Drummers

[PerfectKnight42]

Who do you think is the best Drummer of all time?

[Epee_Pox]

Too hard to answer, because can't compare across styles.

Who's the best jazz drummer? Who's the best rock drummer? Who's the best session drummer? Who's the best marching band drummer? How about blues? Hip-hop? Funk? Soul? Country? R&B? Folk? . . .


Heck, even those categories are too broad. Just in jazz alone, you have dixieland, blues, swing, various incarnations of bebop, cool, fusion, standards, stage, etc. etc. And it'd be a hard job to compare even among those styles.

And in rock, how do you compare the drummers of early rock-n-roll and rockabilly with art-pop, stadium classic rock, punk, psychedelic, surf, electronica, dance, pop 40, alternative, jangle pop, stoner riff rock, death metal, et freaking cetera? Jeez, that list would be three pages long.

Anyway, you get my point.

[JasminaJ]

The one-armed guy in Def Leppard.

[latenight]

Not the most technically perfect, but I'm a big Dave Grohl fan.

[Elbethil]

Hard to answer...

First name to come to mind was John Bonham, so I'll stick with that answer.

[Go? Fencing?]

My cousin, Gene Krupa.

[Epee_Pox]

Hard to answer...

First name to come to mind was John Bonham, so I'll stick with that answer.

Then again, Bonham has said the guy from Jethro Tull (of all things!) was the best rock drummer ever.

[Larrison]

My cousin, Gene Krupa.

Hands down.. I agree...

[Krazyhades]

Either this kid or this kid

They are INCREDIBLE

[Morion]

Buddy Rich - One of if not THE all time great.

[Elemental]

I would direct your attention to the second sentance of my signature for an answer.

[parrythis]

Buddy Rich - One of if not THE all time great.

I'll second that nomination.

[Purple Fencer]

Who's the best marching band drummer?

And even THEN you've got differances...playing snare is very different from tenors or bass or even cymbals.

it also kinda depends on te kind of equipment. if you're on a snare with mylar heads, playing technique's a bit different than on a kevlar head...after percussion writers got used to the differing qualities of the kevlar heads (following their intriduciton in drum corps in 1988), styles changed. There's more reverb with mylar and it hides dirt...you can't hide in a kevlar line.

[Captain Hook]

Cozy Powell

[CountAntonio]

I'm partial to Jimmy Chamberlain from the Smashing Pumpkins. Might not technically be the best but he knows how to fit the music just right.

[LUDICROUS]

Clive Burr, for being a badass.

And a good drummer, heh.

[TrainingDummy]

While I don't have a favorite and don't have the technical knowledge to name the best, check out Chris Hornbrooke from Poison the Well particularly on "The Opposite of December." Beautiful double-bass rolls accentuate perfect use of symbols. Also the drummer from Mastodon.

[PerfectKnight42]

Too hard to answer, because can't compare across styles.

Who's the best jazz drummer? Who's the best rock drummer? Who's the best session drummer? Who's the best marching band drummer? How about blues? Hip-hop? Funk? Soul? Country? R&B? Folk? . . .


Heck, even those categories are too broad. Just in jazz alone, you have dixieland, blues, swing, various incarnations of bebop, cool, fusion, standards, stage, etc. etc. And it'd be a hard job to compare even among those styles.

And in rock, how do you compare the drummers of early rock-n-roll and rockabilly with art-pop, stadium classic rock, punk, psychedelic, surf, electronica, dance, pop 40, alternative, jangle pop, stoner riff rock, death metal, et freaking cetera? Jeez, that list would be three pages long.

Anyway, you get my point.

the very best drummer is someone who can demonstrate skills in all of the above feilds. obviously it is impossible to be even proficient in so many undeniably different feilds, but the drummer who demonstrates the best raw comprehension of as many as he can could be nominated.

Bohnam was skilled but please, keith moon was god of rock and would eat his face for breakfast. However neither of those two could ever demonstrate any real skill when it comes to other feilds of music. buddy rich was one hell of a drummer but I know little about his other interests in music.

CountAntonio I'm partial to Jimmy Chamberlain from the Smashing Pumpkins. Might not technically be the best but he knows how to fit the music just right.
04-26-2006 04:49 AM

but the reason for that is that it's his music... would he be able to play along with a jazz trio? almost certainately not.

[Zilverzmurfen]

Neil Peart, John Bonham or the drummer guy from Queens of the Stone Age.

[RebelFencer]

As far as metal drummers go, I'd have to say Lars Ulrich. The guy from Slipknot is supposedly incredible as well.