A very versatile drummer who generally plays in advanced settings, Adam Nussbaum is considered a major asset no matter where he appears and one of the finest jazz drummers of the 1990s. Although he started on piano, bass, and alto, he eventually settled on drums. Nussbaum studied at the Davis Center and City College of New York, and by 1978 was... [+] Read More

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In the early '70s, Altschul was the drummer for Circle -- a band which (with a membership that also included Chick Corea, Dave Holland, and Anthony Braxton) might possibly have been the most technically adept free jazz ensemble ever. Altschul's drumming with that band was stylistically all-encompassing -- in his own words, "from ragtime to no... [+] Read More

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At his best, Jack DeJohnette is one of the most consistently inventive jazz percussionists extant. DeJohnette's style is wide-ranging, yet, while capable of playing convincingly in any modern idiom, he always maintains a well-defined voice. DeJohnette has a remarkably fluid relationship to pulse. His time is excellent; even as he pushes, pulls... [+] Read More

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This Boston drummer has been used as a sideman and leads his own trio. He was a charter member of The Cadence All Stars. ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide

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Paul Bley has long offered avant-garde pianists an alternative approach to improvising than that of Cecil Taylor. Bley has been able to use melody and space in inventive ways while performing fairly free improvisations. He started on piano at age eight, studied at Juilliard during 1950-1952, and in 1953 played with Charlie Parker on a Canadian... [+] Read More

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A masterfully subtle drummer and a superb colorist, Paul Motian is also an advanced improviser and a bandleader with a taste for challenging post-bop. Born Stephen Paul Motian in Philadelphia on March 25, 1931, he grew up in Providence and began playing the drums at age 12, eventually touring New England in a swing band. He moved to New York in... [+] Read More

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A highly skilled, versatile drummer, Peter Erskine has anchored big bands and jazz-rock/fusion groups. He's known for sophisticated rhythms, distinctive accompaniment, and powerful, rippling solos. Erskine began drumming at three, and participated in Stan Kenton's National Stage Band Camps from the age of six. He studied with Alan Dawson and Ed... [+] Read More

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Tony Williams' death in 1997 of a heart attack after routine gall bladder surgery was a major shock to the jazz world. Just 51, Williams (who could be a very loud drummer) seemed so youthful, healthy, and ageless even though he had been a major drummer for nearly 35 years. The open style that he created while with the Miles Davis Quintet in the... [+] Read More

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