I just watched a video Buddy Rich being interviewed. The interview was unusual in that Buddy was reflective about his life and career which caused me to reflect on what made him great. Once you get past all the accolades about his technical prowess and his fire. you find a musician who owned everything he played.
Owning the music you play is at the foundation of every great musician. We all sit around thinking, why is this guy so much better than me? I truly believe its a commitment, not only to music, but to owning your performance.
Buddy never sat behind the drums without knowing every note of an arrangement. The real core of his art is that he played every note as if he had written it, that is real music making. Buddy's legendary confidence comes from that knowledge.
Two recent gigs I played bring this into sharper focus. One was a large band and the other small. The leaders of both these groups didn't know their own music. They came to the gig with the feeling that the musicians can make it work no matter how unprepared they themselves were.
Buddy's band was always aware that he knew the music inside/out. That awareness made them play with an assurance that turns a standard performance into a great one.
Buddy Rich was in many ways the definition of "Owning It", Music would be better if we practiced what he preached.
The groove continues.
Owning the music you play is at the foundation of every great musician. We all sit around thinking, why is this guy so much better than me? I truly believe its a commitment, not only to music, but to owning your performance.
Buddy never sat behind the drums without knowing every note of an arrangement. The real core of his art is that he played every note as if he had written it, that is real music making. Buddy's legendary confidence comes from that knowledge.
Two recent gigs I played bring this into sharper focus. One was a large band and the other small. The leaders of both these groups didn't know their own music. They came to the gig with the feeling that the musicians can make it work no matter how unprepared they themselves were.
Buddy's band was always aware that he knew the music inside/out. That awareness made them play with an assurance that turns a standard performance into a great one.
Buddy Rich was in many ways the definition of "Owning It", Music would be better if we practiced what he preached.
The groove continues.
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