Search - Buddy Rich and His Band--The Lost West Side Story Tapes DVD on DVD

A MUST for Big Band Jazz Fans and ALL Drummers!

Bill Larkin | Lyndhurst, NJ, United States | 04/19/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It was thought these tapes were lost in a fire and have not been commercially available for 10 years or more. This is a wonder of current technology that these tapes have been recovered and restored. Originally released in 1985 on Cafe Records as a double-CD set (Mobile Fidelity Labs) and on Beta Hi-Fi, this is one-half of the recording session.... The West Side Story Set. The other, hopefully, (The Channel One Set) will be restored as well. I'll be first in line! This was "State of the Art" recording for its time. The recording was done on the SQ/Tate Surround System, which was left in 4-channel format when transferred to this DVD into DolbyDigital 4.0 and DTS 4.0. The producers, obviously, felt that going the 5.1 route would mess to much with the original sound. Not to worry. It's the best available recording yet of Rich and his mastery of the drums. The microphones are arrays set back to capture a live feel. Some may prefer the up-close technique, but that does produce a clinical studio sound. This sounds like you are sitting in the audience. The seven video cameras have slik-stockings stretched over the lenses to achieve a "soft film feel". I'm not crazy about that, but hey, I am so happy to have this on DVD I'll gladly forget about that. Eight tunes comprise the set, topped by West Side Story and 2 solos by Rich. Even at 67, Rich was a blaze of speed and played everything in front of him. Watch his second "West Side" solo as he sticks the bass drum, the rims, and even the sticks themselves! A legend and the best drummer of all time. Don't think about it..... BUY IT."

The Master at work !

Bill Larkin | 07/29/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Buddy Rich is without question the greatest drum technician the world has ever known. His talent and the way he utilizes that talent is beyond superlative description. This DVD reflex the master at work. It's hard to believe that Buddy could play like this at 67 years old. I challenge anyone at any age to even come close to Buddy. No one on this earth can play like that. The picture quality is excellent, the sound quality is very good, the only drawback to this video is the camera angles. I think that they could have done a much better job especially on the West Side story solo. There's one segment when Buddy is doing an incredible single stroke role and the camera angle that they chose was from underneath the snare drum. How ridiculous. Aside from this, this is a very enjoyable DVD! Is it worth purchasing ? ABSOLUTELY !! There will never be another BUDDY RICH "GO BUDDY" Guy."

A MUST HAVE

Bill Larkin | 02/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is much better than "At the Top" which has horrible audio and focuses too much on the band and doesn't show enough of Buddy. The Dolby surround sound on this DVD really gives clarity to Buddy's playing(and the rest of the band also). Good camera angles on this too; although a brief camera shot under the snare drum on one of the solos doesn't make any since - it is my only complaint."

Buddy Rich and His Band - The Lost West Side Story Tapes

eric | New Jersey | 11/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

""I have been waiting for this dvd and it was worth the wait. The audio is crisp and clear. The picture is so much better than any of the videos out there and Buddy's performance is outstanding. There are great shots of Buddy throughout. The song accessing is a great feature and the way the solos of each musician can be gotten to makes the disc a lot of fun. The commentary
from his wife and daughter was a great touch and I enjoyed the photo archives.
It shows Buddy performing some of his finest music. I recommend it to anyone interested in Buddy Rich, great jazz music, or the drumming of one of the masters.""