Billy Drummond Quartet - The Gift

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop 
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:26
Size: 140,8 MB
Art: Front

( 5:04)  1. Car Tunes
( 7:39)  2. The Common Law
( 8:00)  3. Ode To Angela
( 6:30)  4. Apex
( 7:31)  5. The Gift
( 7:47)  6. Garoyles
(12:22)  7. Dear Old Chicago
( 6:31)  8. Devil May Care

Born 19 June 1959, Newport News, Virginia, USA. Drummond began playing drums at the age of four, following the example of his drummer father. He played in high school and local bands and thanks to hearing his father’s record collection began taking an interest in the masters of modern jazz. In his teens he attracted attention in New York and became one of several young musicians recorded by Blue Note Records in their series of bands named Out Of The Blue. He became a member of Horace Silver’s band, thereafter touring and sometimes recording with artists including Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny, J.J. Johnson, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Tommy Smith, Vincent Herring, Jon Faddis and Renée Rosnes. He has played on several records with the latter and she plays in his band, Native Colours, which also includes Steve Wilson. An exceptionally accomplished technician, Drummond is a highly supportive player, always listening and eager to bring out the best in the musicians he accompanies. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/billy-drummond-mn0000767592/biography

Personnel:  Billy Drummond (drums); Seamus Blake (soprano & tenor saxophones); Renee Rosnes (piano); Peter Washington (bass).

The Gift

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The Drummonds - A Beautiful Friendship

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:08
Size: 128.5 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz, Piano jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[5:52] 1. My One And Only Love
[5:45] 2. Body And Soul
[5:34] 3. Never Let Me Go
[5:38] 4. Little Girl Blue
[4:50] 5. Gone With The Wind
[4:57] 6. Once I Loved
[6:58] 7. Angel Eyes
[7:15] 8. Stella By Starlight
[4:31] 9. Everything
[4:44] 10. A Beautiful Friendship

Pianist Renee Rosnes, Billy Drummond (who was married to Rosnes at the time), and Ray Drummond (no relation to Billy) performed together on and off in New York since 1990. They realized they had something very special between the three -- the musical sympathy was palpable -- they approached producer Todd Barkan, and the collaboration led to three wonderful albums released by Videoarts.

A Beautiful Friendship, recorded in 2001, was The Drummonds' third CD. As are the group's other two albums, the materials are well-known jazz standards except for "Everything," Japanese pop singer Misia's hit tune from 2000. This kind of music tends to be somehow undervalued in the US, but their creative arrangements and collective improvisations are inspired and exciting. Recommended to lovers of piano trio jazz, and a must-have reissue for fans of Renee Rosnes!

A Beautiful Friendship

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The Drummonds Feat. Renee Rosnes - When You Wish Upon A Star

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:03
Size: 135,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:09)  1. Nature Boy
(6:07)  2. Autumn In New York
(5:32)  3. Over The Rainbow
(7:00)  4. Alone Together
(5:40)  5. When You Wish Upon A Star
(3:48)  6. Danny Boy
(5:52)  7. Lullaby Of Birdland
(5:13)  8. The Sound Of Silence
(6:34)  9. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
(6:04) 10. Like Someone In Love

It is refreshing to hear three of the most forward thinking musicians in the jazz mainstream tackle material from the Great American Songbook in a decidedly conventional manner. Bassist Ray Drummond, drummer Billy Drummond (no relation), and pianist Renee Rosnes, all first call New York area players and leaders in their own right, play tunes like “Autumn In New York,” “Danny Boy,” and “Like Someone In Love,” without deconstructing melodies or demolishing song-forms. The music adheres to a straight-ahead piano trio format, with Rosnes taking the lead voice and the bass and drums in supportive roles.  The opening cut, “Nature Boy,” is a good example of the trio’s overall sound. After Rosnes’ brief introduction, the bass and drums enter and establish a medium tempo while the piano states a partially reharmonized version of the melody. Rosnes fashions a solo that is full of daring bop lines yet firmly grounded by the accompaniment. “Alone Together” begins with Ray Drummond playing the head over Rosnes’ chords, features a solo consisting of dancing phrases by the pianist, and an exchange of eights and fours between the bass and drums. The highlight of the set is a stunning version of Arlen and Harburg’s “Over The Rainbow.” Amidst the Drummonds’ sensitive support, Rosnes’ understated treatment captures the tune’s exquisite melancholy without becoming dramatic or sentimental. ~ David A.Orthmann  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/when-you-wish-upon-a-star-the-drummonds-32-records-review-by-david-a-orthmann.php

Personnel: Renee Rosnes (piano); Billy Drummond (bass instrument); Ray Drummond (drums).

When You Wish Upon A Star

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The Drummonds Feat. Renee Rosnes - Letter To Evans

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:16
Size: 115,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:12)  1. You and The Night and The Music
(5:17)  2. My Romance
(8:22)  3. Pas De Trois
(4:38)  4. Too Young To Go Steady
(4:50)  5. Emily
(4:25)  6. I Hear A Rhapsody
(4:31)  7. Haunted Heart
(6:14)  8. How My Heart Sings
(5:44)  9. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

Pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Ray Drummond, and drummer Billy Drummond (her husband at the time), put together a fine tribute to the late pianist Bill Evans on these 2000 sessions, though they don't play any of his timeless compositions. Instead, they build upon his vast recorded legacy by interpreting standards and modern compositions that Evans enjoyed playing. While there is a touch of Evans' lyricism in Rosnes' playing, she is no mere copycat; while Ray Drummond's tasty, inventive basslines and Billy Drummond's light-handed percussion would have possibly been an excellent rhythm section for Evans. Rosnes' debt to Evans is most apparent in the upbeat treatment of Earl Zindars' "How My Heart Sings" and the brisk setting of "I Hear a Rhapsody." There are also a pair of tracks not associated with Evans. This CD was also issued by True Life as Pas de Trois, though with a slightly different track selection. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/letter-to-evans-mw0000775202

Personnel: Renee Rosnes (piano); Billy Drummond (bass instrument, drums); Ray Drummond (drums).

Letter To Evans

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The Drummonds - Once Upon A Time

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:46
Size: 153,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:41)  1. You Must Believe In Spring
(6:49)  2. Estate
(6:38)  3. Summer Night
(5:58)  4. Blackberry Winter
(5:04)  5. Autumn Nocturne
(5:44)  6. Once Upon A Summertime
(7:23)  7. It Might As Well Be Spring
(6:49)  8. The Winter Of My Discontent
(7:11)  9. Spring Is Here
(7:26) 10. Lullaby Of The Leaves

Willis Robert "Billy" Drummond, Jr. (b. Newport News, Virginia, June 19, 1959) 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, among others. 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 (OTB) with whom he recorded their last CD. He subsequently 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 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 (1994–95), 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 Gomez, and Sheila Jordan (1990s to present). Influences include Tony Williams, Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, Al Foster, Jack DeJohnette, and Billy Hart, among others. He also leads a New York-based band called Freedom of Ideas. In addition to touring he is currently Professor of Jazz Drums at the Juilliard School of Music and NYU in New York. ~Bio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Drummond

Personnel: Ray Drummond (bass instrument); Renee Rosnes (piano); Billy Drummond (drums).

Once Upon A Time

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