Speaking of pre-rock musicians whose influence is being felt all over the beat generation and further on and going into a drums department, the obvious champion there would be Buddy Rich. Quite possibly the best jazz skins-hitter, he starred on Broadway at the age of four, and his showmanship was on par with his percussive work. Buddy’s art was very much welcomed by the likes of Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and another drums great, Gene Krupa. Rich’s career spanned seven decades but there are still previously unreleased performances, and some of these will be released in May.
Titled simply “The Solos,” the album contains recordings from the ’70s as preserved for posterity, with Buddy’s permission, by his bandmate, sax player Alan Gauvin, who mixed and edited the tapes recently. A real master class!
Solo 1: Toronto, Canada 1977
Solo 2: Germany 1977
Solo 3: Disneyland, Calif. 1976
Solo 4: Sacramento, Calif. 1977
Solo 5: Germany 1977
Solo 6: Binghamton, N.Y. 1976
Solo 7: Orlando, Fla. 1976
Solo 8: Montreal, Canada 1976
Solo 9: Boston Globe JazzFest 1976
