Joe Morello

Joe Morello was the drummer for the Dave Brubeck Quartet during their biggest years. A versatile, complex percussionist, Paul Desmond (who hated flashy tub-thumpers) hired Morello when he mistakenly thought that he would stay in the background. Desmond made it up to him by making Morello's drum solo on "Take Five" the centerpiece of the song. Morello's recent solo work shows him in top form fronting a muscular, Blue Note-style Hard Bop outfit.