I have never seen a picture or video of Buddy using concert toms with his normal 1 up/2 down configuration. Calling Tommy P... what does the expert say?

blackd/mchair303!

Yes indeed!... Buddy DID experiment/play two concert toms to his left in the EARLY 80's. He was back with Ludwig.. ( for the 3rd and FINAL time ) .. and for whatever reason, felt like he wanted to add in those toms. They didn't last long... under a year actually. He was "playing" them back when one of his ALL TIME favorite bass players was on the gig: Wayne Pedziwiatr. After Wayne left the band, he continued to "play" them, but shortly thereafter got rid of them... and they never appeared again. He used them primarily in his solo/solos, and even then, not so much. I always thought they were a bit of head scratcher, as in WHY? As to their sizes:

I have pics/film in "the collection", and shall have a look. I think he tried a couple different sizes. Also... Buddy even "played" a Syndrum during this period! He had that mounted right between/over both 16X16 floor toms. I always thought that the Syndrum was even odder than the concert toms. Goes without saying, the Syndrum didn't last very long either!

Tommyp

PS: I have NO IDEA HOW this response ended up WITHIN your post mchair303. MY apologies. How odd!!

PLEASE see the previous post! I have no idea HOW my reply got imbedded WITHIN that post... but it did! My apologies!

Tommyp

thanks Tommy, If you can find the sizes I would be grateful

thanks again

Thanks for the quick reply, Tommy, and no apologies necessary for that neat imbedding trick (good thing we all can't do that).

I can understand Buddy experimenting with a couple high concert toms (I'll bet they were 8" & 10") at a time when drummers were surrounding themselves with toms, but a Syndrum?? I remember when that grandaddy of synthesized drums came out and so many rock drummers experimented with it as a novelty, but it didn't attract the attention of too many jazz or big band drummers. There were lots of guys (myself included) who thought it was just a passing fad, and I still believe that electronic drums are no substitute for good old acoustic shells. Buddy must have felt the same way.

I think I can remember that there is a recording with him using the electronic drum. I will have to go through my collection and find the track and I will let you know

There is a video of Buddy Rich playing with A bunch of 50's jazz musicians, Charlie Parker being one of them. He had this very small tom as a up Tom. Looked very strange to me. Looked like maybe a 8".

You mean this one... see attached ... and, that performance was actually synced. It wasn't LIVE, although it looks like it is! Buddy was with WFL/Ludwig at the time, and was actually playing the WFL 3x13 Buddy Rich Be-bop snare as his main snare drum. Didn't last long though. He said the drum just couldn't deliver when he needed to really lay into it.. but .. for some of the small group jazz he was playing at the time.. ( his big band was disbanded during this period ) .. it fit the bill! The pic is SMALL... but then again, so were those drums!

Tommyp

okay found the album, it is on vinyl and was recorded at Ronnie Scotts club London in March 1980. the album is The Man From Planet Jazz. You can hear the Syndrum and the concert toms on the first track " Beulah Witch".

the toms sound like 8" & 10", but I could be wrong.

Kev

Kev!

"Man From The Planet Jazz" is also available on CD, as I have it.. but .. it was originally issued/titled "Live at Ronnie Scott's". Exactly the same recording/performance/set list of course, and... I know I have pics from this concert that will show both the concert toms and the Syndrum. 8" and 10" seems like it would be correct, but... I know one of the trombone players that was with Buddy during this period and he swears the concert toms were smaller... but I tend to doubt it! Let me see if I can locate the pic/pics!

Tommyp