You can spend far too much of your life watching YouTube videos – and I’m quite sure I have. I might as well put that to good use on occasion though, so I thought I’d post some of my favourites on here.
Ella & Basie – Jazz in Montreux 1979
An absolutely incredible rendition of Booty’s Blues – with Ella and Basie amongst other greats – a slow start gently builds for nearly ten minutes (and via some highly entertaining diversions) into an amazing high energy crescendo and payoff… I have watched it many times, and it never gets old.
[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5ZXrR56g8k” ratio=”4:3″]
Lionel Hampton’s Tom Tom Solo
Lionel Hampton was known chiefly as a vibraphone player and band leader – and lot of the Lindy Hop standard tracks come from him (Lavender Coffin and many versions Flyin’ Home come to mind) – but he was also an amazing and spectacular drummer, as this little clip shows. I only wish the whole song was featured on the video, because I’d love to see the rest of it. C’est la vie. At least we have this.
More Hamp. With Benny Goodman – A Song is Born
While I was finding the link for the above, I found this. Lionel Hampton and Benny Goodman together. Utterly beautiful to watch.
[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCIm-enPNbY” ratio=”4:3″]
Big Noise from Winnetka
This one’s had me enthralled for years. Something of a showpiece for Bob Crosby’s rhythm section – Ray Badauc on drums and Bob Haggart on bass – and this has to be one of the most beautifully casual pieces of drumming I’ve ever seen. There’s various other versions of this around, including a great one from Gene Krupa, but I still don’t think anything beats these two.
[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfFBdViZHzk” ratio=”4:3″]
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