{"id":11534,"date":"2014-05-05T09:00:26","date_gmt":"2014-05-05T09:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eoisabi.org\/?p=11534"},"modified":"2026-03-28T22:16:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T22:16:27","slug":"five-top-drummers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/englishroam.com\/?p=11534","title":{"rendered":"The driver’s seat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"G_Krupa\"<\/p>\n

\u00a4\u00a0 Gene Krupa<\/strong> has often been considered to be the first drum \u00absoloist.\u00bb Drummers usually had been strictly\u00a0time-keepers or noisemakers, but Krupa interacted with the other musicians and introduced the extended drum solo into jazz. His goal was to support the\u00a0other musicians while creating his own role within the group. Gene is also considered the father of the modern drumset since he convinced H.H. Slingerland, of\u00a0Slingerland Drums<\/strong><\/a>, to make tuneable tom-toms. Tom-toms up to that point had \u00abtacked\u00bb heads, which left little ability to change the sound. The new drum design was introduced in 1936 and was termed\u00a0\u00abSeperate Tension Tunable Tom-Toms.\u00bb<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0Gene was a loyal endorser of Slingerland Drums from 1936 until his death. Krupa was called on by Avedis\u00a0Zildjian<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to help with developing the modern hi-hat cymbals. The original hi-hat was called a \u00ablow-boy\u00bb which was a floor level cymbal setup which was played with the foot.<\/p>\n

\u221e\u00a0 Gene Krupa & Buddy Rich\u00a0<\/a> \u21d0\u00a0 [drum battle]<\/h5>\n

\u00a4\u00a0<\/strong> Arguably the greatest jazz drummer of all time, the legendary Buddy Rich<\/strong> exhibited his love for music through the dedication of his life to the art. His was a career that spanned seven decades, beginning when Rich was 18 months old and continuing until his death in 1987. Immensely gifted, Rich could play with remarkable speed and dexterity despite the fact that he never received a formal lesson and refused to practice outside of his performances.<\/p>\n

\u2666\u00a0\u00a0Art Blakey<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u2190<\/strong>(1919-90)\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2192www.drummerworld.com\/Art_Blakey.html<\/a><\/address>\n

\u2666\u00a0\u00a0Max Roach<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>(1924-2007)<\/p>\n

\u2192www.drummerworld.com\/Max_Roach.html<\/a><\/address>\n

\u2666\u00a0\u00a0Billy Higgins<\/a>\u00a0 <\/strong>(1936-2001)<\/p>\n

\u2192http:\/\/www.drummerworld.com\/Videos\/billyhigginsbusterhenry.html<\/a><\/address>\n

\u2666\u00a0\u00a0Art Taylor<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong> (1929-1995)<\/p>\n

\u2192www.drummerworld.com\/Art_Taylor.html<\/a><\/address>\n

\u2666\u00a0\u00a0Elvin Jones<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u2190<\/strong>(1927-2004)<\/p>\n

\u2192www.drummerworld.com\/Elvin_Jones.html<\/a><\/address>\n

\u2666 \u00a0Tony Williams <\/a>\u00a0\u2190<\/strong>(1945-1997)<\/p>\n

\u2192http:\/\/www.drummerworld.com\/Tony_Williams.html<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2297\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Great drummers:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u21d3<\/h6>\n

Gene Krupa<\/a> + Buddy Rich<\/a> + Louie Bellson<\/a> + Shelly Manne + Stan Levey + Kenny ‘Klook’ Clarke<\/a> + Panama Francis + Sam Woodyard + Mel Lewis + Max Roach<\/a> + Louis Hayes<\/a> + Albert ‘Tootie’ Heath + Joe Morello + Art Blakey<\/a>\u00a0 \u2193<\/strong><\/p>\n