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Big Bass Drum Jazz

I had a chance last weekend to see The Bad Plus play live in a small hall here in Pittsburgh. I've got a couple of their albums and honestly, they can't hold up with the live sound. BP's drummer plays like an animal and nothing they've released has captured it clearly. He’s really quite amazing to see live.

This did get me to thinking about some of my favorite drum recordings. None of them are have drummers as leaders but they are great non-the-less. Among my personal favorite jazz albums with great drumming are:

Duke Ellington - Duke's Big Four
Thelonius Monk - Monk's Music (Art Blakey was the man)
Dave Brubeck - Time Out & Further Out (Cliche but great)

Monk is not a great sounding recording, but the playing is amazing. Brubeck is a really good sound. The Ellington disk is among the best recordings I own and there is some really wonderfully done kick drum here. Great stuff.

Anyone have any other discs/records they'd like to champion?
grimace
audiotomb's avatar
audiotomb
1,112 posts
 
Art Blakely's Jazz Messengers
Wayne Shorter's more recent albums with Brian Blade
Elvin Jones work
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
Grimace,

I know what you mean about the drums. This approach to recording is called slap. The drums have a "slap" kind of sound which adds to the rhythm or attack. (Mike placement has a lot to do with it and sometimes a drum reverb machine is used)

You may also enjoy the sound of the drumming on Brick House The Commodores.

You may also enjoy Tower of Power Soul Vaccination (Live) - the dynamic range on this recording is impressive and may capture that "live" effect that you find missing on The Bad Plus studio albums compared to how they sounded live.
chazro's avatar
chazro
635 posts
 
Don't know if you're into Fusion/Rock/Jazz BUT....drummer Simon Phillips released 2 albums; 'Another Lifetime' & 'Out of The Blue ("Another Lifetime - Live"). Besides being 2 of the finer Fusion efforts released within this past decade there's Phillips signature bass drum sound, which can only be describes as MASSIVE! When he plays with Toto they actually mix it lower although still recognizable. Go to audiophileimports.com and treat yourself!;)
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
tony williams on 'the great jazz trio live at the village vanguard'. a great conventional trio, with williams working his drumkit like he's auditioning for a led zepplin gig. as weird as that sounds, it is one of the great live gigs ever put to tape. man could 'he' keep a beat.
imin2u
392 posts
 
Chazro's right AND you must read the bio on Simon Phillips. He was playing professionally at 15!
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