There are very few drummers who even come close to racking up the number of sessions that the legendary Bernard “Pretty” Purdie has done and the Nov. 5 edition of Greasy Tracks at least scratched the surface of the drummer’s fascinating career.
Check out the archive by clicking here, while a playlist is here.
Purdie appears at Telefunken Soundstage in South Windsor on Nov. 13 where he will perform as well as conduct a clinic and interview session with Rick Beato. He caps a two-day musical fundraiser to benefit Asperger/Autism Network.
Dating to the late 1950s, Purdie — once known as “the house drummer of Atlantic Records” — played nearly 30,000 sessions, has appeared on more than 4,000 albums and recorded with 2,500-plus different artists, including a deep catalog of solo releases.
Artists he has appeared with, running the gamut from jazz to rock, include Miles Davis, James Brown, Steely Dan, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Louis Armstrong, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, BB King, Joe Cocker, Bob Marley, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Mongo Santamaria, Peter Frampton, Hall & Oats, Hank Crawford and Jimmy McGriff to name only a few.
Employing an innovative use of triplets against a half-time backbeat, Purdie developed an immensely distinct and impactful technique known universally as “the Purdie Shuffle”.