Greatest Drummer (Percussionist) of All Time

[ZZ PUPPS]

Thanks to all of you for your response. Since my vid for Carl was when he was 59 years old, here's one of him at his prime...1974

 

[Meathead]

Pupps' nomination, Carl Palmer. Below is from 2009, at 59 years of age, the others still can't touch him.

Well, it is still a bit like being the world's tallest midget.

 

[ZZ PUPPS]

Pupps' nomination, Carl Palmer. Below is from 2009, at 59 years of age, the others still can't touch him.

Well, it is still a bit like being the world's tallest midget.

Pupps takes it you've never sat behind a kit. Pupps has.

 

[Kosh]

Maybe not the greatest, but is still pretty cool:

 

[westwall]

I have to go with Neil Peart. He can play any style and is simply the most awesome I have ever seen...






And here he is playing with Buddy Rich's band!

 

[Muhammed]

 

[Snouter]

Gavin Harrison is currently the best drummer on Earth...ever.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

I don't know . . . Don Brewer from GFR was pretty good.



Neil Peart?

Zappa asked Brewer to play for him, Brewer declined.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

"I was just enamored with Vinnie. Back in the Frank days, his whole approach, when I heard Vinnie play, his phrasing - it satisfied something in my heart. It was easy to get certain rhythmic gratification from straight up-and-down-type players. Playing grooves, alternate grooves here and there. But Vinnie just came in and threw a wrench into the works. The guy is an alien. He was able to touch buttons with his sense of polyrhythms that no one has ever done. Frank's band was the perfect soundboard for that. I started transcribing his playing for The Frank Zappa Book. I mean, there's five to six different notations for the hi-hat!" [laughs]

"I'll tell you a really great Vinnie story. He's one of the most amazing sight-readers that ever existed on the instrument. One day we were in a Frank rehearsal, this was early '80s, and Frank brought in this piece of music called "Mo 'N Herb's Vacation." Just unbelievably complex. All the drums were written out, just like "The Black Page" except even more complex. There were these runs of like 17 over 3 and every drumhead is notated differently. And there were a whole bunch of people there, I think Bozzio was there."

"Vinnie had this piece of music on the stand to his right. To his left he had another music stand with a plate of sushi on it, okay? Now the tempo of the piece was very slow, like "The Black Page." And then the first riff came in, [mimics bizarre Zappa-esque drum rhythm patterns] with all these choking of cymbals, and hi-hat, ruffs, spinning of rototoms and all this crazy stuff. And I saw Vinnie reading this thing. Now, Vinnie has this habit of pushing his glasses up with the middle finger of his right hand. Well I saw him look at this one bar of music, it was the last bar of music on the page. He started to play it as he was turning the page with one hand, and then once the page was turned he continued playing the riff with his right hand, as he reached over with his left hand, grabbed a piece of sushi and put it in his mouth, continued the riff with his left hand and feet, pushed his glasses up, and then played the remaining part of the bar."

"It was the sickest thing I have ever seen. Frank threw his music up in the air. Bozzio turned around and walked away. I just started laughing." -- Steve Vai

Vinny's work on "Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar" is well, the world is not ready for it. It will take 50 years, maybe more before people can appreciate the instantaneous collaboration between Zappa and Vincent Colaiuta.

 

[sakinago]

Pupps' nomination, Carl Palmer. Below is from 2009, at 59 years of age, the others still can't touch him.

It's got to be Buddy Rich, followed by John Bonham.

We're close, to a degree. Pupps has 'em ranked:

Carl Palmer
John "Bonzo" Bonham ( who said Carl was the best he had ever seen )
Buddy Rich

Yeah buddy rich is still the first, hands down, even for non jazz fans. Not only ahed of his time, I can't think of anyone comparable.

I am a drummer, I love and play jazz often, I love playing rock, and I love playing RB. Jazz by far requires the most fines and skill and there is no better than buddy rich.

The next best 2 are jazz players, who are debatable. Rock players shouldn't get a mention till the last 3 IMHO.

 

[sakinago]

Thanks to all of you for your response. Since my vid for Carl was when he was 59 years old, here's one of him at his prime...1974

I FORGOT TO MENTION BILLY MARTIN. Definitely gets a honorable mention, far above any rock drummer. He plays a funk/fusion which is so much harder than your standard rock.

Don't mistake lack of showmanship for skill and control when it comes to this guys. For true drum fans watch this whole video, note the bassist Chris wood is way out of his league compared to everyone around him.

For the passer byes, start at around 7:30 for a good sample of this guy

 

[longknife]

 

[basquebromance]

Matt Barrick of The Walkmen

 

[eflatminor]

I'll go with Tony Williams

 

[edthecynic]

I FORGOT TO MENTION BILLY MARTIN. Definitely gets a honorable mention, far above any rock drummer. He plays a funk/fusion which is so much harder than your standard rock.

Don't mistake lack of showmanship for skill and control when it comes to this guys. For true drum fans watch this whole video, note the bassist Chris wood is way out of his league compared to everyone around him.

For the passer byes, start at around 7:30 for a good sample of this guy

Scofield actually stole the riff from drummer and composer Billy Cobham's 1974 Crosswinds album.

 

[yiostheoy]

Rolling Stone listed the top 100.

100 Greatest Drummers of All Time

 

[Unkotare]

Yoshiki

 

[edthecynic]

Give the drummer some!

 

[yiostheoy]

1 - John Bonham, Led Zeppelin

2 - Keith Moon, The Who

3 - Ginger Baker, The Cream

4 - Neil Peart, Rush

5 - Hal Blaine, Wrecking Crew

6 - Clyde Stubblefield, James Brown Band

7 - Gene Krupa, 1927 Chicago jazz scene

8 - Mitch Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix Experience

9 - Al Jackson Jr., Booker T & The MG's.

10 - Stewart Copeland, The Police

100 Greatest Drummers of All Time

 

[yiostheoy]

Of Rolling Stone's top 10, I would say Bonham of Led Zeppelin.

They are also probably the very best all time rock band as well.