CLASSIC DRUM SOLOS AND DRUM BATTLES: Selected Discography Compiled by Joel Klauber and Bruce Klauber

CHICO HAMILTON: "Man From Two Worlds" (1962: Impulse label), one of Hamilton's better groups, featuring Charlies Lloyd and Gabor Szabo. "The Dealer" (1966: Impulse label), early fusion effort, notable as the first recording of Larry Coryell. "Going East" (1958: Discovery label), Hamilton's best-known group with reedman Eric Dolphy. Hamilton's more recent work, spanning 1988 to 1992, is all on the Soul Note label, and includes "Euphoria," "Arroyo," "Trio!" and "My Panamanian Friend." Hamilton's classic mid-1950s group, with Fred Katz on cello, is available on the Mosaic boxed set entitled "The Complete Chico Hamilton on Pacific Jazz.

COZY COLE: Unfortunately, there's just not that much Cole available on Compact Disc, and even his chart-topping "Topsy Part Two" has been out of print for years. "Cozy Cole 1944" and "Cozy Cole 1945," both on the Classics label, document the drummer's 1940s work with sidemen like Coleman Hawkins, Budd Johnson, Earl Hines, Don Byas and a young Billy Taylor on piano. A 1974 set from France ("Nice, France 1974"), with veterans like Vic Dickenson and Claude Hopkins, is still around on the Classics label as is "The Louis Armstrong Alumni" (1977: Who's Who label), with Lionel Hampton and various others. Vinyl collectors may find "A Cozy Conception of Carmen" (ca. 1960: Charlie Parker label), Cole's jazz reworkings of Bizet's classics, and an out-and-out dance album on Coral from about 1961 called "Drum Beat For Dancin' Feat," notable only for the participation of Gene Krupa, Ray McKinley and Panama Francis.

SUNNY MURRAY: After leaving Cecil Taylor's group, Murray recorded a self-titled effort for the ESP label in 1966 along with Philadelphia reedman Byard Lancaster. Murray didn't record under his own name again until 1995, with "13 Steps on Glass" (Enja label) with another Philly saxophonist, Odean Pope. Worth searching for on vinyl are any of Murray's efforts with Cecil Taylor on labels like ESP Disk and BYG from France.

ELVIN JONES: Jones' first recording as a leader, "Elvin!", from 1962 on the Riverside label is still available as is much of his work with The John Coltrane Quartet. Best examples of Jones' work with Coltrane include "My Favorite Things" (1961: Atlantic label), 1961's "Africa Brass" and "Live At The Village Vanguard" (both Impulse label), "A Love Supreme" (1964: Impulse label), and "Crescent" (1964: Impulse label). Quite simply, there are no "under par" recordings of the Coltrane/Jones/McCoy Tyner/Jimmy Garrison quartet. Other must-have recordings on the Impulse label are "Ballads" (1962), "Live At Birdland" (1963) "Coltrane" (1962) and various others for labels like Atlantic, newly-discovered sides for Pablo, and more. Jones has recorded extensively as a leader since leaving Coltrane in 1965, and his groups have always been first-rate, with sidemen that have included Pepper Adams, Dave Liebman, Sony Fortune, Joshua Redman, Jan Hammer, Nicholas Payton and many, many others. "Elvin," from 1962 on the Riverside label, is his first outing as a leader, and while still with Coltrane, he recorded "Illumination" Tyner, Garrison and others, for Impulse records in 1962. More recently, Jones' "Jazz Machine" recordings can be heard on the Enja label ("In Europe" from 1991 and "It Don't Mean A Thing" from two years later). Also on Enja from 1992 is a great project entitled "Youngblood," with "young lions" like Josh Redman, Javon Jackson and Nicholas Payton.

LOUIS BELLSON: Much of the superb small group and big band work Bellson did as a sideman in the 1950s for Verve is out-of-print, with the exception of the legendary get-together with Benny Carter and Art Tatum from 1955, available on "Art Tatum Group Masterpieces Volume One" (Pablo label). Bellson's significant work with Duke Ellington, including his own composition entitled "Skin Deep," is available on "Duke Ellington Uptown" (1952: Columbia label). "Duke's Big Four" (1972: Pablo label) features the drummer in a very rare small group setting with Duke. For the last three decades, Bellson has been recording with his own big band--frequently and consistently--for labels like Concord, Telarc and MusicMasters. Among the best are Bellson's 1992 re-creation of Ellington's "Black, Brown and Beige" suite (MusicMasters label), a tribute to the legendary jazz drummers on "Their Time Was The Greatest" (1992: Concord label), "Air Bellson" (1997: Concord label) and his latest to date on Concord, "The Art of The Chart." Among the most sought-after Bellson collector's items, available on vinyl only, is "Are You Ready For This?" (1965: Roost label). This rarity is a 30-plus-minute drum battle between Bellson and Buddy Rich, recorded in Japan. Bellson and Rich reportedly paid for the studio time themselves, if only to have one permanent record of these two dear friends playing together.

LIONEL HAMPTON: Hamp has had a spotty recording career in his astounding seven decades as a performer and recording artist. His best work was his earlier work, including his tenure as a member of Benny Goodman's Quartet ("1938 Carnegie Hall Concert: Sony / Columbia label), as leader of a number of legendary, all-star sessions from the late 1930s, available on various labels including one called "Hot Mallets Volume One" on the RCA / Bluebird label. Hampton's big band was often variable, though it introduced dozens of future jazz stars from Charlie Mingus to Dinah Washington. The best of these titles can be found on "Midnight Sun" (Decca label), which includes most of Hamp's big band work from 1946 and 1947. In the mid-1950s, producer Norman Granz wisely placed Hampton in a number of all-star, small group settings, including titles with Buddy Rich and Art Tatum ("Hampton/Tatum/Rich Trio" from "Tatum Group Masterpieces" on the Pablo label) and a great boxed set containing most of his 1950s work with Buddy Rich and the Oscar Peterson Trio (Verve label). An exciting reunion of Hampton's big band alumni from 1967, including Illinois Jacquet who reprises his solo on "Flyin' Home," is out on "Reunion at Newport 1967" on the RCA/Bluebird label. The best of his more recent work is on the MusicMasters label, with titles such as "Mostly Blues" from 1989 and "Mostly Ballads" from 1990.

SONNY PAYNE: Depending upon which jazz critic is to be believed, Sonny Payne was either Count Basie's best drummer or his most flamboyant one. Perhaps because he was and always will be forever identified as "Basie's drummer," Payne never recorded as a leader. There are dozens of examples of Payne's work with Basie on the market, including all of the classic Roulette sides from the late 1950s and early 1960s ("The Complete Roulette Studio Recordings of Count Basie and His Orchestra" and "The Complete Roulette Studio Recordings of Count Basie and His Orchestra," the first being a 10-CD set and the second being an eight-CD set both available on the Mosaic label). Most of Payne's work with The Count on the Verve label is also easily obtainable, including "April In Paris" (1955), "Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings" (1955), "Basie In London" (1957) and the unbelievable pairing with Duke Ellington's band from the early 1960s ("First Time": Columbia label). Phil Collins has often said that his favorite Sonny Payne recording was the Basie/Frank Sinatra pairing recorded live at The Sands in 1966 (Reprise label). Recently, Reprise issued Count's exciting opening sets for Sinatra, on a wonderful effort entitled "Count Basie Live At The Sands (before Frank)."

RUFUS JONES: Aptly nicknamed "Speedy," Jones is unfortunately not well-remembered today, though he spent quality time in virtually every working big band of the 1950s through the 1970s, including Hampton, Basie, Ellington and Maynard Ferguson. His fine work with the late 1950s-early 1960s Maynard Ferguson crew can be heard on Mosaic Records' boxed set, "The Complete Maynard Ferguson Roulette Recordings 1958 to 1962. Playing drums in Ellington's latter-day bands wasn't the easiest job, if only because there were no drum charts and many of Duke's stars were either aging or had departed. Still, one landmark work from Duke's 1969 band is the "70th Birthday Concert" (Blue Note label) which historians believe was perhaps the last of the great Ellington recordings. Though this CD does contain Duke's oft-repeated "Hit Medley," highlight is the famed "Afro-Eurasian Eclipse" track. Other classic recordings with Duke include "Far East Suite" (1966: RCA label) and "New Orleans Suite" (1970: Atlantic label). Definite Jones' collectors items are Lionel Hampton's Apollo Jazz Concert from 1954 on the Phillips label. His one rare outing as a leader, recorded in 1963 just after he left Maynard Ferguson, is entitled "Five on Eight," made for the Cameo label, a tough-to-find, vinyl-only outing.

SAM WOODYARD: Woodyard played drums with Duke Ellington from 1955 to 1966 and he was absolutely the perfect drummer for this organizaton. Only Sonny Greer spent more time as Duke's drummer. During this period of time, Woodyard participated in a number of Duke's recorded masterpieces, including Duke's "comeback" effort from 1957 ("Ellington at Newport": Columbia label), the 1961 pairing with Basie's band ("First Time: Columbia label), the recently-discovered live masterpieces from 1964 ("All Star Road Bands Volumes One and Two: Dr. Jazz / Columbia label), the Billy Strayhorn tribute project from 1967 ("And His Mother Called Him Bill": RCA / Bluebird label). After leaving Duke, Woodyard did some work in Europe, including some sessions with his first employer, organist Milt Buckner (some sessions are available on the French Black and Blue label), and one curious effort with saxophonist Steve Lacy, issued in 1988 on the Soul Note label.

ED SHAUGHNESSEY: It's a pity that many of Shaughnessey's vintage jazz sessions from the 1950s, such as the ones he participated in with Charlie Mingus and Teddy Charles, are not out on CD. His earliest recorded work, with Charlie Ventura's great 1949 "Bop For the People" group, is out on compact disc and can be heard on "Charlie Ventura in Concert" (Decca label) and "A Charlie Ventura Concert" (GNP label). He sat in with Count Basie's band, when Basie was between drummers, for a 1966 effort for Command Records entitled "Broadway Basie's Way." Shaugnhessey's one effort as a leader in recent days, with a cooking quintet, was recorded in 1990 and is entitled "Jazz In The Pocket" (Chase Music Group label). Marvelous examples of his stellar big band work in recent days can be heard on his various recordings with Doc Severinsen's "Tonight Show" orchestra, including "Once More With Feeling" from 1991, "Doc Severinsen and The Tonight Show Orchestra" from 1991, ""Tonight Show Band Volume Two" from 1990, and various others, all out on the Amherst label.

JOE MORELLO: Most of Morello's finest work can be heard on dozens of projects done with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, where he spent the years 1956 to 1967. Certainly his most famous work with Brubeck, and one of the biggest sellers in jazz history, is Paul Desmond's "Take Five," included in Columbia's 1959 recording "Time Out." Other good examples of the Morello/Brubeck pairing include "In Europe" from 1958, "Newport 1958," "Time Further Out from 1961 (all on Columbia), and "25th Anniversary Reunion" (1967: UNI / A&M label). Morello hasn't recorded often enough as a leader, but two good outings from 1993 and 1994 are available on the DMP label, "Going Places" and "Morello Standard Time," where he cooks with a great quartet.

ART BLAKEY: It's hard to chose any "bests" from the dozens of Blakey recordings out there, which span five decades of jazz history. His most significant work as a pioneer of hard bop came in the 1950s with the formation of The Jazz Messengers, and examples abound. They include 1954s "A Night At Birdland Volumes One and Two" featuring Clifford Brown, "At The Cafe' Bohemia" from 1955, "An Orgy in Rhythm from 1958, "Moanin'" from 1958, "Mosaic" from 1962, all on Blue Note. Other valuable efforts are "A Night In Tunisia" from 1960 (Capitol label), "Ugetsu" from 1963 (Riverside / OJC label), and dozens of his works as a sideman with Thelonious Monk (Atlantic label), Hank Mobley (Blue Note label), et. al Blakey showed no signs of letting up in the 1980s and continued his policy of introducing future jazz stars, including Wynton Marsalis. "Album of The Year" from 1981 is out on the Timeless label and "Keystone 3" from 1982 and "New York Scene" from 1984 are available on the Concord label. Among his final efforts, recorded in the year of his death, is "Chippin' In" from 1990 on the Timeless label. All are well worth having. It has often been said that Blakey was the best and most appropriate drummer ever to play with Thelonious Monk. Recently issued on CD are among Monk's final recordings in the early 1970s, in a trio setting with Blakey and Al McKibbon, just issued on the Black Lion label. One certifiable rarity in the extensive Blakey discography can be found on vinyl and CD in an "under the counter" release called "A Night At Birdland" from 1962 (Oozone label), where he battles it out and more than holds his own with the drummer who was sharing the bill with him that evening, Buddy Rich.

GENE KRUPA: Krupa's recorded work, which cover the years 1927 to 1973, find "the man who made the drums a solo instrument" in many settings, including projects as a sideman with Benny Goodman, Jazz At The Philharmonic and many all-star groups, and as a leader with his own big band, trios and quartets. His most famous recording with Goodman has to be the "Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert" from 1938, now in a remastered edition with newly-discovered tracks, available on Sony / Columbia. A good sampling of Krupa as leader of his own big band, which spanned the years 1939 to 1952, can be heard on Columbia's "Drum Boogie." Unfortunately, the best overview of Krupa's big band career is currently out-of-print, but can be found if you look hard enough. Columbia's two-record set, "Drummin' Man," is the one to have. There are, however, a number of commercially-issued examples, mainly via radio airshots and transcriptons, out on a number of domestic and foreign labels, such as "1946 Live!" (Jazz Hour), "What's This" from 1946 (Hep), "Swings with Strings" (Vintage Jazz Classics) and the Krupa series on Jazz Chronological Classics, now covering the years 1939 to 1945 in various volumes. His work for Verve records in the 1950s is largely out-of-print, but can be obtained in private collectors' editions on The Web by logging on to www.JazzLegends.com His two greatest final works are "Live In Concert" from 1971 (DBK Jazz label), and the newly-discovered "Live At The New School," recorded just months before his death in 1973 (Chiaroscuro label).

BUDDY RICH: Like Krupa, Rich's recording career had many facets, as a sideman with Tommy Dorsey and Artie Shaw (mostly on RCA) and Harry James (Capitol and various other foreign labels), all-star sessions with Charlie Parker, Lionel Hampton and Art Tatum (all available on Verve and/or Pablo) and as leader of his own exciting small groups and big bands. Probably his most controversial, "vintage" work is on 1950s "Bird and Diz," where Rich is paired with Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Rich hadn't yet embraced be-bop and was an outspoken critic of it at the time, so the results are most interesting at the very least. Highlights of Rich's own early big band of the late 1940s, which veered between swing and bop, are available on the Jazz Chronological Classics label in two volumes, and on the newly-issued "Golden Essentials 1945 to 1948" on the Stardust label. Two 1950s pairings with rival Gene Krupa ("Krupa and Rich" and "Original Drum Battle") are now on CD from Verve. Rich's most remembered work was as leader of the big band he fronted from 1966 until his death in 1987. The best of these, now issued with out-takes and "newly-discovered" tracks, and include titles like "Swingin' New Big Band" containing the first version of "West Side Story" (1966), "Big Swing Face" (1967) "Buddy and Soul" and "The New One" (1968), as well as "Mercy Mercy" and "Keep The Customer Satified" from a few years later. Most of these are on Pacific Jazz. Rich's popularity and influence have never abated, and new items, such as the privately-recorded "Wham! from 1977-1978 for Joel Dorn's label "M," are seemingly being released on a daily basis.

Classic Drum Solos and Drum Battles by Dr. Bruce H. Klauber: Artist Bios

Cozy Cole (1906-1981): William Randolph "Cozy" Cole was the definitive example of a drummer who directly applied the rudimental approach to jazz, and among the very few whose style evolved and spanned a number of eras. He worked with Jelly Roll Morton in 1930, came to fame with Cab Calloway from 1939 to 1942, recorded with Dizzy Gillespie in 1945 and was a charter member of Louis Armstrongs' All Stars from 1949 to 1953. Cole was also among the first African-American musicians to be a radio network staff player, and spent the years 1942 to 1945 as a member of the CBS Radio Orchestra. Through it all, listeners could hear virtually all of the 26 rudiments--flam taps, five-stroke rolls, paradiddles and more--applied directly to jazz drumming. He was a life-long student of the drums as well, studying at Julliard in the mid-1940s, with the New York Philharmonic's Saul Goodman, and opening his own drum school with dear friend Gene Krupa in New York in the mid-1950s. All Cole's experience, dedication to percussion and perseverance eventually paid off for him. In 1958, Cole had a number one record hit with "Topsy." He toured all over the world with his own groups and as a featured member of trumpeter Jonah Jones' groups until his death.

Sunny Murray (born 1937): For those who think of the Philadelphia-born Murray as strictly a "free" or "avant-garde" drummer, it is important to note that early in his career, he played with traditional jazz greats like Henry "Red" Allen and Willie "The Lion" Smith, and later with cutting-edge hard-boppers Ted Curson and Jackie McLean. Beginning in 1959, Murray became a key member of the "freedom movement" as a member of Cecil Taylor's group, and later affiliations with Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, Grachan Moncur III, Steve Coleman and many others. He was recognized by the "Down Beat Magazine" critics in 1966 as winner of the "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" category for percussionists. In the 1980s, Murray also wrote the score for several films and plays, including a Nigerian production called "In The Beginning" and Canada's "Walking Woman." Writers Leonard Feather and Ira Hitler summed up Murray's important contributions by saying that Murray is "a key figure in the development of a nonmaterial commentary style of free-jazz drumming."

Chico Hamilton (born 1921): In the mid-to-late 1950s, Hamilton was one of the most popular and forward-thinking bandleaders in jazz, fronting an innovative group that featured the cello of Fred Katz, and future stars like Eric Dolphy, Paul Horn, Charles Lloyd, Jim Hall and Larry Coryell. But Hamilton came up in the traditional jazz ranks, performing with everyone from Lester Young and T-Bone Walker, to Lena Horne and Billie Holiday. He was also an important member of Gerry Mulligan's original and groundbreaking "pianoless quartet" in 1952. Hamilton has never stopped growing or expanding. He became active in the jingle and tv/film production areas, but continued to lead small groups that highlighted the likes of Arthur Blythe, Steve Turre and Andrew Hill. Hamilton exemplifies the "cool" school of drummers, constantly prodding with tasty and melodic brush work, and utilizing the drum kit as a sensitive, additional "voice." Early on, Hamilton discovered that using single-headed toms would enhance the "melodic ability" of the drum kit, and in the early 1950s, was among the first to institute this technical concept.

Ed Shaughnessy (born 1929): Along with Louis Bellson, Shaughnessy is perhaps the greatest living big band drummer. Although he came to national prominence as a featured member of Doc Severinson's "Tonight Show" orchestra and continues to record and tour with that aggregation, his jazz credentials are also impeccable. After playing with such giants as Jack Teagarden and George Shearing in the latter 1940s, he really made his "name" with the popular Charlie Ventura group of 1948 to 1949. In the big band area, Shaughnessy has driven the orchestras of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Count Basie, as well as the innovative small groups of Teddy Charles, Horace Silver, Roland Kirk and Mundell Lowe. After Bellson and Dave Black, he was also among the first to use two bass drums as part of the kit, though in Shaughnessy's case, one bass drum was smaller than the other. He has always remained at the forefront of the jazz education movement, serving as a friend and mentor to hundreds of drummers through his clinics, web sites, videos and many published instructional materials.

Elvin Jones (born 1927): Jones will forever be remembered as one of the most innovative percussionists who ever played, mainly by way of his work with the legendary John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1966. His background, however, was more mainstream-oriented, backing artists that included Bud Powell, Pepper Adams, Donald Byrd, Harry "Sweets" Edison, J.J. Johnson, Tyree Glenn and Stan Getz. With Coltrane, though, Jones' landmark contributions came to fruition. Expanding on the styles of Art Blakey and Max Roach, Jones "freed-up" the role of the drummer in jazz, become an equal contributor to the collective goings-on while still functioning as an accompanist. Jones' accompanying was more in the category of commentary, with the beats of "1-2-3-4" barely implied, thus allowing for a free flow where the beginning of any particular bar was more felt than heard. Since leaving Coltrane, Jones has headed his own wonderful small groups, with soloists that have included Sonny Fortune, Dave Liebman, Ravi Coltrane, Nicholas Payton, Delfeayo Marsalis, Frank Foster, Joe Farrell and Steve Grossman. Jones continues to refine and expand his approach, and through his ongoing contributions, continues to influence the way drums are played and the way jazz sounds.

Sonny Payne: 1926-1979. The son of legendary drummer Chris Columbus, Payne was a marvelous technician and flamboyant showman in the Gene Krupa tradition. Best known for his work with Count Basie's band from 1955 to 1965 and again in the mid-1970s, Payne spent 1967 to 1973 with Harry James, and through the years was Frank Sinatra's drummer of choice. This footage of Payne with the 1959 Basie band in France is a great example of his speed, stamina and technique, as well as his ability to endlessly flip and twirl drumsticks without missing a beat.

Sam Woodyard: 1925-1988. Totally self-taught and an indispensable member of what some believe to be Duke Ellington's finest bands, from 1955 to 1966. Woodyard's time was rock-steady, his sense of swing superb and soloing more melodic than technical. This 1962 clip of Woodyard proves that he did have a superior technique, an underrated ability on two bass drums and shows his pioneering work on single-headed toms. Technical note: Premier hardware is much better today!

Joe Morello, born 1928. Joe Morello remains one of the most astounding technicians to ever play the drums. He reached international fame via his work with The Dave Brubeck Quartet from 1956 to 1967, and during that time became a household name as the soloist on Brubeck's recording of "Take Five," said to be the only million-selling jazz "single" ever made. This program presents him with Brubeck in 1961, playing perfect 5/4 time with hands, feet and sticks. Morello was and is a pioneering teacher, jazz educator and clinician who continues generations of drummers.

Art Blakey: 1919-1990. Louie Bellson aptly described Blakey as "the volcano." As a soloist, accompanist and leader of the incomparable Jazz Messengers for over 40 years, Blakey was the complete "hard bop" drummer and perhaps the first to effectively combine African rhythms with traditional jazz drumming. As a band leader, he introduced literally hundreds of musicians to the public who would eventually become stars, from Wynton Marsalis and Freddie Hubbard to Wayne Shorter and Keith Jarrett. Here are the Messengers, featuring Lee Morgan and John Gilmore, from 1965, featuring the fiery, earthy ,always hard-swinging and truly volcanic drumming of Art Blakey.

Rufus Jones: 1936-1990. Possibly the fastest drummer who ever played, hence his nickname "Speedy," Jones nonetheless was not a name recognized by the general public. Still, he propelled just about every major jazz band, including those led by Lionel Hampton, Maynard Ferguson from 1959 to 1963, Basie from 1964 to 1966 and Ellington from 1966 to 1973. His wonderful dynamism and more sensitive side can be heard on Duke's legendary recording of the Far East Suite. In this clip from England with Basie in 1965, Jones plays the same chart of Old Man River that Sonny Payne played six years earlier. Purely from a technical standpoint, Rufus Jones is certifiably astounding.

Louie Bellson, born 1924. Duke Ellington called him "the world's greatest drummer," and Bellson, to this day, lives up to the description. He's a composer, arranger, bandleader, tireless jazz educator, pioneered the use of two bass drums, and in terms of the speed of his hands and feet and the wonderful, percussive "ideas" he conveys on the drums, stands next to only Buddy Rich as the total technician. The history books say that Bellson was responsible for revitalizing Duke Ellington's band when he joined the Duke in 1951. From England in 1969, here is Louie Bellson in his prime, playing literally everything that can be played on the drums in a solo lasting over 10 minutes and never lets up.

Buddy Rich: 1917-1987: Whether one agreed with Gene Krupa's assessment that Buddy was "the greatest drummer ever to draw breath," what cannot be argued is that, to this day, no one can do what Buddy Rich did on the drums. From his early days with the bands of Bunny Berrigan, Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey; to tours of duty with Harry James, Jazz at the Philharmonic and his own, outstanding jazz orchestra, Buddy Rich always gave—and always demanded—no less than 110 percent as a soloist and as the most inspiring accompanist who ever played. Buddy was 61 years old when this solo was recorded in Holland in 1978, and this is ample aural and visual evidence that he lost nothing as the years went on. In fact, he only got better. For more pure Buddy Rich with his own band, check out the Hudson Music concert video, Buddy Rich at The Montreal Jazz Festival and the upcoming Rich television special, At The Top.

Buddy Rich and Jerry Lewis, 1955: This is a real curiosity in the Rich filmography and discography as it was never listed in any Buddy Rich chronology. As Jerry Lewis informed me, this was a segment that was part of the famed Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis television series, The Colgate Comedy Hour. Jerry Lewis was a lifelong friend of the Rich family, and is, in fact, daughter Cathy's godfather. While Lewis proves here that he was serious about the drums, after the comedy bit, it's all Buddy in the spotlight. The mid-1950s were a wonderful time for Buddy as a player, but there just wasn't that much material committed to film during that time. That's one reason this discovery is so welcomed.

Gene Krupa and Cozy Cole rehearsal / broadcast version, 1957: A definite rarity, depicting Gene and Cozy rehearsing the closing for one of those all-star Timex jazz specials. Caught up in the heat of battle, someone screws up the ending. Krupa (1909-1973) was the symbol of the swing era and the man who made the drums a solo instrument. Cole (1906-1981) played with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Louis Armstrong throughout a long and varied career. Like Krupa, he was a devoted student of the drums and ran a drum school with Gene in New York beginning in 1954. Both performed their patented battle many times, most notably in the film, "The Glenn Miller Story," and on a number of these Timex television specials. The broadcast version finds the protagonists getting it right, in front of the Lionel Hampton band. For an in-depth look at Krupa's music, life and career, the Hudson Music video Gene Krupa: Swing, Swing, Swing provides a superb overview.

Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton and Chico Hamilton, 1958: Another all-star gathering for Timex from the following year presents two swing era giants versus a modernist. Vibraphonist Hampton (born 1908) actually started on drums before he switched to vibes and continued to be a credible and showmanly percussionist throughout his career. Sonny Payne obviously learned a thing or two from Hamp's incredible stick-twirling. Hamilton (born 1921) was incredibly popular at this time with a forward-looking group that at one time or another featured Eric Dolphy, Jim Hall, Charles Lloyd, Gabor Szabo and Larry Coryell. The Timex people always tried to include one modern jazz group in their television spectaculars in addition to all the swing era stalwarts. Hamilton, who never took many solos with his own group, more than holds his own here with the flashy Hampton and Krupa.

Elvin Jones, Art Blakey and Sunny Murray, 1968: Taken from a jazz concert in Sweden, this clip presents three modern legends from a later era. Blakey's impact on jazz was first felt in the 1950s. In the 1960s with John Coltrane's quartet, Elvin Jones (born 1927) forever changed the way drums are played in jazz by freeing up the drummers role in a group, elevating the percussionist from a mere timekeeper to that of equal partner to the soloist. Murray (born 1927) took Jones' concepts as a freer player a step beyond in the latter 1960s via his work with Albert Ayler, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp and other free players. Murray was and is a major contributor to what musicologists Ira Gitler and Leonard Feather described as a nonmetrical commentary style of free-jazz drumming. In this clip, it's obvious that Art Blakey just wants to swing and erupt volcanically. At the close, Jones unexpectedly starts a Krupa-like tom-tom riff, leading to an explosive finale.

Buddy Rich and Ed Shaughnessy, 1978: A precious piece of film, among Shaughnessy's favorites, that has been circulating among collectors for some time, but never released formally in this quality until now. Shaughnessy (born 1929) has impeccable jazz credentials, including work with Charlie Ventura, Benny Goodman, Horace Silver and Charlie Mingus, but became a national "star" as the drummer in Doc Severinsen's Tonight Show orchestra. Shaughnessy, always a joyful and swinging player, more than holds his own here with Master Rich, and really inspires Buddy to pull out all the stops. Shaughnessy still propels the Severinsen orchestra in concerts and on recordings, and through his teaching and work as a jazz educator, stands as the most significant living influence on how big band drums should be played.

As the credits roll, Gene Krupa sits in with Lionel Hampton's big band for a bit of swinging bebop, taken from the 1958 Timex television special. Here is a rare visual example of Hampton's incredible, two-fingered style piano playing, where he plays the piano literally like a set of vibes.

The theatrical trailer to the 1959 Columbia picture The Gene Krupa Story has not been shown anywhere outside of movie theaters, where it ran in 1958 and 1959. The drumming, by the way, is Krupa's and the voice is Art Gilmore's, who narrated hundreds of trailers in the 1950s and 1960s.