Jazz Essentials Vol 1 feat. George Fludas

Step into the rich, swinging world of jazz drumming with Jazz Essentials Vol. 1, featuring the great George Fludas (Ray Brown, Cedar Walton, Joey Defrancesco). This collection delivers the ultimate toolkit for jazz musicians and producers, offering 29 expertly crafted sessions with iconic grooves such as straight-ahead swing, 12-bar blues, shuffles, Afro-Latin, jazz waltzes, sambas, brushes, and more. Each groove draws inspiration from jazz drumming titans like Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, and Elvin Jones, ensuring an authentic and timeless sound.

Unparalleled Sound & Feel

Beyond loops, this release includes an astounding 1,201 meticulously recorded samples. Featuring vintage Gretsch, Ludwig, and Sonor kits, along with a curated selection of snare and cymbals, including an iconic Zildjian K ride cymbal once owned by Elvin Jones, this library puts classic jazz sounds at your fingertips.

Whether you’re crafting a bebop masterpiece or a modern fusion track, Jazz Essentials Vol. 1 is your go-to resource for authentic jazz drumming. It’s not just a collection—it’s the most extensive jazz drum library ever produced, designed to elevate your music with the artistry and finesse of one of jazz’s finest drummers.

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Works in all DAWs:

Product Specs:
Number of Sessions: 29 (60 bpm to 280 bpm)
Amount of Files: 621 Loops, 1,201 Samples
File Size: 3.42 GB

- Instant Download
- 100% Royalty-Free
- High Quality 24-Bit 48 kHz WAV Audio

Drum & Cymbal Specs:

Cymbals:

22  Funch ride
22 Spizzichino Ride w 2 rivets
22 Paiste 60s 602 Med Ride w 4 rivets 
22 K Zildjian  50s era ride w 3 rivets 
20 Paiste 602 prototype flat ride
20 K Zildjian 60s ride w 3 rivets ( Elvin Jones's)
18 K Zildjian 50s/60s crash ride w 5 rivets 
18 Istanbul Jazz Crash special edition 
18 K Zildjian 60s new stamp crash
18 Paiste black label 2002 crash (1977)
16 inch A Zildjian from the 30's (old stamp) crash 
20 inch Istanbul  Special Edition -Jazz Ride 
20 Wuhan China Cymbal
24 Paiste 70's 602 thin ride

Hi Hats:

14 A Zildjian 60s/70s 
14 A Zildjian Trans Stamp era ( late 40s / early 50s)
14 Paiste 602 60's era Sound Edge 
15 K Zildjian Istanbul New Stamp era (70's)

Drum Kits:

Sonor 70's Champion Kit -Rosewood
18x14,14x14, 12x8

Gretsch Round Badge 60's Bop kit - Black wrap
18x14,14x14,11x8 with Kentville Kangaroo heads on Tom batter sides, and vintage calfs on bass drum 

Ludwig 60's era Jazzette - cherry stain
18x12, 14x14, 11x8 

Snares:

Ludwig 6.5x14 Copperphonic 
Gretsch 4x14 60s round badge 3 ply with Kentville Kangaroo skin batter side 
Gretsch 6.5x14 50's era 3 ply red sparkle
Ludwig 4x14 20's era "Inspiration" brass black enamel ( black beauty) with calfskin head
Ludwig 6.5x14 40's era Standard with Kentville Kangaroo head. 3 ply maple mahogany shell w rerings in White Avalon Pearl wrap. 
Ludwig 5x14 Chrome over Brass 60's keystone badge 
Sonor 6.5x14 80's era Rosewood "Phonic" snare

Mics Used:

Two Beyerdynamic M 160s overhead, an AKG D12 VR on the bass drum and an old Shure Unidyne 548 SD on the snare. 

About George Fludas
Chicago drummer George Fludas was born in Chicago on October 10, 1966. He was inspired to play drums by his father, who was also a drummer, and who exposed him to great jazz drummers such as Art Blakey, Max Roach, and "Philly" Joe Jones.

George has performed at numerous jazz venues in the U.S. such as the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, Yoshi’s in Oakland, the Blue Note, Village Vanguard, Smoke and the Jazz Standard in New York and Catalina's in Hollywood, as well as many international Jazz Festivals, including Montreal Festival du Jazz, Bern Jazz Fest in Switzerland, Glasgow and Edinburgh Jazz Fests, Vitoria Jazz Fest, San Sebastian Fest in Spain and the USS Norway Jazz Cruise. He toured Europe and Japan extensively as a member of Ray Brown's Trio, and with groups led by Hank Jones, Diana Krall, Monty Alexander, Cedar Walton and Joey Defrancesco.

George lives in Chicago with his wife and two sons and performs regularly with local artists and visiting headliners at clubs and concert venues throughout the city. He continues to tour often with many of the top names in jazz. He can be heard on numerous CDs as a sideman with Ray Brown, Eric Alexander, Monty Alexander, Kyle Asche, Geof Bradfield, Scott Burns, Bobby Broom, Lin Halliday and The Chicago Jazz Orchestra.

George started his YouTube channel, Bonhamology, 4 years ago as a resource for analysis and demonstration of Bonham's drumming. He also plays with People's Front of Zeppelin, which is a virtual YouTube Led Zeppelin cover band.