Idris Muhammad

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Idris Muhammad (background) with Reggie Workman and Pharoah Sanders , 1978

Idris Muhammad (* 13. November 1939 in New Orleans , Louisiana as Leo Morris ; † 29. July 2014 ) was an American jazz - drummer .

life and career

Muhammad started playing drums when he was sixteen, initially in local dance bands. He also took with Fats Domino on (Blueberry Hill) and then accompanied Larry Williams , Lloyd Price , Sam Cooke , Jerry Butler and other R & B - and soul musicians . Since 1967 he has worked in the soul-jazz formations of Lou Donaldson ( Alligator Boogaloo ), Gene Ammons , George Benson , Charles Earland ( Black Talk ), Grant Green and Charles Kynard . In addition, he was involved in the Broadway performances of Hair and from 1970 house drummer for the Prestige label. During this time he released two important albums under his own name ( Black Rhythm Revolution 1970, Peace and Rhythm 1971). After recording two fusion albums for Creed Taylor's label CTI in the mid-1970s ( Power of Soul and House of the Rising Sun ), the album Kabsha with George Coleman, Pharoah Sanders and Ray Drummond was created around 1980 for the avant-garde label Theresa ; In 1998 the improvisation project Right Now followed with Gary Bartz , George Coleman, Joe Lovano and Curtis Lundy .

From 1973 he was a member of the big band of Hank Crawford . He continued to work in the bands of Harold Mabern , Johnny Griffin , George Coleman , John Hicks and Pharoah Sanders and also toured with Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Roberta Flack . In the late 1970s, Muhammad also tried his hand at the disco genre and recorded albums such as Boogie to the Top in this style. In the mid-1980s he worked with Larry Goldings on Queen Elizabeth 2 and was involved in the recording of Hamiet Bluiett's album Live at Carlos . Muhammad has also worked on recordings with Randy Weston , Eric Alexander ( Solid , 1998), John Hicks and the Keystone Trio, Andrew Hill (Grass Roots) , Lou Donaldson , Joe Lovano / Greg Osby , Tete Montoliu , David Murray ( Fast Life , 1993 ), Houston Person , Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt with. Since 1995 he has worked regularly with Ahmad Jamal and worked with Coleman on his album A L'Olympia (2000).

Like other black jazz musicians, Muhammad converted to Islam and changed his name in the 1960s . In 1966 he married Dolores "LaLa" Brooks, a former member of the American girl singing group The Crystals . She also converted to Islam and took the name Sakinah Muhammad . With her Idris Muhammad became the father of two sons and two daughters; the marriage was divorced in 1999.

His autobiography Inside The Music: The Life of Idris Muhammad was published in 2012.

Discographic notes

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
Turn This Mutha Out
  US 127 07/23/1977 (19 weeks)
Singles
Could Heaven Ever Be Like This
  UK 42 09/17/1977 (3 weeks)
  US 76 10/01/1977 (2 weeks)

As a band leader

As a sideman

for Lou Donaldson
  • 1967: Alligator Bogaloo (Blue Note; under his real name Leo Morris)
  • 1967: Mr. Shing-A-Ling (Blue Note, 1968; as Leo Morris)
  • 1968: Midnight Creeper (Blue Note; as Idris Muhammad)
  • 1968: Say It Loud! (Blue Note, 1969)
  • 1969: Hot Dog (Blue Note)
  • 1970: Everything I Play is Funky (Blue Note)
  • 1970: Pretty Things (Blue Note)
  • 1970: The Scorpion (Blue Note)
for Grant Green
  • 1969: Carryin 'On (Blue Note, 1970)
  • 1970: Green Is Beautiful (Blue Note)
  • 1970: Alive! (Blue note)
  • 1971: Live at Club Mozambique (Blue Note; 2006)
for Reuben Wilson
  • 1969: Love Bug (Blue Note), with Grant Green and Lee Morgan
for Charles Kynard
  • 1970: Wa-Tu-Wa-Zui (Beautiful People) (Prestige, 1971)
for Melvin Sparks
  • 1970: Sparks! (Prestigious)
  • 1971: Spark Plug (Prestige)
  • 1972: Akilah! (Prestigious)
for Leon Spencer
  • 1970: Sneak Preview! (Prestige, 1971)
  • 1971: Louisiana Slim (Prestige)
  • 1972: Bad Walking Woman (Prestige)
  • 1972: Where I'm Coming From (Prestige, 1973)
for Roberto Magris
  • 2010: Mating Call! (JMood, 2010)

Lexigraphic cues

Web links

Audio sample
Obituaries

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Obituary In Times Picayune
  2. ↑ Album info "Boogie to the Top", Discogs.com
  3. ↑ Jazz drummer Idris Muhammad dies , Der Standard, July 31, 2014, accessed October 22, 2014
  4. ↑ See obituary in JazzTimes 2014
  5. ↑ a b Chart sources: UK US
personal data
SURNAME Muhammad, Idris
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Morris, Leo (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz drummer
DATE OF BIRTH November 13, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH New Orleans , Louisiana
DATE OF DEATH 29th July 2014