Welcome to My Blog-Big Sid Catlett

Hey everyone welcome to my new blog. I have an idea that I want to share with you. As I travel across the country with Truth and Salvage Co I am going to start blogging about some of my favorite drummers who have influenced me over the years. This is kind of a Test to see how it goes. I hope you enjoy.

Big Sid Catlett played in many groups from Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie to Louis Armstrong. Louis considered Sid, "The best drummer he has ever played with."

Many consider Sid's technique to be the catalyst to make the switch from small traditional style swing, dixieland to early Bop. His syncopation between the bass drum and snare was the reason why.

The reason I chose this particular excerpt with The John Kirby Sextet in 1947 is because it shows just that. He also portrays the off-beat accents of his brush playing in a call and response effort to the band's comp patterns... And he is just as smooth and cool as anything I have ever seen as he does it. Man what style.

I will be hitting the road Fri starting in Berkley, CA and ending in Wellston, OH(my home town).

On this journey I will highlight famous musicians from the particular region that I will be visiting and blogging about them and my experiences there .

Please stay tuned.



From Wiki--

Sidney Catlett (January 17, 1910 – March 25, 1951), was a swinging jazz drummer often referred to as "Big Sid Catlett" because of his large frame.

Catlett was born in Evansville, Indiana, and started at piano, but switched to drums and entered formal study when his family moved to Chicago. His career began in Chicago in 1928 with Darnell Howard. In adulthood he moved to New York City and worked with Benny Carter, Fletcher Henderson, Elmer Snowden, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Ben Webster, and others. In 1941 he joined Benny Goodman's band and after that joined Teddy Wilson's Sextet. In 1944 he did an album with pianist Harry Gibson. He also had his own band and played for Louis Armstrong's All Stars from 1947 to 1949 and became his drummer of choice. He played bop, dixieland, and other styles.

In early 1951 he began to suffer from pneumonia. In that same year he died of a heart-attack while visiting friends backstage at an Hot Lips Page benefit concert in Chicago, Illinois. In 1996 he was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.