Some of the Best Drum Solos (To Be Aware Of…)

Over the last few years, it seems everyone has posted a list of their favorite top ten drum solos. In the spirit of keeping the art of drum soloing alive and well, I am presenting my own lists of solos that drummers should be aware of. However, rather than give readers an arbitrary list of ten solos,  I am going to go further by not restricting myself to only ten solos and by presenting a series of lists by genre. It is my position that since solos in different genres follow different guidelines and conventions, drum solos should be considered on their own merits within their own genres.

This list is not meant to be exhaustive or definitive. It is meant to give readers an overview of some players' work that I admire and find inspiring. While readers can disagree, debate, and argue over this list, it is merely meant to be a starting point for discovery. This list is nothing more than a collection of pieces to help readers uncover some new music, and hopefully, some new ideas about how to improvise on the drums.

Rock Drum Solos

Rock solos are almost always self-contained musical events. Unlike jazz drum solos, which, as a very broad generalization, exist within their tune's structure, rock drum solos are quite often moments when the drummer is completely unencumbered by forms, measure counts, or other imposed restrictions. Usually, the drummer is left alone to their own devices to go their own musical way. It is worth noting that in the rock genre, drum solos are fairly uncommon. When drum solos do occur, it is usually only once in an entire show (as opposed to jazz, where the drummer might solo frequently, but for shorter times, throughout the show). This means that typically, the drummer has one chance in the spotlight to make a mark that is not in service of supporting a song. This is a musical sword that cuts two ways: on one side, the drummer is free to make whatever musical statements they want on as big a scale as they want. On the other side, that freedom can be abused by overly long and dull solos.

Some observations: firstly, as I look at this list, it’s clear that the late 1960s through the 1970s were a golden age of rock drum solos. I suppose that the drummers of the 70s were heavily influenced by swing era celebrity drummers like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, known for their long, open-ended solos, and did their best to bring that sensibility to the rock realm. It’s hard not to hear Gene Krupa’s influence from the Benny Goodman hit “Sing, Sing, Sing” on the Surfaris’ tune “Wipe-Out.” Youngsters of the 1950s and 60s-the so-called Baby Boomer generation-would have heard a lot of swing music that their parents would have enjoyed from their own youths in the 1940s. I am sure a lot of jazz influence is to be found in the rock musicians playing from the 60s and 70s. Second observation: most of the solos listed have a similar architecture. Typically, a short musical piece will set the stage for the drum solo. After this opening musical statement, most of the 60s/70s rock drummers began their solos by focusing on the snare drum while keeping a consistent quarter or eighth note pulse with the bass drum. This is one of the biggest giveaways of the influence of jazz drumming on their rock counterparts, many of whom initiated their solos the same way. For example, when I hear “The Mule” or “Tank,” it’s hard not to think about Buddy Rich’s solos on the “West Side Story Medley” from the Swingin’ New Big Band record from 1966 or the “Channel One Suite” from 1968’s Mercy Mercy record. The snare-focused section will usually lead to a section that changes tempo, feel, or concept in some way. Many times, the drummer will stop playing the bass drum as an ostinato, making the time more rubato while beginning to focus on incorporating the toms more prominently. Finally, the drummer will try to bring the solo to a climactic moment by building energy, note density, and wrap things up by getting back to the original groove and music that opened the tune. It’s only when we get further away in time from the 70s that this formula begins to be abandoned.

1)      “Moby Dick” by Led Zeppelin with John Bonham on drums, from the How The West Was Won album (1972). I could not start this list with anything else but  “Moby Dick.” Bonham’s influence on rock drumming is too huge to get around. However, I am going to point to a live version of “Moby Dick” instead of the arguably more famous version found on Led Zeppelin II. “Moby Dick” on II was an edited-together solo pulled from various takes the band recorded in between tours. While Led Zeppelin II is an iconic album, and its “Moby Dick” is equally iconic, I feel that it’s more appropriate to showcase an unedited Bonham solo to get a truer picture of his musical vision. The version of “Moby Dick” on How The West Was Won is an epic 19-minute-long track, with most of it being Bonham’s solo. This solo features many of the hand-foot linear licks that Bonham made famous, along with his famous left-foot hi-hat tambourine ostinato that helps maintain the time and groove while the rest of Bonham’s limbs went mad. Playing the drums with hands, wide dynamic, textural and tempo/groove shifts, and an incendiary amount of energy are important characteristics of this solo. For more Bonham, check out the version on “Moby Dick” from the Live at the Olympia recording.

2)      “Toad” by Cream with Ginger Baker on drums, from Wheels of Fire (1968). Baker first recorded “Toad” on Cream’s 1966 debut album Fresh Cream. That version was a manageable five minutes long. The live version of “Toad” on Wheels of Fire comes in at over 16 minutes, much more time for Baker to stretch out. “Toad” is an important solo for a number of reasons. First, it was one of the first, if not the first, extended drum solos to be heard in a rock context. In this regard, Baker set the stage for all rock drummers that came after him. Most rock drummers would crib elements of Baker’s solos. Second, Baker's use of double bass drums was another innovation in rock. While double bass drum soloing had already been innovated in jazz in the 1950s (see: Louis Bellson’s solo on “Skin Deep” from Duke Ellington’s Ellington Uptown from 1952), Baker showed that this was a fertile vein of ideas for rock drummers to mine. Baker was truly a trailblazer for rock drummers. For more of Baker’s soloing, check out the track “Do What You Want” from Blind Faith’s self-titled album.

3)      “O Baterista” by Rush with Neil Peart on drums, from Rush in Rio. Neil Peart's influence on rock drummers is almost as large as Bonham's. Thus, his solos have become legendary in the rock realm. Rush in Rio is one of Rush’s later period recordings (from 2003). By this point, Peart had solidified many of his soloing concepts and the large-scale structure that would form the basis for his solos. There is improvisation in Peart's solos, but the song form Peart devised is equally critical. Peart explores a wide range of percussive textures (traditional acoustic drums, along with electronic percussion), tempos, and feels. And of course, Pearl's signature use of melodic cowbells is here too. “O Baterista” shows how drum improvisations can exist within a highly developed song form.  For more of Peart’s soloing, check out “YYZ” from the Exit Stage Left album and “The Rhythm Method” from the A Show of Hands album.

4)      “Tank” by Emerson, Lake and Palmer with Carl Palmer on drums, from Emerson, Lake and Palmer (1970). Carl Palmer is one of rock's most technically proficient drummers, and on this solo, he displays a strong Buddy Rich influence. For more of Carl Palmer soloing, check out “Drum Solo” from the King Biscuit Flower Hour-Greatest Hits Live album or “Food For Your  Soul” from the Works, Vol. 1  album.

5)      “The Time Machine” by Colosseum from the Daughter of Time album, with Jon Heisman on drums (1970). This incendiary solo shows Heisman utilizing incredible hand chops and double bass drum skills. There’s a moment where Heisman is playing in 4/4 with his feet while simultaneously playing in 6/8 with his hands. This kind of polyrhythmic phrasing and coordination was unusual in rock at the time (I would even argue it still is). Heisman’s drums are also tuned much higher than those of typical rock drummers, betraying a strong jazz influence on his concept. This solo tells me that Heisman was the kind of player who deserved much greater recognition.

6)      “Dharma for One” by Jethro Tull, with Clive Bunker on drums, from Living in the Past (1972). Like Jon Heisman, Clive Bunker should be given much greater recognition for his playing with Jethro Tull. This solo features some excellent hand chops and use of double bass. Again, I hear a deep Buddy Rich influence here, especially in the way Bunker uses a buzz roll over bass drum quarter notes to slow the tempo down and up.

7)      “The Mule” by Deep Purple with Ian Paice on drums, from Made in Japan (1972). “The Mule” was Ian Paice’s solo vehicle for many years with Deep Purple. Like “Moby Dick” and “Toad,” “The Mule” is a solo bookended by music, which establishes the mood for Paice to build off of. When the solo gets going, Paice brings a strong swing feel to his ideas, displaying some obvious jazz influence. This solo also moves through a variety of tempos and feels and incorporates a heavy dose of technical prowess.

8)      “T.N.U.C.” by Grand Funk Railroad with Don Brewer on drums, from On Time (1969). While this solo features Don Brewer’s excellent chops, what I really think makes this solo excellent is Brewer’s use of repetition. Brewer finds several riffs and repeats them enough for the patterns to really settle and let the listeners know that their use is intentional. Repetition is a concept many amateur drummers don’t utilize nearly enough. Trying to jump from one idea to another makes for a random-sounding solo that can easily bore non-drummers.

9)      “Motorboat to Mars” by Chicago, with Danny Seraphine on drums, from Chicago III (1971). This is a relatively short free-form solo. Unlike most of the examples on this list, there is no other music framing or bookending this solo; it’s just Danny Seraphine jamming in the studio. Seraphine never really establishes a groove the way most other rock drummers typically do. This solo also utilizes a lot of hand-foot linear combos and frequent shifting of subdivisions, tempos, and ideas. In this regard, “Motorboat to Mars” feels much more like a jazz or fusion-style solo, something unique in the rock genre.

10)   “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” (the full-length version) by Iron Butterfly with Ron Bushy on drums (1968). This solo doesn’t feature the high level of technical virtuosity that others on this list have, but it more than makes up for that with its musical phrasing. Bushy used repetition very effectively. Like swing-era drummers, Bushy keeps the bass drum going on eighth notes underneath his hands. And like the swing-era drummers, Bushy must have understood the concept that keeping an ostinato helps maintain the energy and groove, which allows his hands to use space and repetition to create musical phrases that have clarity. Another aspect of this solo worth noting is Bushy’s effective way of building up, then drawing down his solo. His solo starts with a lot of space; it builds up density and energy, then winds down by reincorporating space, and concludes by getting back into a groove, which allows the band to smoothly come back in. This solo is an excellent example of musical development and proof that technique is not strictly necessary to develop great musical solos.

11)  “Soul Sacrifice” by Santana with Michael Shrieve on drums. Like “Moby Dick” and “Toad,” there is a studio version of “Soul Sacrifice” from 1969’s Santana album, and a live version from the Woodstock concert. The mixture of Latin percussion and rhythms fused with rock's energy and sonic profile made for an appealing mix. Shrieve’s solos show excellent technical command and tasteful phrasing.

12)  “Carr Jam” by Kiss with Eric Carr on drums, from Revenge (recorded 1981). Carr’s tasteful use of space and repetition helped make this solo an excellent rock solo. It’s worth noting that Carr starts the solo with a quarter note bass drum ostinato at a different tempo than the opening music, creating a nice contrast. Carr further elevates the energy level by switching to an eighth note ostinato. The use of double bass drums to build the solo to its climax is another tool Carr deployed effectively.

13)  “Jellikit” by Primus with Tim “Herb” Alexander on drums, from the Suck on This album (1989). This example presents Tim Alexander’s unique soloing voice. The solo on “Jellikit” is interesting for several reasons. First, even though there is music framing the solo, Alexander abruptly starts his solo in an entirely different tempo and feel, an unusual move. Secondly, Alexander uses repetition very effectively, especially at the end of his solo, building to a climax.

14)  “Stick Around” by Manu Katché (1999). This solo is part of an album of unaccompanied drum solos and duets with bassist Pino Palladino. If you can find these solos, they are a nice mix of ideas, genres, and executed with Katché’s distinctive and tasteful style. Another Katché solo worth hearing is “Drum Solo” from his “Live in Concert”  (2014) album.

15)  “How Many More Times” from the Joe Bonamassa album British Blues Explosion Live (2018) with Anton Fig on drums. Anton does a great job developing his solo by starting with a simple motive with lots of space, then develops that motive using the question-and-answer concept. I feel that Anton really pays homage to the great 70s-era drummers with this solo.

16)  “Chocolate Chip Trip” by Tool from Fear Inoculum (2019) with Danny Carey on drums. This solo incorporates odd meters, electronics, and Carey’s larger-than-life drum sound. Carey sets up a vamp in seven with his electronics rig and proceeds to solo over it. This piece is very reminiscent of Billy Cobham’s drum solo pieces from his Spectrum album (see below), particularly the track “Stratus.” At the time of this writing, there are several live recording bootlegs on YouTube of Carey performing “Chocolate Chip Trip. Checking them out and doing some compare-and-contrast analysis is an excellent way to learn about Danny Carey’s style. Another iconic Danny Carey solo is “Forty Six & 2” from the Ǽnema album.

Jazz Drum Solos

Because improvisation is so central to jazz music, picking a list of top jazz drum solos is an exercise in futility. All of the major artists have numerous solos worth investigating. With that in mind, this list will focus on historically significant, longer, open-ended, or multi-chorus solos as opposed to shorter solos and trades. The exceptions to this will be the solos from early in jazz’s history. I have included a few early jazz solos to give listeners some perspective on how far the art of jazz drum soloing has come. This list will be organized chronologically, which means this list may feel a bit out-of-order.

Drum solos in jazz are very common, and thus, many different approaches to soloing have been concocted. First, there is trading, in which drummers and their bandmates switch off soloing with each other for fixed numbers of measures, of which four bars is the most common. Then there is soloing over the form of the music. If the tune being played by the band is a 32-bar tune, then the improvisers will solo over that 32-bar form, including the drummer. In this form, the drummer's solo will have to be either one chorus of 32 bars or a multiple of that number. Then there is open soloing over a vamp. In this format, the band will play a repeated riff, and the drummer is free to solo against the riff. Finally, there are completely free solos that can be played within a tune, or as a tune’s opening or closing. Soloing between band hits is another concept that big band and fusion drummers often have to engage with. In these scenarios, the arrangement will have the drummer play short solos in between riffs that the rest of the band plays. These are challenging because the solos have to use phrases and ideas that keep the band rhythmically tight, while simultaneously providing enough momentum to keep the music moving forward.

Readers should also make efforts to check out drum “battles” by famous drummers. There is a lot of footage on YouTube of the great jazz drummers playing beside one another, often trading solos. This is a fantastic way to compare and contrast different players’ styles.

1)      “Land of Cotton Blues” by the Georgians, with Chauncey Morehouse on drums (1923). This piece is credited with being the first recorded example of jazz music with a drum solo. The drum solo is really a series of breaks in between band stop-time hits. Morehouse uses brushes, and the playing is simple and centered on the snare drum. The breaks maintain the momentum and groove of the music, the kind of thing dancers would have appreciated.

2)      “Liza” by Chick Webb and his Orchestra, with Chick Webb on drums (1938). Recorded only a year before his death, as a drum feature, “Liza” shows the expansion of soloing possibilities of the drums. Webb’s slick technique and high energy were an influence on drummers like Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa. Webb also incorporates more percussion textures, such as cowbells and toms, showing the expanding scope of the drum set.

3)      “Sing Sing Sing” from Benny Goodman’s The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert album, with Gene Krupa on drums (1938). Like “Moby Dick” and “Toad,” there are studio and live versions of “Sing Sing Sing” available. The original was recorded by Louis Prima in 1936, followed by Goodman’s studio version in 1937.  Goodman’s 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert runs twelve minutes and features Krupa’s iconic drum solo. This solo, more than any other, has undoubtedly influenced more young drummers to pick up a pair of drumsticks. While not a solo that features a lot of flashy technique, its danceable groove and memorable riffs make it a solo for the ages. For more Gene Krupa, check out his version of  “Wire Brush Stomp.”

4)      “Skin Deep” by Duke Ellington, from Ellington Uptown, with Louis Bellson on drums (1953). This solo showcased Louis Bellson's amazing technical prowess, while also showing that double bass drums could be successfully incorporated into the jazz drum set.

5)      “Now’s the Time” by Kenny Clarke (1955). This piece is a rarity in Kenny Clarke’s huge discography-an unaccompanied drum solo. Clarke recorded an untold number of solos in his long career, but unaccompanied solos were rare. Max Roach gets the lion's share of credit when drummers think of unaccompanied drum set pieces, but many of the important bebop drummers recorded unaccompanied drum solos at one point or another. I enjoy Clarke’s relaxed mood, clear phrases, and clean technique that is never flashy for flashy’s sake.

6)      “Salt Peanuts” recorded by the Miles Davis Quintet from Steamin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet, with “Philly” Joe Jones on drums (1956). This solo features “Philly” Joe’s highly developed technique, along with his distinctive flair for using double and halftime phrasing in his solos. Another great “Philly” Joe solo is on “Locomotion” from John Coltrane’s album Blue Train.

7)      “Take Five” by the Dave Brubeck Quartet from Time Out, with Joe Morello on drums (1959). This is another iconic solo that many non-drummers recognize. This is an example of soloing over a vamp in 5/4. Morello deftly balances technical chops with musical phrasing, space, and repetition. This track also proves that jazz music didn’t need to be in 4/4 to swing. For more Joe Morello, check out the track “Far More Drums” from the Time Further Out album.

8)      “The Freedom Rider” by Art Blakey from The Freedom Rider, with Art Blakey on drums (recorded 1961). This piece is very much like Kenny Clarke’s “Now’s the Time” solo, a rare, unaccompanied solo. This piece contains Blakey’s distinctive groove and many of his iconic licks. This is an excellent solo to learn about Blakey’s soloing style.

9)      “Walkin’” from the Miles Davis Quintet album The Complete Concert 1964: My Funny Valentine + Four & More, with Tony Williams on drums (recorded February 1964). Tony Williams' use of dynamics, fluid time, and hand-foot coordination makes this solo an excellent demonstration of how Tony pushed the boundaries of soloing during his time with Miles Davis. You could also compare and contrast this version of “Walkin’” with the solo found on the Miles in Berlin album (recorded September 1964), or the Miles Davis Quintet’s Live In Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1 [Disc 3]. Another excellent Tony Williams solo is the track “Agitation” from the Miles Davis Quintet recording E.S.P.

10)  “Pursuance” by the John Coltrane Quartet, from the album A Love Supreme, with Elvin Jones on drums (1965). Elvin Jones’ playing with the John Coltrane Quartet in the early 1960s redefined jazz drumming. “Pursuance” features two solo spots. The first solo is a free, out-of-time solo that opens the tune and sets up the groove. The second solo comes in about seven minutes into the tune. Both solos are classic Elvin. They include many of Elvin’s signature soloing ideas and distinctive jazz feel. For more Elvin Jones, check out the track “The Drum Thing” from Coltrane’s album Crescent.

11)  “The Drum Also Waltzes” by Max Roach from Drums Unlimited (1965). This is one of several unaccompanied drum solos that Max Roach played on the Drums Unlimited record. The others, “For Big Sid,” and “Drums Unlimited,” are also worth checking out to hear how Roach was able to make music by himself. Max Roach was a major innovator of soloing by showing that interesting phrasing and space could be used just as effectively as flashy technique to make brilliant musical statements.  “The Drum Also Waltzes” is from a later stage of Roach’s career, and I recommend checking out Roach’s work with Clifford Brown in the 1950s to hear some incredible over-the-form soloing and trading in a more conventional hard bop band setting. Another great Max Roach solo is “Salt Peanuts” from the Jazz at Massey Hall album.

12)  “Channel One Suite” by the Buddy Rich Big Band, from Mercy Mercy, with Buddy Rich on drums (1968). Buddy Rich is known for being one of the most technically gifted drummers of all time. This solo is an excellent showcase for his talents. Check out Buddy’s unstoppable bass drum anchoring the groove underneath his blazing hands. Since Rich was such an iconic celebrity drummer, all of his recordings feature some amazing solo features. Another excellent Buddy Rich solo is “West Side Story Medley” from the Swingin’ New Band album.

13)  “Steps-What Was” by Chick Corea from Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, with Roy Haynes on drums (1968). It’s hard to believe that Roy Haynes started in the mid-50s as a bebop drummer with Charlie Parker. Haynes was a rare musician who started in bebop but made the transition to modern playing in the 1960s and stayed at the cutting edge of jazz styles through his enviably long career. The solo on “Steps-What Was” is a free, texture-based solo that is used as a transition from “Steps” to “What Was.” Haynes uses space, dynamics, and an excellent sense of how to build tension and release. Other great Roy Haynes solos to check out are “Shades of Senegal” from his album Praise and “Hippity Hop” from his album Whereas.

14)  “Humpty Dumpty” recorded by the Chick Corea Acoustic Band from Alive, with Dave Weckl on drums (1991). Weckl opens this version of “Humpty Dumpty” with two different soloing concepts. Firstly, he begins with an open, rubato solo. This part of the solo effectively utilizes cymbal colors and dynamics. Weckl follows this with a one-chorus solo over the form, playing the melody on the drums, which sets up the trio to begin the tune together. This is a great example of melodic interpretation on the drums. Later in the tune, Weckl also plays another solo, displaying his impressive hand-foot coordination, distinctive phrasing style, and dynamics. This track features Weckl bringing many different concepts together, demonstrating a wide range of soloing ideas. Another excellent Weckl solo is “Morning Sprite” from the Chick Corea Akoustic band’s 2018 Live album. My personal favorite Weckl solo is his open solo from the Drummer’s Collective 25^th Anniversary show.

15)  “A Night in Tunisia” from Jeff Hamilton Trio’s album Live! with Jeff Hamilton on drums (1996). This is Hamilton’s unaccompanied solo version of the bebop classic tune. Hamilton uses tempo and groove shifts, pitch bending, and playing with his bare hands to develop this solo. You can see Hamilton play another take of this solo here from the Modern Drummer Festival in 1998.

16)  “Question and Answer” from Pat Metheny’s Trio-Live, with Bill Stewart on drums (2000). This solo, which begins at about six minutes in, is a great example of Bill Stewart’s soloing ideas, including over-the-barline and polyrhythmic phrasing, as well as using timekeeping as the way into the solo. Another Bill Stewart solo to look into is “Travel John” from the John Scofield album En Route.

17)  “You Are My Sunshine” from the Ari Hoenig Trio, with Ari Hoenig on drums. This video features Ari Hoenig’s skills at using pitch-bending on the drums to expand the possibilities for melodic expression on the drum set.

18)  “Now He Sings, Now He Sobs” from the Chick Corea Trio’s album Trilogy 2, with Brian Blade on drums (2018). This solo showcases Brian Blade's flowing feel and use of dynamics and colors.

Fusion Drum Solos

Fusion music, typically defined as a blending of genres, is tough to pin down as a music genre. Since musicians have always blended styles together in unique ways, there is little consensus on how to define what fusion actually is. Early mainstream fusion artists like Miles Davis attempted to blend jazz with popular rock and R&B. As the 70s progressed, fusion artists tried blending world music with jazz. Examples include Return to Forever’s experiments with Brazilian music and The Mahavishnu Orchestra’s bringing Indian music to jazz.

Since there are so many different artists with different visions of the music, many different improvisation concepts have been utilized in fusion. Soloing over forms and trading from jazz, soloing over vamps from Latin music, and open, free-style soloing from rock are all represented in various fusion recordings. Fusion drummers also have to deal with odd meters and playing in all sorts of world genres. This means that fusion drummers have a myriad of challenges to handle, but also have opportunities to make highly virtuosic music.

1)      “Something Special” from the Tony Williams Lifetime album Emergency!, with Tony Williams on drums (1969). Emergency! Is considered by many to be ground zero for the beginning of fusion music. This track features Williams soloing over a vamp and features many of Williams' signature soloing licks. An unaccompanied Williams solo to seek out is “Drum Improvisation” from the Trio of Doom album.

2)      “What I Say” from the Miles Davis album Live-Evil, with Jack DeJohnette on drums (1971). Miles Davis’s group from this era included players who were interested in free playing. DeJohnette, being one of those, brought free-playing influences to this solo. The solo begins at about fourteen minutes into the tune. The solo starts in time and eventually morphs into a free, out-of-time open solo. Another DeJohnette solo worth being aware of is “Spectrum” from the Trio Beyond album.

3)      “One Word” by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, from the album Birds of Fire with Billy Cobham on drums (1973). This solo demonstrates Cobham's strong timing and technical proficiency, along with double bass drum chops. For more, check out Billy Cobham’s solo record, Spectrum, which features several free drum improvisations as introductions to tunes.

4)      “Samba Song” by Chick Corea from the album Friends, with Steve Gadd on drums (1978). This solo is an example of Gadd soloing over a vamp, and it features all of the elements that make Gadd’s playing iconic. It has a great sense of pacing and development, along with Gadd’s famous licks. Another great Gadd solo is Stuff’s version of “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”

5)      “I’m Tweeked / Attack of the 20lb Pizza” by Vinnie Colaiuta from his self-titled album (1994). Vinnie Colaiuta’s reputation as a virtuoso player is well-known and well-deserved. This solo is an excellent example of Vinnie’s skills and features his iconic hand-foot coordination and penchant for odd phrasing. Another killer Vinnie solo is the tune “Goe” from the Landau, Colaiuta, Mathieson, Laboriel album Live at the Baked Potato.

6)      “Bulgaria” by Alan Pasqua, Dave Carpenter & Peter Erskine on the Live at Rocco album, with Peter Erskine on drums (2000). This solo is a fine example of Peter Erskine’s musical concept on the drums. This solo features great chops, nice motivic development, and a great touch and sound on the kit.

7)      “Zone” by Allan Holdsworth, from the album All Night Wrong, with Chad Wackerman on drums (2002). This solo, which opens the track, features some excellent musical development in the form of question-and-answer musical ideas. Wackerman utilizes a motive on bells that he returns to throughout the solo. In addition, Wackerman also uses dynamics, groove changes, along with a heavy dose of chops, to build out this solo. Another excellent Chad Wackerman solo is “Blues for Tony” from the Blues for Tony album. The unaccompanied solo “All Sevens” by Wackerman is another favorite of mine.

8)      “On Fire” by Michel Camilo, from the “Live at the Blue Note, with Horacio Hernandez on drums (2003). Hernandez’s solo on this cut is as burning an example of Latin jazz drum soloing as any I’ve ever heard. This whole album is filled with incredible solos from Hernandez. Be sure to check all of them out.  

9)      “Khanda West” from the Vital Information album Live! One Great Night, with Steve Smith on drums (2012). This unaccompanied solo is a technical tour de force. It incorporates melodic phrasing, double bass drum doubles and advanced coordination, with odd meter agility, along with Steve Smith’s impeccable virtuosity. To see Smith play a version, check it out on YouTube here. Another Steve Smith solo worth investigating is “Mr. P.C.” from the Vital Information album Live Around the World!-Second Set.

10)  “Ignacio’s Solo” from Ignacio Berroa’s album Heritage and Passion (2014). This unaccompanied drum features plenty of chops, a nice blending of jazz, funk, and Latin grooves, and a killer drum sound.

11)  “In A Trance” by Hiromi, from the album Spark, with Simon Phillips on drums (2016). This solo sees Phillips do a great job developing his solo. Phillips begins on the toms and slowly brings in other elements of the kit. Patience is the name of the game in this solo. Phillips then wraps up his solo by setting up a 15/8 salsa groove. Another great example of Phillips’ soloing is the track “Alive” from Hiromi’s Alive.

Percussion-Style Drum Set Solos

While the drum set began its existence and evolved as an instrument that created the rhythms for American dance music, over the years, drummers have moved the instrument away from these origins. Adventurous players have merged percussion concepts from orchestral and world music into the drum set. Thus, here are some examples of players approaching the drum set as a multi-percussion rig, rather than as an accompaniment instrument for a band. These solos often utilize unconventional sonic textures, abandon groove and time-keeping playing, and utilize melodic concepts that might draw from traditions far from American popular music.

1)      Glenn Kotche’s album Mobile. Kotche’s percussion background results in a solo album that treats the drum set as a playground of sounds and textures. This album abandons many of the conventional drum set approaches. Mobile is a great album help remind us that, while the drum set may have begun as an instrument to propel dance music and dancers, it doesn’t need to be approached that way. To get a sense of Glenn’s concept, check this video out here.

2)      I recommend checking out as much of Terry Bozzio’s solo drum set work as possible. For years, Terry Bozzio has been experimenting and expanding the scope of the modern drum set. With his monster kit, Bozzio has turned the drum set, usually a rhythmic and textural instrument, into a fully melodic and harmonic one. While the size of his current setup may be a source of amusement, don’t let it fool you. Bozzio uses his huge drum set to maximum musical effect. There is a ton of video of Bozzio on YouTube, but start here to get a taste of what his concept looks like, then explore further. I also maintain that Bozzio’s and Chad Wackerman’s duet videos are excellent and also very worth exploring. For more info, check out Terrybozzio.com.

Percussion Solos

Drum set players should always look beyond the drum set for soloing vocabulary and inspiration. This is especially important for players who want to play drums in world music ensembles. The following solos are from percussionists. This list is in no particular order.

1)      “Mi Negra” from the Poncho Sanchez album El Conguero (1985), with Poncho Sanchez on congas. I love Poncho Sanchez’s soloing. He effectively uses repetition like no other percussionist I’ve heard. By restricting his ideas, Sanchez can create tension and build his solos while keeping the groove danceable. This solo is one of my favorites in Sanchez’s long discography.

2)      “Timbales Solo” from Tito Puente’s album Puente in Percussion (1956) with Tito Puente on timbales. This opens with an open, out-of-time timbale solo, then transitions to a solo over a percussion vamp. Puente is known as the world’s most famous timbale player, and his innovative style brought a high level of virtuosity to the instrument. Interestingly, Puente began as a drum set player who idolized Gene Krupa as a young drummer. This piece demonstrates Puente’s knack for using simple motives and repetition to develop tension while still bringing plenty of chops to the table. Puente’s soloing is an endless well of ideas for drummers to get ideas and inspiration from.

3)      “Descarga Cubana” from Cachao’s album Cuban Jam Sessions / Descargas (1957) with Tata Güines on congas and Guillermo Barrato on timbales. Conguero Güines and timbalero Barrato both get short solo spots on this track, and they both make the most of it. The instrumentation is sparse on the recording, leaving lots of space to hear the percussion clearly. Both solos feature the rhythmic lilt that Afro-Cuban musicians play with that exists in the space between straight and triplet rhythms. This track is very helpful for students to hear the rhythmic inflection that is so characteristic of Afro-Cuban music.

4)      “Maria Caracoles” from the Afro-Cuban All Stars album A Toda Cuba le Gusta (1997) with Miguel “Angá” Díaz on congas. This track opens with a rubato conga solo. Conguero Miguel “Angá” Díaz displays a unique melodic concept (using multiple congas) and a heavy dose of chops.

5)      “A Puerto Rico” by Humberto Ramírez and Giovanni Hidalgo from Buenos Hermanos (2008) with Giovanni Hidalgo on congas. Giovanni’s solo on this track is another personal favorite of mine. Killer chops and an excellent sense of musical development. Another great Giovanni solo on YouTube can be found here.