[richidoo]

EDIT: I changed the topic name to include all early bop drummers.


Excellent documentary video on youtube, Stan Levey - The Beginnings of Bebop

Levey playing with Diz, Getz, Stitt
Listen to him trades 8s with Getz @10:40 on Dizzy's composition 'Bebop"
Notice, Stan really is rat-tat-A tatting the whole time at that speed, ~350bpm, for 13 minutes non-stop.
Few else could do that for that long, even in 1950.
He talks about the challenge of the speed in the video. The horns make it sound so easy.

1983, Wally's in Boston, Sunday afternoon jam:
Ron Savage (d) says to the leader Bud Revels (t) "What are we playing?"
Bud says "Just chang, chang-a-lang until the music stops."
Ron

[S Clark]

That was excellent. Thanks for the tip, Rich.  Stan Levey was one of the guys I'd heard of, but never really focused on.  I'll correct that. 

[richidoo]

Kenny Clarke (Klook Mop) the inventor of bebop drumming style

"The Birth of Bebop"


Klook samples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJWuIjulsOE   MJQ, drum feature on La Ronde: >>7:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJWuIjulsOE  Working hard against dragging tempo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3evN1yGPag

The beginning 1941: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVu0cR0r6vA  This still sounds very swingy with 4 beats/bar, but it was Klook who did away with the bass drum quarter beats during the following few years as he discusses in the video. When recording resumed in 1945 after WW2 the bebop bass drum was for accent only and there was lots more syncopation on snare, but you can hear some of that here.

[lazydays]

I like several drummers, but in the end it has always came down to two men. With Jimmy Cobb winning with a slight edge (nobody covered the brass as well as Mr. Cobb)
gary