Wednesday, September 30, 2020

WE ARE PRIMITIVE STILL

                                                ROYAL NAVY DAYS OF SAIL - MARINE DRUMMER


DRUMS. Who can fail to react to them?

 

As I grew up, one of the earliest sounds that impressed me was the sound of drums. It actually went far beyond that to the idea of drums and the influence of the drumbeat.

 

The link to this primitive influence was instilled and re-inforced at almost every level. From civic pageantry , to comic books, to military parades and entertainment and tales of history, the influence of drums was important.

 

My childhood was launched during the Second World War, and even going to the Movies in my pyjamas as a very little fellow carried by Dad and Mum, I learned the necessity to stand for “God Save the King” before the show began – drums rolled and the mighty anthem burst forth while the image of King George VI appeared against a background of ocean waves (which of course, we “knew” Britannia ruled with our help). So the drums attested to dignity , honour and glory.

 

But when I was at home, Tarzan comic books and others, referred to different drums : menacing, not understood – jungle drums! Who knew what “the natives” in the African Jungle were up to ! Surely with all those drums in the night menace was the intent. And I pretty soon learned that the heroes – apart from Tarzan and his skimpy loincloth, were desperately scared of those “jungle drums” – it seemed that the Safari Suit and Pith Helmet goodies and even their almost civilised native bearers were often scared out of their wits at the sound of drums.

 

                                                                   THE PHANTOM


Then the movies got into the “swords and sandals” genre – ancient Rome and later still Ancient Egypt. Drums again but now the drums had a different role – they inspired resolution in the troops of Rome and earlier of Egypt, but that very relentless resolution whilst it steeled the troops, struck fear into the hearts of the enemies of the two Empires. I was steadily absorbing the lore of the Drum.

Then came the Death and Funeral of King George Vi and I learned the effect of the muffled drums, and the solemnity of the muffled Base Drum and its slow beat.

 

After an indecent length of time, there came the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Civic processions and military parades abounded as the English-speaking world determined that it would shake off the austerity and gloom of wartime and open the “new Elizabethan Age”! The drums were everywhere involved it was a drummers Paradise. But these drums marked nothing but joy, confidence and celebration.


                                                DRUM OF THE ROYAL MARINES

The world was changing rapidly. Thoughts of “jungle drums” became embarrassing reminders of the now unpopular “colonialism” – what had been pre-war a sign of glorious power, and at the same time called forth the concept of “noblesse oblige” was truly awkward and embarrassing. The former colonies were all in short order to become independent nations. They too were embarrassed by the fact of having been colonies and wanted nothing to do with memories or imaginings of “jungle drums” – if they had anything to say long distance they would use the telephone or telegraph.

 

All the while there was an entirely different type of drum at work. The United States was to bring many new influences to the world, and prominent among those was its own varieties of music. In the 19th Century through the compositions of John Philip Sousa new zest was brought to Military Band Music and the roles available to the drum in that time were very important. Quite a world apart from such military music however lively, was the evolution of popular band music . Here the drummer came to be a stand-out performer. No one was more successful than Gene Krupa (1909 – 1973) .His wild solo drumming performances in jazz music were immensely popular. Whereas drums had always had a powerful mental, spiritual and psychological effect, jazz drumming seemed more to relate to merely physical excitement.


                                                                    GENE KRUPA

Summing it all up, we can see that the impact of drums on man has always been at a  very basic level – a primitive level if you will – instilling fear, or awe or giving voice to grief, or exciting emotions of force, vigour, invincibility or terror of the perceived threat or the imagined unknown threat. Then, when all the banners and standards of honour and dignity were falling the wild abandon of the jazz drumming swept everything else away.                      ,                                                                                                                                               


All good fun!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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