Hoppy Buddy Rich was a Prodigy, and was playing professionally in 1920, He was very competitive and an A type personality, so to many he could be an A-Hole, so the questions posed to him sometimes were an annoyance, He saw and helped evolve the Instrument we now play today, So he was a walking history lesson! Buddy Rich Is the Best Drummer in the World Period, No one even comes close! I had the chance to meet him in 1982 I spent 30minutes on his bus after the show,I have a Tee shirt he gave me and his autograph, he was as gracious as you can be, but I knew what to say to him and what not to say about him, buddy hated to talk about the technical aspects of the drums, he could care less at this time in his life, David Our Moderator here on the VDF is also a Huge BR Fan! If you don't have the ludwig book by Paul W, Schmidt get it pronto, also get all of Rob Cooks books on all the companies he's written about! this will keep you busy for a year or two! Buddy was asked once how does he warm up before going on stage , his reply was I usually take my hands out of my pocket, to some that's a smart azz answer!! But If you Know him and his History that's typical Buddy! check this out! http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/buddy_rich.html watch this vid it's a short version of it, [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgaD54YcXpA[/ame]

vintagemore2000,

I absolutely love Buddy's comments (in the link)....I could not agree more with his thoughts. (And what do I know..)

He sure could play.

I have some later recordings he did with a young band ...more contemporary tunes....the guy is ageless.

Thanks for posting this stuff.

David

Different drums.

In 1968 I travelled overland to India with a friend; I was studying at the Sorbonne University in Paris back then.

Paris was on fire at that time...student riots.....the city was in shock.

As a student.....it was a fun time....sometimes yes....sometimes not.

I very well remember seeing the CRS (French riot police) running through the streets

with their "billy sticks" beating whoever they saw...pretty scary dudes.

A little history.

Different parts of the world were in a state of revolt at that time.

I had American student friends in Paris back then that were determined they were

not going to Viet Nam...there was a very anti Viet Nam war sentiment in France at that time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1968_in_France

http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/paris_1968.html

Between 1966 and 1968 I had two old war horses (shown below)

The green Renault 4L van did North Africa during the period of the 7 day 1967 Israeli

war up to Tunis where we had to divert to Sicily…she died in the Black Forest in Germany.

The red Volks went from Paris to India and died on the way back in Svilengrad, Bulgaria in 1968.

[IMG]http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd346/drm2m/MytwooldWARHORSESbackthenIburiedbothofthem.jpg[/IMG]

The death of our old friend “Sederick” …the red Volks in

Svilengrad , Bulgaria…we had no money to fix him…and

it was not a big cost….we had to leave him there with

a lot of our stuff….and took a train back to Paris.

I returned to Canada in late November 1968...after a two year adventure.

I was twenty years old when it started and twenty-two when it ended.

Never to be forgotten...we had great times in Afghanistan,Turkey

Iran and Pakistan.....perhaps not the same gig today!

The 1967 trip included Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia...and then the 1967 Israeli war..

it cut that trip short.

(I originally went to London in October 1966 and worked there for a while.

The English music and fashion scenes had started to influence the rest of

world at that time.

It was an interesting time to live there.)

I played one gig with a British band (crazy buggers...Simple Simon and the Pie men) before I left England for Europe.

Simon was a very pleasant talented big black vocalist...not may black guys fronting white bands back then in England....I don't think.

[IMG]http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd346/drm2m/WesleptinthsoldVolksfromEuropetotheIndianborder-19672-Copy.jpg[/IMG]

Great friends….I counted to a great degree on theses two old horses.

------------------------------------------------

PARIS in those days.

Pretty girls were always there.....it made up for the bad times in Paris.

I lived a humble student’s existence... it was not all bad.

[IMG]http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd346/drm2m/AstudentslifeinPariswasnotallhardship.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd346/drm2m/Lifewasgoodinmylittleroom.jpg[/IMG]

---------------------------------------------------

To my point…I bought a Turkish hand drum in Istanbul…a "Darbuka"….and learned to play it somewhat.

I used to play it daily much to the chagrin of my travelling companion…from Istanbul to India and back.

Interesting music and finger drumming technique.

This style of drum and music date way back.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bjnmb0hBly4[/ame]

In Bombay I took a few lessons on the Indian tabla…also a very interesting drumming style…I was never very good at it.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuRp-Fn_IEk[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ_BJNFGmTg&feature=related[/ame]

Photo #1 My two Turkish Darbuka drums….one suffered a serious accident so I bought another one….both drum heads have seen better days.

Photo #2 Alanya Turkey 1968…yours truly at the far left….a very fine Darbuka drummer at the far right…good friends at that time.(My poor travelling companion –third from the right.)

Photo #3 Return from India-1968---the Darbuka drum head is still in tact.

Photo #4 Yours truly third from the right-India 1968.

Photo #5 Photo taken many years later-different drums-different music.

David

In August 1967 at the Athens Hilton (Greece) I had the pleasure of working with this guy.

(Yours truly third from the right....Vangelis far right.)

[IMG]http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd346/drm2m/AthensHiltonwithVangelis.jpg[/IMG]

David with Vangelis-1967 Athens Hilton Galaxy Lounge---traditional grip....for they that care?

(My old drum teacher would care!)

[IMG]http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd346/drm2m/DavidattheGalaxyLoungeHiltonHotelAthensAugust1967withVangelis.jpg[/IMG]

Vangelis' brilliant history is readily visible on the Internet.

Major well known film scores...he is a serious talent.

Google him if you are interested. (Vangelis)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpAX-wVnUmQ&feature=related[/ame]

(A link to a previous thread that deals with the early 60s stuff.)

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=16073

(Click on the images to enlarge them.)