Billy Hart
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William "Billy" Hart (born November 29, 1940) is a jazz drummer and educator who has performed with some of the most important jazz musicians in history.
Early on he performed in Washington, D.C. with Buck Hill and Shirley Horn, and was a sideman with the Montgomery Brothers (1961), Jimmy Smith (1964-1966), and Wes Montgomery (1966-1968). Following Montgomery’s death in 1968, Hart moved to New York, where he recorded with McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, and Joe Zawinul, and played with Eddie Harris, Pharoah Sanders, and Marian McPartland.
Hart was a member of Herbie Hancock's sextet (1969-1973), and played with McCoy Tyner (1973-1974) and Stan Getz (1974-1977), in addition to extensive freelance playing (including recording with Miles Davis on 1972's On the Corner).
Currently Billy Hart is one of the most in-demand jazz drummers and teachers alive. He has taught at the New England Conservatory of Music. By the end of the 1990s, Hart has recorded on more than 400 albums.
His current group is a quartet with Mark Turner, Ethan Iverson, and Ben Street. An album of this band came out in August 2006 on the High Note label.
