Manu Katche

I watched him play in Dallas years ago with Peter Gabriel.
We arrived at the show early for set up (selling merchandise, tshirts, etc) and by the time we had set up,
the sound check began, so we strolled into the venue and
made our way quietly toward the stage. After sitting a few
rows back, the band waved us forward... so we moved up to
front row (right)

I am still blown away to this day, frankly.

Manu has an interesting playing style (form) that
would not be considered technically correct, yet he
STILL blows many drummers out of the water, imho.

Fairly darn amazing drummer indeed.

Brainwater: I couldn't agree more. He has a way of carving up a simple time signature in so many ways...always keeping the listener engaged. What I find especially appealing about his two latest ECM releases, is that he uses wraped wood dowels and brushes more than he uses sticks, really brings out the nuances of drums and cymbals. Speaking of cymbals...how about those little splash cymbals (6 inch and larger) he uses?! To me, this is a big part of his signature sound. Check out some sound clips on the Drummerworld website: http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Manu_Katche.html
If you like his two latest releases, check out his work with Jan Garbarek as well. Enjoy.

Brainwater, I was a drummer for many years. I am very appreciative of the
subtleties of percussion, and I appreciate what Katche is doing on these
recordings.

I am not debating the quality of the music or playing. I'm primarily
highlighting the style, which is not particularly innovative, and unlike what many
Katche fans might expect. So, if one is curious, the I suggest playing the
samples available on Amazon before buying the disc.

I tend to agree with Tvad. Although I haven't heard "Playground", I do have the "Neighborhood" cd.

He's a good drummer, not agressive, very musical.
The music is nice too. But I wouldn't categorize it as amazing.

Also, take into account that he has a great selection of musicians on the "Neighborhood".

if you like this style of music, you may also like Tomas Stanko(he's on Neighborhood disc by the way) and his rythm section(piano, bass, drums) as a separate band I beleive called a "Triangle".

I love Tomasz Stanko Quartet's "Suspended Night.

If you like Stanko, you may also like Nik Bartsch's Ronin "Holon".