Results for "Drums"

Ben Riley

Born: July 17, 1933

Ben Riley (b. 17 July 1933) was an American jazz drummer who has worked with Thelonious Monk, Alice Coltrane, Stan Getz, Woody Herman, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Ahmad Jamal, and Kenny Barron, and was a member with Barron of Sphere. Riley was born in Savannah, Georgia, but his parents moved to New York City when he was four years old, and he was brought up there. His father was a shipyard worker, and his mother did domestic work. After a couple of years living in Baltimore, Maryland during World War II (when his father was working for the Bethlehem Steel Corporation), the family moved to Sugar Hill, Georgia, where Riley stayed until moving back to New York. His interest in drumming began in Savannah, where he listened to marching bands, but in New York he lived in the same neighbourhood as Sonny Rollins, Billy Taylor, Jimmy Cobb, and Roy Haynes, from the last of whom especially he learnt a great deal

Dannie Richmond

Born: December 15, 1935

Dannie Richmond was a drummer whose long association with Charles Mingus made him one of the leading percussionists in modern jazz. Richmond was one of jazz's most flexible and responsive drummers, able to supply anything from a gospel stomp to be-bop syncopation to articulate, propulsive free time. Charles Daniel Richmond was born Dec. 15, 1931, in New York City and grew up in Greensboro, N.C. He began playing tenor saxophone in his teens and returned to New York to study at the Music Center Conservatory. He then began working with rhythm-and-blues groups, including the Clovers, but by 1956 he had quit rhythm-and-blues and begun teaching himself to play drums

Buddy Rich

Born: September 30, 1917

Arguably the greatest jazz drummer of all time, the legendary Buddy Rich exhibited his love for music through the dedication of his life to the art. His was a career that spanned seven decades, beginning when Rich was 18 months old and continuing until his death in 1987. Immensely gifted, Rich could play with remarkable speed and dexterity despite the fact that he never received a formal lesson and refused to practice outside of his performances. Born Bernard Rich to vaudevillians Robert and Bess Rich on September 30, 1917, the famed drummer was introduced to audiences at a very young age. By 1921, he was a seasoned solo performer with his vaudeville act, "Traps the Drum Wonder." With his natural sense of rhythm, Rich performed regularly on Broadway at the age of four

Steve Reid

Born: January 29, 1944

Began playing professionally at age 16. Recorded first record with Martha & Vandella's (Motown) at age 17, working in the Apollo Theatre house band, under the direction of Quincy Jones. Worked his way through college (Aldelphi University- Garden City, New York) playing jazz six nights a week. Graduated 1965. B.A. Degree. Went to Africa for three years--performing with various African bands (e.g. Guy Warren, Fela Ransome Kuti, Alpha Jazz Band, Leone Starrs, Black Star Tour) for the governments of several African nations including Nigeria, Liberia, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Congo, Morocco and Egypt. First jazz musician to receive first of several grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, under the chairmanship of Nancy Hanks

Tony Reedus

Born: 1959

Tony Reedus was born in Memphis in 1959, took up drums at age 14, and soon after started playing with his school band. Inspired by his uncle, veteran Jazz Messenger pianist James Williams, Reedus became interested in playing jazz and began developing his conceptions in high school through private studies and analysis of the styles of personal influences such as Chick Webb, Art Blakey, Louis Hayes, Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams and Victor Lewis. After high school graduation, he enrolled at Memphis State University in 1978. In addition to music studies, he worked in local clubs with saxophonist Herman Green and numerous other Memphis musicians

Alvin Queen

Born: August 16, 1950

Alvin Queen was born on August 16, 1950, in the Bronx, New York, but his family relocated to Mt. Vernon when he was 2 years old. The Queens were poor, but the Levister Towers Projects, where Alvin grew up, proved to be rich territory, as he was surrounded by many individuals who, like him, sprouted into the leading exponents of their generation. There were scores of musicians, like sax men John Purcell and Jimmy Hill; vibraphonist Jay Hoggard; pianist Tommy James; B-3 organ champ Richard Levister; his swinging brother, Millard Levister on drums; and far too many others to name. And Alvin's list of celebrity running mates didn't end with musicians; they included future NBA stars like Ray Williams of the New York Knicks and Gus Williams of the Seattle Supersonics. Alvin's hoop skills, however, were limited to the neighborhood courts, where he'd go head-to-head at the infamous Fourth Street playground with other wannabe hardwood stars, which included future Academy Award winner Denzel Washington

Bobby Previte

Born: July 16, 1957

Bobby Previte "can break your heart with one cymbal crash." Bobby Previte began his life in music as a great way to meet girls, but then fell in love with the drums instead. At thirteen, he fashioned his first set out of a rusted iron garbage can turned on its side (the bass drum), four upside-down rubber trash bins (the toms), a box with loose junk rattling around inside (the snare), three plungers with aluminum pie plates nailed on top, (the cymbals), and two pieces of linoleum crimped together, stuck through with a wire coat hanger wound into a spring, crowned with a rubber ball on top (the kick pedal)•and for hours on end would play to records in his dark basement with a lone spotlight shining on him

Eddie Prevost

Born: June 22, 1942

Drummer Eddie Prevost was born on June 22, 1942 in England. As a teenager he played drums in Skiffle and trad jazz bands before showing signs of the creative musician that was forming. After his initial exposure to his greatest influences Max Roach and Ed Blackwell, Prevost became fascinated with the endless possibilities of improvisation. He began incorporating all sorts of non-traditional percussion with his standard drum kit. In 1965 he co-founded the English improv ensemble AMM with saxophonist Leslie Gare and guitarist Keith Rowe. He also began recording with free jazz musicians Evan Parker, Marilyn Crispell, and Paul Rutherford

Simon Phillips

Simon Phillips is by far one of the world's most renowned and respected drummers, whose style not only reflects his technical gift but also his distinct musical sensibility. Whether it is Rock, Fusion or Jazz, Simon applies the same precision and intensity to his drumming, which is never lacking in emotion and feel. Simon's professional musical career began at the early age of twelve, performing and recording with his father's - Sid Phillips – Dixiel and band until he turned sixteen. With an offer to play in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar, his path was marked and his career in full bloom

Ralph Peterson

Born: May 20, 1962

For more than 35 years, Ralph Peterson has been one of the distinctive and recognizable drummers in jazz. Besides his incomparable talent behind the drumkit, which has led to collaborations with the likes of Terence Blanchard, Branford Marsalis, David Murray, Roy Hargrove, Michael Brecker, Regina Belle, Betty Carter, Ron Carter, and The Roots in a career that spans almost 35 years - not to mention being hand-picked by Art Blakey as the second drummer in the legendary bandleader's Jazz Messenger Big Band until Blakey's 1990 passing. Ralph Peterson with drums Ralph Peterson is now at the intersection where his influence on modern jazz is undeniable and constant. In a varied and prodigious career whose span now encompasses nearly four decades, percussionist-composer Ralph Peterson Jr