SF Jazz’s annual “Give the Drummer Some” took place April 10-13th. This four-day event was hosted by pianist Joe Warner, and took place in SF Jazz’s Joe Henderson Lab. Each night Warner and bassist Taurus Mateen played two sets of music featuring a different drumming icon.  

The first night’s drummer-guest was Modern Drummer’s April cover artist Billy Hart. Hart has an amazing list of over 700 album credits and a new record, called Just, out on ECM. He also leads two working bands and is a busy educator. Billy Hart is a living legend.  

Night two was one of New Orleans’ most important drummers, Herlin Riley. Herlin (who also recently appeared in Modern Drummer) began recording with Ahmad Jamal in 1985 and then Wynton Marsalis in 1988. He has since become a busy sideman, educator, and bandleader releasing five dates as a leader. Advertisement

Day three’s guest drummer was the inimitable Nasheet Waits who (with Mateen) is a member of Jason Moran & The Band Wagon, a member of the trio Tarbaby, a member of Christian McBride’s New Jawn band, and is also a noted educator and sideman.  

Closing out the four days with the trio was drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith. Among a list of many recordings as a leader and sideman with (among others) Sonny Rollins, Dave Holland, and Steve Coleman, “Smitty” was also the drummer for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno for 14 years.