Bernie Dresel’s jazz orchestra,
The BBB, has earned a reputation as one of Los Angeles’ most exciting large jazz ensembles, if not on the planet. It is one of the most innovative and original hard-swinging large jazz ensembles ever. The BBB provides potent testimony to the sheer exhilaration of big band jazz...a combination of intense swing and fiery soloing, as well as tight ensemble playing, powered by Bernie Dresel’s extraordinary drumming talents.The BBB is comprised of 16 seasoned pros on the Los Angeles studio scene. Populated by LA’s finest players, The BBB delivers a contemporary, highly original sound featuring the witty, intricate, and hard-swinging compositions of established and up-and-coming composers and arrangers. The music and delivery of The BBB’s music is nothing less than astonishing, as this album attests. The sound has a contemporary, dynamic, and hard-swinging energy, with a focused edge to it that is like no other jazz orchestra, though, at times, reminiscent of Buddy Rich’s ensembles. The instrumental makeup is unique in that there is no piano but jazz/rockin’ acoustic and electric guitar and keyboards instead, in addition to four trumpets, four trombones, five saxophones, and upright acoustic slap bass and drums and percussion. For this studio session, Bernie added snips of keyboard, played by Jeff Babko. When people hear Bernie’s BBB, the first thing that hits them is its energy and intensity.
At the helm of The BBB is jazz drummer extraordinaire Bernie Dresel. Bernie is the first-call drummer and percussionist on the Hollywood stage for motion picture and television soundtracks. Dresel’s rendering style is nothing less than exciting, driven by one of the most accomplished jazz drummers in the world.
Established in 2014, The BBB plays monthly at jazz clubs in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Prior to forming his own jazz orchestra, Bernie backed
Maynard Ferguson, the
Brian Setzer Orchestra, and
Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. Bernie served 15 years for both Setzer and Goodwin. He has been the drummer on numerous Brian Setzer Grammy Award®-winning recordings and prior to forming his own orchestra on every recording that Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band had released, including the Grammy Award winners.
Bernie’s credits with respect to motion picture and television soundtracks represent “A” movie projects and such television work as The Simpsons and Family Guy, and “A” motion picture soundtracks such as the recent Incredibles 2.
Bernie Dresel has been one of the busiest studio and live musicians in the world as both a drummer and percussionist since moving to Los Angeles in 1983 after graduating from the prestigious Eastman School of Music. He has traveled the world, occupying the coveted drum chair for Grammy Award-winning Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band since its inception in 1999. And also, for an overlapping 15 years (1992 to 2006), he was the drummer for the multi-Grammy Award-winning Brian Setzer Orchestra, selling close to four million records. Modern Drummer magazine’s readers’ poll named Bernie “Best Big Band Drummer” and Drum! Magazine has put him on their list of “53 Drummers Who Made a Difference in the ’90s” as well as honoring him with a Drummie® for Best Big Band Drummer. His complete list of motion picture and television credits is extensive, and are listed at
www.thebbb-berniederesel.com.
