That fifties 'Savoy' period in NYC must have been his 'heyday' as he was in his thirties then, it appears. Playing with big bands has to be a real treat for any drummer afforded the opportunity. Riffing off such high energy from so many sources in the entourage of players had to be a blast.
It's something I never got to do, but definitely wanted to. Closest I got was waiting to sit in at a Musician's Union hall jam, but I didn't get to play.