This guy gets paid because of his ability to sit in the pocket, not overplay those around him, and deliver a consistent and solid groove. He is obviously very talented. His solos are not going to be like those you hear from Thomas Lang, Dave Weckl, Benny Greb, etc. but that's not his thing. His thing is being the best at what he does and that's why he is one of, if not, the most recorded drummers in the world.
@@longtallshorty5791 : You probably would have not worked it out. You certainly must be a miserable person. I hope you turn things around and have a successful life.
Holy shit, all these years I jammed this song in my car or on my Dj system, its this mans' groove right here I'm hearing, and now I get to see the man himself on youtube. Outstanding.
@@BassmanII Apparently Quincy Jones agreed and it’s why he chose him to play on the entire Off the Wall album; in my opinion, Michael Jackson’s finest album!
I met him in Germany-great and nice man! He was playing "Ain't Nobody" from Chaka Khan after Rod Morgenstein did a solo!! He hit the stage with words-" I"m into simple things" and big smile ! What a Man !
Perfect to the record, not an unintentional flam to be heard. Man, this song brings me back to 1979 and being in 6th grade and school dances. Great memories.
We've been living in an Era of.....'More!.....Faster!......'Louder!'.......More Sensational!'....... More Incredible Fills!".................... I'm just so Over it. Met John once at Lions Share Studios in the LA Area, 1987. He shook my hand, and was extremely personable and friendly. Thanks John! ( I showed up there with a cartage guy named, 'Bear'. Our band Northrup, was in the Yamaha Sound Check' competition that year. Exciting week. Earthquake, included..... Lol!
Damn! Homie gets down. Sounds easy to play to non-drummers, but to my drummer family out there, ya know how difficult it is to pull off what he is playing. That timing is perfect! You need some serious skill and stick control to play this. Those fills are so creative. He is playing everything he needs to and nothing more. He dosnt even use a crash through out the entire song.
This is absolutely out of this world. !!!This drummer guy is amazing, very skilled and talented. This guy blows my mind away. I can see myself dancing my ass off forever while this drummer plays. I believe he’s taken playing the drums to another level!!! Wowww!!!
CLASSIC and professional drumming! It's not all about speed and as many notes one can squeeze into a bar. It's called having finesse timing, and a true feel for the music.
I had the chance to see and hear JR playing this track in a small drum booth at the Frankfurt music fair. Pure magic! And such a humble guy. He was so kind to take a photo with me and we had some chat. A true pro!
Humble? Seriously? He was trying to inflate himself and steal other guy's girls when I met him in Orlando, back in the 90's... He's a complete joke, a piece of shit, blind man.
A great lesson for drummers who want to be fancy. Keeping a steady groove is the most valuable asset a drummer has. If you can't keep a beat, you can't play the drums professionally. His beat is metronomic.
JR was actually a busy drummer when he was attending Berklee and playing in bands in the Boston area. He was such an animal that he used to tie his kick drum to his drum stool!
I remember this being probably the first single from the Off the Wall album, around late summer, 1979. The song blew our minds because it was MJs first solo project (after the Ben soundtrack), and it was so different from anything we'd previously heard from the Jackson dynasty.
something that really stands out, and is so subtle, and that most observers and other drummers fail to see is that JR is playing phrases, not just a couple bars here and there of licks and beats. He truly plays the song, phrase by phrase. You can see his 4 bar and 8 bar approach to the composition. THAT is one of the reasons he is such a sought after player (musician) and straight forward time keeper.
Jr. Robinson's percussion skills are excellent, but his precise timing and his unique masterful ability to maintain a well executed grove is phenomenal. To the drummer his performances are gifts we hopefully can attempt to learn, as well as cherish.
If I remember correctly, he is from Des Moines Iowa. He’s a bit older than me and went to a high school that was built the same year as mine and they look the same from the front. When I learned he was the drummer for MJ, I was envious. I was into Bill Bruford and believed playing progressive music was the determining factor of a great drummer. Then I sat 10 feet away from Buddy Rich at a club in Des Moines and my entire view/opinion about drumming changed.
This and Rock With You were the two things that exposed me to pocket playing - while at 12 years old. My young brain was intrigued, to say the least. These songs in my opinion are high water marks for no-nonsense pocket playing. It’s just the greatest ever!
Outstanding durmming, that pure pro quality of session drummers that made the old days so unforgettable!!! And this song is pure perfection, one of the best ever made in history, and for me, the best from MJ's career.
Perfect! I’ve told a few young drummers that beat the snot out of their cymbals that NO ONE dances to incessant cymbal crashes. People dance to a bass drum, snare and hats. Ya gotta live in that pocket.
I remember seeing John Robinson playing on a special with David Foster to showcase a number of artists that Foster penned songs for. One of the artists was Kenny Logins. They played my favorite Loggin's song, "Heart to Heart". I had no idea who he was, but I was blown away at how locked in he had that groove. There are a lot of guys who can play amazing chops, but if you can't play in time within the pocket and conduct the train, well, then you're not much use to the rest of the band.
Hi John! It's Yvonne from the record store. I hope you all are faring well! This stay at home order is gettin' old! I'm sharing your vids with my audio production class :) be well ! thank you for the super vids!
Now all this fun would be great. if only i could learn bass guitar?, that instrument go's really well with the Drum Set everyday & every hour of the day :-) .
This is INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I first seen JR play with Chaka Khan at the Roxy in LA my sister Terri took me I’ll never forget what a show we were in college at USC etc we’re like why are we in school again?
A master of his craft. JR, Keltner, Porcaro (RIP). Drummers who knew how to make the MUSIC they were playing sound great.
This guy gets paid because of his ability to sit in the pocket, not overplay those around him, and deliver a consistent and solid groove. He is obviously very talented. His solos are not going to be like those you hear from Thomas Lang, Dave Weckl, Benny Greb, etc. but that's not his thing. His thing is being the best at what he does and that's why he is one of, if not, the most recorded drummers in the world.
Thank you. We're too stupid to have worked that out for ourselves. Thank god you were here.
@@longtallshorty5791 : You probably would have not worked it out. You certainly must be a miserable person. I hope you turn things around and have a successful life.
@@longtallshorty5791 What a childish, caustic comment that was. Feel better now?
The Hal Blaine of the Modern Era?
Exactly what i thought..we obviously have an intellectually superior being in our midst.@@canadianroot
I love JR’s relaxed grip and his groove.
Barely holding them!!!
He certainly has an interesting grip . The right looks upside down. Beautiful style
Living proof that it's the drummers who can keep time that are the ones getting paid!
Really? Or maybe who you know... who you're in with?
not anymore..
Carl palmer got paid...he can't keep time. And I could list about a hundred more depending on what you actually mean by Keep Time.
Don't say that on RUclips, lol.The all about the solo chops drummers get upset when you say pocket,gig,tour,major artist,get paid!!!😂😂😂
@@morbidmanmusic
Palmer can't keep time..
Greatest bs..😂😂
Holy shit, all these years I jammed this song in my car or on my Dj system, its this mans' groove right here I'm hearing, and now I get to see the man himself on youtube. Outstanding.
Flashy chops for show, deep pocket for dough.
My deceased husband, a great golfer, said " You drive for show, and put for dough"!
This is why as a bassist myself, I love working with drummers like this.
@@BassmanII
Apparently Quincy Jones agreed and it’s why he chose him to play on the entire Off the Wall album; in my opinion, Michael Jackson’s finest album!
Rock solid timing!!! A great mood and groove setter he is!!!
JR Robinson is quite an underrated drummer… 👍🏻
I met him in Germany-great and nice man! He was playing "Ain't Nobody" from Chaka Khan after Rod Morgenstein did a solo!! He hit the stage with words-" I"m into simple things" and big smile ! What a Man !
If one listens carefully, one will notice his tempo and control are so precise and rock solid, he is in perfect synch with himself.
One of the great compoition of mj.
Oh if one would
He's got that pulse. Totally sucks you in.
That’s what a good drummer does, hahahaha
Not only is he a great drummer, but he seems to have fun doing it too. It's fun to watch him groove along with the music.
Perfect to the record, not an unintentional flam to be heard. Man, this song brings me back to 1979 and being in 6th grade and school dances. Great memories.
We've been living in an Era of.....'More!.....Faster!......'Louder!'.......More Sensational!'....... More Incredible Fills!".................... I'm just so Over it. Met John once at Lions Share Studios in the LA Area, 1987. He shook my hand, and was extremely personable and friendly. Thanks John! ( I showed up there with a cartage guy named, 'Bear'. Our band Northrup, was in the Yamaha Sound Check' competition that year. Exciting week. Earthquake, included..... Lol!
Damn! Homie gets down. Sounds easy to play to non-drummers, but to my drummer family out there, ya know how difficult it is to pull off what he is playing. That timing is perfect! You need some serious skill and stick control to play this. Those fills are so creative. He is playing everything he needs to and nothing more. He dosnt even use a crash through out the entire song.
Many 60s studio drummers never came back in on the crash. He’s killer!
yes he does
around 1:36 or 1:38
This is absolutely out of this world. !!!This drummer guy is amazing, very skilled and talented. This guy blows my mind away. I can see myself dancing my ass off forever while this drummer plays. I believe he’s taken playing the drums to another level!!! Wowww!!!
Probably because he’s is Michael Jackson’s studio drummer
He is the ELITE’s drummer.
CLASSIC and professional drumming! It's not all about speed and as many notes one can squeeze into a bar. It's called having finesse timing, and a true feel for the music.
I had the chance to see and hear JR playing this track in a small drum booth at the Frankfurt music fair. Pure magic! And such a humble guy. He was so kind to take a photo with me and we had some chat. A true pro!
Humble? Seriously? He was trying to inflate himself and steal other guy's girls when I met him in Orlando, back in the 90's... He's a complete joke, a piece of shit, blind man.
@@wakeup4396 Yeah, I met him in the 90s as well and he was a really nice guy....so...
So clear why JR was THE guy on so many records. His feel and technique are insane.
Blind dipshit.
His feel is great...technique not so much
Lovely. Simple, uncluttered, all for the song. You can keep your polyrhythmic virtuosos - this really IS what it's all about.
to you.
A great lesson for drummers who want to be fancy. Keeping a steady groove is the most valuable asset a drummer has. If you can't keep a beat, you can't play the drums professionally. His beat is metronomic.
Well said
Please shut the f up, lack-luster moron.
@@wakeup4396 Relax
JR was actually a busy drummer when he was attending Berklee and playing in bands in the Boston area. He was such an animal that he used to tie his kick drum to his drum stool!
You're damn right... Keep the groove and stay in pocket.
Something hypnotic about that level of consistency. Doesn’t seem at all concerned with hitting hard. Holds sticks like they are crystal.
I remember this being probably the first single from the Off the Wall album, around late summer, 1979. The song blew our minds because it was MJs first solo project (after the Ben soundtrack), and it was so different from anything we'd previously heard from the Jackson dynasty.
Fills bring the thrills but groove pays the bills.
something that really stands out, and is so subtle, and that most observers and other drummers fail to see is that JR is playing phrases, not just a couple bars here and there of licks and beats. He truly plays the song, phrase by phrase. You can see his 4 bar and 8 bar approach to the composition. THAT is one of the reasons he is such a sought after player (musician) and straight forward time keeper.
He keep in the pocket when he playing the beat
True!
The man right here. I feel like dancing!
Love the infectious smile of joy as he is playing. Just really fun to see.
Jr. Robinson's percussion skills are excellent, but his precise timing and his unique masterful ability to maintain a well executed grove is phenomenal. To the drummer his performances are gifts we hopefully can attempt to learn, as well as cherish.
Outstanding, a machine of timing, the beat the rhythm, it flows through him to his drum kit, he becomes one with the music.
AWESOME!!! SIMPLY AWESOME!!!! Thanks for posting & thanks JR!
Notice how he kept the motifs during the solo. There's just so much to learn from him.
If I remember correctly, he is from Des Moines Iowa. He’s a bit older than me and went to a high school that was built the same year as mine and they look the same from the front. When I learned he was the drummer for MJ, I was envious. I was into Bill Bruford and believed playing progressive music was the determining factor of a great drummer. Then I sat 10 feet away from Buddy Rich at a club in Des Moines and my entire view/opinion about drumming changed.
Love the precision of the snare. LOVE LOVE...❤
As a keyboardist/pianist MJ songs are so great to play, cant imagine how much fun it must be to jam it on drums!
Superb!. That's what drummers are for. To keep the rest within the beat and groove.
Thank you for share your music and talet with us.
Millions dollar groove and he played very enjoy and happy...
Always entertaining to watch and the drums sound great
This man Is the original Drummer for this song and many other for MJ .......... he is a legend
And for Rufus & Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones, Brothers Johnson Lionel Richie the list goes on
He is a history of Drummer Success @@timbuktug3321
@@timbuktug3321Higher Love
@@jasfan8247 yep and the Finer Things
Fantastic crisp super tight and loose all at the same time 😮Respect 👌Love this guy's drumming ❤
Nobody looks to the right and then back to the left with as much groove as JR.
Fantastic 😎🥁JR makes any song sound great 👏🏿😎
True master of less is more, beautiful!
love how even during the fills the groove goes on an on and on ...
My gosh . . .you can try & deny the groove but it will get you eventually. From the top shelf 🔥🔥🔥
This and Rock With You were the two things that exposed me to pocket playing - while at 12 years old. My young brain was intrigued, to say the least. These songs in my opinion are high water marks for no-nonsense pocket playing. It’s just the greatest ever!
Solid as a rock.. one of my favorite players 👍👍
Outstanding durmming, that pure pro quality of session drummers that made the old days so unforgettable!!! And this song is pure perfection, one of the best ever made in history, and for me, the best from MJ's career.
Mucho respect. Terrific sounding snare.
One of the all time greats
My fav MJ tune.
Perfect! I’ve told a few young drummers that beat the snot out of their cymbals that NO ONE dances to incessant cymbal crashes. People dance to a bass drum, snare and hats. Ya gotta live in that pocket.
I had the best time of my life riding The Voyage wooden roller-coaster listening to this track...damn he was good!
Show off , love it . All around drummer
One of the best drummers in rock genre.
I love when a drummer/musician finds the pocket and his soul just lives there for 3 minutes or more. Its heaven on earth to a musician
Well first off his metronome is flawless. Then he knows the song inside and out. He’s a straight groove player.
JR is the one guy who could sit in with Rush that I'd feel comfortable with.
The Clint Eastwood of the Drum Kit...
Pure Class😎
Semplice ,e mi piace , da divertirsi con questo brano vero!
Tons of respect for this guy!
Awesome! Groove baby!
The groove that makes money!
I remember seeing John Robinson playing on a special with David Foster to showcase a number of artists that Foster penned songs for. One of the artists was Kenny Logins. They played my favorite Loggin's song, "Heart to Heart". I had no idea who he was, but I was blown away at how locked in he had that groove.
There are a lot of guys who can play amazing chops, but if you can't play in time within the pocket and conduct the train, well, then you're not much use to the rest of the band.
great finger technique in stick control and admirable ease in the wrists. Chapeau
The art of a time keeper.
JR is such a legend!
All pocket! Loved that! Gonna go try it....
Brilliant drummer and a great person
A legend,,, nothing more needs saying.
This is a masterclass in how to play for the song.
So this is the Master that was without knowing a big part of my dancing life
The master groove man.
Hi John! It's Yvonne from the record store. I hope you all are faring well! This stay at home order is gettin' old! I'm sharing your vids with my audio production class :) be well ! thank you for the super vids!
In the Pocket!!!! Love effortless precision.
This is so very epic. You people don’t know how kool this is
If I hadn't seen the dropped stick catch, I probably wouldn't have heard it. What a pro!
Should be able to play after all those years Drumming. Great feeling
A true master!
Amazing!!!!
Just awesome
John Robinson from Beatmania Incredible Sir
Love it !
Lee! These people love me man!
Rocket Mr. Pocket. Dang that's DEEP grooce
Now all this fun would be great. if only i could learn bass guitar?, that instrument go's really well with the Drum Set everyday & every hour of the day :-) .
Love it, also noticed the extended MJ vocals towards the end
Gifted groover for real, 😎
Wow the tom fill in the chorus, didn’t realise that was played all at the same time
ladies and gentlemen...THE GROOVE! i like the movement of his head!;)
I have seen JR Robinson perform in all different genre's of music and I think hei is the best all around drummer of his generation....
The man is good......real good....!!!
I can tell he play simple & complex at the SAME TIME!!
Oh yeah, and I gave my life to Jesus when I was 18.
Very nice cover 👏👏👏
7:42 ...Even dropping the stick He keeps the time... TOP!
Love the light grip on sticks
My idol JR
This is INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I first seen JR play with Chaka Khan at the Roxy in LA my sister Terri took me I’ll never forget what a show we were in college at USC etc we’re like why are we in school again?
He's the real deal...drumming for MJ. That's the real dough right there. That's where the rubber meets the road.
Super cool sympa patrile 🥁👍👏👏🥁👍👏👏👏👍
The dude swings so funky and his pocket is ridiculous
Brilliant 👏