Buddy Rich and the Boppers

[Gheorghe]

Many of you might know about the famous Verve Album "Bird and Diz", with Thelonious Monk, Curley Russell and Buddy Rich. Most of the critics are not happy with the fact, that Norman Granz chose Buddy Rich for that date, some even say he destroyed the session.

When I was younger , I also tended to say it would have been much better with Roy Haynes, or Max Roach etc., but now I think it is an interesting choose. Especially with Monk, Buddy sounds "hand in glove", Monks phrases and rhythmic aproach mix well with Buddy´s more martialic swing.

Anyway, Buddy Rich seemed to play more often with Boppers, for example: With Bird on "Jazz Perennial" on the tracks with Hank Jones, Ray Brown.

With Bud Powell in July 1950, when he recorded the ultra fast "Tea for Two" and "Hallelujah".

Or, on Broadcast sessions: The famous " WNEW Saturday Night Jazz Session" from 1947 with Fats Navarro and Allen Eager together with Charlie Ventura and Bill Harris. And the "Band for Bond´s " also from 1947 with Bird, Fats, Allen Eager, John Laporta, Lenny Tristano, Billy Bauer and Tommy Potter.

Sure, Buddy Rich never became a bopper, but later in the 70s he went as far as playing Bud´s "Bouncing with Bud" with his orchestra.

[Big Beat Steve]

The early post-war Buddy Rich Big Band - as heard on Golden Era LP-15021 ("Great Moments) and on Hep CD 12 ("The Legendary 47-48 Orchestra", for example - was fairly boppish at times too, certainly not far behind the modernistic overtones of Woody Herman and many other bop-influenced bands -

[BillF]

I've had 50 years of listening to the Bird and Diz session and love it! I've always been happy with what Buddy's driving swing added to the session and it's pretty obvious to my ears that Bird, Diz and Monk felt the same.

Fully fledged bopper Allen Eager never played better than on "Daily Double" with Buddy behind him in 1947.

[Quasimado]

Buddy was always a swinger - the great bebop musicians were swingers (check out Bird with Big Sid on Uptown). He drives Eager and Fats to their best on the WNEW jam session of '47.

Q

[jeffcrom]

I've told this story before in another thread, but it fits here:

My late mother liked music (she introduced me to Claude Thornhill's band), but was by no means a musician or an expert. When I was about 16, getting into jazz, I bought a copy of Bird and Diz. I was sitting in the living room listening to it when my mom walked through carrying a basket of laundry. She stopped, listened for about 20 seconds, and said, "That drummer doesn't really fit in with the rest of them, does he?"

[flat5]

My mother heard the same record! She said, "Do your homework".

It would be great if there were more recordings of this group with a first rate bop drummer but this one is unique and just fine the way it is.

If I remember right, Dizzy thought it was one of his best records.

Edited November 6, 2011 by flat5

[Gheorghe]

Thanks for your replies!

Yes, I also heard the stuff from 1947 where Buddy Rich was behind Allen Eager. And the WNEW session is great, I think it´s Fats Navarro who announces Buddy Rich for his drum solo on Sweet Georgia Brown. One strange thing happens on the first tune "High on an open Mike": They drop the tempo, I think it´s the piano player (Ralph Burns), who dropped the tempo.

[AllenLowe]

I'm with Jeff's mom on this one. Sid Catlett would have been better.

Edited November 6, 2011 by AllenLowe

[king ubu]

Me too... though I've kind of learned to enjoy it more as the years went by.