Buddy Rich Centennial Jazz at Lincoln Center - New York City Article

Rose Theater (Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center)

Broadway at 60th Street, 5th Floor, (212) 721 6500

Friday, April 7, & Saturday, April 8

Multiple generations of Americans remember drummer and bandleader Buddy Rich (1917-1987) for his regular appearances on the old “Tonight Show”; host Johnny Carson loved him not only for his remarkable musicianship but for his biting, acerbic personality – whatever Buddy was, he was never boring. Some say Rich was the greatest drummer ever – and he himself would have gone along with that, or at least professed to. But no one disputes that he was a role model for nearly all the superstar percussionists that came in his wake, including not only the great modern jazz drummer-bandleaders like Max Roach and Art Blakey, but entire schools of rock and Latin players. In honor of his centennial, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s own rhythm king, Ali Jackson, will lead the orchestra through a guided tour of the remarkable career of Buddy Rich, from his beginnings in Dixieland and swing up through his epic collaborations with modern jazz giants like Charlie Parker and even his rock and fusion-fueled big band creations of the 1970s and ‘80s. Mr. Jackson will also premiere an original work inspired by Rich (and his fellow jazz percussion greats) titled, “Living Grooves: A World of Jazz Rhythm.” Even considering that he sat down while he played, Buddy Rich was an artist who never stood still.

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