The Gretsch Broadkaster Snare Drum

Arguably one of the finest snare drums ever made was the Gretsch Gladstone two way or three way tension snare drum. ( See blog date Oct 6th, 2010). There wasn't anything else quite like it and great big band drummers like Chick Webb and Jo Jones raved about the Gladstone. Jo even played a complete set of Gladstone drums. In the 30's, Gretsch based it's reputation on this drum and the company "rode" it for all it was worth
.
 But the Second World War affected drum production and it wasn't until the late 40's that drum companies returned to their normal way of doing business. The music scene was changing also. Be-bop was the trend of the day and Big Bands were starting their long slide into oblivion.

The Gretsch Drum Company recognized this and was johnny-on-the spot in grabbing the lion's share of endorsers who played this "new" music. The list of musicians was most impressive. It  included Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Shelly Manne, Art Taylor, Chico Hamilton, and Charli Persip. The company didn't ignore big band drummers either. Jo Jones continued to play the brand but he was joined by Louis Bellson, Sonny Payne, Don Lamond, Mel Lewis, Shadow Wilson and Dick Shanahan.  Thus Grestch  entered it's glory days.  The company started a run that culminated in the 60's, stumbled a bit in the 70's and 80's, righted itself in the late 90's, and is currently enjoying great success in the marketplace.

All of which brings me to the gorgeous beauty you see pictured here. This is a Gretsch Broadkaster Snare Drum from 1947. She has a 3 ply wooden shell, which was advertised as being perfectly round for life, double flange hoops, self-aligning non strip lugs and the " feather touch" snare strainer.

 This drum has no reinforcing rings. Gretsch engineers believed that such rings distorted the sound. She is wrapped in a White Pearl finish. Later Gretsch drums had a silver sealant on the inside of the shell.  This drum does not. Perhaps not the most sensitive drum around and her sound is "old fashioned". That is to say that younger players who like that real poppy snare sound would not care for her at all. But no matter. She's a real sweet heart, and for us older players, she fits the bill perfectly.

Gretsch Gladstone Snare Drum

Billy Gladstone was a theatre show drummer in New York City in the 1930's. He was accomplished drummer who also had some very definite ideas about drums and their construction. He invented an ingenious tuning system that allowed him to tune his snare drum without lifting it off its stand. This three way, or in some cases, two way tuning system was revolutionary for the time. Billy also believed that the drum shell should be free of any reinforcing rings that would in his estimation distort the true sound of the drum He took his ideas to Gretsch and the Gretsch Gladstone Drum was born.

It was through my teacher, Max Mariash, that I became aware of this drum, albeit in a rather roundabout way. As I mentioned in an earlier blog entry, Max turned me on to Papa Jo Jones. The first picture that I saw of Papa Jo showed him sitting behind a complete set of Gretsch Gladstone Drums. That was it.....if the great Jo Jones played those drums, I needed to find out more about them.

Back in the day, the 1960's, there wasn't a lot of information about drums. No one thought about collecting them. You bought a kit, used it until it fell apart, then you bought another one. But I, like many others, were fascinated by all the different drum companies and their products. Those drums that interested me, like the Rogers Wood Dynasonic Snare Drum, I wanted to buy and play. The Gretsch Gladstone fit into this category.

I never thought I would ever get to play this drum until one fall afternoon I walked into a drum shop in the upper Midwest and, lo and behold, there sat the drum you see pictured at the top of this entry. To say she's beautiful, is a colossal understatement. The drum is a dream to play. All in all, the Gretsch Gladstone occupies a special place in American Drum History.

Papa Jo Jones

My time studying with Max Mariash involved not only rudimental practice, but listening and savoring the playing of great jazz drummers. Max was able to listen to a recording and quickly identify the drummer. It didn't make any difference who was playing--Chick Webb, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Louie Bellson, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Buddy Rich, or Gene Krupa.
But there was one drummer who brought a smile to Max's face and the statement, " Yeah, really swinging." That drummer was Papa Jo Jones. I still remember the first time I heard the great Count Basie Band with Papa Jo playing on Jumping at the Woodside, One O'clock Jump, Swinging the Blues, and Every Tub. His playing was propulsive, yet somewhat understated---elegant even, but always, always swinging.
Louie Bellson appeared at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago many, many times. I would go to every show that I could and chat with Louie after the gig. More than once, Louie would talk about Papa Jo and rave about his playing. He described his brush playing, "like that of a fan dancer."
The pictured LP is actually a French release. I purchased it many years ago when I worked at the local record store. Papa Jo is on the cover and he plays on a number of cuts. His playing is wonderful. There's no other word to describe it.
His influence still resounds through the years. His playing with Count Basie and others never "gets old." He was one of the greatest drummers ever.