7/6: One O'Clock Jump (Neil Peart)
The live performance of this tribute performance is mesmerizing.
While I’m on the subject of Neil’s drum solos, let’s once more revisit Burning for Buddy: A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich.
Buddy Rich, a jazz drummer who found his greatest success in the 1960s, is considered one of the greatest drummers of all time. Like Neil, Buddy was known for speed, power, and incredible technique; and it’s obvious why Neil found him so inspiring. He produced two tribute albums for Buddy, and on the second volume, he recorded drums for this version of “One O'Clock Jump.”
I find this track absolutely fascinating. On a cursory listen, Neil gets sort of lost for most of this song. Sure, he has a few standout moments early on, but mostly, he lets the pianist and horns do most of the “talking.” Instead, he acts as a timekeeper, a heartbeat, offering a steady, unobtrusive rhythm on which the other instruments can flex and flourish and establish themselves.
But as the song rollicks toward its climax, and all the “voices” begin talking at once, Neil’s drumming becomes more frenetic without ever losing its steady pace. He adds more fills, faster and faster; he incorporates more drum pieces and layers of rhythm. His limbs begin to move in syncopation with one another. He even taps the cymbal stand instead of the cymbal.
Eventually you realize that all other “voices” in the song are now working in support of him, rather than the other way around. And that results in that classic big band sound—the one Neil incorporated into so many of his live drum solos.
While I’ve included the studio track as usual below, I also recommend watching this live performance of “One O’Clock Jump,” so you can see how he pulls it off. Also, note how his grip changes, sometimes overhand, sometimes reversed—Buddy did the same.
And here’s the studio version: