Why I don't hear bass drums on Jazz LPs?

Found this 2LP set in my collection, “The Big Beat” on Milestone. Features Blakey, Roach, Elvin Jones, and Philly Joe Jones , in separate sets recorded in the late 50s/early 60s. Listening to Elvin now. Each group is replete with some of the greatest ever, as well.

Also Philly Joe Jones.

Connie Kay? And how can we forget Art Blakey?

Too bad about Cobb. I heard him perform in person maybe 10 years ago. Or so it seems.

+1 for Tony Williams and Billy Cobham. Also for Jimmie Cobb, who lives in my area (if he hasn’t passed) and can be heard on KOB. if we start listing excellent jazz and rock drummers, this will be a long thread.

Bernard Purdie ? One of my friends who played drums with rock bands as a side line idolized him.

Morello seems to lay back until the last millisecond and then let loose with a meticulous riff, on those Brubeck albums.  I think i read somewhere that the time signature was 11/13 or something ridiculous like that, on Take Five.  Although the name of the tune may suggest it was 5 beats per measure.

What do you professional drummers think of Joe Morello?  I was always amazed at his time keeping on the iconic Brubeck albums, Time Out and Take Five. I have one LP on which he is the lead musician.  But he did not receive much notoriety for his skills, at least not as much as I would have expected.

For that matter, I attend live small group jazz gigs two or three times a month, usually in small clubs sitting within 15-20 feet of the drummer. Even in that setting one is not very aware of the bass drum. High hat and snare drum ( correct me if that’s not the correct name for the smaller drum usually mounted near to the high hat) predominate. So I wouldn’t fault the recording or your audio system if you can’t make out the bass drum on vinyl.

Krupa and Rich were bandleaders, featured performers, so naturally they did long solos with plenty of bass drum to emphasize the beat. So you may say the recordings are technically deficient but that wasn’t the question. The thumps are not particularly low frequency and can easily be heard.

If you go back to the 40s big bands, you’ll hear Gene Krupa’s or Buddy Rich’s bass drum driving the whole band.