Bobby Durham, 71, a jazz drummer of impeccable taste and versatility who teamed with Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald and became a fixture of the Jazz at the Philharmonic touring concert series, died July 7 at a hospital in Genoa, Italy. He had lung cancer and emphysema.
His death was confirmed by Sandra Fuller, a family friend.
Mr. Durham's personality on drums ranged from exuberant to unobtrusive. John S. Wilson, the late New York Times jazz critic, noted his “remarkable displays of technical virtuosity" in a 1968 concert with Peterson, a pianist known for his understated swing.
Norman Granz, the impresario behind Jazz at the Philharmonic, became an admirer of Mr. Durham's skills and used him frequently as a supporting studio and stage musician for a wide variety of star performers from the 1960s to the '80s.
His death was confirmed by Sandra Fuller, a family friend.
Mr. Durham's personality on drums ranged from exuberant to unobtrusive. John S. Wilson, the late New York Times jazz critic, noted his “remarkable displays of technical virtuosity" in a 1968 concert with Peterson, a pianist known for his understated swing.
Norman Granz, the impresario behind Jazz at the Philharmonic, became an admirer of Mr. Durham's skills and used him frequently as a supporting studio and stage musician for a wide variety of star performers from the 1960s to the '80s.
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