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Timo-Germany
Well-Known Member
Dear drummers,
In my new video, I present a complete transcription of Alex Acuña's drum part from Weather Report's legendary track Birdland. Transcribed to the best of my knowledge and belief, but as usual, with a few question marks here and there.
Birdland was released in 1977 on the album Heavy Weather and is one of keyboardist Joe Zawinul's most famous compositions. Zawinul wrote Birdland as a tribute to the famous Birdland club in Manhattan, named after Charlie “Bird” Parker. The club was a popular meeting place for all the jazz greats and had a lasting influence on Zawinul's musical development. Zawinul described it as the “most important place in his life.”
Birdland combines jazz and fusion elements with catchy melodies, complex harmonies, and synthesizer sounds that were novel at the time. The original tempo is approximately 157 BPM, but it was often played faster live. The continuous groove is characteristic. Alex Acuña plays mostly constant eighth notes on the hi-hat with hi-hat openings on the off-beats and rim clicks on 1, 2, 3, 4, but repeatedly picks up accents from the melody and integrates them into his playing. He refrains from extended fill-ins and lets the groove pulsate uninterrupted, which supports the catchy character of the piece. His bass drum figures are very variable and do not follow a fixed pattern; they are also based on melodic fragments and, of course, Pastorius' bass lines. According to Jaco Pastorius, the studio recording of Birdland was recorded in a single take. Manolo Badrena's tambourine was most likely overdubbed separately later.
Please enjoy!
In my new video, I present a complete transcription of Alex Acuña's drum part from Weather Report's legendary track Birdland. Transcribed to the best of my knowledge and belief, but as usual, with a few question marks here and there.
Birdland was released in 1977 on the album Heavy Weather and is one of keyboardist Joe Zawinul's most famous compositions. Zawinul wrote Birdland as a tribute to the famous Birdland club in Manhattan, named after Charlie “Bird” Parker. The club was a popular meeting place for all the jazz greats and had a lasting influence on Zawinul's musical development. Zawinul described it as the “most important place in his life.”
Birdland combines jazz and fusion elements with catchy melodies, complex harmonies, and synthesizer sounds that were novel at the time. The original tempo is approximately 157 BPM, but it was often played faster live. The continuous groove is characteristic. Alex Acuña plays mostly constant eighth notes on the hi-hat with hi-hat openings on the off-beats and rim clicks on 1, 2, 3, 4, but repeatedly picks up accents from the melody and integrates them into his playing. He refrains from extended fill-ins and lets the groove pulsate uninterrupted, which supports the catchy character of the piece. His bass drum figures are very variable and do not follow a fixed pattern; they are also based on melodic fragments and, of course, Pastorius' bass lines. According to Jaco Pastorius, the studio recording of Birdland was recorded in a single take. Manolo Badrena's tambourine was most likely overdubbed separately later.
Please enjoy!
