Jazz Icons: Buddy Rich Live in '78 (2006)

Great cohesion in this Big Band!

From the opening Nestico chart "Ya' Gotta' Try" with barn-burning solo exchanges between Steve Marcus and Gary Pribek to the closing encore number "Big Swing Face" with an enduring extended tenor solo by Gary Pribek; this DVD cooks!

This has by far the best version of Bob Kaye's "Grand Concourse" with Andy Fusco blowing chorus after chorus of imaginative improvisation. His solo is so hot that midway he makes a "statement" that elicits the approval of section-mates Steve Marcus and Chuck Wilson.

"Little Train" shows off the blowing talents of trumpeters Mike McGovern and John Marshall as well as the trombones of Dale Kirkland and Glen Franke, with Andy Fusco's hard -driving solo sandwiched between them.

"Channel One Suite" showcases Steve Marcus and his trademark solo interlude with touches of finger-snapping blues tenor interjected before his cadenza and then Buddy's extended solo.
This is the best DVD of the Buddy Rich Big Band; even though Rich At The Top (1973) and Live At The Montreal Jazz Festival (1982) are no slouches.



April 1, 2008

The best Rich DVD I've seen so far!

I've watched and own most of the Buddy Rich big band DVDs out there and this one exceeds the others! Turn up the sound and enjoy. Andy Fusco's work on Grand Concourse is alone worth the price of the DVD. This stuff cooks! July 28, 2007

buddy rich-live in 78

superb concert. I highly recommend.unfortunately only recorded in mono but still sounds good. June 8, 2007

A killer tour de force

This band of Buddy Rich is so fantastic, there are not superlatives enough to describe it. The tragedy is that so few who would have loved this music even knew it existed at the time -- thanks to our wonderful media, which insisted on giving us mostly pop mediocrity on the airwaves. But those who were lucky enough that they did know and heard Killer Force live will never forget it.

I had most of these tunes on one CD or another, but the performances here exceeded the studio versions in almost every case. The mix could have given the reeds just a bit more volume; at times, when the whole band was playing, you could barely hear them. Overall, the show was wonderful, and anyone who likes Buddy Rich, or anyone who digs contemporary big-band jazz, will love this DVD. June 8, 2007

Ya Gotta Have This!

I turn my 52" HDTV to composite 1, and then crank up the
stereo. Buddy's Killer Force is in my living room and it is just way
too cool. The snare drum volume is just a tad low until Grand Concourse,
and then it is all there in it's full grandeur. The hi-hat and cymbals
are crisp. You can hear the bass drum and toms just fine. I am literally
wearing this dvd out. And when I do, I'll get another one thank you very
much. You can even hear the tones from Buddy's sticks during his rim
shots. It's just fantastic! May 23, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...