Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist for the Canadian prog-rock band Rush for more than 40 years, died on Jan. 7 at 67. Regarded as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time, he combined virtuosic technical ability, arena-filling intensity, exacting precision and enough restraint to endure as a constant presence on FM radio. To drummers in the ’70s and ’80s, Peart was an Eddie Van Halen figure, someone whose pyrotechnic chops seemed to be the ne plus ultra. As his own career progressed, Peart absorbed inspiration from new wave, jazz, bossa nova and African music, and — though an untouchable giant on the kit — still took lessons into the ’90s and ’00s from jazz musicians including Freddie Gruber and Peter Erskine. Rush remained a massive concert draw until its final show in 2015.

Source: New York Times January 12, 2020 15:45 UTC