List of jazz drummers
Encyclopedia
Jazz drummer
s play percussion (predominantly the drum set) in jazz
, jazz fusion
, and other jazz subgenres such as latin jazz
. The techniques and instrumentation of this type of performance have evolved over the 1900s, influenced by jazz at large and the individual drummers within it. Jazz required a method of playing percussion different from traditional Europe
an styles, one that was easily adaptable to the different rhythms of the new genre, fostering the creation of jazz drumming's hybrid technique. As each period in the evolution of jazz—swing and bebop
, for example—tended to have its own rhythmic style, jazz drumming continued to evolve along with the music. In the 1970s and 1980s, jazz drumming incorporated elements of rock and latin styles.
Notable jazz drummers include:
Jazz drumming
Jazz drumming is the art of playing percussion in jazz styles ranging from 1910s-style Dixieland jazz to 1970s-era jazz-rock fusion and 1980s-era latin jazz...
s play percussion (predominantly the drum set) in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
, and other jazz subgenres such as latin jazz
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
. The techniques and instrumentation of this type of performance have evolved over the 1900s, influenced by jazz at large and the individual drummers within it. Jazz required a method of playing percussion different from traditional Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an styles, one that was easily adaptable to the different rhythms of the new genre, fostering the creation of jazz drumming's hybrid technique. As each period in the evolution of jazz—swing and bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
, for example—tended to have its own rhythmic style, jazz drumming continued to evolve along with the music. In the 1970s and 1980s, jazz drumming incorporated elements of rock and latin styles.
Notable jazz drummers include:
A
- Brian AbrahamsBrian AbrahamsBrian Abrahams is a jazz drummer and vocalist who started out working as a singer with local bands in South Africa. In the 1970s Abrahams participated in a gig in Swaziland as drummer for Sarah Vaughan and Nancy Wilson. In 1975 he moved to the United Kingdom, where he gained his recognition...
- Alex AcuñaAlex AcuñaAlejandro Neciosup Acuña aka Alex Acuña is a Peruvian drummer and percussionist, in the Afro-Cuban jazz style.Born in Pativilca, Peru, Acuña played in local bands from the age of ten, and moved to Lima as a teenager. At the age of eighteen he joined the band of Perez Prado, and in 1967 he moved...
- Aaron Alexander
- Rashied AliRashied AliRashied Ali, born Robert Patterson was an American free jazz and avant-garde jazz drummer best known for playing with John Coltrane in the last years of Coltrane's life.-Biography:...
- Don AliasDon AliasCharles 'Don' Alias was an American jazz percussionist.Alias was best known for playing congas and other hand drums...
- Carl AllenCarl Allen (drummer)Carl Allen is an American jazz drummer.He has worked with a wide variety of musicians, including Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, George Coleman and Phil Woods. and the Benny Green Trio....
- Barry AltschulBarry AltschulBarry Altschul is a free jazz drummer who gained fame in the late 1960s with the pianists Paul Bley and Chick Corea.-Biography:...
- Leon AndersonLeon AndersonLeon Anderson is a jazz drummer who is known for his work with Marcus Roberts and Wynton Marsalis. A native of Louisiana who is trained as a classical percussionist, his style is studied and controlled yet interactive. He performs and tours internationally with Marsalis, Goines, Walter Payton and...
- Steve ArgüellesSteve ArgüellesSteve Argüelles is an English jazz drummer, producer and is the boss of the record label . He has also worked in film and theatre. He is the elder brother of saxophonist Julian Argüelles...
- John ArmatageJohn ArmatageJohn Armatage is an English jazz swing drummer and arranger, perhaps most notable for his collaborative work with Pee Wee Russell. Armatage began professional work in 1957 when he gigged with John Chilton and then recorded, toured and made a film with Bruce Turner, the film called Living Jazz...
- Joe AscioneJoe AscioneJoe Ascione is an American jazz drummer.Ascione began playing drums at age 2. His parents bought him his first drum set at age 4, and he was playing professionally by the time he was 12. As a teenager, he served as a roadie for Buddy Rich...
B
- Colin BaileyColin BaileyColin James Bailey is a jazz drummer.Born in Swindon, England, Bailey learned to play drums as a child, studying formally from age seven. He lived in Australia from 1958 into the early 1960s, and played with Bryce Rohde and the Australian Jazz Quartet during this time...
- Dave BaileyDave Bailey (musician)Samuel David "Dave" Bailey is an American jazz drummer.Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, Bailey studied drumming in New York City at the Music Center Conservatory following his stint in the Air Force in World War II...
- Donald BaileyDonald Bailey (musician)Donald "Duck" Bailey is an American jazz drummer.He is probably best known as the drummer in the trio of jazz organist Jimmy Smith from 1956 to 1964 and also for his work with The Three Sounds on Blue Note Records. Bailey also worked as a sideman for some of the most famous musicians in jazz...
- Ginger BakerGinger BakerPeter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
- Newman Taylor BakerNewman Taylor BakerNewman Taylor Baker is a jazz drummer best known for his 26 year association with Billy Harper, and his work with Henry Threadgill, Billy Bang, Henry Grimes, and Leroy Jenkins, and Diedre Murray....
- Butch BallardButch BallardGeorge Edward "Butch" Ballard was an American jazz drummer who during his long career has played with musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Duke Ellington.-Biography:...
- Tom BancroftTom BancroftTom Bancroft is a jazz drummer and composer. He began drumming aged 7 and started off playing jazz with his father and identical twin brother Phil. After studying medicine at Cambridge University he spent a year studying composition and arranging at McGill University in Montreal...
- Louis BarbarinLouis BarbarinLouis Barbarin was a New Orleans jazz drummer. He studied under the famed drummer, Louis Cottrell, Sr.Louis was the younger brother of Paul Barbarin...
- Paul BarbarinPaul BarbarinAdolphe Paul Barbarin was a New Orleans jazz drummer, usually regarded as one of the very best of the pre-Big Band era jazz drummers...
- Danny BarcelonaDanny BarcelonaDanny Barcelona was an international jazz-band drummer for Louis Armstrong's All-Stars band. He was a Filipino-American born in Waipahu a community of sugar cane plantation families East of Honolulu, Hawaii...
- Joey BaronJoey BaronJoey Baron is an American avant-garde jazz drummer probably best known for his work with Bill Frisell, Stan Getz, Steve Kuhn, and John Zorn...
- Ray BarrettoRay BarrettoRay Barretto was a Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican jazz musician.-Early years:Barretto was born in New York City of Puerto Rican descent...
- Ray BauducRay BauducRay Bauduc was a jazz drummer best known for his work with the Bob Crosby Orchestra and their band-within-a-band, the Bobcats, between 1935 and 1942....
- Louie BellsonLouie BellsonLuigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni , better known by the stage name Louie Bellson , was an Italian-American jazz drummer...
- Warren BenbowWarren BenbowWarren Benbow is a jazz drummer who has worked with Nina Simone, Larry Willis, Eddie Gomez, Olu Dara, Walter Bishop, Jr., and was an original member of James Blood Ulmer's band Odyssey....
- Gregg BendianGregg BendianGregg Bendian is a jazz percussionist and composer, primarily a vibraphonist. He was born on July 13, 1963 in Englewood, New Jersey.Bendian studied under Noel DaCosta. He has played and recorded with Nels Cline, Pat Metheny, Derek Bailey, Peter Brötzmann, Steve Hunt, Gary Lucas and Cecil Taylor...
- Tommy BenfordTommy BenfordThomas "Tommy" Benford was an African American jazz drummer.Tommy Benford was the younger brother of tuba player Bill Benford. He studied music at the Jenkins Orphanage located in South Carolina. He went on tour with the school band including traveling to England in 1914.In 1920, he was working...
- Han BenninkHan BenninkHan Bennink is a Dutch jazz drummer and percussionist. On occasion his recordings have featured his playing on clarinet, violin, banjo and piano....
- Black BennyBlack BennyBlack Benny Williams was a New Orleans-based bass drummer of legendary status who played in brass bands in the early decades of the 20th century. Black Benny was recalled by many New Orleans musicians of the era, but left no recordings....
- Chief BeyChief BeyChief Bey, born James Hawthorne Bey, was an American jazz percussionist and African folklorist.Born in Yamassee, South Carolina, he moved with his family to Brooklyn and then to Harlem, where he began playing drums and singing in church choirs...
- Jim BlackJim BlackJim Black is a jazz drummer who has performed with Tim Berne and Dave Douglas, among others. He attended Berklee College of Music....
- Cindy BlackmanCindy BlackmanCindy Blackman is an American jazz and rock drummer. Blackman is best-known for recording and touring with Lenny Kravitz...
- Ed BlackwellEd BlackwellEd Blackwell was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for his extensive work with Ornette Coleman....
- Brian BladeBrian BladeBrian Blade in Shreveport, Louisiana is an American jazz drummer, composer, session musician, and singer-songwriter.-Early years:...
- Art BlakeyArt BlakeyArthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
- Johnny Blowers
- Tiny BradshawTiny BradshawMyron C. Bradshaw was an American jazz and rhythm and blues bandleader, singer, composer, pianist, and drummer from Youngstown, Ohio.-Early years:...
- Anthony Brown
- Guillermo E. BrownGuillermo E. BrownGuillermo E. Brown is a free jazz drummer who has performed or recorded with Matthew Shipp, David S. Ware, George Lewis and others. In 2008 his work "Electro Prayer 5.0" was included on the compilation album Crosstalk: American Speech Music produced by Mendi & Keith Obadike.- References :...
- Bill BrufordBill BrufordWilliam Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
- Larry BunkerLarry BunkerLawrence Benjamin "Larry" Bunker was an American jazz drummer, vibraphonist, and percussionist. He also played timpani with the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra.-Biography:...
- Dominik BurkhalterDominik BurkhalterDominik Burkhalter is a Swiss bandleader, composer and drummer.-Life:He started playing the drums in 1982, and began his studies at the Jazz School Lucerne in 1995, where he majored in drums in 1999....
- Ronnie BurrageRonnie BurrageRonnie Burrage is an American jazz drummer. His style draws elements from hard bop, bebop, funk, and soul....
- Frank ButlerFrank Butler (musician)Frank Butler was an American jazz drummer. Butler was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but later moved west and was associated in large part with the West Coast school...
C
- Candido CameroCandido CameroCandido de Guerra Camero, also known simply as Candido is a Cuban percussionist who backed many Afro-Cuban jazz and straightforward jazz acts since the 1950s...
- Terri Lyne CarringtonTerri Lyne CarringtonTerri Lyne Carrington is a jazz drummer, composer, record producer and entrepreneur. She has played with jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Joe Sample, Al Jarreau, Yellowjackets, and many more...
- Michael CarvinMichael CarvinMichael W. Carvin is an American jazz drummer. He has performed with Mickey Bass, Charles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, B. B. King, Jackie McLean, Pharoah Sanders, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Clive Stevens.- Notes :...
- Sid CatlettSid CatlettSidney Catlett , was a swinging jazz drummer often referred to as "Big Sid Catlett" because of his large frame.-Biography:...
- Nick CeroliNick CeroliNick Ceroli , was an American jazz drummer.Ceroli was born in Warren, Ohio. He did a tour of Central and South America in 1963 with Ray Anthony, and that same year recorded with Jack Teagarden and played with Gerald Wilson at the Monterey Jazz Festival...
- Dennis ChambersDennis ChambersDennis Chambers is an American drummer who has recorded and performed with John Scofield, George Duke, Brecker Brothers, Santana, Parliament/Funkadelic, John McLaughlin, Niacin, Mike Stern, Greg Howe, and many others. Despite a lack of formal training, Chambers has become well known among...
- Joe ChambersJoe ChambersJoe Chambers is an American jazz drummer, pianist, vibraphonist and composer. He attended the Philadelphia Conservatory for one year. In the 1960s and 70s Chambers gigged with many high-profile artists such as Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus, Lou Donaldson, Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard, Jimmy Giuffre...
- Jim ChapinJim ChapinJames Forbes "Jim" Chapin was an American jazz drummer and the author of popular texts on jazz drumming, the first two volumes of which are Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer, Vol. I, and Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer, Vol...
- Dennis Charles
- Jon ChristensenJon ChristensenJon Christensen is a Norwegian jazz percussionist.In the late 1960s he played alongside Jan Garbarek on several recordings by the composer George Russell....
- Kenny ClareKenny ClareKenneth 'Kenny' Clare was an English jazz drummer. He should not be confused with Kenny Clarke, whose band he played in....
- Mike Clark
- Kenny ClarkeKenny ClarkeKenny Clarke , born Kenneth Spearman Clarke, nicknamed "Klook" and later known as Liaqat Ali Salaam, was a jazz drummer and an early innovator of the bebop style of drumming...
- Gerald CleaverGerald Cleaver (musician)Gerald Cleaver is an African-American jazz drummer from Detroit, Michigan. He joined the jazz faculty at the University of Michigan in 1995...
- Jimmy CobbJimmy Cobb-External links:* - includes full discography* * * * * * *...
- Billy CobhamBilly CobhamWilliam C. Cobham is a Panamanian American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, who has called Switzerland home since the late 1970s....
- Vinnie ColaiutaVinnie ColaiutaVincent Colaiuta is an American drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Republic, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14...
- Cozy ColeCozy ColeCozy Cole was an American jazz drummer who scored a #1 Cashbox magazine hit with the record "Topsy Part 2". "Topsy" peaked at number three on Billboard Hot 100, and at number one on the R&B chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The track peaked at #29 in the UK...
- Clark CoolidgeClark CoolidgeClark Coolidge is an American poet born in Providence, Rhode Island.Often associated with the Language School, his experience as a Jazz drummer and interest in a wide array of subjects--- including caves, geology, bebop, weather, Salvador Dalí, Jack Kerouac, and movies--- often finds...
- Pierre CourboisPierre CourboisSir Pierre Courbois is a Dutch jazz-drummer, bandleader and composer.After studying percussion at the Hogeschool der Kunsten in Arnhem, Courbois left for Paris, the center of Jazz in Europe in the early 1960s...
- Tony CrombieTony CrombieAnthony John "Tony" Crombie was an English jazz drummer, pianist, bandleader and composer. He was regarded as one of the finest jazz drummers and bandleaders, and occasional but very capable pianist and vibraphonist, to emerge in Britain, and as an energising influence on the British jazz scene...
- Stanley CrouchStanley CrouchStanley Crouch is an American music and cultural critic, syndicated columnist, and novelist, perhaps best known for his jazz criticism, and his novel Don't the Moon Look Lonesome?- Biography :...
- Adam CruzAdam CruzAdam Cruz is an American jazz drummer . He is best known for his work with pianist Danilo Perez, saxophonist Steve Wilson, David Sanchez, and pianist Edward Simon...
- Andrew CyrilleAndrew CyrilleAndrew Charles Cyrille is an avant-garde jazz drummer.Cyrille was born in Brooklyn, New York into a family with a mother from Haiti. He began studying science at St...
D
- Quincy DavisQuincy DavisQuincy Davis is a jazz drummer who has recorded with Tom Harrell, Vincent Gardner, Randy Napoleon, and others.-Personal:Davis grew up in a musical family in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His brother is pianist Xavier Davis. He often played with his brother in their home. In grade school, he also picked...
- Roy Davis
- Alan DawsonAlan DawsonAlan Dawson was a respected jazz drummer and widely influential percussion teacher based in Boston. He was born in Marietta, Pennsylvania and raised in Roxbury, MA. Serving in the Army for Korean War duty, Dawson played with the Army Dance Band while stationed at Fort Dix from 1951-1953...
- Jack DeJohnetteJack DeJohnetteJack DeJohnette is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. He is one of the most influential jazz drummers of the 20th century, due to extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians like Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett and Sonny...
- Buddy DeppenschmidtBuddy DeppenschmidtBuddy Deppenschmidt is an American jazz drummer. He recorded with Stan Getz, Charlie Byrd and Bill Reichenbach. Their album Jazz Samba, recorded live on February 13, 1962, started a craze in North America for Latin American music...
- Whit DickeyWhit DickeyWhit Dickey is a free jazz drummer. He has recorded albums as a bandleader, or with David S. Ware, Matthew Shipp and others.- Notes :...
- Baby DoddsBaby DoddsWarren "Baby" Dodds was a jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana."Baby" Dodds was the younger brother of clarinetist Johnny Dodds. He is regarded as one of the very best jazz drummers of the pre-big band era, and one of the most important early jazz drummers...
- Bill DowdyBill DowdyBill Dowdy is a musician and teacher, born in Arkansas. He was the drummer with the jazz trio, The Three Sounds. The Three Sounds recorded over ten jazz albums from the 1950s through the early 70s and played with Lester Young, Lou Donaldson, Nat Adderley, Johnny Griffin, Anita O'Day and Sonny...
- Hamid DrakeHamid DrakeHamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends much of his time traveling around the world for concerts and studio dates....
- Martin DrewMartin DrewMartin Drew was an English jazz drummer, who played with Ronnie Scott and Oscar Peterson .-Career:...
- Buzzy DrootinBuzzy DrootinBenjamin "Buzzy" Drootin was a legendary jazz drummer. He played with some of the greatest leading jazz musicians for over sixty years....
- Joe DeRenzoJoe DeRenzoJoseph Peter DeRenzo is an American jazz drummer, composer and producer currently living and working in New York City...
F
- Chuck FloresChuck FloresChuck Flores is an American jazz drummer. One of the relatively small number of musicians associated with West Coast jazz who are actually from the West Coast, Flores was born Charles Walter Flores in Orange, California, and grew up in Santa Ana...
- Al FosterAl FosterAl Foster is an American jazz drummer. Foster played with Miles Davis's large funk fusion group in the 70s, was one of the few people to have contact with Miles during his retirement, and was also part of his comeback album The Man With the Horn of 1981...
- Vernel FournierVernel fournierVernel Anthony Fournier and, from 1975, known as Amir Rushdan, was a jazz drummer probably best known for his work with Ahmad Jamal from 1956 to 1962....
- David "Panama" Francis
- Future ManFuture ManRoy Wilfred Wooten , also known as "RoyEl", best known by his stage name Future Man , is an inventor, musician, and composer...
G
- Steve GaddSteve GaddSteve Gadd is an American session and studio drummer, notable for his work with popular musicians from a wide range of genres.-Biography:...
- Rich GalichonRich GalichonRich Galichon is an independent studio drummer based in New York. Galichon formally trained at the Downs School of Music. While studying there, Galichon emerged as a three-time gold medalist in the Long Island Drum Teachers Association...
- Stéphane GallandStéphane GallandStéphane Galland is a Belgian drummer.He got his first drumset at the age of 3 and six years later, he entered the Huy conservatory, from which he graduated in 1987. When he was 11, he started to perform with jazz musicians like Eric Legnini and Jean-Pierre Catoul...
- Alvester GarnettAlvester GarnettAlvester Garnett is an American jazz drummer who, among many other productions, has appeared on Great Performances on PBS in a tribute to Kurt Weill. He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.-External links:**...
- Peter GigerPeter GigerPeter Giger is a Swiss percussionist and bandleader.-----His musical CV:1958 professional musician, tours in Europe with the Tremble Kids, Oskar Klein, Albert Nicholas, Bill Coleman, Joe Turner, Wild Bill Davison, Peanuts Holland1960 after short guest performance with Armand Gordons Ragtime Band,...
- Paul GoldbergPaul GoldbergPaul Goldberg is an American jazz/rock/R&B drummer.Goldberg was born in Washington DC. At age seven, relocated to Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he began studying the drumset w/ jazz great Don Hirsh, and continued studying drumset through grade school...
- Danny GottliebDanny GottliebDanny Gottlieb is a freelance drummer who has performed as part of the Pat Metheny Group and Mahavishnu Orchestra. He is also a member of the University of North Florida jazz faculty, where he teaches as a fulltime Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies.- Biography :Danny graduated from the...
- Bobby GrahamBobby GrahamBobby Graham was an English session drummer, composer, arranger and record producer. Shel Talmy, who produced The Kinks, David Bowie and The Who, described Graham as "the greatest drummer the UK has ever produced."...
- Milford GravesMilford GravesMilford Graves is an American jazz drummer and percussionist, most noteworthy for his early avant-garde contributions in the early 1960s with Paul Bley and the New York Art Quartet...
- Rodney Green
- Freddie GruberFreddie GruberFreddie Gruber was a jazz drummer and teacher to a number of professional drummers.Gruber grew up in the nascent New York be-bop scene, and played with Charlie Parker, among many others. Gruber's student list includes Vinnie Colaiuta, Neil Peart, Steve Smith and Dave Weckl...
H
- Omar HakimOmar HakimOmar Hakim is an American jazz, jazz fusion and pop music drummer.Hakim credits jazz vibraphonist Mike Mainieri with giving him his first break in 1980; Hakim appeared in a video with Mainieri called The Jazz Life and began working with singer Carly Simon through Mainieri...
- Dana HallDana Hall (musician)Dana Hall is an American jazz drummer, percussionist, composer, bandleader, and ethnomusicologist. After spending the first few years of his life in Brooklyn, New York , he relocated with his family to his mother’s hometown of Philadelphia...
- Tubby HallTubby HallAlfred "Tubby" Hall was a jazz drummer.Hall was born in Sellers, Louisiana; his family moved to New Orleans in his childhood. His younger brother Minor "Ram" Hall also became a professional drummer...
- Chico HamiltonChico HamiltonChico Hamilton , is an American jazz drummer and bandleader.-Early life through 1960s:Hamilton was born in Los Angeles, California. He had a fast-track musical education in a band with Charles Mingus, Illinois Jacquet, Ernie Royal, Dexter Gordon, Buddy Collette and Jack Kelso...
- Jeff HamiltonJeff Hamilton (drummer)Jeff Hamilton is an American jazz drummer. He is co-director of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and leader of his own trio.-Career:...
- Jake HannaJake HannaJake Hanna was an American jazz drummer.Hanna first performed in his home town of Boston, and was the house drummer at Storyville for a number of years in the 1950s and 1960s. He played with Toshiko Akiyoshi , Maynard Ferguson , Marian McPartland , and Woody Herman's Orchestra...
- Eric HarlandEric HarlandEric Harland is an American jazz drummer.Besides leading his own group Harland has performed with many renowned artists, including Wynton Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Joshua Redman, Ravi Coltrane, Kenny Garrett, Dave Holland, Charles Lloyd, Michael Brecker, Terence Blanchard, Walter Smith...
- Beaver HarrisBeaver HarrisWilliam Godvin "Beaver" Harris was an American jazz drummer, who worked extensively with Archie Shepp.-Biography:...
- Gavin HarrisonGavin HarrisonGavin Harrison is a British drummer and percussionist. He is best known for playing with the British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree which he joined in 2002. As of 2008, he also plays with the band King Crimson....
- Billy HartBilly HartWilliam "Billy" Hart is a jazz drummer and educator who has performed with some of the most important jazz musicians in history.-Biography:Early on Hart performed in Washington, D.C...
- Manfred HausleitnerManfred Hausleitner-Biography:As one of Austria's leading Drummers, Manfred began studying drums at an early age of 6 with his father. He began learning about jazz when he signed up for the jazz institute at the Konservatiorium and Highschool in Vienna, where he studied with Erich Bachtraegl for 8 years in addition...
- Roy HaynesRoy HaynesRoy Owen Haynes is an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Haynes is among the most recorded drummers in jazz, and in a career lasting more than 60 years has played in a wide range of styles ranging from swing and bebop to jazz fusion and avant-garde jazz...
- J. C. HeardJ. C. HeardJ. C. Heard a.k.a. James Charles Heard was a United States swing, bop, and blues drummer....
- Albert "Tootie" HeathTootie HeathAlbert "Tootie" Heath is an American jazz hard bop drummer, the brother of tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath and double-bassist Percy Heath.He first recorded in 1957 with John Coltrane. From 1958 to 1974 he worked with, among others, J. J...
- Gerry HemingwayGerry HemingwayGerry Hemingway is an American jazz composer and percussionist.He has performed with Ernst Reijseger, Anthony Davis, Earl Howard, Leo Smith, George Lewis, Anthony Braxton, Ray Anderson, Mark Helias, Reggie Workman, Michael Moore, Oliver Lake, Marilyn Crispell, Christy Doran, John Wolf Brennan, Don...
- Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez
- Billy HigginsBilly HigginsBilly Higgins was an American jazz drummer. He played mainly free jazz and hard bop.Higgins was born in Los Angeles, California. Higgins played on Ornette Coleman's first records, beginning in 1958...
- Ari HoenigAri HoenigAri Hoenig , is a jazz drummer, composer and educator known for his unusual and intense approach to drumming emphasizing complex rhythms. He currently leads a group that makes regular appearances in New York jazz clubs including the 55 Bar and the Blue Note, in addition to performing worldwide...
- William Hooker
- Stix HooperStix HooperNesbert "Stix" Hooper is an American soul jazz/hard bop jazz drummer born in Houston, Texas, probably best known for founding his group The Swingsters, which later became known as The Jazz Crusaders.-References:...
- Gary HusbandGary HusbandGary Husband is a British jazz and rock drummer, pianist and composer.- Short biography:Gary Husband is an English jazz and rock drummer, pianist and composer...
- Roger HumphriesRoger HumphriesRoger Humphries is an American jazz drummer.Born into a family of ten children in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Humphries began playing drums at age four, and went professional at age 14. He led an ensemble at Carnegie Hall at age 16...
J
- Ronald Shannon JacksonRonald Shannon JacksonRonald Shannon Jackson is an American jazz drummer. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas.Jackson is notable for his unusual approach to his instrument, which draws as much inspiration from military and parade bands as from traditional jazz drumming.He is the only person to have recorded and performed...
- Marcin JahrMarcin JahrMarcin Jahr , Polish jazz drummer, studied drums at The Music Academy in Katowice, Poland. He finished his studies in 1992 earning a diploma of jazz music . Before that, he had taken part in jazz competitions during Jazz Juniors Festival in Cracow, winning prizes and distinguishing rewards...
- Clifford JarvisClifford JarvisClifford Jarvis was an American hard bop and free jazz drummer.After studying at Berklee in the 1950s he established himself in jazz between 1959 and 1966 by recording with Chet Baker, Randy Weston, Yusef Lateef, Freddie Hubbard, Barry Harris, Jackie McLean, and Elmo Hope, and playing with Grant...
- Dink JohnsonDink JohnsonOllie "Dink" Johnson was a dixieland jazz pianist, clarinetist, and drummer.-Background:Dink Johnson was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, younger brother of the bass player/bandleader William Manuel Johnson. He worked around Mississippi and New Orleans, Louisiana before moving to the western United...
- Gus JohnsonGus Johnson (jazz musician)Gus Johnson was the drummer in various jazz bands, including that of Jay McShann for many years. In the 1960s he played for saxophonist Gerry Mulligan and accompanied singer Ella Fitzgerald in her 1960 concert in Berlin...
- Elvin JonesElvin JonesElvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
- Jo JonesJo JonesJo Jones was an American jazz drummer.Known as Papa Jo Jones in his later years, he was sometimes confused with another influential jazz drummer, Philly Joe Jones...
- Philly Joe JonesPhilly Joe JonesJoseph Rudolph Jones was a Philadelphia-born United States jazz drummer, known as the drummer for the Miles Davis Quintet.Philly Joe Jones was often confused with another influential jazz drummer, Jo Jones...
- Rusty Jones
- Robert JospéRobert JospéRobert Jospé is a Charlottesville, Virginia based jazz drummer.Jospé is the band leader and drummer with the band Inner Rhythm, which received positive reviews in the Washington Post....
K
- Chris KaranChris KaranChris Karan is a jazz percussionist, primarily a drummer, of Greek descent from Melbourne. He played in Mike Nock's trio in Sydney in the early 1960s...
- Manu KatchéManu KatchéManu Katché is a French musician of Ivorian origin, born in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés on 27 October 1958. He is a drummer and songwriter.-Career:Session musician...
- Connie KayConnie KayConnie Kay was an American jazz drummer.Kay was a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet from 1955 until the group's dissolution in 1974...
- Franklin KiermyerFranklin KiermyerFranklin Kiermyer in Montréal, Canada, is a drummer/composer who came to prominence in the 1990s during his long residency in New York City. Kiermyer's work is inspired by a variety of spiritual musics including the late period of John Coltrane...
- Johnny KleinJohnny KleinJohn A. Klein, Jr. was an American-born musician who played drums for the Lawrence Welk orchestra from 1951 to 1976 and on The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1976. He was also Welk's second cousin....
- Gene KrupaGene KrupaGene Krupa was an American jazz and big band drummer and composer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style.-Biography:...
- David KingDavid King (musician)David King is a drummer/ composer from Minneapolis. He is best known for being a founding member of the jazz groups The Bad Plus and Happy Apple although he is active in many other projects including free jazz collective Buffalo Collision with NYC "Downtown" legends Tim Berne and Hank Roberts and...
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- Joe LaBarberaJoe LaBarberaJoe LaBarbera is an American jazz drummer and composer. He is best known for his recordings and live performances with the trio of pianist Bill Evans in the final years of Evans's career. Prior to joining Evans he worked in the quartet of Chuck Mangione and Joe Farrell.- Early life :He was born...
- Thomas LangThomas LangThomas Lang is an Austrian drummer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and record producer. He is the founding member of the Los Angeles-based progressive/avant garde metal trio, stOrk.Lang took up drumming at the age of 5...
- Pete La RocaPete La RocaPete La Roca is an American jazz drummer. He adopted the name La Roca early in his musical career when he was a timbales player in Latin bands....
- Papa Jack LainePapa Jack LaineGeorge Vital "Papa Jack" Laine was a pioneering band leader in New Orleans in the years from the Spanish-American War to World War I....
- Stan LeveyStan LeveyStan Levey was an American jazz drummer. Born in Philadelphia, Levey is considered one of the earliest bebop drummers, one of the very few white drummers involved in the formative years of bebop and accepted as one of bop's most important drummers, along with Kenny Clarke and Max Roach...
- Torstein LofthusTorstein LofthusTorstein Lofthus is a Norwegian drummer. Major influence on Norwegian music through studio work, live concerts and teaching at Norwegian Academy of Music and at University of Agder . Based in Oslo, he now tours Norway and Europe with different bands and artists after finishing his master at the...
- Mel LewisMel LewisMel Lewis was an American drummer, jazz musician and band leader. He was born Melvin Sokoloff in Buffalo, New York to Russian immigrant parents....
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- Ray McKinleyRay McKinleyRay McKinley was an American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader.McKinley got his start working with local bands in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, before joining Smith Ballew in 1929, when he met Glenn Miller. The two formed a friendship which lasted from 1929 until Miller's death in 1944....
- William McKinneyWilliam McKinneyWilliam McKinney was an American jazz drummer who led a series of musical groups, most notably McKinney's Cotton Pickers.William "Bill" McKinney was born in Cynthiana, Kentucky...
- Shelly ManneShelly ManneShelly Manne , born Sheldon Manne in New York City, was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, swing, bebop, avant-garde jazz and fusion, as well as contributing...
- Larance MarableLarance MarableLarance Marable is a West Coast jazz hard bop drummer born in Los Angeles, California, probably best known today for his work with Charlie Haden in his Quartet West. However, Marable also had a strong career first as a bop musician in the 1950s working with the likes of Dexter Gordon and Charlie...
- Jason MarsalisJason Marsalis-External links:* from Basin Street Records* from Jazzweekly.com...
- Barrett MartinBarrett MartinBarrett Martin , is an American drummer, upright bassist, composer, producer, writer, and Zen artist. He was the drummer for the Seattle, Washington groups Skin Yard and Screaming Trees, as well as the supergroups Mad Season and Tuatara...
- Billy MartinBilly MartinAlfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
- Harvey MasonHarvey MasonHarvey William Mason is an American jazz drummer. He has worked with many jazz and fusion artists such as Bob James, The Brecker Brothers, Lee Ritenour, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and almost all the Mizell Brothers productions with Donald Byrd, Johnny Hammond, Bobbi Humphrey and Gary Bartz...
- Marilyn MazurMarilyn MazurMarilyn Mazur is a percussionist, drummer, composer, vocalist, pianist, dancer and bandleader. She was born in New York and has lived in Denmark from age six. She is of Polish and African-American descent. Since 1975, she has worked as a percussionist with various groups, among them Six Winds with...
- Butch MilesButch MilesButch Miles is an American jazz drummer. He has played with the Count Basie Orchestra, Dave Brubeck, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., and Frank Sinatra, among others....
- Marcus L. Miller
- Charles MoffettCharles MoffettCharles Moffett was a free jazz drummer.Moffett began his musical career as a trumpeter before switching to drums. He is probably best known for his part in Ornette Coleman's trio with David Izenzon in the 1960s. He also appeared on other important albums of that period, such as Archie Shepp's...
- Louis MoholoLouis MoholoLouis Tebugo Moholo , is a South African jazz drummer.He formed The Blue Notes with Chris McGregor, Johnny Dyani, Nikele Moyake, Mongezi Feza and Dudu Pukwana, and emigrated to Europe with them in 1964, eventually settling in London, where he formed part of a South African exile community that made...
- T.S. Monk
- Airto MoreiraAirto MoreiraAirto Moreira is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. Airto is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. He currently resides in Los Angeles.-Biography:...
- Joe MorelloJoe MorelloJoseph Albert Morello was a jazz drummer best known for his 12½-year stint with The Dave Brubeck Quartet. He was frequently noted for playing in the unusual time signatures employed by that group in such pieces as "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo à la Turk"...
- Paul MotianPaul MotianStephen Paul Motian was an American jazz drummer, percussionist and composer of Armenian extraction.He first came to prominence in the late 1950s in the piano trio of Bill Evans, and later led several groups...
- Alphonse MouzonAlphonse MouzonAlphonse Mouzon is a well-known jazz-fusion drummer and percussionist, and the Chairman/CEO of Tenacious Records. He also composes, arranges and produces, as well as acts...
- Idris MuhammadIdris MuhammadIdris Muhammad is a jazz drummer. He changed his name in the 1960s upon his conversion to Islam. He is known for his funky playing style. He has released a number of albums as leader, and has played with a number of jazz legends including Lou Donaldson, Johnny Griffin, Pharoah Sanders and Grover...
- Günter MüllerGünter MüllerGünter Müller is an Swiss composer, improviser and visual artist based in Lupsingen, Switzerland.Günter Müller is a German sound artist that originally performed as a percussionist and drummer active primarily in free improvisation....
- Don MumfordDon MumfordDon Mumford was a Lawrence, Kansas jazz musician. In addition to South African jazz pioneer Abdullah Ibrahim , during several productive years in the active music scene of Portland, Oregon, his mentors included drummer Mel Brown and the late saxophonist Jim Pepper...
- Sunny MurraySunny MurrayJames Marcellus Arthur "Sunny" Murray is one of the pioneers of the free jazz style of drumming.-Biography:...
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- Earl PalmerEarl PalmerEarl Cyril Palmer was an American rock & roll and rhythm and blues drummer, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame....
- Sonny PayneSonny PayneSonny Payne was an American jazz drummer, best known for his work with Count Basie and Harry James.His father was Wild Bill Davis's drummer Chris Columbus...
- Paul PeressPaul PeressPaul Peress is an American drummer, composer and producer, based in New York City.-Background:Paul Peress grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, and also lived in Kansas City, Missouri for his last 2 years of high school.He has a B.A...
- Charlie PersipCharlie PersipCharli Persip , is an American jazz drummer. Born in Morristown, New Jersey as Charles Lawrence Persip, he changed his name to Charli Persip in the early 1980s.-Biography:...
- Ben PollackBen PollackBen Pollack was a drummer and bandleader from the mid 1920s through the swing era. His eye for talent led him to either discover or employ, at one time or another, musicians such as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Jimmy McPartland and Harry James...
- Joe PorcaroJoe PorcaroJoseph Porcaro is an American jazz drummer, percussionist and educator....
- Richie PrattRichie PrattRichie Pratt is a professional musician. He embarked upon a career as a professional musician on the New York scene in the early 1970s, it was as much due to unanticipated intervention as anything else...
- Bobby PreviteBobby PreviteRobert "Bobby" Previte is a drummer, composer and bandleader. Previte earned a B.A. in Economics at the University at Buffalo, where he also studied percussion. He moved to New York City in 1979, and became active in the city's thriving jazz and experimental music scenes...
- Bernard PurdieBernard PurdieBernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie is an American session drummer, and is considered an influential and innovative exponent of funk...
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- Ray BauducRay BauducRay Bauduc was a jazz drummer best known for his work with the Bob Crosby Orchestra and their band-within-a-band, the Bobcats, between 1935 and 1942....
- Buddy RichBuddy RichBernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
- Dannie RichmondDannie RichmondDannie Richmond was an American drummer who was best known among jazz fans for his work with Charles Mingus, and among pop fans for his work with Joe Cocker, Elton John and Mark-Almond....
- Alex RielAlex RielAlex Riel, , is a Danish jazz and rock drummer. His first group Alex Riel/Palle Mikkelborg Quintet won Montreux Grand Prix Award at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1968 and it was published in Billboards June 1968 edition.-Biography:Riel has recorded with, among others, Kenny Drew, Kenny Werner, Bob...
- Karriem RigginsKarriem RigginsKarriem Riggins is a jazz drummer, hip hop producer, dj, and sometime rapper. He is a former member of the Ray Brown Trio and Mulgrew Miller trio and currently appears in the Diana Krall quartet....
- Ben RileyBen RileyBen Riley is an American hard bop drummer known for his work with Thelonious Monk, as well as Alice Coltrane, Stan Getz, Woody Herman, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Ahmad Jamal, Kenny Barron, and as member of the group Sphere...
- Herlin RileyHerlin RileyHerlin Riley is an American Neo-bop jazz drummer. Along with other notable musicians such as Wynton Marsalis and Wessel Anderson, he is a member of the New York jazz group, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra....
- John Riley
- Max RoachMax RoachMaxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
- David RokeachDavid Rokeach-Biography:Drummer David Rokeach has been working primarily in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas for more than 20 years. David toured nationally and internationally with Ray Charles from 1990-91. This included concert videos and many television appearances, including an appearance on the...
- Jay Rosen
- Hal RussellHal RussellHal Russell was an American free jazz musician. He performed mainly on drums and saxophone, but occasionally on trumpet or vibraphone. Russel's fiery music was marked by significant humor, not unlike much of Dutch drummer Han Bennink's output...
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- Antonio Sanchez
- Aaron ScottAaron ScottAaron Scott is a composer and jazz drummer, born June 19, 1956 in Chicago, Illinois, United States.He lived in Paris a number of years, and currently resides in New York. While in Paris, he performed with the L’Orchestre National de Jazz and studied conducting at the École Normale de Musique de...
- Kendrick ScottKendrick ScottKendrick Scott is an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer. Scott is the founder of the World Culture Music Record Company.-Biography:Kendrick A.D. Scott was born and raised in Houston, Texas...
- Phil SeamenPhil SeamenPhillip William "Phil" Seamen was an English jazz drummer.With a solid background in big band music, Seamen played and recorded in a wide range of musical contexts with virtually every key figure of 1950s and 1960s British jazz...
- Ed Shaughnessy
- Pete Sims
- Zutty Singleton
- Marvin SmithMarvin SmithSmith, an alumnus of Berklee, has recorded 200 albums with various artists, as well as two solo albums.In addition, he also has toured with Sting, Dave Holland, Sonny Rollins and Willie Nelson. He is a former member of The New York Jazz Quartet, and is in a band with Kevin Eubanks, fellow Berklee...
- Michael S. SmithMichael S. SmithMichael Scott Smith was an American jazz drummer and percussionist.-Career:Based in the Washington D.C...
- Steve SmithSteve Smith (musician)Steve Elliott Smith is an American drummer who has worked with hundreds of artists in his career, but is mostly known for being the drummer of the rock band Journey during their peak years of success. Modern Drummer magazine readers voted him the #1 All-Around Drummer five years in a row...
- Ed SophEd SophEdward "Ed" Soph is an American jazz drummer and educator.Soph was raised in Houston, Texas. He enrolled at North Texas State University in 1963 as a music major, but switched his concentration to English during his sophomore year...
- Stewie SpeerStewie SpeerStewie Speer was an Australian jazz and rock drummer who is best known as a member of the 1960s-70s Australian group Max Merritt & The Meteors....
- Ronnie StephensonRonnie StephensonRonnie Stephenson was an English jazz drummer.-Biography:Stephenson was one of the most in-demand drummers on the British jazz scene in the 1960s....
- John StevensJohn Stevens (drummer)John William Stevens was an English drummer. He was one of the most significant figures in early free improvisation, and a founding member of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble .-Biography:Stevens was born in Brentford, the son of a tap dancer...
- Ragbaby StevensRagbaby StevensJoe Stephens, generally known as "Ragbaby" or "Rag Baby Stephens", was an early New Orleans dixieland and jazz drummer....
- Bill StewartBill Stewart (musician)William Harris "Bill" Stewart is an American jazz drummer. Stewart is a versatile player who has performed with a broad array of musicians, from Maceo Parker to Jim Hall...
- Alvin StollerAlvin StollerAlvin Stoller was an American jazz drummer. Though he seems to have been largely forgotten, he was held in high regard in the 1940s and 1950s...
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- Tani TabbalTani Tabbal-Biography:By age fourteen Tabbal was playing professionally, performing with Oscar Brown Jr. In his teens he also performed with Phil Cohran and the Sun Ra Arkestra....
- Grady TateGrady TateGrady Tate, , is a hard bop and soul-jazz drummer and singer.He has played with Lional Hampton, Jimmy Smith, Grant Green, Lena Horne, Astrud Gilberto, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Blossom Dearie, Chris Connor, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Cal Tjader, Peggy Lee, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, Count...
- Art TaylorArt TaylorArthur S. Taylor, Jr. was an American jazz drummer of the hard bop school.After playing in the bands of Howard McGhee, Coleman Hawkins, Buddy DeFranco, Bud Powell, and George Wallington from 1948 to 1957, he formed his own group, the Wailers...
- Chester ThompsonChester ThompsonChester Cortez Thompson is an American drummer and session musician.-Biography:Thompson made his name as a session drummer, going on to play in Frank Zappa's touring band and with Weather Report...
- Dave ToughDave ToughDave Tough was an American jazz drummer associated with both Dixieland and swing jazz in the 1930s and 1940s...
- Ed ThigpenEd ThigpenEdmund Leonard "Ed" Thigpen was an American jazz drummer, best-known for his work with the Oscar Peterson trio from 1959 to 1965...
- Cal TjaderCal TjaderCallen Radcliffe Tjader, Jr. a.k.a. Cal Tjader was a Latin jazz musician, though he also explored various other jazz idioms. Unlike other American jazz musicians who experimented with the music from Cuba, the Caribbean, and Latin America, he never abandoned it, performing it until his...
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- Chad WackermanChad WackermanChad Wackerman is a jazz, jazz fusion and rock drummer; arguably best known in the United States for his work as a drummer and percussionist in Frank Zappa's band...
- Kenny WashingtonKenny Washington (musician)Kenny Washington is a jazz drummer born in Staten Island, New York.He studied at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts...
- Jeff 'Tain' WattsJeff 'Tain' WattsJeff "Tain" Watts is a jazz drummer born in 1960 who has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Betty Carter, Michael Brecker, and others.-Biography:...
- Chick WebbChick WebbWilliam Henry Webb, usually known as Chick Webb was an American jazz and swing music drummer as well as a band leader.-Biography:...
- Dave WecklDave WecklDave Weckl is a highly acclaimed jazz fusion drummer. Weckl attended Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, MO and graduated in 1978. He majored in jazz studies at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut...
- Paul WerticoPaul WerticoPaul Wertico is an American drummer. He gained recognition as a member of the Pat Metheny Group from 1983 until 2001, leaving the group to spend more time with his family and to pursue other musical interests. Metheny heard the Simon Bard Group with Wertico and bassist Steve Rodby, and invited...
- Lenny WhiteLenny WhiteLeonard White III, better known as Lenny White is an American jazz fusion drummer, who is best known for playing in Chick Corea's Return to Forever.-Biography:...
- Maurice WhiteMaurice WhiteMaurice White is a Grammy Award–winning American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger. He is the older brother of Verdine White and Fred White and the leader and founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire...
- Johnny WilliamsJohnny Williams (drummer)Johnny Williams was an American jazz drummer and percussionist from the early 1930s to the late 1950s...
- Tony Williams