Billy Drummond

Billy Drummond is one of the most respected and in-demand drummers on the New York jazz scene, a versatile straight-ahead player who has appeared on more than 350 recordings. Born in 1959 in Newport News, Virginia, he grew up around his father's jazz record collection and moved to New York in the late 1980s, where he came to prominence in the bands of Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson, and Sonny Rollins. As a leader he recorded several acclaimed albums, including Dubai on Criss Cross, and he has worked alongside players such as Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Lovano, Buster Williams, and Toshiko Akiyoshi. He also serves as a professor of jazz drums at the Juilliard School and at New York University.