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What's funny about the Cissy Strut cover is Gadd was accused of stealing a lot of his linear concepts from Zig. I guess it's possible, but Zig's linear applications weren't wholesale, they were just a few licks here and there. Rick Marotta swears Gadd stole the idea from him while they were roomates in NY. LOL Gotta love RM.

This thread has become lame unless it can expose a generation to thinking and feeling outside of their comfort zone. Drumming is no different than any other genre...greatness will always be debated, but greatness will always last. Drumming in its purist sense must always be defined in the context of a musical performance. Thus, Gadd is and will and must always be considered great. Watching the BRII is fun, but it is not a great example of what drumming truly is. Imo, drumming must be evaluated in the context of a musical performance. There are some drummers, Bobby Colomby comes to mind for some reason, that had some great performances with BS&Tears. Looking at Gadd's resume, is there any other drummer that had as many great performances with so many artists covering so many styles of music? Just askin' Vinnie might be the only other.

Time, groove, feel will always trump chops and speed. Get over it!

"Looking at Gadd's resume, is there any other drummer that had as many great performances with so many artists covering so many styles of music?"

Danny Carey?

langmick wrote:"Looking at Gadd's resume, is there any other drummer that had as many great performances with so many artists covering so many styles of music?"

Danny Carey?

I didn't know Danny Carey's real name was Vinnie!

Gaddabout wrote:Gadd's playing on BRMC came from a soulful, highly-evolved place that I think Vinnie and Weckl have only recently begun to discover it.

It's anyone would bring up Gary Chester in this thread. Because every time I read about Chester's challenges to free up the limbs I think, Gadd was already there in the 70s while Chester was getting around to put the ideas on paper. That was part of the wonder of Gadd, part of what made him so nuanced and subtle and unique. His feet were always dancing and he never had to think about placement. He just did what he heard. He never had limitations like I think most drummers do.

Not everyone "gets" Gadd. I don't have a problem with that. My only beef is a lot of those people haven't even heard Gadd's best works. If you think '50 Ways' and 'Aja' and BRMC are his high points, you don't know the fullness Gadd. Not even close. That's watered-down Gadd for the masses. It's like saying 'Seven Days' was Vinnie's best moment.

Gaddabout, would love to get some recommendations as I am quite ignorant when it comes to Steve Gadd. I've got Chick Corea's Three quartets and the Leprechaun, AJA and Steps "Smokin' in the Pit". I also have Ricki Lee Jones' self-titled and I know that I should check out "Friends" by Chick Corea. There anything else?

S.P wrote: There anything else?

These two records feature Gadd & Anthony Jackson, with a bit of Lenny White and Jan Hammer thrown in. I lost my mind when these came out, and they still sound killer today.

S.P wrote:

Gaddabout wrote:Gaddabout, would love to get some recommendations as I am quite ignorant when it comes to Steve Gadd. I've got Chick Corea's Three quartets and the Leprechaun, AJA and Steps "Smokin' in the Pit". I also have Ricki Lee Jones' self-titled and I know that I should check out "Friends" by Chick Corea. There anything else?

Three Quartets, Leprechaun, Friends, and Smokin in the Pit are top notch. If you haven't heard My Spanish Heart, I'd get that one, too. I do like the di Meola stuff. Bob James 'One' is a must-have Gadd classic, IMO. David Sanborn's 'Taking Off' is nice. The Brecker Brothers' stuff = fusion standards. Stanley Clarke's School Days has some memorable moments. Ben Sidran's Cat in the Hat has some fun moments.

Gadd had a Japanese release in the mid-80s called 'Gaddabout Steve Gadd,' which is from where my name is derived. It's basically the old Stuff band that would become the "Gadd Gang." I liked it because it was less produced, and more like their live shows.

The Tom Scott stuff is a bit over-produced, especially for the 70s, but it still has some classic Gadd. New York Connection is a good one. The Best of Tom Scott has a decent collection of Scott's 70s work.

A lot of Gadd fans like his work with Deodato, but that's just instrumental disco, IMO. I avoid it.

For a single pop track, Kenny Loggins' 'I've Got the Melody' has that cool Garibaldi-like bridge that still puts a smile on my face.

Dimeola has to be the master of the pedobeard and glasses! lol

gretsch-o-rama wrote:Dimeola has to be the master of the pedobeard and glasses! lol

That's right. Hey Josiah(Gamdem or whatever) Come back dude! You make my day with your introspective opinions.

Jim Richman wrote:

gretsch-o-rama wrote:Dimeola has to be the master of the pedobeard and glasses! lol

That's right. Hey Josiah(Gamdem or whatever) Come back dude! You make my day with your introspective opinions.

He's got a nice comb-over too!