well 'gain. And Basic was one of the first to telephone after be surprising. But coming from the modern camp, it is, in Rich was stricken with a heart attack in November. a sense. For Rich hasn’t always been kind to them in his There is a tie of affection between Basie and Rich that comments. During the early days of bebop, he expressed gives many persons the idea that Rich once was employed disdain for the new drummers, saying they had no right to by Basie. Actually, Rich only played as fill-in drummer break up the rhythmic flow of a band with constant explo­ with the band for two weeks after Jo Jones was drafted in sions and extraneous back beats. To him. drums constituted 1944. a complete instrument, designed to set and hold the beat, B.-'ie was playing the Club Plantation in Los Angeles at and even when throwing in explosions, he would never sacri­ that time. Rich was in Culver City, making a movie with fice rhythmic continuity. He felt the modernists were sacri­ Tommy Dorsey on the M-G-M lot. To help Basie, Buddy ficing the essential reason for drums in order to get a new worked every evening with the band after working from sound. b a.m. to 5 p.m. at M-G-M But time has mellowed Rich’s views on drummers, along For some reason, Basie and Rich never got around to with his playing, which is more restrained than it was in discussing money. After two weeks, a regular substitute the days of the Granz tours. He respects any drummer who for Jones arrived Basie handed Buddy a signed blank check is sincere in his work, though he will not condone tricks and and told him to fill it tn as he saw fit. “My pleasure,” Buddy gimmicks. "They bastardize music,” he said said—and gave the check back. So Basie bought Buddy an Rich is insistent that a drummer use both hands and his expensive wrist watch. Later, Basie said the musicians in feet to their best rhythmic advantage He keeps his left hand the band had been so appreciative of Rich's drumming that going all the time, playing rhythm, instead of slapping with they came to work early for the first and last time during it now and then. His foot works constantly at the bass drum, his stint. though many drummers use it only to augment brass explo­ sions, and still others do not use it at all. , That is part of the other side of Buddy Rich. “Buddy is Evidently, attitude is as much responsible for Rich’s play­ very generous,” said Jack Tracy, a former Down Beat ing as technique. He said he clears his mind of all outside editor who is now artists and repertoire director for Argo influences when he’s working. He thinks only of the im­ Records. mediate job, playing for the band and not for himself—nor Tracy, a long-time and close friend of the drummer, pro­ to impress the audience. In fact, he said he tries not to watch vides one of the best explanations of Rich’s volatile and seem­ the audience because there are “too many distractions—a ingly contradictory personality. pretty girl, or you might sec the agent running away with "There are three guys in this business who always seem the loot.” to me to he a lot alike." Tracy said recently. “Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, and Buddy Rich. VX7HO influenced Rich in the development of his highly “Buddy is completely honest and forthright in everything ’ ’ distinctive style? he says,” Tracy went on. “A lol of people may resent that. The first jazz drummer to come to his attention was Tony Sometimes he even speaks rashly. But you take that into Briglia, with the Glen Gray Casa Loma Orchestra, in 1933. account, as you do with all friends. Speaking out com­ Buddy would sit home listening to the band’s broadcasts, pletely honestly at any and all limes is, as far as I’m con­ drumming along with Casa Lotna Stomp, Wild Goose Chase, fined, a virtue, not a fault. and The Dance of the Lame Duck. He was intrigued by “You have lo remember that Buddy has been in show Briglia’s rolls and paradiddles. business since he was 2. He’s been around adults all his life. Later, he listened particularly to four jazz drummers, “In some ways, he’s a child of nature. One minute he all of whom are now dead: Chick Webb, O’Neill Spencer, can be petulant and moody and the next the most charming Dave Tough, and Sid Catlett Still later, after hearing the th jazz as gentleman you ever met. He doesn’t conceal his likes and Basie band, he became an admirer of Jo Jones. much for dislikes under a veneer of so-called civilization “But I don’t believe you learn from another,” Buddy nd Bird— “There’s a theory I hold about musicians. Once they are says. “You learn from experience, but most important of mature, they arc what they play. Garner is what he plays, all, you have to possess a technique. You either have it listen to Buddy play. He can be unexplosive, he can be or you don't.” rutal pro­ unyieldingly driving. If he likes who he’s playing with and Granz to Those drummers and musicians who admire Rich are the type of music he’s playing, he’ll work beautifully with came, was always amazed at how quickly he can master a new arrange­ them He’ll feed them ana help build them. ment, though he cannot read music. Recently trombonist 'But he won't stand for a sloppy performance from peo­ ! regarded J J Johnson, told that Buddy couldn’t read. said. “You’re ple in his group. Instead of being gentle with criticism, he’ll .miners of kidding! A lot of musicians will say they can't read when blurt oul, ‘Why the hell don’t you play something?’ ly play, he they mean they don’t read well. But Buddy can't read? I “In some cases, he may be too demanding of musicians, tribute to find that very hard to believe.” because he expects everyone to play as well as he does. And play noth- there aren't too many who can. But it is true. Clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, who was with iny critics “To me, Buddy Rich is something else. Good God! A the Tommy Dorsey band during one of Rich’s periods with jpe on the the organization, tells the story of an engagement at the fantastic musician!” New York Paramount. The band was to accompany a tich never And that is where almost all discussions of Rich end. European knife-thrower whose act was chilling, to say the al times— 4 * Whether for or against the man, they usually wind up least. He fastened his wife to a wheel, turned it, and, i last year, in admiration of the drummer. while she spun, slammed knives, meataxes and everything er a bitter From Dixieland drummers to advanced moderns, the ad­ else pointed and deadly so hard into the board that they miration flows. “He is one of the greatest and always will penetrated to a depth of three inches—quivering •orsev and be,” Ray Bauduc said recently. “He really rocks a band when Needless to say. his cue music was complicated. As he ed to play he gets in the driver’s seat and takes control.” distributed music to the band. Buddy took his sheet, looked should I* | Modern Jazz Quartet drummer Connie Kay said that when at it briefly, and said. “I can’t read this.” layed with he was a young, developing drummer, he listened to two The knife-thrower became hysterical. “I’ll kill my wife!” iey treated men: Rich and Gene Krupa. he cried. “Who hired this hand? Get a new drummer! Get u to play, I Willie Jones, auxiliary drummer with the Max Roach a new band!” xn. Wood' Quintet, calls Rich “a giant and a great trouper.” But Dorsey calmed him. and the act went on Rich m the Praise from the older element among drummers may not The wife survived. The knife-thrower rushed hackstage, en he was June 23, I960 • 21