I may as well admit the obvious: I am, indeed, a practitioner and partisan of that much maligned and oft-persecuted musical form, that thudding, plodding, torment of tedium, that dazzling display of passion and virtuosity—the drum solo. Much contempt has been rained down upon that time-honored institution by bitter critics and by many drummers. Why? I’m not sure I know, but I’ve been giving it a bit of thought. The concept of a drum solo is like any other form of self-expression in one respect. It can be very good, and it can be very bad. One can dismiss the self-righteous and oh-so-tired accusations of “selfindulgence” and “ego-tripping” in the face of so much obvious appreciation from audiences for even a simple or mediocre drum assault. It certainly is not only the player who receives pleasure from this “ego trip.” Let’s face it. Most people do like to hear drum […]

December 1983 Issue