One O Clock Jump

This is a video of the Buddy Rich Big band performing Count Basie’s One O’ Clock Jump.  I find it particularly amusing that Buddy Rich appears to be performing in a bath robe.  As far as musicianship goes, this is the only group I know to feature a drummer, and I find that interesting as rhythm section players in big bands are usually overshadowed by the horn players.  My favorite part of this particular clip is the pianist and his lines.  Like at 1:53, he repeats a particular motif on various scale degrees with the same rhythm and diatonic intervals, which reminds me of Oscar Peterson’s playing.  It’s also interesting that he plays slightly behind the beat on certain motifs to make them feel more laid back.  I also liked his solo at 5:30.   There is a very clear direction in his phrasing, and he keeps to relatively tame blues licks that aren’t technically challenging but his use of motifs and repeated licks throughout the solo really tie everything together and make the solo enjoyable to listen to.  Buddy Rich is also killing throughout.  A cool interaction I saw was when Buddy switched to a triplet motif around 6:25 which the pianist incorporated into his solo.