Probably the most influential drummer from my late teens until..well, forever, has been Bill Bruford. Primarily known for his stints with prog-gods Yes and King Crimson, his unique style of effortlessly handling the most difficult pieces with frightening precision and cutting edge sound and tonal innovation spoke directly to my drummer's heart.
And his snare drum sound is stuff legends are made of! Cranked tight, it produced a *crack!* that has sent many young drummers over the edge of sanity desperately trying to duplicate it. To me, it was my gorgeous major 7th chord applied to the drums. Just plain beautiful.
Bruford just released his autobiography and in the forward he states that he is officially retiring from public performance. Good for him! I like that he's going out on his own terms, and I really like that he's not retiring because he's dead!
So, here's to you, Bill Bruford. Thanks.
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2 comments:
Bruford is such a distinctive drummer - it's hard to imagine that you could hear him play and not know it's him immediately. What I like too is that he can be both precise and swinging - sometimes it seems to me (in my not-a-drummer capacity) that drummers who are super-precise sound like...drum machines.
My favorite drummer (you are 2nd) all time since Yes. I have never heard another that along with the bass player can make you go back and listen over and over again to pick up what they were doing. Always amazing and simple but so complex at the same time. A worthy canvas for Fripp to spray his nasty musical paint. I would love to hear a "young" group trying to make music like that. Come on, I dare ya'.
mrki
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