Drummer Fred Higuera: Aim For the Bottom Head!

Hal Smith: Well, Brother Kevin—I’ve been looking forward to this conversation for a long time. We’re going to listen to some recordings by a drummer who should be much better known: Fred Higuera! I have been a fan of his drumming since 1965 and you have told me more than once how much you like the way he played.

Except for some touring in the Midwest with Bob Scobey, for most of his career Fred played in the Bay Area. However, his reputation was worldwide. I remember discussing American drummers with the wonderful British drummer Colin Bowden, who said, “I really like that chap with the Hispanic surname!”

I propose we start with the record mentioned last month in our article on Ben Pollack: the Bob Scobey/Clancy Hayes version of “South,” recorded for Good Time Jazz in 1951. This was my first exposure to Fred Higuera and right away I was taken with the way he played choke cymbal. As we discussed in our previous article, years later I heard Pollack playing similar choke cymbal rhythms on “Deed I Do” and “He’s The Last Word.” Of course, there are other things happening with Fred Higuera’s drumming on “South,” but it was the choke cymbal work that caught my attention.

What are your thoughts on this side, Brother?

Kevin Dorn: I think this recording is a perfect introduction to Fred Higuera and it was my introduction to him years ago, thanks to you, Brother Hal! There are so many things to love about Fred’s playing here and this is definitely some of the best and most swinging choke cymbal playing I’ve ever heard. He varies the rhythms and accents so much and his feel is so loose. The way he lets some of the notes ring out, it’s like he’s playing the hi-hat. It’s just perfect.

This recording also shows what a master of colors he was. Each section gets its own sound and texture. First the choke cymbal under the melody, then to the rims for the vocal, then the ride cymbal, back to the rims for the vocal again and then again to the ride cymbal before finishing on the choke cymbal, just as he started. It’s beautifully framed. As we discussed with Ben Pollack, Fred Higuera maintains his own feel regardless of which part of the set he’s playing on. That’s hard to do and this is a textbook example of it.

I also love the resonance of his sound. I can’t thank you enough for introducing me to this recording, Brother!

HS: Believe me, I was happy to do that! Let’s take a listen to another Scobey and Clancy Hayes collaboration, recorded in 1952: “Big Butter and Egg Man.” When I heard this record for the first time, I was not used to this kind of drumming in a traditional jazz band. It really opened my eyes—and ears! Notice how Fred plays complex rhythms on the snare and ride cymbal on the first ensemble and continuing into George Probert’s solo. He also compliments Probert’s phrasing with Charleston-like beats before going to the rims for Clancy Hayes’ vocal. When Bob Scobey plays a half-chorus, Fred goes back to the intricate snare and cymbal patterns, adding some explosive fills on the final ensemble. He ends the performance with a signature: two quick hits on the snare drum and a definitive cymbal crash on “3.”

Would you say that this track illustrates how the right drummer can really make a traditional jazz band swing?

KD: Absolutely! The drumming here is so swinging and driving and also wonderfully surprising. Fred Higuera really had his own style and I can’t think of anyone else who really played this way. In fact, all of the drummers we’ve discussed had their own sound and it shows you how many different ways there are to approach this music. Fred Higuera and Morey Feld have very different styles, but they both sound great.

I love all the ride cymbal variations that Fred is playing here and they are similar to the ways he varied the rhythm of the choke cymbal in the previous recording. The snare drum accents really pop and drive things along. I especially love that big snare drum accent in the fourth bar of George Probert’s solo; it’s like an explosion! This is a very inspiring recording and there are many great lessons here.

HS: Why don’t we listen to a couple of live performances by the Scobey band that were not vocal features and where the band did not have to adhere to the 78 rpm time limitations? First is a romping, stomping version of “Pretty Baby” from a 1950 concert in Oakland California. There are excellent solos by Darnell Howard, Jack Buck and Burt Bales, booted along by the same kind of drumming that we heard on “Big Butter and Egg Man.” We can hear that shimmering ride cymbal, the well-placed snare drum accents, neat rhythm patterns on the closed hi-hat (with quick triplets between the woodblock and cowbell in the middle of a phrase). Next, everybody brings the volume down for the penultimate chorus, then the front line plays a Chicago-style “flare”—with very rhythmic fill on the snare drum—leading into the outchorus. Fred plays a spirited fill on bar 23 and keeps swinging all the way to a variation of that signature ending (with the mounted tom instead of the snare).

What stands out for you on this track?

KD: I remember being blown away when I first heard this recording, both by the drumming and the band’s uptempo approach to this tune. Fred is so fluid in the way he moves the accents around and he sounds like he had complete control of the instrument. Even though he’s not varying the colors as much on this recording, the rhythmic variations he’s playing keep things exciting. He’s constantly changing the rhythm he’s playing on the ride cymbal and also the accents on the snare drum. Those snare drum accents are like an elbow in the ribs; they really grab your attention! As you mentioned before, accents like this are uncommon in traditional jazz, but in the right hands they really work. Here the accents drive things along, but never get in the way or interrupt the flow.

When he goes to the hi-hat, it doesn’t sound like how Gene Krupa or George Wettling or Jo Jones would play it. It’s more syncopated and staccato. Again, he had his own way of doing things. I hear some similarities to Ben Pollack, but this is really a unique take on traditional jazz drumming and it fits the Scobey band perfectly.

HS: Agreed! Here’s another live track, from the same year but with different personnel (Bob Helm instead of Darnell Howard and no Clancy Hayes) and a rare drum solo by Fred! Despite playing such wonderful and varied rhythm on the records he made with Scobey, Fred’s drumming was never featured except for a few solo breaks. Just listen to him when he was “off the leash!”

KD: It’s a beautiful solo and you’re right that a Fred Higuera solo is too rare of a thing! I love the way he starts just on the snare drum and gradually builds things up, adding snare drum rimshots and then the cowbell, tom toms and other sounds. The solo reminds me of Baby Dodds a bit, as does his ensemble playing here, particularly the accents in very unexpected places and the occasional feeling of playing 3/4 over 4/4. Also, as much as he varies the rhythms when he’s playing on the ride cymbal, rims or hi-hat, his press roll playing here has a very solid backbeat, more than I hear from other drummers.

I’d love to know what stands out to you on this recording.

HS: I also like the way the solo builds in intensity, ending in those spectacular accented triplets on the snare drum. Also, did you hear the two times he hit a single quarter note on the cowbell in the middle of a phrase? That’s a real Ben Pollack lick and we’ll hear it from the source when we resume our discussion of Pollack’s recordings. Otherwise, the drum solo is the highlight of the performance for me and this is exactly how I remember Fred sounding in person!

Next is a recording that continues to amaze me, 60 years after hearing it for the first time. I don’t even want to set it up with comments; just want to play it for you and hear what you think!

KD: I knew exactly what it was going to be! This version of “Hindustan” is an absolute classic. It’s a tour de force for Fred and features a side of him we haven’t heard yet: his mastery of Latin rhythms. He doesn’t sound like a jazz drummer playing a Latin beat, he sounds like an actual Latin percussion section.

Very few traditional jazz bands could sound this authentic in this context and it’s really all because of Fred. Even though he doesn’t play a solo, he’s making this tune happen from beginning to end by playing the shells of the drums, intricate cowbell patterns and jaw dropping timbale-like fills. On the tunes we listened to prior to this, it was obvious he was a great traditonal jazz drummer. But there was no hint that he could also do anything like this. I feel the same way you do; this blew me away the first time I heard it and it continues to do so.

I’d love to hear your comments on this recording!

HS: “Hindustan” had to be next in our playlist. As you say, the whole performance is centered around the extraordinary Latin drumming. I always wondered if it might be possible that Good Time Jazz overdubbed Fred playing a second part. How just could one man accomplish that seamless flow between the instruments, with almost no time to switch from using hands to sticks? I should have asked Fred about that when we were communicating, but really dropped the ball on that. Fortunately, I did have that conversation with his granddaughter. She said, “Oh—he was ambidextrous!” This recording will continue to make drummers do a double-take whenever they hear it.

Interestingly, one of the photos that accompanies this article shows the Scobey band at the Tin Angel in San Francisco. In this shot, Fred has a minimal drum set, but it includes a pair of timbales! As drummers, we naturally assume that he would not want to bother carting extra equipment to a gig, then struggling to fit it onto a cramped stage just to play “Hindustan” once a night. So the question is: Did the Scobey band play other “Spanish Tinge” numbers? Answer: Yes! Take a listen to the recording of Clancy Hayes’ original composition “In New Orleans.” Fred plays a totally different Latin beat, but with the same mastery that we heard on “Hindustan.” (I think this performance may be all hands, too—with karate chops on the cymbals). By the way, this is an alternate take from a VERVE recording session where Scobey augmented the regular band with extra brass and reeds.

KD: This is a more laid-back Latin groove than the one we heard on “Hindustan,” and again we hear the absolute mastery and authenticity that Fred brings to this kind of rhythm. That’s really interesting that he was ambidextrous! Of course it takes a lot of coordination to play the drums, but some of these Latin rhythms take it to an even higher level.

The section where they break into swing is so funky! It can be hard going back and forth between Latin and swing and really maintaining the groove. I’ve always found that tricky, but Fred does an expert job of it here. Again, I can’t think of another traditional jazz band from this period (or really ever!) that could play a Latin piece with this degree of authenticity and just as on “Hindustan,” it’s all Fred! Seeing the photo of his setup with the timbales where the floor tom would usually be is a nice remember that the drumset isn’t “fixed” like most instruments and there’s a lot of leeway to customize it for whatever particular sounds one of going for. Speaking of sound, Fred always gets a beautiful, resonant tone out of the instrument, which speaks to his great touch.

HS: Agreed! I should mention that Fred told me “Always aim for the bottom head.” I think that’s one of the reasons we hear so much resonance in his playing. Obviously, he was careful about tuning the drums. But I remember watching his hands snap the sticks down with authority and he always managed to get the maximum amount of sound from every drum.

We haven’t shared any examples of Fred’s brush playing yet, but there is a fantastic example of what he could do with them on Bob Scobey’s version of “Panama.” It’s really unusual to even hear brushes used on this number, let alone an extended brush solo!

KD: Defnitely unusual, but he really pulls it off and shows that brushes aren’t just for ballads! Fred is swinging aggressively with the brushes, constantly varying the rhythms and accents just as he does when he uses sticks. It’s an unexpected approach that works because he is such a great player.

I love all the tom tom accents and little triplet fills. He really has his own way of playing brushes, doesn’t he? He does something we talked about in one of our Morey Feld articles that only works in the right hands: a cymbal crash on beat one. We’ve heard it on some of Fred’s other recordings as well. This can sometimes sound corny or anachronistic, but both Morey Feld and Fred Higuera (as different as they were) could make it a very exciting and driving effect.

The solo is fantastic with great dynamics and some very fast 16th notes, which are harder to play with brushes since there’s not as much rebound as with sticks. I love how Fred doesn’t do these dazzling displays of technique too often. He chooses a moment here and there and it really grabs your attention. Some drummers have a loose feel and some drummers have great chops, but he was one of those rare drummmers with both. Also the switch to sticks at the end is absolutely seamless.

What do you think of Fred’s brush playing?

HS: I love it. Besides “Panama,” there are several more tracks that were recorded for Verve in 1956, but none of them were released at the time. Fortunately, Jan Scobey issued all the material on her Jansco label, then she sold the rights to Jazzology. There are currently two CDs of previously-unreleased tracks, mostly from 1956, and Fred can be heard playing brushes on several of the performances. As on “Panama,” he plays with a forward momentum but relaxed at the same time. It’s definitely not the “cool” approach we are used to from Jo Jones, Jake Hanna or the “modern” drummers. Actually, except for being more laid-back, Fred’s brushwork reminds me of Morey Feld’s. (Remember that photo of Fred and Morey backstage at Hambone Kelly’s, when Morey played there with Eddie Condon)! In any case, they both played brushes with precision and fantastic technique.

Let’s wind up our presentation with a somewhat unusual recording…In 1957, Bob Scobey made three recordings for RCA Victor: Bing With A Beat (with Bing Crosby), Swingin’ On The Golden Gate and Beauty and the Beat. All of the albums featured Matty Matlock’s arrangements with Scobey, Clancy, trombonist Jack Buck and pianist Ralph Sutton augmented by top Los Angeles jazz/studio musicians. One of our heroes, Nick Fatool, plays on Bing With A Beat. The lesser-known Sammy Goldstein is listed as the drummer on Swingin’ On The Golden Gate. But there is no doubt who is making things happen in the rhythm section on Beauty and the Beat. Right from the start, Fred Higuera proves that he knew exactly how to fit in with the “Hollywood” musicians. Fred’s playing sounds as confident, accurate and propulsive as ever.

We could play dozens of additional sides with Fred Higuera’s wonderful drumming, but if our readers take the time to check out the links we have provided (in the online edition of The Syncopated Times), they will be able to enjoy quite a few of Fred’s recordings. Meanwhile, I’m very happy that we discussed a drummer who I admire so much and who I actually got to meet and hear!

There are many more great drummers we can write about. Would you like to choose the next subject, Brother?

KD: I wish I had gotten to hear Fred Higuera in person, but it’s certainly been a pleasure discussing him with you! I hope people will check out his recordings and enjoy his work.

In thinking about our next article, how about another obscure drummer we love who deserves more attention? I know we’re both fans of Monte Mountjoy, who played with the Firehouse Five and Bob Wills, among others. How about doing an article on him?

HS: You must be reading my mind! I wholeheartedly agree with the choice of Monte Mountjoy, who as you say, deserves more attention. We will also be able to write about his drumming in a slightly different idiom: Western Swing! I look forward to it.