It's about my life playing for the greats of jazz and funk (with a little mountaineering on the side.
—Jimmy Madison
Internationally renowned jazz musician, Jimmy Madison, will release his candid, long-awaited autobiography that intersects the worlds of music and mountain climbing on September 1, 2025. In Drummer Boy, Madison shares both his vocation and his avocation from peak moments spent behind his drum kit to breathtaking moments climbing mountain peaks across the globe. His energy and devotion to both passions fill this gripping story that takes readers onto famous stages and into base camps at extreme altitudes.The New Yorker called Madison “…a superlative drummer… attentive, imaginative, swinging.” His adrenaline-fueled journey will entertain music lovers as well as mountaineers as he shares his travels from jazz downbeats to freezing Himalayan updrafts. Throughout this book, his point of view is nothing less than fearless! Illustrated with dozens of historic photographs and designed by award-winning designer, Tom Ventress, the full-color, 8 ½” x 11” volume can be pre-ordered here or from your favorite bookseller.
Born in Cincinnati, Madison says, “Sideman is a title I will always be proud to wear.” This child prodigy began playing professionally at the age of twelve, long before he could legally drink in the venues where he performed. Between touring for gigs and hopping onto planes to distant mountain ranges, he racked up tens of thousands of miles in the air and on the ground. A few near misses along the way, musically and otherwise, will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
Jimmy played for a Who’s Who of modern musical icons including Quincy Jones, Lionel Hampton, James Brown, Chet Baker, Ray Baretto, George Benson, David Berger, Ron Carter, Al Cohn, Art Farmer, Joe Farrell, Stan Getz, Bobby Hackett, Richie Havens, Jon Hendricks, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Lee Konitz, Hubert Laws, John Lewis, Shirley MacLaine, Marion McPartland, Gerry Mulligan, Anita O'Day, Maceo Parker, Toots Thielemans, Nina Simone, and ensembles including The Boston Symphony, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, the French National Orchestra, The Royal Philharmonic, The Joffrey Ballet, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
For more information, to arrange interviews or book guest appearances, please contact Jimmy using the contact form on DrummerBoyJimmyMadison.com.
