At the Portland Jazz Festival earlier this year, photographer Mark Sheldon
captured a splendid image of drummer Billy Hart in action. There was no opportunity to use the picture in our Rifftides coverage of the PDX Festival, but Mr. Sheldon has granted us the right to show it to you now.
Assuming that you wish to not only see Billy Hart but also hear him, we have him in action during a 2011 visit to Denmark. This is an opportunity to enjoy Hart enjoying his work in the company of tenor saxophonist Niels Vincentz, guitarist Uffe Steen and bassist Klaus Nørgaard. They play Sonny Rollins’s “Tenor Madness.”
Have a good weekend.
JA-BA -LI !!!
That’s all that needs to be said.
Perhaps, but those less familiar with Hart’s history may find it helpful to know that during his stint with Pharaoh Sanders in the late 1960s, the percussionist Mtume gave him the Swahili name Jabali, which means “wisdom.”
Ah yes! Billy Hart still going strong with a fine group. Billy has played with everybody—he even survived a tenure with Stan Getz and lived to tell about it.
Great photo; many thanks
Ethan Iverson’s wide-ranging interview with Billy Hart can be found here. In its own way, it’s a comprehensive history of jazz drumming from Kenny Clarke (with a nod to Jo Jones) to ten years ago.