Ulysses Owens, Jr. shows you how to keep time on the snare using a technique from one of the great innovators of jazz drums: Baby Dodds.
Video Transcript
This is Ulysses Owens, Jr. with Two Minute Jazz. We’re going to talk about a guy by the name of Warren “Baby” Dodds. Baby Dodds was one of the first great jazz drummers that really started out jazz swing drums. But, because the sound of the drums and jazz drums had not evolved yet with the ride cymbal, he created playing time and keeping time with this cool pattern, that comes out of the New Orleans rhythm on the snare drum.
The cool thing is he’s taking a quarter note, a buzz roll, and he’s making that groove, alright?
Also, he had wood blocks. He had some other auxiliary percussion as a part of his drum kit, and he would make it sound like this.
Then, you get to the swing drum era and with that era you start playing on the hi-hat.
But none of that would be possible if not for Baby Dodds introducing this.
Check out Baby Dodds ’cause it all began with him.
