Ethics

The Brilliance of Vinnie Colaiuta

By Ed Brayton

I've been saying for many years that Vinnie Colaiuta is the single best drummer in the world, something I imagine most drummers would agree with. This is not to take anything away from the many incredible drummers in the world, but I just think Vinnie can play better in more styles than anyone else. His technique is absolutely flawless and he manages to integrate perfectly into a song while doing things that he makes look so easy that you have no idea how incredibly difficult they are to do. The song Seven Days is a perfect example. The first video is the song as he plays it. The second is an instructional video from another drummer (who is also damn good) explaining how Vinnie does what he does. You might even want to watch them in reverse order so you can hear the "simple" version explained, then hear it live with all the little flares that Vinnie does within that difficult structure.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on September 27, 2009 (boomark / email).