Ed Thigpen

Larry

Larry

"Uncle Larry"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTJhHn-TuDY

I really love this performance. Oscar Peterson...his piano playing is off the charts badass. What timing and execution. Listen for his vocalizing of almost everything he plays. He's scatting.

Mr. Ed Thigpen on drums is masterful in every aspect I can think of that a drummer can be. Attitude, ideas, restraint, presence of mind (huge) execution with the perfect dynamic, accents spot on, awesome tempo feel and tempo control, a pleasing drum sound, driving, great meter great touch, letting the others shine while impossible to ignore, what control and ability to blend...I could go on but I'll stop. A drummer has to be so many things at once.

One aspect of it always irked me....Although it sounds pristine in every way imaginable and I know this is a nit....but can someone explain the extreme angle of his snare stick? I see videos of a lot of jazz players that do this, and I'm sure there is a reason if a master like Ed employs it. i just don't know it. It just seems too severe, and it seems like it would dent heads.

What a great performance. I love 3 piece.
 
Super clean, very nice. I love how they are all huddled together.
Stupid question - do all/most jazz guys use a 7A, or sticks thinner than 5A?
 
Like 20yrs ago, before I really had a jazz consciousness, I heard Oscar Peterson "Mumbles" on the radio. Instantly fell in love, was that Ed Thigpen? I need to go look and see. Know criminally little about Ed Thigpen, and many other jazz greats. So much still to look forward to!! Love that. Newt Gingrich
 
The angle of your stick determinates your sound. The higher the angle, the less lows you extract from your snare (or cymbal).
That's one of the reasons matched grip players need to alter their left hand grip quite a bit when playing jazz. (Bill Stewart, e.g.)
When you come down flat on your snare, even when you play very soft, your sound will be too "fat", compared to your ride cymbal and the rest of an acoustic jazz band.
One other aspect is that with an high angle of attack you can make smaller movements, when playing traditional grip. It's much easier to play soft strokes that way.
When you watch Art Blakey e.g., you can see the same high angle while comping with his left hand.
 
I'm running through old episodes of the Drummer's Weekly Groovecast podcast (which I highly recommend and started a thread about the other day because it's so good) and the episode I just listened to talked about Ed's method book for playing brushes. He was one of the all-time greats for sure and his playing with this trio is perfect.
 
As others have pointed out, it's mostly for technique and control. I was going to post one of his brushes videos.

Notice he plays brushes with his left hand on top of the brush. Again, just part of the technique to achieve a certain sound.

You can get the brush flatter to the head with your hand in that position. I use that quite a bit myself.
 
Playing traditional grip with your wrist rotated outward too much is a quick road to tendonitis as well. We tend to angle the snare to compensate for the stick angle somewhat.
 
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