HOME
TESTIMONIALS
Keith Nelson
I have a wealth of experiences working with Gary,to date we have known each other 25 years, and over the years I am proud to call him a great friend. We have been hired by contractors, I have hired Gary myself as a contractor and Music director/ band leader, he has hired me as the same. We work well together, be it live or in the studio.
Gary is a drummer musician with advanced technical skills, sight reading ability, uncanny recall, knows countless tunes from the1920s – to present, has a 4 octave vocal range with the ability to sing lead or background and not miss a beat! Gary has a strong understanding of global musical styles and performs all of them with authenticity.
[A brief aside] this reminds of a recording session that Gary was the contractor/ leader on for this Latin style artist. He hired me as the bass player and everyone on the session had to be able to read and play the style for real. Well there was this Latin 7/8 section in the last song of the session with beat displacement(s), and the only person that made thatsection happen on the first take was Gary; the rest of us on the session had to pick ourselves up from the floor and get to overdubbing.
Gary also has a wealth of experience on
the road: We toured together with Dino as the opening act for “The New Kids on
the Block” for 1 year. His requirements were to groove locked to a click in the
new jack swing style……well many pop industry players were double taking when the
drummer didn’t look like the groove they were hearing! To shed further depth
into his diverse capabilities we also toured with David Cassidy in this
millennium. He has a mini warehouse of specialty drums /
percussion instruments ….nobody knows where he gets “those wonderful toys”
[Batman 1]
In 2006 Gary under went what I would call
widow maker heart surgery where he dropped out of the scene for 8 weeks. Anxious
to get back to his number 1 passion Music,he took high pressure gigs to test his
facility and make money. As band leader / contractor for Bob Newhart at the
Golden Nugget and as the band leader/ music director/contractor for the late Mr.
Sonny King at the Bootlegger Bistro, Gary didn’t miss a beat.
There are too
many gigs in between as you can imagine…. Gary Olds, is someone you can count on
, shows up on time, always presents a professional attitude , and brings a lot
of ability to
table.
Keith
D Nelson
Cocho Arbe'
I have known Gary Olds for over
25 years, in that time we
Have worked in lounges, and jazz
gigs and recorded together
on studio sessions, the studio
being one of his best mediums.
Personally and Musically, I’ve
found him to be honest and
creative.
Gary takes his work seriously, a
very good reader, his concepts
allow him to translate the
notation into music. He plays all
different styles very well, and
Gary Olds is one of my favorite
drummers to play with and to work with. Gary Olds defines the word
“professional”.
BILLY T
Here's a Billy T quote.
"Gary Olds is one of the best drummers around.
It's always a pleasure to play with a musician with a great sense of time, who listens to the whole spectrum of music happening around him. Gary is that musician. "
Billy Tragesser
Leslie Gore
“I consider Gary Olds to be one of the great drummers
that I have worked with, and plan to again.”
Leslie Gore
Larry White
Over my 30 plus years in music, I’ve been very fortunate in the music field. I’ve musical directed on Broadway, been up for an Emmy for a TV special I did with Johnny Mathis, and I’ve also been up for a Grammy for best contemporary jazz album. I only mention these things because through these years I’ve had a chance to work with some of the best musicians in the world, and some of the great drummers… Alex Acuna, Steve Gadd, Gerry Brown, Luis Conte, Rick Latham, Ed Shaughnessy, Nathaniel Townsley, Hal Blaine, Anton Fig, Ricky Lawson and Bobby Colomby to name a few.
I consider Gary Olds to be in that special league of artists and studio players.
I have worked with him on a variety of projects from funk groove stuff to straight ahead jazz, latin jazz to full orchestra pieces, show tunes to country grooves. Not only does he play them all well, but he plays each style as if it was the main thing he played.
Gary is a true professional… personable, on time, and with an attitude of trying to make everything he does as good as it can possibly be. He reads great, and will always offer suggestions to make what you wrote sound just a little better than you thought it could be.
When Conducting for Susan Anton we needed to sync live music with film, Gary's unique ability to analyze and,compute the correct BPM, coupled with an easygoing style of natural leadership proved invaluable to me as a non-ostentatious assistant conductor. The accuracy of the music to the last frame his only intent.When I was called away to conduct for so and so Gary took over a session that included conducting brass, strings, and two differant rhythm sections and composing endings on two of my charts.
I wholeheartedly recommend Gary for any musical venture, and wish him the best on any upcoming projects (and I hope some of them are with me).
Larry White
Chuck Hoover
I've known and worked with Gary Olds for 5+ years. In that time I've found Gary to be extremely knowledgable in all styles of music. His attitude and demeanor on and off the bandstand is that of a consumate professional. Playing music with Gary has always been and continues to be a pleasure.
Chuck Hoover
Jamie Grant
I have known and worked with Gary Olds for over 20 years in Las Vegas. During that time we have become close, both professionally as well as personally. In music I believe you can’t have one without the other. A musical relationship which stands the test of time surely exists on a level much deeper than that of mere professional respect.
Yet to a person hiring musicians, first and foremost are matters of a professional nature. And on that count I can give no higher endorsement to Gary Olds than this: When I am hired to contract musicians, Gary is my first call drummer/percussionist. Why? Because at that point my professional reputation is on the line. And I am not willing to risk compromising that reputation simply in the interest of accommodating a friendship or a professional history. Our business won’t allow such accommodations for any extended period of time. The types of musical situations I am involved with demand excellence always. Thus I must work alongside musicians who share a vision of uncompromising excellence. Gary Olds is one of those musicians.
For drummer/percussionists working professionally in the Las Vegas market there are a set of musical attributes which seem to be requisite at a minimum. They are: excellent time, knowledge of an exhaustive variety of musical styles, the ability to blend in with an equally exhaustive range of musical ensembles, a solid “groove”, complete command over musical dynamics, sensitivity to the focal point of the ensemble – i.e. the singer or other main performer, a quick study, excellent sight reading ability, and the ability to listen and react to what’s occurring with an almost lightning-fast response time. To be more succinct, what’s required is musicality combined with experience and professionalism. On these three counts Gary delivers completely.
Along with those musical attributes are a set of personal attributes which must be equally as important. Having less to do with one specific discipline, these personal attributes are desired by leaders in many fields of professional activity. Thus, in considering these personal attributes, what attracts me to Gary, and why he is my first call for musical situations can be summed up precisely in one word: Enthusiasm. Very simply Gary comes to play - every time, all the time. In twenty years I have never known Gary to perform at less than 110%. Whether he is performing on major concert stages with top recording artists, or whether he is playing at small intimate “off Strip” restaurants, the intensity of his performance remains the same. Thus, when I hire Gary, I know that I am hiring excellence combined with consistency.
This same musical enthusiasm pervades Gary’s general work habits. He always arrives early, is dressed neatly, and provides an excellent sounding (and most likely very expensive) collection of drums and percussion instruments, along with an always cheerful attitude, being ready to assist the leader or client with whatever last-minute requirements arise at the event location. From my perspective as a leader he is a joy to have as one of my key team members.
I will close with the same statement I made earlier: What higher endorsement can I give Gary Olds than to state that he is my first-call drummer/percussionist for the reasons enumerated in this essay. I wish him only the best of success with his ongoing musical endeavors.
Jamie Grant
© 2008 GARY OLDS MUSIC
