Appreciating Brushwork and Some History

I both love playing with brushes and listening to some of the brush masters who were pioneers as well as modern players who are carrying on the art.

While early adopters such as Vic Berton and George Lawrence Stone began codifying the vocabulary and technique, it was Papa Jo Jones who dramatically raised the bar with his approach to brush playing. Papa Jo's technique is the foundation of modern brush playing. Big Sid Catlett was another notable pioneer who influenced the art (see World's Greatest Drummers: My Short List).

The early years of brush playing are meticulously documented by Gerry Paton in an article he wrote titled, Never Swat a Fly! (the origins of brush playing in jazz). This article is on Mr. Paton's excellent web site devoted to brush playing, Brush Beat, and is but one of a growing collection of articles about brush history, tips and techniques.

I won't dwell too much on Mr. Paton's site in this post because I have written a more in-depth review of it in For Brush Players: A New Site.

While there were literally hundreds of outstanding brush players who came after Papa Jo Jones and Big Sid Catlett - including the likes of Max Roach, Kenny Clarke and Philly Joe Jones - I personally draw my inspiration from a handful whose playing touches my soul. I'll start with Joe Morello. His work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet grabbed me in the early 1960s when I was starting out, and he has been one of my main influences since. While most drummers will recommend the seminal album, Time Out, for Morello at his best I prefer The Essential Dave Brubeck. That album contains most of the songs on Time Out and many more. Note that Joe Morello isn't the only drummer on the album, but his style can easily be picked out, and there are many tracks on it with outstanding examples of brushwork. As a side note, Joe Dodge, the drummer Morello replaced in the quartet, is also featured and his brush playing is excellent.

Although not a well known name among younger drummers, Vernel Fournier influenced a generation of jazz drummers with his exquisite brush work, and is among the great all time brush masters. His work with Ahmed Jamal is showcased in Live at the Pershing Lounge 1958 and in Cross Country Tour: 1958-1961.

The drummer who took brush playing to another level in the 1950s and 1960s, and remains a major influence to this day, was the late, great Ed Thigpen. His work with the Oscar Peterson Trio between 1959 and 1965 is essential listening for anyone who aspires to mastering brush playing. Two albums I highly recommend from those years are Cole Porter Songbook by the Oscar Peterson Trio and Night Train.

Not to diminish the importance or contributions to the art by contemporary brush masters, such as Steve Smith and Clayton Cameron, the one drummer who most inspires me today (in a musical setting) is Jeff Hamilton. His credentials are above reproach as evidenced by the fact that he has played with Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson and other giants in Jazz. A good representation of his work can be found on selected albums by Diana Krall. I recommend When I Look in Your Eyes and Live in Paris (also grab the DVD of that performance.)

This post is focused on musical examples of great brush playing, and a bit of historical context. If you are interested in improving your brush technique see More on Brush Playing.

The Savoy King: Additional Information

In my last post, The Savoy King: A Movie About Chick Webb and the Savoy Ballroom I reported on a movie about Chick Webb that is in post production. The producer, Jeff Kaufman, just sent me two additional links to share:

1. Savoy King movie web site
2. Savoy King facebook fan page

Enjoy.

The Savoy King: A Movie About Chick Webb and the Savoy Ballroom

A few months ago I received an email from a producer named Jeff Kaufman, who informed me about a movie about the great Chick Webb and the Savoy Ballroom. The movie also features Ella Fitzgerald and other notables from that era who were connected with the Savoy and Chick. Because of a personal tragedy I am only now starting to write again.

The best way to present the project is to use Mr. Kaufman's description:

Chick's brief, inspiring life illuminates the society-changing power of music, the life-lifting effect of mentoring, a hard-fought breakthrough in racial understanding that reverberates today in many ways, and the ability of everyone (with or without disabilities) to reach beyond their apparent limits. Produced with The New Heritage Theater Group (New York's oldest non-profit Black theater), The Savoy King: Chick Webb And The Music That Changed America weaves together newly filmed stories from remarkable people who knew Chick Webb at every phase of his life, with quotes from some of the greatest figures in Jazz history. Bill Cosby has voiced the words of Chick Webb, and we also have Tyne Daly voicing Jazz publicist Helen Oakley Dance, Ron Perlman as Gene Krupa, Andy Garcia as Mario Bauzá, and Danny Glover as Count Basie. We just had a screening of the rough cut, which we will now polish. Unfortunately, I've hit a financing wall at this crucial time, and I am urgently seeking tax deducible finishing funds to complete our work. Donations are tax deductible, and any level of support can make a big difference.

As you know, the Savoy Ballroom was the home of the amazing Lindy Hop dancers, and the first venue in America where Blacks and Whites could dance and socialize together. It had a huge, but largely unheralded social impact. Born fatherless and poor, Chick Webb developed spinal tuberculosis and was a hunchbacked dwarf in constant pain, yet he virtually invented modern drumming and built the hottest band of the 1930s (it was the Savoy Ballroom's "house band"). Chick was mentored by Duke Ellington, toured with Louis Armstrong, argued with Jelly Roll Morton, jammed with Artie Shaw, married a beautiful dancer, discovered and practically adopted Ella Fitzgerald (in many ways, their relationship is the heart of the film), beat Benny Goodman and Count Basie in legendary battle of the bands, befriended Mario Bauzá ("The Father of Afro-Cuban Jazz"), encouraged a struggling Dizzy Gillespie, and helmed the first Black band to host a national radio show . . . all before drumming himself to death at age 30.

We've been privileged to film with some terrific people, each who could warrant their own documentary. They include: drummers Louie Bellson (with, I believe, his last filmed drum performance) and Roy Haynes (among other things, he does a charming scat version of A-Tisket, A-Tasket), trumpeter Joe Wilder, playwright-actress Gertrude Jeannette, Swing dance masters Frankie Manning and Norma Miller, basketball star John Issacs, composer-arranger Van Alexander, longtime Harlem physician Dr. Muriel Petioni, childhood friend Rev. Edward Wilson (minister emeritus at Waters AME Church), Ella Fitzgerald's son Ray Brown Jr., the son of the Savoy Ballroom's owner, and Chick's jazz-loving nephew.

Since I am a big fan of that era, and revere Chick, I found the news of this project to be exciting. Chick's name is becoming a dim memory among drummers, and too many younger drummers never heard of him. To keep his name and accomplishments alive is, to me, important. Mr. Kaufman's project could be not only a loving tribute, but may spark interest in the newer generations, which could revive swing in much the same way Squirrel Nut Zippers and similar groups did in the 1990s.

A better overview of the project is on Floating World Pictures page titled The Savoy King: Chick Webb and the Music that Changed America.

If you are not familiar with Chick or the Savoy Ballroom, this clip from Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns is a quick introduction:

For more information about Chick, recommended recordings and links to more information, see my March 11, 2010 post.