Search - Buddy Rich :: No Funny Hats

Jimmie D. (Starbuck) from FORT WORTH, TX
Reviewed on 12/27/2006...

A jazz classic.

I hope this is one of many to come in this series!

jjmusic | Cape Cod, MA | 11/21/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"No Funny Hats is Buddy and the band at their best. For music alone this album is a solid five stars. For packaging and (lack of) content, I'd have to knock off one star. For starters, Grand Concourse by Bob Kaye is the full version, when it was first in the book. The rock section in the middle, while not the most interesting part, was later pulled to make a more cohesive medium swing chart. From a collector's standpoint, it's invaluable that Grand Concourse is available here in it's full incarnation! Ditto for Slow Funk. The ending was later shortened and some of the band backgrounds during the solo were taken out, and it's glorious to hear the whole chart here. Want to turn someone on to BR who may be "anti-jazz"? Play them Slow Funk and you've just converted them!

Excellent recordings of Bugle Call, West Side, Rhoda Rat, and Someday My Prince. For BR fans, this album is a treasure of what we all knew was the best of Buddy - when he was playing live! It would be great to have recordings like this available that showcase the entire book. Cathy could probably release soundboard tapes from the mid 70's to mid 80's Buddy Rich Band every week for the next year and it wouldn't get old!

BUT... ...the cd is too short. Even adding one more chart would have not only made this a better buy, but it would have felt like a full set of music. Please get some new pictures of Buddy to put on covers. We've all seen the Slingerland PR shot a thousand times, and some new pictures from the same time frame as the album(he wasn't even playing Slingerland for this recording), would be appreciated. However, that's a small 'but' for a great release. GET IT. NOW! And Cathy, please keep the albums coming!"

Great CD by Buddy and his Killer Force

Lasse Markhus | Norway | 03/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd is one of the best by Buddy Rich and his Big Band, and that really says it all.

The soundquality is really good and you can hear absolute everything, crystal-clear. I think this cd displays how an actual concert with Buddy was like, and therefore it's definitely worth a listen. Highlights are: Bugle Call Rag, Slow Funk and West Side Story Suite (which contains, in my opinion, one of the best solos ever done by Buddy; he's adventurous and plays some unbelievable, rudimental snaredrum stuff). Awesome phrasing, breathtaking.

A great addition to your collection."