Love those Jackie (Sonny) Wilson/ Billy Mitchell tracks!! Not surprised to read and hear that these great drummers "cut their teeth" in R'n'B bands as that music became the "lingua franca" of the Black working class during and after WWII. Great digging as always, Vinnie –– looking forward to the new Choir Invisible on Intakt!
a lot of the new orleans drummers who went up to chicago either with armstrong, joe king oliver, and etc - were all steeped in blues and other forms of music.. baby dodds, zutty singleton, jimmy bertrand and etc - influencing sid catlett and on and on... so this has been happening for a long time.. i like how you've highlighted it here with some of the big names in jazz drumming from the 60's era too... as i understood it, drummers who wanted to work would take gigs with any variety of musical styles with the idea of making a livelihood playing drums.. if you can get a gig playing jazz - great, but that is not always an option!!
I was lucky enough to catch that band at the Vanguard and was blown away by how attentive and generous 90 year-old Jimmy Cobb's drumming was. I remember a particularly delectable Cheesecake the night I saw them.
Great stuff my friend. As I’m 67 I remember that occasionally a jazz instrumental would find its way into the top 40_ sidewinder.. I distinctly remember it being in those table side juke boxes at diners!
Those King records were recorded so well and of course the players were fantastic.
There’s a great Jimmy smith with Bill Henderson vocal with Philly Joe … ain’t that love… I think is title… very nice.
Not quite the R&B you focus on but Frank Capp it’s said was the drummer on Sonny and Cher… “ The beat goes on”… that’s cool drumming.
Finally and thanks for the indulgence I give you Shep Shepard. He played with Bill Doggett a great swing/ R&B drummer
I request that you continue as you wrote about Birds’ main man Max Roach , with a similar historical analysis of Kenny Clarke - the Dizzy Gillespie drummer .
Love those Jackie (Sonny) Wilson/ Billy Mitchell tracks!! Not surprised to read and hear that these great drummers "cut their teeth" in R'n'B bands as that music became the "lingua franca" of the Black working class during and after WWII. Great digging as always, Vinnie –– looking forward to the new Choir Invisible on Intakt!
Amazing post!
a lot of the new orleans drummers who went up to chicago either with armstrong, joe king oliver, and etc - were all steeped in blues and other forms of music.. baby dodds, zutty singleton, jimmy bertrand and etc - influencing sid catlett and on and on... so this has been happening for a long time.. i like how you've highlighted it here with some of the big names in jazz drumming from the 60's era too... as i understood it, drummers who wanted to work would take gigs with any variety of musical styles with the idea of making a livelihood playing drums.. if you can get a gig playing jazz - great, but that is not always an option!!
Wonderful post!
I was lucky enough to catch that band at the Vanguard and was blown away by how attentive and generous 90 year-old Jimmy Cobb's drumming was. I remember a particularly delectable Cheesecake the night I saw them.
Great stuff my friend. As I’m 67 I remember that occasionally a jazz instrumental would find its way into the top 40_ sidewinder.. I distinctly remember it being in those table side juke boxes at diners!
Those King records were recorded so well and of course the players were fantastic.
There’s a great Jimmy smith with Bill Henderson vocal with Philly Joe … ain’t that love… I think is title… very nice.
Not quite the R&B you focus on but Frank Capp it’s said was the drummer on Sonny and Cher… “ The beat goes on”… that’s cool drumming.
Finally and thanks for the indulgence I give you Shep Shepard. He played with Bill Doggett a great swing/ R&B drummer
I request that you continue as you wrote about Birds’ main man Max Roach , with a similar historical analysis of Kenny Clarke - the Dizzy Gillespie drummer .