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"The spirit of Buddy lives
on for me every time I sit down and play... the thought
of his awesome natural ability and genius is still awe
inspiring to this day."
-- Dave Weckl
"When I discovered Buddy Rich I must have been 6 or 7
years old and was immediately struck by his sound. I immediately
became a major fan. His finesse, phrasing, ability to
swing and drive the band whilst supporting soloists with
the utmost of taste was truly awesome. He truly was my
guiding light during my early years and I was very fortunate
to meet him after a show at Hemel Hempstead Pavilion,
UK in 1971. He signed my copy of Mercy, Mercy and said
"There you go, Bud". I was to play the same venue a week
later with my father's band and I remember searching around
center stage for traces of his bass drum spike marks in
the hope I could place mine in exactly the same spot.
Needless to say I had a great gig that night. The power
of influence!!!"
-- Simon Phillips
"Never in my experience have I met or heard about another
human being who was any more born to one task than Buddy.
It was this single-mindedness that necessitated his brutal
honesty. The only thing preventing him from having started
playing before the age of three was his inability to
enunciate the words, "Stay with me, goddammit." I offer
this evaluation with great love and respect."
-- Ross Konikoff
"Buddy Rich was my biggest inspiration to play drums.
I saw him play dozens of times. Each time I was amazed
and inspired to go home and practice. I would sit for
hours on end with headphones on practicing along with
Buddy's albums (and 8 track tapes!!). Buddy's playing
will live on forever, and he is the greatest drummer
the world has ever known."
-- Gregg Bissonette
"I was lucky enough to have my father take me to see
him play when I was growing up and met him once in Cleveland
6 weeks after he had quadruple by-pass surgery!!! He
floored everyone (as usual) especially considering the
circumstance! I will never forget that...he was and still
is, in my eyes, the greatest drummer who ever lived!"
-- Eric
Singer
"As Paganini was to the violin, Buddy was to the drums: quite simply, the greatest
artist to have ever played their instrument. His is the drumming bar which the
rest of us mere mortals will always look up to. And as unbelievably brilliant
as Buddy was with a pair of sticks, the memory of his brush playing still leaves
me speechless. Even though his reputation was legendary and bigger-than-life,
I also knew him to be a real gentleman. So, go put on a Buddy Rich album and
listen to it!"
--Peter Erskine
"I can hardly do better than quote
something Gene Krupa once said, that there are all these
great drummers in the world -- and then there's Buddy
Rich. During the making of our tribute record to his
music,
Burning For Buddy, I immersed myself pretty deeply in
Buddy's life and work, and the more I learned, the more
I came to admire the man and his music. Quite simply,
Buddy Rich was a great man, who did great work."
-- Neil
Peart
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"It seems like it only happens
once or twice in each century, when some special soul
rises above all others. When it comes to drums, Buddy
Rich is undeniably that total inspirational and architectural
icon. Incomparable. He totally shaped my understanding
of rhythm vocabulary. Mainly that all music must swing.
I first discovered Buddy when I was 8 years old. My cousin
had some of his records. I couldn't believe how fast he
could play. We would slow the records down a step to figure
out what the heck he was playing. It was a good way to
learn some of his amazing chops. His use of complex stylings
as well as simplicity were very important to my prowess.
As the years went by & my career developed, Buddy's influence
reined supreme.
I was honored to finally meet him and his family. We became
very close friends. I remember one night I was playing
in a club in Westwood. I was in the middle of a solo,
looked up and there was Buddy sitting 10 feet from me
staring! I had no idea he was going to be there. Somehow
I got through that set alive.
There were a few occasions when we sat together with a
snare drum between us. He showed me things that I would
have never learned otherwise. His generosity knew no bounds.
There was a very special connection between Buddy & I
that I will always carry with me. I know that one of his
greatest wishes was to pass on his knowledge to future
generations of drummers. Cathy, Steve & Marie are carrying
the flame and we are all the better for it.
The world is blessed with his spirit."
-- Bruce Gary
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"Buddy Rich is one for all ages.
One of the creators to jazz and the art of music to
the world, for every generation
and musician to learn from and aspire to. He is the standard
and the messenger who changed it, painting his personal
universe to give us music. That was his understanding,
and ours to remember, cherish, and celebrate...What
It
Is... Till time is forever, my hero always...I love you
Buddy..."
-- Jack Scarangella
"Buddy Rich was, is, will be always
in a class of his own. He was a gift brought into our
lifetime, my life, unique in style, personality and talent
that I am so glad I was ably to witness and experience
in person. He is the drum God."
-- Kenny Aronoff
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"We've all heard the 'Buddy stories' that have been flying around for years..... Buddy on the bandstand, Buddy on the bus......., etc. My only report can be that the Buddy Rich of my experience was never anything but kind, generous, supportive and always gracious. He treated me like a daughter and was very protective. It was a privilege to watch and listed to him and many of his great bands, on one tour after another. Never boring! And just about always amazing! I have many wonderful memories being part of the Rich family. They were my "other" family... they still are.
One final thought.... if it hadn't been for Buddy, I
probably wouldn't have met my husband, Mike! Here we
are, 21 years
later....proud parents of a 17-year-old daughter....Katie.
So, I have much to thank Buddy for. And, thank you Cathy,
for asking me to write something. It's an honor."
-- Beverly
Getz McGovern
"What can I say about Buddy Rich, other than the fact that he was one of the greatest drummers I've ever seen, I can honestly say that I've learned a whole lot by watching and definitely talking to him. You see he was one of not many who took the time to talk to a very young kid who really wanted to play. Somehow I think he felt this and gave me some pointers and for this I give him thanks, to Mr. Rich wherever you are may God bless you." ~Dennis Chambers
"The commitment he made every time he played, some men never reach in a lifetime
of playing! He is someone I always think of."
--Carl Palmer
"Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of seeing Buddy perform live. What I've
heard on CD's and seen on videos has blown my mind!! He is truly a master on
the drums. His technique, feel and sense of musicianship is amazing. It's great
to see his legacy kept alive for the next generation of young drummers to experience!!"
--Billy
Ashbaugh
"Buddy Rich was a great drummer who had a true gift
from God and is still unbelievable to me. He inspired
me to be like him , someone who did not do anything less
than perfect. He played the drums at his absolute best
no matter what was going around him personal or business,
when he got on the drums he was in a different world,
and that world he was in is the world I`m trying to get
to, and GREAT as he was I guess I still got a long way
to go to get to that world. I love you BUDDY RICH."
-- John Blackwell, Prince's drummer
"At the risk of further popularizing a certain piece of underground trash, I would like to address the notorious Buddy Rich "scream tape" that has become "gospel" in the history of the "World's Greatest Drummer."
First of all let me say that having worked with just about every version of Buddy's band (as player, arranger, confidant, or producer) including the one on the tape, these kids got off easy, to say the least.
Yes indeed that's Buddy spewing put-downs and obscenities at a few of his band members and yes, on its own, the tape paints the fearless leader as a foul-mouth bully. And yes, in today's politically correct world, Buddy certainly wouldn't win any "manager of the month" awards, but keep in mind that we're talking about the music business, specifically the big band jazz world and Deming's management techniques don't wash in this world. Every band Buddy ever had was subject to his brand of leadership and, just like the real world, one either learned from these experiences and got stronger or washed out.
I joined Buddy Rich's band as a trumpet player in January of 1968 and still look back at that period as one of the highlights of my career. For a trumpet player freshly groomed at Berklee School of Music, Buddy's band represented the pinnacle of success and it was the beginning of a musical education that I could never have acquired within the confines of academia. Some lessons sink in right away and others take some time. Here's a sample of one of my more memorable lessons.
After a month at the Sands in Las Vegas and a whirlwind schedule of record dates in L.A., gigs with Sergio Mendes, and others, we embarked on a European tour with Tony Bennett. That in itself could be a mini-series but I'll concentrate on Buddy.
Because Buddy's previous tour with just the band (1967) wasn't well received (according to the bookers), it was decided by the agents that Buddy's new band could be best introduced to the British audiences by coupling him with a known quantity, Tony. The band opened the shows for the first set and Bennett would do the closer. It was a phenomenal combination and Buddy's reputation (as a bandleader) blossomed. Every night being sold out added to the excitement of the crowd and the band. The band had the highest respect for Tony (rare for a singer) and the quality of the performance. When he sang Robert Farnon's Country Girl with just the accompaniment of John Bunch's piano, the house was absolutely silent and we literally held our breath during this segment of the show.
In the middle of our tour we hit Birmingham (then quite the working class town) and Buddy pulled out all the stops to win over this tough audience. I can't remember all the charts he called but I know he ended with the West Side Story medley and it was a smash with the crowd. As an encore he called "Love For Sale" and if you aren't familiar with the chart, suffice it to say that there is a drum break before a modulation that has become somewhat of a signature for Buddy. His lightning speed roll in this break has been copied (or should I say attempted) by just about every big band drummer I know.
That night he blew the break. Totally blew it and stopped the band. We were in shock. Having never experienced this before, we just looked around at each other. The audience was deadly silent. Buddy yelled to Pat (my brother acted as musical director at times because Buddy couldn't read music) "pick it up before the break." Pat yelled out the appropriate rehearsal number and we were off again. As you can well imagine, this time he nailed it and the audience went nuts. I wouldn't have wanted to be Tony trying to follow that. But this isn't the end of the story.
Years later Buddy and I were hanging out in his Lincoln Plaza apartment one night after a gig trying to find something edible in his refrigerator. Not as Spartan as Mel's (Torme) but still few choices so we did the usual, ordered take out from Patsy's (Buddy & Sinatra's favorite eatery since the late 40's). While we waited for the delivery I reminded him of that night in Birmingham and casually asked, "Buddy, did you blow that fill on purpose for the show business value or did you really blow it?" What came next was probably the most intense "lecture" I've ever received from him.
After he cooled off he told me never in his professional career did he ever give less than 100 % and the idea of shortchanging the music for a cheap shot would be akin to artistic murder. We talked about his early days and the necessity for professionalism in all aspects of playing (and writing). I wish I had a tape recording of that talk!
The more I thought about this, the easier it was for me to understand many of his "moods" and "tantrums" when players didn't give their all. I'm sure that was the case with those on the receiving end on that famous tape. So if someone brings up the infamous Buddy Rich "scream tape" to you, be aware that those particular band members got off easy. I just hope they learned something."
-- John La Barbera one of the most
respected composer/arrangers in thefield jazz and contemporary
music. In addition to his nineteen association with Buddy
Rich, his works have been recorded and performed by
Woody
Herman, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Mel Torme', Chaka
Khan, Harry James, Bill Watrous, Dan Hill, The Glenn
Miller
Orchestra, Al Cohn and Phil Woods just to name a few.
Mr. La Barbera is a two time recipient of The National
Endowment For The Arts award for Jazz Composition and
his published works are considered standards in the
field
of jazz education.
When I first heard of Buddy Rich was when my grandmother
had purchased the album Super Rich on the Verve label.
I heard the first tune on the record and I was captivated
by his speed, his dextarity, and his stamina. I knew
right then that I wanted to play drums. My first live
Buddy Rich performance was back in 1971 at a park in
Hempstead Long Island and Buddy was playing those beautiful
white marine pearl Slingerlands that sounded just awesome.
The band performed West side Story and I remember that
beautifully smooth single stroke that Buddy played, it
was an absolute masterpiece, anyone who has seen the
master at work knows what I'm talking about, just pure
musicianship and class up on that stage, it just took
hold of you . To experience it first hand is a musical
marvel. Buddy Rich was truely our gift from God, thank
you Buddy!
-- Jimmy Ford
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