Buddy Rich

Born: September 30, 1917 Brooklyn, New York

Died: April 2, 1987

Buddy Rich is known to be one of the best jazz drummers. He started drumming when he was only 18 months old. At 11, he was performing as a band leader. He never took lessons. He also never practiced outside of band rehearsal.

Technique

He was known to have speed, power, endurance, and abilty to improvise. He used the traditional grip. He used his left hand for speed and his right hand for power. You can see him in a lot of solos where his left hand is doing ghost notes and his right hand is smashing the snare. He is known for his criss-cross riffs where his hands cross repeadetly with unbelievable speed.