The most intriguing collection of archival jazz footage since Ken Burns' "Jazz" documentary. Each title in the series features full length concert or studio performances by the greatest legends of jazz, filmed all over the world from the 1950's through the 1970's. None of these programs have ever been officially released on video! Each DVD has been beautifully transferred from the original masters and features a 16 page booklet filled with rare photographs and an essay written by authoritative jazz historians such as Will Friedwald, Ira Gitler, Rob Bowman and others. Jazz Icons DVDs are produced with the full support and cooperation of the artists or their estates, who've contributed rare photos and memorabilia.
The Best of Buddy Rich (whether or not it actually is the best of Rich's long career can be debated) is actually a three-disc box containing the mid-'70s albums The Roar of '74, Very Live at Buddy's Place, and Big Band Machine. Rich, for all his flashiness and bravado, was an incredible drummer, and he took a definite risk by forming a drummer-led big band in 1966, but he pulled it off and continued working in a big-band format the rest of his professional life. All three of these albums demonstrate the powerful and rhythmic swing Rich's big bands could generate, a sound that at times almost borders on a kind of urban jungle funk, and the three releases fit together amazingly well, like three interchangeable pieces in the same polyrhythmic quilt. Highlights include the funky and swinging "Nuttville" from Roar; the pounding "Nica's Dream" from Very Live; and a skipping, hopping version of Leiber & Stoller's "On Broadway" from Big Band Machine. This was the kind of sound Rich envisioned for big bands, and while it might not be everyone's cup of tea, there's no denying that he led a powerhouse band that was as versatile as it was energetic. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi
Import. Remaster album of live performance at the famous Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 Brooklyn, New York - April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuoso technique, power, and speed. A consummate player, Rich's prowess ranged from light-as-a-feather sensitivity behind piano trios to a G-force sound in big bands. But it was the latter ensembles that won him recognition. Rich began his big band work with Joe Marsala in 1937, followed by gigs with Bunny Berigan, Harry James, Artie Shaw and Benny Carter. In 1939, he joined Tommy Dorsey's band, where he cemented his reputation as a big band artist and roomed with singer Frank Sinatra. This famed musician received outstanding recognition throughout his career. The Downbeat Magazine Hall of Fame Award, the Modern Drummer Magazine Hall of Fame Award and the Jazz Unlimited Immortals of Jazz Award are just a few of his numerous honors. Rich gained international attention for such master compositions as his 10-minute West Side Story medley. BGO Records. UK. 2008.
The Best of Buddy Rich: The Pacific Jazz Years features 10 tracks culled from Rich's explosive years at Pacific Jazz. There are eight near-standards - including "Groovin' Hard," "Love for Sale," "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" and "Greensleeves" - as well as two previously unreleased cuts: a live version of "Apples" recorded at the Chez Club in LA and an alternate take of "Diabolus." Although the compilation isn't definitive, it remains a good sampling of a short period of Rich's long, prolific career.
