"The World's Greatest Drummer"
Born/Dates
Born: September 30,1917, Brooklyn, NY
Died: April 02,1987
Bio
Buddy Rich was born into a family of vaudevillian entertainers who quickly recognized his innate rhythmic ability at age one, and soon began booking him as "Traps the drum wonder" at only eighteen months old. From that point, Buddy's drumming career spanned seven decades, until his death on April 2, 1987. Naturally gifted, Buddy was said to have never taken formal lessons, and insisted that his only practice was when he played live. Rich was highly regarded as both a side-man and a band-leader.
In 1937 Buddy began playing with Joe Marsala; two years later, his career kicked into high gear when he joined Tommy Dorsey's band. Buddy later went on to play with such jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Ventura, and Louis Armstrong. He also appeared in Hollywood films like Symphony Of Swing(1939), Ship Ahoy (1942), and How's About It(1943).
Throughout the 1960s and '70s, Rich toured with his own band and opened two nightclubs, Buddy's Place and Buddy's Place II. Known for his offbeat humor, Rich was a favorite on several television talk shows, including The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. His countless recordings include the legendary ten-minute West Side Story medley.
Rich died of heart failure in April '87, following surgery for a malignant brain tumor. Longtime friend Frank Sinatra delivered a touching eulogy at his funeral. Today Buddy Rich is remembered as one of history's greatest musicians. According to another great jazz drumming legend, Gene Krupa, Rich was "the greatest drummer ever to have drawn breath."
Style & Technique
Regarded among many as the greatest drummer ever, Rich is best known for his speed, dexterity, control, and smooth execution on the instrument. His blazing-fast technique has been one of the most studied and coveted techniques in drumming, resulting in numerous books and schools of technical study. However, despite his lightening-fast hands and boundless facility on the drums, Buddy himself shied away from focusing on technique.
Buddy insisted, "I'm opposed to all this talk about finger control and all that nonsense. The same with all this matched-grip business. I don't understand it. I've yet to hear a guy play a closed roll with matched grip, it just seems terribly awkward to me to play it that way. It goes against the position of your hands. Your left hand falls to the left, not to the right. My playing is simple because there's very little exertion or effort that goes with it."
"What I do is play naturally. The upper part of my body is totally relaxed, and I can manipulate the sticks so I don't have to use full arm strokes to get from the snare drum to a tom-tom. My wrists are flexible enough without having to use a lot of arm motion. It's tiring lifting up the whole arm to get one movement from the lower part of your wrists. I can flex my wrists, and it's natural–from side to side, up and down, or striking the cymbal from underneath.
"It's a matter of being flexible enough to control the stick. You can't control the stick with your fingers. Try it. It will fall right out of your hand. You must get a grip on the stick and allow the stick freedom within that grip, because you control it with your hand. And when you grip the stick, you don't choke it. You let it breathe so there's room in there for letting the stick bounce."
Influences
Buddy once said, "I consider every drummer that ever played before me an influence, in every way..."
Additional Info
Buddy Rich has been called the greatest jazz drummer of all time-a statement that few would argue with.
Buddy was always quick to let you know what was on his mind-but he didn't like to sound like a preacher. "I don't give advice to anyone. Everyone has to and should make their own decisions."
Select Discography
Big Swing Face (1967)
The Greatest Drummer That Ever Lived (1977)
Selections From West Side Story & Other Delights (1991)
Live Concert: Buddy's Place
Rich Versus Roach
Krupa & Rich
Buddy Rich At The Hollywood Palladium
Lionel Hampton Presents Buddy Rich
Speak No Evil
Stick It
Buddy Rich In London
Different Drummer
Mercy, Mercy
The Swingin' Buddy Rich
The Best Of Buddy Rich
2005 Blues Caravan
The Lost Tapes
Channel One Suite
Jazz Legend
Lost West Side Story Tapes
Live At 1982 Montreal Jazz Festival
MD Issues
January, 1977; December, 1981; August, 1987; April, 2002
