I have a fondness for the half-time shuffle and I really like how Bernard “Pretty” Purdie does it (called the Purdie Shuffle). I remember when I first heard Steely Dan’s Aja album and the tune Home At Last — wow! Shortly after that, I checked out John Bonham on Fool In The Rain on Led Zepplin’s In Through The Out Door and loved Bonzo’s power and sound. The way he played that groove was outrageous! Jeff Porcaro has credited his Rosanna groove as a cross between a Bo Diddley bass drum pattern (with a slight variation) and Purdie and Bonham —that’s a nice combination.
As always, listen to the masters and see if you can play it like they do. After that, see what you can do with it. It’s funky, laid back and grooves hard—what’s not to like?
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