- Billy Drummond
Willis Robert "Billy" Drummond, Jr. (b.
Newport News, Virginia , June 19, 1959) is an Americanjazz drummer.Drummond learned jazz from an early age from his father, who was a drummer and a jazz enthusiast. He played in bands from age eight and studied at
Shenandoah Conservatory . He moved to New York at the behest ofAl Foster in 1986. Since then Drummond has played and/or recorded withOut of the Blue (1988-89),Joe Henderson (1988-89),Horace Silver (1989),Ralph Moore (1989 and subsequently),John Faddis (1989-91),Walt Weiskopf (1990 to 2002),Sam Newsome (1990),Bobby Hutcherson (1990 to the present),Buster Williams (1990-93),Charles Tolliver (1991),Lew Tabackin andToshiko Akiyoshi (from 1991),Hank Jones (1991),Nat Adderley (1991),John Swana (1991, 1993),Vincent Herring (1991-93), James Moody (early 1990s),Steve Kuhn (from 1992 to the present),Sonny Rollins (1994-95),Andy LaVerne (1994),Lee Konitz (1995),Dave Stryker (1996),George Colligan (1997),Ted Rosenthal ,Bruce Barth , andJonny King ,David Hazeltine andJoe Locke ,Sheila Jordan (from 1995 to the present), is a member ofCarla Bley and theLost Chords (to the present),Andrew Hill (from 1997-2000),Archie Shepp (1999-2002),Larry Willis (2006 to the present),Eddie Henderson (1996 to the present),Freddie Hubbard (mid-1990s). Influences includeTony Williams ,Max Roach ,Al Foster ,Jack DeJohnette andBilly Hart , among others. He now leads a New York-based band called Freedom of Ideas. He is currently also Professor of Jazz Drums at the Juilliard School of Music and NYU in New York.He has recorded three CDs as a leader: "Native Colours", "The Gift" and "Dubai"
Criss Cross Jazz , which was voted Number 1 Jazz CD of 1997 by theNew York Times .References
*
Leonard Feather andIra Gitler , "The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz". Oxford, 1999, p. 154.
*Gary W. Kennedy, "Billy Drummond". "Grove Dictionary of Jazz" online.
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