The legendary Steve Gadd

bud7h4 said:
I recognize the greatness, but it's a different category, IMO, than that of others like Weckl, Mayer, Chris Coleman . . . . .
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I mean.... those guys wouldn't exist without exist without him. Like if you want to stupefy Weckl sometime, tell him you don't find Steve Gadd exciting, lol!

bud7h4 said:
I think what Steve Gadd does masterfully is play more straight forward drumming that a lot of artists want "backing" their performance. And he writes memorable drum parts, which those same artists appreciate.

But I'm with MikeWax (the OP), Gadd's drumming doesn't excite me very much, and he doesn't play anything that makes me ask "how does he do that?"
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Listen harder, ask harder? To my way of thinking, if you're not hearing anything exciting, you're listening wrong, or listening to the wrong records. Pretty much by definition. He's played on a few thousand records, they can't all be drum features.

Listen to all the things I posted all the way through and check back...
 
toddbishop said:
if you're not hearing anything exciting, you're listening wrong, or listening to the wrong records. Pretty much by definition. He's played on a few thousand records, they can't all be drum features.
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I agree. Steve Gadd's fills are rather simple and fit perfectly into the song.
Most of the drum parts that support songs are usually boring. For most music drums are boring. How exciting is the drum part on Billy Jean? That is why Dave Weckl and other drummers enjoy playing jazz and fusion.

The bands I play in hire me to play the tempo (click track) so that the guitar player, keyboard, harp, singer, etc etc. can play solos. When I play too many fills or complex fills they give me the evil eye.

.
 
Alain Rieder said:
For those who like Steve Gadd, I was 16 when I first witnessed Steve on TV in the Summer of 1972. It was a TV broadcast from the Montreux Festival which has recently surfaced.
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Yeah, man, it´s amazing. I got the record of it in London in 1980, was called "Alive".

I imagine what an inspiration this must have been to see it live and back then...lucky you!

Best regards and thanks you!
 
Alex Sanguinetti said:
Yeah, man, it´s amazing. I got the record of it in London in 1980, was called "Alive".

I imagine what an inspiration this must have been to see it live and back then...lucky you!
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I wasn't that much into jazz at the time, but seeing him play was jaw dropping.

I think the next time I heard Steve was in a song called Silly Putty by Stanley Clarke three years later.
Then The Leprechaun and the All Jarreau records as well were so unbelievable, as well as 50 Ways to Leave your Lover or Chuck E's in Love.

I remember buying the Alive LP in 1981, as the Crazy Army snare drum solo was part of Joe Porcaro's assignments.
I would like the Alive LP to be released on CD although I still have the LP.
 
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BTW that's Buddy's daughter Cathy introducing... because all three of them owe something to The Man.
 
If it came down to one thing with him, I’d say his time. Not flash or even the creative grooves he came up with. Or, his time made those creative things so much deeper. If the list had to be two things, I’d add vibe, or how he got along with people and was willing to do what artists (or the music) called for and was willing to do the simplest thing and have it be not only a mile wide but 10 miles deep. All of the drummers famous for flash also have a deep groove – or else they wouldn’t have gotten work in the first place - but the number of notes tends to get the attention. Groove. It’s the simplest yet most complex thing there is.

 
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Steve Gadd doesn't write most of the songs he plays. Can’t hold him responsible for that.
 
Had the pleasure of seeing James Taylor a couple of days ago. At 76 the guy is still getting it done. At one point he stood up and moved the stool he was sitting on off to the side. He said his doctor thought at his age being on the road and everything he might have trouble moving his stool but so far no problem 😂.

Anyway as a big time added bonus Mr Steve Gadd was holding it all together...and flawlessly too I might add. His professionalism is off the charts.

The Groove Mouseter:

 
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