New Orleans was, is and probably always will be home to the baddest drummers in the land. From early jazz to swing, bop, R&B, free, funk and beyond, there's always been a Crescent City driver at the switch. Against some tough opposition, drummer Russell Batiste, Jr., has carved out a reputation as the cream of the crop of New Orleans beat generators.

Batiste is well known as the engineer powering the funky Meters down the tracks. This band is currently enjoying a renewed groundswell of...