The Self-Proclaimed “World’s Fastest Drummer” This month I’d like to talk about the great Barrett Deems. Barrett wasn’t as much of a household name in the big band world as Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, or Louie Bellson, but he was a great player with decades of fine work to his credit. Deems was born in Chicago in 1914 and resided there until he passed in 1998 at the age of eighty-four. He had endless amounts of restless energy. He always played with style and taste, whether with a small combo or a big band setting, but he had chops to spare and could bring down the house with his solos. Deems worked with many great artists, including violinist Joe Venuti, and he did stints with the big bands of Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, and Woody Herman before joining vibraphonist Red Norvo’s group in 1948. He then did a five-year run […]

November 2020 Issue