Barrett Deems is a great example of how some of the greatest jazz drummers in history are sometimes forgotten. I first became aware of Deems through an interview with him I read in Modern Drummer many years ago. At the time YouTube did not exist. It was very difficult to obtain recordings by artists like Deems who were not as well-known as a lot of the famous jazz artists and it was virtually impossible to view videos with these artists performing.
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Fortunately many jazz videos are now available for viewing on YouTube absolutely free. It’s like having the world’s largest music library available in your home.
Barrett Deems was perhaps one of the most exciting jazz drumming soloists who ever lived. One time at a concert he playing in Ghana, his drum solo on “Mop Mop” got the crowd of over 100,000 people so excited that they started to riot.
In the above video, Deems does an amazing solo starting on the drum-set and then moving to a wooden chair. This is definitely one of the most astonishing displays of drum technique I’ve ever seen. This is a video I think all jazz fans, and especially jazz drummers, need to see. Not only is it technically impressive, it’s also very entertaining.
Barrett Deems was billed as the “World’s Fastest Drummer.” After playing a show with the great Buddy Rich in about 1948, Deems was said to have played even faster than Rich.
Barrett was an American drummer born in Springfield, IL, and began playing professionally in Chicago in the 1920’s. He worked as a bandleader and also performed with several well-known jazz artists. These include Jimmy Dorsey, Red Norvo, Jack Teagarden, and The Dukes Of Dixieland, and Benny Goodman.
It also includes Louie Armstrong. Barrett Deems joined Louie Armstrong’s All-Stars in 1953. He spent 8 years with Armstrong, touring all over the world. Deems appears in many T.V. films about Armstrong’s career. In addition the movie High Society that came out in 1956, features Deems with Louie Armstrong, along with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.
Barrett Deems can be heard on 2000 plus jazz recordings.