Jazz Review : Nonnis Is Marching to a Different Drummer

Can the irreplaceable be replaced? Can another drummer fill the rhythmic shoes of the amazing Buddy Rich?

Drummer Paolo Nonnis seems to think so. Playing night at At My Place he made a gallant, but ultimately flawed effort to revive the energy and excitement of the Buddy Rich big band.

Nonnis, an excellent musician who has led his own large groups, managed to generate plenty of high voltage. Virtually every number--most of which were drawn from the Rich library--was performed with almost aggressive vigor.

Nonnis’ young collection of players virtually bristled with technical skills, from a soaring trumpet section (led by high-note specialist Bob Clark) to a smoothly integrated saxophone ensemble. Tenor saxophonist Steve Marcus, a mainstay with the later editions of the Rich band, provided several sparkling solos, especially on a hard-rocking “Good News.”

But the original Rich groups, unlike many other big bands, were deeply dependent upon the presence and the virtuosity of their leader, with his drumming the powerful engine that drove the music. As good as Nonnis was, he had neither Rich’s fiery musical precision, nor his sheer, onstage star quality.

To compound the problem, Nonnis chose a selection of numbers that lacked both dynamic variation and the capacity to communicate. If the Rich band revival is fated to move much beyond the drawing board stage, Nonnis is going to have to dig a little deeper into a book that contains impressive charts by the likes of Bill Holman, Don Sebesky and Don Menza, among many others.

The bottom line, of course, is that Rich is not replaceable, and Nonnis probably recognizes that fact. But that’s no reason why the Rich band, with more thoughtful direction than it’s getting at the moment, can’t be revived into an effective contemporary variation on the original.