Martin Drew
Encyclopedia
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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...
drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
, who played with Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott was an English jazz tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner.-Life and career:Ronnie Scott was born in Aldgate, east London, into a family of Russian Jewish descent on his father's side, and Portuguese antecedents on his mother's. Scott began playing in small jazz clubs at the age of...
(1927-1996) and Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
(1925-2007).
Career
Martin was born 11 February 1944, in Northampton, England, and started to play the drums when he was six years old. He played his first professional engagement at thirteen. Studying with the late George Fierstone gave Martin a solid musical and technical background.Drew had a quintet called "Our Band" with Dick Morrissey
Dick Morrissey
Richard Edwin "Dick" Morrissey was a British jazz musician and composer. He played the tenor sax, soprano sax and flute.- Background :...
, tenor saxophone, Jim Mullen
Jim Mullen
Jim Mullen is a Glasgow-born jazz guitarist with a distinctive style, like Wes Montgomery before him, picking with the thumb rather than a plectrum.-Biography:...
, guitar (originally Louis Stewart), John Critchinson
John Critchinson
John William Frank Critchinson, "Critch", is an English jazz pianist. He was born in east London, 24 December 1934.In the early 50s he worked, as a part-time musician, with Ronnie Scott, Tubby Hayes, Jimmy Deuchar, among others. In 1979, at the recommendation of his mentor, Bill Le Sage, he joined...
, piano, and Ron Mathewson
Ron Mathewson
Ron Mathewson is a Scottish jazz double bassist and bass guitarist born in Lerwick, Shetland Isles, Scotland. Mathewson is best known for his years spent working with Ronnie Scott, but has also done recordings with Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, Ben Webster, Philly Joe Jones, Roy Eldridge, Oscar...
, double bass.
Drew was also a member of a trio led by Eddie Thompson
Eddie Thompson (musician)
Eddie Thompson b. London 31 May 1925, d. 6 November 1986 was a British jazz pianist.After studying at the same school for the blind as George Shearing, Thompson recorded with Victor Feldman in the late 1940s. In the 1950s he worked with Tony Crombie, Vic Ash, Freddy Randall and Tommy Whittle and...
. He was often heard playing on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
's Sounds of Jazz programme in the 1970s which was introduced by Peter Clayton
Peter Clayton
Peter Clayton was an English music broadcaster and writer, best known for presenting jazz and easy listening music programmes on BBC Radio 1 and 2....
on Sunday evenings.
Martin Drew was best known for his extensive work in Oscar Peterson and Ronnie Scott's groups, with which he became an international name. He also played at Ronnie Scott's club with many famous visiting U.S. jazz musicians.
From 1997-2000 Martin Drew led a quartet with Mornington Lockett
Mornington Lockett
Mornington Edward Lockett is an English jazz saxophonist.Lockett began playing clarinet at age 14 before switching to tenor sax. He studied at Dartington College of Arts, graduating in 1981, then undertook further study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1984-85...
, tenor saxophone, Gareth Williams, piano, and Laurence Cottle
Laurence Cottle
Laurence Cottle is an electric bass guitarist and composer.-Career:His solo recordings have been mostly in the jazz and jazz-fusion vein, with such notable releases as Five Seasons, Laurence Cottle Quintet Live and others....
, electric bass.
In 2000, Drew formed the Celebrating The Jazz Couriers quintet with Mornington Lockett. The group played the music of the original Jazz Couriers, a group led by Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott was an English jazz tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner.-Life and career:Ronnie Scott was born in Aldgate, east London, into a family of Russian Jewish descent on his father's side, and Portuguese antecedents on his mother's. Scott began playing in small jazz clubs at the age of...
and Tubby Hayes
Tubby Hayes
Edward Brian "Tubby" Hayes was an English jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his tenor saxophone playing in groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and with trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest British jazz instrumentalists.- Early life :Hayes was born...
. This new band was completed by Nigel Hitchcock
Nigel Hitchcock
Nigel Hitchcock is an English jazz saxophonist.-Biography:Hichcock began to play alto sax at age 8. In 1982 he and his elder brother Clive joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. After one year Nigel took the lead alto chair for the next 5 years...
on tenor saxophone, Steve Melling on piano, and Andrew Cleyndert on double bass. The group won the 2002 British Jazz Award for Best Small Group.
The New Couriers band reformed in 2003 with Paul Morgan on double bass and Jim Hart on vibraphone. Lockett and Melling returned on tenor saxophone and piano.
Musicians Worked With
Martin Drew himself compiled this list of people he had worked with (alphabetical by first names)Al Cohn - Al Haig - Alan Skidmore - Alec Dankworth - Andrew Cleyndert - Anita O’Day - Anita Wardell - Art Farmer - Arturo Sandoval - Barbara Dennerlein - Barney Kessel - Benn Clatworthy - Benny Carter - Benny Goodman - Bill Holman - Bill Perkins - Bill Watrous - Bobby Hutcherson - Bobby Shew - Bobby Wellins - Bob Wilber - Bosko Petrovic - Buddy Childers - Buddy DeFranco - Bud Shank - Carmen McRae - Charles McPherson - Charlie Mariano - Chet Baker - Chico Freeman - Chucho Valdes - Clark Terry - Conte Candoli - Count Basie - Dame Kiri Te Kanawa - Dave Green - David Gazarov - Davide Petrocca - Dexter Gordon - Dick Morrissey - Dizzy Gillespie - Eddie Daniels - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Ella Fitzgerald - Frank Rossalino - Frank Wess - Freddy Hubbard - Gareth Williams - Gene Harris - George Coleman - Georgie Fame - Gil Evans - Hank Jones - Harold Land - Harry "Sweets" Edison - Herb Ellis - James Moody - James Morrison - Jim Hart - Jim Mullen - Jimmy Smith - Jimmy Witherspoon - J.J. Johnson - Joe Henderson - Joe Pass - Joe Temperley - John Altman - John Critchinson - Sir John Dankworth - John Lewis - John Pearce - John Taylor - Johnny Griffin - Julian Joseph - Junior Mance - Ken Peplowski - Kenny Davern - Kenny Werner - Kilian Forster - Laurence Cottle - Laurie Holloway - Lanny Morgan - Lee Konitz - Lew Soloff - Liane Carroll - Manny Albam - Marion Montgomery - Mark Murphy - Michael Brecker - Michel Legrand - Milt Jackson - Monty Alexander - Mornington Lockett - Mundell Lowe - Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen - Nigel Hitchcock - Niki Harris - Oscar Peterson - Paul McCartney - Paul Morgan - "Peanuts" Hucko - Peter King - Phillipe Catherine - Phil Woods - Plas Johnson - Ralph Sutton - Randy Brecker - Ray Brown - Red Holloway - Robert Farnon - Robin Aspland - Roland Hanna - Ron Carter - Ron Mathewson - Roy Eldridge - Ruby Braff - Scott Hamilton - Simon Spillett - Stan Getz - Stanley Turrentine - Stephane Grappelli - Steve Melling - Terence Blanchard - Terry Gibbs - Tete Montoliu - Tommy Smith - "Toots" Thielemans - Ulf Wakenius - Vic Lewis - Warren Vaché - Woody Herman - Zoot Sims
Death
Drew died on 29 July 2010, at the age of 66, following a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.