Lombardi Live! featuring Virgil Donati (Episode 1) 

Hey guys, thank you for tuning in. I always look forward to a chat with Don. He has a broad and quite profound understanding of drumming and the drummers mind, which leads to empathic, flowing conversations. Furthermore, like to express my unconditional respect and gratitude to Don for his undying commitment to encouraging and facilitating the education of drummers all around the world. With these amazing tools on offer, we all, as a collective, have a chance to take the instrument to previously unexplored places... let's forge ahead!

Virgil is a beast. This guy is on his own level. Not only from another planet but yet another galaxy. Certainly one of the greatest of all time

Respect Virgil for your legendary contribution to rhythm

Virgil...words can not express the profound admiration, gratitude, joy and love for all that you are as a person, musician and educator.....you're AMAZING.!!! Infinite Love & Light to you my brother.

this guy as a drummer is from another planet, it´s all other level...

Virgil is my drum Hero 🙌❤️⚡️

Come on Virgil!!!!!!! Edu here, present! Big hug from Argentina dude!

Ruination is a stunning album!

The quantising of Heavy Metal double bass drumming robs the music of character. Niko McBrain is a great swing drummer and his sense of groove has rooted Maiden for years.

Man, Don and Virgil - thank you so much for sharing this. For me one of the most interesting and valuable videos i've seen for a long time! Great insights and explanations from Virgil - could understand and connect to every topic immediately. It's more of a really great lesson here than a conversation or interview... I've seen Virgil a few times live in different settings, but will never forget a very special one: I've had the chance in 2004 as a young german drummer to be part of a recording session in former cello studios in L.A. - not that this wouldn't be awesome enough: After finishing the recording day we went over to the baked potatoe. Sittin' about 1 meter beside Virgils Kit with a cold drink and see, hear and feel every little nuance of his playin' was a blast. Virgil was kind enough to ask me what i'm doin' and so on. One of my best moments and days as a musician. Hope we all can continue to play, enjoy, teach, share, live and love music. All the best to you all and keep it up! Greets from Germany!

This guy is nice and cool, and one of the most proficient musicians ever.

Virgil Donati!!! Definitely from Mars!!!!

Love Virgils drumming...listen alot to Icefish at the moment❤🏆👍

'Swing' is the silent space between swung 8th notes and the triplet feel itself.. it is felt as almost timeless... There are incredible examples in South India that have 'swung' for centuries.. Great interview.. great drummer.. thank you.

Virgil ..... yyyeeeaaaahhh,...you're just.....a Real Artist !!!!!! Absolutly Amazing

Thank you for this! Virgil is just unbelieavable.🍻

Virg.Donati ,one of the greatest artist ,the picasso of our siecle .

philly jo and virgil donati=epic!

Awesome video with an absolute living legend. I wish more drummers (and everyone else) knew and appreciated how incredible Virgil is. Hope that more will discover him.

He’s a legend 🥁

Nice Interview from my old band leader..Really good Virg!

Maestro

So much respect for Virgil!!

Virgil,you are a monster!!

There will be only one Virgil Donati; one of a kind for sure!

Thanks Don and Virgil!! This was a wonderful and inspiring drum "Hang" Much Love to you both!

Very nice talk like always from both of you guys! Thanks for the sharing!

great master! virgil.

GOAT

Amazing Drummer!!!!!!! Luis Voisin drum solo🤟💪🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

thanks don for digging virgil his side of trad grip playing. i thought it was wow.

This was such a great interview. So interesting that Virgil mentioned limiting yourself via loyalty. Looking back, that was one of the huge mistakes I made. Learn as many different perspectives from as many people as you can.

I am ready!!!

In need a few more lives to understand your drumming Virgil, for now i just enjoy getting my mind blown away by your talent. 💯🍻

Virgil the Alien

Genialllll 😊✌🏻🙂

Amazing Guy, amazing musician.

Virgil's such a great drummer and very nice humble person, I wish I'd known about him when I met him over 20 years ago,I'd have some real questions to ask and love to have a conversation again, I'm such a big fan,,Thank you for this interview, excellent!

Virgil is the best, just a great dude.

I can certainly agree about the amount of drumming information that are out here today as opposed to just 30 years ago, being an old school drummer who learned how to play just by listening to the jukebox and the radio, playing behind or covering recordings that was pretty much for me and quite a bit for a lot of others... the drumming technology and techniques of today is really phenomenal, I see and hear drummers today during things I have no knowledge about, let alone can play. Sometimes I ask myself, man where have you been? Why did you stop playing? And how do I get motivated again? Last year I said this is gonna be the year I am going to pickup the sticks and try to play ( fake) something ( SIGH)!!! Drumming today is on a whole other level , even other instrumentalists are on the next level of playing as opposed to 30 or even 40 some years ago... the only thing I regret is why did I stop playing?

Dándole like desde antes porque Virgil es un campeón.

Wow, taking lessons from Philly Joe Jones, Jesus. Philly is my favorite jazz drummer of the 50s and was a huge influence on me as a rock drummer.

still love your drumming!!

Like the interviewer said, when I play to lyrics I am a quite different drummer for the better, much better. I also learn the song faster and by going with the lyrics I feel much more natural as oppose to counting beat or rhythm. I also found out doing drum solo while singing the melody it seems much more musical to me, though I am just no body drummer

Energy drum solo Luis Voisin 🥁🥁💪🥁💪🥁💪🔥🥁🔥🥁💪💪💪💪🤟

thx

Has time to not only be the best but proficiently Plays piano and is bi lingual. Amazing

Thanks Virgil!!!!🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 immigrant song" solo Luis voisin🥁🔥🥁🔥🥁💪

Look at those calves! Pedals grow legs and run away when they see Virgil coming! Lol

I really enjoy how both featured artist and selected interviewer nerd out for stretches here. I know of both named guys here so do not intend to reduce their roles in this clip as interviewer or interviewee but with that reduction even we have this keen nerding out exchange(properly described as intellectualising) whereby us viewers benifit from the philosophy gatherings of both artists when even simply explaining the practice of good technique. They describe visual arcs and physical efficiency along with musical and artistic expression. I will here though offer my own input. The arcs and flow these guys both described as arcs and martial arts, I've always described as esthetics. My own journey saw me practice to a mirror, like many others I'm sure, but with my own conclusion that I preferred a certain esthetic to my own movement and therefore physical performance. Not described so here but surely a similar realisation right? Has anyone else here in there own words there own description of their own journey? Please do share!

I will not pretend to understand much of what he is playing and all the odd times, etc, but I remember seeing him do doubles on the bass drums years ago on his Premier kit and thinking 'Yeah, damn...." Ridiculously good.

4:32 glad to hear was not Virgilio the one who said "Freddie Gruber" alongside with "premiere educator". Pheeeewwwww.... I can still fully trust him!

I agree with Virgil. Not a big fan of the Freddy Gruber method or Moeller technique.

Lots of talk about Freddie Gruber, here. I know this might sound odd, but I’ve never seen any evidence that he could actually play drums. Virgil himself even says that the “Gruber approach” didn’t work for him.

Yeah, look at Chad Wackerman’s 40 Reasons cover pre 9/11

Why is he wearing a t-shirt with his own name on it?