Entertainment For Lively Minds
"But... he's just showing off!" "Yes.... *and*...?"
Posted by Moose the Mooche on 9 February 2012 - 5:17pm.
This is Bernard Purdie playing James Brown's Cold Sweat. It gives old JB a run for his money, and our man Bern is no slouch on the skins. The absence of a visual presumably indicates that we are in the presence of ultimate blackness:
This isn't Bernard expressing his mind. This is Bernard saying, "Whoopeee, I can do *this!*" In the process of showing off he gives us something refreshingly joyous and honest. So it's the equivalent of someone doing a wheelie - well sometimes wheelies are cool. You don't necessarily need to be going anywhere.
Have you got a favourite bit of gratuitous flashiness which means nothing other than "this musician is very very good"?
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The first tune that sprang to mind...
I remember seeing this on Whistle Test back in the early 80's and just being amazed at all of it - the playing, the strange noises, the groove and the weirdo lyrics from a band I'd never heard of. To my youthful mind it just opened out the possibilities for stringed instruments like nothing else I'd ever seen...They're all showing off...
My favourite, in fact my
My favourite, in fact my only, Bernard Purdie story - is the brillant one from the Steely Dan Aja 'Classic Albums' documentary where he arrived for the recording with a giant sign he presumably set up as standard along with his drumkit which said (something like):
Congratulations! You done did it. You done hired the Hit Maker, Bernard 'pretty boy' Purdie!
You've got to admire his confidence, and most importantly he did deliver. Brilliant drummer.
Eddie Murphy's version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&gl=GB&hl=en-GB&client=mv-google&v=TESW8LMo...