Hosted by rock drumming legend and historian, Carmine Appice, Classic Rock Drum Solos is the first and only video collection of rock drum solos; tracing the development of the phenomenon with vintage footage of pioneers from the 1940s and 50s, rare film from the golden age of the 60s and awe-inspiring video of the pyrotechnic players of the 70s and 80s.
“I was totally influenced by Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich”, says Vanilla Fudges Carmine Appice, who was also inspired by the drum solos of Louie Bellson, Max Roach, Joe Morello, Sonny Payne, Roy Haynes, Art Blakey, Jack DeJohnette and Tony Williams. I got speed, showmanship, the concept of melodic playing and a lot of other great ideas from the jazz masters. Wipeout, In A Gadda Da Vida, Toad, Soul Sacrifice, I’m A Man – these recordings became the cornerstones of rock drumming and, thanks to Hudson Music, they are among the many legendary performances contained on the DVD release “Classic Rock Drum Solos”.
Danny Seraphines (Chicago) performance of Im A Man on the DVD is from a German TV show in 1970. However, he explains,Im A Man didnt have a drum solo when we were first playing it in bars around Chicago. It became a drum feature when we were recording our first album in 1969, back when we were still known as the Chicago Transit Authority. We were finishing up the CTA album and decided to make it a double record set. We needed more music and we needed it fast, so we decided to pull out Im a Man and add a drum solo,which was put together on the spot. Soloing against the percussion instruments was a lot of fun and helped keep the groove going. I remember I tried to keep the solo short and to the point.
