Drum Transcriptions

Born Jonathan David Samuel Jones in Chicago, Illinois, Jo Jones got his start playing drums and tap-dancing in carnival shows in Alabama until joining Walter Page's band in Oklahoma City in the late 1920s. He, along with Walter Page and Freddie Green, joined Count Basie's band in 1934. That rhythm section would forever change the sound and feeling of jazz.

Art Farmer has long been admired for his lyrical playing. He started on trumpet, then switched to flugelhorn, helping to popularize the instrument. Eventually , Art played the Flumpet, a Flugelhorn-Trumpet combination that was especially designed for him. He played professionally since the 1940s, and started recording in bands at 19 years of age in 1948, when he played in the bands of Jay McShann, Benny Carter, Gerald Wilson and others.

Ben Monder is truly one of the most innovative and inimitable guitarists on the scene today. Able to summon a multitude of soundscapes from his guitar, a result of his nearly mythical work-ethic and connection to the instrument, Monder’s expansive palette has found him in demand from artists as wide ranging as Paul Motian, Brother Jack McDuff, and David Bowie.

Bill Stewart is a versatile drummer and composer who has been active since the late 1980s. He attended William Patterson College (where he studied with Rufus Reid, Harold Mabern, and Joe Lovano) from 1986-1988 and made his recording debut while he was still a student. In 1990, he made his name working with guitarist John Scofield in an association that lasted for five years. Bill's 1995 highly-acclaimed release "Snide Remarks" on Blue Note featured Lovano, Eddie Henderson, Bill Carrothers, and Larry Grenadier; it included nine of Bill's own compositions as well. Since then, Bill has formed the Bill Stewart trio with Kevin Hays and Larry Goldings. Recent projects include work with Renee Rosnes, Jim Rotondi and Jon Gordon.

Drummer Billy Drummond first came to international prominence when he joined the bands of the legendary Horace Silver and, later, J.J. Johnson and Sonny Rollins, with whom he spent three formative years. Now one of the busiest players of his generation, he can be heard on nearly 300 albums, including three critically acclaimed recordings as a leader. His album "Dubai" was named Best Jazz CD of 1995 by the New York Times. He currently leads his own band, Freedom of Ideas.

Born in Los Angeles, Billy Higgins played professionally in R&B bands such as those of Bo Diddley and Jimmy Witherspoon. In 1953 he joined high school friend Don Cherry's group "The Jazz Messiahs." Higgins and Cherry met Ornette Coleman and joined his rehearsal band. The band played for years before debuting their music in 1958. It was with Ornette Coleman that Higgins first came to New York, where he became one of the most sought after contemporary jazz drummers.

A leader in jazz drumming, drummer Carl Allen has been a force in the New York scene since the 1980s. Carl became interested in jazz after hearing an LP of Benny Carter as a teen. In his hometown of Milwaukee, Carl worked with Sonny Stitt and James Moody early in his career. He moved to the east coast to study at William Patterson College; a year before his graduation, Carl worked with Freddie Hubbard, for whom he served as music director for the next eight years. Over the course of his career, Carl has recorded on over 200 sessions as a sideman including dates with Donald Byrd, Art Farmer and Jackie McLean. He has performed with a who's who of jazz legends, including J.J. Johnson, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Benny Golson, Joe Henderson, and many others.

Drummer Persip grew up with jazz legends tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley and pianist Walter Bishop, Jr. in New Jersey. He got his start professionally playing with Tadd Dameron around the New York/New Jersey area in 1953, but became widely known for his work with the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra and Quintet (1953-1958).

A lauded name on the jazz scene since the tender age of 17, Geoffrey Keezer is one of the best-loved pianists today. A native of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Geoff took up the piano at age three and quickly showed himself to be a prodigy. As an eighteen-year-old freshman at Berklee College of Music in 1989, he was invited to join Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, launching his talents into the spotlight. The year before, his mentor James Williams encouraged him to record his debut album, the well-received "Waiting In The Wings." His career continued to take off in the early 1990s with a performance at the Hollywood Bowl of Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue (conducted by John Mauceri).

In 1953, Hank Mobley started his jazz recording career with dates for Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach. He continued playing and recording with Dizzy Gillespie through most of 1954. November 13, 1954, marked the first recording session of a new co-operative quintet called "The Jazz Messengers." The founding members of "The Jazz Messengers" were Kenny Dorham (trumpet), Hank Mobley (tenor sax), Horace Silver (piano), Doug Watkins (bass) and Art Blakey (drums). Horace Silver had the record deal with Blue Note records at the time, so the first 10" issue of this session came out as the Horace Silver Quintet. On February 6, 1955, the group did another 10" session which was first was issued as the Horace Silver Quintet, Volume 2.

Born Joseph Rudolph Jones (July 15, 1923, in Philadelphia, PA), he dubbed himself "Philly Joe" to avoid confusion with the legendary drummer Jo Jones (also known as "Papa Jo" Jones). Unlike many jazz artists who started their careers by going on the road in their late teens, Philly Joe, at 18, joined the U.S. Army (1941) and remained in the Army until 1947. Soon after leaving the service, he moved to New York and joined Joe Morris's rhythm and blues band. His first recording (at age 25) was with the Morris band (September 19, 1948).

Drummer Victor Lewis was born in Omaha, Nebraska. Both of his parents were touring musicians. After graduating with a music major from University of Nebraska, Lewis moved to NYC in 1974, and was soon very much in demand, most notably playing in Woody Shaw's ground-breaking band. During this time he also played extensively with Carla Bley, David Sanborn and Dexter Gordon, among others. Through the '80s Lewis was a member of Stan Getz's band, which also included Kenny Barron on piano and Rufus Reid on bass.

Jones' sharp time-keeping and distinctive rhythmic expression are part of what make him one of the world's leading jazz drummers today. Willie Jones III's interest in jazz started at a young age when his father, a notable jazz pianist, introduced him to jazz music. After playing in his school marching band and jazz ensembles, Jones received a full scholarship to California Institute of the Arts, where he studied with James Newton and Albert "Tootie" Heath.