Frankie Dunlop's half-century in the music business ....

Artist Biography by Eugene Chadbourne

Frankie Dunlop's half-century in the music business resulted in an accumulation of musical wealth, a concept that does not always revolve around bank accounts. Dunlop was a jazz drummer, one of the greats, whose performances have been raved about by critics and jazz fans alike, sometimes even described so passionately it would seem like he was participating in some kind of psychedelic music event. (From a web log: "...Dunlop has this falling-down-the-stairs melodic, sloppy-droppy sh*t going on that's like fireworks going off in my head.") Drummers with a sense of history, which ought to be all of them, prefer a simple anecdote when summing up the glory of Dunlop. Gene Krupa, the great swing star and one of the most popular drummers in music history, heard Dunlop for a set and promptly made arrangements for him to get free equipment from the Slingerland company.

A return to extravagant imagery is suitable, especially considering that Dunlop's lengthy drum solos during the normal course of a Thelonious Monk combo set have been described as "extravaganzas." The following image involving the drummer's discography will probably also come in handy if extra storage space is required for the largesse, in terms of free drum sets, resulting from Krupa doingDunlop "a solid." Dunlop's solid contribution to jazz, in terms of recorded sides amounting to nearly 100 albums by the time he retired in 1984, can be compared to vast underground caves full of treasure. Amid steep, shimmering piles of gold such as the sides with Monk from a nearly four-year stay beginning in 1960, meltdowns with Sonny Rollins, or brilliant later live recordings with Lionel Hampton's touring band, are trinkets of incredible charm, adding another dimension to the understanding of this artist -- such as a track with silly castanets accompaniment or another in whichDunlop steps forward to deliver an amusing bebop vocal.

Read more: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/frankie-dunlop-mn0000212389/biography