Artist: Buddy Rich Album: No Funny Hats

Year: 2004
Duration: 0:0-1

Buddy Rich's No Funny Hats: A Musical Masterpiece or a Missed Opportunity?

Buddy Rich is one of the most legendary drummers of all time. He started his music career at the tender age of 18 months, playing alongside his vaudeville parents. Over 60 years later, he was still playing and recording with the same passion and energy that made him famous. In 1963, he released the album No Funny Hats, which was met with mixed reviews. In this critical review, we'll take a closer look at the album, its genre, the standout tracks, the most innovative portions, and provide an honest critique of the music.

No Funny Hats is a jazz, big band album with eight tracks. The album features Buddy Rich on drums and an ensemble consisting of 16 other musicians including saxophonists, trumpeters, and trombonists. The genre of this album can be classified as swing, bebop, and hard bop, which was popular in the ‘40s through the ‘60s.

One of the most notable songs on this album is Ya Gotta Try. It features a fantastic horn section with swinging rhythms. Another standout track is Apples, which opens with a radiant trumpet solo. The album also includes a classic drum solo, Big Swing Face, that showcases Rich's technical and rhythmic abilities on the drums.

The most innovative part of this album is its use of different time signatures. Backwoods Sideman is a standout track that features an irregular, 11/4 meter. The Juicer is another notable song that has a challenging 7/4 time signature. These songs help to demonstrate Buddy Rich's command of complex rhythms and highlight his virtuosity as a drummer.

Despite the strengths of this album, it is not perfect. Some of the arrangements on the album are more static and predictable than others, which can lead to a lack of song variety. Moreover, few songs on the album feature vocalists, which can make the album feel slightly unbalanced.

No Funny Hats provides casual listeners with plenty of enjoyable moments, while jazz lovers can get their fill of classic big band swing, bebop, and hard bop. It is challenging, intricate, and at times, electrifying. It has its strengths and weaknesses, but it proves to be an excellent showcase of Buddy Rich's exceptional skills on the drums. Ultimately, whether this album is a musical masterpiece or a missed opportunity is up for debate, so it's worth listening to and deciding for oneself.