Well, I don't know if he is underrated (Bart hammered me for suggesting that Duffy Jackson is underrated), but there's a local kat named Robert Thomas Jr., a hand drummer who has recorded with Weather Report who seems to have fallen off the face of the Earth. I saw him live several times in the early 80's once with Paquito D'Rivera.
He was IMHO a cutting edge musician at the time. He was the first player I heard play splashes with his hands a really cool effect with Peter Erskin on kit. The last time I heard about he was working on playing the kit with his hands.
Bobby Thomas is AMAZING. He's still down here - I used to work with him a lot in the downtown Lauderdale clubs, and most recently at SunFest a couple of years ago, backing an Australian rock singer. He's the best percussionist I've ever played with, and a killer drumset player as well. He's another proponent of the microkit - I think he uses a 16" bass drum and a 10" snare and a ride - that's all. I learned so much from playing with him and watching him!
He can make a single tambourine sound like an entire drumset - I kid you not - it's amazing to watch.
Last time we talked, he was earning most of his money as an interior decorator. Ah, the realities of the music biz...
You played with Bobby Thomas? WOW! I would love to have heard it. Is he still playing? It's really rediculous that a talent of that caliber can't make a decent living as a musician. On the other hand, maybe he's an even better interior designer than he is a musician.
Ratamatatt
