354 - George Fludas: A Lifetime of Chicago Jazz, Playing in The Ray Brown Trio, The Alchemy of Sound and Feel from Bonham to Blakey

Chicago drummer George Fludas was born in Chicago on October 10, 1966. He was inspired to play drums by his father, who was also a drummer, and who exposed him to great jazz drummers such as Art Blakey, Max Roach, and "Philly" Joe Jones.

He has played with many stellar musicians such as Lou Donaldson, Kenny Burrell, Betty Carter, Benny Green, Roy Hargrove, Hank Jones, Cedar Walton, Diana Krall, Benny Carter, Phil Woods, and Bobby Hutcherson. George has performed at numerous jazz venues in the U.S. such as the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, Yoshi’s in Oakland, the Blue Note, Village Vanguard, Smoke and the Jazz Standard in New York and Catalina's in Hollywood, as well as many international Jazz Festivals, including Montreal Festival du Jazz, Bern Jazz Fest in Switzerland, and Glasgow and Edinburgh Jazz Fests. He toured Europe and Japan extensively as a member of Ray Brown's Trio, and with groups led by Hank Jones, Diana Krall, Monty Alexander, Cedar Walton and Joey Defrancesco. He can be heard on numerous recordings as a sideman with Ray Brown, Eric Alexander, Monty Alexander, Bobby Broom, Lin Halliday and The Chicago Jazz Orchestra.

In this episode, George talks about:

• What makes a successful jazz club
• His experience playing with the iconic Ray Brown trio
• How Bonham influenced him, and what Bonham had in common with some jazz drumming icons
• How the synthesis of sound and feel should be included in the definition of "technique"
• How the Chicago scene shaped him as a player and the musical element that is prevalent in Chicago jazz
• How the trends of remote recording and sample packs are working their way into jazz