Biography
Describing Bill Summers as merely a percussionist falls far short of acknowledging the depth of his background and mastery, just as calling a Steinway a piano reveals nothing about the instrument’s lineage or caliber. He commands everything from ancestral African instruments to ordinary pop bottles, functioning at the same time as a cultural visionary who unites disparate individuals and concepts. Whether scoring music for Quincy Jones on Roots, contributing to the soundtrack of The Color Purple, or reinterpreting the traditions of Kwanza, Summers remains deeply aware of his roots and their lasting influence on global culture. The late-night musical gatherings he hosts at his New Orleans residence have repeatedly ignited creative breakthroughs and professional opportunities. One such evening introduced him to Kim Provost and Bill Solley, the 1999 BET Jazz Discovery Competition winners, who first met during one of those sessions; recognizing their chemistry, Summers invited the pair to join his Summer’s Heat tour.
A similarly pivotal telephone conversation took place when Irvin Mayfield contacted Jason Marsalis, who recommended that the trumpeter reach out to Summers regarding a project fusing Latin rhythms with jazz. Those same nocturnal sessions at the Summers home gave rise in 1998 to Los Hombres Calientes, which quickly became a sensation first in New Orleans and then internationally. The group blew the roof off Snug Harbor and the House of Blues, set the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival ablaze with its high-energy dance music, and has issued three CDs.
Much of the acclaim earned by the multi-award-winning Los Hombres Calientes stems from the seasoned perspective Summers brings while performing alongside Mayfield and Marsalis, both still in their early twenties. A onetime Detroit Observatory student, 1981 R&B hitmaker with “Call It What You Want,” and veteran of both the Walter Payton Trio and Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, Summers has amassed intimate knowledge of hundreds of African and Cuban percussion rhythms through decades of study.
Alongside his wife and musical partner, Yvette Bostic-Summers, who performs and sings with Los Hombres Calientes, he guides the Summers Multi-Ethnic Institute of Art, which regularly sends students to Cuba for immersion in Afro-Cuban music. In 1999 Summers and several of his pupils were inducted into Cuba’s esteemed Yoruba order of sacred drummers by Estaban “Cha Chaa” Vega, the island’s most revered practitioner of the art.
That accumulated expertise resonates throughout the Volumes 1, 2, and 3 releases by Los Hombres Calientes as well as in additional boundary-crossing collaborations. In 2001 Summers embarked on the Prescription Renewal Tour with longtime Headhunters associate and fellow drummer Mike Clark, bassist Paul Jackson, keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth, and trombonist Fred Wesley. By 2002 the original Los Hombres lineup had dwindled to two, with Summers and Mayfield continuing onward in the absence of Marsalis and adding Cuban drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernández. Summers seems to know precisely where he is headed, perhaps because he remains so thoroughly grounded in where he has already been.
A similarly pivotal telephone conversation took place when Irvin Mayfield contacted Jason Marsalis, who recommended that the trumpeter reach out to Summers regarding a project fusing Latin rhythms with jazz. Those same nocturnal sessions at the Summers home gave rise in 1998 to Los Hombres Calientes, which quickly became a sensation first in New Orleans and then internationally. The group blew the roof off Snug Harbor and the House of Blues, set the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival ablaze with its high-energy dance music, and has issued three CDs.
Much of the acclaim earned by the multi-award-winning Los Hombres Calientes stems from the seasoned perspective Summers brings while performing alongside Mayfield and Marsalis, both still in their early twenties. A onetime Detroit Observatory student, 1981 R&B hitmaker with “Call It What You Want,” and veteran of both the Walter Payton Trio and Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, Summers has amassed intimate knowledge of hundreds of African and Cuban percussion rhythms through decades of study.
Alongside his wife and musical partner, Yvette Bostic-Summers, who performs and sings with Los Hombres Calientes, he guides the Summers Multi-Ethnic Institute of Art, which regularly sends students to Cuba for immersion in Afro-Cuban music. In 1999 Summers and several of his pupils were inducted into Cuba’s esteemed Yoruba order of sacred drummers by Estaban “Cha Chaa” Vega, the island’s most revered practitioner of the art.
That accumulated expertise resonates throughout the Volumes 1, 2, and 3 releases by Los Hombres Calientes as well as in additional boundary-crossing collaborations. In 2001 Summers embarked on the Prescription Renewal Tour with longtime Headhunters associate and fellow drummer Mike Clark, bassist Paul Jackson, keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth, and trombonist Fred Wesley. By 2002 the original Los Hombres lineup had dwindled to two, with Summers and Mayfield continuing onward in the absence of Marsalis and adding Cuban drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernández. Summers seems to know precisely where he is headed, perhaps because he remains so thoroughly grounded in where he has already been.
Albums
