1. Mexicali Nose
2. Birdland
3. Milestones
4. Just Friends
5. CTA
6. God Bless the Child
7. Moment's Notice
8. I Hear a Rhapsody
9. Three Day Suckers
10. Parthenia
11. Keep the Customer Satisfied
Alan Gauvin – Alto sax, soprano sax, flute
Bill Blount or Frank Basile – Alto sax
Steve Marcus –Tenor sax, soprano sax
Bob Mintzer – Tenor sax, flute
Turk Mauro – Baritone sax
Rick Stepton, Dale Kirkland, David Boyle – Trombones
Dave Stahl, Dean Pratt, Ross Konikoff, Jon Marshal or Waymon Reed – Trumpets
Barry Keiner – Piano
Tom Warrington or Jon Burr – Bass
Buddy Rich – Drums, leader
Tracks 1, 7, 10, 11
Chuck Wilson replaces Bill Blount
John Mosca or Clint Charmin replaces Rick Stepton or Dale Kirkland
Chuck Schmidt replaces Dave Stahl
Ed Eby replaces David Boyle
Bob Kaye replaces Barry Keiner on track 10
Jim Pritchard replaces Turk Mauro
Gary Pribek replaces Bob Mintzer on tracks 1, 10, 11
Dave Kennedy replaces Ross Konikoff or Jon Marshall
Why do most drummers idolise Buddy Rich? It’s not for his sweet patience, as he could be a difficult and short-tempered leader. But his occasional
outbursts were in all likelihood designed mainly to keep the band at a high level of brilliance, leading its performances to be noted for their “precision
and ferocity” (an apt phrase used in the sleeve-notes). The sleeve-notes omit the dates when these recordings were made, although we can assume it was in
the late seventies, but they depict the band as one of Buddy’s finest ever.
His groups have always been remarkable for their tightness. Playing fine arrangements by the likes of Bill Holman and even Mike Gibbs, their impact is
extraordinary. The engine driving the ensemble (and I do mean “driving”) was Buddy Rich himself, whose intense drum breaks seemed to have become even more
masterly and punctilious over the years. Alan Gauvin, a sax player with the Buddy Rich Band from 1976 to 1980, recorded its performances without intending
the results to go the market. Engineer Tom Swift prepared the recordings for release on this disc – and possibly some more CDs in the future.
Buddy was still basically an “old school” drummer: playing four-in-a-bar on his high bass drum. But he could also manage jazz-fusion rhythms as in the
title-track, which is a powerful reading of Joe Zawinul’s jazz standard, adding a little extra bite to Weather Report’s version. Steve Marcus’s soprano sax
solo is a miracle of whirling notes and upward runs. Buddy Rich is mentioned in a recent film called Whiplash about a drummer determined to
practise until he gets as good as he can. Buddy’s drum interjections are like whiplashes.
Buddy doesn’t take all the limelight in his band. Milestones gives solos to five band members, with particularly impressive contributions from
trumpeter Ross Konikoff and pianist Barry Keiner. Keiner also introduces Just Friends and continues to solo later in the track, with a clean touch
and rhythmically relaxed delivery. Buddy swaps fours with the pianist, as impressive using brushes as he is with sticks.
God Bless the Child
is an arrangement full of drama: a feature for baritone saxist Turk Mauro supplying an eloquent interpretation and extemporisation. John Coltrane’s Moment’s Notice is given an old-style big-band arrangement, with forceful solos from tenor saxists Bob Mintzer and Steve Marcus.
I Hear a Rhapsody
repeats the format of Just Friends, with solos from Barry Keiner, bassist Tom Warrington, and Buddy Rich – again using brushes. These features
with brushes are the only drum solos that Rich performs throughout the album. It is a pity that it doesn’t include any of his grandstanding solos – with
sticks. But generally this is a satisfying, well-recorded slice of the Buddy Rich band at its dynamic peak.
Why did most drummers idolise Buddy Rich? Because he was one of the best drummers ever. Gene Krupa may have learned more ingeniously how to appeal to the
gallery; Tony Williams may have had a more fluid technique from a younger age; Billy Cobham may have played more brilliant runs (in his jazz-fusion days);
and others may have had their particular skills. But Buddy Rich – as he shows on this album – was very special.
Tony Augarde
www.augardebooks.co.uk
CD Reviews
Lightyear/Lobitos Creek Ranch 
