Time Keepers: The Great Jazz Drummers

by Leslie Gourse

Discusses the role of drumming in jazz and surveys some of the greatest jazz drummers in history, from Warren Baby Dodds and Arthur Zutty Singleton to Tony Williams and Elvin Jones.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[CyLarge · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the amount of information dispensed on jazz drummers, this is an excellent resource. The book identifies the fathers of jazz drumming, Baby Dodds, Zutty Singleton, and Papa Jo Jones (father of modern jazz drumming), explains their techniques and upbringings, and expounds on many other drummers, known and unknown, very effectively. The only drawback of the book is that the writing can be very mechanical and doesn't flow very well at many parts in the book. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that parts of the book are poorly written. But, the "Jazz Drumming Tree" section in Ch. 5, which connects many drummers back to Baby, Zutty, and Papa Jo, is worthy of a 4 stars alone. I mainly value the book as a great source of information. A recommended read.