# Buddy Rich doing his thing, he had close ties to our area: Video

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2018/09/30/buddy-rich-doing-his-thing-he-had-close-ties-to-our-area-video/
- Published: 2018-09-30T00:07:08+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**30.09. – Happy Birthday !!! The inclusion of Rich is both interesting and appropriate.
Though never an innovator like the other Downbeat honorees, something Rich himself
admitted, he nonetheless had a remarkable career. **

As writer John McDonough in his essay on the fiery drummer and bandleader details,
Rich’s seven-decade career began in the vaudeville era, and progressed to swing,
bop, fusion, and rock. There is not a legend of jazz he did not play or record with,
including fellow Downbeat honorees Ella, Diz and Monk. Buddy Rich’s “innovations”
were versatility and an ability to evolve, a rarity in jazz.

**Beyond swing**

Sure, there were and are other great drummers, but several things set him apart.
If Superman decided to play the drums, he still could not surpass what Rich could
play on a drum set. His technique has never been equaled or surpassed, and it likely
never will be.

As an accompanist — and he accompanied everyone from Louis Armstrong to Art Tatum—
the man was an unparalleled inspiration. His feel went way beyond swing. With Buddy
behind a soloist (members of his latter-day bands would be happy to corroborate 
this), a player could not help but play way over his or her head.

His controversial 1966 decision to form his own big band came during a time it was
thought big bands were virtually dead. However, he helped inspire renewed interest
in big bands, paving the way for the increased popularity of Basie, Ellington and
Kenton, and new ensembles like the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, and the 
comeback of Maynard Ferguson.

Finally, as writer McDonough points out, “Thirty years after his death, Buddy Rich
remains the most famous drummer in jazz history. People who know nothing about the
music know that the words ‘Buddy Rich’ and ‘drums’ have become synonymous.”

**A continuing legacy**

Credit for Rich’s continued popularity should go to talk show host Johnny Carson,
who helped establish Rich as a tart-tongued “personality” like Don Rickles, a persona
that made jazz lovers out of folks who might not otherwise have been interested 
in the music. And Buddy’s daughter, Cathy, has worked tirelessly to perpetuate her
father’s legacy with the continuation of the Buddy Rich band, with Greg Potter at
the drums, B.R. Memorial Scholarship Concerts, reissues, newly discovered audios
and videos, and more.

Buddy Rich had close ties to our area. His personal physician, Henry “Stuffy” Stoffman,
lived here, and Buddy was a regular at every club in the region, including The Latin
Casino, Brandi’s Wharf, Sciolla’s, and all the rest. He was actually considering
moving here in the late 1970s. I’m embarrassed to say that I thought Philadelphia
would be too dull for him and talked him out of it. (Plus, where would he park his
new Jaguar?)

Some seasons ago, I had the privilege of being pegged to co-produce and write the
only “official” video documentary, along with Buddy’s daughter Cathy and widow Marie,
about Buddy’s life and music, Buddy Rich: Jazz Legend. Like many drummers of my 
generation, I’m not ashamed to say Rich was my idol, so the production of this project
was quite an emotional experience. I took Cathy aside at one point and asked her
father what he would have thought of a project like this. “He would have loved it,”
she said. I hope so.

![Картинки по запросу Buddy Rich  jazz review bio](https://i0.wp.
com/i.pinimg.com/originals/40/47/be/4047be1e8e9183e3bd14d8edfefdaed2.jpg?w=640&ssl
=1)

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