The way this man holds his sticks, the way he strikes the heads of the drums. It’s so relaxed. He himself, is so relaxed. This man grooves even before he begins to make a sound.
Benjamin Ong I don’t know if I could compare them. Syncopation, dynamics, space, busyness, etc... all these make up different styles. I can’t compare Vinnie Colauita to Joe Morello. Well, except in that they both are masters of the drums. Different styles, yet both ‘in the pocket’. I would say the Same here, in that Steve and Jeff are both in the Pocket, they just use different aspects of music in their styles. I, myself, am not a Porcaro fan although I appreciate the work he did with Toto, Gadd’s style speaks a lot louder to me.
@@Sam-vk8xd Interesting! Could you share how his style spoke to you? As an amateur drummer, I am trying to discover what this intangible abstract aspect of groove/style is all about...
Benjamin Ong I enjoy his use of dynamics. The loudness, the quietness. If you listen to many of his drum solos he plays around a lot with ghost strokes and accents on the snare drum. Almost as if he were having the drums speak certain words being louder and others were whispers. I also enjoy the amount of space he leaves. Sometimes he’ll be playing a groove and then suddenly he’ll stop playing for a whole downbeat or two or sometimes he’ll just play a very simple snare/ hi hat groove with very little notes to them. Basically, I’m a fan of ‘less is more” when it comes to the drums. On the other hand, I do love busy and technical drum playing. Vinnie Colauita being one of my favorites. Vinnie is an absolute mutant when it comes to technical playing. His skill is insane. I’ve always modeled my playing after multiple styles based on all these greats. But, In the end I always come back to Gadd though.
@@Sam-vk8xd Thanks for sharing ! i guess the drumming world now has evolved into chasing more licks and speed., instead of really playing pocket and music. My drumming friends and teacher all said the same thing as you ! - somehow they still come back to Steve, listening to him tell stories..
So basically, the monumental fills were just some 'things' that he had in the back pocket and he pulled them out to use because he thought they'd fit nice. But he doesn't remember exactly much about which went where and why. Beautiful. Genius. Sublime. Legendary.
I love how we've all been trying for years to figure out the Aja solo (starting near 7:00) portion note-by-note, and Gadd himself makes a casual video saying, "Yeah, it was something like this; I don't remember exactly." And it sounds just as good ad-lib by Gadd.
I saw Gadd in clinic three times during the 80"s. He has been a huge influence in my playing for 35 years! Truly one of the top 5 greatest drummers of all time!
What a great sounding drum kit. He's barely touching them and they come alive. His gear and his fantastic talent really show through, even in this brief clip.
You know you are great when you can play a short piece of a drum solo without the rest of the record and everyone not only recognizes it, they applaud it. The stunning beauty of his drum solo on Aja is proof there is a God (or a Gadd, as the case may be!)!
.. and a testament to that.. is that the musical genius that is Steely Dan.. chose him to perform on this album which to this day.. remains one of the very best recordings of all time. If you are musical.. you will come to appreciate the brilliance of Steve Gadd.
Even when he breaks it down for you, it still comes down to the execution. Hours of practice and building technique so that you can play this stuff as smoothly as he does is a must.
I love how stoned he is most of the time. He's got the red eyes in almost any pic I've seen of him. I like to play with his drumsticks, nice and light.
hugolafhugolaf - Well…I kinda felt that way too but even if they’re cheap prison style tattoos, they mean something to him. Without us even knowing their meaning, we shouldn’t criticize. The style might be part of the meaning
God bless Steve Gadd! A humble, unassuming genius; a master at his craft; eager to share his his knowledge and eager to keep learning. Creativity trumps chops... He's got mass quantities of both, and a quadruple portion of taste to boot! My favorite drummer ever, would love to work with someday. He has the artistry to transcend drumming and percussion... He can teach anyone to be a better artist regardless of instrument or genre.
To the young doubters -- try this: Steve Gadd's seminal albums with Steely Dan and Paul Simon et al happened in the mid-seventies,or about 38 years ago. Go back 38 more years to the guys that were old farts when Steve Gadd was your age and those guys were best of 1937. Now, what Steve Gadd did in 1975 is relevant today because drumming hasn't changed quite that much in the last 38 years. What he and others were doing in 1975 was wayyy different than what was happening in drumming in 1937.
I was at a James Taylor concert in Manchester (England) 3 years ago and only 6 rows back from the stage. For the first 3 tracks the guitarist was in the way of the drummer and I could only see his hands playing.But suddenly I realised that it was Steve gadd because of the softness of his playing even though he was driving the music,I waited and sure enough t was the great man ,this was a highlight of my life having followed him form his Aja performance in The late 70's.
Steve Gadd is one of the greatest modern drummers that people never heard of. He never was not in a "BAND", but played studio and sessions on more songs and acts you heard but didn't know he was on....
@@josephcalitri5710 Watch your mouth you little punk. Learn to READ... I clearly point how how prolific Steve is., well recorded, but the average person, even music fans, have no idea he was on many recordings they heard and love, including Aja over 35 yrs ago. All they know is a great song and killer drums. This is common for studio session musicians to be anonymous even on hits.. Steely Dan used many drummers. Steve Gadd has a distinctive style, but you have not heard a faction of his work I am sure. Example Hal Blaine 35,000 sessions and 6,000, singles, many hits, many don't know he was on. Drummers. James Lee Keltner, John Robinson, Paul Leim are not well known by name, but the artist they played for and, the songs they recorded are well known, many popular hits. I am sure a genius like you knows all their work. No you don't. That was my point. Session studio musicians are not widely known outside the music industry, sometimes even inside the industry. Even Jeff Porcaro whose work I have known before Toto, and I cover many songs he recorded, I find new songs he played on. These songs I heard many decades ago (like his work with Tommy. Bolin) but did not know it was Jeff on that song. Speaking of Tommy Bolin the other drummer he recorded with you never heard of is Charles Lempriere "Prairie" Prince. He was in a favorite band of mine "The Tubes", but I had no idea of his full resume until recently. Very prolific playing with some amazing artist and groups I heard and enjoyed.... Bottom line studio work is not about fame. I recorded a car commercial, that consisted of a jazzy pattern of just snare and brushes in the background. I did it when I was in high school. My band recorded in the studio and asked if I would do it. Sure.. I got paid scale. No one knew it was me but my parents and few close friends. If you think of iconic songs, you don't know all the many drummers that played on those songs, virtually anonymous. That is fine because it is about creating music, art, not fame, but they do deserve more credit.. Sadly today, no talent "social media influencers" have undeserved fame. As for you, grow up and stop being a foul mouth disrespectful petulant pedantic immature troll.
When you can begin to understand why this man was one of the most (if not the most) sought after session drummer on the progressive jazz scene in the 70's and 80's, then you will get it.
When "Aja" came out, I had no idea, who is Steve Gadd, I just loved the song. Later I started thinking about the drumpart and got aware, what a genius Steve is. ❤
when I first heard this on the HiFi system it was one of the most encapsulating things I've ever heard it was like hearing a message of God coming through my ears
it had such a profoundly high-quality to it it made me realize what I was missing out by listening to MP3. the first time I actually noticed that drums had a note and you had to be tuned
Aren't you glad your teacher made you drill the rudiments? A million ways to use them. Thanks for proving that point, Steve. There are no boring rudiments. Just unimaginative drummers.
Steve Gadd always plays what is just perfect for the music. its just amazingly perfect. he plays not to much and not to few. thats why stave gadd is such an amazing drummer!!!!!
such a casual humble description of one of the all-time great drum solos and song performances. I'm disappointed he didn't re-create (or try) the entire thing, it was far more than he showed here
when i pictured the song being played i imagined a drummer’s arms going all over the place and sweating and exerting. but he makes it look effortless. wow
That last solo when it breaks out into the bell heavy latin-esque groove over the figures goes incredibly hard, and sounds just as fresh today as it did 47 years ago.
May be some people are jealous? Steve is such a humble and modest person and plays so brillant, it is so fascinating. Met him twice after a concert and he was very very nice.
Wow I've watched this video SOOOOO many times and I only noticed now in the intro the audience is claping a 2/3 clave and steve is playing over it. Makes it even more impressive!
Well Steve is one the greatest drummers of all time and also one of the most recorded so it makes no sense to criticize him,not to mention Buddy Rich considered him a great drummer
I don't know how many people even owned this album, but there was a Chuck Mangione LP that was a benefit concert for an earthquake in Italy back in 1980. Featured on this LP were Steve Gadd, Chick Corea, and Dizzy Gillespie. At one point they brought SG out for the "11th Commmandment" (which was a song that Chuck wrote for one of SG's recitals while they were both students at EASTMAN). In the middle of that song SG breaks into a solo that was pure heaven.
Another like him not possible Even if you transpose his fills, it will not sound the same Moreover, to create these patterns, as it relates to the continuity of the song, is pure genius.
What ya got to understand is that he's a session drummer man...and the most recorded drummer of all time at that. That's the hype...he can be flamboyant of course cause he's a badass but the reason there's a hype is because he can compliment the music effortlessly. Playing without over-playing is ridiculously difficult and Gadd does it the best
Funny, to watch him, it actually looks more simple than it seems in my head when I'm just listening to it. Like he's letting gravity do half of the work. Now what I want to find is that groove he drops in during the sax solo.
I heard that Fagen and Becker,two perfectionists,were frustrated that studio drummer couldn’t provide them what they were looking for on Aja,and had Gadd flown in to play.He was wasted when he showed up,and was basically propped up behind the drum set,and nailed it on the first take.Heard this from a friend.Legendary!
Fagen and Becker tell a story that a few months later they were doing the final mixes for the album and Gadd was in the studio down the hall doing another session, so they invited him in to listen to their mix of Aja. He sat and listened, and at the end said 'hey, that's pretty good. Who's the drummer?' 'That's you, Steve', they replied. He had no recollection of ever doing the recording.
What I think makes Steve Gadd so great isn't any groove. It's his sound. It's his "tone". I'm a guitarist and piano player, so feel free to jump all over me about this, but I think he gets a sound out of the drums that is exactly what I crave, and I don't know anybody else who's quite there - regardless of what they're actually playing. Is it the heads? The tension? The mics? The attack? The sticks? Where he hits the heads? I have no clue, obviously. Perhaps one of you could enlighten me...
Martin B Steve Gadd also had/has plenty of finesse and explosiveness. You want explosiveness? You should have seen the earlier solos with groups like Gap Mangione, or oany of of dozens of youtube video examples. You want finesse? Watch Gadd's brush work. For heaven's sake, look at his discography. Why weren't other drummers sought after? Gadd is easily the most *influential* drummer from the early 70's through the mid 90's - no contest. His working record is EVERYWHERE. www.drstevegadd.com/discography.htm
InsertName130 It's the sound, the timing, the sense of rhythm, the relation to what's going on melodically.... The talent. He is a talented artist, and one will always understand that, even though one doesn't necessarily understands why!
Louie Malvessi Music Yeah, his musicality is solid. But, I specifically have a craving for the physical sound of his playing. I wonder if it was more than just drumming. I wonder if he provided his own mics, or had his own opinions about mic placement, etc. I wonder if he had any hidden secrets about sticks, or heads, etc. His sound, to me, seems quintessential. It seems like the exact drum sound I want to hear all the time from everybody, regardless of style. Of course, these things are very personal. It's just my taste, in this case. I agree about his musicianship, but there are SOOO many amazingly musically talented Jazz drummers. I wouldn't even say he's as good as several of them. I particularly like Roy Haynes, but nobody matches (to my ears) Gadd's "sound".
Lol I love the way he talks. "It was like, right foot, right hand, left, right." "I dunno it was something like this? No. Shit I don't know I'm high anyway just come talk to me after the clinic or something."
@NostalgicProcrast Iwent to see James Taylor play live in Manchester England last year , first 3 tracks I could not see the drummer but his style and musicianship was obvious.I could only see his hands , the guitarits was in the way, I thought he played and sounded like what I had seen and heard of Steve Gadd.JT introduced his band , and it was the man himself. absolutely brilliant,driving songs and then subtley enhancing the soulful ones,an absolute master of his craft .
Gonna have to buy that. At the end, when it showed loads of little clips of other drummers, the drumming in the background is amazing.POWER. its from a drum duet between Vinnie Colaiuta and Rick Marotta from steve gadd's "American Drummers Achievement Award" DVD. God's.
This guy is amazing. Can you believe that this is the same dude who played drums on Bananarama's 'Venus'? Wow! Jack of all trades, apparently. Thanks for posting.
The way this man holds his sticks, the way he strikes the heads of the drums. It’s so relaxed. He himself, is so relaxed. This man grooves even before he begins to make a sound.
Not that I wish to dispute what you said, but I often wonder how Steve's sound compares with 'tighter kind' like Jeff Porcaro's.
Benjamin Ong I don’t know if I could compare them. Syncopation, dynamics, space, busyness, etc... all these make up different styles. I can’t compare Vinnie Colauita to Joe Morello. Well, except in that they both are masters of the drums. Different styles, yet both ‘in the pocket’. I would say the Same here, in that Steve and Jeff are both in the Pocket, they just use different aspects of music in their styles. I, myself, am not a Porcaro fan although I appreciate the work he did with Toto, Gadd’s style speaks a lot louder to me.
@@Sam-vk8xd Interesting! Could you share how his style spoke to you? As an amateur drummer, I am trying to discover what this intangible abstract aspect of groove/style is all about...
Benjamin Ong I enjoy his use of dynamics. The loudness, the quietness. If you listen to many of his drum solos he plays around a lot with ghost strokes and accents on the snare drum. Almost as if he were having the drums speak certain words being louder and others were whispers. I also enjoy the amount of space he leaves. Sometimes he’ll be playing a groove and then suddenly he’ll stop playing for a whole downbeat or two or sometimes he’ll just play a very simple snare/ hi hat groove with very little notes to them. Basically, I’m a fan of ‘less is more” when it comes to the drums.
On the other hand, I do love busy and technical drum playing. Vinnie Colauita being one of my favorites. Vinnie is an absolute mutant when it comes to technical playing. His skill is insane. I’ve always modeled my playing after multiple styles based on all these greats. But, In the end I always come back to Gadd though.
@@Sam-vk8xd Thanks for sharing ! i guess the drumming world now has evolved into chasing more licks and speed., instead of really playing pocket and music.
My drumming friends and teacher all said the same thing as you ! - somehow they still come back to Steve, listening to him tell stories..
So basically, the monumental fills were just some 'things' that he had in the back pocket and he pulled them out to use because he thought they'd fit nice. But he doesn't remember exactly much about which went where and why. Beautiful. Genius. Sublime. Legendary.
Knows how to play drums. Doesn't remember what he played.
my favorite minute of drum playing ever was his outro in Aja
I love how we've all been trying for years to figure out the Aja solo (starting near 7:00) portion note-by-note, and Gadd himself makes a casual video saying, "Yeah, it was something like this; I don't remember exactly." And it sounds just as good ad-lib by Gadd.
I saw Gadd in clinic three times during the 80"s. He has been a huge influence in my playing for 35 years! Truly one of the top 5 greatest drummers of all time!
What a great sounding drum kit. He's barely touching them and they come alive. His gear and his fantastic talent really show through, even in this brief clip.
You know you are great when you can play a short piece of a drum solo without the rest of the record and everyone not only recognizes it, they applaud it. The stunning beauty of his drum solo on Aja is proof there is a God (or a Gadd, as the case may be!)!
what a BEAUTIFUL sounding snare!
.. and a testament to that.. is that the musical genius that is Steely Dan.. chose him to perform on this album which to this day.. remains one of the very best recordings of all time. If you are musical.. you will come to appreciate the brilliance of Steve Gadd.
Even when he breaks it down for you, it still comes down to the execution. Hours of practice and building technique so that you can play this stuff as smoothly as he does is a must.
I love how stoned he is most of the time. He's got the red eyes in almost any pic I've seen of him. I like to play with his drumsticks, nice and light.
You can really hear it in his voice and I love that all those people are sitting there listening to his lesson
He's got cheap prison-type tattoos, WTF?
@@hugolafhugolaf who tf cares. Not your problem at all
hugolafhugolaf - Well…I kinda felt that way too but even if they’re cheap prison style tattoos, they mean something to him. Without us even knowing their meaning, we shouldn’t criticize. The style might be part of the meaning
Looks easy when he does it. That is a sign of greatness.
God bless Steve Gadd! A humble, unassuming genius; a master at his craft; eager to share his his knowledge and eager to keep learning. Creativity trumps chops... He's got mass quantities of both, and a quadruple portion of taste to boot! My favorite drummer ever, would love to work with someday. He has the artistry to transcend drumming and percussion... He can teach anyone to be a better artist regardless of instrument or genre.
+Henry-Joe Murphy True...
Beautifully written
Gadd Bless!!
To the young doubters -- try this: Steve Gadd's seminal albums with Steely Dan and Paul Simon et al happened in the mid-seventies,or about 38 years ago. Go back 38 more years to the guys that were old farts when Steve Gadd was your age and those guys were best of 1937. Now, what Steve Gadd did in 1975 is relevant today because drumming hasn't changed quite that much in the last 38 years. What he and others were doing in 1975 was wayyy different than what was happening in drumming in 1937.
I lost you.
Stop being old
Also, on the 1978 Chick Corea "Friends' album
big disagree Tom
So much wrong. And where are these 'young doubters'?
I was at a James Taylor concert in Manchester (England) 3 years ago and only 6 rows back from the stage. For the first 3 tracks the guitarist was in the way of the drummer and I could only see his hands playing.But suddenly I realised that it was Steve gadd because of the softness of his playing even though he was driving the music,I waited and sure enough t was the great man ,this was a highlight of my life having followed him form his Aja performance in The late 70's.
The shining example of what proper technique and knowledge of the rudiments can do. And what an incredible sounding kick and snare.
Nailed the "Aja" drumming for Donald and Walter on the first take. That never happens with Donald and Walter.
2nd take. Both of them were mixed afterwards.
spd13062 yeah you right ( New Orleans style ) those 2 ...15-20 takes easy .
Remember pulling cones with my mates and listening to this intensely when it came out.
I always get so stoked when I hear As I Am at the start of these videos haha
Wow I thought I was going crazy thinking that was the same sample but at least I'm not the only one lol.
Love this guy,Steve will be known as a Titan in the drumming world.
Steve Gadd is one of the greatest modern drummers that people never heard of. He never was not in a "BAND", but played studio and sessions on more songs and acts you heard but didn't know he was on....
The fuck are you talking about people never heard of 😂
@@josephcalitri5710 Watch your mouth you little punk. Learn to READ... I clearly point how how prolific Steve is., well recorded, but the average person, even music fans, have no idea he was on many recordings they heard and love, including Aja over 35 yrs ago. All they know is a great song and killer drums. This is common for studio session musicians to be anonymous even on hits.. Steely Dan used many drummers. Steve Gadd has a distinctive style, but you have not heard a faction of his work I am sure. Example Hal Blaine 35,000 sessions and 6,000, singles, many hits, many don't know he was on. Drummers. James Lee Keltner, John Robinson, Paul Leim are not well known by name, but the artist they played for and, the songs they recorded are well known, many popular hits. I am sure a genius like you knows all their work. No you don't. That was my point. Session studio musicians are not widely known outside the music industry, sometimes even inside the industry.
Even Jeff Porcaro whose work I have known before Toto, and I cover many songs he recorded, I find new songs he played on. These songs I heard many decades ago (like his work with Tommy. Bolin) but did not know it was Jeff on that song. Speaking of Tommy Bolin the other drummer he recorded with you never heard of is Charles Lempriere "Prairie" Prince. He was in a favorite band of mine "The Tubes", but I had no idea of his full resume until recently. Very prolific playing with some amazing artist and groups I heard and enjoyed.... Bottom line studio work is not about fame. I recorded a car commercial, that consisted of a jazzy pattern of just snare and brushes in the background. I did it when I was in high school. My band recorded in the studio and asked if I would do it. Sure.. I got paid scale. No one knew it was me but my parents and few close friends.
If you think of iconic songs, you don't know all the many drummers that played on those songs, virtually anonymous. That is fine because it is about creating music, art, not fame, but they do deserve more credit.. Sadly today, no talent "social media influencers" have undeserved fame. As for you, grow up and stop being a foul mouth disrespectful petulant pedantic immature troll.
When you can begin to understand why this man was one of the most (if not the most) sought after session drummer on the progressive jazz scene in the 70's and 80's, then you will get it.
He only plays watered down Jazz and Muzak MOR always. Compare him to Tony Williams and Gadd;s shit falls apart
When "Aja" came out, I had no idea, who is Steve Gadd, I just loved the song. Later I started thinking about the drumpart and got aware, what a genius Steve is. ❤
I don't know what's sicker: listening to that recording or watching him recreate the basics of it so effortlessly.
i watched twice just to hear those drums again they sound amazing
when I first heard this on the HiFi system it was one of the most encapsulating things I've ever heard it was like hearing a message of God coming through my ears
it had such a profoundly high-quality to it it made me realize what I was missing out by listening to MP3. the first time I actually noticed that drums had a note and you had to be tuned
Aren't you glad your teacher made you drill the rudiments? A million ways to use them. Thanks for proving that point, Steve.
There are no boring rudiments. Just unimaginative drummers.
My favorite drumsticks have Steve Gadd' s signature on them.
I bought a bunch of pairs back in the 90's. Feels really cool to have them today.
He genuinely appears to think it was "no big deal" - THAT is what makes a true Master.
Steve Gadd always plays what is just perfect for the music. its just amazingly perfect. he plays not to much and not to few. thats why stave gadd is such an amazing drummer!!!!!
such a casual humble description of one of the all-time great drum solos and song performances. I'm disappointed he didn't re-create (or try) the entire thing, it was far more than he showed here
A true craftsman! Not just banging the skins but coaxing them to life.
You can't judge a musicians complete ability after giving a basic breakdown of one or two licks. Gadd's body of work speaks for itself.
when i pictured the song being played i imagined a drummer’s arms going all over the place and sweating and exerting. but he makes it look effortless. wow
I think this guy is one of the greatest I've ever seen .He has inspired me as a young drummer coming up in NY.
Just to have one classic track like Aja is enough, Gadd has so many!! So much taste in his playing!
Made me cry the 1st time I saw him play this live.
No joke so amazingly beautiful.
I was listening to Aja yesterday and I'm still amazed by it
full of talent and wisdom,,!! AMAZING GADD!!
Genius always makes it look easy thank Steve for the inspiration.
That section of music with the drum fills & Wayne Shorter playing over the top is fantastic.
Steve Gadd is the greatest drummer of his generation. I’ve seen him playing with Eric Clapton’s band 3 times and he was brilliant!👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
damn...the sound of his drums is exquisitely mindblowing..
Absolutely love his drumming
Love the snare sound.
Gadd is one of the best drummers out there IMO.
A true pioneer of percussion
Elvin and Max loved these types of fills.
As a heavy metal, death metal, metalcore, deathcore, progressive metal listener, I can appreciate this.
How can you dislike this? This is awesome stuff!
That last solo when it breaks out into the bell heavy latin-esque groove over the figures goes incredibly hard, and sounds just as fresh today as it did 47 years ago.
At last! A drummer who knows what to play and when! Cheers to all fellow musicians out there!
pure talent ❤
Superb artist. Steve Gadd always inspired me.
Killer feel and groove.
GADD...master class. No question.
People actually can give this a thumbs down? This is why there is little hope for the future.
May be some people are jealous? Steve is such a humble and modest person and plays so brillant, it is so fascinating. Met him twice after a concert and he was very very nice.
I'm not a drummer but there's a musicality to everything he does - makes you want to play along.
That's just brilliant.
Wow I've watched this video SOOOOO many times and I only noticed now in the intro the audience is claping a 2/3 clave and steve is playing over it. Makes it even more impressive!
good audience also :D
Good Dog! I always thought he had a speed pedal and those were bass drum rolls! Such effortlessness! Genius.
Steve Gadd is an absolute beast for sure!!🤩
Steve Gadd is one of my drum gods!
Well Steve is one the greatest drummers of all time and also one of the most recorded so it makes no sense to criticize him,not to mention Buddy Rich considered him a great drummer
Love the enthusiasm of the guy in the yellow shirt in front row:D
Love the old school tattoos and the wicked blow dried hair! The man is a legend!
Great drummer, and seems like a great guy as well.
i just noticed steve's tattoos for the first time, doh!
ive been playin with the 6 stroke roll, so, this vid just came in real handy!
rock steady
damn! those toms sound soooooo good! this guy is amazing!
Gadd damn.
Stfu jack hole, dummy
Haaaa... good one
I don't know how many people even owned this album, but there was a Chuck Mangione LP that was a benefit concert for an earthquake in Italy back in 1980.
Featured on this LP were Steve Gadd, Chick Corea, and Dizzy Gillespie.
At one point they brought SG out for the "11th Commmandment" (which was a song that Chuck wrote for one of SG's recitals while they were both students at EASTMAN).
In the middle of that song SG breaks into a solo that was pure heaven.
awsome track, awsome and great drummer !!
Another like him not possible
Even if you transpose his fills, it will not sound the same
Moreover, to create these patterns, as it relates to the continuity of the song, is pure genius.
What ya got to understand is that he's a session drummer man...and the most recorded drummer of all time at that. That's the hype...he can be flamboyant of course cause he's a badass but the reason there's a hype is because he can compliment the music effortlessly. Playing without over-playing is ridiculously difficult and Gadd does it the best
Funny, to watch him, it actually looks more simple than it seems in my head when I'm just listening to it. Like he's letting gravity do half of the work. Now what I want to find is that groove he drops in during the sax solo.
God...hes so good
I DIDNT KNOW STEVE GADD WAS SO LEGEND IN HIS DRUMMING DAM I GOT TO STEP IT UP
I heard that Fagen and Becker,two perfectionists,were frustrated that studio drummer couldn’t provide them what they were looking for on Aja,and had Gadd flown in to play.He was wasted when he showed up,and was basically propped up behind the drum set,and nailed it on the first take.Heard this from a friend.Legendary!
Fagen and Becker tell a story that a few months later they were doing the final mixes for the album and Gadd was in the studio down the hall doing another session, so they invited him in to listen to their mix of Aja.
He sat and listened, and at the end said 'hey, that's pretty good. Who's the drummer?'
'That's you, Steve', they replied. He had no recollection of ever doing the recording.
I remember the first time I heard that track..... My jaw dropped to the ground, and I cried for an hour.
FINALLY someone breaks down that Gadd fill.. oh wait a second-
fantastic
I love his cymbals!!
What I think makes Steve Gadd so great isn't any groove. It's his sound. It's his "tone". I'm a guitarist and piano player, so feel free to jump all over me about this, but I think he gets a sound out of the drums that is exactly what I crave, and I don't know anybody else who's quite there - regardless of what they're actually playing.
Is it the heads? The tension? The mics? The attack? The sticks? Where he hits the heads?
I have no clue, obviously. Perhaps one of you could enlighten me...
Samuel Feimer That's what I thought. And, that's exactly what I like about him.
InsertName130 You're absolutely right. Steve Gadd's sound is Neil Peart's finesse and Buddy Rich's explosiveness.
Martin B Steve Gadd also had/has plenty of finesse and explosiveness. You want explosiveness? You should have seen the earlier solos with groups like Gap Mangione, or oany of of dozens of youtube video examples. You want finesse? Watch Gadd's brush work. For heaven's sake, look at his discography. Why weren't other drummers sought after? Gadd is easily the most *influential* drummer from the early 70's through the mid 90's - no contest. His working record is EVERYWHERE.
www.drstevegadd.com/discography.htm
InsertName130 It's the sound, the timing, the sense of rhythm, the relation to what's going on melodically.... The talent. He is a talented artist, and one will always understand that, even though one doesn't necessarily understands why!
Louie Malvessi Music Yeah, his musicality is solid. But, I specifically have a craving for the physical sound of his playing. I wonder if it was more than just drumming. I wonder if he provided his own mics, or had his own opinions about mic placement, etc. I wonder if he had any hidden secrets about sticks, or heads, etc. His sound, to me, seems quintessential. It seems like the exact drum sound I want to hear all the time from everybody, regardless of style. Of course, these things are very personal. It's just my taste, in this case.
I agree about his musicianship, but there are SOOO many amazingly musically talented Jazz drummers. I wouldn't even say he's as good as several of them. I particularly like Roy Haynes, but nobody matches (to my ears) Gadd's "sound".
Lol I love the way he talks.
"It was like, right foot, right hand, left, right." "I dunno it was something like this? No. Shit I don't know I'm high anyway just come talk to me after the clinic or something."
i had his sticks.. theyre so awesome
i'm most impressed by a crowd that can clap that well. i guess that's what happens when you get a bunch of percussionists together.
ya he was. and with him he made the most godly beat ever. The 50 ways
I agree. And many other great drummers are overlooked because of the commercial success of drummers like Bonham and Buddy Rich.
Fantastic!
So musical. I mean, he's great as a technical drummer but the music sounds great. Instant rhythm and feel in a single bar.
@NostalgicProcrast Iwent to see James Taylor play live in Manchester England last year , first 3 tracks I could not see the drummer but his style and musicianship was obvious.I could only see his hands , the guitarits was in the way, I thought he played and sounded like what I had seen and heard of Steve Gadd.JT introduced his band , and it was the man himself. absolutely brilliant,driving songs and then subtley enhancing the soulful ones,an absolute master of his craft .
all the marks are in the centre of the toms, now thats good technique right there.
thank you :D the best drummer ever
the feel is boss
yeah one of my favorite fills!
UR ONE OF BEST DR
Gonna have to buy that. At the end, when it showed loads of little clips of other drummers, the drumming in the background is amazing.POWER. its from a drum duet between Vinnie Colaiuta and Rick Marotta from steve gadd's "American Drummers Achievement Award" DVD. God's.
The true is that when i need inspiration steve gadd is always the best solution.
This guy is amazing. Can you believe that this is the same dude who played drums on Bananarama's 'Venus'? Wow! Jack of all trades, apparently. Thanks for posting.
A true Jazz legend!
pulling out my AJA CD right now!!