Premiere: Hear a Track from Buddy Rich’s Final Recording

By DownBeat I Dec. 3, 2019

Gearbox Records is set to issue *Just In Time: The Final Recording* by drummer and bandleader Buddy Rich (1917–’87) on Dec. 6.
(Photo: Stuart Nicholson)

Few drummers in jazz history are as revered as Buddy Rich (1917–’87), who achieved fame as a musician, bandleader and frequent guest on TV shows.

On Dec. 6, Gearbox Records, in conjunction with the Rich Estate, will release Just In Time: The Final Recording, which captures a 1986 performance by Rich’s big band at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in London.

The premiere of “Just In Time” is below.

Just In Time will be available digitally and in four physical formats. Along with the standard double LP and standard CD, there will be a collector’s edition of the album on triple-gatefold vinyl and double-gatefold CD, with more than 30 minutes of bonus content from the performance, including the extended drum solo from the show’s encore.

In a press statement, Matt Harris, who played on the album, said, “Like any of the road bands in that time period, it was always very exciting to record with the band. It made a lot of the other gigs worth it when you finally recorded, and it also documented the band in its true element. Recording studios can be very intimidating for musicians as opposed to a live gig, where you’re putting it all on the line. ... I think this recording showcases the band at its highest level. You cannot get great studio musicians to sound like this.”

The legendary drummer—who was voted into the DownBeat of Hall of Fame in 1974—also is the subject of a new book from Hudson Music, Buddy Rich: One of a Kind, written by Pelle Bergland and featuring a foreword by Max Weinberg.

For additional information about the release, visit the Gearbox website. DB