January 1977 - Modern Drummer - Buddy Rich

When Duffy Jackson was 4, he start- ed playing on stage. When he was 6, he appeared on major network T. V. with the late Gene Krupa. By the age of 9, he had already played with hundreds of famous musicians that his father, bass player. Chubby Jackson had worked with. By the age of 20, he had appeared with Lena Home and Sammy Davis, Jr., and had credits for major T.V. shows such as "The Mike Douglas Show", "The Dinah Shore Show", and "Sammy and Company"

Great musicians have commented on Duffy's fantastic playing; Stan Kenton said, "Duffy will be our next big band leader; Duke Ellington said, "Duffy plays great!"; Count Basie said, "Duffy is as heavy as they come".

Duffy Jackson is a fantastic music- ian and a wonderful man, and even though he is only 23 years old, he has experienced 1,000 musical years al- ready.

GABE: How did you get started playing drums?

DUFFY: When I was 4, Don Lamond would come over to our house a lot. He was working with my father at the time. I would keep time to the records, so Don talked my father into buying me a set of drums. Don taught me some basic beats and I've been playing ever since.

The first 5 years that I was playing, dad would let me sit in with the bands he was working with. I must have play- ed with some of the best musicians that ever lived. What a fantastic exper- ience! Playing with my father taught me a lot. Dad is from the "King Kong" school of bass playing. We started a beautiful musical relationship that still exists today. We love each other dearly. GABE: What kind of formal training did you have?

DUFFY: I never had what you would call formal training. I learned from all the wonderful people that my father knew, like Roy Burns and Don Lamond. I even had a lesson on television with Gene Krupa when I was 6. I taught myself to read music and I learned what we call rudiments, by sound. I learned by listening to sax players, bass players - everyone. Dizzy and Bird are very rhythmic players; I learned solo playing from analyzing their solos. I really never wanted to learn to play the way every- one else learned. My reading was helped by having been blessed with a good memory I can remember an arrange- ment pretty fast. I must say that play- ing with a lot of great musicians were experiences that inspired me to be dedi- cated.

MODERN DRUMMER

My dad taught me the most import- ant lesson of playing. He taught me how to be compatible musically with other musicians. A drummer can develop all the technique in the world, but if he can't be compatible musically, he can't make it. I'd rather be able to swing a band than to have fast chops. GABE: But you do have fast chops. DUFFY: Not as fast as Louie Bellson or Buddy Rich. Speaking of Buddy, I sat in with his band the other night. He asked me to play the first tune of the second show, "The Rotten Kid". It was an honor to be asked by Buddy and it's a thrill sitting in the driver's seat of Buddy's band.

You know, Buddy is a ferocious player, but he is also one of the most sensitive brush players that I ever heard. He never gets credit for being a brush player, but he is. Buddy is one of my favorite brush players. GABE: Speaking of favorites, who are some of your favorite drummers? DUFFY: My dad is my favorite you I can say that I learned drums from a bass player. Another favorite is tap dancer, Steve Condos. Steve is the greatest tap dancer in the world. When I was 6 years old, he and I would play fours on the stage during Woody Her- man concerts. Steve taught me rhythms and accents, just by listening to him.

As for drummers, I was influenced by every great drummer that ever re- corded. I consider drummers to be a religion in themselves, that have been put on this earth to create rhythms and make people happy. I feel sorry for people that can't take out their frustra- tions by playing an instrument. That's why I'm dedicated to entertaining

JANUARY 1977 people with music. I put everything in my soul into playing. I guess I'm trying to say that I want people to know that I am a young musician who wants to be a gentleman that can swing. I want people to feel good. I'm trying to emu- late the beautiful disposition of a Louie Bellson.

GABE: Is Louie Bellson the drummer you want to emulate the most? DUFFY: Yes, not only musically, but spiritually. Louie Bellson is loved all over the world. He communicates a message of love through his music. I don't think anyone has anything bad to say about Louie. He takes the time to really talk to you and he has compas- sion for what you're going through in your life. Louie also has unlimited ener- gy. He is the only drummer I know who becomes more relaxed the faster he plays. He's thirty years older than I am, but he has much more endurance and unlimited energy.

I first met Louie when I was eight years old. We did a drum clinic to- gether, along with Jim Chapin and my father. I didn't see Louie for 10 years after that. We talked on the phone a couple of times, but it was actually 10. years later that I met him at NBC in Burbank. He got me backstage where I watched him play the "Johnny Carson Show".

Louie got me the job with Lena Home when I was 18 on just his rec- ommendation alone, without Lena Home ever hearing me, and he got me the job with Sammy Davis, Jr. He even gave me his personal drum set to play the show with, because I had a beat up set. Louie got me the job by getting George Rhodes to come and hear me at the "Baked Potato" in L. A. My audition was at a benefit that Sammy was doing and I had to play five of his toughest arrangements. To make the audition even more interest- ing. Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope were backstage digging the show. George Rhodes put a $100 bill in my hand and said, "Go out there and burn". I was in seventh heaven. George called me a couple of days later and offered me the job. I spent two years with Sammy and George. I gained an unbelievable a- mount of experience and knowledge within those two years.

GABE: Are there other drummers that have had strong influences on you? DUFFY: Alan Dawson really impressed me. He's a very musical drummer. Three years ago, I was invited up to Dick Gibson's Jazz Party in Colorado (continued on page 16)