TOTO SITE - Jeff Porcaro article

JEFF PORCARO
They say nobody's irreplaceable, but that's not true. Jeff Porcaro was the best drummer there ever was, and there will never ever be anyone like him again.
There are many great technicians and "surgeons" in the drumming community, that are amazing as circus acts, but when it comes to laying down a solid groove that will touch your center, there is only one Jeff. He was a giant behind the drums because he was a giant as a human being. He expressed his formidable wit and intellect through music.

When Jeff touched the drum kit it was heart and it was soul. He was (I hate speaking of him in the past tense) the perfect musician: sincere, emotional, passionate, witty, enthusiastic, fiery yet soulful. From the heaviest slamming to the softest ballad, he was on the money every time. He put the music, not himself, first, but at the same time his presence always made the music better. Simply put, he had it all. And the wonderful thing is that when you listen to Jeff, you never feel intimidated by his talent. His playing is always inviting and comforting, always sweet-feeling and full of warmth.His modesty made him downplay his special gift. He would always compliment someone else instead of taking credit for something himself.

This modesty also made him utter what is perhaps the most insanely ludicrous statement ever made: "My time sucks." Um...yeah, okay, Jeff. His absolutely peerless time-feel and beat placement is much of the reason his playing feels so amazingly comfortable. Jeff's talent ensured him sessions with everybody from Tommy Bolin to Madonna, and luckily he left us many hundreds of recordings to enjoy. Aside from Toto, some of the best stuff he ever did was with Boz Scaggs. Jeff really shines on the classic SILK DEGREES from 1976. Just listen to how he locks in with David Hungate's bass on the wondrous "Georgia." On that tune, he's on top of the beat, without rushing in any way. Compare that with the laid back opening track "What Can I Say," where he lays the beat well behind. Note the little grace notes he does that really make the eigth-note grooves on this album come alive."Lowdown" is an unforgettable Jeffrey anthem that was originally an eigth-note groove. The sixteenth-note hi-hat strokes (only heard in the left channel) were overdubbed later, after suggestions from Scaggs and Paich. This is why you'll hear the ghost notes just after the backbeat and before the bass drum beats. Those little things that are felt more than heard really makes a groove take off, and Jeff was the master of that. The "Lowdown" groove is actually a version of the end vamp of Toto's "Tale Of A Man," which was written pre-SILK DEGREES by David Paich (who also plays on that album). Paich gave the ending to Scaggs, but saved "Tale Of A Man" for what would be Toto.

The ending of "Harbour Lights" proves that nobody can make a samba groove swing like Jeff. "Lido Shuffle" is a classic ghost-noted shuffle groove, and Jeff's emotional, larger-than-life tom fills are evident in the sublime ballad "We're All Alone". Equally great as SILK DEGREES is his playing on Scaggs' "Jojo" and "Gimme The Goods." Check out the incredible 32nd-note hi-hat thing he does at the fade-out of the latter. It's simply unbelievable how he puts feel into every note of something so busy.Another Porcaro staple is Steely Dan's KATY LIED from 1975. Bear in mind that Jeff was a mere 20 years old when he did that masterpiece. Other great Steely tracks with Jeff are "Night By Night" from PRETZEL LOGIC (1974), and "FM" and "Gaucho," 1978 and 1980 respectively. He also played double drums with his idol Jim Gordon on PRETZEL LOGIC's "Parker's Band." -- that's Jeff in the right channel. The Porcaro shuffle is legendary. One of the best is on Lee Ritenour's cover of "Isn't She Lovely" (1977). The half-time shuffle feel is another legendary Porcaro groove, the most well-known and celebrated of which is on Toto's west coast anthem "Rosanna." But note also Toto's great "Mama" and "These Chains." But perhaps the most signifying of all of Jeff's grooves is the silky-smooth single-handed straight sixteenth-note groove he graced so many records with. One of the best is Michael McDonald's "I Keep Forgettin" (1982).

Other examples are Toto's "Georgy Porgy," "You Are The Flower," "Hydra," "Tale Of A Man," and "99."Other Porcaro gems include the ultra laid back "Dirty Laundry" (Don Henley, 1982), "Calling Elvis" (Dire Straits, 1991), and "Point It Up" (Larry Carlton, 1978). A great instrumental track is Swedish guitarist Tommy Denander's "5492," from his album LESS IS MORE, 1995 (that track was recorded in '91). Just a few heartily recommended albums are JAMES NEWTON HOWARD AND FRIENDS (1983), Larry Carlton's FRIENDS (1983), Les Dudek's self-titled (1976), Bill Champlin's SINGLE (1978), and the legendary west coast crown jewel AIRPLAY (1980). Not only was Jeff the groove maestro No.1, but also his stunning fills were the best, and really opened up the songs he played on. Every time a fill would return in a tune, Jeff would make incremental changes making the tune evolve in an intensifying way, which provided an intriguing listening experience. He was the master of tasteful orchestration around the drum set, leaving space and creating the perfect balance between what you play and what you don't (which is just as important). One of my favourite Porcaro fills is the trademark snare-tom-kick thing (da-ga-doh-doh-doh-bop da-ga-doh-doh-doh-bop) he did on tunes like Leo Sayer's "When I Need You" (1976), "I Think I Could Stand You Forever" (Toto, 1981), "Assault And Battery" (Les Dudek, 1994), and Toto's unbelieavable "Jake To The Bone" (1992). Sadly, I didn't discover Toto until the early 90s, and I feel a great personal void in my life, as I never got to see Jeff play live. But, as everybody else says, I still feel like I know the man, just from listening to his music.