A music store not far from me used to put on clinics featuring various rock musicians. It was really a great deal, because your ten dollar ticket could be redeemed for store merchandise. At the time, I was playing in a band and was going through a couple of sets of guitar strings each week. At separate clinics, for slightly more than the price of two packs of Ernie Ball Regular Slinky's, I got to see Blues Saraceno, Carl Palmer, and Terry Bozzio.
Bozzio was by far my favorite.
I knew who he was (that he'd played in Missing Persons and also with Zappa) but wasn't all that familiar with anything he'd done. He walked out onto the stage, a slight man dressed in black, and sat behind his large kit. After twenty seconds or so he took a breath, exhaled, and attacked the drums. It was a little scary, as he seemed to gather up and then release a huge amount of energy. The solo he played contained more melodic elements than any drummer I'd ever seen: tuned drums, ringing rototom castings, China boy cymbals exploding into showers of white noise. He was definitely keeping time, but was also playing music.
During the Q&A session afterwards, somebody asked him to relate his Frank Zappa audition experience. This story is the stuff of legends. Zappa had two kits set up on state at their rehearsal space. As one drummer tried out, the next would be setting up and getting acclimated to the kit. Bozzio said that the tryout involved some scary sight-reading as well as an exercise where he would listen to a minute of Zappa and his band playing a bit of music before having to take over the drummer's role and attempt to repeat that segment with the band. The song Frank chose was "Approximate." Go ahead and listen to Zappa's You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. II. It seems impossible to me that somebody could ingest that music in sixty seconds. The story ends with Zappa saying that he'd like to hear Terry play again after all of the other guys are done... except that after hearing Terry's audition, all of the other prospective drummers walked out!
Article comments
1 - Tom Johnson
That is insane. Absolutely insane. The independence and dexterity needed to do what he's doing just boggles my mind and I'm not even a drummer.
As much as I love Guitar Shop, the two Bozzio Levin Stevens discs and Polytown are right up there with it. It's one thing to watch this guy solo and another to hear how he manages to fit this kind of style into a band sound. Whatever it is, it winds up coming out exotic sounding.
2 - Mark Saleski
yeah, his four-limb independence was truly freakish. it almost made me uncomfortable watching it.
3 - gonzo marx
nice bit, Mark...
/golfclap
but i've always liked this bit better - with Zappa
enjoy...
Excelsior?
4 - Mark Saleski
that's a good solo gonzo. the one i picked is there to illustrate his melodic side.
for the Zappa stuff, also gotta put a word in for The Black Page.
5 - Michael J. West
Terry Bozzio and Vinnie Colaiuta = the great drummers of their era. Terry gets bonus points for having a fucking hot wife. :-)
6 - gonzo marx
Black Page is awesome...
but this one is what turned me on to Bozzio, way back when...
top drummers to me, in no particular order
Bozzio (Zappa)
Peart (Rush)
Danny Carrey (Tool)
Tim Alexander (Primus)
honorable mentions to Chad Wackerman, Bill Bruford, and Vinnie Paul
your mileage may vary...
Excelsior?
7 - Dave Nalle
Let's not forget real talent when being a drummer meant just 3 or 4 skins and more speed than the human body could handle.
Dave
8 - Mark Saleski
dave, i sat here thinking for a few minutes...."is his link gonna be Buddy Rich or Gene Krupa...Rich...Krupa....?"
ok, i guessed wrong!
you're right though, Krupa was amazing.
9 - Pico
Bozzio did a couple of records with Tony Levin and Steve Stephens which to me are most notable for that "melodic" drumming you speak of and pretty little subtleties galore. Levin and Stephens take a back seat to him on these records and it's not like those guys are slouches, either.
10 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
I gotta give Mr.Bozzio his due credit! I love the Calypso style he's got on that youtube video...Gene Krupa & Buddy Rich are absolutely amazing.
Unfortunately, the drummer that ruined it for me was Akira Jimbo. That man is devastating & innovating with 4-limb independence. He is truly a one man band.
This one is just for fun...
11 - Mark Saleski
that drum duet thing is really cool. love it when they lay back and just play kick and sticks.
i think the best "drum" solo i ever saw was done by Roy Haynes. Roy Haynes and his high-hat. that was it. really incredible.
12 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
I'd have to say my personal favorites are:
Akira Jimbo(Casiopea,Solo)
Mike Portnoy(DT,Liquid..)
Gene Hoglan(Dark Angel,Death,SYL)
Asgeir Mickelson(Spiral Architect)
Martin Lopez(Amon Amarth,Opeth)
Tim Alexander(But,not w/Primus..I like his work w/Attention Deficit)
Marcel Dissantos(Atheist - Elements[CD])
13 - Mark Saleski
interesting. i liked Alexander with Primus, even if he did sound a little "Neil-like".
14 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Yea, that's why i like his work outside of Primus. He's got the chops not to be pigeonholed & a style all his own...Rock/Jazz fusion.
Vic Stevens has a similar style...
15 - Mark Saleski
hey, you need to email me that link you posted somewhere a while ago that had examples of your drumming.
16 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Now, don't go comparing it to these Gods of Drum but I like it because it was all completely improv recorded straight to CD. This was only the second time we jammed together.
The Improv Project
17 - gonzo marx
ok..it's a poor clip, but the only one...
my former guitar and drummer, in their current band
a Thousand Knives of Fire
as i said, a poor clip...does them NO justice, and what they are playing now is far different than what we were doing 10 years ago...but if you listen for the drums...you can get a small taste of Dr. Dan's awesomeness
they are on MySpace..and worth a night out if the come around to your part of the world ...
Excelsior?
18 - Kenny G's assistant
Kenny G has gone off to help the cyclone victims of Bangladesh, so I have been allowed five minutes of free time to surf the internet on my own.
I have always been partial to Greg "Gigi" Gonaway on this
track. His subtlety, his timing, his cymbal work, all very impressive.
19 - Mark Saleski
i could have sworn the g man's drummer was named "casio".
20 - gonzo marx
you'd better have been talking about Kenny G-man
heh
Excelsior?
21 - sheplaysajag
Lots of good stuff and clips. As for melodic drummers-check out Kofi Baker. Learned a lot of stuff from his dad (Ginger Baker-Cream) but takes technique and phrasing up a notch...or two.
22 - Mark Saleski
wow, very cool. thanks.
23 - El Bicho
I've seen Kofi a few times in a band called with OHM with Robertino 'Pags' Pagliari on 6-string fretless bass and Chris Poland, formerly of Megadeth, on guitar. They will blow your mind, especially Pags. You can't take your eyes off him when he plays