Unknown

"Buddy Rich named Karen as his favorite pop drummer, and Buddy famously did not give out compliments. As an egomaniac, he might have bestowed this compliment because her style and technique is very much like his: monster chops, flash, and musicality. Oh, and she sings at the same time! Because she was such an amazing singer (coupled with a healthy dose of sexism), she was muscled off her instrument of choice and into the role of singer and frontwoman for The Carpenters. The hits followed and so did her tragic demise. First and foremost, Karen was a wildly talented drummer, and sadly she was never afforded the accolades she deserved, or revered for the drumming talent that she was."

"Tool’s Danny Carey has long been revered as one of the world’s great drummers, but with the prog-metal titans’ 2019 comeback triumph Fear Inoculum and the psychedelic live shows that have followed, he’s made a case for being the group’s true frontman and, certainly, the rightful heir to the mighty Neil Peart’s throne. In his hands, percussion isn’t just a musical undertaking — it’s a vehicle for opening the doors of perception."

"What can I say about Joey that hasn’t already been said? He reinvented metal drumming for the modern era and brought with him an energy that I have yet to see anyone match, ever. Like someone threw a drum set down a stairwell and it magically sounded good as fuck. His style was so unique, you just know exactly when you are listening to him play. Nothing makes me wanna run through some drywall more than Joey’s drumming. RIP to another goat."

"Jam bands live or die by the drummer, and Kreutzmann established the archetype. He did a lot more than provide the structure for those long Grateful Dead grooves; he subtly shifted tempo and volume, transforming the listening experience so that an open field could feel as intimate as a block box or as vast as outer space. With apologies to Mickey Hart, who was more of a percussionist, Kreutzmann's drumming brought the Grateful Dead to life and established a blueprint for every jam percussionist that followed."

"As the singer, guitarist and spokesman for progressive metal powerhouse Gojira, Mario’s big brother Joe gets most of the attention, but the younger Duplantier is earning an increasing share of the spotlight as fans become more aware of his jaw-dropping skills. Simply put, Mario can do it all — from extreme-metal blasts to jazzy fills to huge stomping beats that rule the mosh pit. All that and he’s a talented visual artist whose work has adorned Gojira album covers and merch."

"One of the special characters in music history. Collins got his first real shot at stardom while a member of James Brown’s famous backing band. He contributed to such Brown classics as "Sex Machine" and "Super Bad." From there, Collins took that soul background and his "space bass" with a funk vibe over to George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic. In addition to playing with those two juggernauts of sound, the Hall of Famer has collaborated with the likes of Talking Heads and Keith Richards. Collins has also taught the bass and has been featured in music videos and on television sitcoms."

"Perhaps the most mysterious member of Queen. Deacon was never one for the spotlight, but with his writing and composing contributions within the confines of Queen, Deacon had his share of legendary moments. He composed hits like "You’re My Best Friend" and "I Want to Break Free" and is likely best known for two of the most iconic bass intros of all time with "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Under Pressure." Arguably one of the most underrated members of an iconic band in music history, Deacon retired from playing in the late 1990s."

"Kaye’s stellar professional music career began with the sounds of jazz and big band before becoming one of the most sought-after pop/rock session bassists and guitarists, beginning in the late 1950s. During a career that covered over a half-century, Kaye’s bass work was featured alongside music giants like Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, and Quincy Jones. A long-time teacher of the electric bass, Kaye played on Nancy Sinatra’s classic "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" and contributed to the famed Mission: Impossible theme. How's that for a legacy?"

"Critics like to describe certain records as ‘seminal’ and, in several ways, Lee Morgan’s The Sidewinder actually was. It marked a return to form for the erstwhile trumpet prodigy, whose career had gone adrift due to drugs. In 1963, still only 25, he was already a veteran of the Dizzy Gillespie band – which he had joined at 18 – and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. The epitome of the bravura energy and bluesy drive of hard bop, Morgan was renowned for his cocky assurance, flashing technique and love of playing. He attacked solos with a boyish zest, as if he couldn’t wait to tell you everything he was feeling and show you what he could do. His blend of funk, fire and fun – plus a knack for adventurous phrasing – gave an exuberant edge to all five tracks on The Sidewinder. But the surprise was its title tune, a sinuous blues line with an infectious, hip-swinging beat which caught the ear of the public. Morgan and his record company, Blue Note, had a huge Top 40 hit on their hands, with consequences they could not have predicted. Having tasted commercial success, the trumpeter, though passionate about his art, felt his subsequent albums needed a groovy, R‘n’B-style hook. And Blue Note, a small label proud of its independence, found it couldn’t meet the demand for The Sidewinder. So it joined forces with a larger firm, and gradually moved away from its pure-jazz ethos into the twilight zone of fusion and crossover. But, as the 1960s wore on, that was clearly where jazz was headed. The Sidewinder inspired countless dumbed-down imitations, without the original’s subtle flair. Ironically, Lee Morgan fiercely opposed the trend he was thought to have started, insisting on the vital depth of jazz, which he pursued in his own playing. But his career and life were savagely ended when he was shot at a club by a jealous woman in 1972. It’s a sad and curious tale, but what remains is Lee Morgan’s achievement, not least in The Sidewinder itself. Freed from its cultural context, it retains all its ebullience, energy and charm and its famous title tune is an abiding delight. The disc’s real distinction, like that of Lee Morgan himself, is a timeless creativity."

"I have observed that, in jazz, all roads lead back to Louis Armstrong. But Louis’s road began with the man he honoured as his inspiration, idol and mentor, Joe ‘King’ Oliver. During World War I, Oliver was the cornet king of New Orleans, and in 1919 he went north to Chicago, where he won similar renown with his Creole Jazz Band, dazzling dancers, listeners and musicians with the sound of Crescent City jazz. Oliver had been a father figure to young Armstrong, and in 1922 he invited his protégé to join his group in Chicago. Armstrong’s brilliance was already evident, and his arrival transformed the Oliver band from a classic ensemble to a legend. It’s our supreme good fortune that the next year the group put much of its repertoire on disc – 37 sides which constitute the first unequivocal demonstration of the expresssive potency of jazz, in all its variety and fire. While it’s easy to marvel at the immensity of Armstrong’s burgeoning talent, the overwhelming effect of these records is the power of the Creole Jazz Band as a whole. With King Oliver firmly at the helm, the group achieves a level of focused energy and invention that is simply irresistible. In accord with New Orleans practice, theirs is largely an ensemble music – solos tend to be short, adding colour to the overall texture. But the definition of the individual voices is a constant delight, as is the unflagging, pulsating swing."

"It's safe to say that Bruce is the least prominent member of the legendary power trio Cream. That said, Bruce was more than capable of holding his own with bandmates Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker within the confines of the band that gave us iconic rock tracks such as "White Room" and "Sunshine of Your Love." Trained in classical music and proficient in jazz, Bruce also spent time playing the blues rock associated with Cream. His ability to adapt and excel in several genres of music was a massive part of his greatness. That versatility remains one of the defining characteristics of his professional legacy."

"While Ray Brown could swing heavy with bebop pioneers like Dizzy Gillespie, he's probably best known for part in pianist Oscar Peterson's trio from 1951-1966. Brown's buoyant playing seemed to match Peterson's relaxed attack on the piano. The bassist, who was briefly married to Ella Fitzgerald, backed up the singer, as well as countless other jazz luminaries until he passed away at the age of 75 in 2002. Brown released dozens of discs under his own name from the mid '40s to the early 2000s."

"In its post-World War II heyday, bebop was known as much for its precarious lifestyle as for musical daring. Generated in no small part by the aura surrounding the mythic, self-destructive Charlie Parker, drug addiction became an occupational hazard among aspiring jazz players. But amid this chronicle of disaster, Clifford Brown presented a shining alternative. The most brilliant young trumpeter of his generation, he was completely drug-free, a model both as musician and man – disciplined and good-natured. Thus it seemed a particularly cruel trick of fate that, in 1956, he died in a car accident, aged just 25. Though he had only been recording for four years, Brown left a considerable legacy on disc. He enlivened every session with his bright sound, impeccable facility and, above all, the sense that everything he played was driven by delight, an insatiable urge to say something new in each solo. Sheer fluency is perhaps his most striking quality, carried along by a rich tone, and an attack as crisp, intelligent and varied as the buoyant logic that informed his improvisations."

"In 1957, a critic referred to Ruby Braff as ‘the 30-year-old traditional trumpet player’. The description implies the slightly barbed subtext that dogged Braff in his early days. What business did a young jazz musician have cultivating an old-fashioned style when his contemporaries were all going in the heady new directions of bebop? But Braff’s status was made even more complicated because he also rejected the approved reaction against bebop, the deliberate archaism of ‘trad jazz’. To Ruby, the real jazz tradition was the kind of rich, melodic invention effortlessly embodied by the star soloists of the swing generation, leading back to Louis Armstrong."

"What makes jazz ‘jazz’ today? Improvisation, blues and swing, passionate individuality – the music may hark back to its classic qualities, but today’s scene has splintered into a plethora of postmodern fragments, from which every player has to construct a distinctive voice. No one has met this challenge with more imagination than trumpeter Dave Douglas. In fact, he has mixed feelings about what he calls ‘this beast called jazz’: though he’s always wanted to play it, he wants to incorporate all the other aspects of music and life that compel him, too. In 2003 he celebrated his 40th birthday with a concert given by ten different groups he has led, including the Tiny Bell trio, with guitar and drums (inspired by Balkan music); Charms of the Night Sky (a chamber group with accordion); a sextet devoted to works by neglected jazz masters; and a quintet with cello and violin whose repertoire includes Douglas originals, Webern and Stravinsky. What unites all these ensembles is Douglas’s virtuoso ability, and his protean skills as a composer."

"Is John Gomm the finest acoustic guitarist Blackpool ever produced? We’re going to go ahead and say ‘yes’, for this humble Englishman’s emotive, all-action guitar playing has captured literally millions of ears around the world since he went viral in 2011. Banging, booming, tapping and scratching his way through dramatic performances that burst with emotion and invention, it’s no great surprise that the internet took Gomm to its heart. A modern marvel."

"The “Nashville sound” – where traditional instruments like pedal steel guitar and violin were phased out in favor of strings and background vocals -- had more in common with mainstream ‘50s vocal pop than Western swing or rockabilly."

"Art Farmer’s approach to jazz seemed simplicity itself. ‘What I try to do with a song,’ the trumpeter once said, ‘is to get as much enjoyment out of playing it as I can.’ Yet his style expressed a quiet profundity and originality that defied the obvious. Although, born in 1928, he was a member of the bebop generation, he eschewed obvious pyrotechnics. A Farmer solo didn’t merely ‘run the changes’, ripping through the chords, but created an absorbing, probing shape, at once subtle and lyrical. In terms of facility, he could do anything he wanted, and his technical command and thoughtful musicianship ensured first-call status in the booming jazz scene of the 1950s. After apprenticeship with Lionel Hampton and other big bands, Farmer starred with two of the most prominent small groups of the time – Horace Silver’s hard-driving quintet, and the cool quartet of Gerry Mulligan. At the same time, he was leading his own groups in a series of widely praised albums. One of the best is the eponymous Art, with a quartet including the trumpeter’s kindred spirit, pianist Tommy Flanagan. Effortlessly compelling, it’s a classic example of Farmer’s special gift for reinventing standard tunes. ‘Younger than Springtime’ becomes a kind of idyll, his tone both round and clear. ‘Who Cares’ shows his fiery side, full of unexpected angles, and ‘I’m a Fool to Want You’ is a reflective ballad, but not morose."

"When it comes to modern-day bassists, the creative Keeler stands tall above the field. The son of musician Fred Keeler, who jammed with the likes of Bob Dylan, Jesse has made a name for himself as the driving force within Canadian dance-punk duo Death From Above 1979 and the electronic-tinged MSTRKRFT. Whether talking dance, techno, electronica, punk, or pure rock, Keeler is a dynamic musician who continues experimenting with his overall sound. Keeler is usually sporting his see-through bass, which screams and howls with an almost haunting vibe."

"Ron Carter has played on over 2,500 albums and secured a spot in jazz history as one of the world's finest bassists. Doing much more than merely helping anchor the rhythm, Carter is a melodic master. In his five-decade-long career, he's played with countless jazz legends, including a five-year stint in Miles Davis's quintet, an outfit that also included Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Tony Williams. While his playing on most of the recordings he did with Davis are stellar, some of his albums as a leader, like Uptown Conversation, are excellent, as are his duo albums with guitarist Jim Hall, platters like Live at the Village West and Alone Together."

"In my book Culture Crash, I date the birth of indie [rock] at 1982, when the Smiths began recording and R.E.M. released its debut EP, Chronic Town. The US side of the story is forcefully told in Michael Azerrad’s book Our Band Could Be Your Life; Britain’s followed similar contours, with indie ideology locking in early and fiercely, as sales charts tracked what was selling at independent record stores."

"Playing an acoustic is one thing, but pouring your heart into it like John Martyn did is quite another. The results were sublime, surprising and never short of spectacular. Coming out of the folk scene in the early ‘60s, he quickly surpassed his peers thanks to his natural talent and endless quest for new sounds. His work in the ‘70s combined Echoplex delays and distortion with elaborate open chords and ear-catching fret wizardry. And while the soundscapes were impressive, the songs - wounded, bristling with passion, burning with soul - were the real stars of the show. Mercurial and unique to the last, John Martyn was one of a kind. The connoisseur's acoustic idol."

"Napster affected rock CD sales disproportionately when it first came out in the late ’90s, because rock was what a lot of college students were listening to, and they were early MP3 adopters (and early pirates.) They figured out quickly how to download MP3s for free, so rock sales were the first to decline. It would take a while before piracy/the Internet/MP3s/downloads would cut into other genres, because it took old people a long time to figure out the Internet. [...] Everyone would suffer, but those artists and labels would feel it first and worst. After all the good times, this one-two punch at the turn of the millennium left indie — and rock music in general — reeling."

"Dale had a super underrated drum sound, whether that was live or recorded — he was second to none."

"Tina Weymouth can hold her own among the best bass players in the world. That's been the case for quite a long time. Weymouth’s punk-tinged, funk-infused bass lines have influenced countless women to pick up a bass and follow a path that is not foreign in the modern day. Whether we're talking about her work with Talking Heads or her own band Tom Tom Club (with husband and fellow Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz), Weymouth has always delivered the goods. She plays with confidence and continues to innovate."

"There has been no more potent embodiment of that spirit than the singer Huddie Ledbetter, known as ‘Leadbelly’. Ordinary he wasn’t: born in rural Texas in c.1888, regal in bearing and strong as an ox, he claimed to be the world’s greatest cotton picker, railroad track layer, lover, drinker and guitar player. His pride was matched by a temper and disposition to violence, resulting in spells in prison for assault and murder. And it was in 1933, in the Louisiana State Penitentiary, that he was discovered by folksong collectors John and Alan Lomax. Under the sponsorship of the Lomaxes, Leadbelly began his rise to stardom, benefiting from the gathering vogue for trad jazz and rugged authenticity. He gave concerts across the US and Europe, dying in New York in 1949. Though the strictest arbiters exclude his work from the jazz canon, it’s hard not to recognise his vital link to the essential force of the music."

"The Wurlitzer 200, introduced in 1968, quickly became an essential part of the sound of American R&B and strongly influenced the sounds at the end of the decade."

"From Keith Richards's ratty distorted guitar on The Rolling Stones's “Satisfaction” to T-Pain's Auto-Tuned vocals on Lil Wayne's “Lollipop,” music technology has often defined the sound of popular music."

"From Keith Richards's ratty distorted guitar on The Rolling Stones's “Satisfaction” to T-Pain's Auto-Tuned vocals on Lil Wayne's “Lollipop,” music technology has often defined the sound of popular music. And of all of the instruments integral to defining those eras, the keyboard has done it most consistently over the past 50 years."

"It's hard to make the case that the keyboards of today are the same as those from half a century ago. Their evolution from piano to organ to synthesizer to sampler leaves the former and the latter with less in common than a violin has with a guitar. But tracing the keyboard’s wild journey across the decades gives us a lot of insight into phenomena like “the '80s sound.” The keyboards that dominated their eras shaped not just the music of their time, but the sound of the future. By considering the history of these instruments, we can gain a unique perspective on the trajectory of contemporary popular music."

"The '90s also saw the release of the first major keyboard sampler, Ensoniq's ASR-10, which would quickly redefine the sample work in hip hop, first by way of the Wu Tang Clan's RZA's complex soul chops, and then via Timbaland's and The Neptunes' pristine, minimal productions from the tail end of the '90s through the mid-2000s."

"You know the sound of a 1957 ‘narrow panel’ Tweed Champ better than you realise. All over Rolling Stones and ZZ-Top hits and the main guitar sound in Derek And The Dominos’ classic Layla, this small-but-beautiful amp design is one of the most recorded in the history of rock ‘n’ roll and indeed electric blues."

"Ever since a young Pete Townshend asked Jim Marshall to place two 4x12 cabinets on top of each other, the Marshall stack has been much imitated, especially after a certain guitarist named Jimi Hendrix also adopted the trend."

"Confusingly, 1962 is the model number, rather than the year that this amplifier was born. That was in 1965, when a young Eric Patrick Clapton requested that Jim Marshall make him a combo amplifier with tremolo that would fit in the boot of his car for use with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Based on a JTM45, unlike later Marshalls, Clapton’s amp was powered by KT66 valves. In combination with a Les Paul, it sounded outrageous. For some, Clapton’s work on The Bluesbreakers’ ‘Beano’ album in 1966 is still the high watermark for electric blues."

"Boss amplifiers (as a division of the Roland company) have been celebrated for their cutting-edge technology and exceptional sound quality ever since the company introduced the groundbreaking Roland JC-120 combo and ultra-portable Cube amps of the mid-late 1970s. While Boss was previously the guitar effects arm of the company and is still arguably the most prominent builder of effect pedals to this day, it has also become the dominant branch of amplifier research and development. With a focus on innovation and reliability, Boss amps are often used by musicians with diverse requirements."

"Leo Fender was to modern musical instruments what Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison were to electrical engineering. As a true pioneer, he reimagined the electric guitar with models like the Telecaster, Stratocaster, and Precision Bass, created the Fender Rhodes electric piano, and put his name to some of the best guitar amplifiers ever invented."

"As far as where we’re going in the future, I think we’ve gone as far as we can with the ‘gods of speed’ thing. We’re starting to get into slower stuff, going for longer songs, as opposed to the blast aspect. Also, the noisy, industrial stuff is coming more to the forefront. If you’re familiar with our latest album [Harmony Corruption], I think you’ve got a good idea as to our new direction. We’re getting into real painful noise; I just want to annoy people at the moment."

"Over the years, Fender’s glorious Blackface 4 x 10, twin 6L6-powered Super Reverb has graced stages with giants of electric blues from Stevie Ray Vaughan to all three Kings and fusion legend Robben Ford. Just add a Stratocaster and a Tube Screamer and a Blackface Super is an awesome Texas blues machine. A good mid-1960s example is many a blues player’s holy grail, but they can be inconsistent and unreliable without expert attention, so it’s unsurprising that Fender’s current ’65 Super Reverb reissue is a safer option."

"The Blackstar range combines classic looks with contemporary features. [...] Blackstar has built one of the most extensive product lines in its relatively short existence, and it offers something for everyone, from compact acoustic amps to bass rigs to 100-watt stacks. It may not have the heritage of established brands like Marshall and Fender or offer the boutique components of Hughes and Kettner or Mesa/Boogie, but as far as bang for your buck is concerned, this is a brand that deserves consideration."

"The crowds on Haight Street got bigger and bigger and bigger [after the Human Be-In]. Word spread like fire. Everybody came to San Francisco."

"Line 6 first received widespread attention after the release of its POD, a plug-and-play kidney bean-shaped amp, effect, and cabinet emulator that replicated the rigs and tones of many famed players and manufacturers. This technology has since been applied to its combo amps and stacks, and Line 6 continues to push the boundaries of sonic possibilities in its California laboratories."

"Originally marketed to churches as a lower-cost alternative to manual pipe organs, the Hammond electric organ gained its initial popularity in the 1950s and '60s through gospel music and the famed jazz player Jimmy Smith. As the organs became more widely available and electric sounds found their way into popular music by way of amplified guitar and bass, Hammonds started showing up all over the place."

"People said that I was crazy, that Gaza was difficult, far from Jerusalem and that the Israelis wanted to close the area, which would make it difficult to get in and out. But I chose it anyway. And in the end, it turned out to be one of the most beautiful archaeological experiences of my life."

"Just because these bands share a common background and often tour together doesn’t mean that they like each other. In fact, there’s a fierce rivalry between all the Earache acts."

"Frustrated by the limitations of metal, and disillusioned by insular politics of the “alternative” scene, Broadrick set out to stake his own unique territory. Combining nasty guitar riffing and grotesquely strained vocals with the inhuman beat-box rhythms and sampling of the best Wax Trax acts, Godflesh possesses a sound that defies explanation, a sound truly exemplary of the grindcore aesthetic."

"...the Franklin quote? I think you got it wrong. It's liberty we shouldn't sacrifice for safety. Not freedom. [...] Freedom it's what allows people like you to do whatever you want. Liberty is what protects the rest of us from people like you."

"The image that is characterized by a not good piles like simplicity in the soul."

"Once synthesizers flooded the music industry in the '80s, music production effectively became an arms race of who could use the most cutting-edge sounds to produce a hit first. Conversely, new forms of music could practically be defined by their new sounds. The piano and organ presets were used in 1990s house music, beginning with Madonna's 1990 single "Vogue". The powerful Korg M1 was just the instrument for these times, providing a diverse set of sounds that helped forge diverse genres. When house music first took to the Billboard charts, tracks like “Show Me Love” by Robin S. and “Rhythm is a Dancer,” by Snap! hinged on the sexy, simple tone of the M1's organ preset. Madonna, as always, changed with the times and used the M1 to great success on her hit “Vogue.” Yet, somewhat hilariously, the most well-known example of the M1 doesn't even occur in popular music — the goofy slap bass sound used in the Seinfeld theme song was not played on a bass, but on the M1."

"One image is not enough but in the woman."

"The Prophet 600, released in 1983, was the first synth to offer MIDI connections, opening a new era of inter-connectivity that would become essential for all future electronic instruments."