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Will Calhoun

Will Calhoun, the widely acclaimed drummer from the Bronx, New York, graduated from the Berklee School of Music in Boston, where he received a Bachelors degree in Music Production and engineering. He was also the recipient of the prestigious Buddy Rich Jazz Masters Award for outstanding performance by a drummer.

Special Kudos for Will's drumming virtuosity include:

Best New Drummer by Modern Drummer Magazine's Readers Poll Number One Progressive Drummer by Modern Drummer Magazine's Readers Poll three times Best Drummer by Rolling Stone Magazine's Critics Poll

Will Calhoun's unique blend of improvisational and hard rock drumming can be found on each of Living Colour's four Epic releases: the ground breaking multi-platinum debut, Vivid, the critically acclaimed sophomore LP, Time's Up, the Biscuits EP, and Stain, as well as their latest release on Sanctuary Records, CollideØscope. A prolific song writer, Will has co-written many Living Colour compositions and wrote the critically acclaimed song, 'Pride', on the Time's Up album and 'Nothingness' on the Stain album. As a member of Living Colour, Will received a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance by a group and another Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. Living Colour also won an International Rock Award for Best Rock Band.

In addition to his work with Living Colour, Will has recorded and/or toured with diverse artists including B.B. King, Mick Jagger, Jaco Pastorious, Harry Belafonte, Pharoah Sanders, Jack Dejohnette, Paul Simon, Lou Reed, The Allman Brothers, Lauryn Hill, Marcus Miller, Dr.John, Carly Simon, Herb Alpert, Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood, Wayne Shorter (on the Grammy-winning CD High Life), Lauryn Hill, and recorded with rappers Run-DMC and Public Enemy. As a producer, player, and songwriter, Will has worked on Herb Alpert's Grammy-nominated CD, Colors.

During Will's down time he has managed to record two solo projects Housework and Drum Wave. These discs provide an alternate canvas for his acoustic drumset artistry as well as his push for electronic tonal expressions.

Will, Doug Wimbish, and Vinx joined forces to form the groundbreaking Ambient World Music band JUNGLE FUNK. Their live CD Jungle Funk is available on Zebra Records in the States. The group combines mastery of technology with musicianship. This rare and cutting edge disc was given the Album of the Year mention in Australia.

Will's first jazz CD as a bandleader is entitled The Will Calhoun Quintet: Live at the Blue Note. The disc is an adventurous journey through Will's approach to acoustic Jazz, World and Ambient music. The line-up features Bobby Watson-sax, Terell Stafford-trumpet, John Benitez-bass and Orrin Evans-piano. Will's song writing, arrangements and drumming on this CD are ground breaking. Although this was Will's first attempt at fronting a jazz group, Down Beat Magazine, Jazz Times, and BillBoard Magazine have given the CD top ratings. Drum Magazine's readers poll voted Will's CD 1st runner up for Drummer/Band leader.

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31
Album Review

David Sancious: Eyes Wide Open

Read "Eyes Wide Open" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


After leaving Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band in 1974, keyboardist and guitarist David Sancious formed the band Tone, which was centered on jazz fusion, progressive rock, and melodic overtures. At the time, he became a highly respected artist, especially due to his drawling synth tones, fiery guitar work and penetrating rhythmic outbreaks. Moving forward, he performed with Jack Bruce and Friends, Peter Gabriel, Sting, and other notables, securing his A-list session guru status. Here, the artist sings and performs instrumentals, ...

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Album Review

Will Calhoun: Celebrating Elvin Jones

Read "Celebrating Elvin Jones" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


Properly paying tribute to a figure like the late Elvin Jones is about more than aping a style of drumming and referencing songs; it's about acknowledging a specific life force, how it fueled the music, and how it lives on in those who Jones influenced on the bandstand, in the studio, and through his recorded work. Drummer Will Calhoun hits the mark in all of those ways on Celebrating Elvin Jones. For Calhoun, Jones was both a ...

1
Album Review

Will Calhoun: Life in This World

Read "Life in This World" reviewed by Luigi Sforza


La biografia artistica di Will Calhoun dice molto sul suo modo di concepire il jazz, la sua tecnica gli ha consentito di suonare con molti musicisti, da B.B King a Mick Jagger, da Jaco Pastorious a Jack DeJohnette, da Paul Simon a Lou Reed. Inoltre la notorietà di Calhounn è legata ai Living Colour e Public Enemy. Non sorprende quindi la quantità di elementi presenti nell'ultima produzione del l'energico batterista del Bronx intitolata Life in This World. Riferimenti ...

302
Album Review

Will Calhoun: Native Lands

Read "Native Lands" reviewed by Brian P. Lonergan


On Native Lands, the electronics of drum programming and guitar loops mix convincingly with indigenous acoustic instruments from around the world. Will Calhoun is able to combine such seemingly disparate sounds, styles and even people into one landscape and still maintain the integrity of the album as a whole. It may be due to the unifying thread throughout, Calhoun's honest rhythmic experiments, as well as the varied cast joining the effort: Pharoah Sanders, Mos Def, Kevin Eubanks, Stanley Jordan, Orrin ...

194
Album Review

Will Calhoun: Live at the Blue Note

Read "Live at the Blue Note" reviewed by Craig Jolley


Percussionist Calhoun has hired most of Bobby Watson's Horizon quintet, but this session is not a case of Watson uncomfortably grimacing as a sideman in his own band. For one thing Calhoun's band has a more modern feel. As might be expected Watson is the strongest soloist, but he limits his contributions to playing, and he is careful not to steal the show. He plays tenor (instead of his usual alto) on a couple of cuts, giving the band a ...

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Album Review

Will Calhoun Quintet: Live At The Blue Note

Read "Live At The Blue Note" reviewed by AAJ Staff


In a blending of genres that makes categorization irrelevant, drummer Will Calhoun, previously of Living Colour, has released his first CD as a leader of a jazz group. Recorded live at the Blue Note two days after Christmas in 1999, the Will Calhoun Quintet has a familiar ring for a previously unrecorded group. That's because saxophonist Bobby Watson teamed up with his trumpeter from Horizon, Terell Stafford, to create the front line.The signature Watson alto brightness, combined with ...

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3

Recording

Drummer Will Calhoun Pays Tribute to a Profound Influence on "Celebrating Elvin Jones" – Available Now on Motéma Music

Drummer Will Calhoun Pays Tribute to a  Profound Influence on "Celebrating Elvin Jones" –  Available Now on Motéma Music

Source: All About Jazz

Although he's best known as the hard-driving, groove-oriented drummer for the pioneering rock group Living Colour, Will Calhoun has played in a staggering variety of styles and traditions over the course of his eclectic career. Straight-ahead jazz, fusion, traditional African percussion, funk, hip-hop, and of course hard rock—Calhoun has explored them all, and he traces the roots of all of them to one man: legendary drummer Elvin Jones. On his second album for Motéma Music, Celebrating Elvin Jones , Calhoun ...

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Event

Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival Features Meshell Ndegeocello, Will Calhoun Trio, Christian Scott And More

Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival Features Meshell Ndegeocello, Will Calhoun Trio, Christian Scott And More

Source: Berklee Media Relations

On September 28, music lovers of all ages will gather for the 13th Annual Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival in Boston’s historic South End – home to several legendary clubs during Boston’s jazz heyday. The all-day, free outdoor event will offer contemporary jazz, Latin, blues, and soul acts on three stages. Natixis Global Asset Management (NGAM), one of the world’s leading asset managers, is the presenting sponsor of the festival and will present a $5,000 scholarship to a student musician. Past ...

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Contest

Enter the "Will Calhoun - Life in This World" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Enter the "Will Calhoun - Life in This World" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Source: All About Jazz

All About Jazz members are invited to enter the Motema Music “Will Calhoun - Life in This World“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on July 15th. Click here to enter the contest

(Becoming a fan of Will Calhoun at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.)

Good luck! Your Friends at Motema Music About Life in This World

Before he became famous as a member of the groundbreaking hard ...

Recording

Will Calhoun - "Life in This World" Album Release at the Blue Note Featuring Marc Cary and Charnett Moffett - Friday, May 17 Through Sunday, May 19

Will Calhoun - "Life in This World" Album Release at the Blue Note Featuring Marc Cary and Charnett Moffett - Friday, May 17 Through Sunday, May 19

Source: DL Media

Special Guests Donald Harrison and Nicholas Payton Drummer/percussionist Will Calhoun is set to perform at The Blue Note in New York from Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19, with sets at 8:00PM and 10:30PM. The performances will serve as an album release engagement for his new project, Life In This World (available May 14 on Motéma Music). Calhoun will be joined by labelmates bassist Charnett Moffett and keyboardist Marc Cary, as well as special guest saxophonist Donald Harrison. Additionally ...

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Interview

Underyourskin Interviews: Will Calhoun and Corey Glover

Underyourskin Interviews: Will Calhoun and Corey Glover

Source: All About Jazz


Mem Nahadr
vocals

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Eyes Wide Open

Self Produced
2020

buy

Celebrating Elvin...

Motéma Music
2016

buy

Life in This World

Motéma Music
2014

buy

Native Lands

Half Note Records
2006

buy

Native Lands

Unknown label
2005

buy

Live At The Blue Note

Half Note Records
2000

buy

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