Brian Blade Blue Note

...Ted have you been at that show?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXY8_8XMQvA&feature=related

I have seen Brian Blade a few times and he's one of a kind...one of my all time all time all time favorites, I'd say one of the greatest drummers who ever lived.
So fresh and full with ideas and musical without comparison...like he would gather from another source...

wow.

Brian Blade live with SEAL

Brian Blade Studios Tour 3/29/11
Brian takes you on a tour of his new studio very, very nice. Wow what a place.

Hey Niki !

Yes, I did see one of the four sets they played at the Blue Note with Brian and the band was killing ! I got the pair of sticks Brian used for the show from him after the show. He uses Vic Firth American Custom SD2 Bolero sticks mad of rock maple. The girth looks exactly the same as a 2B size stick, which is what I normally use, but it weighs just a touch less and it has a tiny bead head on it, much smaller than a 2B.

Are you planning to visit New York again in the near future ? Would love to hang with you again at the Blue Note !


Peace, TED

I guess it was Brady Blade...not Brian

Igor wrote:I guess it was Brady Blade...not Brian

You might just be right.
You are right I have gone blind and these are new glasses.

He does seem to play from an internal generator that is not very typical. I've seen other jazz drummers on youtube who play like this - like their thoughts are in another zone altogether, yet being quite in tune with what's going on around them.

Yeah he does go into another zone, and many musicians do, I get like that on my good days. Brian is a heck of a musician. And a sought after one at that. I even seen him play rock on youtube but they took that one down. Below is one of my favorites that he did.

Just watched that last clip with B.B. Now THAT'S great playing.
Does he have the technical facilities that these kids have today?

No!

Does he need them?

HE** NO!!
I dug the Studio tour.... Brady's a crack up!

Ah. This gives me some insight into your previous comments on the subject of "greatness."

spanky wrote:

Reminds me a little of Bill Stewart.

"Reminds me a little of Bill Stewart."

Indeed. Just like some of the other drummers recently posted and discussed a little. But then, to others some players do not remind them of certain players. People see and hear from such different angles. Much like some people saying a child looks like this parent, and others, no, that parent, and still others see both parents in them; and it changes over time, too.

Just like music, I am concluding *greatness* is in the eyes and ears of the beholder. It truly goes no farther than that. It ends up being what touches each person's mind and heart and whatever impact it makes personally, or is recognized in general. But even then, just because an artist sells millions of records, even over time, does not make them great. It just makes them popular. But to those who buy the records, they are generally considered great artists.

You can choose any category of life you want to. Some will believe certain people are/were the greatest at whatever they do/did. I might not argue that, but others certainly would. Ultimately, it doesn't matter, anyway, and "great" is just a word: an adjective, an adverb, a noun. Stupendous. Fantastic. Unbelievable. Just words.

One of the definitions of great/greatness is "remarkably skilled." Let each be convinced in their own minds who is remarkably skilled at drum set artistry.