Part One of this discussion of Morey Feld appeared in our March 2024 issue, and Part Two was published in May 2024.
Hal Smith: Brother Kevin, I have really been looking forward to this analysis of another film where we can see and hear the great Morey Feld onscreen. By the way, thanks to YOU for making me aware of it and also for commenting on some of the techniques that Morey used. (We’ll get to that shortly). In 1966, Benny Goodman took a sextet to the Belgium Jazz Festival in Brussels. This documentary film includes footage of a rehearsal at a Belgian hotel and one entire song filmed at the festival. The musicians on the Belgium gig were: Goodman, clarinet; Doc Cheatham, trumpet; Bernie Leighton, piano; Les Spann, guitar; Al Hall, bass; and Morey Feld, drums. That’s a mix of old pros with extensive big band and studio credentials and a couple of younger players who were not part of the older swing tradition. However, it works! And as we hear the band warming up, it is apparent right away that Morey is going to be the anchor in the rhythm section. Do you hear it the same way, Brother?
Kevin Dorn: When they start rehearsing the new piece, we hear Morey switch to sticks and again his swing and assertiveness really come through. The guys are working things out and they’re sight reading, so there is some natural tentativeness. As a drummer, Morey Feld can’t afford to be tentative; the whole thing would fall apart! He really keeps things intense and swinging and creates a good feeling for everyone. This is so important for a drummer to do and you can tell that the rest of the rhythm section is digging it! I’m also struck by the precision and clarity in his playing, whether with brushes or sticks. There’s no hesitation and every beat is perfectly placed. He moves from the ride cymbal to the hi-hat effortless and that bass drum sound! Just fantastic. Morey Feld is swinging harder in a rehearsal than most drummers would be able to do on an actual gig! Speaking of which, shall we move on to the concert itself?
HS: Yes, but before we leave the rehearsal—I want to compliment Morey for how natural he sounds playing a post-swing drum style. The melody of the song being rehearsed is kind of boppy, but Morey plays exactly the right groove, coordinating the ride cymbal with snare drum accents and bass drum bombs. After hearing him on this number, I think Morey would have been at home in the house band at Howard Rumsey’s Lighthouse! Now let’s go to the concert…The drum sizes look like “Super Classic” and the bass drum spurs and rail consolette tom-tom holder resemble those on the “Club Date” sets. But the floor tom has angled legs. Any idea what set—or combination of equipment—Morey was playing on this concert?
KD: First of all, I think you’re right on about the modernness of Morey’s playing. I would love to hear him with Zoot Sims or Stan Getz. I know it would sound great! Moving on to the concert, the bass drum and small tom do look like Ludwig to me, but I’m not sure about the rest. I wonder if these were his own drums. I’ve never seen him with this set and I don’t know if he usually played Ludwig around this time. It’s a fascinating mystery. What really stands out to me from “The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise” is the way Morey is using both hands to play the uptempo hi-hat. Usually drummers would have one hand on the hi-hat, but the way he’s splitting up the rhythms between both hands gives it a unique feeling, almost like a train beat. I think Gene Krupa would do something similar on occasion, but it’s very rare to see anyone play this way. Have you seen any other drummers do this and what do you think of it?
HS: You mentioned that unusual method of playing hi-hat when you first told me about this film. It really is effective—especially at a bright tempo such as “The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise” in this film. But first, Morey starts out quietly, swinging with brushes as Goodman vamps—all the while looking directly at the drummer! As soon as Morey hears a statement of the melody, he plays a declarative BOOM! on the bass drum. After just one chorus with the brushes, he picks up the sticks and starts wailing on the hi-hat, using the technique you described. His hi-hats were set up close to the snare and one of the cymbals, so both hands were able to play accents and cymbal crashes without moving too much. Also, I notice that Morey is holding the right stick with his fingers only; it looks like that stick never touches the palm of his hand. With finger control like that, we can understand how he played so crisply and accurately on fast tempos!
KD: Morey was using that very open right hand grip in those 1962 videos with Bobby Hackett. It looks like the stick would go flying out of his hand; he’s barely holding it! I found this is be very inspirational and it’s something I’m working on and trying to get better at. Another great lesson from Morey Feld! I feel that Benny Goodman is having such a great time in this video and he’s clearly getting off on how Morey is driving him and the band. I think sometimes people overlook how incredibly swinging these later Goodman SMALL groups could be. It’s nice to see Benny obviously appreciating Morey’s contribution. Unfortunately Morey’s solo happens off camera, but we hear him using similar patterns to what he played on “Swing That Music” with Hackett and I can tell he’s doing some of those crossovers, crossing his arms over and under each other as he moves from the snare drum to the floor tom. He had such great facility on the instrument. Also, that out chorus is about as hot as one can get!
HS: Yes, indeed. That stick grip and the hi-hat technique are two things I’m going to try out on my next gig—with extra sticks handy, just in case! There must have been a “drum solo gremlin” embedded in the film crew during the concert. Someone thought it would be more instructive for us to see a Belgian gardener dropping his cigar than to watch Morey Feld play a blazing-hot drum solo!!! But as you say, we can hear a definite resemblance to the fast paradiddles and crossovers used during “Swing That Music” on the film with Bobby Hackett. And how about those offbeat quarter note “hits” that Goodman played during the last part of the drum solo? It is obvious that Goodman was both listening closely to the rhythm patterns that Morey was playing and he was clearly inspired by what he was hearing. Many times it’s the other way around, with the drummer echoing phrases that the clarinetist plays! In any case, there can be no doubt that Benny Goodman appreciated his drummer on this occasion…playing at Morey, kicking one foot in the air, playing extra choruses and then beaming at the conclusion of the song.
KD: There’s a great feeling on this concert and we’re lucky it was filmed. I love when the narrator says, “The Jazz bombards every man, woman and child…”! I don’t know if those would have been my choice of words, but there’s definitely some heavy swinging going on here. In the new piece, “The Monk Swings,” Morey Feld plays some great bass drum accents to answer the phrases of the melody. He really shapes the arrangement, the way other great drummers like Gene Krupa, Sid Catlett and Jo Jones would. Under Benny’s solo, he builds perfectly from the hi-hat to the ride cymbal, adding the backbeat across the rim that we saw and heard him use in the Eddie Condon video. I think it’s perfect accompaniment to what Benny is playing. Look at how relaxed Morey Feld is! He’s just flicking his wrist to get the sound and there’s that great shot where he’s rocking back and forth, clearly in the zone. I also love the powerful crash he plays as a button on the end of the tune. And stay out!
HS: I guess that take-no-prisoners version of “The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise” was just another day at the office for Morey! And the switch from “hot” to “cool” did not affect the intensity of his drumming or his ability to groove. On “The Monk Swings,” he really is in the zone, as you said. His manner is totally relaxed, as is his drumming, but he is definitely in charge of the rhythm section! This performance illustrates just how well he interacted with Benny Goodman; he is listening closely to the clarinetist, adding punctuations on the snare and bass drum to Goodman’s phrases. It is also apparent that he had memorized the song, as all the hits he plays are in exactly the right spots and he even joins the other instrumentalists on the section with the descending melody line. This performance illustrates why Morey Feld was one of Benny Goodman’s most interactive drummers; playing snare drum accents, bass drum bombs, full-set fills and cymbal crashes that stimulate the proceedings, rather than just marking time on a cymbal. And listen to his trademark triplets on the snare, ushering in the final “shout” chorus before the return to the main theme (set up by triplets on the tom-tom, indicating a change in dynamics and a minor key). As you pointed out, nothing says “The End” like that final cymbal crash! You know, these performances were filmed during the time that Morey was playing with the “Nine Greats of Jazz” (later “TEN Greats of Jazz” and finally “The World’s Greatest Jazz Band”) around Denver. You and I have raved about the drumming on those LPs, but as far as we can tell, there is zero film footage of Morey with any of those groups. Our consolation prize is actually seeing him onscreen from the same time period and playing with the same command of the instrument that we hear on those “Jazz In The Troc” LPs. I’m very thankful for this film—especially since I believe it is the last onscreen appearance by Morey. He died—tragically—in a fire at his home just five years after the appearance in Brussels. Do you have any final thoughts on these performances, Brother?
KD: I wholeheartedly agree with your comparison between Morey’s playing in this video and the “Jazz In The Troc” performances. I think this is really him at his best, with all the great qualities of his playing on full display. I just wanted to add that usually at this point in his career, Morey was using two tom toms on the bass drum, whereas he only has one for the Belgium concert. I don’t know if this was because these weren’t his drums or because he felt he didn’t need the extra tom with Goodman, but it’s an interesting change. This is probably my favorite performance of Morey Feld on video and I’ll be studying it for a long time!
HS: I also wondered whether the drums on this film were Morey’s, or if the festival provided them. Either way, those Ludwigs sound terrific – as they always do! I agree with you regarding this performance. Previously, I thought the Bobby Hackett “Goodyear” program was the best, but the drumming on this 1966 film is even better and it has introduced me to several techniques that I can’t wait to try out! Until additional film footage of Morey Feld surfaces, what are your thoughts concerning an article about the great Ben Pollack?
KD: I think that’s a great idea! Ben Pollack is another of my favorites and someone who is definitely deserving of greater recognition. It would be a pleasure to discuss his drumming with you. Can’t wait!
HS: It’s a deal, then. Let’s get together soon and talk about “The Daddy of ‘em all!”
Hal Smith is an Arkansas-based drummer and writer. He leads the El Dorado Jazz Band and the
Mortonia Seven and works with a variety of jazz and swing bands. Visit him online at
halsmithmusic.com
Kevin Dorn is familiar to our readers as a much-in-demand jazz drummer based in the NYC area. Find him on the web atwww.kevindorn.com
