Billy Drummond

Billy Drummond
Billy Drummond in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Willis Robert Drummond Jr.
Born	(1959-06-15) June 15, 1959 Newport News, Virginia, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Drums
Years active	1980s–present
Labels	Criss Cross SteepleChase
Website	billydrummonddrums.com

Billy Drummond in Aarhus, Denmark, 2020

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

Early life

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

Career

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

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

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

Discography

As leader

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

As co-leader

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

With OTB

• 1989: Spiral Staircase Out of the Blue

With Nat Adderley

• The Old Country (Alfa, 1990)

With Carla Bley

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

With Steve Kuhn

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

With Stanley Cowell

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

With Eddie Henderson

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

As sideman

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

Sources

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