LEAST FAVORITE DRUMMERS

[ssjazz]

Tony Williams.

Cindy Blackman. Write up in the Playbill for the "Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival" says, "...and her source of inspiration, Tony Williams".

I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NUTTY TO START THE "LEAST FAVORITE DRUMMERS" TOPIC....

[bluemonk]

Jon Christensen started out as a good drummer, but something happened....I'm not quite sure what happened to him, but he lost whatever time he had, the same with Paul Motian. I love Motian's music, but I feel like telling him it's okay to play a solid rhythm.

Joe Morello...he just bores me to death.

Lewis Nash....he must have two different personalities, because one minute the guy can swing, then he just looses focus.

John Hollenbeck....he really has been annoying me lately.

Jeff Ballard....he doesn't impress me that much and has gotten a lot of praise in last couple of years, he's pretty overrated

[danasgoodstuff]

John bonham

neil Peart

No jazz drummer comes close to annoying me as much as these two.

[.:.impossible]

Jeff Ballard....he doesn't impress me that much and has gotten a lot of praise in last couple of years, he's pretty overrated

That's funny. I saw him four or five years ago, never having heard of him, and never hearing his name again since, and I thought he was damned good.

[AllenLowe]

Little Ricky -

[JSngry]

Morley Safer!

[AllenLowe]

I'm seeing triple -

[JSngry]

But only drinking doubles?

[BruceH]

Morley Safer!

What sessions does he drum on?

[JSngry]

60 Minutes Man

[Joe G]

Jeff Ballard....he doesn't impress me that much and has gotten a lot of praise in last couple of years, he's pretty overrated

That's funny. I saw him four or five years ago, never having heard of him, and never hearing his name again since, and I thought he was damned good.

I've liked him wherever I've heard him (mostly with Rosenwinkel). He has a nice loose, propulsive, yet precise style. Great sound from the kit as well.

And I've yet to hear Lewis Nash lose focus.

[tkeith]

Gadd came to mind, but then, I don't think of him as a "Jazz" drummer, and the list of non-Jazz drummers I detest would be too long.

Buddy Rich would have to be on the short list, as would Alan Dawson. AD can actually ruin Booker Ervin for me at times.

The thread does not have "jazz" in the title!

Alan Dawson? I'm a fan. I like him more than I like Booker, to be honest. He was imaginative and interactive. Taught Tony Williams a lot. . . .

You're right, Jazz is not in the title (unless you count where it says JAZZ DISCUSSION FORUM in the upper left). Of course, "What drummer are you a fan of?" and "Who's a great drum teacher?" are also not in the title. Dawson was a great teacher, and to my ear, a boring drummer.

[jazzbo]

That's fine Thom, it just seems so strange because TO ME because I find him far from boring. But if 'tis so to you, 'tis so!

[BruceH]

I for one have never found Alan Dawson a boring drummer.

[Tom in RI]

I am not in a position to critique Alan Dawson's recorded work but I will say he was among the most memorable performers I have seen play in person. In addition to Tony Williams, Dawson also was a teacher to Terry Lynn Carrington during her formative years.

[randissimo]

Jeff Ballard....he doesn't impress me that much and has gotten a lot of praise in last couple of years, he's pretty overrated

That's funny. I saw him four or five years ago, never having heard of him, and never hearing his name again since, and I thought he was damned good.

I've liked him wherever I've heard him (mostly with Rosenwinkel). He has a nice loose, propulsive, yet precise style. Great sound from the kit as well.

And I've yet to hear Lewis Nash lose focus.

Got to go with Joe here.. Hung out once in awhile with Ballard when I lived in Oaklnd, Ca in the late 80's.. At the time he was hittin' with Jessica Williams.. I saw Nash last winter in GR with Joe Lovano and really enjoyed his attentive, relaxed, and creative approach. Very sparkly, entertaining, and always musical.

Edited June 1, 2008 by randissimo

[Shrdlu]

I don't really like to diss musicians, and there are sooo many jazz drummers that I love.

But I really dislike Buddy Rich. I don't care about technique one little bit. I mean, obviously, he was a fine musician. But I just don't like him, or his big band style.

Jimmy Cobb with Miles I don't like much too. Too tight, and pulls the beat forward, making too much tension for me. I much prefer Philly Joe with Miles from that era. Or Art Taylor.

On a lot of BN dates, Billy Higgins is too heavy with the snare accents for me - can get overbearing at times. But after a lot of listening, I became a fan of him. He was great with Sonny Clark and Butch Warren - how great that section was on several sessions.

One thing I look for in a drummer, as a sax player, is one who supports, and does not distract, the horn players. It would have been marvelous to play with Art Blakey kicking you up the ass, and all those press rolls. I used to play with a drummer who was into the Evans/LaFaro/Motian records a lot (which I love), and whenever we started to get wild in our solos, he would go wild to and make it hard to know where "one" was. so you had to pause your solo to let things settle. That was always a pain.

I don't really like Roy Haynes's "snap, crackle pop" sound much, but he is certainly one of the greats.

I think Max Roach was at his best with Bird. He was The Man back then, but, for me, not as interesting later.

Will that get me booted from the site, Jim?

[CJ Shearn]

I personally dig Ballard, check him out on the new live Mehldau trio album. He's one of those cats along with Antonio Sanchez that's being real creative on the kit. Bobby Durham has been mentioned here, you know, I cannot stand the hi hat choke on the upbeat that he always does, it gets really annoying, it gets annoying for me when Louis Hayes does it too, but Hayes is a great player.

[AllenLowe]

how about if somebody hates all drummers - and I mean all drummers -

I HATE ALL DRUMMERS

there...I feel better now

[AllenLowe]

I do like tamborine players (am I spelling that right?) - castinets are ok; bongos make me think of Maynard G. Krebs, so that's good -

various African percussion is OK as long as it is played in a disorderly fashion - which is why some Latin percussion annoys me - too tonally "tight" and unyielding, lacks the requisite overtones to throw the harmony off -

Edited June 2, 2008 by AllenLowe

[captainwrong]

I do like tamborine players (am I spelling that right?)

The great Jack Ashford of the Funk Brothers. The only tambourine virtuoso I can name.

[AllenLowe]

I had this toy once - monkey playing the drums - now HE was good - perfect time, not too loud -

[John Tapscott]

In general I like Louis Bellson, but if you ever see him live or sometimes even on disc, his solos are WAY too long (longer than Buddy's for sure).

I once heard Billy Drummond live playing in a group with his wife Renee Rosnes, and I thought he was too loud (the eternal curse of drummers). But on disc he sounds great. He has a fiery and uplifting sense of swing that I really like.

[Big Al]

Roy Haynes.

File this under "Artists Whose Work I Respect, Whose Reputation is Well-Deserved, but I Just Don't GET!" Never been able to connect with the man's work, which is extensive.

[7/4]

I had this toy once - monkey playing the drums - now HE was good - perfect time, not too loud -

Sounds like a performance at Bang on a Can.