It’s true what they say/and a question
Last night I heard the Marcin Wasilewski Trio in Baltimore. Wow! Not only did it restore my faith in humanity—if three guys could produce such beauty, we as a species can do anything—it also proved the old adage that listening to live music is essential. I was enjoying the music and comparing what I heard to my system. I was very very pleased. I feel my system is fairly dialed in. Piano bass and most of the drums. If anything the tom toms sounded a little more real, a little more fluid than at home. So here is my question: what are some tracks that reveal that tom tom sound? Cymbals, snare and bass I got. I’m looking for something that will highlight the tom toms.
I don't think that any specific recording could tell you what you want to know because drums are recorded and processed very differently on every recording, and even if that wasn't the case, different brands of drums sound very different depending on the material they're made of and the heads, tuning etc.
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As a drummer I agree with @roxy54 that the sound of tom toms can vary widely depending on many things. Hell, using the right heads I can make my maple kit sound like it has birch shells, so who the hell knows what’s “right?” That said, one song off the top of my head that captures a good balance of tone, resonance/ringing, sustain, dynamics, and the sound of the stick hitting the drumhead is the beginning of “Miss Thing” from Cyrus Chestnut’s self-titled CD. I also find the tom tom as recorded in SRV’s “Tin Pan Alley” to sound pretty realistic. If I think of some others I’ll report back. |
Yep, Marcin is a tremendous player. I have CD’s/hard drives of his work. He also plays with Manu Katche band. Both artists are on ECM which are always great recordings. Soix, if you’re a drummer you may know of Katche who is an unbelievable drummer. You should find some of his work and have a listen, if you haven’t already. |
Agree with @roxy54 I listen to a ton of jazz both live and recorded. One could argue that of all jazz instruments the drums seem to vary the most from one recording to another. A good example of good tom drumming is "Monks Dream" Theloneous Monk Columbia records with drummer Frankie Dunlap. Charles |
Drums tend to be close miked in modern recordings, so they often have less air than you'll hear when you hear a kit played live. The Sheffield Drum Record still stands up pretty well in realistically reproducing drum sound. While not overloaded with fills, Bob James'es Feels Like Making Live has superbly recorded drum sound. But as other posts have said, heads, tuning, shell depth and diameter and mic'ing, compression all influence how drums sound when recorded. |
The Great Jazz Trio’s Direct from LA is not just the best sounding album I own, it’s the best sounding album I’ve ever heard. All three instruments are in the room on a good system. I saw Tony Williams several times in clubs in the years shortly before to shortly after it was recorded, and this captures his sound. It’s also a terrific piano recording, and there playing is first rate. |
The live version of Lingus by the band Snarky Puppy has one of the best sounding drum performances I have heard. Larnell Lewis learned the song on the flight to the gig as a fill in, and shines like the true star he is. It is one of the coolest stories in recent music lore. What class and talent that man is. |
Based on the OP questions about drums. I did a little research and came across an interview with the Cream's drummer Ginger Baker, 1 minute in he discusses the tom toms. As an aside I can't believe he lived to 80, if you knew the Cream you know what I mean, Ginger cranked it up on the drums no doubt ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrN6zwL2lfs&list=PLfJvo_K2lxXoDVUH5qvAFB7nfQuswQgd6&index=4
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