Thank you for the great work to build this amazing and precisely documented summary.😘 He has THE "dynamic pulse" combined with phyical and emotional focus. He is on my very short list of drummers reaching my heart directly - without going through brain.hahahaha THX!
I second that emotion Howard! He was drummer in one of my first bands, nearly 40 years ago, and aside from being amazed & blown away by his playing, every night was like being in a master class of musicality, I learned so much! He set a very high bar for all the drummers I've worked with over the years, thankfully, I have been fortunate enough to have worked with some really excellent ones since. But Sonny is in a class by himself, amazing chops, big "ears", and a huge palette of dynamics, nuances, & other variations, with which to best keep every song fresh & in the moment. Oh, and an incredible ability to maintain dynamic and emotional intensity, even when playing a ballad, or having to play at low volume, via brushes.
@StevenCharlesJazz all I can say is you're a lucky guy to have had that experience. It's amazing that he remained hidden from me until recently. One of THE best.
