The emotion and passion in her voice when she sang often brought a tear to my eye, but the joy in her face when she was behind a kit always makes me smile. Karen and Richard were both very talented. Back in the 70's, Playboy did a survey of their readers of who was the best drummer? Karen beat out John Bonham from Led Zeppelin! Enough said! Nice reaction guys. Please do as much Carpenters as you can. I'm sure you guys will be impressed.
Karen was an accomplished drummer who's early hero was Joe Morello who was the drummer in the Dave Brubeck Quartet. "Take Five" is a jazz standard composed by Paul Desmond who was a jazz alto saxophonist and composer and proponent of cool jazz (also known as California jazz). "Take Five" was written after the Quartet's drummer, Joe Morello, requested a song in quintuple (5/4) meter. Desmond composed the melodies on Morello's rhythms while Brubeck arranged the song. The track's name is derived from its meter. The track is written in E♭ minor and is in ternary (ABA) form. The first time I saw her was late 65 or early 66 in a jazz club in Los Angeles. She was the drummer in Richard Carpenter Trio Wes Jacobs played the tuba and bass Richard played the piano. They were very memorable with a 15 or 16 year old female drummer who could handle "Take Five". In 1966, the Richard Carpenter Trio played "Iced Tea" and "The Girl from Ipanema" at the Hollywood Bowl Battle of the Bands. They won (no one sang). Later they were in the band Spectrum I caught them at the Whisky A GO GO. Karen was doing some singing. Then in 69 they signed with A&M. The rest is history. Anyway Karen was a drummer long before she was a singer but no one could do either better!
the Burt Bacharach medley in a hospital grounds is amazing she drums and sings thru multiple songs all out in open air too...... i direct those doubters who say they rarely sang live to that video....
Karen was a multi instrumentalist. She played bass guitar on some of their early studio cuts as well as drums and could play every percussion instrument, piano, etc.
She does look cool...so sad that back then her "people" were already constantly telling her she was to heavy and needed to be more aware of how much she ate...from what I remember, she was always super thin...I never saw her even come close to being heavy. She was such a SUPER talent...from her skills as a musician, to her legendary voice. Thanks guys for showing this, hopefully others will also see what a legend we lost.
Her brother said she started drumming in High School because if she played in the marching band it would replace the required gym class and she hated gym class. Oh, and she could sing a bit as well. Two years later she was world class in both. Then combined with her brother’s world class abilities as a musician, writer and arranger……Well, the rest is history, isn’t it.
I would like to request that you listen to Karen singing This Masquerade and Rode Ode for a more jazzy feel. If you want to see Karen sing and play the drums at the same time you might want to check out The Burt Bacharach medley done at Walter Reed Hospital for the Ed Sullivan show video, The official Rainy Days and Mondays Video and The Close to You video where she is in a white shirt and singing in the studio. They had just fantastic harmonies since they were siblings. Richard was a piano prodigy and was known for his arrangements of all their songs and Karen was just an unbelievable vocalist and drummer. Together they were the top selling American group of the 1970's. It has been 40 years since Karens passing and they are still selling records. That gives you an idea of how well they were liked around the world.. And thanks to people like you, you are keeping their music alive by introducing them to the younger generations.
The "traditional grip" is a remnant of when armies marched into battle. The drum was slung over the shoulder and hung, (tilted), on the left side. The left hand had to hold the stick that way in order to hit the drum. Same thing with marching bands. All beginning drummers were taught that way up until the1970's.
And her brothers name is Richard ya dingbats. Also the other drummer in the last song was the one and only Musketeer Cubby O'Brien who played with the band for some time.
Karen’s Brother is Richard. Richard did all the song compositions. Superstar and A Song For You are great. Also, We’ve Only Just Begun & Rainy Days & Mondays.
Th best Karen Carpenter song ? Trying to get the Feeling Again (recorded in 1975,lost, then found by Richard and released in 1994 --11 years after Karen died.)
Saw the Carpenters live once. Pure crystalline sound in a big arena but I don't think she played drums that night. But I knew she could. She played keyboards. You did Wulfpeck and Snarky Puppy but not Dirty Loops or especially musical genius Jacob Collier? JC does some brilliant extended improv WITH Snarky Puppy, in fact. Or you could go back to when he was teen and doing covers like Moon River (which won a Grammy) or All Night Long where he's with Take 6 and plays some of the 20 or so instruments he can play. Don't You Know: ruclips.net/video/eqY3FaZmh-Y/видео.html (Snarky Puppy) Moon River: ruclips.net/video/VPLCk-FTVvw/видео.html All Night Long: ruclips.net/video/nspqYGz-Z1s/видео.html
I love you guys, but I didn’t know there was anyone on the planet that didn’t know Karen Carpenter was a drummer and sang. She’s the 1970s version of Sarah Jones. Stop making me feel like a relic… 😂❤ Unfortunately, she is also a case study in anorexia and how it will kill you. Too much talent gone too soon. 😢
I’ve been watching a bunch of reaction videos on Carpenters and others too. There’s a gap of knowledge and I don’t know why. When I was a kid I knew of music from my parents generation and before and there wasn’t any RUclips or Google. I just seem to absorb it from TV and other sources I found. We didn’t have any fancy stereo equipment until my 14th year and I go a Sony system. I didn’t have hundreds of TV channels just what came over the air. At least it warms my heart when people like these gentlemen and especially the teens find Carpenters, Meatloaf, Queen, Clash, Beatles, Stones etc etc. in my day I knew Sinatra/Rat Pack, Andrew Sisters, Garland, Jolson etc etc. It’s different times. I try to suggest some unique acts or classics like Carpenters. Others suggest the giant hits, I go for the obscure but special, like Mr Guder, The Bacharach/David Medley etc. the deep dive stuff. And yes, if Karen was drumming and singing; more so. Be well and keep on suggesting the great stuff and we’ll teach them. Joe
Karen was an outstanding drummer. Unfortunately the way this was put together, some of her drumming was lost with the second drummer playing right along with her. We couldn't hear her exclusively. On the plus side, note how effortlessly she plays while smiling, while other guy looked like a mad man on the set!
So glad you watched this, guys. I wish I could've met, Karen Carpenter. Such a strong & true talent.
The emotion and passion in her voice when she sang often brought a tear to my eye, but the joy in her face when she was behind a kit always makes me smile. Karen and Richard were both very talented. Back in the 70's, Playboy did a survey of their readers of who was the best drummer? Karen beat out John Bonham from Led Zeppelin! Enough said!
Nice reaction guys. Please do as much Carpenters as you can. I'm sure you guys will be impressed.
This truly showed what a fabulous drummer she was!!! An award-winning jazz drummer before she became a singer.
Karen was an accomplished drummer who's early hero was Joe Morello who was the drummer in the Dave Brubeck Quartet. "Take Five" is a jazz standard composed by Paul Desmond who was a jazz alto saxophonist and composer and proponent of cool jazz (also known as California jazz). "Take Five" was written after the Quartet's drummer, Joe Morello, requested a song in quintuple (5/4) meter. Desmond composed the melodies on Morello's rhythms while Brubeck arranged the song. The track's name is derived from its meter. The track is written in E♭ minor and is in ternary (ABA) form. The first time I saw her was late 65 or early 66 in a jazz club in Los Angeles. She was the drummer in Richard Carpenter Trio Wes Jacobs played the tuba and bass Richard played the piano. They were very memorable with a 15 or 16 year old female drummer who could handle "Take Five". In 1966, the Richard Carpenter Trio played "Iced Tea" and "The Girl from Ipanema" at the Hollywood Bowl Battle of the Bands. They won (no one sang). Later they were in the band Spectrum I caught them at the Whisky A GO GO. Karen was doing some singing. Then in 69 they signed with A&M. The rest is history. Anyway Karen was a drummer long before she was a singer but no one could do either better!
the Burt Bacharach medley in a hospital grounds is amazing she drums and sings thru multiple songs all out in open air too...... i direct those doubters who say they rarely sang live to that video....
Buddy Rich said she was one of his favorite drummers (and, as I understand it, he didn’t have anything good to say about ANYbody)
Karen was a multi instrumentalist. She played bass guitar on some of their early studio cuts as well as drums and could play every percussion instrument, piano, etc.
She does look cool...so sad that back then her "people" were already constantly telling her she was to heavy and needed to be more aware of how much she ate...from what I remember, she was always super thin...I never saw her even come close to being heavy.
She was such a SUPER talent...from her skills as a musician, to her legendary voice.
Thanks guys for showing this, hopefully others will also see what a legend we lost.
Thank you so much for NOT saying the RUclips word: "underrated".
Though I imagine someone will say that eventually.
Most of it was her mom.
Karen Carpenter saw herself as a drummer who sang, not a singer who could play drums. Crazy, huh?
She was trained by a professional, jazz drummer, Bill Douglas in LA
Wow! I don't understand how she rarely gets mentioned in the conversation of greatest drummers of all time! Definitely one of the GOATs!
Her brother said she started drumming in High School because if she played in the marching band it would replace the required gym class and she hated gym class. Oh, and she could sing a bit as well. Two years later she was world class in both. Then combined with her brother’s world class abilities as a musician, writer and arranger……Well, the rest is history, isn’t it.
I would like to request that you listen to Karen singing This Masquerade and Rode Ode for a more jazzy feel. If you want to see Karen sing and play the drums at the same time you might want to check out The Burt Bacharach medley done at Walter Reed Hospital for the Ed Sullivan show video, The official Rainy Days and Mondays Video and The Close to You video where she is in a white shirt and singing in the studio. They had just fantastic harmonies since they were siblings. Richard was a piano prodigy and was known for his arrangements of all their songs and Karen was just an unbelievable vocalist and drummer. Together they were the top selling American group of the 1970's. It has been 40 years since Karens passing and they are still selling records. That gives you an idea of how well they were liked around the world.. And thanks to people like you, you are keeping their music alive by introducing them to the younger generations.
also give a listen to "Bwana he no home." Sultry sexy jazz...She could have done ANYTHING...
Karen was the coolest,a phenomenal vocalist,a fabulous drummer and a beautiful young lady,it's a shame that she couldn't see that!
The other drummer is Cubby O'Brien ... an original Disney Musketeer
Her brother’s name is Richard. She was named the rock drummer of the year in 1975 by Playboy Magazine !
The "traditional grip" is a remnant of when armies marched into battle. The drum was slung over the shoulder and hung, (tilted), on the left side. The left hand had to hold the stick that way in order to hit the drum.
Same thing with marching bands.
All beginning drummers were taught that way up until the1970's.
And her brothers name is Richard ya dingbats. Also the other drummer in the last song was the one and only Musketeer Cubby O'Brien who played with the band for some time.
ok dingleberry, thank you for the wiki notes
Lol 😂😂 💕🎶 🥁 🎹
Karen’s Brother is Richard. Richard did all the song compositions. Superstar and A Song For You are great. Also, We’ve Only Just Begun & Rainy Days & Mondays.
Karen considered herself a drummer who could sing…… seriously !! 🌷✌🏼
Th best Karen Carpenter song ? Trying to get the Feeling Again (recorded in 1975,lost, then found by Richard and released in 1994 --11 years after Karen died.)
She used both traditional grip and matched grip, depending on the song and the style she wanted to play.
She considered herself to be a drummer who also sang.
If you guys think that’s bad ass, you should watch her drum and sing at the same time. Near perfection.
We have :)) we reacted to it too :))
Saw the Carpenters live once. Pure crystalline sound in a big arena but I don't think she played drums that night. But I knew she could. She played keyboards.
You did Wulfpeck and Snarky Puppy but not Dirty Loops or especially musical genius Jacob Collier? JC does some brilliant extended improv WITH Snarky Puppy, in fact. Or you could go back to when he was teen and doing covers like Moon River (which won a Grammy) or All Night Long where he's with Take 6 and plays some of the 20 or so instruments he can play.
Don't You Know: ruclips.net/video/eqY3FaZmh-Y/видео.html (Snarky Puppy)
Moon River: ruclips.net/video/VPLCk-FTVvw/видео.html
All Night Long: ruclips.net/video/nspqYGz-Z1s/видео.html
I love you guys, but I didn’t know there was anyone on the planet that didn’t know Karen Carpenter was a drummer and sang. She’s the 1970s version of Sarah Jones. Stop making me feel like a relic… 😂❤ Unfortunately, she is also a case study in anorexia and how it will kill you. Too much talent gone too soon. 😢
I’ve been watching a bunch of reaction videos on Carpenters and others too. There’s a gap of knowledge and I don’t know why. When I was a kid I knew of music from my parents generation and before and there wasn’t any RUclips or Google. I just seem to absorb it from TV and other sources I found. We didn’t have any fancy stereo equipment until my 14th year and I go a Sony system. I didn’t have hundreds of TV channels just what came over the air. At least it warms my heart when people like these gentlemen and especially the teens find Carpenters, Meatloaf, Queen, Clash, Beatles, Stones etc etc. in my day I knew Sinatra/Rat Pack, Andrew Sisters, Garland, Jolson etc etc. It’s different times. I try to suggest some unique acts or classics like Carpenters. Others suggest the giant hits, I go for the obscure but special, like Mr Guder, The Bacharach/David Medley etc. the deep dive stuff. And yes, if Karen was drumming and singing; more so.
Be well and keep on suggesting the great stuff and we’ll teach them.
Joe
Karen was an outstanding drummer. Unfortunately the way this was put together, some of her drumming was lost with the second drummer playing right along with her. We couldn't hear her exclusively. On the plus side, note how effortlessly she plays while smiling, while other guy looked like a mad man on the set!