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Terri Lyne Carrington
Celebrating 40 years in music, NEA Jazz Master and three-time GRAMMY® award-winning drummer, producer, and educator, Terri Lyne Carrington started her professional career in Massachusetts at 10 years old when she became the youngest person to receive a union card in Boston. She was featured as a “kid wonder” in many publications and on local and national TV shows. After studying under a full scholarship at Berklee College of Music, Carrington worked as an in-demand musician in New York City, and later moved to Los Angeles, where she gained recognition on late night TV as the house drummer for both the Arsenio Hall Show and Quincy Jones’ VIBE TV show, hosted by Sinbad.
While still in her 20’s, Ms. Carrington toured extensively with Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, among others and in 1989 released a GRAMMY®-nominated debut CD on Verve Forecast, Real Life Story. In 2011 she released the GRAMMY®Award-winning album, The Mosaic Project, featuring a cast of all-star women instrumentalists and vocalists, and in 2013 she released, Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue, which also earned a GRAMMY®Award, establishing her as the first woman ever to win in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album category.
To date Ms. Carrington has performed on over 100 recordings and has been a role model and advocate for young women and men internationally through her teaching and touring careers. She has toured or recorded with luminary artists such as Al Jarreau, Stan Getz, Woody Shaw, Clark Terry, Diana Krall, Cassandra Wilson, Dianne Reeves, James Moody, Yellowjackets, Esperanza Spalding, and many more. Ms. Carrington’s 2015 release, The Mosaic Project: LOVE and SOUL, featured performances of iconic vocalists Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, and Nancy Wilson.
In 2003, Ms. Carrington received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music and was appointed professor at the college in 2005, where she currently serves as the Founder and Artistic Director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, which recruits, teaches, mentors, and advocates for musicians seeking to study jazz with racial justice and gender justice as a guiding principles. She also serves as Artistic Director for The Carr Center, Detroit, MI. and for Berklee’s Summer Jazz Workshop.
In 2019 Ms. Carrington was granted The Doris Duke Artist Award, a prestigious acknowledgment in recognition of her past and ongoing contributions to jazz music. Her current collaborative project, Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science (formed with Aaron Parks and Matthew Stevens), released their debut album, Waiting Game, in November, 2019 on Motema Music, inspired by the seismic changes in the ever-evolving social and political landscape. The double album expresses an unflinching, inclusive, and compassionate view of humanity’s breaks and bonds through an eclectic program melding jazz, R&B, indie rock, contemporary improvisation, and hip-hop.
Both Waiting Game and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice point to Carrington’s drive to combine her musical talents with her passion for social justice. The subjects addressed on Waiting Game run the gamut of social concerns: mass incarceration, police brutality, homophobia, Native American injustice, political imprisonment, and gender justice.
“In previous projects I’ve hinted at my concerns for the society and the community that I live in,” Carrington says. “But everything has been pointing in this direction. At some point you have to figure out your purpose in life. There are a lot of drummers deemed ‘great.’ For me, that’s not as important as the legacy you leave behind.”
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Terri Lyne Carrington: Renown Grammy-Award Jazz Drummer's Humanitarian Activist Focus
by Doug Hall
Our guest is the acclaimed Four-Time Grammy-award winning jazz drummer, band leader, educator, mentor and activist Terri Lyne Carrington, also the founder and artistic director of the Berklee College of Music's Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.Terri shares here thoughts about her current recording project, the upcoming release Trip the Night Fantastic as well as her focus on the greater need of humanitarian action around the world.Terri also expands on the mission and hope for her ...
Continue ReadingTerri Lyne Carrington: A Dance Record For Dark Times
by Lawrence Peryer
This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on drummer, composer, and educator Terri Lyne Carrington. Carrington has just released Trip the Night Fantastic (Candid Records, 2026), the second album from her group, Social Science. It's built for the dance floor but unflinching on the topics of deportation, prison abolition, and climate collapse. We talk about trusting collaborators before they've earned it, playing to a rare, fully attentive crowd at Newport, and calling herself a frustrated drummer" ...
Continue ReadingHill Collective, Terri Lyne Carrington, Pharoah Sanders And More
by Lawrence Peryer
This week's Rotations deals in unfinished business, musical and otherwise. Charles Lloyd revisits a Mumbai session he started in 2009 and never finished. Piero Umiliani's old Rome tapes get a new life at the hands of a producer working from what he left behind. Pharoah Sanders and Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru's decades-old recordings sit easily next to brand-new records from Leeds and Boston that carry forward arguments about struggle, liberation, and what gets left for someone else to finish. Nothing ...
Continue ReadingNew music from Terri Lyne Carrington+Social Science, Australia's The Scornful Four, Debut for Austin Trumpeter Rachel Spencer, and Stellar re-issues of Sir Roland Hanna as well as the Joshua Breakstone Quartet featuring Barry Harris
by Hobart Taylor
Latest tunes from Senri Oe, Charlotte Greves and Donald Vega... also Amber Weekes channels Oscar Brown, Jr. Playlist Host Speaks 00:00 Terri Lyne Carrington/Social Science Solidarity Song" from Trip the Night Fantastic (Candid) 00:06 Nicki Adams/Michael Eaton/Francisco Mela Daily Battles" from Arrival (577) 04:01 Sir Roland Hanna Century Rag" from Songs of Hope, Inspirartion and Joy (IPO) 11:19 Host Speaks 16:40 Charlotte Greve Swim" from Waterbodies (New Amsterdam) 18:06 Senri Oe Pure Scars" from Homework (PND) 24:08 Rachel ...
Continue ReadingMusical Tribute To Martin Luther King Jr. Including Nina Simone, Mingus Big Band, and Others
by David W. Daniels
A musical tribute to the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with his words interspersed. Music from Nina Simone, Christian McBride, Jack DeJohnette, Terri Lyne Carrington with Christie Dashiel, and others about Dr. King and his call for freedom and justice. Playlist Nina Simone Why? (The King Of Love Is Dead)" from 'Nuff Said! (RCA Victor) 00:00 Herbie Hancock I Have A Dream" from The Prisoner (Blue Note) 13:58 Martin Luther King Jr Must ...
Continue ReadingJazz and Place: A Symposium and Walking Tour
by Paul Reynolds
Jazz and Place: Cities, Soundscapes, Venues The Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University Symposium and walking tour New York, NY November 14, 2025 The roots of jazz in New Orleans; nascent big band in Kansas City; bebop in the clubs of New York and, later, freer sounds from downtown industrial lofts. The impetus for jazz has arisen not only from specific artists and record labels but from milieus--the cities, neighborhoods, subcultures, and venues ...
Continue ReadingTerri Lyne Carrington: Only An Open Hand Receives
by Leo Sidran
Terri Lyne Carrington started playing drums as a child in Boston. By the time she was 10, she was gigging with Clark Terry. At 11, she had a drum endorsement.By 20, she was already building a remarkable career. And by 30, she had worked with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter--two of the most visionary artists of their generation.Today she is a Grammy Award-winning drummer, composer, producer, educator, and activist whose trailblazing career spans over four decades. ...
Continue ReadingTerri Lyne Carrington + Social Science Releases New Single 'Identity Song' In Support Of The Queer Communities
Source:
Big Feat PR
Today, GRAMMY-nominated ensemble Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science released the entrancing new single “Identity Song,” from the forthcoming album Trip the Night Fantastic (out July 31 via Candid Records). An alternative R&B anthem featuring vocalist Michael Mayo, emcee Nappy Nina, and harpist Brandee Younger, “Identity Song” tenderly addresses gender and queer identity, in support of sexual and gender minorities who are disproportionately impacted by queer-phobic bigotry. Empowering the queer and non-binary communities, Mayo beautifully sings “Just be,” while Nappy ...
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Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science Releases New Single And Announces Sophomore Album
Source:
Big Feat PR
Today, GRAMMY-nominated ensemble Terri Lyne Carringnton + Social Science announced their new sophomore album Trip the Night Fantastic – a genre-defying amalgamation of art and activism slated for release on July 31 via Candid Records. Alongside the new album announcement is the release of its first single, “Autonomy Song,” a compelling declaration of women’s independence and self-determination, featuring renowned artists Ledisi, Brandee Younger, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, and J. Ivy. Pre-order Trip the Night Fantastic HERE. Listen to “Autonomy Song” HERE ...
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Smoke Jazz Club Announces March Line-up Including Terri Lyn Carrington's Tribute To Max Roach, Fred Hersch Solo Piano, Charles McPherson, Jeremy Pelt And More
Source:
AMT Public Relations
Hailed as the “#1 Jazz Club in New York City (SecretNYC),” SMOKE Jazz Club presents legendary artists and today’s leading female musicians in March. The month kickstarts with the NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington paying tribute to Max Roach’s Centennial with the debut of her “We Insist! 2025” ensemble complete with live dancing on the SMOKE stage (Mar 5-9). Making his highly anticipated SMOKE debut is pianist Fred Hersch performing three nights solo (Mar 12, 13 + 16) and ...
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Terri Lyne Carrington: A Bi-Coastal Weekend
Source:
All About Jazz
By Cristofer Gross On Friday evening, November 9, drummer-composer-educator Terri Lyne Carrington will headline a special concert in UCLA's Royce Hall. Two days later she will be at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark for her half of another special concert entitled Jazz Vinyl Revisited." In addition to having Carrington on the bills, there is a thematic connection between the two events. Both include tributes to Joni Mitchell, who turned 75 on November 7. On Sunday, Jazz Vinyl ...
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Newly Formed Non-Profit Organization The Philadelphia Jazz Experience Proud to Announce First Annual Philadelphia Jazz Festival, April 23-30
Source:
DL Media
Headliners Include Terri Lyne Carrington, Madison McFerrin, Bob Dorough, Jeff Bradshaw, Jaguar Wright, Orrin Evans, Gerald Veasley, and more The Bynum Brothers—Robert and Ben Bynum, creators of popular restaurants/jazz venues including SOUTH, Paris Bistro, RELISH, Warmdaddy's, as well as the former internationally recognized Zanzibar Blue—are proud to announce, in conjunction with Philadelphia's Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, The Philadelphia Jazz Festival. The Festival, which will be presented as part of Jazz Appreciation Month, is set to take place ...
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Available Now: Grammy Winner Terri Lyne Carrington Pays Homage to Duke Ellington's "Money Jungle"
Source:
DL Media
Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue Marks 50th Anniversary of Release of Historic Ellington-Mingus-Roach Recording Featuring Gerald Clayton and Christian McBride, with guests Clark Terry, Lizz Wright, Herbie Hancock and Others In 1962, Duke Ellington recorded a trio date with bassist Charlie Mingus and drummer Max Roach that is today considered one of the pivotal jazz recordings of the 1960s. Money Jungle, the 1963 album that emerged from the session, was – among other things – a commentary on the perennial ...
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Signature Music Series At Berklee Presents Terri Lyne Carrington, The Music Of Quincy Jones And More
Source:
Berklee Media Relations
The Signature Music Series at Berklee presents an extraordinary season of jazz, R&B, soul, Celtic, and musical theater performances by a cross-section of Berklee students, faculty and alumni, and world-renowned, award-winning musicians. The spring 2013 half of the series features Terri Lyne Carrington’s Money Jungle (February 14), Great American Songbook: The Music of Quincy Jones (February 24), The Music of Bill Whelan (April 11), and Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical (April 25 and 26). The Signature Music Series at ...
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John Coltrane Memorial Concert: "35th Annual" Featuring Terri Lyne Carringon And Honoring Andy McGhee & Steve Schwartz -- November 3, 2012
Source:
Mary Curtin Productions
Friends of the John Coltrane Memorial Concert presents the 35th Annual JOHN COLTRANE MEMORIAL CONCERT featuring Terri Lyne Carrington; honoring Andy McGhee and Steve Schwartz; hosted by Eric Jackson November 3, 2012 Fall in New England means it's time for the John Coltrane Memorial Concert, an annual event that features some of the world-class musicians that call Boston home. It makes for an exciting ...
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Beantown Sings the Blues
Source:
Michael Ricci
By Timothy J. O'Keefe The Blues may have been spawned within the African-American communities of the Deep South in the late 19th century, but its influence still permeates our society today. While this music often acknowledges sadness, embraces loss, and speaks of impending dread, buried deep within its core you can sometimes find hope and resolve.
The Blues is something people have always enjoyed listening to during challenging times," says Terri Lyne Carrington, artistic director of the BeanTown Jazz Festival. ...
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Terri Lyne Carrington Headlines Free Outdoor Concert
Source:
All About Jazz
Berklee College of Music and ParkARTS present music outdoors in Roxbury's historic Fort Hill neighborhood with the Terri Lyne Carrington Group and opener the Berklee City Music All-Stars. The annual Jazz at the Fort concert is free and will be held on Sunday, August 2, at 5:00 p.m., at the four-acre Highland Park on Fort Avenue, Roxbury, MA. Rain date is August 9. Folding chairs, blankets, and picnics are encouraged. Jazz at the Fort is accessible from the MBTA's Orange ...
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Marilyn Scott
vocalsJodi Michelle Proznick
bass, acousticDan Pugach
drumsFran Vielma
percussionDorota Piotrowska
drumsKaren "Magic Fingaz" Smith
percussionRafael Zaldivar
pianoFabio Rojas
drumsClemens Grassmann
drumsRivkah Ross
drumsSofia Detjen
drumsThe Ostara Project
band / ensemble / orchestraPhotos
Music
O.C.T (Oda to the Crazy Times)
From: Reflection Of Another SelfBy Terri Lyne Carrington




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