Buddy Rich - The Wailing Buddy Rich (1989 Japanese Verve Vinyl LP Mono)

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Buddy Rich - The Wailing Buddy Rich Vinyl LP - Japanese Verve/Norgran Mono Compilation

A showcase for one of the most technically dazzling and explosive drummers in jazz history, The Wailing Buddy Rich presents Buddy Rich leading two different small group sessions recorded in 1955. Released in Japan in December 1989 as a mono compilation on Verve/Norgran through Polydor K.K., this album captures Rich at age 38, already a veteran of big band swing with Tommy Dorsey and Artie Shaw, now fully engaged with the bebop revolution and demonstrating that his phenomenal technique could serve modern jazz as powerfully as it had swing.

The album draws from two sessions three months apart. The first, recorded on 16 May 1955, features an exceptional sextet with Oscar Peterson on piano, tenor saxophonists Ben Webster and Frank Wess, trumpeters Joe Newman and Thad Jones, bassist John Simmons, and Rich on drums. "The Monster" and "Sunday" showcase this group's ability to swing hard while navigating bebop-influenced arrangements. Peterson's presence guarantees virtuosity and swing, while Webster's warm, breathy tenor provides a link to the swing era that Rich himself embodied.

The second session, from 26 August 1955, presents a different configuration with pianist Jimmy Rowles replacing Peterson, alto saxophonist Sonny Criss joining, and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison replacing Newman and Jones. Criss was one of the finest Charlie Parker-influenced alto players, and his inclusion points toward the bebop aesthetic. Edison, a Count Basie Orchestra veteran, brings swing era elegance and economy to his solos. Freddie Greene, Basie's legendary rhythm guitarist, appears on several tracks, his four-to-the-bar comping a masterclass in timekeeping and harmonic support.

Throughout all six tracks, Rich's drumming commands attention without overwhelming the music. His technical facility was extraordinary - speed, power, precision, and independence all deployed in service of swing and musical excitement. Rich could play impossibly fast single-stroke rolls, execute complex patterns between bass drum, snare, and cymbals simultaneously, and maintain relentless drive, yet he also knew when to lay back and support the soloists. His trading of fours and eights with horn players reveals his melodic thinking and his understanding of the drummer's role in musical conversation.

"Sonny And Sweets" features Criss and Edison in dialogue, while "Smooth One" lives up to its title with a more relaxed groove. "Broadway" swings hard through the standard, and "The Two Mothers" closes the album with Rich demonstrating why he was considered the most technically accomplished drummer of his generation. This Japanese mono pressing preserves the punch and immediacy of the original 1955 recordings.