Lessons from a Master

Earlier in my playing career I had the privilege of taking lessons from one of the true characters in the drumming scene. He wasn't renowned nationally but on the local scene he was called simply Mad Bob.

His technique was awesome and his ability unquestionable. Bob was able to play, beat for beat, many of the best-known pieces by his hero Buddy Rich. Bob was the driving force behind many of the big bands and brass bands in the region. Always a spectacle, his trademark beaming smile visible amongst the blur of arms and sticks, a smile that clearly demonstrated his passion and ecstasy as he sat behind the band, pushing the music along, stabbing with the horns, giving everything to the music and people he loved.

The main lesson I learned from Bob was his passion for playing, his passion for teaching, his passion for life.

Years later I had the privilege of visiting Bob at his home, just before he passed away. A man now ravaged by an illness that took his voice, his strength and co-ordination, and that could have so easily taken his dignity. But deep in his eyes burned that same fire that had burned through those previous years. Nothing inside Bob had changed, except now he was also at peace with his Maker.

The creativity and drive came from his heart and his inner passion and was inextinguishable to the end.

I hope that in my life and playing, I can show something of the passion and commitment that I learned from my friend and teacher, the late, great, Mr Bob Nutt.