busy drummers

[Marc Piane]

I've been playing in a jazz group lately that has busy drums. It is along the lines of the Branford Marsalis - Jeff 'Tain' Watts thing. The sax player really gets into it and can pull it off. I'm having trouble 'fitting in'. When I listen to recordings with this kind of playing, the bass just seems to walk behind all the sax-drums stuff. I like the way the total package sounds. I just feel like I'm fighting. Any thoughts?

[Marcus Johnson]

You just reminded me of my friend Joe Gallivan, who's played with Gil Evans, Miroslav Vitous, ...ah, too many to name. He's on the busy side, a "melodic" drummer. One of the great brush players.

I fought with him for a long time, especially his bass drum foot. I finally started editing out notes in my own playing, and dropping them where I thought they would fit, almost redefining the role of the bass in the process. Kinda hard to explain. I think "less is more" would describe the conclusion I came to.

I had a similar experience with Bob Moses. That guy don't need no steenkin' bass player!....

[Marc Piane]

Got it. I've also been playing with a piano trio also that is more in the Bill Evans style. I can really explore in that group. There is so much room and sensitivity. It is also very harmonically oriented. The group with the sax player tends to be more rhythmic. Stylisically it is a major switch. Maybe I just need to work on my approach to each group.

[Ed Fuqua]

there's busy and there's busy. If he's playing what he really hears, he's going to hear that in the context of what you're playing. So you need to play what you hear in that context as well.

If he's being busy cause he worked up alla this cool **** and wants to play it in every tune, maybe you need a new drummer...


I dunno, if you have a trio you enjoy playing with and another group you don't, you want to guard against having the same "expectation of sound" with the latter. Maybe what you don't enjoy or what you perceive as "busyness" is just "difference" and what makes it unpleasant is your head coming into it. I really try to take to heart something a drummer once told me - "Don't let your desire to make something happen get in the way of what is actually happening."

I checked out your website and it looks like you're working a lot, if it is not enjoyable maybe you should just let the money go and concentrate on what IS enjoyable.

[McBass]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

"Don't let your desire to make something happen get in the way of what is actually happening."

That's so simple and so beautiful. Words to live by.

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by McBass

That's so simple and so beautiful. Words to live by.

DITTO.

[Ed Fuqua]

Yeah, it's one of those things I wish I'd said...

[Cacklingjackyl]

Originally Posted by fingers

I've been playing in a jazz group lately that has busy drums. It is along the lines of the Branford Marsalis - Jeff 'Tain' Watts thing. The sax player really gets into it and can pull it off. I'm having trouble 'fitting in'. When I listen to recordings with this kind of playing, the bass just seems to walk behind all the sax-drums stuff. I like the way the total package sounds. I just feel like I'm fighting. Any thoughts?

I am no expert by any means and do not play too much jazz yet, but my teacher tells me to make sure you hold down the fort with simple lines when you have a busy drummer.