Short Is Sweet

It's almost too good to be true... a drum battle between Art Blakey, Max Roach and Elvin Jones captured on video. Three giants who were not only a huge influence on the development of jazz, but who indirectly also helped change the course of rock drumming, thanks to the awe in which they were rightly held by some of rock's finest players.

But the video has a salutary moment for all drummers. While all manner of percussive ingenuity is being unleashed on stage, the camera pans across the audience and there, centre screen, is the face of a woman... who looks bored witless.

Someone once told me that people usually applaud at the end of a jazz solo because they're so relieved it's over. And that may apply even more to drum solos — of any kind.

Perhaps the best advice for drummers is: Keep calm and don't carry on.

Animal Versus Animal

As I was saying yesterday, there's a bit of Animal in every drummer. And I've just been reminded that there was no clearer evidence of that when the late and possibly greatest Buddy Rich took on the mighty Muppet in a TV drum battle.

If you want to know who won, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erE8WTngaAY. If you want a clue, there's a story that Buddy, who was not averse to drum battles with anyone, once agreed to take on a less confident drummer who begged him to "go easy" on him.

Buddy promised he would sit back and take it steady to make the contest look more even. The other guy went first and played so well that the audience clapped their approval. Then Buddy played and wiped the floor with his opponent. Afterwards the loser said to Buddy, "But you promised... " And Buddy said, "I know. But I just couldn't let you get more applause than me."

There was a lot of Animal in Buddy.