BUDDY RICH FANS UNITE!

It's hard to fathom this, I know. But On September 30, 2007, Buddy Rich would have been 90 years young! "The World's Greatest Drummer" may be gone, but a spectacular new CD titled, "TIME OUT," a collection of some of Buddy's never before heard live performances (recorded with Buddy's permission in the mid-70's) on the road over a period of two years by Buddy Rich Band alumnus, Alan Gauvin is out and about! The tracks include:

1.) Goodbye Yesterday

2.) Machine

3.) Bouncin' With Bud---(My personal Favorite!)*

4.) Readymix

5.) Senator Sam

6.) Party Time

7.) Joy Spring

8.) Funk City-Ola

9.) Loose

10.) Time Out

11.) Chicago

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I was very lucky to see Buddy Rich and the Big Band "Live" twice. Both in my 20's. In fact, I saw Buddy play a gig at Richland College in Dallas just weeks before his untimely passing. He was a bit paunchy, but here was the guy I had seen endlessly on "The Tonight Show" and who drove himself (and his band) relentlessly. He was quite a perfectionist and couldn't understand anyone not giving 100% of themselves as he did. A bigger-than-life persona, he could do one hand drum rolls where the entire concert venue was hushed listening to him raise and lower the volume! Even a mid-air blinding display of stick solos left us all thinking; "Am I really seeing this or what?" He was amazing! When he passed away, I had written a poem that morning called "Buddy Rich" and sent a copy to Buddy's wife and one to fellow drummer and pal, Johnny Carson. Johnny actually wrote me a letter back on his own stationary with his signature. I have never been able to find that letter and I am not one to loose anything. But he told me he was very moved by what I wrote and that he missed his friend. Carson rarely sent letters from what I am told and I remember securing it in a vinyl album cover to keep it preserved. Yes, I opened every one of the vinyls I have four times (including two weeks ago while sitting on the floor). No good. If you have never seen this man in action, catch a DVD or this CD. Whether Neil Peart of "Rush", Carl Palmer of "Emerson, Lake and Palmer" or Bill Bruford of "Yes", Buddy was to jazz what Elvis was to "The Beatles". As Buddy once said: "Genius is the light that ignites itself".