German drummer and percussionist Jaki Liebezeit, formerly of the band Can, has passed away. He was a real powerhouse behind the kit with metronomic precision, creative fills left and right, and an inherent sense of groove. In Can Liebezeit was a perfect foil for the band’s far-ahead-of-the-curve, almost utopian mixture of funk, psychedelic rock, jazz and avant-garde sensibilities, and (later on) disco. I have known and been acquainted with quite a few music obsessed people and almost all of them would rank Liebezeit’s drumming as being in a class all of its own. Those prime Can recordings are a well of sorts that people return to again and again, occasionally wondering how a band could be so cool and pull it off seemingly with ease–Liebezeit’s drumming and percussion was the glue that held it all together, and it remains a joy to behold. After Can, Liebezeit kept drumming. These subsequent projects are also worth investigating, but he could have done nothing else and his reputation as one of thee great drummers would have been well established. Jaki will be missed, but his work behind the kit will continue to live on. R.I.P.
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