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Hamid Drake

b. 3 August 1955, Monroe, Louisiana, USA. Hamid Drake studied drums extensively, including eastern and Caribbean styles. In 1974 he began what was to be a long-term musical relationship with Fred Anderson. In the late 70s, Anderson introduced him to George Lewis and Douglas Ewart. His most significant percussion influences, Ed Blackwell and Adam Rudolph, date from this period. The latter, who was a childhood friend, became another continuing collaborator and they appeared together in numerous contexts, including Anderson's 1979 The Missing Link. Don Cherry, who Drake first met in 1978, was another continuing collaborator. Also in the late 70s, Hamid Drake became a member of the Mandingo Griot Society, appearing on the group's first album.

For many years Hamid Drake provided deftly inventive rhythmic support to forward thinking musicians such as pianist Borah Bergman and Peter Brötzmann, with whom he played in a quartet alongside William Parker and Toshinori Kondo. Others with whom Drake has worked over the years are Marilyn Crispell, Pierre Dorge, Norwegian pianist-composer Georg Gräwe, Herbie Hancock, Misha Mengelberg, Pharoah Sanders, Wayne Shorter, Malachi Thompson, fellow percussionist Michael Zerang and most notably with Kent Kessler and Ken Vandermark in the DKV Trio. With these diverse artists, playing in a broad range of musical settings, Hamid Drake comfortably adapts to north and west African and Indian impulses as well as reggae and Latin. Among drummers he has cited as being influential, aside from Blackwell and Rudolph, are Philly Joe Jones and Jo Jones. It was through the latter's broad-based concepts that Hamid Drake was impelled to explore earlier forms of drumming that had been drawn into jazz before the advent of free jazz. He also frequently plays without sticks, using his hands to develop subtly commanding undertones. His tabla playing is also notable for its subtlety and flair.

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Album Review

Hu Vibrational: Timeless

Read "Timeless" reviewed by Geno Thackara


An Adam Rudolph recording is less a collection of musical pieces than of sound paintings. The elements he works with are musical ones--any instrument known to mankind might be used, and often even used to play notes--but traditions of form and melody tend to be tossed out the window from the start. The tones are treated as daubs of paint on a palette, splashed here and there whenever they will add something to whichever imaginary landscape he is evoking at ...

Album Review

Steve Swell's Fire Into The Music: For Jemeel: Fire From The Road

Read "For Jemeel: Fire From The Road" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro


Oltre tre ore di musica catturate in altrettante esibizioni live fra Texas (due, ottobre 2004) e Canada (la restante, settembre 2005) e oggi rese opportunamente disponibili sono ciò che ci offre questo triplo album composito ma per altri versi assolutamente monolitico. Lo firma un superquartetto, sempre quello, che attraversa i sette ampi brani (il primo occupa l'intero primo cd) con fare deciso, ottima capacità di gestire l'evolversi della musica prodotta, i suoi spazi intestini, felicemente bilanciati fra parti corali e ...

Live Review

Hamid Drake, Shabaka Hutchings, Simo Lagnawi al Teatro Golden di Palermo

Read "Hamid Drake, Shabaka Hutchings, Simo Lagnawi al Teatro Golden di Palermo" reviewed by Maurizio Zerbo


Shabaka Hutchings, Hamid Drake, Simo Lagnawi Nomos Jazz Festival Teatro Golden Palermo 22.11.2023 Ci sono concerti che sintetizzano le finalità e la storia delle più lungimiranti associazioni musicali. Il magnifico set del trio costituito da Hamid Drake, Shabaka Hutchings, e Simo Lagnawi può essere elevato a simbolo di una policentrica direzione artistica che ha sempre fatto prevalere la qualità delle idee. In primo piano la forza ancestrale della musica gnawa del Marocco, nei suoi ...

2
Album Review

Chicago Edge Ensemble: The Individualists

Read "The Individualists" reviewed by Mark Corroto


Let's trot out the old New York versus Chicago rivalry. Just like with their sports teams (Jets vs. Bears, Knicks vs. Bulls, etc.) music fans feel a need to chose sides. It has been like that since Louis Armstrong left the Windy City for the Big Apple in 1924 and Sun Ra in 1961. Sure NYC is the center of the world for individual jazz musicians, but Chicago has always been a more communal place for music making. Consider the ...

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Liner Notes

Nicole Mitchell and Michel Edelin: The Ethiopian Princess Meets the Tantric Priest

Read "Nicole Mitchell and Michel Edelin: The Ethiopian Princess Meets the Tantric Priest" reviewed by Howard Mandel


Nicole Mitchell and Michel Edelin are two of the most creative flutists in music of any sort today, brilliant improvisers with highly developed sensitivities to sound who share a passion for collaborating in real time. Yet their personal approaches to playing one of the oldest instruments in the world represent two far ends of an esthetic spectrum. “We have exactly the same musical interests and influences," Mitchell has said, “but we come to the music from such different directions!"

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Radio & Podcasts

Hamid Drake, Michael Formanek, Francesco Bearzatti, Vinnie Sperrazza & More

Read "Hamid Drake, Michael Formanek, Francesco Bearzatti, Vinnie Sperrazza & More" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


This week we focus on three fascinating releases which celebrate the genius and legacy of Don Cherry, after starting with a tribute to Led Zeppelin, Emma Rawicz's new project, one of the best piano trios I've heard in a long time, lead by drummer Vinnie Sperrazza, and new music by Michael Formanek.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Francesco Bearzatti “Dazed and Confused" Post Atomic Zep (doKumenta) 0:16 Host ...

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Album Review

Natural Information Society: Since Time is Gravity

Read "Since Time is Gravity" reviewed by Danen Jobe


The concept of trance is one of the oldest in the world. Many older music forms embraced trance for their rituals. One is the Gnawa musical tradition originating in Kano, Nigeria and Morocco, which uses double and triple notes repeated sometimes for hours to induce a religious state while the singer sings stories of spirits. It is played on a gimbri (aka sintir or hajhuj), a three stringed instrument featuring one short and two long goat gut strings over a ...

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Video / DVD

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Cooper-Moore, Joshua Abrams & Hamid Drake

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Cooper-Moore, Joshua Abrams & Hamid Drake

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week, let's check out some videos featuring multi-instrumentalists Cooper-Moore, Joshua Abrams, and Hamid Drake, who will be teaming up for a show presented by New Music Circle next Saturday, May 26 at Off Broadway. All three are veterans of the international creative music scene who have performed in St. Louis previously in different ensembles. Most recently, Drake played here with violinist Iva Bittová last year; with fellow percussionist Adam Rudolph in 2016; and, along with Cooper-Moore, as part of ...

Performance / Tour

Jazz this week: Regina Carter, Iva Bittová & Hamid Drake, and more

Jazz this week: Regina Carter, Iva Bittová & Hamid Drake, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

Wondering what's happening this week in live jazz and creative music in St. Louis? Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, January 18 Arguably the premier jazz violinist working today, Regina Carter (pictured, top left) opens a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Like many a conservatory trained musician, Carter certainly has fluid technique, but what really sets her apart from other equally proficient players are her expressive abilities as an improvisor, her feeling for blues and ...

Festival

Jazz this week: Oliver Lake, Hamid Drake, Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, David Liebman, and more

Jazz this week: Oliver Lake, Hamid Drake, Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, David Liebman, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

It's a fine week to be a fan of jazz and creative music in St. Louis, as the calendar offers a jam-packed schedule of upcoming performances in a variety of styles and genres from big band and straight-ahead swing to free improv and experimental music. Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, April 20 The Bad Plus Joshua Redman finish their two-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro. While some tickets may remain for the 9:30 performance, call ahead to check ...

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Crowdfunding Campaign

Kickstarter: Inner-Attunement With Hamid Drake & William Parker

Kickstarter: Inner-Attunement With Hamid Drake & William Parker

Source: Michael Lucio Sternbach

What is Inner-Attunement? Inner-Attunement is a documentary film by Michael Lucio Sternbach about the musical brotherhood of bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake. Known worldwide as of one of the premier rhythm sections of jazz, the two discuss their musical kinship and the shamanistic sound ceremonies they deploy worldwide. Inner-Attunement is a comprehensive look into their music, which becomes a conversation about the substantial lessons we learn in life. Why is this film important? I first saw William and ...

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Recording

Akira Sakata, Pete Cosey, Hamid Drake, Bill Laswell - Two Releases Out On M.O.D. Technologies As Part Of Incunabula Digital Series

Akira Sakata, Pete Cosey, Hamid Drake, Bill Laswell - Two Releases Out On M.O.D. Technologies As Part Of Incunabula Digital Series

Source: hubtone PR

Akira Sakata with Bill Laswell, Pete Cosey, Hamid Drake KAIGARABUSHI - BILL LASWELL REMIX Japanese free jazz icon Akira Sakata in collaboration with the legendary guitarist Pete Cosey (Miles Davis, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf), drummer Hamid Drake and bassist Bill Laswell. A remix of a track from the album fisherman's.com released in 2001, it offers traditional Japanese folk art meets funk and free improvisation. Mix- construction by Bill Laswell. TRACK: 1. Kaigarabushi Return (11:44) BILL LASWELL'S BILMAWN - LITTLE VILLAGE ...

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Video / DVD

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Peter Brotzmann, William Parker and Hamid Drake

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Peter Brotzmann, William Parker and Hamid Drake

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

Today, we focus our video lens on the trio of saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, bassist William Parker and percussionist Hamid Drake, who are coming to St. Louis to perform in a concert at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 4 at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center as part of LNAC's 20th anniversary celebration. Bound by a web of musical associations stretching back more than 20 years, they first recorded and toured together under the name Die Like A Dog, and in the ensuing ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Peter Brotzmann and Hamid Drake, Daryl Sherman, Erin Bode and More

Jazz This Week: Peter Brotzmann and Hamid Drake, Daryl Sherman, Erin Bode and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

After a jam-packed calendar of offerings last week, this weekend offers a bit more breathing room for St. Louis fans of jazz and creative music. Still, there are several events worth noting, so let's go right to the highlights:For starters, it's the final weekend for the Black Rep's production of the Louis Jordan musical Five Guys Named Moe, which is playing through Sunday at the Grandel Theatre. The production was directed by Black Rep founder Ron Himes and ...

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Performance / Tour

Peter Brotzmann/Hamid Drake Duo - April Tour Dates

Peter Brotzmann/Hamid Drake Duo - April Tour Dates

Source: Michael Ricci

The legendary duo of Peter Brotzmann and Hamid Drake reconvene for first US Duo Tour in over five years beginning this week!!!

Friday, April 16 Philadelphia Art Alliance 251 S. 18th Street Philadelphia, PA Presented by Ars Nova Workshop arsnovaworkshop.org $12 cover 8pm

Saturday, April 17 Hall's Walls Contemporary Arts Center 341 DELAWARE AVE. BUFFALO, NY 14202

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Performance / Tour

Peter Brotzmann and Hamid Drake to Perform Sunday, April 25 at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center

Peter Brotzmann and Hamid Drake to Perform Sunday, April 25 at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

Saxophonist Peter Brtzmann is returning to St. Louis for a duo performance with percussionist Hamid Drake at 8:00 p.m. Sunday, April 25 at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center.Brotzmann played at the LNAC last June with his trio as part of the venue's “Jazz to the Wall" festival. Drake, who like Brtzmann is based in Chicago but tours around the world, has been part of the improvised music scene since the 1970s, working with Fred Anderson, David Murray, William ...

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Performance / Tour

Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang Whitney Museum of American Art Friday, February 24th at 7 pm

Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang Whitney Museum of American Art Friday, February 24th at 7 pm

Source: All About Jazz

Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang Kick Off the Whitney's 2006 Performance Line-up With The New York Premiere of their percussion project, Winter Dream

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 at 7 pm Whitney Museum of American Art 945 Madison Avenue NYC 10021 212.671.8345 Free with pay-what-you-wish museum admission

Part concert, part theater, part sacred ritual, Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake--two of Chicago's most important composers/ percussionists--take the audience on a journey as primordial ...

Marc Beaudin, poet
poet / spoken word

Photos

Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Since Time is Gravity

Eremite Records
2023

buy

The Individualists

Lizard Breath Records
2023

buy

Timeless

Meta Records
2023

buy

Everybody Say Yeah!

Southport Records
2022

buy

Seriana Promethea

Intakt Records
2022

buy

Serpentine

From: Timeless
By Hamid Drake

Okomibo

From: Imaginary Archipelago
By Hamid Drake

Videos

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