Defining The Funky Groove With Zigaboo Modeliste Of The Original Meters

Zigaboo was one of the founding members of the Original Meters. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org

One of the funkiest drummers to ever walk the planet was and is Zigaboo Modeliste, of the Original Meters. This cat defined the New Orleans funk groove as part of one of the funkiest bands out there. Zigaboo created the famous “Cissy Strut” drum groove and countless others. Fortunately, Zigaboo’s still drumming to this day with all sorts of great acts, but no matter who else he plays with, his style of drumming is truly distinct. I collected a few videos featuring Zigaboo, some of his warm-ups, and some funky playing. I hope you dig all the videos as much as I did!

This first video comes from a performance at Rockefeller in 2010. The band’s playing “Cissy Strut,” and my head’s still bobbing along with the music, even though the video stopped playing a few minutes ago. Zigaboo is joined by some of his Norwegian friends, and although it’s not the Original Meters, they’re still funky. Check out this classic funk groove at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AahAPLJODQ.

I came across this little gem while searching for performances from Zigaboo. He put together a short video covering some of his warm-up routine. Although he’s not a stellar rudiment player, even his warm-ups groove. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsObMYZAcok.

Lastly, Zigaboo was a part of a project called RE:GENERATION with Mark Ronson and Erykah Badu. Enjoy their performance at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PAq7VmyVVs. Even though Zigaboo is in a completely different band, the group grooves just as hard because he’s laying down the beat.

I hope you enjoyed hearing from one of the funkiest drummers alive. He’s been inspiring entire generations of funk drummers as long as he’s been behind the kit. There’s more coming your way at Play Drums By Ear, so stay tuned.

Thanks,

Chris