Your evolving favorite drummers

[sidereal]

The next installment in my "evolution" series (the first being "your evolving drum kits") http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif ....

 

Another topic here asked for a SINGLE favorite drummer. Great question, but I chose not to participate because I can't pick one. But it might be interesting to see how people's favorites have changed as you've progressed in your drumming.

 

This isn't a list of drummers who have influenced stages throughout your drumming life (there's certainly many of those I could have mentioned below, like the jazz drummers who have influenced me, but that could go on forever). Instead, this is a list of *absolute favorites* that you've had through the different stages of your life.

 

For me:

 

Roger Taylor, Queen. Even before I started playing drums, I had a favorite. When I heard him, I was convinced there was no better drummer in the world (I was a kid, what did I know?). It must have been something signature in his sound, his toms maybe. I used to listen to Queen and hit everything in the house with woooden spoons.

 

Terry Bozzio. He's the reason I begged my mom to get me my first snare and kick. He was my favorite for years. I studied his technique, bought all the albums he worked on, got his first video and learned everything I could. Odd times, displacement, kit motifs, independence, total originality... he was it for me.

 

Jeff Pocaro. At one point I stopped caring so much about technique and got massively into feel and groove. I had to admit, sadly at one point, that Jeff was taking over as my favorite. He got me to strip down to kick/snare/hat *only* for practicing. He was sublime.... his ghost notes, shuffle patterns, just the way he'd move from the snare to a graceful tom fill. He was all feel. I miss that bastard.

 

Stewart Copeland. I sort of had to re-discover him and he's now my favorite, I guess, if I had to pick one, and has been for probably 10 years now. Everyone talks about his hat and cymbal personality, his uniqueness, and that's all part of it. But one thing never mentioned is that this guy makes more out of a single note, a single hit, than any other drummer I've heard.

[Gaddabout]

Interesting topic. It is funny how one's tastes change. If I had never gone to see a Billy Cobham clinic when I was 15, I never would've liked jazz, and I'd still be a prog rock freak like a lot of other drummers.

 

Goes something like this

 

- The drummer at my father's church, who also lived with us and was my third grade teacher. He was a huge Beatles fan, and got a knock-off kit that looked just like Ringo's. He convinced my father to buy me a snare drum in 1975 -- I was six years old. I was hooked. I spent more time coloring the snare drum head than playing it, though.

 

- Bill Maxwell. Drummer for Andrae Crouch. Played on gospel favorite, "Soon and Very Soon." That groove is to die for. I was a drum set player after first hearing that song.

 

- All the drummers on FM radio circa 1980 to 1984 (between 11 and 15 years old). I still didn't have a set to play on, but I air-drummed to the radio for hours each night. It's amazing how much one can teach oneself without a kit. I didn't know who they were at the time (because I didn't have any money to buy records or tapes), but I jammed with Stewart Copeland, Neil Peart, Phil Collins and anyone else who played on a hit record that year.

 

- Billy Cobham. I saw him at a clinic in 1984. Since I'd never been to a concert in my life, he was the first drummer I'd ever seen play a solo. His technique blew me away. I didn't know it was possible to play like that. I immediately went out and bought his solo project, a keyboard-based instrumental thing with an Afro-ethnic bent. Was very cool, and I decided that day that music was much better without someone singing. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif

 

- Steve Gadd. In 1985 I'd become heavily involved with drum corps stuff. I had two private instructors -- one for rudiments and one for kit. My kit instructor had this enormous poster on the wall of this strange, hairy man promoting Zildjian cymbals. I was desperate to hear new things, and my instructor told me he heard that guy in that poster had done some good stuff on an old Chick Corea album called, "The Leprechaun." The rest is history. I've been a Gadd-head ever since.

 

- Dave Weckl. In 1986 I became aware of his work with Chick Corea, and was instaneously charmed. He was more complex than anyone I'd heard before, the way he phrased things and used the whole kit. Started digging into his teaching materials when they came out. Forever changed the way I play.

 

- Omar Hakim. For about six months in 1987, I though Omar was the drum diddy. Finally plopped in Sting's "Bring On The Night" video and saw his playing over a vamp on "I Burn For You." Also heard him do something similar (but even more amazing) over a 6/8 vamp on an early Scofield record. The dude is a amazing in 3/4 and 6/8.

 

- Dennis Chambers. I geeked out on this guy later in 1987 after buying Scofield's "Loud Jazz." It really hit the spot for what I wanted to listen to at the time. It wasn't as difficult to pick up, though, because, like Neil Peart, his right foot was tied to his right hand, and I was very right-side dominated at that point in my playing. Another brief moment in obsession.

 

- David Garibaldi. Once again, behind the curve, I picked up an old Tower of Power tape "Back to Oakland" in 1987, based on the suggestion of someone I was studying with at the time. It really took me back to my roots in gospel, so I connected with it. It was very inspirational playing, but I also recognized it was a special situation where the drummer was composing with the rest of the band. I really liked this stuff, but again it didn't influence me like Gadd and Weckl.

 

- Vinnie Colaiuta. I was nearly burnt out on drumming in 1988. Nothing sounded new or fresh like my previous experiences, and I *really* hated the radio at that point. I was taking lots of chances on unknown jazz tapes and CDs at the time, and I happened upon a new release by some bassist named John Patitucci. I was pleased to hear Dave Weckl's signature playing on there, but I was introduced to Vinnie on this disc. There was one cut, "Bajo, Bajo," that had me mesmerized. He was playing songo, or bajon, or something else I didn't know at the time, but I'd never heard that kind of dynamic independence outside of a swing environment.

 

That's it. If I have only one regret, it was not jumping into more traditional jazz. I just couldn't appreciate as a kid. Don't know why.

[Dan1642605963]

many guys,

 

Carter, dennis, Stewart, Josh Freese, Chad Wackerman, Paul Wertico, Chad Smith, Steve Gadd, all sorts of guys...

 

right now, its a danny carey/stewart copeland tie. Carey's playing on lateralus is much better produced than the previous albums...cleaner more neccesary