Best Drummer?

[Drumlooney]

Hey Guys and gals

 

Who do you consider the best drummer in the world and why? Since I know I can't really just put down one person feel free to mention more than one and why do you feel he or she is the best at what they do.

 

As for me My favorite all around drummer is Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, but as far as Funk I would have to go with Dennis Chambers, My list can go on and on, but I'm curious to hear everone else's opinions.

 

Let the fighting (I mean the opinions) start.

[Zeke Smith.]

I'd have to go with that guy from Bitter Love. He rules!

[k1neta]

In all fairness, there is no such thing as a best drummer. However, some of those I admire/enjoy the most would be:

 

Trilok Gurtu

Simon Phillips

Barriemore Barlow

Doane Perry

The late, but not forgotten, Jeff P. - of course.

Mike Portnoy

Carter Beauford

[selloutrr]

our lady peace

sunny day real estate ( diary )

matt cameron

Ben Shaw

[techristian]

I bought a few Buddy Rich records and videotaped everything that I could find of him on TV over 20 years ago, but I bought more Billy Cobham records back then. I know I have Joe Morello stuff in my collection, but I'm ashamed to admit that I just can't place him right now. I also liked Steve Gadd who did studio work for several acts. Every drummer has good and bad points and speed is only 1 factor. Here are the factors that I consider in judging a drummer.

 

1)How fast and smooth?

2)Can he/she play with others well or are they just good for solos?

3)What is his/her "feel" like.

4)Rock solid timing?

5)Capable of CO-ORDINATED INDEPENDENCE?

6)Mature and professional?

7)Use of dynamics.

8)Not overpowering in a band.(not to worry about in heavy metal or MIKED DRUM situations)

9)Not playing fills (rolls) every 8th bar!

10)Able to "cover" other musicians.(when they make a mistake)

 

Dan

http://jesuspop.com/drummer.html

[djarrett]

Believe it or not, ... I have always considered the best drummer to be the one that best compliments the music. Heck, even creates their own signature in the music.

Jonathon Moffit - Always recognizable

Liberty DeVitto - Can you imagine a Billy Joel song with out him?

Nigel Olson - Made his statement on early Elton stuff and now is back with him.

Mark Craney - Gino Vinelli

 

Who can you think of that has made their statement this way?

 

DJ

[Tusker]

Not a drummer... please forgive the impudence. I love drummers. Here are some of my favorites

 

For mix-enhancing team player... I think of Steve Gadd

For original sound and good orchestration - Phil Collins

For sheer mastery and dominating influence - Billy Cobham

For melodic subtlety - Zakir Hussain

 

Cheers,

 

Jerry

 

PS: Honorary mention to Stu Copeland for making the most of a high-hat in a rock context.

[popstalin]

If you go with who best compliments the music, then you have to mention Kenny Aronoff.

 

He's my fav drummer because of that and because of the fact everytime I've seen him play live, he's got a huge smile plastered on his face - I love that. Oh yeah, he's solid and got one heck of a groove!

 

Just my dime!

[popstalin]

If you go with who best compliments the music, then you have to mention Kenny Aronoff.

 

He's my fav drummer because of that and because of the fact everytime I've seen him play live, he's got a huge smile plastered on his face - I love that. Oh yeah, he's solid and got one heck of a groove!

 

Just my dime!

[Lee Flier]

Originally posted by djarrett:

Believe it or not, ... I have always considered the best drummer to be the one that best compliments the music. Heck, even creates their own signature in the music.

AMEN!!

 

Liberty DeVitto - Can you imagine a Billy Joel song with out him?

Well I'd rather not imagine a Billy Joel song at all, but...

 

Who can you think of that has made their statement this way?

Well, of course Stan Lynch on all the early Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers records. Drums that fit the songs perfectly AND make your hair stand on end!

 

I second Kenny Aronoff, too. Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick.

 

And of course you can't think of anybody who could have drummed better for their respective bands than Ringo, Charlie Watts, John Bonham and Keith Moon. Each totally different as a drummer, but each helped MAKE the signature sounds on their bands' songs... and just as it would be hard to imagine any of those bands with any other drummer, it's hard to imagine any of THEM having been able to do what they did in any other band.

 

Synchronicity is a great thing, isn't it? And speaking of Synchronicity, Stewart Copeland is another one of those guys that totally fit the song/band AND has an unmistakable sound.

 

Of course my favorite drummer is the one that I play with, but I think I ramble on about him quite enough as it is!

 

--Lee

[Rog]

Originally posted by techristian:

6)Mature and professional?

Dan

http://jesuspop.com/drummer.html

LMAO! That rules out some of the greatest ever drummers!

[Lee Flier]

LOL Rog! Yeah I was gonna say something to that effect myself...

 

--Lee

[D. Gauss]

http://www.leadsister.com/images/collegeshowkc.jpg

 

-d. gauss

http://www.betteroffdead.com

[popstalin]

http://www.norfacad.pvt.k12.va.us/project/henson/animal.jpg

 

[Tedly Nightshade]

"And of course you can't think of anybody who could have drummed better for their respective bands than Ringo, Charlie Watts, John Bonham and Keith Moon. Each totally different as a drummer, but each helped MAKE the signature sounds on their bands' songs... and just as it would be hard to imagine any of those bands with any other drummer, it's hard to imagine any of THEM having been able to do what they did in any other band."

 

pTANG! Hit the ol' spittoon with that one!

That's what I'm shooting for myself. It's working too, a magical thing!

Ted

[djarrett]

d gauss: That is actually a sad story. I saw Karen Carpenter play a couple of times and she wasn't all that bad.

 

Wonderc: Animal! That is hilarious.

 

Lee: I wrote that comment in haste this morning. You are correct. The folks you mentioned are very much a perfect group to plug into my equation.

 

d guass: If you really want to poke fun, how about that young Erline Mandrell. She used to try to play drums on the Barbara Mandrell show! What a hoot.

 

I really believe this equation about drummers and the music. I have seen many great drummers in clinic in my lifetime, and then when they got behind a band, they were lost as goats.

 

I think the drummer's flavor can make a significant difference in the band's overall sound, success or failure.

 

DJ

[Lee Flier]

Originally posted by djarrett:

I think the drummer's flavor can make a significant difference in the band's overall sound, success or failure.

HUGE difference. If the drummer's got the vibe down, the whole band probably will (even if there are some other less than great players in the band). If the drummer doesn't get it, the whole band probably won't happen.

 

A lot of audience members don't realize this of course, and often times band members don't realize it either. They just hear a great sound overall, and have no clue how much the drummer has to do with it. Ahhh well... they are missing one of life's great pleasures in that case.

 

--Lee

[D. Gauss]

http://www.classicphotos.com/african_americans/f-880.jpg

 

-d. gauss

http://www.betteroffdead.com

[Tedly Nightshade]

[popstalin]

http://beatles.tripod.co.jp/pa12.jpg

[D. Gauss]

http://www.hooloovoo.com/dolenz/images/gallery/67drums.jpg

 

-d. gauss

http://www.betteroffdead.com

[popstalin]

JUGHEAD!

 

http://barbln.cygnus.org/archies.gif

[Tusker]

Originally posted by Lee Flier:

If the drummer's got the vibe down, the whole band probably will (even if there are some other less than great players in the band). If the drummer doesn't get it, the whole band probably won't happen.

Vibe's a good word for that. A lot of times people are imitating a drummer, playing the same drum patterns but they don't grab the same vibe. Probably some microscopic timing thing. I dunno what it is. But I know when it's there.

 

One guy plays a straight da da cha da and theres no room in the groove for anything else. Another guy plays da da cha da, and he's begging a funk bass line to dance around the edges of what he's playing.

 

I think a good drummer gives a band confidence to fall into a particular vibe.

 

Jerry

[Tedly Nightshade]

Vibe is a good way of looking at it. It's the tone of the whole performance- I have a feeling when Chuck Berry wrote,

 

"Hail, hail Rock&Roll! The beat of the drums, loud and cold"

 

he had something a little different in mind than the loud cold drums that ironically have come to dominate what was once rock&roll, now Rock and in fact a lot of music.

 

It's mood, it's often simply a matter of really believing in and living the songs and the rest of the music. All those intangibles. It may have to do with timing, and the flow of the time is closely related to the mood.

 

I'm personally into slow sinuous flexible polyrhythmic things that take the mind way down into ages unknown... you can get everybody's pulse to slow down and the dreaming begins...

Ted

[Drumlooney]

Hey guys,

 

thanks for all the responses, I just put this subject of best drummer out there so that I might learn of some people I never heard of before. I know their is no such thing as a greatest drummer, I just wanted to see what floated everyones boat, get introduced to some guys I had never heard of, and see what they were all about. I appreciate humor as much as the next guy, BUT I think that it's killing this forum, it's sad to see people trying to be serious and others just pouncing on them, that's why we go days with out responses to any topics, we should be trying to communicate with each other and have fun, not making fun of each other and killing communication.

 

Just my two pennies!!

[The Bear Jew]

So I guess nobody's gonna mention Peter Criss, Phil Collins or Bill Ward?

Hee hee.

[Hollywood D.]

Probably the drummer that amazes me the most (not necessarily the best in the world because I haven't heard every drumer in the world):

 

Vinnie Paul - Pantera

 

Whether you like their music or not...you have to appreciate what he is capable of.

[popstalin]

I can honestly say, with all seriousness, that when I was young, Animal from the muppets, was an influence on me. I was even going to buy an Animal drumset (until I lost all my money in the parking lot!).

 

I personally don't think there can be too much humor in life and I'd rather smile than contemplate.

[The Bear Jew]

Jen...

You are not alone. I used to love The Muppets, but I think imprinted more on Floyd, the guitarist than Animal. Hence, I play guitar and have a beard. Your Animal fixation goes a long way to explain your wild orange hair, pointy teeth and use of only single-syllable words.

I'm kidding, of course. Jen's hair isn't orange.

I kid because I love.

[Drumlooney]

Hey Wondercrush I was not directing any bad feeling towards you, as a matter of fact I'm getting a tatoo of animal holding a pair of drumsticks this summer b/c I too like animal, I just think that the Drum Talk forum in general is not doing to well and I'm a little disappointed b/c it's a great concept, sorry if I sounded like I was pissed off about any responses, it was'nt my intention, but I can tell who's serious and who's not, please don't tell me that jughead inspired you to play the drums! LOL.