Clapton could have gotten any drummer he wanted, and he chose Steve Gadd. Know why? Gadd not only has chops, he’s musical. He plays what the song calls for, no show-boating. What some don’t understand, apparently never will, is that musicality IS "pure ability". It’s what separates the men from the boys. Once again my analogy to sports is proven apropos. So many think playing drums is like running the quarter mile, when it is actually like interpretive dance. Are guitarist’s talents assed in terms of technique alone? If they were, John Hiatt would not have chosen Ry Cooder to be in his all-star band (along with drummer Jim Keltner and bassist Nick Lowe). Still, when Gadd plays a a solo, it’s a really good one, far better (even technically) than what Bonham, Moon, Baker, Peart, or AVH were/are capable of. But it is also a musical composition.
John Bonham’s famous kick drum triples (ask your son what that means) are played purely to show he can play them---they are musically unrelated to what any other musician is playing. Now listen to Levon Helm’s kick drum triples in "We Can Talk About It Now" on Music From Big Pink. See the difference? Some people do, some don’t. Clapton does.
Vinnie Colaiuta underappreciated? Not by drummers---he’s topped just about every pole in the world! He also works for Jeff Beck, a pretty high-profile gig. If the question is asked in relation to what the average person knows, ALL musicians are underappreciated. All they know is what they see on the TV.
