Leon Parker (born August 21, 1965 in White Plains, New York) is a jazz percussionist and composer.[1] He is known for occasionally using a minimalist drum set with fewer components than usual, "sometimes consisting only of a snare drum, bass drum and a cymbal."[2]
Leon Parker | |
|---|---|
 Leon Parker, on the right, playing with Sean Smith | |
| Background information | |
| Born | August 21, 1965 White Plains, New York, United States |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Percussionist, composer |
| Years active | 1992–present |
His 1998 album, Awakening (Columbia), reached the 20th position on Billboard's "Top Jazz albums" chart.[1] It was his second album for Columbia.[3]
Parker played on pianist Jacky Terrasson's first three albums.[4] Parker toured with guitarist Charlie Hunter, who commented that "What I always look for in drummers is that they have a perfect blend of the visceral and the intellectual [...] Leon definitely had that."[5]
Discography edit
As leader edit
- 1994: Above & Below (Epicure)
- 1996: Belief (Columbia)
- 1998: Awakening (Columbia)
- 2001: The Simple Life (Label M)
Collaborations edit
- 1999: Duo with Charlie Hunter (Blue Note)
As sideman edit
With Dewey Redman & Joshua Redman
- Choices (Enja, 1992)
With Jesse Davis
- As We Speak (Concord Jazz, 1992)
- Young at Art (Concord Jazz, 1993)
With MTB (Brad Mehldau, Mark Turner, Peter Bernstein)
- Consenting Adults (Criss Cross Jazz, 1994)
With Jacky Terrasson
- Jacky Terrasson (Bluenote, 1994)
- Reach (Blue Note, 1995)
- Alive (Blue Note, 1998)
- A Paris... (Blue Note, 2000)
With Don Braden
- Organic (Epicure, 1995)
With James Carter
- The Real Quiet Storm (Atlantic, 1995)
With Franck Amsallem and Tim Ries
- Is That So, Sunnyside Records 1996
With Virginia Mayhew
- Nini Green (Chiaroscuro, 1997)
With Giovanni Mirabassi
- Terra Furiosa (Discograph, 2008)
- Out of Track (Discograph, 2009)
With Giovanni Mirabassi and Gianluca Renzi
- Live At the Blue Note, Tokyo (Discograph, 2010)
References edit
- ^ a b All Music
- ^ "Leon Parker - DRUMMERWORLD".
- ^ Stanley, Leo "Leon Parker – Awakening". AllMusic. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^ Panken, Ted (March 2015) "Jacky Terrasson: On the Edge". DownBeat. p. 35.
- ^ Milkowski, Bill (September 2015) "Charlie Hunter: Groove Factor". DownBeat. p. 45.