#jazz drummer

[didierleclair]

ART BLAKEY, VERY IMPORTANT IN THE HARDBOP ERA WITH THE JAZZ MESSENGERS.

[vpjdrums]

Roy Haynes (March 13, 1925 – November 12, 2024)

It's been a week since Roy Hayne's passing and I've been reflecting on his playing and artistry that has no doubt influenced and shaped the way I play and approach the drums. I think about Hayne's expressiveness around the kit and his idiomatic style of ride and hi-hat playing. He established more of a dialogue manner of playing eloquently filling in the spaces that soloists left, all without steering or muddling those moments. It was through this he developed an identifiable and unique pointedness based around an eclectic sequence of paradiddles that became his trademark and earned him the nickname, “Snap Crackle”.

Aside from being a phenomenal and innovative musician, he also had a great sense of humor. I remember seeing the late great Tito Puente play at a theater uptown in NYC when I was either 17 or 18. After the performance I immediately ran down the staircase outside the balcony towards the stage entrance. I spotted Tito in the crowded hallway and approached him and told him how inspirational he was to my development as a drummer and percussionist. He was nothing but gracious and kind, and completely generous and receptive. Out of the blue he asked, "Y'know who's a great timbale player?" I replied, "Who?" Straight faced he responded, "Roy Haynes". I just stood there thinking, Roy Haynes? Right as I was dumbfoundedly thinking about what Tito Puente just said to me, an exquisitely dressed gentleman wearing a dark brown fedora covering his face approached me.

Just as I'm about to say something he removed his hat revealing himself to be Roy Haynes. "Hello, how's it going?", he asked with a giant smile on his face. All I could do was stand there red faced laughing as two of my drumming heroes (also cracking up at my shock and bewilderment) were now assembled before. We stood there outside the stage door chatting and laughing for ten minutes. There I was a young drummer in complete disbelief that I'm with two legends face to face. That's how I'll remember Roy Haynes. A kind, jovial, and spirited individual. Rest in Power, Roy Haynes. Thank you for all that you've imparted.

[higherentity]

[menandwomanofhistory]

Sam Ulano

[hammondcast]

Louie Bellson Interview With Jon Hammond HammondCast

#LISTEN TO THE AUDIO HERE: Louie Bellson Interview With Jon Hammond HammondCast 

Jon's archive https://archive.org/details/louie-bellson-interview-with-jon-hammond-hammond-cast 

Louie Bellson Interview With Jon Hammond HammondCast

by

 Jon Hammond 

Usage

 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International

Topics

 Louie Bellson, Jazz Drummer, Band Leader, Double Bass Drums, Johnny Hodges, Pearl Bailey, Educator, HammondCast, CBS Radio, KYOU, KYCY, Jon Hammond

Language

 English

Louie Bellson Interview With Jon Hammond HammondCast on CBS KYOU / KYCY Radio - August 2003, he appeared at Jazz Club Nouveau in San Francisco with tenor saxophonist Don Menza -

Louie Bellson's Wiki: 

Birth nameLuigi Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio BalassoniBornJuly 6, 1924Rock Falls, IllinoisDiedFebruary 14, 2009 (aged 84)Los Angeles, CaliforniaGenresJazz, big band, swingOccupation(s)Musician, composer, arranger, bandleaderInstrument(s)DrumsYears active1931–2009LabelsRoulette, Concord, Pablo, Musicmasters

Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, arranger, bandleader, and jazz educator, and is credited with pioneering the use of two bass drums.[1]

Bellson performed in most of the major capitals around the world. Bellson and his wife, actress and singer Pearl Bailey[2] (married from 1952 until Bailey's death in 1990), had the second highest number of appearances at the White House (only Bob Hope had more).

Bellson was a vice president at Remo, a drum company.[3] He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1985 

Bellson was born in Rock Falls, Illinois, in 1924, where his father owned a music store. He started playing drums at three years of age. While still a young child, Bellson's father moved the family and music store to Moline, Illinois.[5] At 15, he pioneered using two bass drums at the same time, a technique he invented in his high school art class.[6] At age 17, he triumphed over 40,000 drummers to win the Slingerland National Gene Krupa contest.[7]

After graduating from Moline High School in 1942, he worked with big bands throughout the 1940s, with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Duke Ellington. In 1952, he married jazz singer Pearl Bailey. During the 1950s, he played with the Dorsey Brothers, Jazz at the Philharmonic, acted as Bailey's music director, and recorded as a leader for Norgran Records and Verve Records.[8]

Over the years, his sidemen included Ray Brown, Pete and Conte Candoli, Chuck Findley, John Heard, Roger Ingram, Don Menza, Blue Mitchell, Larry Novak, Nat Pierce, Frank Rosolino, Bobby Shew, Clark Terry, and Snooky Young.

In an interview in 2005 with Jazz Connection magazine, he cited as influences Jo Jones, Sid Catlett, and Chick Webb. "I have to give just dues to two guys who really got me off on the drums – Big Sid Catlett and Jo Jones. They were my influences. All three of us realized what Jo Jones did and it influenced a lot of us. We all three looked to Jo as the 'Papa' who really did it. Gene helped bring the drums to the foreground as a solo instrument. Buddy was a great natural player. But we also have to look back at Chick Webb's contributions, too."[9]

During the 1960s, he returned to Ellington's orchestra for Emancipation Proclamation Centennial stage production, My People in and for A Concert of Sacred Music, which is sometimes called The First Sacred Concert. Ellington called these concerts "the most important thing I have ever done."[10]

Bellson's album  The Sacred Music of Louie Bellson and the Jazz Ballet appeared in 2006. In May 2009, Francine Bellson told The Jazz Joy and Roy syndicated radio show, "I like to call (Sacred) 'how the Master used two maestros,'" adding, "When (Ellington) did his sacred concert back in 1965 with Louie on drums, he told Louie that the sacred concerts were based on 'in-the-beginning,' the first three words of the bible." She recalled how Ellington explained to Louie that "in the beginning there was lightning and thunder and that's you!" Ellington exclaimed, pointing out that Louie's drums were the thunder. Both Ellington and Louie, says Mrs. Bellson, were deeply religious. "Ellington told Louie, 'You ought to do a sacred concert of your own' and so it was," said Bellson, adding, "'The Sacred Music of Louie Bellson' combines symphony, big band and choir, while 'The Jazz Ballet' is based on the vows of Holy Matrimony..." 

On December 5, 1971, he took part in a memorial concert at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall for drummer Frank King. This tribute show also featured  Buddy Rich and British drummer Kenny Clare. The orchestra was led by Irish trombonist Bobby Lamb and American trombonist Raymond Premru. A few years later, Rich (often called the world's greatest drummer) paid Bellson a compliment by asking him to lead his band on tour while he (Rich) was temporarily disabled by a back injury. Bellson accepted.

As a prolific creator of music, both written and improvised, his compositions and arrangements (in the hundreds) embrace jazz, jazz/rock/fusion, romantic orchestral suites, symphonic works and a ballet. Bellson was also a poet and a lyricist. His only Broadway venture, Portofino (1958), was a resounding flop that closed after three performances.[13]

As an author, he published more than a dozen books on drums and percussion. He was at work with his biographer on a book chronicling his career and bearing the same name as one of his compositions, "Skin Deep". In addition, "The London Suite" (recorded on his album Louie in London) was performed at the Hollywood Pilgrimage Bowl before a record-breaking audience. The three-part work includes a choral section in which a 12-voice choir sings lyrics penned by Bellson. Part One is the band's rousing "Carnaby Street", a collaboration with Jack Hayes.[14]

In 1987, at the Percussive Arts Society convention in Washington, D.C., Bellson and Harold Farberman performed a major orchestral work titled "Concerto for Jazz Drummer and Full Orchestra", the first piece ever written specifically for jazz drummer and full symphony orchestra. This work was recorded by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in England, and was released by the Swedish label BIS. 

Bellson was known throughout his career to conduct drum and band clinics at high schools, colleges and music stores.[16]

Bellson maintained a tight schedule of clinics and performances of both big bands and small bands in colleges, clubs and concert halls. In between, he continued to record and compose, resulting in more than 100 albums and more than 300 compositions. Bellson's Telarc debut recording, Louie Bellson And His Big Band: Live From New York, was released in June 1994. He also created new drum technology for Remo, of which he was vice-president.[17]

Bellson received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 1985 at Northern Illinois University. As of 2005, among other performing activities, Bellson had visited his home town of Rock Falls, Illinois, every July for Louie Bellson Heritage Days, a weekend in his honor close to his July 6 birthday, with receptions, music clinics and other performances by Bellson.[1] At the 2004 event celebrating his 80th birthday, Bellson said, "I'm not that old; I'm 40 in this leg, and 40 in the other leg."[18] He celebrated his birthday every year at the River Music Experience in Davenport, Iowa. 

Bellson was voted into the Halls of Fame for Modern Drummer magazine, in 1985, and the Percussive Arts Society, in 1978. Yale University named him a Duke Ellington Fellow in 1977. He received an honorary Doctorate from Northern Illinois University in 1985. He performed his original concert – Tomus I, II, III – with the Washington Civic Symphony in historic Constitution Hall in 1993. A combination of full symphony orchestra, big-band ensemble and 80-voice choir, "Tomus" was a collaboration of music by Bellson and lyrics by his late wife, Pearl Bailey. Bellson was a nine-time Grammy Award nominee.[19]

In January 1994, Bellson received the NEA Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts.[20] As one of three recipients, he was lauded by NEA chair Jane Alexander, who said, "These colossal talents have helped write the history of jazz in America." 

On November 19, 1952, Bellson married American actress and singer, Pearl Bailey, in London. Bellson and Bailey adopted a son, Tony, in the mid-1950s, and a daughter, Dee Dee (born April 20, 1960).[22] Tony Bellson died in 2004, and Dee Dee Bellson died on July 4, 2009, at age 49, within five months of her father. After Bailey's death in 1990, Bellson married Francine Wright in September 1992.[23]

Wright, who had trained as a physicist and engineer at MIT,[24] became his manager. The union lasted until his death in 2009.[25]

On February 14, 2009, Bellson died at age 84 from complications of a broken hip suffered in December 2008 and Parkinson's disease. He is buried next to his father in Riverside Cemetery, Moline, Illinois. 

Discography[edit]

As leader[edit]

1952 Just Jazz All Stars (Capitol)

1954 Louis Bellson and His Drums (Norgran)

1955 Skin Deep (Norgran) compiles Belson's 10 inch LPs The Amazing Artistry of Louis Bellson and The Exciting Mr. Bellson

1954 The Exciting Mr. Bellson and His Big Band (Norgran)

1954 Louis Bellson with Wardell Gray (Norgran)

1954 Louis Bellson Quintet (Norgran) also released as Concerto for Drums by Louis Bellson

1954 Journey into Love (Norgan) also released as Two in Love

1955 The Driving Louis Bellson (Norgran)

1956 The Hawk Talks (Norgran)

1957 Drumorama! (Verve)

1959 Let's Call It Swing (Verve)

1959 Music, Romance and Especially Love (Verve)

1957 Louis Bellson at The Flamingo (Verve)

1959 Live in Stereo at the Flamingo Hotel, Vol. 1: June 28, 1959

1961 Drummer's Holiday (Verve)

1960 The Brilliant Bellson Sound (Verve)

1960 Louis Bellson Swings Jule Styne (Verve)

1961 Around the World in Percussion (Roulette)

1962 Big Band Jazz from the Summit (Roulette)

1962 Happy Sounds (Roulette) with Pearl Bailey

1962 The Mighty Two (Roulette) with Gene Krupa

1964 Explorations (Roulette) with Lalo Schifrin

1965 Are You Ready for This? (Roost) with Buddy Rich

1965 Thunderbird (Impulse!)

1967 Repercussion (Studio2Stereo)

1968 Breakthrough! (Project 3)

1970 Louie in London (DRG)

1972 Conversations (Vocalion)

1974 150 MPH (Concord)

1975 The Louis Bellson Explosion (Pablo)

1975 The Drum Session (Philips Records with Shelly Manne, Willie Bobo & Paul Humphrey)

1976 Louie Bellson's 7 (Concord Jazz)

1977 Ecue Ritmos Cubanos (Pablo) with Walfredo de los Reyes

1978 Raincheck (Concord)

1978 Note Smoking

1978 Louis Bellson Jam with Blue Mitchell (Pablo)

1978 Matterhorn: Louie Bellson Drum Explosion

1978 Sunshine Rock (Pablo)

1978 Prime Time (Concord Jazz)

1979 Dynamite (Concord Jazz)

1979 Side Track (Concord Jazz)

1979 Louis Bellson, With Bells On! (Vogue Jazz (UK))[27]

1980 London Scene (Concord Jazz)

1980 Live at Ronnie Scott's (DRG)

1982 Hi Percussion (Accord)

1982 Cool, Cool Blue (Pablo)

1982 The London Gig (Pablo)

1983 Loose Walk

1984 Don't Stop Now! (Capri)

1986 Farberman: Concerto for Jazz Drummer; Shchedrin: Carmen Suite(BIS)

1987 Intensive Care

1988 Hot (Nimbus)

1989 Jazz Giants (Musicmasters)

1989 East Side Suite (Musicmasters)

1990 Airmail Special: A Salute to the Big Band Masters (Musicmasters)

1992 Live at the Jazz Showcase (Concord Jazz)

1992 Peaceful Thunder (Musicmasters)

1994 Live from New York (Telarc)

1994 Black Brown & Beige (Musicmasters)

1994 Cool Cool Blue (Original Jazz Classics)

1994 Salute (Chiaroscuro)

1995 I'm Shooting High (Four Star)

1995 Explosion Band (Exhibit)

1995 Salute (Chiaroscuro)

1995 Live at Concord Summer Festival (Concord Jazz)

1996 Their Time Was the Greatest (Concord Jazz)

1997 Air Bellson (Concord Jazz)

1998 The Art of Chart (Concord Jazz)[28]

As sideman[edit]

With Count Basie

Back with Basie (Roulette, 1962)

Basie in Sweden (Roulette, 1962)

Pop Goes the Basie (Reprise, 1965)

Basie's in the Bag (Brunswick, 1967)

The Happiest Millionaire (Coliseum, 1967)

Count Basie Jam Session at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1975 (Pablo, 1975)

With Benny Carter

Benny Carter Plays Pretty (Norgran, 1954)

New Jazz Sounds (Norgran, 1954)

In the Mood for Swing (MusicMasters, 1988)

With Buddy Collette

Porgy & Bess (Interlude 1957 [1959])

With Duke Ellington

Ellington Uptown (Columbia, 1952)

My People (Contact, 1963)

A Concert of Sacred Music (RCA Victor, 1965)

Ella at Duke's Place (Verve, 1965)

With Dizzy Gillespie

Roy and Diz (Clef, 1954)

With Stephane Grappelli

Classic Sessions: Stephane Grappelli, with Phil Woods and Louie Bellson (1987)

With Johnny Hodges

The Blues (Norgran, 1952–54, [1955])

Used to Be Duke (Norgran, 1954) 

Louie Bellson, Jazz Drummer, Band Leader, Double Bass Drums, Johnny Hodges, Pearl Bailey, Educator, HammondCast, CBS Radio, KYOU, KYCY, Jon Hammond 

Louie Bellson, Jazz Drummer, Band Leader, Double Bass Drums, Johnny Hodges, Pearl Bailey, Educator, HammondCast, CBS Radio, KYOU, KYCY, Jon Hammond

[mattdeeryradio-blog]

Strengthening bonds and ties to Philadelphia Jazz: Union 591 and 274 MAWSB 12

In John Wriggle’s journal article “Chappie Willet, Frank Fairfax, and Phil Edwards' collegians: From West Virginia to Philadelphia” he talks about how Chappie Willet supported the jazz musicians union in Philadelphia, according to the article. In the nineteen twenties and nineteen thirties, the great depression hit, and with that Philadelphia’s chapter/local musicians union dissolved, Union 591 in nineteen twenty-two/three (Wriggle, 2007). Francis Robert “Chappie” Willet was a Philadelphian jazz pianist and composer who helmed/composed/arranged for big jazz swing bands with Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie in the nineteen thirties and forties (Wriggle, 2007). Even though Chappie was born, and subsequently died in Philadelphia, he got his big start in West Virginia in nineteen thirty-three, joining Phil Edwards’ “Collegians band in nineteen thirty-three (Wriggle, 2007). Fellow Collegian bandmate, Frank Fairfax, moved to Philadelphia in nineteen thirty-five (Wriggle, 2007). Fairfax started running and participating in the local Musician’s Union 591, then there after 274 in Philadelphia (Wriggle, 2007). Both men had trouble with the white musicians' local 77 arm in Philadelphia (Wriggle, 2007). Fairfax, because of these troubles with the white Local 77 union, created/formed the Local 274 union to help black jazz musicians in Philadelphia (Wriggle, 2007). Eventually, while desegregation arose in the nineteen sixties, because of Fairfax's and Union 274 efforts, eventually the local union 77 absorbed local union 274 (Wriggle, 2007). While this might have seemed like a win, combining all local jazz musicians into one union, regardless of color, some believed this reduced the influence and history of black Philadelphian Jazz musicians (Wriggle, 2007).

I did not realize how much politics played a role in jazz, especially in Philadelphia. It appears that due to the championing of both Willet and Fairfax, black Philadelphian jazz musicians were able to get a fair wage/their due. I find it interesting that it took two men, while one was born in Philadelphia, to make a name for themselves in West Virginia, before laying the groundwork for the unions of local musicians in Philadelphia. I’d imagine since both were arrangers for big swing jazz acts such as Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie, that even though they had their color going against them, their influence and connections helped pave the way for better treatment, and ultimately a better union. The goal of fairness was achieved as one union, regardless of race, but ultimately something this big win was at the loss of independence and influence. I think this article will help me with my project, as I had no clue of the underpinnings of race and politics, and how that shaped the bands and scenes from the big band swing days to the more modern bebop and hardbop days of the nineteen-fifties and sixties. Even when music could welcome and be a participatory event for all cultures, that then malaise of racism still affects those who created the art form of jazz.

For the preproduction binder discussion, we honestly went over David Nevil’s project with sports podcasting, about athletes' and fans' participation in social media. David and I talked about how the podcast would be set up, his main goal of the project, and how there were some queries that we discovered in our discussion. While we did not have time to go over my project, I believe that since both our projects are in a similar format of podcasts, there were some takeaways. I discovered that interviews might change the course of the project, as well as questions that weren’t thought of before might change the aspects and direction of a project.

For my proof of concept, I talked to Professor Zaylea after class about how the initial media/proof of concept would be shaped. We talked about how possibly narration/voice-over having, spliced with royalty-free jazz music and interview answers might make for a good program. This would be in a similar vein to NPR radio shows/WRTI interview shows, with a Public radio feel. I talked to Professor Zaylea about interviewing a young jazz drummer who is gaining notoriety. Professor Zaylea and I both agreed to possibly have a zoom conducted, and with the jazz drummer's answers, cut them from Zoom and have them interspersed throughout the program. I reached out to Tyler Dempsey through Facebook messenger, and he agreed to an interview. The interview will be conducted either Monday night or sometime during the week. Some questions will be of his relationship to jazz, his involvement with the scene, any experiences with the Philadelphia Jazz scene, history/influences, as well as upcomers in both Philadelphia and PA as a whole.

                                          Works Cited

Wriggle, J. (2007). CHAPPIE WILLET, FRANK FAIRFAX, AND PHIL EDWARDS' COLLEGIANS: FROM WEST VIRGINIA TO PHILADELPHIA. Black Music Research Journal, 27(1), 1-22. http://libproxy.temple.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/chappie-willet-frank-fairfax-phil-edwards/docview/230440902/se-2

[cheezerat]

Does anyone else like jazz? And I mean like any kind of jazz.

(Pls I’ll be moots with you if you also enjoy jazz)

[helmar-weiss]

Neues Live-Drum-Set von SONOR DRUMS!

Dank der punktgenauen Lieferung von FMF Guitars & Drums kommt mein neues Live-Drum-Set am Samstag, den 04.11.2023, beim Konzert von Galaxy Walker & The Hoodstarz im Live-Club, Bamberg zu seinem ersten Einsatz!

#sonor#newdrums#livedrums#livedrumming#livedrummer#liveclub#bamberg#galaxywalkermusic#fmfguitarsdrums#tourdrummer#partydrummer#funkdrumming#funkdrummers#rockdrummer#popdrummer#jazzdrummer#latindrummer#sessiondrummer

[patriciathomasbandmanagement]

LEGENDARY DRUMMER ERLAND DAHLEN RELEASES NEW SINGLE FROM UPCOMING ALBUM

When you’ve played on more than 300 albums, with a variety of artists including Norwegian Jazz legends such as NILS PETTER MOLVÆR, EIVIND AARSET, STIAN WESTERHUS and GEIR SUNDSTØL, together with bands and artists such as MADRUGADA, KAADA, JOHN PAUL JONES, ANE BRUN, ANNELI DRECKER, MARIT LARSEN and XPLODING PLASTIX, it’s inevitable that the desire to create and perform something of your own will…

[michelristenpattsworld]

Buddy Rich

[ceevee5]

[didierleclair]

Art and the smoke!

[vpjdrums]

Jeff “Tain” Watts at Nyack Jazz Festival

07/23/23

[beyourselfchulanmaria]

👍 Stunning photograph. Thanks 💕

and

This DVD is a MUST SEE for any drummer or musician, as it comprehensively takes you through the history of music from 1865 to 1965, via...THE DRUMS. This is the Finale Solo that closes Daniel Glass' award-winning "The Century Project" DVD.

In this clip, he is playing his DW Commemorative Buddy Rich kit. Don't let the lugs fool you, it's a DW Classics Kit (poplar/mahogany shells, Vintage Marine FinishPly). Sizes are 9x13, 16x16 (x2), 14x24, 5.5x14.

Jazz Drummer Gene Krupa playing drum at Gjon Mili’s studio, 1941

[scavengedluxury]

[v-poreons]

Realizing I have to post about my ocs if I want people to know and ask more about my ocs anyways I'm trying to think of what Riff and Jive's (my other oc) dynamic would be like. I think it's definitely really awkward at first since Jive is so shy. *scurries away*