all that is good about music

Joey Baron is a drummer who grew up in Richmond, VA in 1955, went to Berklee College of music yadda yadda yadda. He lived in LA for the seventies into the 1980s, and played with a lot of very commercial jazz folk like Al Jarreau. He moved to New York in the 1980's, and over a few years one of the most imitated, influential jazz musicians of an era. Personally, I think he's had as much to do with the progress of the rhythm section as Jaco Pastorious and Scott LaFaro had on earlier eras.

But that's not why I love Joey Baron. First of all, he became the first post-bop musician to give me the same uplifting swinging feeling I get from Count Basie. His playing in the 80s/90s Bill Frisell Band(s) did for me what Mitch Mitchell in the Hendrix band did in the 60s -- it redrew the map, elevated the game, and made the adventure fun all over again. Not only was Frisell the voice of guitar we'd all been hoping for, but Joey was every bit as revolutionary in his approach to drums. Not because he could play faster or trickier stuff. If that had been the case, Dave Weckl would have won the battle by 1985.

No, Joey brought the joy back to the instrument. He took jazz drums away from the mandatory ride cymbal. He gave it a freakish unpredictability coupled with a groove so hard that he imbued the cerebral Frisell with a lift that would have elevated Booker T and the MG's, whose drummer, Al Jackson, is one of Joey's great inspirations.

Also, he's a great guy to go to when you feel like your musical hopes are being dashed on the rocks of bad gigs, sad gigs, and/or no gigs at all. He's given me a few key words about how things go wrong, local musician politics suck, that it's hard, and music is still worth it.

(When I moved to Los Angeles, he told me to start going to see Jack Sheldon as often as possible, which was the best advice I ever got about music here in town.)

Other things he told me worth knowing: To use everything you've ever learned, trust your taste, and don't be afraid to carve your own approach along the road of music. Play for the love of music, and you'll always find things to love about what you're playing, no matter what you're playing. Don't worry about the politics of whatever local scene is going on around you, just work on your playing and your concept. You'll be fine.

This clip points right at the joy, invention, genius, and love that it Joey Baron. If you've heard him before, this is prime Joey.

If you've never before encountered this amazing man and his wonderful music, you're welcome.