When people ask me what I listen for in a drummer, I always say the same thing: the groove. Not speed. Not flash. Just that deep, undeniable feel that makes you nod your head without even thinking about it. There are a lot of technically brilliant drummers out there, but very few can lock into a groove so hard that it feels like the whole band is being carried by them. For me, two drummers do that better than anyone else: Art Blakey and Steve Jordan.
Art Blakey is hands-down my favorite jazz drummer of all time. He had that rare ability to play with incredible power and still swing like crazy. His playing was always rooted in the blues, always deeply connected to the people around him.
If you’ve never listened to the album Moanin’ by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, that’s the place to start. The way Blakey sets up the band and the way he drives the band forward with just the ride cymbal is pretty impressive. He lets the other music around him breathe while still driving them forward. That balance is hard to teach, and I know it’s hard for any drummer to do in practice.
A lot of jazz drummers play with subtlety, which is great, but Blakey seemed to maintain the drive of, let’s say, a rock drummer, while still being super light and in the pocket. Some of his songs are also very hard-swinging, which is cool to hear and play along with..
Another great groove drummer, but in a totally different style, is Steve Jordan. While Blakey was the soul of the hard bop era, Jordan is the blueprint for modern groove drumming (at least in my opinion). You’ve probably heard him behind the kit and didn’t even realize it.
He’s played with legends: from Stevie Wonder to the Rolling Stones, but it’s his work with John Mayer that really got me.
If you haven’t seen the Where the Light Is concert, the John Mayer Trio set in particular, watch it. Jordan’s pocket is super mesmerizing, and he basically lets John Mayer shred guitar over his backbeat, without getting in the way. Every snare hit is in the right place, every ghost note matters. He doesn’t overplay, ever. He knows what to leave out, and that’s what makes it groove so hard.
Take a look:
He and Mayer lock into something that’s almost hypnotic. It’s bluesy, funky, and always in control. Jordan doesn’t need a solo to show what he can do, and that’s what I like about him. In a roundabout way, he and Blakey have that in common.
These two drummers come from different musical worlds, but they share the same objective on the drums: just locking into the groove without getting in the way of the music.. Whether it’s a jazz club in the ’50s or a rock arena in the 2000s, they both understand the power of the groove. And that’s why they’ll always be at the top of my list.