This Drummer's Album will Inspire You!

When I was accepted to Berklee College of Music way back in 1997, I was both excited and scared at the same time. Excited that I had "made it" into the world's best music school, and scared because I knew that I would be challenged musically beyond anything I had experienced before.

Luckily, my cousin was in his junior year of the institution's Music Production and Engineering program and could provide me with some advice on the Berklee experience. While visiting a local music store, yes they did have those back in the day, he found a CD, handed it to me, and stated "if you want to become a great drummer listen to this.

That CD was Burning for Buddy: A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich.

Now before you click out of my page because you are a metal drummer, a rock drummer, a country drummer, or some form of musician other than a jazz player, I want to share something about Burning for Buddy that may change your mind.

It was the production of Rush drummer Neil Peart. You heard me right, Neil "Freakin' Peart".

As it turns out Peart had taken part in the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert series, where he got the chance to swing with Buddy's original big band, but, according to Peart he couldn't cut the gig and wanted a second chance. So he contacted Rich's daughter, Cathy, and asked her about inviting the world's best drummers to play with the big band in a studio setting. This resulted in a killer line-up of the drumming world's best players, many of which, stepping out of their element to perform Buddy inspired tunes with a big band. This is the final line-up and proof that this album isn't just about jazz drummers.

1. "Dancing Men" by Simon Phillips
2. "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" by Dave Weckl
3. "Love for Sale" by Steve Gadd
4. "Beulah Witch"  by Matt Sorum
5. "Nutville" by Steve Smith
6. "Cotton Tail" by Neil Peart
7. "No Jive" by Manu Katche 
8. "Milestones" by Billy Cobham
9. "The Drum Also Waltzes, Pt. 1" by Max Roach
10. "Machine" by Rod Morgenstein
11. "Straight, No Chaser" by Kenny Aronoff
12. "Slow Funk" by Omar Hakim
13. "Shawnee"by Ed Shaughnessy
14. "Drumorello"  by Joe Morello
15. "The Drum Also Waltzes, Pt. 2" by Max Roach
16. "Lingo" by Bill Bruford
17. "Ya Gotta Try"  by Marvin “Smitty” Smith
18. "Pick Up the Pieces" by Steve Ferrone

Many of these drummers were far from the jazz idiom of music. Kenny Aronoff  was the studio go-to cat for such greats as John Mellencamp and Bob Seger; Marvin "Smitty" Smith was the drummer of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; Steve Ferrone was the drummer for Chaka Kahn and Eric Clapton, and Matt Sorum was the hard hitting drummer for Guns n' Roses during their hugely popular Use Your Illusion I & II releases.

Check out this video where Neil Peart Talks about the quality selection of drummers and material Buddy helped craft for the album. 

This film was part of the "Making of Burning for Buddy" video collection that chronicled the making of the album with live performances of each drummer in the studio with the big band.  And if this album provides the inspiration for you that it did for me, it will be a welcomed addition to your library.  You can get it through Amazon.

Perhaps the greatest part of the video is when Neil Peart Talks about Billy Cobham.  Apparently all the other drummer spent months prepping their songs for the recording, when asked which tune he would perform, Cobham told Peart "whatever is left I will take", causing Neil to joke "OK, I guess Billy takes requests." Even more amazing is that after showing up at the studio and selecting his tune, the legend sight-read Miles Davis' Milestones in one take. 

This is just one of the amazing performances on this album and accompanying video. I encourage all the drummers out there to give this album a good listen.


You can stream this great album through Spotify, and download or buy a physical copy at Amazon. Sorry, it isn't available in the U.S. iTunes store.

And when you wear out Burning for Buddy Volume I, Peart and his band of percussionists gave the drumming community Volume II to check out, which is much more Jazzy. You can get that album only at Amazon.