Don Alias

Charles 'Don' Alias^[1] (December 25, 1939 in New York City – March 29, 2006 in New York City) was an American jazz percussionist.

Alias was best known for playing congas and other hand drums. He was, however, a capable drum kit performer: for example, Alias played drums on the song "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" from trumpeter Miles Davis's album Bitches Brew (1969) when neither Lenny White nor Jack DeJohnette were able to play the marching band-inspired rhythm requested by Davis.^[2]

Alias performed on hundreds of recordings, and was perhaps best known for his associations with Miles Davis and saxophonist David Sanborn, though he also performed or recorded with the group Weather Report, singer Joni Mitchell, pianist Herbie Hancock, the Brecker Brothers, Jaco Pastorius, Pat Metheny, Nina Simone and many others. Alias was born in New York City and arrived in Boston in the early 1960s intending to study medicine but, after playing congas in a number of local bands, made an abrupt career switch.

Discography

As sideman

With Philip Bailey

• Soul on Jazz (Heads Up International, 2002)

With Carla Bley

• Sextet (Watt, 1986–87)
• Fleur Carnivore (Watt, 1988)
• The Very Big Carla Bley Band (Watt, 1990)
• Looking for America (Watt, 2002)

With Miles Davis

• Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1970)
• On the Corner (Columbia 1971)
• Amandla (Warner Bros., 1989)

With Jack DeJohnette

• Oneness (ECM, 1997)

With Joe Farrell

• Penny Arcade (CTI, 1973)

With Dan Fogelberg

• The Innocent Age (Full Moon, 1981)

With Bill Frisell

• Unspeakable (Elektra Nonesuch, 2004)

With Kenny Garrett

• Black Hope (Warner Bros, 1992)

With Elvin Jones

• Merry-Go-Round (Blue Note, 1971)

With Joe Lovano

• Tenor Legacy (Blue Note, 1993)

With Joni Mitchell

• Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (Asylum, 1977)
• Mingus (Asylum, 1979)
• Shadows and Light (Asylum, 1980)

With Jaco Pastorius

• Word of Mouth (Warner Bros., 1980–81)

With Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin

• Love Devotion Surrender (Columbia, 1973)

With Lalo Schifrin

• Black Widow (CTI, 1976)

With Nina Simone

• To Love Somebody (RCA, 1969)

With James Taylor

• Flag (Columbia, 1979)

With Weather Report

• Weather Report (Columbia, 1971) - uncredited
• Black Market (Columbia, 1976)

With Lou Reed

• Ecstasy (Sire, 2000)

References

External links

• Official Website Don Alias
• Don Alias's Interview
• Article in Drummerworld