I've always been asked who my favorite drummer was and I've never answered with a single person. I think For every genre there is a drummer that I like the most. I happen to think that most music is incomparable to "quality" due to everything being SO different. Anywho, these are some:
Jazz:
Art Blakey-He's really good at keeping things traditional...sort of. He was involved with some pretty major jazz players at the time where reform was the thing. He kept his toms all floppy(technical term) and was really hit really hard. Check out the album "Night at The Birdland". . .
Elvin Jones-Elvin played mostly with John Coltrane but, as with most jazz musicians that stayed arounds, he had his own band. He's all over the place. Literally! He'll play in really wierd time signatures. I you know what I'm talking about, a 3/4 beat is really hard to switch up and still keep a groove that seems "catchy" but he finds a way some how. He does things that you would never have thought to do and it's really inspiring to listen to. I don't really know the best album to check out but he's really famous so don't worry, you'll find him.
Rock:
John Bonham-Well, he was who I usually refer to when asked who my favorite drummer is. Me, being like everyone in middle school at that time, was really into Led Zeppelin. I got the "How The West Was Won" DVD and watch his 13 minute drum solo over and over. I was taking lessons and I told my teach that it was going to get a lot easier for him cause I really just wanted to sound like him. He's really smart musically to make sure that he's as much the main event as the rest of the band (not an easy task) but keep time like a pop drummer would. Everyone says,"You NEED to heard Moby Dick", which is his shining moment but "When the Levee Breaks" is my favorite song.
Ringo- OK, so not everyone gets Ringo. Sure he could be looked at as a simpleton surrounded by musical genius' but I think that's why I like him. he was very involved with the recording process (or so I read) and I think he was a smart guy. There are songs that you listen to and you can hear that he lets loose and plays a little more out there. He thought of the drums as another instrument instead of an accompaniment to music. I'm pretty sure you've heard all that there is but She Said, She Said is a really good song for drums.
Jason Shwartsman- Not a lot of people know that he was in Phantom Planet, the band that sang "California" for the OC theme. I think that band gets a bad rep because of that.
They have really good pop songs that are really driving and cool in a way that they don't sound like a really big band...although they were. Plus Jason is really F-ing good. I was also surprised to hear that he wrote California and many other songs for the band. Again, really smart about playing to the music and poking out when appropriate. Listen to the song "By The Bed", "Making A Killing" or "The Happy Ending".
Hope you check em' out. Bub Bye
Kelly-
