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Whit Dickey

Whit Dickey made a name for himself as the former drummer of David S. Ware’s famous quartet. Since then Dickey’s musical contributions have gone well beyond his work as Ware’s drummer. He is capable of tremendous power and yet has the ability for subtle gesture. Dickey is a composer as well as a drummer and his music has reached new heights in his recent small group work, with a coterie of great musicians including alto saxophonist Rob Brown. He has also performed with Matthew Shipp since 1991 and continues to play and record with Roy Campbell Jr., Mat Maneri, Chris Lightcap and many others.

Since 2007 Dickey has been focussing on developing an integrative improvisational style while working with Shipps Trio.

Daniel Carter and Dickey recorded an album pianist Eri Yamamoto in 2008.

The album ART OF THE IMPROVISOR - received much critical acclaim and was listed as one of the year's best of 2011. He has started a cooperative unit with Sabir Mateen & Michael Bisio}} , which is another example of post- Coltrane integral unity, and is call Blood Trio.

Shipp, Bisio and Dickey have also been working with Ivo Perelman in various configurations.

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4
Album Review

Stephen Gauci / Michael Bisio / Whit Dickey: Live At Scholes Street Studio

Read "Live At Scholes Street Studio" reviewed by John Sharpe


Tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci sends another vital missive from the Brooklyn coal face, titled like several of its predecessors Live At Scholes Street Studio. Gauci has the knack of surrounding himself with top notch company and this is no exception. Joining him are two of the more seasoned avant jazz practitioners on the New York scene, bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Whit Dickey. Bisio himself holds the bass chair in pianist Matthew Shipp's Trio, a high profile outfit which Dickey ...

5
Album Review

Matthew Shipp Trio: Circular Temple

Read "Circular Temple" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


On a good day it is strenuous to stay current with pianist Matthew Shipp's imposing and voluminous output. On an even better day it is a fool's hardy errand to say the least. Now with the planned re-issuing of some of his great early deconstructions of musical thought and theory, starting here with 1990's daringly incongruous yet hypnotically accessible, Circular Temple, keeping up just got a whole lot harder. With William Parker on bass and Whit Dickey on ...

Album Review

Whit Dickey Quartet: Astral Long Form: Staircase In Space

Read "Astral Long Form: Staircase In Space" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro


Al suo secondo album in veste di leader per i tipi della Tao Forms dopo l'eccellente Village Mothership, in trio con Matthew Shipp e William Parker (estensore delle note di copertina di questo nuovo capitolo, inciso nel febbraio 2021), Whit Dickey coglie altrettanto felicemente (e, diremmo, naturalmente) nel segno alla testa di questo quartetto (tutti suoi i brani in scaletta), estremamente agguerrito e forte di individualità (a cominciare da Mat Maneri, uno che caratterizza sempre massicciamente ogni lavoro a cui ...

Album Review

Whit Dickey, William Parker, Matthew Shipp: Village Mothership

Read "Village Mothership" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro


Inciso nel febbraio 2020 e pubblicato alla fine dell'anno seguente, questo notevole album, frutto di una seduta di libera improvvisazione ma il cui principale responsabile è l'oggi sessantottenne batterista newyorchese Whit Dickey, che nell'ultimo trentennio non ha mancato di fornire ampie testimonianze del suo valore, è di quelli che ci fanno capire quali ragguardevoli risorse e possibilità rigenerative possa ancora vantare una formula che per anzianità di servizio e assiduità di frequentazione potrebbe apparire a occhi distratti persino consunta (come ...

7
Album Review

Whit Dickey Quartet: Root Perspectives

Read "Root Perspectives" reviewed by Mark Corroto


If it were possible to inhale an entire recording, Root Perspectives by drummer Whit Dickey's quartet might be the perfect delivery system. The music Dickey has put together comes as currents of wind, both a breeze and a gale. It is a drummer-led recording, but with any session this drummer leads (or plays in as sideman) his playing always complements without dominating the music. His new quartet includes pianist Matthew Shipp. Together, the pair have recorded dozens of ...

7
Album Review

Whit Dickey Quartet: Astral Long Form: Staircase In Space

Read "Astral Long Form: Staircase In Space" reviewed by Mark Corroto


As leader of the Whit Dickey Quartet, the drummer placed total faith in his bandmates for this studio session. The accompanying materials quote Dickey, “I asked them all to not think of time too much; I just wanted them to play, not to follow me or each other." Was that instruction made out of confidence or recklessness? One might say reckless if the lineup were other than the seasoned improvisers the leader assembled. Dickey might be best known ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Whit Dickey Quartet, Yells At Eels & Fabian Dudek

Read "Whit Dickey Quartet,  Yells At Eels & Fabian Dudek" reviewed by Maurice Hogue


There's a full load of great music in this episode of One Man's Jazz. It opens with a continuation of my recognition of trumpeter Dennis Gonzalez who passed away last month. The focus is on his powerful trio, Yells At Eels, with his two sons, Aaron and Stefan. There's a good chunk of new stuff from Europe—Norway's Bliss Quintet, Portugal's Mazam, Torbjorn Zetterberg, the fine bassist from Stockholm, guitarist {m: Michael Gregory Jackson}} German saxophonist Fabian Dudeck who has lots ...

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1

Recording

Whit Dickey 2-CD 'Morph' with Matthew Shipp and Nate Wooley on ESP-DISK. Pre-Order Now.

Whit Dickey 2-CD 'Morph' with Matthew Shipp and Nate Wooley on ESP-DISK. Pre-Order Now.

Source: All About Jazz

Whit Dickey has been a quiet but brilliant presence on the New York avant-jazz scene since his discographical debut in 1991 on the legendary Matthew Shipp Trio album Circular Temple. In concert and on recordings in groups led by Shipp, David S. Ware, Ivo Perelman, Joe Morris, and Rob Brown, he built a reputation for distinctively space-filled, subtle rhythmic support, even as he was perfectly capable of muscling up when the music called for it. For some of the people ...

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Recording

Whit Dickey / Mat Maneri / Matthew Shipp Album To Be Released March 24 On AUM Fidelity

Whit Dickey / Mat Maneri / Matthew Shipp Album To Be Released March 24 On AUM Fidelity

Source: Steven Joerg

On March 24, AUM Fidelity will release Vessel in Orbit, the first new group music in over a decade from singular drummer-composer Whit Dickey. Created together with the impeccable improvisers Mat Maneri on viola and pianist Matthew Shipp, it is a richly melodic and deeply focused album; structural integrity and emotional resonance are paramount throughout. Each of these men has a lifetime commitment to creative music, and they share a musical relationship with one another that dates back decades. Dickey’s ...

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Festival

Vision Festival 19 Welcomes Whit Dickey And James Blood Ulmer

Vision Festival 19 Welcomes Whit Dickey  And James Blood Ulmer

Source: Chris Rich

In addition to celebrations of Roy Campbell and Amiri Baraka, the creators of Vision Festival love to support under appreciated masters such as Whit Dickey. And they craft special gatherings such as a revisit of a ground breaking James Blood Ulmer unit called The Music Revelation Ensemble. Whit Dickey will lead his quartet in the opening performance and the Music Revelation Ensemble will close out the night. 7:00 Whit Dickey Quartet Whit Dickey – drums Mat Maneri – ...

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Performance / Tour

Vision Club This Week Sat. Dec.18 Whit Dickey 4tet 7pm + William Parker's readings from the Mayor of Punkville

Vision Club This Week Sat. Dec.18 Whit Dickey 4tet 7pm + William Parker's readings from the Mayor of Punkville

Source: All About Jazz

A R T S F O R A R T 508 East 6 Street, NYC 10009 646 331 1032 fax 212-533-1939 / www.visionfestival.org December 16, 2004 To: Listings/Critics/Features From: The Vision Festival / www.visionfestival.org Press Contact: Jim Eigo publicist@visionfestival;org / 845.986.1677 Come and hear music that is filled with hope and creativity and filled with resistance to everything BUSH This week... Saturday Nights December 18: $20 for the evening Alain KIRILI's 17 White Street #4 - just west of Church ...

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Circular Temple

ESP-Disk
2023

buy

Live At Scholes...

Gaucimusic
2023

buy

MBefore

Tao Forms
2022

buy

Reels

Burning Ambulance Music
2021

buy

Videos

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