Drummin' Men: The Heartbeat of Jazz The Bebop Years [Paperback]

Burt Korall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0195176642 | ISBN-13: 978-0195176643

Burt Korall is widely recognized as the most authoritative writer on jazz drumming. His first book Drummin' Men--The Heartbeat of Jazz: The Swing Era is considered a classic. Now, in this exciting sequel, Korall offers a richly informative history of drumming in the Bebop era. Korall looks at this music through the eyes of the musicians themselves, covering a whole range of important jazz drummers, but focusing upon the most original and significant--principally Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, and Art Blakey. Korall provides a knowledgeable background about the history of bebop--and the unfortunate and almost universal heroin addiction that swept through the jazz world in the wake of Charlie Parker's habit. The book contains Korall's own memoir of nearly 50 years in the jazz world, linked by his narrative of the careers of these drummers and their place in the bebop jazz scene.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The drummer is one of the jazz band's most important members, providing the energy, pulse, and drive that can make or break a unit. Korall illuminates these points and more in his latest offering, a fine follow-up to his Drummin' Men: The Heartbeat of Jazz; The Swing Years, which was published in 1990. A jazz authority whose writings have appeared in such publications as the New York Times, Modern Drummer, and the Village Voice, Korall is also a jazz drummer and can thus talk knowledgeably about various stylistic aspects of drumming. As in his previous work, he uses interviews with musicians to address various key artists and concepts. It's hardly surprising that drummers Art Blakey, Max Roach, Kenny Clarke, and Roy Haynes are included, but the unexpected coverage of artists like Tiny Kahn, Stan Levey, Shadow Wilson, and Don Lamond provide diversity and a greater understanding of how bop drumming evolved. While there is some overlap between the two books, Korall's latest offering is no carbon copy. It is a readable tome that would appeal to jazz enthusiasts and jazz scholars alike. Recommended for academic and public libraries with a jazz interest. Ronald S. Russ, Arkansas State Univ., Beebe
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"An invaluable book for musicians as well as listeners. It is not only an illumination of master drummers, including some deserving more renown, but also the interviews with a wide range of musicians add new insight into jazz history." --Nat Hentoff

"If you want to know what modern drumming is all about, this is your book. Burt Korall has done a remarkable job, and I strongly recommend it."--Artie Shaw

"Attention drummers, jazz lovers, bebop lovers, and students of jazz history! Run--I repeat, run--do not walk to your local bookstore and purchase this absolutely wonderful book."--Allegro "Korall digs deep into the hippest period in drumming history. A fascinating must-read for any drummer of style or lover of modern jazz."--William F. Miller, Editorial Director, Modern Drummer Magazine

"Nobody writes about jazz drumming like Burt Korall. He gets inside the important drummers, the jazzmen who played with them, the arrangers and the leaders, to capture the excitement, the feel, even the sound of the Bebop Era. What an achievement!"--Dom Cerulli, The Jazz Word

"Korall's eagerly awaited sequel to his swing-era treatise is a lively, fascinatingly detailed text composed of narrative, exegesis, interviews and musical examples. Korall tells you exactly what these tub-thumpers did to make their music sound the way it did, from the obscure Lou Fromm to the familiar Kenny Clarke."--Seattle Times/Post-Intelligencer

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (July 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195176642
• ISBN-13: 978-0195176643
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #507,232 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buddy Ruch Fanatic, November 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Drummin' Men--The Heartbeat of Jazz: The Bebop Years (Hardcover)

This is a GOOD book on the Be Bop drummers, my only complaint is that the author has opinions that I do not agree with. Such as "Blakey is not a virtuoso"; My opinion is that Blakey played solo's that were beyond "Human Technique",they were Spiritual. He also relates a story of how Buddy Rich was Philly Joe's "Demon",and again states that Philly Joe Jones was not a virtuoso. The author also states that the "Rich versus Roach" recording was a "radical mistake" for Max, because Buddy "ran Roach out of the studio". The author seems to think Buddy Rich is "The world's greatest drummer". And that the real innovaters have no technique. I say ,listen to Buddy with Bird & Diz;(Tasteless Bombast),then listen to Max(pure melodic Beauty). I don,t care if Buddy can play 3000 single strokes per minute, lets don,t distort the truth, with this continuing myth. Buddy did'nt make any contribution to "Music", that these cats did.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The pulse of the Big Band Era, July 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Drummin' Men: The Heartbeat of Jazz: The Swing Years (Hardcover)

This is an outstanding account of the Big Band Era from the standpoint of the individuals who literally provided the beat. They're all here in the story of the best of the big band drummers: Chick Webb, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Davey Tough, Ray McKinley, Big Sid Catlett, and more. This was clearly a labor of love for author Burt Korrall, who is an amateur drummer himself. Following his references to recorded material the reader can become absorbed in the topic in a way he or she never thought possible. The fact is, this book is well written and makes great reading for anyone interested in the Big Band Era or swing/jazz drumming.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars a waste of time, August 21, 2004

By 

John Such - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drummin' Men--The Heartbeat of Jazz: The Bebop Years (Hardcover)

A book about bebop drummers needs to explain 1) what bebop drumming consists of and 2) how the styles of the various drummers profiled diverge. This book does not do either. Instead we are told that drummer after drummer after drummer has "a great feel" and "great time"; we learn nothing.

If it were just that I'd give the book another star for its sketchy and scattered biographical information, but considering how badly written the book is, I can't justify it.

I suggest instead that you buy a copy of "The Grove Dictionary of Jazz" and look up the entry for each famous drummer you want to know about. You'll learn a lot more and have a much better time doing it.

For transcriptions consult Modern Drummer magazine.