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Why I don't hear bass drums on Jazz LPs?

I don't hear the bass drums during playback of a number of jazz LPs (Webster, Hawkins, Ellington, etc). I have Thiel 3.6 speakers powdered by Mark Levinson 23.5 amp. I can isolate the sound of bass drums on rock/pop LPs but not on jazz LPs unless drummer play solo in the middle parts.

 

I read somewhere this has to do with size of the bass drums used in 40s, 50s and another explanation was the way drummer play bass drums. I can clearly isolate the double bass, snare drums, and cymbals on jazz LPs, but hardly the bass drum. Let me know your experience with this issue. 

pwerahera
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 

@bdp24  Do you know what Chic Webb was using for a bass drum. It looked like a 50 , but then Chic was a very short man due to TB of the spine. All you saw was a head sitting atop the bass drum. Lindy Hop anyone? It seems there is no love for two of my many favorite drummers Tony Williams and Billy Cobham. Insane rock drummers include Tim "Herb" Alexander of Primus and Gunnar Olsen of Pucifer as well as Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree. The hardest hitting drummer of all time has to be Carmine Appice. 

limomangus's avatar
limomangus
1,426 posts
 

GOOD Question and alot of good answers I never thought of .

lewm
13,019 posts
 

+1 for Tony Williams and Billy Cobham. Also for Jimmie Cobb, who lives in my area (if he hasn’t passed) and can be heard on KOB. if we start listing excellent jazz and rock drummers, this will be a long thread.

chrisoshea
377 posts
 

Plenty of love for Tony Williams and Billy Cobham among those who follow and live the jazz life… On a personal preference level, I believe Tool’s Danny Carey to be in the top 3 of any drummer list of the last 60 years…. If you haven’t heard Carey live, grab a tix to the Beat 2024 King Crimson tribute tour and enjoy drummer freaks….

 

chrisoshea
377 posts
 

Jimmie Cobb has indeed passed away… he was the last living KOB musician…

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