Mantra: via Roy Haynes/Buddy Rich/Tony Williams

"I structure pieces like riding a horse," he says. "You pull a rein here, you tighten it up here, you loosen it there. I'm still sitting in the driver's seat, so to speak. I let it loose, I let it go, I see where it's going and what it feels like. Sometimes I take it out, sometimes I'll be polite, nice and let it move and breathe -- always in the pocket and with feeling. So the music is tight but loose."

“I am constantly practicing in my head. In fact, a teacher in school once sent me to the principal, because I was drumming with my hands on the desk in class. My father used to say I was just nervous. I'm always thinking rhythms, drums. When I was very young I used to practice a lot; not any special thing, but just practice playing. Now I'm like a doctor. When he's operating on you, he's practicing. When I go to my gigs, that's my practice. I may play something that I never heard before or maybe that you never heard before. It's all a challenge. I deal with sounds. I'm full of rhythm, man. I feel it. I think summer, winter, fall, spring, hot, cold, fast and slow -- colors. But I don't analyze it. I've been playing professionally over 50 years, and that's the way I do it. I always surprise myself. The worst surprise is when I can't get it to happen. But it usually comes out. I don't play for a long period, and then I'm like an animal, a lion or tiger locked in its cage, and when I get out I try to restrain myself. I don't want to overplay. I like the guys to trade, and I just keep it moving, and spread the rhythm, as Coltrane said. Keep it moving, keep it crisp."
-Roy Haynes
the man who made the Tony Williams' and Jack DeJohnettes who is jammin like hell in his 70's!

And then you have this. Please try to ignore the whiteness of this clip. My grandfather Pop-pop, when told I was becoming a drummer in 5th grade, said "well, you'll never be as good as Buddy Rich, you better start learnin!"
Well, I never forgot those 'words of wisdom(?)' and have been playing a Buddy Rich signature model snare in his (and Buddy's) memory for the last coupla years. He was right by the way:



Key elements:Sweat, and damn do those tubs sound fine, the first rock drummer. Keith and Bonzo died young my friends.You can have them.

Bonus:
And then there's this guy:


What? You haven't had enough?