Sunday, May 26, 2013

Remembering Ed Shaughnessy

I was saddened to read the news of the death of drummer Ed Shaughnessy. Ed is best known to musicians as the man who held down the drum chair in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orchestra on "The Tonight Show" for almost thirty years. Lesser known, but equally important, were his efforts to educate and promote musicians. I had the honor to meet the man, and count myself better for the experience.

I was a young college drummer in 1981 when Ed came to our school to perform. He didn't bring his own musicians, choosing instead to work with the jazz lab band at our school. A popular part of his performance was a "drum battle" with the lab band's regular drummer. I was that poor guy in 1981. Ed was at the height of his powers, a player who was mentioned in the same breath as guys like Buddy Rich, Bill Cobham, Steve Gadd, and other masters. I was not much more than a kid. I had some formal training but was no technical genius. In a "drum battle" with a man like Ed, I was unarmed. I tried to keep a calm demeanor, but inside I was terrified at the prospect of playing with Ed.

Then, I actually met the man. Ed was a humble, unassuming person who didn't have to be an egotist, because he was comfortable with himself. He made himself available to the students in a way many other "guest artists" who came to our school never did. He wore his open-mindedness and positive attitude on his sleeve and did his best to learn from every experience and help others do the same whenever he could. VH1 has its "Save the Music" program. Ed Shaughnessy was a one-man "Save the Music."

When the time came for the "drum battle," I decided I wasn't going to fight at all. I let Ed take the lead as we traded solos, playing variations off of his rhythmic ideas. The exchanges slowly built in complexity and intensity to a rolling thunder of a climax. When it was over, with the audience on its feet and roaring, Ed turned to me and said, "that's as much fun as I've had in fifteen years." It doesn't even matter that he went easy on me, and I knew it. I still consider that experience to be the singular highlight of my musical career.

I believe there's an omission in the Los Angeles Times obituary that needs to be corrected. In addition to his son Daniel, daughter-in-law Nicah, and three grandchildren, Edwin Thomas Shaughnessy is also survived by an extended family of countless thousands of musicians whose lives and music he touched. I consider myself proud to be a member of that extended family. Thanks, Ed, for everything.

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