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Billy Drummond
Billy Drummond
	Billy Drummond in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Willis Robert Drummond Jr.
Born	June 15, 1959 (age 65); Newport News, Virginia, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Drums
Years active	1980s–present
Labels	Criss Cross; SteepleChase;
Website	billydrummonddrums.com

Willis Robert "Billy" Drummond Jr. (born June 19, 1959) is an American jazz drummer.

Early life

Billy Drummond was born in Newport News, Virginia, where he grew up listening to the extensive jazz record collection of his father, an amateur drummer and jazz enthusiast. He started playing the drums at four and was performing locally in his own band by the age of eight, and playing music with other kids in the neighborhood, including childhood friends Victor Wooten and the other Wooten brothers,^[1] who lived a few doors away and through whom he met Consuela Lee Moorehead, composer, arranger, music theory professor, and the founder of the Springtree/Snow Hill Institute for the Performing Arts. He attended Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music on a Classical Percussion scholarship and, upon leaving school, became a member of a local Top 40 band called The Squares with bassist Oteil Burbridge.^[2]

Career

In 1986, encouraged by Al Foster, who had invited him to sit in at the Village Vanguard and advised him to take the next step, he moved to New York and almost immediately joined the band, Out of the Blue, with whom he recorded their last album, Spiral Staircase (Blue Note Records). A year later, he joined the Horace Silver sextet, touring extensively with him before becoming a member of Sonny Rollins's band, with whom he toured for three years. During this period he also formed long-term musical associations with Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Buster Williams, James Moody, JJ Johnson, Andrew Hill, and others.

He has made four albums as bandleader, including his Criss Cross album Dubai (featuring Chris Potter, Walt Weiskopf and Peter Washington), which was included in the list of “50 Crucial Jazz Drumming Recordings of the Past 100 Years” by Modern Drummer magazine.^[3] His most recent album, Valse Sinistre, leading his band Freedom of Ideas, with Micah Thomas, Dezron Douglas and Dayna Stephens, came out on the Canadian Cellar Live label in August 2022. He has made five albums as a co-leader, including We’ll Be Together Again with Javon Jackson and Ron Carter. In addition to touring he is Professor of Jazz Drums at the Juilliard School and New York University.

A sideman on over 350 records, Drummond has played and recorded with, among others, Bobby Hutcherson, Nat Adderley, Ralph Moore, Buster Williams, Charles Tolliver, Lew Tabackin and Toshiko Akiyoshi, Hank Jones, James Moody, Sonny Rollins, Andy LaVerne, Lee Konitz, Dave Stryker, George Colligan, Ted Rosenthal, Bruce Barth, Joe Lovano, Andrew Hill, Larry Willis, Toots Thielmans, Freddie Hubbard, Chris Potter, Eddie Gómez, Stanley Cowell, Javon Jackson, and Sheila Jordan. He is a long-time member of Carla Bley's Lost Chords Quartet, Sheila Jordan's Quartet, and the Steve Kuhn Trio.

Discography

As leader

1991: Native Colours (Criss Cross)
1993: The Gift (Criss Cross)
1995: Dubai (Criss Cross)
2022: Valse Sinistre (Cellar Live)

As co-leader

2003: Pas de Trois The Drummonds
2006: Mysterious Shorter Nicholas Payton/Bob Belden/Sam Yahel/Billy Drummond/John Hart
2006: Once Upon a Time The Drummonds
2006: Letter to Evans The Drummonds
2006: Beautiful Friendship The Drummonds
2016: Three's Company Ron Carter/Javon Jackson/Billy Drummond

With OTB

1989: Spiral Staircase Out of the Blue

With Nat Adderley

The Old Country (Alfa, 1990)

With Carla Bley

2003: Looking for America
2004: The Lost Chords
2007: The Lost Chords find Paolo Fresu
2008: Appearing Nightly

With Steve Kuhn

1997: Dedication (Reservoir)
1998: Countdown (Reservoir)
2000: The Best Things (Reservoir)
2001: Temptation
2002: Waltz – Red Side
2002: Waltz – Blue Side
2004: Easy to Love
2007: Pastorale
2007: Baubles, Bangles and Beads
2007: Pavanne for a Dead Princess
2010: I Will Wait for You

With Stanley Cowell

2014: Are You Real
2015: Reminiscent
2017: No Illusions

With Eddie Henderson

1998: Dreams of Gershwin
1999: Reemergence
2001: Oasis
2010: For All We Know

As sideman

Old Country (1990) with Nat Adderley
Sam I Am (1990) with Sam Newsome
In New York (1990) with Tomas Franck
For the Moment (1990 with Renee Rosnes
Mirage (1991) with Bobby Hutcherson
Hornucopia (1991) with Jon Faddis
John Swana and Friends (1991) with John Swana
Mirage (1991) with Bobby Hutcherson
Better Times (1992) with Rob Bargad
The Charmer (1992) with Charles Fambrough
Epistrophy (1992) with Bill Pierce
Simplicity (1992) with Walt Weiskopf
Without Words (1992) with Renee Rosnes
Dawnbird (1993) with Vincent Herring
Secret Love (1993) with Vincent Herring
Blue Note Years (1993) with Joe Henderson
Feeling's Mutual (1993) with John Swana
Scheme of Things (1993) with Scott Wendholt
In from the Cold (1994, Criss Cross) with Jonny King
Days of Wine and Roses (1994) with Vincent Herring
Dearly Beloved (SteepleChase, 1996) with Lee Konitz
Notes from the Underground (1996, Enja) with Jonny King
Bluesology with George Cables (SteepleChase, 1997)
Out of Nowhere with Lee Konitz and Paul Bley (SteepleChase, 1997)
RichLee! with Lee Konitz and Rich Perry (SteepleChase, 1997)
Light Breeze with Franco Ambrosetti (Enja, 1998)
True Blue (1998) with Archie Shepp
Vertigo (1998) with Chris Potter
Universal Spirits (1998) with Tim Ries
Dusk (1999) with Andrew Hill
Duke's Place (1999) with George Mraz
Art & Soul (Blue Note, 1999) with Renee Rosnes
Everything I Need (1999) with Carol Fredette
Out of the Dark (1999) with Andy Fusco
Pleasant Valley (1999) with Javon Jackson
Reemergence (1999) with Eddie Henderson
Remembrance (1999) with Sadao Watanabe
Rendezvous (1999) with Jerome Harris
Search (1999) with Joel Weiskopf
Sound of Love (1999) with Tommy Smith
Navigator (2000) with Joel Frahm
Ask Me Now (2000) with Michael Urbaniak
Siren (2000) with Walt Weiskopf
Steal the Moon (2000) with Carolyn Leonhart
Two Tenor Ballads (2000) with Mark Turner and Tad Shull
What Goes Unsaid (2000) with Scott Wendholt
This Will Be (2001) with Chris Potter
Oasis (2001) with Eddie Henderson
Song (2001) with Marty Ehrlich
Workin' Out (2001) with John Campbell
Cedars of Avalon (2001) with Larry Coryell
Alternate Side (2001) with Tim Ries
With a Little Help from My Friends (2001) with Renee Rosnes
Deja Vu (2001) with Archie Shepp
Waltz for Debbie (2002) with David Hazeltine
Wurd on the Skreet (2002) with Donald Brown
Life on Earth (2003) with Renee Rosnes
Line on Love (2003) with Marty Ehrlich
Little Song (2003) with Sheila Jordan
Strings (2003) with Jim Snidero
French Ballads (2003) with Archie Shepp
Deja Vu (2003) with Archie Shepp
The Lost Chords (2003) with Carla Bley
Dream Dancing (2004) with Steve Kuhn
Close Up (2004) with Jim Snidero
Tea for Two (2004) with Walt Weiskopf/Andy Fusco Quartet
Sight to Sound (2004) with Walt Weiskopf
Winter Sonata (2004) with Gary Versace
Cleopatra's Dream (2006) David Hazeltine
Manhattan (2006) David Hazeltine/George Mraz Trio
Pastorale (2007) with Steve Kuhn
Baubles, Bangles and Beads (2007) with Steve Kuhn
Pavanne for a Dead Princess (2007) with Steve Kuhn
The Lost Chords Find Paolo Fresu (2007) with Carla Bley
New Conversations (2007) with Carla Bley
Blue Fable (2007) with Larry Willis
Nights of Key Largo (2008) with Tessa Souter
Moon River (2008) with Nicki Parrott
The Offering (HighNote, 2008) with Larry Willis
Once Upon a Melody (2008) with Javon Jackson
Beautiful Love: The NYC Session (2008) with Al Di Meola, Eddie Gómez, Yujata Kobaya
Appearing Nightly (2008) with Carla Bley
Art of Organizing (2009) with Dr. Lonnie Smith
Chick Corea Songbook (2009) with The Manhattan Transfer
Mutual Admiration Society (2009) with Joe Locke/David Hazeltine
New Moon (2009) with Ron McCLure
Mays at the Movies (2009) with Bill Mays
Crossfire (2009) with Jim Snidero
One Night at the Kitano (2009) with Jed Levy SteepleChase
Fly Me to the Moon (2009) with Nicki Parrott
Mays at the Movies (2009) with Bill Mays
The Decider (2009) with Peter Zak
All My Friends are Here (2010) with Arif Mardin compilation
I Will Wait for You (2010) with Steve Kuhn
Invitation (2010) with Beat Kaestli
Cedar Chest (2010) The Music of Cedar Walton compilation
For All We Know (2010) with Eddie Henderson
New York Encounter (2010) with Yakov Okun Trio
Steeplechase Jam Session Volume 29 (2010) Andy Laverne SteepleChase
Steeplechase Jam Session Volume 30 (2010) Don Braden SteepleChase
Dedication (2010) with Ron McClure (2010) SteepleChase
Live at Smalls (2011) with Tim Ries
Live at Smalls (2011) with Jesse Davis
Beyond the Blue (2012) with Tessa Souter
Home Tone (2012) with Tony Lakatos
Nordic Noon (2012) with Peter Zak SteepleChase
Jazz in the New Harmonic (2013) with David Chesky
The Eternal Triangle (2013) with Peter Zak SteepleChase
Homeland (2014) with Vincent Hsu
Are You Real (2014) with Stanley Cowell SteepleChase
Leap of Faith (2015) with Burak Bedikyan SteepleChase
Primal Scream (2015) with David Chesky
Rambling Confessions (2015) with John Hebert
Sing to the Sky (2015) with Emma Larsson
Tales, Musings, and Other Reveries (2015) with Jeremy Pelt
Reminiscent (2015) with Stanley Cowell SteepleChase
Standards (2016) with Peter Zak SteepleChase
En Rouge (2016) with Atlantico (Dave Schroeder/Sebastien Paindestre)
Jive Culture (2016) with Jeremy Pelt
Whirlwind (2016) w/ Andy Fusco SteepleChase
With Due Respect (2016) w/ Freddie Redd SteepleChase
En Rouge (2016) w/ Atlantico* Inside the Moment (2017) w/ Camille Thurman
Live and Uncut (2017) w/ Mark Whitfield
Cities Between Us (2017) w/ Allegra Levy SteepleChase
No Illusions (2017) Stanley Cowell SteepleChase
The Pendulum (2017) w/ Mike Richmond SteepleChase
Picture in Black and White (NOA, 2018) w/ Tessa Souter
Jubilation (2018) w/J im Snidero and Jeremy Pelt
Trio in the New Harmonic: Aural Paintings (2018) w/ David Chesky
Monk's Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk (Sunnyside, 2018) w/ Frank Kimbrough
NYCD: A Tribute to Art Van Damme (2018) w/ Pierre Eriksson
Out in the Open (2018) w/ Sam Dillon
New Easter Island (2019) w/ Atlantico
One Mind (2018) w/ Peter Zak Quartet
Tones for Joan’s Bones (2018) w/ Mike Richmond SteepleChase
New Departure (2018) w/ Takayuki Yagi
Playing Who I Am (2019) w/ Andrea Domenici
New Easter Island (2019) w/ Atlantico
Friday the 13th (Steeplechase, 2020) w/ Stephen Riley
Jazz Dance Suites (Chazz Mack Music, 2020) w/ Charles McPherson
Kimbrough (Newvelle, 2021) A tribute album to Frank Kimbrough featuring 67 artists curated by Elan Mehler
Early Spring (Steeplechase, 2021) w/ Anthony Ferrara
On the Move (Stunt, 2021) w/ Gabor Bolla

Sources

Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler, The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford, 1999, p. 154.
Gary W. Kennedy, "Billy Drummond". Grove Dictionary of Jazz online.