Billy Ward is from Cincinnati Ohio. When he was nine, he began formal drum lessons with well-known local drummer, Jack Volk. "Mr. Volk was a stickler for holding the sticks properly, reading music and independence. He was a great teacher." While in the fifth grade, Billy began playing with local bands. Billy listened to, and tried to play, all kinds of music; from James Brown to Miles Davis; The Who to Charles Mingus.
At the age of fifteen, Billy got his first studio experience when he became the house drummer for a local Cincinnati gospel recording studio/label. While attending The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Billy says: "I had a technical gig mixing the sound at a Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis concert in Cincinnati and I met Mel Lewis, who said I needed to go to New York (to Frank Ippolito's Drum Shop) to get a set of K. Zildjian (Istanbul) cymbals. This was during the early 70's. In New York, I selected a set of K's with assistance from Papa Jo Jones, who was just hangin' out at the shop that
day!!!"
"I also got an extremely influencial drum lesson with Elvin Jones that, due to his generosity, lasted six hours! I will always be indebted to Mr. Jones for the many gifts he shared that day." Billy quit the conservatory in the second year when he realized that he wanted to play jazz and rock. "Counting two hundred and ten measures to play a two measure chime part wasn't my thing." His symphonic career ended, it was off to North Texas State University; a jazz school that emphasized playing ...
New York based drummer, Gary Weiss' home page. Jazz,rock,funk,latin,RealAudio,gig schedule.
Gary Weiss' dynamic drumming style has earned him the reputation of being one of the nation's finest and most respected musicians. He is a creative player who allows the sharp precision of his style to emerge without overshadowing the music. His energy and versatility intoxicate the listener.
He has entertained audiences for the past two decades in various clubs, as well as major venues, such as Madison Square Garden and the PNC Bank Arts Center. His intensity at a young age earned him a first place victory in the Louis Bellson/Slingerland Regional Drum Contest in 1979.
Gary is well versed in all genres of music and is a proficient chart reader. His talent, professionalism and reliabilty makes him number one on the list for any drumming situation.
Drummer Gene Jackson's website features biography, itinerary, photo gallery, discography, equipment setup, etc ...
Jazz musicians all over the world are likely to be aware of drummer Gene Jackson's talent and expressive performances. While Roy Haynes, Philly Joe Jones, Elvin Jones, Billy Higgins, and Tony Williams were some of his drumming influences, Jackson has a style that can change in accordance to what genre of music he plays. His ability to range from African to Latin to Cool rhythms have afforded Jackson the opportunity to be recommended by dozens of eminent musicians since his career took off 15 years ago. Jackson was born October 16, 1961 in West Philadelphia, Pa. Though he grew up as an only child, Jackson began to focus on music with the help of his guardian's grandson, Greg McDonald who played the drums. "(Greg) would have rehearsals with a band of excellent musicians, which helped inspire me early on," Jackson said.
In 1979, Jackson, who had the ambition to become a professional drummer as soon as he picked up the sticks, went to Boston to attend the well-renowned Berklee College of Music. In the five years Gene spent at Berklee, he counted among his peers and classmates: Walter Beasley, Branford Marsalis, Mark Whitfield, Monty Croft, Donald Harrison, Cindy Blackman, Terri Lynn Carrington, Billy Kilson, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Marvin Smitty Smith, Cyrus Chestnut, Danilo Perez, Dave Kakowski, Jovan Jackson, to name a few. Jackson also lived in an apartment with saxophonist Branford Marsalis, with whom he had established a good friendship. When Branford moved to New York City, fellow drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith became Gene's roommate ...
This page is home to resources of all kinds relating to my favorite jazz drummer, Leon Parker. Besides his incomparable skills on the kit, what I like about Parker is his musical vision. Simply put, he combines musical traditions--jazz, African, Latin, and others--with innovation. So many of today's jazz musicians fall into one of two categories. They're either "neotraditionalists," such as Wynton Marsalis, who would like nothing more than to turn back the clock to the "golden years" of jazz of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. Or, they are in the less well-known population of the "avant-garde," whose music is innovative and perhaps interesting, but its abandonment of traditional musical forms makes it inaccessible noise to the ears of most people. To me, Leon Parker combines the best of both worlds: his music has a fresh, interesting sound, but it's rooted in rhythmic grooves that make it accessible: it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing.
Born: August 21, 1965, in White Plains, New York.
Leon Parker consistently shows that less is more by making a great deal of music on a greatly reduced drum set sometimes consisting only of a snare drum, bass drum and a cymbal. Parker started playing drums when he was three and became serious when he was around 11. At 15 he playing in a local youth jazz band, and two years later, he started studying classical percussion. After graduating from high school, Parker moved to New York City, taking lessons with Barry Harris and freelancing ...
Peter Erskine began playing the drums at the age of four, and has now been at the forefront of world-class jazz ensembles for thirty years. His first major professional work was with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, which he joined in 1972. After a three year stint with Kenton and a two year stay with Maynard Ferguson, he joined Weather Report in 1978. The excellence of the partnership between Erskine and bassist Jaco Pastorius was an integral part of that group's success.
Following his 4 years in Weather Report (having recorded five albums with them including the Grammy Award winning "8:30"), he began to play with Mike Brecker, Mike Mainieri, Don Grolnick and Eddie Gomez in the group Steps Ahead . His other touring and recording credits (400 albums) include Steely Dan, Diana Krall, Chick Corea, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Gary Burton & Pat Metheny, Joni Mitchell, Kurt Elling, Sadao Watanabe, Eliane Elias, Mike Stern, Miroslav Vitous and Jan Garbarek; the BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Ensemble, Ensemble Modern, the ASKO, Avanti & Absolute Ensembles; "Bass Desires " (with John Scofield, Bill Frisell, and Marc Johnson), the John Abercrombie Trio, the Kenny Wheeler Quintet & Big Band , the Bob Mintzer Big Band , the Yellowjackets as well as his own groups, including Trios with John Taylor, Palle Danielsson, Rita Marcotulli, and his current band with Alan Pasqua and Dave Carpenter ...