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Omar Hakim

From playing in his father's band at age ten to selling out stadium shows with Madonna, Omar Hakim has done it all. His talent and unique style have made him a favorite among drummers and musicians worldwide.

A graduate of the New York School of Music and Art, Omar began his career recording with various pop and soul groups. His father, Hasan Hakim, had played trombone for Duke Ellington and Count Basie and that influence helped to warm the younger Hakim's ear up for the part he would play in one of the most famous jazz fusion acts ever, Weather Report.

"I had a natural affinity for drums and rhythm very young," says Hakim. "I started playing drums at about age five, when I got a toy drum as a Christmas gift from an uncle. They strapped that thing around my neck and I immediately started playing one of those marching cadence kind of beats."

In 1982 he joined Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul in recording the critically acclaimed albums “Procession,” “Domino Theory,” “This Is This,” and “Sporting Life” with Weather Report. During his three-year stint with them, Omar also managed to land the drumchair with Sting for his first solo release “Dream Of The Blue Turtles.” With subsequent tours and recordings with artists such as David Sanborn, Dire Straits, Marcus Miller, Mariah Carey, Miles Davis, Chic, and David Bowie, he was known as a major force in both the jazz and pop worlds.

Striving Against Typecasting "Sometimes, if people know you from rock, they think of you as a rock drummer and don’t expect you to play anything else. Or, if they know you in jazz, then they typecast you as a jazz drummer," explains Hakim. "I was conscious of the fact that I didn’t want people to know me as a rock drummer or a jazz drummer, but as a total musician. So I always made sure I let people know that I was about music."

"I knew that setting up my career in his way was going to make my life very interesting and would keep me open- minded musically," explains Hakim. "It was always very important to me that I expose myself to everything so that I could grow as a musician."

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Album Review

The Omar Hakim Experience: We Are One

Read "We Are One" reviewed by Jeff Winbush


To properly appreciate The Omar Hakim Experience one must look back to move forward. By the time Hakim slipped behind the drum kit of Weather Report in 1983, the band was staggering under the weight of personnel departures, management problems and family issues. Founding member Joe Zawinul went in search of new recruits and in walked Hakim with bassist Victor Bailey and percussionist Jose Rossy. Curt Bianchi's well-researched blog, The Weather Report Annotated Discography, is the go-to site ...

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Recording

Drummer/Composer Omar Hakim Set To Release His First Album In 14 Years "We Are One" Debuts March 3 On Ozmosis Records

Drummer/Composer Omar Hakim Set To Release His First Album In 14 Years "We Are One" Debuts March 3 On Ozmosis Records

Source: Michael Bloom Media Relations

We Are One features an all-star cast of longtime friends and musical collaborators including Jerry Brooks, Chieli Minucci, Gregoire Maret, Jimi Tunnell and Rachel Z With a long and varied list of credits that reads like a Who’s Who in Rock and Jazz (Weather Report, Miles Davis, Madonna, Sting, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Daft Punk, among countless others), Omar Hakim has long been regarded as one of the elite drummers on the scene. And because his services have been so ...

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Music Industry

Hammerax Is A Hit With Diverse New Endorsers Marco Giovino, Terry Bozzio and Omar Hakim

Source: JCM Media

Clearwater, Florida,—Hammerax, famed for making out-of-the-ordinary bronze instruments with sustain and musical effects that go well beyond the sonic possibilities of traditional cymbals, has launched an innovative, diverse endorsement program. New artists who have joined the Hammerax family include drumming legends Terry Bozzio and Omar Hakim, and current Robert Plant skinsman Marco Giovino. Hakim Sticks To Hybrid Hammerax Drummer Omar Hakim is among the world's most elite drummers, a top call recording and touring star who has played with everyone ...

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Recording

The Trio of Oz: New CD by Omar Hakim and Rachel Z Debuts September 7

The Trio of Oz: New CD by Omar Hakim and Rachel Z Debuts September 7

Source: Michael Bloom Media Relations

Legendary drummer Omar Hakim (Weather Report, Sting, Miles Davis, David Bowie, et al.) has teamed up with pianist extraordinaire Rachel Z, whose work with Wayne Shorter, Steps Ahead, and Peter Gabriel has earned her international recognition and acclaim from her peers and fans alike. This musical partnership features the tasteful virtuosity and sensitivity of these Grammy Awarded musicians as they take you on an exciting journey performing some of the most creative and unique arrangements of chart-topping rock hits from ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Sensual

Self Produced
2025

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We Are One

OzMosis Records
2014

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