Barrett Deems

March 1, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

Add new comment | Filed under: 1950s, all stars, barrett, bing crosby, Birthdays, contemporaries, drummer, frank sinatra, gene krupa, hyperkinetic, Jazz Alive, jazz giant, louis armstrong, playing the drums, pops, swing

Today is the birthday of drummer Barrett Deems, called "The World's Fastest Drummer" by his contemporaries Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa. I can't say that I would call Barrett Deems a jazz giant, but I always found him entertaining. Have you ever seen High Society with Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong? If you answered yes, then you've seen Barrett Deems. He played drums for Louis Armstrong's All-Stars during the 1950s, and his hyperkinetic drumming was an excellent foil to the super-cool swing of Pops.
Here's "The World's Fastest Drummer" playing the drums, the stage, and a chair.

© 2008 WBGO

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Digging on Dexter

February 27, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

Add new comment | Filed under: 4am, basie band, Birthdays, copenhagen, daniel humair, dexter gordon, drummer, Encounters, george gruntz, guy pederson, loose walk, Masters, montmartre, musicians, param name, piano guy, rahsaan roland kirk, Real Life Stories, saxophonist, sonny stitt, time off, tivoli gardens, wbgo, www youtube

It's the birthday of saxophonist Dexter Gordon, who holds a special place in the hearts of many people at WBGO. Perhaps no one here knew him better than our station mother, Dorthaan Kirk. Here's a story she just told me:

I met Dexter when I was touring Europe with Rahsaan Roland Kirk's band. Rahsaan loved Dexter, so I knew the name and the music before I ever met him. Anyway, we had some time off, so we went to Copenhagen. We saw an early concert at Tivoli Gardens with the Basie Band, then we joined some of Basie's guys and headed for the Club Montmartre. Copenhagen was Dexter's home, and he played that club all the time.
I remember so much about that evening. Dexter was wearing a blue jean suit. It was definitely the 70s! At the end of the night, it's 3 or 4am, and all of the musicians are at the bar. I'm keeping to myself, mostly, while all the guys are carrying on. Long, tall, and handsome as can be, Dexter walks out of the kitchen, comes right up to me, and says, "Who are you?" I was practically speechless, which you know never happens...
From that night on, Dexter always called me "Miss Rahsaan." I sure do miss him.

Here's Dexter playing Sonny Stitt's "Loose Walk" in Amsterdam, with a Swiss trio - George Gruntz piano, Guy Pederson bass and drummer Daniel Humair:

© 2008 WBGO

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Eliane Elias at J&R - Something For You

January 29, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

Add new comment | Filed under: bassist, bill evans, billy hart, drummer, eliane elias, Listening Post, Live Music, marc johnson, music

Eliane Elias and her trio - bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Billy Hart - played the music of Bill Evans at J&R, and we broadcast it live.

If you missed it, you can listen to some selections from the live concert here.
-Josh

PS Some great Bill Evans quotes collected here.

© 2008 WBGO

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