Steve Jordan (musician)
Encyclopedia
Steve Jordan is an American
multi-instrumentalist
, composer
, musical director
and Grammy Award
-winning artist, who has made a name for himself as a producer
from the Bronx in New York City
. A graduate of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
, Jordan has additionally released an instructional program for drummers called The Groove is Here.
Arguably best known by fans as a drummer
, Jordan has been a member of several bands and ensemble
s, and has spent a significant amount of his career backing other famous musicians as a sideman
as well as a session player
in recording studios. He has gained a good deal of visibility recently as a member, songwriter and co-producer of Keith Richards and the X-pensive Winos, and later, the John Mayer Trio
. Shortly afterward, he spent a significant amount of his career backing other luminaries including Eric Clapton
in his touring band, touring and recording with others in the studio, while continuing to work a busy schedule as a record producer.
's band. Later, he played drums for the Saturday Night Live
band in the 1970s. When John Belushi
and Dan Aykroyd
toured as The Blues Brothers
in the early 1980s, Jordan was their drummer, and recorded on their resulting album, credited as Steve "Getdwa" Jordan. He did not, however, appear in the movie of the same name. Jordan was the first drummer in the Paul Shaffer
-led "World's Most Dangerous Band"
, the live studio band for the Late Night with David Letterman
show on NBC
.
, appeared on the Rolling Stones' 1986 release Dirty Work when Charlie Watts
' participation was stilled due to his substance abuse
problems in the mid-80's. In the wake of this work, Keith Richards
hired Jordan to play on Aretha Franklin
's cover
of "Jumpin' Jack Flash
" for a film
of the same name.
According to Richards, Jordan pressed Richards on the plane ride home from Aretha's recording session in Detroit to be included in the upcoming documentary
by Taylor Hackford
Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll
, a tribute to Chuck Berry
. Richards had been hoping to include Charlie Watts
in the project, but when this proved unfeasible, Jordan was hired and he appeared in many scenes with Berry and Richards.
The success of this project led to Jordan's membership in Keith Richards and the X-pensive Winos, a band that toured and recorded with Richards in 1988 and 1992 for Talk is Cheap
and Main Offender
, respectively. In fact, Jordan co-produced each record and is credited with songwriting along with Richards. One of these collaborations made it onto the Billboard Hot 100
via the Rolling Stones Steel Wheels
album version in 1989: "Almost Hear You Sigh
" peaked at number 50 (U.S.) and 31 (U.K.) in December of that year.
, a blues rock power trio
that consists of Jordan, on drums and backing vocals, bassist Pino Palladino
and guitarist-singer John Mayer
. The group was formed in 2005 by Mayer as a deviation from his pop-acoustic career. The trio released the record Try! on November 22, 2005. The eleven-track live album includes cover songs, such as Jimi Hendrix
's "Wait Until Tomorrow
" and "I Got A Woman
" by Ray Charles
, two songs from Mayer's release Heavier Things
, as well as new songs written by Mayer, in addition to three songs written by Jordan, Mayer, and Palladino. They are: "Good Love Is On The Way," "Vultures," and "Try." Jordan and Mayer also produced the album together on the Columbia Records
label.
The trio also performed on December 8, 2007, in Los Angeles, California at the L.A. Live Nokia Theatre for the 1st Annual Holiday Charity Revue, which raised funds for various Los Angeles
related charities. The DVD/CD release, entitled Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles features Palladino on bass and Jordan on drums.
Jordan would later collaborate with Mayer and Charlie Hunter
by writing "In Repair," the eleventh track from Mayer's 2006 album Continuum. Jordan also contributed to Mayer's most recent album, "Battle Studies"; videos of the conceptual/recording sessions can be viewed on YouTube
.
, John Mellencamp
, Andres Calamaro
, Cat Stevens
, Bob Dylan
, Sonny Rollins
, BB King, Stevie Nicks
, Sheryl Crow
, Neil Young
, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
, Kelly Clarkson
, and many more. He is featured on James Taylor
's 1998 DVD, Live at the Beacon Theatre
.
Jordan has evolved into a Grammy Award
-winning and nominated producer
with Robert Cray
's album Take Your Shoes Off
and Buddy Guy
's Bring 'Em In
, respectively. While he has played on countless records, from Alicia Keys
"If I Ain't Got You
" to Bruce Springsteen
's Devils and Dust, he continues to produce with such works as the Grammy Award winning John Mayer
album Continuum, John Scofield
's That's What I Say, Possibilities
by Herbie Hancock
, and 23rd St. Lullaby with Patti Scialfa.
In 2006, Jordan joined Eric Clapton
's hand-picked touring band for Clapton's "European Tour 2006", which included seven sold out shows at the Royal Albert Hall
. He continued in Clapton's band as they toured North America in 2007.
In 2008, Jordan produced and played percussion on one track for Los Lonely Boys
' third album, Forgiven
, at East Side Stages in Austin, Texas.
In 2009, Jordan received another Grammy Award nomination - the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, for his work on the soundtrack
scoring film for the movie Cadillac Records
.
, Brit-pop
, country, ska
and Rock and Roll. They toured Japan
in 2006 in support of their first release, And Now... The Verbs. They followed their debut album with Trip, the newest release by Jordan and Voss. As in their previous release, this album features Tamio Okuda
on lead guitar
s, Pino Palladino on bass and additional classic guitar work by Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar.
With Booker T. & the M.G.'s
and Paiste
Cymbals. He has signature drumsticks from Vic Firth
.
Acoustic Drums:Yamaha Maple Custom
Paiste:
Drumsticks:
"Steve's Signature stick is light and long for great touch and sound around the drums and cymbals. In hickory. L = 16 ½"; Dia. = .525" Jordan discussed their use in a video interview for Vic Firth.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, musical director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
and Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning artist, who has made a name for himself as a producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
from the Bronx in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. A graduate of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is a high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center and the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue...
, Jordan has additionally released an instructional program for drummers called The Groove is Here.
Arguably best known by fans as a drummer
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, Jordan has been a member of several bands and ensemble
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
s, and has spent a significant amount of his career backing other famous musicians as a sideman
Sideman
A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he or she is not a regular member. They often tour with solo acts as well as bands and jazz ensembles. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit...
as well as a session player
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
in recording studios. He has gained a good deal of visibility recently as a member, songwriter and co-producer of Keith Richards and the X-pensive Winos, and later, the John Mayer Trio
John Mayer Trio
In February 2005, the trio played Mayer's single "Daughters" at the 47th Grammy Awards, for which Mayer went on to win the award for Best Male Vocal Performance later that night . The Trio released "Come When I Call" exclusively to iTunes...
. Shortly afterward, he spent a significant amount of his career backing other luminaries including Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
in his touring band, touring and recording with others in the studio, while continuing to work a busy schedule as a record producer.
Early years
Jordan was a teenager when he first played in Stevie WonderStevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's band. Later, he played drums for the Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
band in the 1970s. When John Belushi
John Belushi
John Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, The Star of the Films National Lampoon's Animal House and the The Blues Brothers and for fronting the American blues and soul...
and Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
toured as The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedy actors Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live...
in the early 1980s, Jordan was their drummer, and recorded on their resulting album, credited as Steve "Getdwa" Jordan. He did not, however, appear in the movie of the same name. Jordan was the first drummer in the Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
-led "World's Most Dangerous Band"
CBS Orchestra
The CBS Orchestra is the house band, led by Paul Shaffer, that plays for David Letterman's CBS late-night talk show, Late Show with David Letterman...
, the live studio band for the Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
show on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
X-Pensive Winos
Jordan, along with fellow Shaffer alumnus Anton FigAnton Fig
Anton Fig , known as "The Thunder from Down Under" is a session drummer, noted for his work in David Letterman's house band, the CBS Orchestra. Letterman often refers to Fig as "Anton Zip"or "Buddy Rich Jr."...
, appeared on the Rolling Stones' 1986 release Dirty Work when Charlie Watts
Charlie Watts
Charles Robert "Charlie" Watts is an English drummer, best known as a member of The Rolling Stones. He is also the leader of a jazz band, a record producer, commercial artist, and horse breeder.-Early life:...
' participation was stilled due to his substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
problems in the mid-80's. In the wake of this work, Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
hired Jordan to play on Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
's cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Jumpin' Jack Flash
Jumpin' Jack Flash
"Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones, released as a single in 1968. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by Rolling Stone, the song was perceived by some as the band's return to their blues roots after the psychedelia of their preceding...
" for a film
Jumpin' Jack Flash (film)
Jumpin' Jack Flash is a 1986 spy comedy film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen Collins, Carol Kane, John Wood, Annie Potts, and Jonathan Pryce...
of the same name.
According to Richards, Jordan pressed Richards on the plane ride home from Aretha's recording session in Detroit to be included in the upcoming documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by Taylor Hackford
Taylor Hackford
Taylor Edwin Hackford is an American film director, and the current president of the Directors Guild of America.-Early life:Hackford was born in Santa Barbara, California, the son of Mary , a waitress, and Joseph Hackford...
Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll
Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll
Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll is a 1987 documentary film directed by Taylor Hackford that chronicles two 1986 concerts celebrating rock and roll musician Chuck Berry's 60th birthday. A soundtrack album was released in October 1987 on the MCA label....
, a tribute to Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
. Richards had been hoping to include Charlie Watts
Charlie Watts
Charles Robert "Charlie" Watts is an English drummer, best known as a member of The Rolling Stones. He is also the leader of a jazz band, a record producer, commercial artist, and horse breeder.-Early life:...
in the project, but when this proved unfeasible, Jordan was hired and he appeared in many scenes with Berry and Richards.
The success of this project led to Jordan's membership in Keith Richards and the X-pensive Winos, a band that toured and recorded with Richards in 1988 and 1992 for Talk is Cheap
Talk Is Cheap
Talk Is Cheap is the solo album debut by Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, released in 1988. Recorded and released following a brief creative and personal fallout with Mick Jagger, Talk Is Cheap received glowing reviews upon its release....
and Main Offender
Main Offender
Main Offender is the second studio album by Keith Richards and the last to date. Released in 1992 in between The Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels and Voodoo Lounge projects, Main Offender remains to date Richards' most recent offering as a solo artist.Regrouping with his group of musician friends known...
, respectively. In fact, Jordan co-produced each record and is credited with songwriting along with Richards. One of these collaborations made it onto the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
via the Rolling Stones Steel Wheels
Steel Wheels
Steel Wheels is the 19th British and 21st American studio album by The Rolling Stones and was released in 1989. Heralded as a major comeback upon its release, the project is notable for the patching up of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' relationship, a reversion to a more classic style of music and...
album version in 1989: "Almost Hear You Sigh
Almost Hear You Sigh
"Almost Hear You Sigh" is a Grammy-nominated song by The Rolling Stones from their 1989 album Steel Wheels.- Composition and recording :Written by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Steve Jordan, the song was first written and recorded for possible inclusion on Keith Richards' first solo album Talk is...
" peaked at number 50 (U.S.) and 31 (U.K.) in December of that year.
John Mayer Trio
Jordan is a member of the John Mayer TrioJohn Mayer Trio
In February 2005, the trio played Mayer's single "Daughters" at the 47th Grammy Awards, for which Mayer went on to win the award for Best Male Vocal Performance later that night . The Trio released "Come When I Call" exclusively to iTunes...
, a blues rock power trio
Power trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format where the traditional power trio has a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the rhythm guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music to fill out the sound with chords...
that consists of Jordan, on drums and backing vocals, bassist Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino is a Welsh bass guitarist who gained fame playing primarily rock and roll, blues rock, and rhythm and blues music, although he has been lauded for his ability to play most genres of popular music, including jazz, neo soul, and funk...
and guitarist-singer John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
. The group was formed in 2005 by Mayer as a deviation from his pop-acoustic career. The trio released the record Try! on November 22, 2005. The eleven-track live album includes cover songs, such as Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
's "Wait Until Tomorrow
Wait Until Tomorrow
"Wait Until Tomorrow" is a song by English/American psychedelic rock band The Jimi Hendrix Experience, featured on their 1967 second album Axis: Bold as Love. Written by lead vocalist and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, the song details the scenario of a male protagonist addressing his female love with...
" and "I Got A Woman
I Got a Woman
"I Got a Woman" is a song co-written and recorded by American R&B/soul musician Ray Charles and released as a single in December 1954 on the Atlantic label as Atlantic 45-1050 b/w "Come Back Baby." Both sides later appeared on his 1957 album Ray Charles .-Origin:The song builds on...
" by Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, two songs from Mayer's release Heavier Things
Heavier Things
Heavier Things is the second studio album by American musician John Mayer, released September 9, 2003 on Columbia Records in the United States. The title of the album itself is a subtle response to certain criticism of Mayer's music. The album debuted at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart,...
, as well as new songs written by Mayer, in addition to three songs written by Jordan, Mayer, and Palladino. They are: "Good Love Is On The Way," "Vultures," and "Try." Jordan and Mayer also produced the album together on the Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
label.
The trio also performed on December 8, 2007, in Los Angeles, California at the L.A. Live Nokia Theatre for the 1st Annual Holiday Charity Revue, which raised funds for various Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
related charities. The DVD/CD release, entitled Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles features Palladino on bass and Jordan on drums.
Jordan would later collaborate with Mayer and Charlie Hunter
Charlie Hunter
for the New Zealand racehorse trainer and driver see: Charlie HunterCharlie Hunter is an American guitarist, composer and bandleader....
by writing "In Repair," the eleventh track from Mayer's 2006 album Continuum. Jordan also contributed to Mayer's most recent album, "Battle Studies"; videos of the conceptual/recording sessions can be viewed on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
Producing career
He has recorded with such artists as Don HenleyDon Henley
Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...
, John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
, Andres Calamaro
Andrés Calamaro
Andrés Calamaro , is an Argentine musician, composer and Latin Grammy winner. His former band Los Rodríguez was a major success in Spain in the 1990s. He became one of the main icons of the Argentine rock in the last two decades and has sold over 1.3 million copies.-Abuelos de la Nada:Calamaro was...
, Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
, BB King, Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
, Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
, Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are an American alternative rock trio, formed in 1991 and based out of New York City, New York. The band consists of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spencer on vocals, guitar and theremin...
, Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
, and many more. He is featured on James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
's 1998 DVD, Live at the Beacon Theatre
Live at the Beacon Theatre
Live at the Beacon Theatre is a DVD concert video of James Taylor and his band performing at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on May 30, 1998.-Track listing:* "You Can Close Your Eyes"* "Another Day"* "Daddy's All Gone"* "Everyday"...
.
Jordan has evolved into a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning and nominated producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
with Robert Cray
Robert Cray
Robert Cray is an American blues guitarist and singer. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he has led his own band, as well as an acclaimed solo career.-Career:...
's album Take Your Shoes Off
Take Your Shoes Off
Take Your Shoes Off is a blues album by Robert Cray, winning the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. It was released on 27 April 1999, through the Rykodisc label. The album won a Grammy Award not just for Cray, but also for drummer and composer Steve Jordan as producer...
and Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
's Bring 'Em In
Bring 'Em In (Buddy Guy album)
Bring 'Em In is a 2005 album released by Buddy Guy. He has since released a box set consisting of three CDs and a DVD of music spanning his career...
, respectively. While he has played on countless records, from Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
"If I Ain't Got You
If I Ain't Got You
"If I Ain't Got You" is a song recorded, written, and produced by American recording artist Alicia Keys for her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. Released in February 2004 as the album's second single, the song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Keys' second...
" to Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's Devils and Dust, he continues to produce with such works as the Grammy Award winning John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
album Continuum, John Scofield
John Scofield
John Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...
's That's What I Say, Possibilities
Possibilities
Possibilities is the forty-fifth studio album by American jazz musician Herbie Hancock, released in the United States on August 30, 2005 by Vector Recordings. The album features a variety of guest musicians such as John Mayer and Carlos Santana...
by Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, and 23rd St. Lullaby with Patti Scialfa.
In 2006, Jordan joined Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
's hand-picked touring band for Clapton's "European Tour 2006", which included seven sold out shows at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
. He continued in Clapton's band as they toured North America in 2007.
In 2008, Jordan produced and played percussion on one track for Los Lonely Boys
Los Lonely Boys
Los Lonely Boys is a Chicano rock power trio from San Angelo, Texas. They play a style of music they call "Texican Rock n' Roll," combining elements of rock and roll, Texas blues, brown eyed soul, country, and Tejano....
' third album, Forgiven
Forgiven (Los Lonely Boys album)
Forgiven was released on July 1, 2008. It is the Los Lonely Boys' fifth album and their third studio set.The album sticks to their fuller sound, which was showcased in their previous album, Sacred, and is primarily blues based.-Track listing:...
, at East Side Stages in Austin, Texas.
In 2009, Jordan received another Grammy Award nomination - the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, for his work on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
scoring film for the movie Cadillac Records
Cadillac Records: Music From the Motion Picture
Cadillac Records: Music From the Motion Picture is the Grammy-nominated soundtrack album to the Golden Globe nominated film Cadillac Records...
.
The Verbs
Jordan formed a band with his wife, Meegan Voss, and they have toured and recorded under the band name The Verbs. The music has been described as "The perfect cocktail of girl groupGirl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
, Brit-pop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
, country, ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
and Rock and Roll. They toured Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 2006 in support of their first release, And Now... The Verbs. They followed their debut album with Trip, the newest release by Jordan and Voss. As in their previous release, this album features Tamio Okuda
Tamio Okuda
is a singer, songwriter, and producer. He started his career in 1986 as a member of the band Unicorn. After Unicorn broke up, Okuda moved on to a solo career in 1994 with the single "Ai no Tame ni." He has written and composed many songs for various artists, particularly Puffy...
on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
s, Pino Palladino on bass and additional classic guitar work by Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar.
As sideman
With Don PullenDon Pullen
Don Pullen was an American jazz pianist and organist. Pullen developed a strikingly individual style throughout his career. He composed masterworks ranging from blues to bebop and modern jazz...
- Montreux ConcertMontreux ConcertMontreux Concert is a live album by American jazz pianist Don Pullen recorded in 1977 at the Montreux Jazz Festival and released on the Atlantic label.-Reception:...
(Atlantic, 1977)
With Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Booker T. & the M.G.'s is an instrumental R&B band that was influential in shaping the sound of southern soul and Memphis soul. Original members of the group were Booker T. Jones , Steve Cropper , Lewie Steinberg , and Al Jackson, Jr....
- That's The Way It Should BeThat's the Way It Should BeThat's The Way It Should Be is the final album by Booker T. & the MGs. Original drummer Al Jackson, Jr having been murdered many years before, the drummer on this album was Steve Jordan...
(Columbia, Acadia 1994)
Equipment
Steve Jordan plays signature Yamaha DrumsYamaha Drums
Yamaha Drums is a subsidiary of the Yamaha Corporation founded in 1967. The company manufactures acoustic and electronic drum kits as well as percussion instruments, marching band equipment, and drum hardware.-Production:...
and Paiste
Paiste
Paiste, a Swiss manufacturer and designer, is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. Paiste is an Estonian/Finnish word which means "shine"...
Cymbals. He has signature drumsticks from Vic Firth
Vic Firth
Vic Firth is an American musician and is the founder of Vic Firth Company , a percussion stick and mallet manufacturing company that he started in 1963. The company bills itself as the world's largest manufacturer of drum sticks and mallets...
.
Acoustic Drums:Yamaha Maple Custom
- MSD-1315 14"x6.5" Snare DrumSnare drumThe snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
- MBD-1324 24"x16" Bass DrumBass drumBass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
- MTT-1312J 12"x8" TomTom-tom drumA tom-tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snare.Although "tom-tom" is the British term for a child's toy drum, the name came originally from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala; the tom-tom itself comes from Asian or Native American cultures...
- MFT-1314 14"x14" Floor TomFloor tomA floor tom is a double-headed tom-tom drum which usually stands on the floor on three legs. However, they can also be attached to a cymbal stand with a drum clamp....
- MFT-1318 18"x16" Floor Tom
- MSD-1365SJ 13"x6.5" Steve Jordan Signature Snare Drum Club Jordan Cocktail Drum System.
Paiste:
- 2 x 17" Traditionals Thin Crash as hi-hatHi-hatA hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, reggae and other forms of contemporary popular music.- Operation :...
s - 22" 2002 CrashCrash cymbalA crash cymbal is a type of cymbal that produces a loud, sharp "crash" and is used mainly for occasional accents, as opposed to in ostinato. The term "crash" may have been first used by Zildjian in 1928....
- 22" Traditionals Light RideRide cymbalThe ride cymbal is a standard cymbal in most drum kits. It maintains a steady rhythmic pattern, sometimes called a ride pattern, rather than the accent of a crash...
- 20" Traditionals Light Ride
Drumsticks:
"Steve's Signature stick is light and long for great touch and sound around the drums and cymbals. In hickory. L = 16 ½"; Dia. = .525" Jordan discussed their use in a video interview for Vic Firth.
External links
- www.stevejordan.net
- Steve Jordan video interview
- www.theverbs.us
- Vic Firth interview including Steve Jordan - contains the clips of the video interview of Jordan about the span of his career so far
- Gigging Drummer Steve Jordan Videos, Bio, and Drum Charts
- Interview with Steve Jordan
- Steve Jordan's Biography at Drummerworld.com (a public catalogue of professional international drummers).