Billy Drummond

Willis Robert "Billy" Drummond, Jr. (born June 19, 1959 in Newport News, Virginia) is an American jazz drummer.

Drummond learned jazz from an early age from his father, who was a drummer and a jazz enthusiast and whose record collection included many recordings of Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Buddy Rich and Elvin Jones. He played in bands from age eight and studied at Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music.

He moved to New York at the behest of Al Foster in 1986 and shortly thereafter joined the Blue Note band, Out of the Blue, with whom he recorded their last album. He joined the Horace Silver sextet, with whom he toured extensively, before joining Sonny Rollins, with whom he toured for three years. He is a long-time member of Carla Bley's Lost Chords Quartet, Sheila Jordan's Quartet, and the Steve Kuhn Trio. He also leads a New York-based band called Freedom of Ideas. In addition to touring he is Professor of Jazz Drums at the Juilliard School and New York University.

A sideman on over 300 records, Drummond has played and recorded with Nat Adderley, Ralph Moore (1989 and subsequently), Buster Williams (1990–93), Charles Tolliver (1991), Lew Tabackin and Toshiko Akiyoshi, Hank Jones (1991), James Moody (early 1990s), Sonny Rollins, Andy LaVerne (1994), Lee Konitz (1995), Dave Stryker (1996), George Colligan (1997), Ted Rosenthal, Bruce Barth, Andrew Hill (from 1997–2000), Larry Willis (2006 to the present), Toots Thielmans, Freddie Hubbard (mid-1990s), Chris Potter, Eddie Gómez, Stanley Cowell, Javon Jackson, and Sheila Jordan (1990s to present). Influences include Tony Williams, Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, Al Foster, Jack DeJohnette, and Billy Hart.

Partial discography

As leader

• 1991 Native Colours (Criss Cross)
• 1993 The Gift (Criss Cross)
• 1995 Dubai (Criss Cross)

As co-leader

• 2003 Pas de Trois The Drummonds
• 2006 Mysterious Shorter Nicholas Payton/Bob Belden/Sam Yahel/Billy Drummond/John Hart
• 2006 Once Upon a Time The Drummonds
• 2006 Letter to Evans The Drummonds
• 2006 Beautiful Friendship The Drummonds
• 2016 Three's Company Ron Carter/Javon Jackson/Billy Drummond

As band member with OTB

• 1989 Spiral Staircase Out of the Blue

with Nat Adderley

• The Old Country (Alfa, 1990)

with Carla Bley

• 2003 Looking for America
• 2004 The Lost Chords
• 2007 The Lost Chords find Paolo Fresu
• 2008 Appearing Nightly

As band member with Steve Kuhn

• 1997 Dedication
• 1998 Countdown
• 2000 The Best Things
• 2001 Temptation
• 2002 Waltz – Red Side
• 2002 Waltz – Blue Side
• 2004 Easy to Love
• 2007 Pastorale
• 2007 Baubles, Bangles and Beads
• 2007 Pavanne for a Dead Princess
• 2010 I Will Wait for You

As sideman

• Old Country (1990) with Nat Adderley
• Sam I Am (1990) with Sam Newsome
• In New York (1990) with Tomas Franck
• For the Moment (1990 with Renee Rosnes
• Hornucopia (1991) with Jon Faddis
• John Swana and Friends (1991) with John Swana
• Mirage (1991) with Bobby Hutcherson
• Better Times (1992) with Rob Bargad
• The Charmer (1992) with Charles Fambrough
• Epistrophy (1992) with Bill Pierce
• Simplicity (1992) with Walt Weiskopf
• Dawnbird (1993) with Vincent Herring
• Secret Love (1993) with Vincent Herring
• Blue Note Years (1993) with Joe Henderson
• Feeling's Mutual (1993) with John Swana
• Scheme of Things (1993) with Scott Wendholt
• In from the Cold (1994, Criss Cross) with Jonny King
• Days of Wine and Roses (1994) with Vincent Herring
• Dearly Beloved (SteepleChase, 1996) with Lee Konitz
• Notes from the Underground (1996, Enja) with Jonny King
• Bluesology with George Cables (SteepleChase, 1997)
• Out of Nowhere with Lee Konitz and Paul Bley (SteepleChase, 1997)
• RichLee! with Lee Konitz and Rich Perry (SteepleChase, 1997)
• True Blue (1998) with Archie Shepp
• Vertigo (1998) with Chris Potter
• Universal Spirits (1998) with Tim Ries
• Dusk (1999) with Andrew Hill
• Duke's Place (1999) with George Mraz
• Everything I Need (1999) with Carol Fredette
• Out of the Dark (1999) with Andy Fusco
• Pleasant Valley (1999) with Javon Jackson
• Reemergence (1999) with Eddie Henderson
• Remembrance (1999) with Sadao Watanabe
• Rendezvous (1999) with Jerome Harris
• Search (1999) with Joel Weiskopf
• Sound of Love (1999) with Tommy Smith
• Navigator (2000) with Joel Frahm
• Ask Me Now (2000) with Michael Urbaniak
• Siren (2000) with Walt Weiskopf
• Steal the Moon (2000) with Carolyn Leonhart
• Two Tenor Ballads (2000) with Mark Turner and Tadd Shull
• What Goes Unsaid (2000) with Scott Wendholt
• Oasis (2001) with Eddie Henderson
• Song (2001) with Marty Ehrlich
• Workin' Out (2001) with John Campbell
• Cedars of Avalon (2001) with Larry Coryell
• Alternate Side (2001) with Tim Ries
• Deja Vu (2001) with Archie Shepp
• Waltz for Debbie (2002) with David Hazeltine
• Wurd on the Skreet (2002) with Donald Brown
• Line on Love (2003) with Marty Ehrlich
• Little Song (2003) with Sheila Jordan
• Strings (2003) with Jim Snidero
• French Ballads (2003) with Archie Shepp
• Deja Vu (2003) with Archie Shepp
• The Lost Chords (2003) with Carla Bley
• Dream Dancing (2004) with Steve Kuhn
• Close Up (2004) with Jim Snidero
• Tea for Two (2004) with Walt Weiskopf/Andy Fusco Quartet
• Sight to Sound (2004) with Walt Weiskopf
• Winter Sonata (2004) with Gary Versace
• Cleopatra's Dream (2006) David Hazeltine
• Manhattan (2006) David Hazeltine/George Mraz Trio
• Pastorale (2007) with Steve Kuhn
• Baubles, Bangles and Beads (2007) with Steve Kuhn
• Pavanne for a Dead Princess (2007) with Steve Kuhn
• The Lost Chords Find Paolo Fresu (2007) with Carla Bley
• New Conversations (2007) with Carla Bley
• Blue Fable (2007) with Larry Willis
• Nights of Key Largo (2008) with Tessa Souter
• Moon River (2008) with Nicki Parrott
• Offering (2008) with Larry Willis
• Once Upon a Melody (2008) with Javon Jackson
• Beautiful Love: The NYC Session (2008) with Al Di Meola, Eddie Gómez, Yujata Kobaya
• Appearing Nightly (2008) with Carla Bley
• Art of Organizing (2009) with Dr. Lonnie Smith
• Chick Corea Songbook (2009) with The Manhattan Transfer
• Mutual Admiration Society (2009) with Joe Locke/David Hazeltine
• New Moon (2009) with Ron McLure
• Mays at the Movies (2009) with Bill Mays
• Crossfire (2009) with Jim Snidero
• One Night at the Kitano (2009) with Jed Levy
• Fly Me to the Moon (2009) with Nicki Parrott
• Mays at the Movies (2009) with Bill Mays
• The Decider (2009) with Peter Zak
• All My Friends are Here (2010) with Arif Mardin compilation
• I Will Wait for You (2010) with Steve Kuhn
• Invitation (2010) with Beat Kaestli
• Cedar Chest (2010) The Music of Cedar Walton compilation
• For All We Know (2010) with Eddie Henderson
• New York Encounter (2010) with Yakov Okun Trio
• Steeplechase Jam Session Volume 29 (2010) Andy Laverne
• Steeplechase Jam Session Volume 30 (2010) Don Braden
• Dedication (2010) with Ron McClure
• Live at Smalls (2011) with Tim Ries
• Live at Smalls (2011) with Jesse Davis
• Beyond the Blue (2012) with Tessa Souter
• Home Tone (2012) with Tony Lakatos
• Nordic Noon (2012) with Peter Zak
• Jazz in the New Harmonic (2013) with David Chesky
• The Eternal Triangle (2013) with Peter Zak
• Homeland (2014) with Vincent Hsu
• Are You Real (2014) with Stanley Cowell
• Leap of Faith (2015) with Burak Bedikyan
• Primal Scream (2015) with David Chesky
• Rambling Confessions (2015) with John Hebert
• Sing to the Sky (2015) with Emma Larsson
• Tales, Musings, and Other Reveries (2015) with Jeremy Pelt
• Reminiscent (2015) with Stanley Cowell
• Standards (2016) with Peter Zak
• En Rouge (2016) with Atlantico (Dave Schroeder/Sebastien Paindestre)
• Jive Culture (2016) with Jeremy Pelt

Sources

• Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler, The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford, 1999, p. 154.
• Gary W. Kennedy, "Billy Drummond". Grove Dictionary of Jazz online.