Sid [Catlett] was a great soloist and a great showman. He was completely at home musically in whatever he was doing. I remember once on the Coast, when Buddy Rich, Dodo Marmarosa, and Buddy de Franco were all with Tommy Dorsey, they used to come into the clubs and cut everybody. Buddy was cutting all the drummers, but not Sid. It used to annoy Buddy so much. He'd play all over his head--play fantastically--and then Sid would gently get back on the stand, and play his simple, melodic lines--on drums--and he'd make his point.

It was Sid who steadied Dizzy [Gillespie] on some of the first modern jazz records, like those on Guild. Max Roach at that time hadn't gotten his style together, and he was playing those far-out rhythm things. But Sid could play both with Dizzy and with the Dixieland musicians. He was the first guy I was ware of who was THE complete drummer. He could play any style, and he could play equally well in a big band or in any kind of small band.