Buddy Rich
When it came to technique, speed, power, and the ability to put together incredible drum solos, Buddy Rich lived up to the billing of "the world's greatest drummer." Although some other drummers were more innovative, in reality none were in his league even during the early days. A genius, Buddy Rich started playing drums in vaudeville as "Traps, the Drum Wonder" when he was only 18 months old; he was completely self-taught. Rich performed in vaudeville throughout his childhood and developed into a decent singer and a fine tap dancer. But drumming was his purpose in life, and by 1938 he had discovered jazz and was playing with Joe Marsala's combo. Rich was soon propelling Bunny Berigan's orchestra, he spent most of 1939 with Artie Shaw (at a time when the clarinetist had the most popular band in swing), and then from 1939-1945 (except for a stint in the military) he was making history with Tommy Dorsey. During this era it became obvious that Buddy Rich was the king of drummers, easily dethroning his friend Gene Krupa. Rich had a bop-ish band during 1945-1947 that did not catch on, toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic, recorded with a countless number of all-stars in the 1950s for Verve (including Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Art Tatum, and Lionel Hampton), and worked with Les Brown, Charlie Ventura, Tommy Dorsey (1954-1955), and Harry James (off and on during 1953-1966). A heart attack in 1959 only slowed him down briefly and, although he contemplated becoming a full-time vocalist, Rich never gave up the drums.
In 1966, Buddy Rich beat the odds and put together a successful big band that would be his main outlet for his final 20 years. His heart began giving him trouble starting in 1983, but Rich never gave his music less than 100 percent and was still pushing himself at the end. A perfectionist who expected the same from his sidemen (some of whom he treated cruelly), Buddy Rich is definitively documented in Mel Tormé's book Traps the Drum Wonder. His incredible playing can be viewed on several readily available videotapes, although surprisingly few of his later big band albums have been made available yet on CD.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
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Birdland (Live)
Jazz - Erschienen bei LIGHTYEAR (LTY) am 17.02.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Big Swing Face (Live)
Jazz - Erschienen bei Blue Note Records am 01.01.1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Swingin' New Big Band (Expanded Edition)
Jazz - Erschienen bei Blue Note Records am 01.01.1966
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Keep The Customer Satisfied
Jazz - Erschienen bei Blue Note Records am 01.02.1970
Qobuz’ Schallplattensammlung16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Solos (Live)
Jazz - Erschienen bei LIGHTYEAR (LTY) am 09.05.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Argo, Verve & Emarcy Small Group Sessions
Jazz - Erschienen bei Verve Reissues am 01.01.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Just in Time: The Final Recording
Jazz - Erschienen bei Gearbox Records am 12.06.2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rich vs. Roach - Battle of the Bands & Drums
Jazz - Erschienen bei Stardust Records am 01.11.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Trios (Live)
Jazz - Erschienen bei Lightyear Entertainment LP and Steve Michelson Productions Inc. am 01.09.2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blues Caravan
Jazz - Erschienen bei Verve Reissues am 05.08.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Somebody Loves Me (Remastered)
Zoot Sims, Bucky Pizzarelli, Buddy Rich
Jazz - Erschienen bei LRC Ltd. - Groove Merchant Records am 01.01.1974
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Roar Of '74
Jazz - Erschienen bei LRC Ltd. - Groove Merchant Records am 01.01.1974
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Best Of Buddy Rich / The Pacific Jazz Years
Buddy Rich, The Buddy Rich Big Band
Jazz - Erschienen bei Blue Note Records am 01.01.1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Greatest Drummer That Ever Lived
Jazz - Erschienen bei Gryphon Records am 01.01.2002
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The New One
Jazz - Erschienen bei Blue Note Records am 01.05.1968
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo