Billy Drummond

Bio:

..Profile edited with CricketSoda's Myspace Editor

"… one of the hippest bandleaders now at work." DOWNBEAT

“Bands of the drum greats come to mind - Elvin Jones' hypnotic line-weaving, Roach's taut freedom, Jack DeJohnette's chord-free openess - but Drummond carves things with his own flourish.” Fred Bouchard, DOWNBEAT, 4 Stars

"Drummond has valuable ideas as a leader ... he never settles on one rhythmic pattern for long, always suggesting fresh ideas for his musicians and keeping a loose, open feel to the recording." Ben Ratliff, NEW YORK TIMES review of Dubai [which was voted Number 1 on the Jazz Top Ten list by New York Times jazz critic Peter Watrous]

"Taste and empathy are the hallmarks of drummer Drummond's playing…."George Kanzler, THE STAR LEDGER, NEWARK

Drummond learned jazz from an early age from his father, who was a drummer and a jazz enthusiast and whose record collection included many recordings of Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Buddy Rich and Elvin Jones, among others. He played in bands from age eight and studied at Shenandoah Conservatory. He moved to New York at the behest of Al Foster in 1986 and shortly thereafter joined the Blue Note band, Out of the Blue (OTB) with whom he recorded their last CD. Early in his career he joined the Horace Silver sextet and, later, J. J. Johnson and Sonny Rollins, with whom he toured extensively. He is a long-time member of Carla Bley's Lost Chords Quartet as well as the Steve Kuhn Trio. An inspired soloist and a timekeeper whose main focus, like all great jazz players, is his ride cymbal, Drummond's playing "exudes a wealth of jazz history along with a surprisingly adventurous approach." [Modern Dummer magazine] A highly in demand sideman, he has played and recorded with some of the most important and highly regarded musicians in jazz history, including Nat Adderley, Joe Henderson, Hank Jones, James Moody, Buster Williams, Charles Tolliver, Ralph Moore, Lew Tabackin and Toshiko Akiyoshi, Andy LaVerne, Lee Konitz, Dave Stryker, George Colligan, Andrew Hill, Larry Willis, Chris Potter, Toots Thielmans, Freddie Hubbard and Archie Shepp, among many others. He has recorded more than 250 CDs as a sideman as well as six as a co-leader and three as a leader, Native Colours, The Gift and Dubai (all Criss Cross), which was voted Number One on the New York Times Best of 1996 List by jazz critic Peter Watrous. Influences include Tony Williams, Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, Al Foster, Jack DeJohnette, and Billy Hart, among others. He also leads a New York-based band called Freedom of Ideas. In addition to touring he is currently Professor of Jazz Drums at the Juilliard School of Music and NYU in New York.

"[The Gift] ... has a richness and total lack of cliches ... imaginative, satisfying and memorable." JazzTimes

"[Dubai] ... spins jazz on the head of a pin with stunning results." JazzTimes

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Member Since:

April 07, 2008

Influences:

Tony Williams, Max Roach, Al Foster, Jack DeJohnette, Billy Hart, Miles Davis, Bobby Hutcherson, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Sonship Theus, Eric Gravatt, T. Howard Curtis, Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, Billy Higgins, Lenny White, Ben Riley and Elvin Jones, among many others.

Record Label:

Criss Cross