How much if any theory did Buddy Rich know?

[Robert P]

I know he was big on drum technique but did he know anything about the nuts and bolts of composition, arranging, harmony etc.?
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[Larry Smithee]

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[Tony Scodwell]

I can say with certainty that Buddy could not read a note, nor did he need to. The recording we did with Sammy Davis, Jr. was done at 4 in the morning after we finished our gig ("The Sounds Of '66" and the charts were handed out then. Buddy had such an innate sense he literally played them down the first time and for what it's worth, so did Sammy. When we were starting the first rehearsal with his new band (after leaving Harry in 1966) Oliver Nelson was "hired" to write the new charts. He showed up with a stack of music that had been recorded earlier by Jimmy Smith and his own "Blues and the Abstract Truth" recording. One of the charts was "Hoe Down" which had some different time signatures. Buddy did want to hear that one first before he played it. He never missed anything.

Tony Scodwell
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[kehaulani]

To riff off of that, I attended a rehearsal of the Tonight Show Band that had Buddy as a guest artist that evening.

Buddy listened to the tune once, from the front of the band, with Shaughnessy
playing. I thought it was maybe Buddy's band's arrangement and that Buddy was just checking out the interpretation or precision of the performance.

Buddy listened to the tune, then traded places with Ed. He then played the chart with the band ONCE through, beautifully, not skipping a beat.

What blew me away was that, later, I found out that that wasn't Buddy's chart at all, but the Tonight Show Band's chart and Buddy was just "sight-reading".
Absolutely phenomenal!
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[american boy]

Buddy used to have a drummer who also set up the band,at least when I was on the band. When a new chart came in,the drummer/roadie would play the chart and Buddy would watch,and memorize the arrangement. He would then play it once thru and have it..Once he had it, he HAD IT..No I would not have used Buddy to sight read anything,but he did have a firm understanding of form..I would also say that his aggressive way of playing kind of leaned the chart into that intensity..even the Ballads.

[gchun01]

I believe Steve Arnold was one those drummers. Wasn't he married to Cathy Rich?