Drummin' Men: The Heartbeat of Jazz: The Swing Years [Import] [Hardcover]

Burt Korall (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Schirmer Books (1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028720008
• ISBN-13: 978-0028720005
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,236,297 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.