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Not sure if someone posted this before? Serious pocket...

^^^ Thanks for that Julian !!
I knew Simon playing with The Corrs, but watching the session is great.
Serious pocket and serious/excellent fills in a pop context !!

Julián Fernández wrote:Not sure if someone posted this before? Serious pocket...

I remember when I bought that CD, I had no idea Simon was on it. Caroline Corr is a bit of a plodder, and when "Toss the Feathers" started it was obvious who it was in the first bar after the drum entry. That second tune on the video isn't on the album.

Here's how the track finished up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laqhCKLDRAo

More about "Observatory" recording process:

What I love most about Simon is his ability to be able to sound like himself on anything he plays on. He never seems to compromise, even down to his wide open tuning, which I guess is the sign of a true artist. IDENTITY.

The Steve Weingart "dialogue" album is great also. Some great writing and performances. These latest albums are must haves for fusion lovers. Simon just kills on these albums.

Simon is a perfect example of how jazz drummers who later fused rock and jazz(Billy Cobham, Tony Williams), had such a huge effect on rock drummers. Influenced by two pioneering jazz drummers, Simon doesn't play a note of jazz. He's a rock drummer, and yet because of his influences he has a jazz phrasing sensibility about his playing. I've always been a fan. That's right Jay, some drummers never change their sound, but unlike Gadd who's pretty much the only one who has the same drum sound on every style, , Simon's musical reach isn't vast. You won't hear him on a latin jazz recording, a jazz recording, or an R+B record. It's rock, and rock fusion. So really, he has no need to change his tuning preferences. I personally like when drummers change gear to suit a style or certain sound. Personality doesn't diminish , it's still their approach.

Simon doesn't play a note of jazz? He sure does. Not a fan of his jazz skills but he can play the style. I forget the DVD I have of him playing jazz in the studio. It's good. I do prefer to him in the fusion / rock gig genre.

Didn't Simon grow up playing jazz?

Definetly a rock drummer, though. Sounds great on his own stuff and is very identifiable. I've always mised a lttle something when he plays Rosanna, though.

Simon has played and still plays jazz but stay tuned for a post on what jazz is and isn't.