Steve Gadd - Take the A train

[alentris]

No love for Anthony Jackson :(

[nicotw2000]

7 people missed the train apparently ...

[markmarktarmann]

i see where jacky terrasson got a lot of his inspiration. his blackbird version intro is almost identical. also the chop heavy but always tasteful aggressive style. with minimalist stuff thrown in(the one note things) . increable.

[AZappaFan]

Michel's left hand ostinato is absolutely incredible. It doesn't waver once! Man, I wish I'd seen him when he was alive.

[markmarktarmann]

@AZappaFan had a chance to see him in san jose at smith dobson's gig in the mafiosi casino joint (yes, in calif.)

didn't know who he was.. tickets cost maybe ten bucks. didnt go. shit. and if i ever think i had an excuse for not practicing, or ANYTHING else for that matter, i only need to look at this guy doing what he's doing. what courage!.

[87Kefka]

I like it a hell of a lot better than the old fashion corny version. Right on man

[Vandal18]

@87Kefka

Which corny version are you talking about?

[cigarzan]

Sorry, I meant to say, "HOLY FUCK!"



[cigarzan]

Absolutely the most inspiring thing I've seen in a long. long time!

[mattbayne2003]

Wow,Gadd really makes it sound like a train!

[novadrian]

Good Gadd!! My Gadd!!

[novadrian]

Prefer this version - without horns - and sticks instead of brushes. A moment of magic.

[michealmillerfirefac]

The piano touches my soul - it's as if my body is dancing and I am not moving. I am dancing so fast and free...Lovely.

[cbfeeling]

Even though Gadd's famous for being a groove player, I love his straight ahead playing.

[smoukondeuoter]

Can anyone imagine to dance on a standard?! For sure if Mr. Gadd is laying down some of his precious drum stuff!!!!

[rubyrod1970]

They do.

[musiczeal]

7 people are extremely deaf.

[mammers11]

Holy smoke. This is great!

[wilky1189]

say what you want to me, michel looks like the penguin to me.

[hommefriday]

@wilky1189 Trying seeing through your soul!

[pzwumk20]

why is this this video titled "Steve Gadd - take the a train"? is it the Steve Gadd Trio? If it is because of his solo, the video should have been tittled "Steve Gadd Solo- Take the A train"

[samm1809]

@pzwumk20 it's actually michel petrucciani. you have a point- drummers don't do their own tours XD

[rubyrod1970]

They do.

[samm1809]

@rubyrod1970 very very rarely. and if they do, it's usually just really corny music to show off the drummer like dave weckl's band. clinics are another story.

[wtfomfgrofl]

@samm1809 I was at this action- AghaRTA Prague Jazz Festival: Steve Gadd & Friends, and this year I am going to visit JACK DEJOHNETTE GROUP at Agharta prague festival...

[kook1028]

wheeeeeew! dayum!

[alvera106]

Antony Jackson is the man !!!!

[ktmcub]

WooW

[Collagenre]

Holy crap, why haven't I heard this before?

[emny88]

Awsome! Love this arrangement..

[brianjennster]

Wow.

[Insomnicia]

Dem drums.

[Austinagent1]

when?

[Uahrgl]

OMFG its so good...i think i´m gonna cry tears of joy!

[junrhee]

Steve is da Man as always!

[SaltyPenguinAHT]

I love how Steve always has a cowbell groove in the intense part of his solos!

[Asymmatrix]

Insanely good.

[Freed404]

Brilliant!!!!!!!!

[Cheddar825]

What a feat! I love the way that dear Michel Petrucciani closes the lid of the piano so gently and in time with the music that had just finished - a wonderful contrast and comment after such a ride, eh?!!

[Nekronaut321]

yeah. I love his tone. its mighty. and somehow feels so organic. im so sick of that BIIIIIG CRIIIISPY FAAAAAT bass sound so many is copying for the electric bass.( people copying marcus and victor)

[SrBridges]

LOL. I love the "dirty-rocker" sound on Anthony's bass playing.

A "rythmical interesting-low registered" interpretation of a "classy jazz standard". Thanks! ;D

[Nekronaut321]

well said. anthony is a class for himself. you cant doubt his skill but you can dislike his style.

[Geoffroybackbeat]

This is god seperated in three...

[shizohal]

Jezus.

[neptunefischer]

WOW! where can I find this stuff on CD?? SOOO HOT!

[fukhole]

porn for my ears! luv gadd, i saw him live a few years ago, he came and performed at a colledge not far from my house . It was beautiful! so simple yet so powerful, long live gadd!

[MrAxSAP]

@fukhole Haha... He was like porn when he came to the college ^^

Sorry for the comment

[Antiks72]

The absolutely rock this song.

[JazzFreak314]

this isnt an ellington composition its Billy Strayhorn

[pullom19]

Stop bickering and just dig it

[worthmoremusic]

Ellington is such a wonderful composer...

[Apoktite]

i like how it sounds a bit eerie then.. fun. but the dark and mysterious sound is really neat.

[bluesmax]

state of the art!

[Jamminn555]

Different, mysterious, absolutely fantastic.

[samm1809]

I CAN'T STOP WATCHING THIS!!!!! is gadd's wife a muso?

[labamus08]

Ted ni Bahista? como estas Compañeros!:)hehehe.Romeo ni.

[samm1809]

to me, gadd is second only to richard dawkins in getting the message across in his own way.

[samm1809]

did i just hear you say this might be better without gadd? i question your sanity.

[ptonelson]

Grande Michel, avevi una mano sinistra micidiale. Riposa in pace

[80aless]

what is the ostinato pattern he plays on C? C G C ..bB .. bE E C ??

[nickyschopsnickyscho]

WOW AMAZING! Stunning!

[ciosti82]

UN SOGNO ! ! !

[oymakas]

Rest in peace little big guy.

[ajboojay]

@oymakas What do you mean by rest in peace? Who died?

[oymakas]

@ajboojay Michel Petrucciani, the pianist, died in 1999.

[samm1809]

@ajboojay bahahaah!

[thath09]

not huge on the bridge, but the A sections are killing. although, it makes for nice contrast.

wish the cinematographer would ease off of the close-ups a bit.

[MontgomerylandFunk]

great group!

[xTjPx]

Viva Petrucciani!

Viva Italia!

Bravo!!

[bermude8]

la Grande Classe mondiale!musiciens d'exception !!!!!!!!

[rtniels]

musical perfection!

[arcanewizard3899]

AJ is killing it! He's really proficient with his contrabass!!

[smoukondeuoter]

Awsome! Nice concotion of three genius...gadd alway insipried and inspiring for every drummer, beginner or professional...

[runescapedude110]

great pianoist

[amanyttap]

anybody knows the snaredrum head steve uses ?

a really cool interpretation of the A-train... HUH

[themaliced]

an aquarian of some kind, can't tell the type though sorry

[amanyttap]

thanks mate..i will check it out..

[MovingToMontana]

I thought he had a Tama sponsorship back then?

[samm1809]

no. gadd only ever had yamaha sponsorship. before then he played a makeshift grestch/pearl kit. never tama.

[TorgeirFausken]

gadd should have been sponsored by DW from the moment he started playing the drums..!!

[luisdediegopardo]

yamaha

[thelollerchef]

its the stock head on the steve gadd signature snare. its a yamaha head, buts actually made by remo.

[amanyttap]

thanks mate..i love the tuning of his snare; first I thought it was an aquarian-head

[spiritbearNY]

Without Tee, this is a completely different song! It's quite wonderful, but i miss Tee on piano.

[tedsta]

Crazy good!

[Kramer1985]

excepcional

[craze231]

gahh he has such stick control and finesse even the simplest of rhythms sound amazing when he plays them.

[VanHoorelbeke]

Michel was also a damn fine percussionist.

[craze231]

Wow, I didn't even know he played percussion

[craze231]

Unless you're talking about the piano maybe...?

[VanHoorelbeke]

Yes and with his condition he risked breaking his wrist everytime he played piano--A genius and a miracle sadly missed by the jazz world.

[ultrakool]

gotta love the midget! steve's a beast

[SlickSticks989]

i dont like all the bassness that goes on, but theyre all still great

[turbolawnmower]

Amen. This is what Jazz is about.

[CARBAU57]

Por esto, Steve Gadd siempre ha sido mi beterista favorito

[bobMcFreddyKrugerson]

this goes to show how you can be an amazing drummer with such a simple drum setup

[craze231]

yup. It's all about the technique.

[theblake002]

This...definitely does not do it for me...especially Steve Gadd. I just don't like his style. Overall excellent playing, but not my cup o' tea.

[dorotwhy]

Something about this video, this combination of musicians, has captivated me. I am very fortunate to have stumbled upon this clip. It is a pleasure to watch, to listen, to feel. I saved it into my favorites because it's a keeper. :O) thanks for posting.

[stefanakias]

greatest snare ever (L) :D

[dorotwhy]

It works for me!

[barnacle77]

Everyone's ripping on the bassist. The production is not his problem. He's an excellent player! THese are serious players,

[domenicodd]

For me, it's the communication/connection between these 3 cats. Listen to the groove; if you ain't communicatin', it ain't happenin'...... Everyone has their opinion about a cat's gear; that's a given. But listen to the MUSIC these gentlemen are performing; that says it all.

[dorotwhy]

Yes there is a unity, a connection here. mmmHmmmm like a ball of light. SWEET and WARM and comfortable.

[SlyHobbit]

No doubt. I do agree that its a bad bass sound for this style of music. Its more a sound fitted for hard rock, i.e. close to Doug Pinnick's sound. Other than that, this is an amazing clip.

[riverlink]

hey guys, this is jazz right, but what category of jazz? i love it!

[GBJPhotoWorks]

I'm not certain one could further categorize this piece. It is pretty much a straight trio-jazz interpretation of a jazz classic.

[ptonelson]

Grande Michel. Potevi almeno menzionarlo nel titolo del video visto che si è sacrificato sostenendo ritmicamente per tutto il brano Steve

[biodrummer]

Infatti, sembra che un ostinato di piano supporti continuamente un assolo di batteria, una sorta di latin-funk come solo steve sa fare, ma anche di basso, mitico Anthony Jackson, che dire...sono tre geni, ma credo che l'ideatore sia proprio Petrucciani. God bless you cmq a chi l'ha postato, un atto di generosità direi...

[ptonelson]

biodrummer, dal nick sei un batterista, io sono percussionista, guarda caso ci siamo trovati d'accordo subito...

[biodrummer]

Si sono batterista :-)

[knadsady]

wow, this is amazinggg!

love it!

[philburrell]

didn't get enough time on your mama's nipple, eh? We love you anyway.

[mthoma1000]

wtf is wrong with the piano players face hes gotta be the ugliest fuck iv ever seen lol

[HitokiriDiaz]

Well that's what osteogenesis imperfecta does to you, clever guy/girl, it destroys you.

Luckily this guy saw the fact that he almost couldn't move in a way to be an advantage, it got rid of distractions like sports, etc.

Petruciani is an inspiration to me, he is dedicated, strong and a passionate pianoplayer.. the Duke would be proud.

[paradust]

well that was an awfully intelligent way of expressing an equally brilliant opinion.

[Kroy5312]

No he's not, mthoma1000, your mom is. Thats why I put that spackle pail over her head before I fuck her.

[mthoma1000]

she told me about that apparently your pretty good. (y)

[philburrell]

Don't show how superficial you are by speaking. If you enjoy this kind of music just agree. Mocking people with disabilities can make monsters out of YOUR children. Just enjoy the genius of the music. God loves you too.

[DesertGhost]

People like you make me sick...

[escargo2001]

Michel Petrucciani...you left us way too early! R.I.P. I wish I could have seen him play live. Truly awesome!

[paradust]

this is in my top 3 all time favourite drum solos. it has absolutely everything... thanks for uploading!

[HitokiriDiaz]

Now I curious what the other 2 drumsolos are? Perhaps a Joe Morello solo?

[paradust]

hard to tell really - that depends on my mood haha but usually its Buddy Rich solo (Holland 78) and again Steve Gadd (Munchen 1992).

[schlozzy]

love anthony jackson's use of quarter notes

[mekifeki]

I really like it :), small man hands down !!!

[beedoe51]

Hey all you arm chair asshole critics that put these remarkable guys down can go fuck yourselves. Let's put you under the microscope and see how you play under such scrutiny. These guys play under it with heart, soul, fire, and joy. A level that is completely beyond close minded morons.

[gadd50]

Gadd is still making great music while a lot of younger players belong in a circus.

[mootbooxle]

Unreal! Man! Monsters!

Steve Gadd just has the deepest pockets, man...

you could park a whole herd of rhinos in them pockets! off the charts! all three of these guys!

[bti529]

awesome! and i love the camera work!!!

[missrepo]

wow VanHoorelbeke so do like or dislike i would hate to comment and have to listen to another full day of you belittling so let me know if i like it or not..

[Cleforo]

The song is great, Petrucciani is crazy and Gadd is probably the greatest drummer I know, but Jackson messes the whole tune up... He's playing sounds like a 13 year olds who has just got he's first Jazz homework from he's teacher...

[Olav86]

agreed, bass sux, but so does gadds solo. I just cant stand his usage of toms. Yuck

[VanHoorelbeke]

Moron!

[abalon666]

Wow two of the greatest jazz musicians of all time suck!?!You must be some bad ass monster player to understand things that others don't.

[RemmyRice]

To be fair, Anthony Jackson's scratchy damn tone kind of puts me off, but apart from that I absolutely love this.

[luisdediegopardo]

i totally agree. i hate that bass sound. the rest is perfect

[eldowns]

Yeah, what's the deal with that? It sounds terrible.

[skater15153]

that must be one genius of a 13 year old then to be playing like

[austinvillas888]

first class

[aronizer]

I've never heard of this piano player until now. He's great! It's cool to see how he proves that small people really can play :D

[theassantes]

They are God blessed geniuses! Thank's to Lord this guys! Petrucciani and Gadd - can't say more anything!

Beatrix from Hungary

[nottoofunky]

AH! the tune! Its magic and its DUKE Ellington ! the GENIOUS!!! F.(nottoofunky) Australia

[aigaleada]

Anyone that make fun of petrucciani or people like him its only because they are worth nothing!

[pjcdrummer]

Great video The whole band is great What else can I say.

[alunaro]

Smurfs also can play like God

[peterh1948]

What a great video and interpretation. The pianist who I don't know is incredible and Gadd is Gadd which is to say the best. jif1000 your a jackass.

[jlf1000]

bCK to the smurf............. it seems that he has one brain for each of his hands. impressive. gadd brilliant as usual. cool interpretation of a n.y. subway train.

[jlf1000]

I think the smurf on the piano has a harder time looking over his chin than hopping onto the bench.

[jerrywitaj]

You're a fucking idiot..and he can probably kick your ass. The only thing you and your chin have to worry about is when your boyfriend's balls are bouncing off it.

[fw23q]

you're calling him smurf only because you're jealous of his skill...you stupid ignorant prick

[HammondB200]

fw23q your reaction was gay, jerrwitaj's was much better, you fucked his up.

[adamax9]

does anyone know what notes michel is playing in the left hand?

[JimDaBoff]

Looks like C G C G A A# D# E (repeat)

[adamax9]

cheers

[glnwould]

wow who is this pianist.

[verdantpoint]

steve gadd is the best , yeah my idol..

[webstercat]

It is easy to criticize traditional grip if you don't use it. Anyone who says you can't get a power stroke and volume with traditional grip has never developed it. Military drummers had to produce more sound from much less responsive drums and they did it with traditional. Check out JoJo Mayers video and see the power he gets from trad! You can also play extremely softly with traditionally and it is very helpful when playing brushes.

[Antman261]

Traditional grip does have some big advantages in certain situations.

I don't believe anyone who's looking to play multiple styles should ever limit themselves to one grip.

If you want to see a good demonstration of all the grips and such, check out Steve Smith's DVD. (There's A LOT more on there then just grips, but almost that alone makes the DVD worthwhile)

[jerec12]

The only players using TG anymore have OLD style teachers - the drummers mentioned that use it well - have been doing so for 40 + years - uses FAR to many muscles and MG is much better approach to modern set ups and music. None of these guys except Donati have ANY real power in their snare shot downstrokes. Was from early jazz where snare is a lesser entity that rock/pop/blues.

[DrummerDude5645]

this might be the dumbest question i have ever asked, but what is the point of using traditional grip? i think its pointless because the only reason traditional grip evolved was from the drummers in the civil war because there drums were leaning on there sides. Please don't yell at me or get mad! i'm just asking a simple question. By the way, Steve Gadd is awesome! I love his crazy army solo!

[webstercat]

Buddy Rich, Gadd, Weckel, Steve Smith, Vinnie, Jo Jo Mayer to name just a few use it. If you combine it with matched it gives you a different feel and approach. You would have to develop both grips and use them to undersand the difference. Traditional grip allows for a unique approach.

[kidryan1]

According to this Steve Smith video I have, it turns out that jazz music was basically affected by this traditional grip, since it was the popular grip of the day. Why is it still around? It actually does sound different. He says it is the fact that the weight of the hand is beneath the stick (rather than above for match grip), causing a "lighter" sound to occur. That light sound is a big part of the jazz style, but can be applied wherever you feel like it.

[drummachine5787]

traditional for me personally is just a more relaxed way to play. and it looks badass

[ultrakool]

except when you hit a cymbal with it. kinda looks goofy

its more relaxed on your wrist too, because your wrist is naturally supposed to lay, not twisted like matched. in short, wont cause long term pain