RIP Freddie Gruber

[deseipel]

Lucas, you're totally right! Doesn't take a monster player to be able to see deficiencies or areas of weakness OR areas of strengths and proficiency. The real good coaches are the ones that can zero in on the specific area, and advise or coach you on how to resolve it. Anyone can judge, but a real leader is someone who can judge and then improve what they've judged by combining the right words and motivating the student.

The greatest teachers are the ones who the ones that YOU want to make happy, for no explicit reason. It's like that in the workplace as well, a very rare thing. I've only had one boss in my life who I'd drop anything to get what he needed. Great guy and a true leader and mentor.

[moose]

JoJo on Freddie:

http://www.mikedolbear.com/story.asp?StoryID=2866

[amoergosum]

JoJo on Freddie:

http://www.mikedolbear.com/story.asp?StoryID=2866

Wonderful stories...thanks a lot!

[Pocketplayer]

from Jojo...

I guess he believed that not all knowledge should be up for grabs for everyone.
You had to earn the privilege to get access. And the way to get access to his knowledge
was to solve the riddles he custom made for you. I believe he understood that this attitude
could lead to controversy, but I think he was cool with that.

A very, "for him who has ears to hear" approach. Just the opposite of our basic educational
experience which is spoon fed and let all the leftovers spill to the ground. Wisdom and
knowledge are not necessarily bedfellows.

He was definitely a "character." Last time I saw him was outside of the Baked Potato when
Dave was playing a few years ago. He was very likeable and spoke freely. Reminded me of
my uncles from New York. He resonated a life of experience. His personality was very
defined and reminded me that there are timeless concepts that transcend culture and
generations. Unpacking the language and style of communicating was much easier if
you had a "first seek to understand before being understood" attitude with him.

[deseipel]

that story was the best!

[amoergosum]

Dave Weckl via Facebook:

I lost two great people this week who were close and dear to me; teachers, mentors, nurturing and loving people. My mother, Dorothy Weckl, passed on October 10, and my friend and teacher, Freddie Gruber, on October 11. Both gave me guidance, opportunity, love, and direction. They will be missed dearly.

Source:
http://www.facebook.com/daveweckl/posts ... 0386834057

[MacMan]

RIP Freddie...

I studied with Freddie for four years. RIP Freddie, love you Man.

Would you share some stories about that time? That would be cool...

Sure, I'll need some time to write down a couple of things, if that's ok.

[Joesmechanic]

I was shocked to hear the news. I actually didn't know he passed until a friend told me "sorry to hear about Freddy".

I'm so upset w/myself for not returning his phone call earlier this year. Since I started this training program with the Dept of Water and Power, all I had time to do was eat, sleep and study. He called me & left a message as he always does asking about his car. I usually helped him with his old Dodge or the Infinity convertible. Sometimes I'd go over and start the Firebird for him when he talked about restoring it as he always did for his "one last hurrah". In hindsight, I wish I had more time to have given him that last hurrah w/his car. Goes to show you what happens when you don't take time to smell the roses & keep in touch with friends. For some reason, I always thought that Freddy was one of those barnacle on the bottom of a boat type guys. You know the type. Those fella's that do everything wrong like take drugs, smoke, drink...but then live to be a 100. I thought he'd smoke his brains out well into his 90's.

Freddy has been a mentor to me & I'm sure hundreds of others in many ways. Not just in the narrow aspects of drumming. but when you live 84 years on this planet and seen as much as Freddy has over the years...you tend to learn a few things. What started out as a student/teacher relationship turned into a 26 year friendship. And like pocketplayer said, he's like that old uncle from New York that you thought was a little off....but when you got older to get to know him, you realized he wasn't that off at all. He had a pretty keen eye and sense about drummers and life in general.

I wish Roger Burns was still alive, he died from cancer a while back. He was a prime example of what Freddys teaching style could do for you from the cradle. Same with Nick Vincent. You'd think both of those players were born with sticks in their hands from birth. If you ever get a chance to see Nick with Chuckie Weiss and the goddammed liars, I highly suggest it. He's the epitome of what Freddys teaching style produces. Same with what Roger Burns did. In Freddy's hay day of teaching, he'd comprehensively got you up to speed of what it took to be a professional in the music industry. To play the drums as naturally as breathing.

I texted Dave as soon as I heard the news. He expressed what happened to his mom just the day before. I couldn't believe what I was reading. A double loss for Dave. I lost my favorite uncle the saturday just before that. Another friend lost his mom in law that weekend and another friend lost her mom. Its been a sorrowful week to say the least.

I hope I didn't come across as making this post sound like its all about me. But let this be a lesson to anyone (especially me) when it comes to personal relationships. You never know if the time you say goodbye to someone might be the last. And if someone calls you, always return their calls. Because there again....you never know.

[Pocketplayer]

Well said John! This has been a year of loss for me...mom and close friend.
Love to hear more Freddie stories...stories honor memory and give dignity to
those we once shared planet Earth with.

Let's catch up when I am back in the States.

[MacMan]

Here’s a little story about the first lesson I had with Freddie Gruber. I want to set it up a little so hopefully you will get a little picture of the type of guy Freddie was. He’s just like and very different from the videos you’ve seen of him.

The time frame is around 1973-74. I still have all my books that I worked from with Freddie along with recordings and notes from most of my lessons. But, Freddie just put the date on the lesson like 10/26 and never put the year so I’m a little vague on the exact start date. I was working five to six nights a week and doing casuals on the weekends at the time. So, I wasn’t a hobbyist, I was working.

I had studied with a couple of guys who many of you would probably know if I mentioned them but that’s just to say this wasn’t the first time I had private lessons.
I called Freddie and finally got a call back. The guy seemed a little sketchy, like several junkies I knew at the time, so I was to say the least, a little apprehensive about the idea of “studying” with Freddie. But he had come highly recommended by a friend I really respected so I went ahead and set it up. Plus he was a friend of Buddy’s and I was a Buddy Rich freak at the time. Freddie gives me directions to his house in Reseda and the time is set so it’s all good.

I get there for a I don’t remember exactly, say 1:30PM lesson. I walk nervously to the front door and knock. Nothing…… I knock again…… still nothing. I go back to the car and check the directions Freddie had given me and saw that I was at the right place. I’m starting to get a little antsy and a little pissed. I had just driven from Newport Beach to Reseda, to some guys house, not a music store, and was going to pay a kings ransom for this 30 minute lesson of $45.00. Yeah, at the time it was a lot of money. And I’m thinkin’ I got stood up.

I go back to the front door and knock and ring the bell.... nothing. I look in the jungle of a back yard to see if maybe he’s out back doing yard work…. ya right, Freddie doing yard work. Hey I didn’t know…. Nobody there.

Finally after a couple more desperation knocks the door opens. There’s the little skinny guy, (I was 6’2” 175 lbs) about 40 to 45 years old standing there in his bathrobe, and an unlit smoke sticking out of his mouth asking me what the f**k did I want . (Not in a mean way.) You gotta know Freddie.

I explain who I am and he invites me in. He says he going to get f**k’n dressed and would be back out. Then, as he goes to the bedroom, (tiny little house, those of you who’ve been there know what I’m talkn’ ‘bout) he’s still talking to me. I’m a little bit nervous and wondering if he’s expecting me to follow him or something (I was not going to do that) so I camped out in the little hall way. Looking into the front bedroom there’s this mongrel set with some pads on it and what not.

He’s telling me some story about someone in NYC and blah blah blah, I’m thinking I’m paying a boat load of money for this??? My half hour is pretty much up.

Freddie comes into the bathroom into the hall as I remember, and starts brushing his teeth and talking to me in his Brooklyn accent through the tooth brush and tooth paste. I’m really having a WTF moment. I’m thinking: “every heavy cat in LA is studying with this guy and I’m getting scammed or set up or something”. Or he’s just waiting for his connection!?

Freddie has me follow him into the kitchen, I’m looking at my watch, and he turns around as asks me if I want some eggs. I’m telling you, Freddie starts making breakfast!

At this point if just figure, WTH, I’ll just go with it and see where it ends up. About this time the next student comes in. He says he has just started taking lessons from Freddie and introduces himself to me. He says: “Hey, I’m Don Ellis”.

Well, this story goes on for about another hour and a half. Some days I would spend 6 or 7 hours at Freddie’s. But you get the flavor of the event. The lesson when we finally got to it was even funnier.

I’m not trying to make this post about me, but I want you to see what a “free spirit” Freddie was and the impressions that a young, intimated kid had the first time meeting and having a lesson with him. I’ve had Freddie stay with me for a week at a time and have some great pictures and even a video of Freddie doing a “Masters Class”. But you really had to have a one on one time with Freddie to really get what he was doing. Not that the master class isn’t brilliant, absolute genius, it is.
Freddie literally wrote a book for each student. Freddie, love you man.