Lenny White

Lenny White
White at a performance at the El Mocambo Club, Toronto, Canada, 1977
Background information
Birth name	Leonard White III
Born	(1949-12-19) December 19, 1949 New York City, United States
Genres	Jazz fusion, funk
Occupation(s)	Musician, bandleader
Instruments	Drums
Years active	1969 – current
Labels	Elektra
Associated acts	Return to Forever, Azteca, Jamaica Boys
Website	Lenny White.com

Leonard White III, better known as Lenny White (born December 19, 1949) is an American jazz fusion drummer, born in New York City, best known for being the drummer of Chick Corea's Return to Forever.^[1] A resident of Teaneck, New Jersey, White has been described as "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion".^[2]

Discography

As leader

• 1975: Venusian Summer (Nemperor)
• 1977: Big City (Nemperor)
• 1978: The Adventures of Astral Pirates (Elektra)
• 1978: Streamline (Elektra)
• 1979: Best of Friends (With the Twennynine) (Elektra)
• 1980: Twennynine (With Lenny White) (Elektra)
• 1981: Just Like Dreamin' (With the Twennynine) (Elektra)
• 1983: Attitude (Wounded Bird)
• 1983: In Clinic (DCI)
• 1995: Present Tense (Hip Bop/Koch)
• 1996: Renderers of Spirit (Hip Bop Essence)
• 1999: Edge (Hip Bop Essence)
• 2002: Collection (Hip Bop)
• 2004: Tribute to Earth, Wind and Fire (Trauma)
• 2010: Anomaly (Abstract Logix)

As sideman

With Azteca

• 1972: Azteca (Columbia)
• 1973: Pyramid of the Moon (Columbia)
• 2008: From The Ruins (Inakustic Gmbh)

With Gato Barbieri

• 1971: Fenix (Flying Dutchman)

With Stanley Clarke

• 1973: Children of Forever (Polydor)
• 1975: Hello Jeff (Nemporer)

With Al Di Meola:

• 1976: Land of the Midnight Sun (Columbia)
• 1977: Elegant Gypsy (Columbia)

With Return to Forever

• 1973: Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (Polydor)
• 1974: Where Have I Known You Before (Polydor)
• 1975: No Mystery (Polydor)
• 1976: Romantic Warrior (Columbia)
• 2009: Returns

With Larry Coryell & Victor Bailey

• 2005: Electric
• 2006: Traffic

With Chaka Khan, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Chick Corea & Stanley Clarke

• 1982: Echoes of an Era (Elektra)
• 1982: Echoes of an Era 2 – The Concert (Elektra)

With others

• 1969 – Andrew Hill: Passing Ships (Blue Note) [not released until 2003]
• 1970 – Joe Henderson: If You're Not Part of the Solution, You're Part of the Problem (Milestone)
• 1970 – Freddie Hubbard: Red Clay (CTI)
• 1970 – Woody Shaw: Blackstone Legacy (Contemporary)
• 1970 – Miles Davis: Bitches Brew (Columbia)
• 1971 – Curtis Fuller: Crankin' (Mainstream)
• 1972 - Buddy Terry: Pure Dynamite (Mainstream)
• 1973 - Eddie Henderson: Realization (Capricorn)
• 1976 – Don Cherry: Hear & Now (Atlantic)
• 1976 – Jaco Pastorius: Jaco Pastorius (Epic/Legacy (Sony Music))
• 1986 – Eliane Elias: Illusions (Denon Records)
• 1990 – The Manhattan Project (Blue Note)
• 1990 – Michel Petrucciani: Music (Blue Note)
• 1994 – Marcus Miller, Michel Petrucciani, Bireli Lagrene & Kenny Garrett: "Dreyfus Night in Paris" (Dreyfus Jazz) [not released until 2003]
• 1995 – Urbanator: Urbanator (Hip Bop)
• 1997 – The Geri Allen Trio & The Jazzpar 1996 Nonet: Some Aspects of Water (Storyville)
• 1998 – Geri Allen: The Gathering (Verve, 1998)
• 1999 – Stanley Clarke, Karen Briggs, Rachel Z & Richie Kotzen Vertú (Sony)
• 2009 – The Stanley Clarke Trio: Jazz in the Garden (Heads Up)
• 2011 – Jamey Haddad, Lenny White, Mark Sherman:Explorations In Space and Time (Cesky) ^[3]

References

External links

• Lenny White's Website
• Lenny White – biography by Scott Yanow for Allmusic
• "Return to Forever: Twelve Historic Tracks" by Walter Kolosky, (Jazz.com)
• Urbanator's Website
• Lenny White video interview at Allaboutjazz
• Lenny White, MusicTaste Website