Most skilled drummer?

Yes, he is quite amazing. However my favorite of the skilled group is undoubtedly Steve Gadd. That man has held some of the most magnificent grooves i've ever heard. I can't think of anything that compares to "The Mozambique" and its many variations. He's just got great feel and instinct on the set and is pretty damn precise and such.

Not  in this list, but Rodney Holmes, Dave Weckl, Carter Beauford, David Garibaldi, Nick D'Virgilo, the 3 flower kings drummers, Steve Gadd, Steve Smith, and STEWART COPELAND (my fav) are very good.

Runaway wrote: Not  in this list, but Rodney Holmes, Dave Weckl, Carter Beauford, David Garibaldi, Nick D'Virgilo, the 3 flower kings drummers, Steve Gadd, Steve Smith, and STEWART COPELAND (my fav) are very good.

Yup, great names. How about Chad Wackerman, I love his playing. I'm still surprised no one's talking about Marco Minnemann, have you heard this guy?

Portnoy

floydaholic wrote: How the f**k has no one voted for Colaitua? He is the most skilled on this list. Do you people have ears? Or do you just know nothing about drumming?

yeah- he's the best and Donati

Brufford I think, since he can drum so creatively in so many styles of music.

akiko wrote: Along the same vein, Thomas Lang and Akira Jimbo are both MASTERS of 4 way independence.  I watched an Akira Jimbo clinic at thean old MARS Music in Baltimore a few years back, and Dennis Chambers was on the side of the stage just shaking his head in disbelief.  Thomas Lang had a demo video for Sonor drums, and I swear in 24 years of drumming I've never seen anything like it.  And I've seen all the drummers mentioned on this forum live, except for Ringo...

I have a Modern Drummer Festival DVD with Akira Jimbo and I love what he does on there. His independance is amazing, but so is his programming and use of triggering. His performance is one of my favorites on that DVD. I've never heard Thomas Lang, does he have recordings beyond the demo video you mentioned?

Whoever mentioned Chad Wackerman earlier:

I gotta say, I just listened to "Tink Walks Amok" off of Man from Utopia; I've never really paid much attention to Wackerman before, but he pulls off that 11/16 section in the beginning like it's nothing. I gotta give him props.

Colaiuta... I haven't heard much of that era of Zappa, but I've heard him with Sting, and I actually have one of his solo albums. I agree he's a very skilled drummer, but I find that solo album to be fairly dull.

I should also mention Mike Mangini. He used to have a rehearsal space next to ours, and listening to him shed used to make my drummer want to leap out of a window!


Edited by Empathy

Empathy wrote: Whoever mentioned Chad Wackerman earlier: I gotta say, I just listened to "Tink Walks Amok" off of Man from Utopia; I've never really paid much attention to Wackerman before, but he pulls off that 11/16 section in the beginning like it's nothing. I gotta give him props.

I have a transcription of "Tink" and worked it up and played it along with the recording. It's tuff. I only had the drum part written, so I don't know for sure, but I swear in one or two spots theres some kind of wacky polyrhythm going on between Scott Thunes bass line and the drum part.

You should listen to Chad Wackerman's work with Allan Holdsworth.

Edited by Someo Therguy

chopper wrote: Ringo Starr. Aaaagh. Cough.

Believe it or not, I've got two friends Beatle-obsessed friends who remain convinced that Ringo is a better drummer than Neil Peart.  I mean, C'MON!!!  It's Neil-Frickin'-Peart!  I even showed them the entirety of "O Baterista."  Oh no, they said... he just sounds good 'cause he's got a lot of drums...  So I showed them the bit in the documentary where Neil is warming up on a teeny-little 5-piece practice set.  Uh, they said, no.  Ringo is way better.  *sigh*  There's just no arguing with some people...

As if I need to clarify, I voted for Peart...