Popularity lists are always food for discussion. For the artists it is an honor to be nominated, or, luckily or not, end up in the top 10 of the list. For the voters it is important their votes count. And, when the final results are there, everybody has something to say about it. And that is the fun of Polls. It is not about whether your favorite artist wins, it is more a reflection of what readers (voters) dig at the time of voting. That can be relatively new artists like Mark Guiliana and Susie Ibarra or well-known icons like Jack DeJohnette and Mike Mainieri.
For us now, the fun is in attaching some home made videos we have stored of the below listed artists.
Last year we recorded the Remo Sandlane Sessions with Crescent co-owner Jeff Hamilton. He's on the list and those videos are attached. Just like Antonio Sanchez' solo at North Sea Jazz last year. Or Pedrito Martinez, also captured at North Sea Jazz. Also added are our interview videos with Steve Gadd, with live footage.
Without further ado, here are the winners of the 79th Downbeat Readers Poll in the categories Drums, Percussion and Vibraphone. Check the videos on the right!
