Top 10 Currently Performing Drummers

[JazzJunkie]

Who are the top 10 currently performing drummers? If I hear something on drums that really catches my ear, 9 times out of 10 it turns out to be Billy Hart, so I guess I'd put him somewhere up there. (And if anyone can offer a possible explanation as to why his drumming is so distinctive, please do!!) {JJ}

[Derek Taylor]

No true order & a top-of-the-head:

Hamid Drake
Jim Black
Martin Brandlmayr
Tom Rainey
Billy Hart (good call!)
Mark Sanders
Susie Ibarra
Barry Altschul
Randy Peterson
Nasheet Waits

[jaka]

What comes to mind...

Bill Stewart
Daniel Humair
Tom Rainey
Jim Black
Scott Amendola
Joey Baron
Kenny Wollesen
Eric Echampard
Jack DeJohnette
Paul Motian

[stonemonkts]

Andrew Cyrille
Hamid Drake
Nasheet Waits
Jim Black
Daniel Humair
Paul Lovens
Gerry Hemingway
Paul Motian
Pierre Favre
Gunter Sommer

[graypencil]

no particular order...


Bill Stewart
Joey Baron
Jack DeJohnette
John Hollenbeck
Tain
Greg Hutchison
Hamid Drake
Gary Hobbs
Billy Kilson
Vinnie Coliauta

[Chris D]

Lewis freakin' Nash!

[Dan G]

Tony Oxley
Gerry Hemingway
Paul Lovens
Mark Sanders
Louis Moholo
Kevin Norton
Andrew Cyrille
Sven-Ake Johansson
Hamid Drake
Eddie Prevost

and on a good day, Han Bennink

[Jesse]

Oxley

Motian

Cyrille

Milo Fine

Ibarra

Graves

Moholo

Hart (if only for Enchance)

Drake

Ak Laf (more session-specific) } (calling it the Tenth)
Favre (see Ak Laf) }



Divergence: props to the late/great Below the 10 Shout Outs

Dennis Charles Edward Vesala Warren Smith

Oliver Johnson Ben Riley Barry Altschul

Danny Richmond

[Jeff Albert]

I'm suprised Brian Blade hasn't come up yet.

I agree with all who mentioned Hamid Drake. I have heard him live a few times over the last few years, and everytime his music has been magical.

[LeMo]

- Andrew Cyrille
- Louis Moholo
- Hamid Drake
- Mark Sanders
- Tony Oxley
- Milford Graves
- Eddie Prévost
- Eric Echampard
- Donald Robinson
- Daniel Humair
- Paal Nilssen-Love

Edit: and, of course, Rashied Ali.
Yes, that's make twelve in a top ten list.
Well, just another exemple of "more is more".

[SEJ]

Éric Échampard? Really. I can't say anything one way or another about his drumming, since I haven't heard him. Given his discography, that's not surprising.

Yet so far, not one person has mentioned Roy Haynes.

[jaka]

Originally Posted by SEJ

Éric Échampard? Really. I can't say anything one way or another about his drumming, since I haven't heard him. Given his discography, that's not surprising.

Sure his discography isn't that impressive (though quite a few recordings are missing from the AMG listing), but the guy really is.
I don't know where LeMo posts from, but here in France, Eric is a very well considered drummer that you can often see playing live with various bands, and some of the recordings he participated in are really good ones.
And god, he's really great. And young, so he's got all the time in the world to record.
Maybe it was silly in the first place to include some player that is not that well-known...

[LeMo]

Originally Posted by jaka

Sure his discography isn't impressive, but the guy really is.
I don't know where LeMo posts from...

Belgium, Jaka, and I 've discover Echampard on three of the best albums of "free music" (even if each is carrefully composed) that the hexagone has ever produced: Claude Tchamitchian Grand Lousadszak: "Bassma Suite" (Emouvance), François Corneloup: "Jardins Ouvriers" and "Cadran lunaire" (Evidence - Fr).

I like him also very much on Marc Ducret "L'Ombra di Verdi" (Screwgun).
His duet with Raymond Boni on "Two Angels For Cecil" is a masterpiece on his own term.


I've seen him three times on stage (with Louis Sclavis, Tchamitchian & Corneloup). And he is surely an impressive young drummer.

[JazzJunkie]

Yeah, I was thinking...

Billy Hart
Tain (love him!)
Roy Haynes
Jack DeJohnette
Brian Blade
Airto (sp?)
Billy Drummond
Bobby Sanabria
Terri Lynn Carrington (currently touring with Cassandra Wilson, I think)
Susie Ibarra
Sylvia Cuenca

...mostly because they're the names I know. 11... "it goes up to eleven." (Testing your mocku-memory!!)

[Bill Barton]

Good choices by all...

Big thumbs up for Billy Hart!

To these I'd add Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez (check out his new CD Italuba.)

And Cindy Blackman too.

Certainly couldn't narrow down a list to ten, so "almost" all of the above plus two.

[Captain Hate]

No love for Michael Sarin?!?!?!
Andrew Cyrille
Hamid Drake
Mark Sanders
Tony Oxley
Eddie Prévost
Daniel Humair
Paal Nilssen-Love
Gerry Hemingway
Han Bennink

I'm sure I'm leaving somebody out that in retrospect I'll wish I'd included.

[Dan G]

Originally Posted by SEJ

Éric Échampard? Really. I can't say anything one way or another about his drumming, since I haven't heard him. Given his discography, that's not surprising.

Hanve't heard much of Echampard, and might not put him in my top 50 even, but his duo wtih Raymond Boni, Two Angels for Cecil, is definitely worth tracking down.

[crawjo]

Hamid Drake
Tony Oxley
Jim Black
Susie Ibarra
Paul Motian
Han Bennick
Andrew Cyrille
Jack DeJohnette
Michael Sarin
Milford Graves

[Gary Sisco]

Hamid Drake
Jim Black
Bobby Previte
Eddie Prevost
Bill Stewart
Gerry Hemingway
Pharoan ak Laff
Andrew Cyrille
Warren Smith
Billy Killson

and lots more of course. We're blessed with many great drummers.

[jazzy mary]

Paul Motion should be at the top of nearly everyone's list
Carl Allen (a supremely powerful, soulful, swinging drummer)
Nasheet Waits--just wow, sounds perfect if he's w/ Andrew Hill or a straight ahead cat

Billy Kilson
Billy Hart
Matt Williams
JOE CHAMBERS
and...I'm not sure who else.

[stonemonkts]

Originally Posted by jazzy mary

Nasheet Waits--just wow, sounds perfect if he's w/ Andrew Hill or a straight ahead cat

I've seen Waits several times, once with Hill. I agree that he is a superb drummer. Seems like a very nice person too.

I have a feeling that we sat next to each other at an Andrew Hill gig at Iridium a few years ago (Ehrlich played with them too).

[jazzy mary]

Nasheet is a total sweetie!!!! Was Ron in the group that night? If so, yeah, I was there. Could this have been not long after Andrew won some prestigious price that actually had some real cash attached to it? Because I remember a gig at the Iridium a couple of years ago and Frank Kimbrough was there and Frank, Ron and I were talking to Andrew and I congratulated him on...oh, wait..now I remeber he had won a place in DB's "Hall of Honor" or something. And I remembered I congratulated him and he shrugged and said "it ain't no money". I hate to say it, but that's a typical response from jazz musicians. I was slightly taken aback and I said "well, it's still an honor and can translate into record sales" (I'm pretty mercenary too) and he did agree. Is that the gig?

If so, why didn't you introduce yourself???

[stonemonkts]

Originally Posted by jazzy mary

If so, why didn't you introduce yourself???

This was before I started posting here. It dawned on me that it could have been you only after reading dozens of your posts....I thought, I bet that nice woman who spoke to me about Waits was Jazzy Mary. At the time, I didn't know JC from a hole in the wall.

Small world though, especially when it comes to jazz.

We sat next to each other at the table front and center. Yes, Horton shared center stage with Ehrlich.

[jazzy mary]

Wow, and we talked??? About Nasheet?

Nasheet is so sweet. We are always happy to see one another. I remember one time, after being once again amazd by his beautiful playing, I told him "You are a deep, soulful mother-f***er!!" He was delighted with that and gave me a big hug. He told me I understood

[stonemonkts]

Originally Posted by jazzy mary

Wow, and we talked??? About Nasheet?

Nasheet is so sweet. We are always happy to see one another. I remember one time, after being once again amazd by his beautiful playing, I told him "You are a deep, soulful mother-f***er!!" He was delighted with that and gave me a big hug. He told me I understood

Yeah, we talked about Nasheet. Now I am positive it was you.

I was the amazingly handsome, soulful guy to your left.

[Steve Reynolds]

thoughts are probably a year or so old:

Hamid Drake
Eddie Prevost
Paul Lovens
Mark Sanders
Gerry Hemingway
Jim Black
Milford Graves
Andrew Cyrille
Louis Moholo
Han Bennink


seen all of them except the *great* Eddie Prevost and the incomparable one, the master of the modern african groove, Mr. Louis Moholo


I hope I get the chance to both of them someday before it is too late

[Jesse]

Originally Posted by stonemonkts

I've seen Waits several times, once with Hill. I agree that he is a superb drummer. Seems like a very nice person too.

I have a feeling that we sat next to each other at an Andrew Hill gig at Iridium a few years ago (Ehrlich played with them too).

The Waits-the-younger discussion shook loose the recollection that he is Freddie Wait's son, and Waits- the- Elder definitely merits inclusion on my Top (by now 15 or so )current drummers.
I heard the Younger in Mpls w/Hill in 2000, and his pops w/Bill Dixon round about '85.

[Gentle Giant]

Amen on akLaff.

Can I get a second on Joe Farnsworth? Between hearing him with Eric Alexander and seeing him with Pharaoh last year, he's become a name I look out for.

I like Ralph Peterson a lot, too.

[JazzJunkie]

Originally Posted by Gentle Giant

Can I get a second on Joe Farnsworth? Between hearing him with Eric Alexander and seeing him with Pharaoh last year, he's become a name I look out for.

Forgot about him, but he hosts one of the hottest jams in NYC up at "Smoke." Also, I forgot about Kenny Washington!!!

[Gary Sisco]

Not to mention Matt Wilson, an all-around amazing drummer.