musical drummers...who are they ???

How about one of the best and sought after studio drummers; Jim Keltner. Great rhythym and beat and never got in the way

Phil Collins has to be up there because he wrote so much music... but my all time favorite as a pure drummer has to be Steve Ferrone.

He may not be well known and has mostly done contract work.

I have heard him play live with Average White Band in the late 70's, then with Duran Duran for a stint (Notorious album) and then I lost track of him untill he appeared with Tom Petty live and featured on the Wildflowers album.

Although guys like Buddy Rich or Neal Peart can probably "out drum" Steve in terms of BPM or overall activity ...there are very few that can achieve so much feeling from drumming. Steve makes slight adjustments in timing that create huge feeling.

Fabulou is hardly a way to describe a so called drummer who has a hard time holding a basic four four beat! The guy stumbles all over himself---it's silly. And yes Watts is even worse---watching him crossover from his snare to his hi-hat is nasty. These guys were in the right place at the right time. It clearly has nothing to do with talent.

Joe Morello with the Dave Brubeck Quartet. One of his best solos is on the longer version of "Take 5". Truly marvelous performance as he plays the melody et al on the set.

"Musical" drummer?Hands down...BOZZIO! He does in fact tune his drums to musical notes. The best of these example are his solo discs.Hard to find imports or buy directly from his site. Just him, and musically awesome. At times, he his playing multiple syncopations divided by left and right hand/feet, sounding like two seperate drummers. You must hear this!
"Chamber" is orchestral music composed by him and played with a full orchestra and some rock instruments. It is an aquired taste, but essential if you are a Bozzio fan. IMHO, he is a living legend in the drumming world.