Product Description

Some of the greatest of the classic Jazz drummers are featured in small groups and big bands. Featured performers include Sid Catlett, Ray Bauduc, Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Gus Johnson (with the rarely-heard Count Basie small group), Joe Harris (with the pioneering Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra), Panama Francis, Lionel Hamjpton's Band, Philly Joe Jones, Stan Levey, Kenny Clarke and more. Special DVD only features include 4 bonus clips featuring Sonny Payne, Shelly Manne, Lionel Hampton & Philly Joe Jones; also the only existing film of New Orleans pioneer Warren "Baby" Dodds; also a photo gallery.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51180 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-02-09
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 70 minutes

Customer Reviews

classic
This dvd along with Classic Solos Vol 1 and 2 from Hudson Music provide a great view of the most important drummers in history. Watching the clips really gave me a great understanding of how drumming has evolved over the years and is very helpful to see, no matter what style you play in. A must for your collection.

Great watching... ! ! !
First, a bit of a warning... This is NOT a drum instructional DVD... There's no instruction, nor are all the shots EXCLUSIVELY overheads of drum kits. In a CLASSIC "soundie" clip of THE COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA you don't even see Sonny Payne up close until that classic ending (and I'm somewhat surprized it didn't get censored if you realize the apparent symbolism of his gestures...! ! !) - - With that said, this DVD is a rare chance to see many of the greats in their hey day and some really funny moments as well (such as the drum battles and the shot of Milt Buckner playing piano with Lionel Hampton and bobbing up and down so violently he looks like he's about to go through the roof.) Also featured is rare footage of Philly Joe... a wild shot of Poppa Joe doing the conga trick with the drums... a VERY young Buddy Rich... and a delightfully fun clip with Cab Calloway. Kenny Clarke's there too... in fact, the most fun and educational part of the video is getting to see the volution of the different drumming styles.

All in all, I think its deceptive to call this a drum video... Its a brilliant compilation of clips (some complete, some edited) that should be delightful to all swinging Jazz lovers !

A classic DVD for all jazz fans!
Whether you are a hard-core jazz fan or someone with a passing knowledge of this music form, this is a DVD you must watch. It is simply incredible and offers a nice 'recap' of the best jazz drummers in music history. I enjoyed all the drummers who appear on this DVD but my favorites are Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton, and Philly Joe Jones.

While some of the video transitions from one segment to another are not quite as smooth as we are accustomed to in this day of video technology, that is okay, because the musical performances are amazing.

If I had a young child I wanted to expose to jazz, this would be the DVD I would show him/her.