bebop, post-bop, fusion, modern movement and I think you will see a linear evolution. Just my Sunday afternoon thought.
 
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(yes). it's "all" drum set drumming..

began on the riverboats where instead of "three guys" a bass drum , a seat., a cymbal hanger , a Pedal invented (to activate bass drum) invented by inventors (ditto the hi hat low boy pedal) to activate the bass drum freeing the two hands for snare cymbals and drums.. by a single person..

All drum set playing
roots back to that
"I don't care who you are"
kidding jda cares who you are ; ) ..


Alternate answer: Jazz drumming like anything else accompanies what the music is in front of it.
Listen close to Charlie Parker recordings to clarify what it is.
~
whether it's "Barracuda" or "Ornithology"
it's two hands two feet butt on seat.
 
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Like some of the posts on the forum, lol.
Not referring to yours, btw.
 
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Jazz may lean "more humane" for a drummer less slavery and or over the top gymnastics
more liberating/freedom/ participation contribution/ maybe in a less restrictive altho - not entirely without guardrails - way.
Equality. Participation.

It's that quality that leads Some to call Some Rock drummers, "jazzy"
(liberation/ stewart copeland, Ian Paice, early Kreutzman dead, etc
artists individuals painters poets with sticks more than wood choppers.
poets with sticks
 
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Jazz


Jazzy


(drumming..) Recommend : both albums should be in your collection :)
 
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self deprecating is so 21st cent. :D
 
Historically, as explained by Max Roach, we had jump swing because everybody loved to go dancing. Apparently, the stranger and introspective BeBop came to the forefront because during the war, the US imposed a dance tax to raise money for the war effort. So as going out dancing became more expensive, venue owners had to find a way to still feature live music without having to pay the tax. So venues got smaller with no dance floor and the music became less groovy to keep people from dancing. So jazz became a “muscle chops” fest because you had to wow the audience with phenomenal playing-most likely creating the jazz drumming you’re describing.
 
moxman said:
(also playing for tips doesn't work for me either).
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Great, then don't worry...
moxman said:
But I love listening and watching jazz wizards..
Click to expand...
Then maybe JAZZ its what all the drummers would like to be able to play but they dont have the honesty to admit...
 
jda said:
Jazz may lean "more humane" for a drummer less slavery and or over the top gymnastics
more liberating/freedom/ participation contribution/ maybe in a less restrictive altho - not entirely without guardrails - way.
Equality. Participation.

It's that quality that leads Some to call Some Rock drummers, "jazzy"
(liberation/ stewart copeland, Ian Paice, early Kreutzman dead, etc
artists individuals painters poets with sticks more than wood choppers.
poets with sticks
Click to expand...
I would love to hear Christopher Walken narrate what you wrote.
 
"lemme fine tune edit it first"
nah :Go to Press".

😁
 
moxman said:
I watch a lot of jazz bands playing in local clubs or virtual online concerts sometimes - and I'm usually amazed by the drumming. It's not my bag to play as I'm more of all round rock, funk, shuffle demon kinda guy. I played a lot of big band stuff early on and played in a few jazz bands.. but not really my thing (also playing for tips doesn't work for me either).
Click to expand...

Doesn't work for many jazz musicians either.

moxman said:
But I love listening and watching jazz wizards.. and I was watching one the other night it got me thinking..
- what is it about modern jazz drumming that sets it apart?
- Is it the avoidance of playing the backbeat on 2 and 4 ... and just dancing around it with offbeat shots on the snare or kick?
- Why? If I got thrown on stage to sit in I would tend to straighten things out and punch out the groove more.. but most jazz drummers I find go out of their way to avoid that.. there's a groove for sure but it's hidden by rolls across the bar or accents in weird places (just because..)

Maybe I'm old school and harken for days of old, where people would get up and dance to jazz (jump swing is my favorite genre).
Click to expand...

There is still jazz being played as dance music, but those are more genre situations, playing a set style-- the players will be more of a mix of who just do those genres, and regular jazz professionals, and R&B people...

moxman said:
I'm sure there is a spectrum of today's modern jazz ranging from free form to jazz standards. But even most standards are often interpreted in many different ways.
Maybe the thing about jazz drumming is.. you just can't put your finger on it!
Click to expand...

It's more a community of musicians than it is a genre of music or style of playing. There's assumed to be some shared background, knowing generally the same stuff, the same records, same tunes, and worked a lot of the same kinds of gigs, maybe had some college training. People are expected to expert at playing the modern form of bop-- whatever anyone wants to call that-- even if they're not playing it all the time.
 
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It's riffin baby it's riffin'..
It's "how many notes in a Jack DeJohnette drag-drop nobody knows"...
Not even JacK/

It's just feel
limitless imagination
'till "Benny Goodman" gives you the eye"

recommend know (some of) the alphabet.
and trust in yourself.
 
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Depending of the type of jazz it's often an intellectual experience, not easily accessible to everyone. I always liked jazz because it's different, most people are not interested , it's complicated, it's a challenge.

Maybe it's music for musicians.
 
DB7 said:
Listen to Bill Ward on Sabbaths first albulm. That Jazz swing really made Tony and Geezer sound special.
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I don't play Jazz at all, but used to play songs off of that album a lot around 1973 maybe. I had no idea there was any Jazz influence there at all. I just realized that's not the album I'm thinking of, Paranoid was the album that I learned so much from.
 
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He was free and his own boss. an equal voice. made his own decisions it seemed.
that's part of the freedom associated with the , you know the four letter word ; )
part of what I mean "it's all drum set" no matter the genre but some genres are further removed (from the four letter word) than others (I guess..
nor was it "bubble gum" highly commercial music..
 
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