Biography
Ray "Bulldog" Drummond ranks among jazz's most active session musicians. His rich, fluid bass lines appear on upwards of 300 albums alongside Art Farmer, David Murray, Houston Person, Stan Getz, Kenny Burrell, Kevin Mahogany, Toots Thielemans, Benny Golson, and Ray Bryant. As a leader he has directed three ensembles: Excursion, which includes David Sanchez, Craig Handy, Stephen Scott, Mor Thiam, and Billy Hart; the Ray Drummond Quintet, featuring Hart, Handy, and Stephen Scott; and the duo One on One, formed with Bill Mays. He also continues to co-direct the Drummonds alongside his brother Billy and Renee Rosnes.
Born to an army colonel, Drummond passed through fourteen schools scattered across the globe during his childhood. After beginning on trumpet at age eight and later taking up French horn, a high-school instructor steered him toward the bass. He settled briefly in northern California, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in political science at Claremont Men's College in June 1968 before earning a Master of Business Administration from Stanford Business School. While based in San Francisco he performed with Bobby Hutcherson, Michael White, Ed Kelly, Tom Harrell, Eddie Marshall, and Lester Young's niece Martha Young, and he taught at Monterey Peninsula College of Music in 1975.
After relocating to New York in 1977, Drummond established himself as a first-call bassist for Betty Carter, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Woody Shaw, Hank Jones, Jon Faddis, Milt Jackson, Johnny Griffin, Kenny Barron, Pharoah Sanders, and George Coleman.
Beyond his sideman work and leadership of his own groups, Drummond has sustained an active teaching career. He holds an assistant professorship in jazz theory and practice at California State University and has led master classes at the Berklee College of Music, Purdue University, the University of Massachusetts, and the Sibelius Academy of Music in Helsinki, Finland.
Born to an army colonel, Drummond passed through fourteen schools scattered across the globe during his childhood. After beginning on trumpet at age eight and later taking up French horn, a high-school instructor steered him toward the bass. He settled briefly in northern California, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in political science at Claremont Men's College in June 1968 before earning a Master of Business Administration from Stanford Business School. While based in San Francisco he performed with Bobby Hutcherson, Michael White, Ed Kelly, Tom Harrell, Eddie Marshall, and Lester Young's niece Martha Young, and he taught at Monterey Peninsula College of Music in 1975.
After relocating to New York in 1977, Drummond established himself as a first-call bassist for Betty Carter, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Woody Shaw, Hank Jones, Jon Faddis, Milt Jackson, Johnny Griffin, Kenny Barron, Pharoah Sanders, and George Coleman.
Beyond his sideman work and leadership of his own groups, Drummond has sustained an active teaching career. He holds an assistant professorship in jazz theory and practice at California State University and has led master classes at the Berklee College of Music, Purdue University, the University of Massachusetts, and the Sibelius Academy of Music in Helsinki, Finland.
Albums
