Jay Frederick

Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Jay Frederick is a New York City-based artist who has impressed musicians and critics alike with his highly personal approach to the drumset as a powerful yet uncommonly delicate and sensitive instrument. Largely self-taught, Frederick received his first drum as a gift on his first birthday. He has been playing in some form ever since.

In the mid 90´s Frederick attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he double majored in music theory and composition (with a concentration in music technology) and philosophy (with a concentration in Value Theory). He began performing regularly with bassist Cleve Eaton (of the Count Basie Orchestra and Ramsey Lewis Trio). After several years with Eaton, Frederick became been a member of the Ken Watters Group and performed modern acoustic jazz at clubs and festivals throughout the US. With this ensemble, he has recorded three critically acclaimed albums entitled Brothers II, Southern Exposure and Brothers III. All three CD´s were released internationally on Summit Records and made the US mainstream jazz charts.

In 2003, Frederick moved to New Jersey to attend William Paterson University´s renowned Jazz Studies program. A year later, he moved to Manhattan and in 2005 received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Jazz Performance. During this time, Frederick formed the COMMUNICATIONS CONSPIRACY, a jazz/new music multimedia performance group that focuses on creating audiovisual events. With this group, Frederick presents his work as a composer, drummer, avant-garde small-gauge filmmaker, and digital sound artist. By creating electroacoustic soundscapes mediated by an array of portable electronics and combining avant-garde cinema with jazz/new music performance, the result is a multimedia audiovisual experience realized through a marriage of new and vintage technologies.

Frederick has worked with a wide range of consummate musicians including Benny Golson, Frank Wess, Ernie Watts, James Spaulding, Dave Binney, Barry Harris, James Williams, Eric Reed, Milt Hinton, Cleve Eaton, Rodney Whittaker, and Delfayeo Marsalis, among others. In addition to his jazz and avant-garde work, Frederick is equally at home as a backing musician in the NYC rock/pop scene. Much of Frederick´s regular work consists of performing original music showcases for local NYC singer/songwriters. As a result, Frederick has developed a drumming style that is highly song oriented (i.e., creating drum parts that are focused on making the most of the song). His playing typically melds deceptively simple grooves and a casual, loose feel that is executed with precision.