Channel One

Following a post about drum solos, it's almost no surprise that I'd mention the works of Buddy Rich. Buddy Rich is one of the most famous jazz drummers of all time. It would definitely be safe to say that if you know anything about jazz drumming, you've heard of Buddy Rich. Buddy is known for his incredible displays of technique, and also the mind-blowing speed that he plays at. Personally, when I watch Buddy, I notice how fluid his movements are. Nobody looks as comfortable with playing drums as he does. Nothing comes out as forced, unless he's really trying to fit in that last 64th note into his solos.

It's hard to talk about Buddy Rich without seeing him firsthand. When you watch the following videos, notice how easy he makes some of the most difficult rhythms come out. Also notice how much he sweats and looks like he wants to kill the drum!

The first video is of Buddy in action with his Big Band. If you've ever seen West Side Story, you'll recognize the following song, but I bet you've never looked at the song this way before. This is one of my favorite Buddy Rich solos of all time, for the fact that it shows his ability to play with a band, along with being able to bust out an outstanding solo.



This second video I posted because it displays his amazing speed. If you want proof that he's fast, compare him to another very fast drummer: Ed Shaughnessy (from the Tonight Show) This is a drum battle, where one drummer plays something and the second drummer attempts to one-up it. Seriously, just watch the speed!



The third solo is another fantastic solo. In the song "Channel One Suite", which is an incredible song, Buddy's drumming is featured a lot. It opens with a solo, has another short solo soon after, and ends with three more solos. The solo here is the very last solo, which is the longest in the suite. I love this one because it's so "diverse". He changes a lot of things while he's drumming. At one point he'll be doing a lot of tom drumming. Then he'll focus only on the cymbals (one of the only people I know to play an amazing cymbal solo). Then all of a sudden he'll do a solo with just his drumsticks! After that, he'll switch to showing off his snare skills. In my opinion, it's one of the best solos he's ever done.



Of course, anyone who knows of Buddy Rich has probably also seen the Animal vs. Buddy Rich video off of The Muppet Show, but I'll just make a link for that one. Though, it is definitely worth watching.