Tag Archives: Louie Bellson

Remembering ‘The World’s Greatest Drummer’

SKF NOTE – My Uncle Bob sparked my lifelong love of all things drums. And one vivid recollection of Uncle Bob, probably in the late 1950s or early 1960s (he died when I was age 14) is him telling my … Continue reading

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Louis Bellson’s 1940s Gretsch Kit in ‘A Song is Born’ Movie

SKF NOTE: There’s quite a cast of jazz greats in this A Song is Born 1948 movie clip including a very young Louis Bellson on his original mid-1940s Gretsch double-bass drum set. Some wonderful footage of Louis. Watch for his … Continue reading

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Beyond Traditional Grip

SKF NOTE: I grew up believing traditional grip was the gold standard of drumset players. There was a best way, if not the right way, for drummers to hold drumsticks: traditional grip. Traditional grip functioned like a fine-tuned machine. Not … Continue reading

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Louie Bellson: The Finger Method of Drumming

SKF NOTE: I found this incomplete column posted awhile ago on The Great Drummers Group Facebook page. When I went back weeks later to find it again so I could credit the original poster, I could not find it. If … Continue reading

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My Drum Lesson with Max Collie & the Rhythm Aces

I lived in Davenport, Iowa from 1971-73, earning a living drumming and singing with the Millard Cowan Trio, first at the Holiday Inn in Bettendorf, Iowa, and later, at Millard’s own Davenport club, The Steamboat Lounge. Davenport hosts the annual … Continue reading

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