Drummers’ Forum: More about Morey Feld

Hal Smith: Brother Kevin, we have received quite a lot of positive comments for our first article on Morey Feld. Before we begin part two, I need to make a correction: Last time I wrote that he played cymbal crashes on “4” but I meant to say on “1” (the downbeat). In the wrong hands, that is like applying the brakes too quickly. It’s just another “broken rule” like the cross-stick on the snare drum, but it sounds all right when Morey played it! We mentioned that this current article will address the films in which Morey Feld can clearly be seen playing drums. While there are bits and pieces of “Sweet And Low-Down” (1944, featuring Benny Goodman’s Orchestra and Quartet) online, there is very little of Morey—and much of what we see onscreen does not match the drumming on the soundtrack. There are also some brief glimpses of him on one of the 1958 Art Ford’s Jazz Party TV programs. But the cameraman never settled on the drums for more than a couple of seconds. So…let’s talk about the 1962 program that Bobby Hackett’s Sextet recorded for Goodyear Tires. The original films are badly faded, but thanks to the Storyville company, we are able to view a restored print of the Hackett performance. The sextet is an outstanding combination, with Hackett on cornet; Urbie Green, trombone; Bob Wilber, clarinet; Dave McKenna, piano; Nobil Totah, string bass; and of course