| Abe Laboriel Jr. | |
|---|---|
Picture taken from Paul McCartney's gig in Tel Aviv |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Abraham Laboriel Jr. |
| Born | 1971 Los Angeles |
| Origin | United States |
| Occupations | Session musician, drummer |
| Instruments | Drums, percussion, vocals |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
Abe Laboriel Jr. is an American session drummer. He is the son of Mexican bassist Abraham Laboriel, Sr. and brother of producer, songwriter, and film composer Mateo Laboriel.
He has been the drummer for rock artist Paul McCartney as well as the French singer Mylène Farmer, among others.
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Laboriel was mentored by well known percussionists and drummers, including Jeff Porcaro, Chester Thompson, Bill Maxwell and Alex Acuña, who had formed the band Koinonia with his father in the 1980s.
He attended the Dick Grove School of Music, studying with Peter Donald, during his junior year in high school. He also attended the Hamilton High School Academy of Music in Los Angeles in his senior year. In 1989, he was honored by the National Foundation For The Advancement Of The Arts and Down Beat magazine. He then enrolled at the Berklee College of Music, where he graduated in 1993.
Laboriel's first break as a drummer was a tour with guitarist Steve Vai. He then toured with Seal, where many record producers around Los Angeles, California saw him perform, leading to many recording sessions. Laboriel next toured with k.d. lang for a while, where Sting saw him play with her, leading Laboriel to join Sting's touring band. The k.d. lang connection also led Laboriel to working with Paul McCartney, including McCartney's appearance during the halftime of Super Bowl XXXIX. He also toured and recorded on studio with former Menudo member, Robi Draco Rosa on his album Vagabundo.
In addition to the artists listed above, Laboriel has also recorded and performed with artists like Crystal Lewis, B.B. King, Steven Curtis Chapman, Eric Clapton, Johnny Hallyday, Jenifer, Steve Winwood, Les Paul, Ashlee Simpson, LeAnn Rimes, Vanaz, Mylène Farmer, Letters to Cleo, Kelly Clarkson, Lady GaGa and others. Lewis and Laboriel were also both a part of the Nickelodeon Television Series, Roundhouse in the 1990s.
On the side, Laboriel was part of a power trio by the name of The Raging Honkies. He is part of the collective that is Chocolate Genius, Inc.
In 2006, in the show "Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy" (in English, "Before the shadow... at Bercy"), Laboriel sang "Les Mots" (in English, "the words") in duet with Mylène Farmer (French female singer). in 2006 he also played with Sting in Montreux Jazz Festival.
Abe toured with Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood on their 14-date American Tour in 2009 following their Japanese tour the year before. He made his live debut with Paul McCartney at The Concert for New York City in 2001 and played on every McCartney tour and most of Paul's albums since then.