as of late ive been giving these three a listen
Miles Davis- seven steps to heaven (dr. Tony Williams)
specifically the tune "seven steps to heaven" ... its hard to believe Tony was only 17 when he recorded this...his drumming had so much more maturity. His solo in this song has always impressed me, instead of throwing in a million notes (which any young drummer would of been tempted to) he chose to play a beautifully pharased 32nd bar solo, with just the right amount of space. Check out the 5th and 6th measure, where tony creates a nice little linear pattern by closing his hi-hat foot in different places... brilliant.
i found this nice transcription of
Seven Steps to Heaven check it out
Noel Pointer- Phantazia (dr. Gadd)
This would have to be up there as one of my favorite Gadd recordings, not to mention all the great tunes on this album, specifically the haunting tune 'night song'. Gadd shines throughout every piece (for the drummer this album is a lesson in 4-way independence) but specifically on the tune 'rainstorm' Steve plays some of the most beautiful grooves ive ever heard, continually building intensity throughout as he goes from one groove to the next. This album needs to be heard with headphones to fully appreciate every nuance being played.
Rush- In Rio (dvd) (dr. Neil Peart)
Rush fan or not, its hard not be inspired after watching this. After loosing his daughter first and then his wife the following year is tragic. I believe the time off Neil took from drumming to heal himself mentally was the best thing he could do (this would of destroyed most people after a loss like this). In my opinion after watching this dvd as well as watching them live 3 times i can honestly say his drumming has gotten better. His right foot has definitely improved, there was a few times where you could see him throwing in 32nd notes with his right foot, where before i saw him playing it with his double bass pedal... great concert
