“In conversation with a casual listener who said he wanted to know more about jazz, I mentioned that the creation of melody in improvisation is not limited to what are generally considered melody instruments. I said that some drummers play melodic, even lyrical, solos.
“What do you mean?” he said, clearly puzzled. I tried, rather clumsily, I’m afraid, to explain that through combinations of phrasing, dynamics and tone control, a drummer who is so inclined (not all are) can create trains of musical thought as cogent as those of a horn player. I mentioned a few names, beginning with Jo Jones. They meant nothing to the man. I didn’t think he was buying my proposition. I promised to look for an example and alert him.
A case in point. Joe LaBarbera is one of the contemporary masters of melodic drumming and you can hear this on the recordings that he made with pianist Bill Evans’ trio along with Marc Johnson on bass in his solos with wire brushes and with sticks, and exchanges phrases with Evans and Johnson. By concentrating not only LaBarbera’s rhythm but also, to borrow Lester Young’s term, on his story-telling, this may help our friend grasp the concept.”
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Doug Ramsey, Rifftides, April 4, 2010.