My dear Uncle Bill played rhythm guitar in similar bands...as well as Polka bands in Chicago for over 50 years. He had a pickup installed on his 1930's Gibson Super 400. After he passed away in 2001 his Gibson and banjo were left for me. I took my uncle to see Buddy Rich at the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, CA. back in the late 70's or early 80's. Buddy is the "King of Percussion." Great big band music!
@@djangorheinhardt Yep, PLUS, his playing on Channel One gave it a whole new dimension - - not to forget his great accompaniment of Buddy on "Being Green", on the Stick It album. Walt was a great player, indeed.
Particularly amazing when you consider that he couldn't read a single note. I think if any arranger tried to hand him a drum chart, Buddy would crumble it into a ball and throw it at the arranger. 😂
Buddy Rich's playing was such an inspiration to me. His feel, energy, and technical prowess. I always was so excited when a new album would come out. Good times.
Buddy has gotten so smooth.. that he continues to play extremely difficult things... with such precision.. and ease and along with the melody ..is simply amazing.
I too saw this band in Cleveland Oh. I was only 18 and was blown away. I agree with many who said this was his best band by far. First time I heard Don Men's....WOW. Buddy was in his prime and his crew too. First time I had ever heard Channel-1. Couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. I feel spoil blessed to hear this BR band. I was also VERY blessed to hear B's Very last concert with his band in Orange Village Ohio Dec. 10, 1985. He is truly the God of Drums
I grew up in the Cleveland area and graduated from Orange! I was just a teen when my father took me to see B for the first time at a place called The Brown Derby Norton. Unfortunately I wasn't tuned in to jazz yet because the rock thing occupied my attention, and I'm not even sure what year that was. But of course I was stunned. And here's my story about the last concert, Dec 10, 1986. At that time I was living in Chicagoland, but my father called me in November and asked me if I wanted to come home for the concert. I will forever regret that I said no. But my father was there! He even talked to B for a while after the concert. Like you, my father felt very blessed to be at that concert, and he talked about it until the day he died. I was so happy back then when I found out about the plaque the Music Director had put up in the school.
+Mike James I know! Wonderful band and fantastic concert. Love For Sale in particular is incredible - probably my favorite rendition! Happy to post this complete and in very good quality for all to enjoy - and for musicians, hopefully to learn from.
Probably the closest trumpet section to the Killer Force he had. Perfect attacks, perfect phrasing, everyone listening and playing to the strengths of the whole. No histrionics. Band on fire. Sum of the parts greater than the whole. And add Rick Stepton, Don Menza, and the other soloists? This is a true example of what every young musician should aspire to.
I really do wish that everyone has would acknowledge that Buddy was THE master and stop trying to put rock drummers on the same level or make comparison, there IS NO comparison, not at least in the Rock/Pop world, however there is a great cover man called The Gasmasked Drummer, he's worth a look on Y T.👍
There are certainly many great drummers past and present in all disciplines, but only one Rich. In my admittedly limited experience he just brings something to the table that is unmatched by any other drummer. I guess it's the 'x' factor, the magic, the oneness with his instrument and his music and his musicians. But, hell, whatever it is, he had it in bucket loads, and whenever I watch, and to a certain extent listen to him it is rare not to do so without a tear in my eye for what was and for having been privileged enough to have seen him and met him. A truly great man and I miss him, his talent his humour and his presence in the World. I thank you for sharing and keeping the man and the music and the legend alive.
This performance of Rotten Kid is a triplet festival for drummers to listen hear. Incredible. The first couple of choruses by Charles Owens were terrific. Too bad the mike couldn't pick up the other alto. Don Menza roars as always.
New Blues shout chorus at 11:20, with the classic BR pause, just shakes the room. Only a few other post WW2 big bands could rock the house like that, namely Basie and Ellington. Maybe others, but I don't know.
I saw this band in Rochester, NY At the Top in 1968, i'd just turned 20; I think it was the best band Buddy ever had but I'm also a little prejudice because it was the first time I met Joe Romano RIP then about 15 yuears latter I was Joe's bassist and loved every minute of it. I also went to Berklee in 1970 (I wrote a whole Book about that experience called CITGO) while in Boston I played with half the guys you see in this band then in 1983 I went out with Buddy's Band for nine months. Funny how life works, TYML
Alfred, I started out on bass and after about 15 years switched to drums...I can't even imagine how it must have felt to be up there grooving with Buddy for one day let alone 9 months! What an experience...I bet you can write a book about those nine months with Buddy! Any vids up with you with the band? Love to check them out!
Hi Alfred - did you come over to the UK with Buddy? First time I saw the BRO was in Southend on Sea, April '83. I went with a pal. We were both 17 and got to meet Buddy afterwards who seemed genuinely knocked out that two kids were there to hear his music.
October 7, 1968. 1. The Rotten Kid 00:00 2, Machine 05:27 3. New Blues 09:04 4. Love For Sale 14:13 5. West Side Story (full version) 18:25 Al Porcino, Warren Gale Jr, Dave Culp, Skip Shortlidge - trumpet Don Switzer, Vince Diaz, Rick Stepton - trombone Joe Romano, Charles Owens, Don Menza, Pat LaBarbera, John Laws - reeds Joe Azarello - piano Bob Magnusson - bass Walter Namuth - guitar Buddy Rich - drums (personnel from around April, 1968. I assume band pretty much the same for this October date). x
Yes! Took my wife there to see Menza one night and he did a copy of “Body and Soul” by Coleman Hawkins that I swear he had down note for note with the same tone etc. as Hawkins. Absolutely beautiful…And he could smoke any chart you put in front of him. I really miss those days around LA.
Unseen quality! Your continuing effort to share Buddy Rich's music is a joy and a life line to his many fans the world over. Your becoming a legend yourself cloudview747.
+graham sheridan I thank you very much Graham, and here's what I would say. I have loved this man and his music ever since my father first turned me on to him when I was just a boy and a young rock(!) drummer. Throughout the 70s I carefully studied Buddy's many record albums and practiced like crazy. Then in the early 80s I began collecting videos and copying off air, strictly because I wanted to learn his technique. In fact I purchased an expensive VHS machine that allowed slow motion playback in high quality. Of course eventually you realize that, try as you may, no one else will ever play like Buddy Rich! But nevertheless I kept on making and collecting BR videos, simply because I enjoyed seeing as well as hearing him and his bands. The Buddy Rich Memorial Plaque at my HS (Orange HS where B played his last concert) has this quote from Buddy: There is no magic, only hard work. Well this man's lifetime of hard work and dedication brought more joy, excitement, and inspiration into my life than I can ever say. And just what is all that joy, excitement, and inspiration worth? If my collecting efforts can now help ensure Buddy's lasting and deserved legacy, I say it's the least I can do, and I am very happy indeed to do it.
Buddy was without doubt a one in a trillion Master of The Traps..Was honored to see him perform maybe a dozen times,The most outstanding was at Bill Graham's Fillmore West around 1971?Am wondering if there exists any Video of the Bands performances at The Fillmore?As I recall Mr.Rich was displeased with the snare drum he was using(A Fibes) and somehow through an introduction by his Lovely Daughter Cathy I was "allowed"to Meet Buddy..To make a long story short i brought in my best outstanding 1924 15"Ludwig Super Sensitive Chrome Heavy Tubular Lug snare drum That Buddy played Brilliantly for 2 sets..Buddy invited me to sit behind him to watch as he Killed and every time I screamed his manager (a short balding man)cautioned me to cool it..BR HIT SO HARD THAT MY FILLINGS IN MY TEETH ACTUALLY HURT!!BR was very kind to me at that moment and I remain thankful for being allowed to Witness up close how solid and powerful his musical offerings were!!Left hand and right foot single stroke Rolls aplenty!!He hit so hard the snare assembly popped off occasionally..Would appreciate any info if a Video may exist that relates to my remembrances of this moment in time..Richie Cole was in the Band at that time and about 6 or 7 family members and friends were allowed to be seated directly behind Buddy stage Right as I recall..Any info please contact me at myroncohendrums@gmail.com as there is more to this story to relate..
Wow, the sound on this is terrific for an old video. This has turned out to be my favorite version of Love For Sale. They kicked the tempo up a bit. A local St. Louis Big Band did a Buddy Rich Tribute Night and played all Buddy charts. It's a nice way for the community to honor his music.
WOW! The ss roll at 17;33 is by far the fastest and most perfect I have ever seen Buddy execute. The speed and perfection is inhuman! I have been a Buddy Rich fan since I was 8 years old in 1966. He was my inspiration and I taught myself to play drums only from listening to his albums. For fifty two years I have and always will know that he was the absolute master of the drums. Sad to know that there will NEVER EVER be another like him. I, and I'm sure so many others are so thankful for these great videos that we can still enjoy watching the World's Greatest Drummer! THANK YOU!
Nice to have good recording quality on the drums, as well as good synch betw. video and audio. You really get the sense of how quick Rich's hands were. His rolls are more perfect than what is customarily humanly possible. That's one of the reasons he can pull of some of those tricks, because if they're not done perfectly, the math doesn't add up, and the rhythm misses a beat. In his younger years here, he was a machine, all the time. As someone else here has already mentioned, in later years he was- well, still perfect, 95% of the time- of course he never missed a beat, that goes without saying for anyone anywhere near Rich’s ability- but a roll here or there would get just ever-so-slightly lopey, but it was still better than anyone else could do it, pretty much. A prodigy that’s rare enough that it takes a generation to find another one at its equal is rare enough. But Buddy Rich is going on 4 generations, now, and still has not been surpassed.
what a concert! a live performance of some charts from "The New One!" that is rarely seen in his live concerts as well as a rendition of the west side story with "somewhere" not being cut out! thanks again cloudview.
You are welcome. Be sure to check out this wailing blazing audio I posted with Buddy and Menza: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WPVSjHt9wLM.html
@@cloudview747 That was awesome! Sister Sadie was one of my favorites! Taken at breakneck speed, of course, as Buddy did went it was live. That band, I always thought, with Don Menza, was his best band! I was 18 then. I wish I could have personally witnessed the "Caesar's Palace" back then. Thanks again!
Actually, the cut Sister Sadie, which appeared on the Swingin' New Big Band album featured Jay Corre on the tenor sax solo. Don Menza first appeared on the Caesar's Palace album. I think Joe Romano first appeared with Buddy on the Roar of '74 album where played altogether sax.
@@snowfeather31 I think the timeline for Romano was taking over for Art Pepper. Then Menza left and Romano took his spot on tenor for a short time. Labarbara then replaced Romano and then Joe moved back to Alto. You’ll see Joe in the lead alto chair inside the Buddy and Soul album liner photos which was 1969.
......... If you're a Buddy Rich fan (like me), you'll probably recognise all the tunes on here , but here they are, anyways: ----1 Rotten Kid (Buddy Greco, arranged by Dick Grove) 2 Machine (composed/arranged by Bill Reddie) 3 New Blues (composed/arranged by Don Piestrup) 4 Love 4 Sale (Cole Porter) 5 West Side Story (suite) (composed by Leonard Bernstein)
This is my favorite Buddy lineup. I've been avoiding this until now because I assumed the tape was degraded and because I had no success finding decent live recordings from "The New One" era lineup. Lucky me! Thanks again, cloudview.
Thank you for this posting...great as usual. Rich is really playing well! Does anybody know when he had his cervical spine surgery...sometime in the mid 70's I think? I saw him playing with Sonny Stitt in a small club in D.C., I assume during recovery. Played great, but no technical amazement...just time-keeping and no solos to speak of. It was like watching Superman having been exposed to Kryptonite and lost his powers....just an ordinary human. Always thought he may have felt bad about that, and the club was not crowded at all (to my amazement...but it was a weekday). We stood up for any applause though, after all, he is the BR! Eventually, he came back as amazing (if not more) as ever with the new big band. Great time for jazz music and drum fans!
Once Again You Pull all the Stops out by letting us admire the God of Drumming our Idol Mr. Buddy Rich. Goes to show you like Buddy once said in one of his earlier interviews for Down Beat Magazine. Quote Buddy said My Music will sound as Fresh one hundred years from now. It was great back then and today it sounds even better. Buddy also said that his Music can Sustain and oh yes here is proof of the pudding Better and also more appreciated than ever. Were digging this and thank you for sharing this.
Buddy's speed, energy, endurance, chops are incredible but its always cool when he just feels the music and plays so improv, like 22:15 playing w/ fingers and brush....not to mention the most beautiful trombone solo i've ever heard that he led us into...
Cloudview747 +graham sheridan. Wow the sound quality is fabulous for live recording and thanks so much for posting the roster below on the sax section to be sure that is Menza and LaBarbara when they were young. I still prefer the Love For Sale version with solos by Andy Fusco and Bob Mintzer on bari - even transcribed both, but Menza is definitely seated in the smokin section.. This IS my favorite version of West Side Story, (and there are a lot of versions) - Menza nails it.
thanks again cloudview for this great set! we get to see and hear the band at its finest and hardest swinging imho. first of all these weren't college kids in the band, they were already experienced pros, second, he had a full rhythm section meaning, guitar, piano, and accoustic bass. all big bands in the big band era had guitar in the rhythm section. Frank Sinatras orchestras always had guitar in the rhythm section. what would the count basie band have been like without Freddy Greene?, not nearly as great. Out of all the first tenor players buddy had Don Menza was the heaviest. think about the mercy mercy album and menzas solo on channel one suite. that blew everyone away back in 1968 and it stands the test of time and still sounds awesome today. I rest my case😊
cloudview747 you are obvioulsly a super passionate and super generous BR fan, constantly sharing everything you find of Buddy with all of us. thank you so much!
What you say is true. The reason? 1) Because Buddy meant so much to me and I am grateful (turned my drumming life upside down when I first heard him, and my playing improved immensely). 2) This man deserves to be well represented on YT!
Buddy's playing in West Side is especially strong in the first few minutes, till Menza's solo. Fascinating to see how he performs the breaks. The band as a whole is tight. There's the long pause, and then a number of short pauses that are crushingly effective. No band, whether jazz or rock or anything, uses silence as BR did, and I don't know why others don't because it is a great device.
@@arame29 Vince Diaz was the only guy I ever heard who came close to Jim Trimble, the original bone soloist on "Somewhere" with Buddy's first band circa 1966.
I agree with others that Don Menza was absolutely on fire on WEST SIDE STORY. This era of Buddy’s bands was, to my ear, the best he assembled. While the chairs were constantly changing, Buddy always took great pains to seek out the best available musicians. And Buddy always gave his best as evidenced by this video. Always amazing !
Saw Buddy and band at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut in the 69-73 era. Band was on fire and Buddy was the gas that kept them going. Got a chance to speak to him briefly and he was quite kind and friendly.
The single stroke roll at 17:34 and the same around the kit at 18:00 are beyond belief.If in any doubt,just try moving your hands even close to that speed!Despite what Buddy claimed later in life that he was playing better than ever,and understandably so,his playing from the mid/late 50's to early 70's is beyond compare with any of his earlier/later playing or indeed with any other drummer who ever played the instrument,in my estimation.He goes completely off the technique scale as me might recognise it.He is quite simply a freak of nature and a wonderful one at that!
There are those who will disagree and be upset with me for saying so, but I agree with you, that the late 50s to early 70s are the most incredible. Buddy had a combination of technical mastery with superhuman physicality during that period. No doubt, he played beautifully right to the end; but all human beings are subject to the aging process. For that reason, if I had to pick Buddy's supreme period, it would be the late 50s to the early 70s as you say.
I agree with y'all. Especially in the mid to late 1960's, I think he was at the peak of his powers. Not taking anything away from other periods, which were also amazing. There was just a period where it seemed so effortless and the level of detail and creativity were on a higher level, even for him.
This is a gem Cloudview! Thanks for posting. New Blues is one of my favorite Buddy charts. I also love Best Coast, Night Blood, EG and Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey. Oh and not to forget Time Check, Kilimanjaro Cookout and Waltz of the mushroom hunters! The roar of 74 album is excellent. I have so many favorite charts of Buddy's. What are some of your favorite charts Cloudview? Thanks again!!
Indeed it is a gem. The Pacific Jazz years were HOT for Buddy and his bands. When it comes to my favorite charts, oh my, like you said, "I have SO many favorite charts of Buddy's!" Let's put it this way: There are not a lot of Buddy charts from 1966 to 1986 that I don't like - because Buddy had such an incredible ear for good music. From Readymix, Basically Blues, Critic's Choice, etc in 1966, right through to Winding Way, Just in Time, Shawnee in 1986, there is just SO MUCH to love in Buddy's charts. About the ONLY Buddy Rich Big Band album that I dismissed then and now is Speak No Evil.
The Louis Armstrong of drums!!!!! Not the first, but the best!!!!! Nobody nowadays would be taking the drums to the heights they are without Buddy..........
It is true that most serious young drummers during Buddy's lifetime were inspired and influenced by him, and they in turn have influenced new young drummers today. So Buddy lives on. But at the same time no drummer, no matter how good, will ever be Buddy Rich.
Cloudview787, your earlier speculation about Buddy's occasional use of matched grip being for added emphasis is surely true. When he employed it during the West Side chart it really sounded heavier(he was also striking with the butt end of the stick.) Good call!
Thank you for the confirmation. The only other possibility I suppose would have been that Buddy felt he could play faster with his left being matched. But that theory just doesn't hold water when we observe his incredible speed playing traditional. So that's why I concluded his occasional use of matched grip must be to get extra force for emphasis.
Cloudview, you did it again! Another absolute gem...it doesn't get any better than this! This lineup is about the tightest I have ever seen with Buddy. This performance (imho) is good enough for a final mix on a studio album. The recording crew really knew their stuff here too; the drums and cymbals sound incredible and all the other instruments are mixed really well! The performances from everyone here are incredible especially from the lead sax player and my favorite brass instrument is the trombone which was very tenderly executed with so much feeling! As a drummer, like most of us here I usually focus on Buddy (of course) but I actually was really digging the band eqaully with this particular concert for some reason. Buddy seemed really content with the band this time and they all seemed to be having a really good time and feeding off each other (without Buddy having to push them too much as he usually does lol)..this seems to be a very magical and incredibly talented lineup with Buddy. I just watched it three times in a row and it keeps sounding better and better to me! I'm not as knowledgeable as others here are about the other band members but I've watched many of his lineups through the years and this seems to be one of the most polished and tightest of all. Thanks for another great nugget from the Master!!
I agree that this is one of the all time greatest videos of Buddy with his band. If a young person came to me and said, pick a video to introduce me to the Buddy Rich Big Band in performance, I very well might pick this one.
+cloudview747 That is a great point you make about this being a great starting point for a fresh young aspiring musician or even just a fan of good music to see this...wow, I'm going to keep this in mind and steer all the young ones (or just younger than me 52 lol) and any rock drummer who shows any interest in jazz I will send them to this video and of coarse the house of Cloudview in general.
+cloudview747 BTW, this is my 7th or 8th time since yesterday watching this...it's mesmerizing! It's also therapy for me as I work a stressful job and this is like stepping into the twilight zone for me (a good thing). Thanks so much for keeping our artform alive and sharing these great treasures with us! Peace
@@arame29 Diaz.. Buddy moved Rick from 2nd to first because he loved Rick’s phrasing. Rick wanted nothing to do with a high note solo on the last tune of the night.. so Buddy cut Somewhere for Rick. Here, Rick is still in his happy place, the jazz (2nd) chair next to Buddy.
Did it look like Buddy was trying to find his brushes at the beginning of "Somewhere?" This was 1968, when they still included that Great trombone solo. I think that not too long after that, they cut that segment out. Also, he was playing Slingerland by this time. Even though I liked his Rogers drums the best, his drums, particularly his snare, sounds great here. Buddy was, as always, amazing here!
"Somewhere" was occasionally put back in. Rick Culver, Roger Homefield, and a few others played in in later bands. Vince Diaz plays it beautifully here. I see why Rick Stepton perhaps didn't want to play it after this. The other amazing thing here is how Al Porcino plays those lead trumpet parts so effortlessly.
I think I would agree! And speaking of that.. here's a question for you. Based on the hair, do you think the photo on the cover of the double LP Buddy Rich The Monster was taken in 1968 (even though the album was released in the 70s)? I've always wondered.
@@cloudview747 A few years ago I went to Ronnie Scott's club in London, the place where Buddy performed most of the time when he was in Europe... he played there countless times, he played a 54 piece set back in october of '68, but apparently it never got recorded. I'm sure this footage was from the same tour. Do you have any knowledge of any existing footage or something from the Ronnie Scott's session?