Currently,
in addition to playing drums, D.J. is gaining a reputation as a talented
vibraphonist, playing in both jazz and rock and roll settings. He
is a founding member and vibraphonist for the Latin-flavored jazz
ensemble Orchestra Superstring and also plays vibraphone to early
jazz era tunes with his quartet, the Bonebrake Syncopators. You can
also hear his vibraphone prowess on the live unplugged/acoustic X
recording entitled Unclogged. During X hiatuses he has also developed
quite a reputation as a talented and dependable live performance and
recording session musician.
Neil Peart
The literary professor of math
rock, the Ph. D of percussion, Neil Peart sits alone atop the mesa
of the metronome transmitting signals to both his band mates and all
his subdivisions of an audience. Peart is the analog kid with the
driving force behind the chromatic chops of bassist Geddy Lee and
guitarist Alex Lifeson who mystically receives his messages and creates
their unique chemistry of thinking man’s rock. A reaction that has
made a severe impact for over thirty years on aspiring drummers, Peart
is the light at the end of every drummer’s tunnel—visibly or invisibly—even
today, in man’s dominating digital world where drum tracks can be
replaced by drum machines. His ability to dynamical use changing time
signatures flow like telepathic elements and is the weapon that transform
Rush’s music into exchanges of eclectic energy. With Peart behind
the beat, Rush can make cacophonous contact into a mysteriously musical
reaction.
Besides being the old world man behind the massive kit, he
is the new world man behind the poetic lyrics that transmits emotions
simultaneously as they are received—a flawlessly abstract musical
endeavor that is profoundly positive. The empathetic elements
of Peart’s prose explore the dilemmas of the dimensions between winning
the metaphorical big prize and the change in synergy when you have
to face the repercussions of losing it. Even with all this cerebral
content Peart and company’s music still makes contact with a wide
range of fans and musicians, hence the reason why he naturally belongs
on this top ten drummer’s countdown. In case you did not catch the
covert creative liberties I took in writing this review, a majority
of the word choice made were inspired by the song titles from Rush’sSignals album and lyrical phrases from their song Chemistry—okay,
so I am no Neil Peart when it comes being a wordsmith, so sue me.
Stewart Copeland
Alright, with all the fluffing and humming I did about
Neal Peart I am sure you are asking yourself, why am I putting Stewart
Copeland as my number one, all-time, greatest rock and roll drummer?
My answer: go and listen to every Police album chronologically and
then try to tell me that everything he does isn’t magic. From the
straight up organic punk rock thrashings of Outlandos d’ Amour, to
the jazzy interludes found on Regatta de Blanc, through the alternated
reggae rhythms discreetly buried amongst the hook-laden songs of Zenyatta
Mondatta, into the subtle cross-sectioning of new wave and old wave
beats pulsing in the veins of Ghosts in the Machine, and climaxing
with the cutting edge of pop strategies on Synchronicty.
Like no other
band that emerged from the era of post 70’s punk and pre 80’s new
wave The Police barnstormed American radio and achieved great popularity
with their veteran musical chops disguised by limited music business
pretensions. Along with Andy Summers’ colorful and atmospheric guitar
and the centrality of Sting’s bass and vocals as the focal point of
their songs what made this conception of the rock trio into a single
musical personality was Copeland’s perpetual experimentations mixing
various genres of drumming to create the most dynamic and prolific
beats every heard on a radio-friendly pop song. Copeland
was able to sneak downbeats and offbeats effortlessly into a song
without upsetting its catchy melodies.
Even for the novice drummer,
Copeland’s odd approach to the instrument is inspirational and for
the seasoned drummer they are irresistible. His intricacies
are remarkable for the fact that he can pull them off so tastefully
and still keep the basics in the pocket. You can rant and rave over
the scratchy tenor of Sting’s vocals and his cutting edge bass lines
being the heart and soul of The Police, but it was Copeland’s versatility
that fueled Sting’s ability to flaunt his vocal imperfections and
perfect his rhythmically wandering bass lines and gave The Police
a heartbeat and a soul force revolution.