Igor Willcox: Have Drums, Will Travel

Brazilian drummer Igor Willcox is fast becoming one of the most interesting young artists in jazz. A string of superb releases with his jazz fusion quartet, which currently includes saxophonist Wagner Barbosa, electric bassist Ricardinho Paraiso, and pianist Erik Escobar, culminated in the 2025 album Time Traveller (Room73 Records, 2025). Music is in Willcox's blood, as Igor descends from several generations of successful musicians. "My mother, Sônia (Rocha) Willcox, is a celebrated Brazilian singer, and my father, Paulo César Willcox, was a conductor, arranger, pianist, and vibraphonist," says the drummer. "He wrote arrangements for important Brazilian artists, and although he passed away when I was only nine months old, his musical legacy has been a constant presence in my life through recordings, scores, and the stories shared within my family. I also have a sister, Kika Willcox, who is a highly respected singer and vocal teacher, so music has always been a daily language in our home. My grandfather was a conductor and arranger, and my grandmother was a concert pianist who even performed during the silent-film era. With that kind of background, it felt almost inevitable that I would become a musician."

An impressive family legacy, to be sure, and one that got Willcox started off early in jazz. "My mother owned a jazz club in Santos," he says, "and there was always a drum kit on stage. As a child, I was instinctively drawn to it, spending hours exploring rhythms. I also studied piano when I was young, which later became extremely important for my work as a composer and producer... I grew up listening to my father's record collection—Bill Evans, Miles Davis, Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra—alongside classical composers such as Messiaen, Stravinsky, and Bartók, as well as Brazilian music. That wide listening spectrum shaped my identity and explains why my music naturally blends different styles rather than fitting into a single category."

At the time of this interview, Willcox had just returned from an eight-city tour of China, playing 15 concerts, conducting masterclasses, and even doing some recording. This tour, which the drummer characterizes as "an intense and very special experience," featured the new HII Trio, which sees Willcox joined by pianist Henrique Mota and bassist Iury Batista in an acoustic group that incorporates a variety of rhythms from Brazil and elsewhere into modern jazz, with some sensitive classical music touches enriching the tonal world. So how did the trip come about?

"Everything started with an invitation from the Blue Note clubs in Shanghai and Beijing to launch our album Connections," says Willcox. "Once those dates were confirmed, we expanded the itinerary to other cities throughout the country, including Chongqing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Guiyang, Kunming, and Dali. In addition to the concerts, we conducted masterclasses at JZ Music School, one of the most important jazz institutions in Shanghai, and also had the opportunity to record at The One Music Dream Studio, one of the largest and most important studios in the city... The level of the Chinese jazz musicians was impressive, and there is clearly a growing jazz culture in China, especially among younger musicians who are curious, open-minded, and technically very well prepared."

Connections is a gorgeous trio album with a twist: five saxophonists and one trumpeter appear as guests, each uniquely contributing to one of the tunes. Given that the HII Trio's musical style is quite distinct from that of the Igor Willcox Quartet, how did it come together? "The HII Trio came together after an invitation from pianist Henrique Mota for us to record an album together. From that initial idea, we started meeting in the studio, each of us bringing compositions and musical ideas. . .We invited Iury Batista to record the album on double bass and electric bass, and he not only brought his incredible musicianship but also his own compositions. The chemistry was immediate. . .we had always talked about joining forces and creating something together, and Connections represents exactly that: a space where our individual voices come together in a very spontaneous, organic, and synergistic way."

Willcox runs his own recording studio in São Paulo, and recorded the core HII Trio tracks there, with everyone playing live in the same room. Interestingly, the impressive guest horn players, with one exception, recorded their parts separately from wherever they were in the world at the time. "Bob Franceschini happened to be in São Paulo while touring with Mike Stern, and we were able to invite him to record in person at my studio, Bunker 32, which was a great experience," says Willcox. "I met most of the guest artists through international tours, festivals, and shared musical environments, particularly in North America and Europe. For example, Bob Mintzer has been a major influence on my musical path, and I first met him in person at the Nišville Jazz Festival in Serbia in 2022, where my quartet shared the stage with the Yellowjackets. Tony Lakatos, another very important collaborator on this album, I met years ago when I was living in Germany in 2006."

Presumably, one concern with flying in tracks recorded separately would be a lack of live feel, with the added parts not gelling with the trio's unified performance. Thankfully, says Willcox, this did not turn out to be the case. "It was really remarkable. . .how naturally all the guest musicians connected with the music. . .With today's recording technology, we are able to create an approach that truly sounds and feels as if everyone is playing together in the same room. The idea was never for the guests to simply "sit on top" of the music, but rather to blend into the trio's sound while still expressing their own strong musical personalities. That process felt very organic, especially because I have followed and admired the work of all these musicians for many years."

In a crowded field of well-trained drummers, Willcox's playing stands out for its stylistic impact. Across his distinct work with the quartet and the HII Trio, his unique blend of precision, power, swing, and groove remains easily recognizable. His sound is also gorgeous, featuring a variety of lovely cymbal tones and drum tunings. We discussed the ways in which he varies his approach depending on the musical context. "I've always loved both sides—the more fusion-oriented approach, where you mix elements of rock, progressive music, Brazilian rhythms, and Latin influences, and the more acoustic jazz aesthetic," he says. "These sounds have been part of my identity since I first started playing drums, so navigating between them feels very natural. On Connections , I used a different setup to embrace that jazz sound: a smaller, more traditional jazz configuration with an 18-inch bass drum tuned tighter, a 12-inch tom, a 14-inch floor tom, and an overall higher tuning. The acoustic piano and the acoustic bass also bring a more intimate, organic texture to the music. So, the album leans more toward the jazz side, while still blending Brazilian rhythms. On Time Traveller there's a stronger influence of rock and progressive elements, and the drum sound is bigger and more modern. . .The identity behind the drums is consistent, but the colors and textures shift depending on the context."

Willcox's distinct sound is supported by strong relationships with Brazilian instrument makers, a nice example of the ways in which the drummer both supports and is supported by the community in his home country. Willcox explains, "I'm proudly endorsed by Domene Cymbals, a Brazilian company led by the brilliant cymbal-smith Chico Domene. I've been an artist with the brand since the end of 2022, and together we developed a cymbal line called WOX. This line has very specific characteristics that reflect my sound and my way of playing. . . they truly represent my voice on the instrument. I also work with Williams Drumheads & Drumsticks, another excellent Brazilian brand led by Silvio Tonelli... In all cases, I prefer drumheads that allow the drums to breathe, with rich harmonics and an open response. More recently, I've partnered with Zowag Drums, which is part of the same group as Williams. Zowag was actually one of the sponsors of my recent tour in China. They are a relatively new drum brand, but the drums are outstanding and already making a strong impression wherever they are heard."

More and more, jazz artists must focus not only on their music, but also on the business of recording, promotion, and touring. "The truth is that being an independent artist requires you to learn how to do a little bit of everything, far beyond just playing your instrument," says Willcox. Without the help of the legacy major labels, independent jazz artists must be entrepreneurial about getting their name, their playing, and their compositions before the public. On the one hand, the gatekeepers are gone, recording technology has become less expensive, and the internet makes it easier for people to access music of all kinds. On the other hand, there are only so many hours in the day, and only so many extra-musical skills a musician can be expected to master in addition to the time they dedicate to their instrument. Willcox is clearly thriving in this environment, and we discussed how he manages to do so.

"I've always been the one responsible for my own marketing, finding ways to promote my work, organizing tours, and taking care of logistics. That's simply the reality of being an independent artist. Platforms like All About Jazz, Bandcamp, and others have been essential in giving visibility to my music. In fact, All About Jazz has played a crucial role in my career since the very beginning. My first album, #1 (Room73 Records, 2017), received an excellent review on All About Jazz that was instrumental in helping me book my very first Canadian tour... The same happened with my live albums and later your review (Time Traveller), which also contributed immensely to spreading my work internationally. My website also plays a central role. It's the hub where I gather information about all my projects, my recordings, my work as a producer and composer—everything that represents who I am as an artist."

Though advances in digital recording on computers mean that most artists these days have their own "studio," in many cases this may only be a small room with a few microphones and a laptop. But Willcox's Bunker 32 studio is the real deal, providing not only a way for him to produce his own projects, but also "an important source of income and a way for me to support other independent musicians. If I had to rely on commercial studios here in Brazil," he says, "the costs would make many of my projects impossible. Today, about 95% of my clients come from outside Brazil, covering genres from pop and rock to jazz. At the same time, I'm committed to helping independent Brazilian instrumental artists bring their projects to life. I've recorded many of them here; for example, I produced the amazing guitarist Mauro Hector's latest album in this studio, and I'm currently working on the project of guitarist Igor Bollos, a young talent you'll certainly hear about soon."

All of these musical projects may make one wonder whether Igor Willcox ever gets a chance to relax. While he thankfully answered this question in the affirmative, it will not surprise anyone that this son and grandson of musicians on both sides of the family relaxes primarily with... more music! He explains, "Even in moments of rest, music is something I can't separate from who I am... At the same time, I've also learned to really appreciate silence. For me, silence is also music. It's a space where ideas settle, where the mind rests, and where creativity can recharge."

OK, OK, but surely, Igor... you must have other things you do with your downtime? "One thing I really enjoy is playing video games (laughs)! It's been a passion of mine since I was a kid and it's a great way for me to disconnect. I also really value spending time with my family, especially with my wife. Whenever we have a free weekend or a rare break in the schedule, we enjoy traveling, discovering good restaurants, or simply spending quality time together. Another thing I love doing on free weekends is hosting friends and family at my place for a barbecue. We listen to music, talk, and sometimes even end up playing together in informal jam sessions."

And that brings us back to music once again. Not surprisingly, the industrious drummer and composer told me that he has a packed schedule to look forward to in 2026. "At the beginning of the year we will be doing album release concerts for the HII Trio in Brazil, including shows in São Paulo and other major Brazilian cities. Looking ahead... the HII Trio will definitely continue recording. In 2026, we plan to release new recordings and new videos (several live videos from the China tour are already up on You Tube). In terms of touring, we already have a Canada tour scheduled for June. We are also in conversations about returning to China for a new tour, and there is a strong possibility that this tour will expand to other parts of Asia, including countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, (and) South Korea. Additionally, we are exploring possibilities for a European tour, particularly at jazz festivals, although nothing is confirmed yet. There will also be news on the Igor Willcox Quartet front as well, both in terms of touring and new recordings."

Igor Willcox is a major emerging jazz talent who is carrying on his family's Brazilian legacy and bringing it to the broader world through his collaborative recording projects and expanding touring schedule. His work ethic is as strong as his compositional skills and drumming prowess, and he credits this for his continuing success. "In the end," he says in closing, "everything I've achieved, my international tours with the quartet, now with the HII Trio, performances across Europe, Canada, and China, is the result of persistence. I deeply believe in my work, and I think that's where everything begins for an independent artist: you must be the first one to believe in your own path." With music as rewarding as that found on Connections and Time Traveller, there will soon be many more Willcox believers across the global jazz community.

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