The big band rainstorm solo

Rain sounds are one of the commonest – and for some people one of the most relaxing and satisfying – field recordings, and different rainstorms in different places (and at different times) have their own distinct character. Rain sounds in one part of the world are very different from another place.

Here we’re travelling to Bucharest, Romania, where Mark Wilden recorded the sounds of a pouring rainstorm in an alleyway, in which you can hear the rhythmic, percussive plinks of rain hitting hard surfaces. 

City version:

Have you ever listened to rain like this, pounding against a roof or another hard surface and heard rhythmic patterns emerging at random, as if the rain were playing its own form of drum solo?

That was on our mind as we reimagined this sound, as the rhythmic drops of rain form themselves together into a rhythm until they transform themselves entirely into an incredible drum solo from Buddy Rich.

The rain drops continue to act as augmenting percussion throughout, adding to the drum solo, while the cheering of the crowd blends with the softer sounds of rainfall until they too are indistinguishable from one another.

Memory version: