Baby Dodds - An Appreciation

www.traditional-jazz.com
Baby Dodds was one of the founding fathers of jazz drumming. John Petters discusses and demonstrates his style and technique. There are two videos on KZbin which claim to do so but fail. John Petters has been a professional jazz drummer for over 25 years, specilalising in the early jazz styles. More details on Baby Dodds may be found on www.traditional-jazz.com

[@1951drdave]

John, forgive me for not answering your question, but I was knocked down by a serious stroke. Zutty told me one thing. He said to go to my drums, play a march and make it swing. I hear you are yourself performing that same style. That reveals your fine knowledge and is why you remind me of Zutty. Keep swinging!

[@fess04]

thanks...and greetings from New Orleans : ) fine playing examples....a definite treasure !

[@johnpetters]

Thank you!

[@MrDaddyogrn]

Thanks for sharing! I enjoy your videos very much. More please!

[@johnpetters]

Thank you Michael. This was a lot of fun to make & quite difficult to try to get the right feel. Baby's timing is something else!

[@shraunbone]

I really enjoyed the solo at the end. I love wood block and rim sounds. Sounded like tap dancing.

[@gummiman01]

thanks for the history, and your research, and keeping the roots alive. nice demo playing too

[@marceibel1131]

Wonderful, authentic drumming, Mr. Petters. Enjoyed every bit of it. 😍

[@johnpetters5653]

Marc Eibel thank you.

[@holygroove2]

This is really cool. You can find some "second line" videos on KZbin where they use one of the patterns that you're showing here. So much can be learned just by listening to the sound...well done and thank you for caring so much to do something like this!

[@TBAGSHAW]

Hello John, Thanks for the information this was great. That style of playing is very over looked and is of course the foundation of all that we as drummers do. Thanks again.

[@webstercat]

Very informative and well done. Thanks for your presentation.

[@hilltopviewer8204]

I enjoyed that,Thank You for the upload!

[@DrumsATon]

great performance! nice melodies!

[@shraunbone]

Wonderful playing.

[@Rickriquinho]

Congratulations!

[@johnpetters]

Thank you for your nice comments, Jasper. you were lucky to meet Zutty. It must have been a terrific experience.What lesson did he give you that I performed in the video?

[@KaanCelen]

yeah!

[@SteveCournane]

Lovely tribute to a master (and the real father of the kit)

[@gitterfritter]

Damn ... that was sweet. Awesome video.

[@halocrafter1]

gitterfritter qi

[@turnitback]

John's KZbin videos are essential watching for anyone wanting to learn Trad Jazz. I don't think I'd quibble about which hand does the bounced strokes and which the 4-4 DBJustin. After all, it's the sound that matters. I usually play PRs as John does, but a teacher says I am unusual, being a right-hander that plays them left- handed. His "left-handed" the opposite DBJustin's left-handed. I don't profess to know which is correct. I wonder, could John perhaps clarify this?

[@TheHeater90]

If you listen to the recordings of The Original Dixieland Jazz Band from 1917 and 1918 on a good system with good bass response, you will be 100% certain that Tony Sparbaro was using a bass drum on those dates. No cowbell or woodblock or even tom tom makes that deep of a sound, and the band didn't have a bassist or tuba player, so there is no mistaking.

[@johnpetters]

@turnitback Thanks for the comments. I can't say which is correct. Have a look at the clip of the Ory band with Minor hall. He is rolling with the left hand and beating 4 with the right.

[@SteveCournane]

So hard to know where that first drum kit was recorded, but I agree it seems very likely that it was way before Gene Krupa . Of course how we define a drum kit is also another matter, it would have to be just bass drum and a snare I guess plus a few blocks etc, maybe a small cymbal or china cymbal being extra.I believe it would not include a low boy (precursor to the high hat) for example. Would you agree John?

[@mcsteifefrise9995]

Steve Cournane you have to mention that dodds played without a low boy or charlston machine, so his drumset has been quite incomplete all the time as seen from a more modern perspective.

[@SteveCournane]

One other question , what is your favourite recording to hear baby's so called shimmy beat. I have a lot of stuff but it is so hard to hear that snare beat on any of them, lots of block etc. but it seems hard to find a good recording of him actually playing the so called shimmy beat with other musicians

[@johnpetters]

@GroffinTiffin Thanks everybody for the positive replies. Baby Dodds was very special.

[@GroffinTiffin]

nice...thx for posting. not too much on here about this style of drumming.

[@johnpetters]

@turnitback Can't post a link to the video but search for Ory's Muskrat Ramble from 1956

[@babydodds2039]

in most of the video i have seen i think babydodds had a tenancy to end his press rolls on the left hand. i find this quite interesting although i have seen drummers, good drummers end with either hand.

[@1951drdave]

Dear Mr. Petters, Zutty told me to sit behind my drums and play a parade march and build it forward to make it swing!

[@QueWaNe]

What's the name of the song that starts playing at around 1:13?

[@SAHBfan]

Some of the footage of Baby Dodds that has come to light on youtube recently shows him using his right hand to do the buzz roll and his left hand to play the time, the opposite of what most people do these days when trying to copy his style.

[@johnpetters]

@shraunbone Thank you!

[@richardthomas1]

Superb! Thank you.

[@johnpetters]

Thank you Richard.

[@TeamFSG101]

never seen anyone grip that far back on the stick with your left hand. you should choke up a little bit. at least to the fulcrum.

[@terryofford7779]

Hello John, I enjoyed your discourse on Baby Dodds and his technical prowess, , he was a great man he unashamedly displayed a huge African Element in his style and this make the music drive and adds to the excitement of N.O style jazz. I have a very old LP of many of his 'lessons,' This was recommended to me by Mike Dowley who took lessons from Zutty Singleton in NY in the sixties. I liked your comment re left handed/right handed, I was taught by Mike (Seven Side Jazzband Shrewsbury) that it didn't really matter which hand was used, so long as the result sounded as it should, some people are quite pedantic but we all have an idiosyncrasy I guess. Your style is amazing and along with Colin Bowden, you represent the leading exponents of the New Orleans Baby Dodds style.P.S, never could do a press roll with my left hand. Thanks again for your knowledge. Terry Offord Melbourne Australia.

[@ZackYouTube]

well done. keepin the facts!

[@fivebyfivesound]

Thank you 🙏

[@johnpetters]

Thank you, Steve.You can't miss the 'Africa' in Baby's playing. He is the most difficult drummer to try to emulate.

[@EricBarstad]

Awesome vid, thanks for sharing this knowledge

[@johnpetters]

Thank you

[@turnitback]

John, thank you for your reply. In my book, any sticking pattern is correct if it works in a given situation, irrespective of whether another pattern is more commonly used . Thinking again about the left/right-handed question, it seems to me that playing 4-4 on the snare drum in a press roll is the equivalent of playing the ride, hi-hat, etc. that way in similar patterns. Surely, therefore, Minor Hall and John Petters (and indeed I) play it RIGHT-, not left-, handed.

[@jackbrown3270]

oh my goodness those rolls at the end make me want to practice so hard

[@johnpetters]

Thank you Jack.

[@1951drdave]

Here we have another wonderful video from Mr. Petters. I enjoy, and learn from, all of this gentleman's posts. It might, perhaps, be of interest that in 1969 I was lucky enough to see Zutty Singleton perform almost every night. I actually got Zutty to give me one quick lesson and Mr. Petters performs it in his solo.

[@SteveCournane]

Thank you for your tribute, so important that Baby is given credit. I often feel there is a move to discredit the African influence of Baby on Jazz History, something you do not do at all.

[@vergon6662]

Amazing improv towards the end - AMAZINGLY MUSICAL. Great homage to our masters from the past.

[@joelbarr1807]

I think it was Tony Sparbaro w/ the ODJB who first used a full drum kit on a jazz recording. it seems to be clear on the 1918 cut of clarinet marmalade blues if you start listening at 1 minute and 25-30 seconds (depending on the KZbin video). It seem's like billy goat stomp also has a full drum kit (I think that's the song playing at 1 minute and 14 in your video) Also great drumming John, you look so calm and composed playing the skins! I'll try to like all your video's!

[@noxiscool]

That was fantastic. Amazing film, amazing playing and an amazing tribute. Interesting, informative, entertaining and good editing. I like it a lot.

[@klikonojazz]

Than You for this wonderful demonstration!

[@jaschaheifetz]

I enjoyed listening to your description of Mr. Dodds, and your very musical and relaxed playing. Well done.

[@giacomotretti5435]

Really well-played man. I appreciated the intro about Dodds's style and the Drum solos's example! Good job

[@miketalbot4]

Great playing! I really enjoyed that

[@Rudeman61]

that sounded like my bass drum during a solo ha! I have since learned more isolated patterns

[@TheBroadcastStudio365]

Wonderful!

[@singingbone]

nice job john, thank your for sharing this stuff!

[@GregLikesJelly]

This is brilliant, as a rock drummer I've been trying to learn Jazz drumming just to open my area of playing

[@johnpetters]

Thank you. Listen to all the old players. Baby, Zutty Singleton, Tony Sbarbaro, Gene Krupa, Ray Bauduc, George Wettling, Big Sid Catlett, Jo Jones etc. Good luck with your playing.