Lenny White
Lenny White | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Leonard White III |
Born | New York City, U.S. | December 19, 1949
Genres | Jazz fusion, funk |
Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader |
Instrument | Drums |
Years active | 1968–present |
Labels | Nemperor, Elektra, Wounded Bird |
Website | lennywhite |
Leonard White III (born December 19, 1949) is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion".[1][2][3]
Biography
Born in Queens, New York City, White became interested in music at a young age. As a self taught drummer he started off his career playing with groups at the New York jazz scene. During the late 1960s he began performing with saxophonist Jackie Mclean. He went on to play on Miles Davis' landmark 1969 LP Bitches' Brew and feature on Freddie Hubbard's 1970 LP Red Clay. Within 1972 White joined the famed jazz group Return to Forever.[4][1][2]
White later issued in 1977 his debut solo album entitled Big City. During 1978 he released his sophomore LP The Adventures of Astral Pirates and his third solo album Streamline. He eventually formed the jazz/soul group Twennynine who went on to issue three studio albums, 1979's Best of Friends, Twennynine with Lenny White in 1980, and 1981's Just Like Dreamin'.[1][2]
White then made a guest appearance on Chick Corea's 1982 album Touchstone and produced Chaka Khan's 1982 LP Echoes of an Era. He later released his 1983 album Attitude and coproduced Pieces of a Dream's 1986 LP Joyride.[1][2]
White has been a longtime resident of Teaneck, New Jersey.[3]
Awards and honors
He has won three Grammy awards.[5]
Discography
As leader
- 1975: Venusian Summer (Nemperor)
- 1977: Big City (Nemperor)
- 1978: The Adventures of Astral Pirates (Elektra)
- 1978: Streamline (Elektra)
- 1979: Best of Friends (With Twennynine) (Elektra)
- 1980: Twennynine with Lenny White (Elektra)
- 1981: Just Like Dreamin' (With the Twennynine) (Elektra)
- 1983: Attitude (Wounded Bird)
- 1983: In Clinic (DCI)
- 1995: Present Tense (Hip Bop/Koch)
- 1996: Renderers of Spirit (Hip Bop Essence)
- 1999: Edge (Hip Bop Essence)
- 2002: Collection (Hip Bop)
- 2004: The Love Has Never Gone: Tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire (Trauma)
- 2008: Hancock Island (Chesky)
- 2010: Anomaly (Abstract Logix)
As sideman
With Azteca
- 1972: Azteca (Columbia)
- 1973: Pyramid of the Moon (Columbia)
- 2008: From The Ruins (Inakustic Gmbh)
With Gato Barbieri
- 1971: Fenix (Flying Dutchman)
With Ron Carter
- Stardust (Somethin' Else, 2001)
With Cyrus Chestnut
- Natural Essence (HighNote, 2016)
- There's a Sweet, Sweet Spirit (HighNote, 2017)
With Stanley Clarke
- 1973: Children of Forever (Polydor)
- 1975: Journey to Love (Nemperor)
With Al Di Meola:
- 1976: Land of the Midnight Sun (Columbia)
- 1977: Elegant Gypsy (Columbia)
With Return to Forever
- 1973: Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (Polydor)
- 1974: Where Have I Known You Before (Polydor)
- 1975: No Mystery (Polydor)
- 1976: Romantic Warrior (Columbia)
- 2009: Returns (Eagle)
- 2009: Forever [as Corea, Clarke & White] (Concord)
- 2012: The Mothership Returns (Eagle)
With Larry Coryell & Victor Bailey
- 2005: Electric
- 2006: Traffic
With Chaka Khan, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Chick Corea & Stanley Clarke
- 1982: Echoes of an Era (Elektra)
- 1982: Echoes of an Era 2 – The Concert (Elektra)
With Wallace Roney
- Village (Warner Bros., 1997)
- No Room for Argument (Stretch, 2000)
- A Place in Time (HighNote, 2016)
With Buster Williams
- Houdini (Sirocco, 2001)
- Griot Libertè (HighNote, 2004)
- 65 Roses (BluePort Jazz, 2006 [2008])
With others
- 1969 – Andrew Hill: Passing Ships (Blue Note) [not released until 2003]
- 1970 – Joe Henderson: If You're Not Part of the Solution, You're Part of the Problem (Milestone)
- 1970 – Freddie Hubbard: Red Clay (CTI)
- 1970 – Woody Shaw: Blackstone Legacy (Contemporary)
- 1970 – Miles Davis: Bitches Brew (Columbia)
- 1971 – Curtis Fuller: Crankin' (Mainstream)
- 1972 - Buddy Terry: Pure Dynamite (Mainstream)
- 1973 - Eddie Henderson: Realization (Capricorn)
- 1976 – Don Cherry: Hear & Now (Atlantic)
- 1976 – Jaco Pastorius: Jaco Pastorius (Epic/Legacy/Sony)
- 1977 - With Brian Auger's Oblivion Express: Happiness Heartaches
- 1986 – Eliane Elias: Illusions (Denon)
- 1990 – The Manhattan Project (Blue Note)
- 1990 – Michel Petrucciani: Music (Blue Note)
- 1993 - Bobby Hutcherson: Acoustic Masters II (Atlantic)
- 1994 – Marcus Miller, Michel Petrucciani, Bireli Lagrene & Kenny Garrett: Dreyfus Night in Paris (Dreyfus) [not released until 2003]
- 1995 – Urbanator: Urbanator (Hip Bop)
- 1997 – The Geri Allen Trio & The Jazzpar 1996 Nonet: Some Aspects of Water (Storyville)
- 1998 – Geri Allen: The Gathering (Verve, 1998)
- 1999 – Stanley Clarke, Karen Briggs, Rachel Z and Richie Kotzen Vertú (Sony)
- 2009 – The Stanley Clarke Trio: Jazz in the Garden (Heads Up)
- 2011 – Jamey Haddad, Lenny White, Mark Sherman: Explorations in Space and Time (Chesky)
- 2012 – Letizia Gambi: Introducing Letizia Gambi (Jando Music/Via Veneto Jazz)
- 2016 – Letizia Gambi: Blue Monday
- 2019 - Buster Williams and Geri Allen - Houdini
- 2020 - Geri Allen and Palle Danielsson - Some Aspect of Water
References
- ^ a b c d "All About Jazz: Lenny White biography". allaboutjazz.com. All About Jazz.
- ^ a b c d Yanow, Scott. "Lenny White". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
- ^ a b Kara Yorio (December 19, 2013). "Teaneck's Lenny White to play four nights at Jazz Standard". The Record. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
White, a two-time Grammy winner, is one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion. His first recording gig was with Miles Davis on the groundbreaking "Bitches Brew" album that was released in 1970.
- ^ Wald, Aran (October 1977). "Lenny White". moderndrummer.com. Modern Drummer.
- ^ "Lenny White". grammy.com.
External links
- 1949 births
- Living people
- American jazz drummers
- American funk drummers
- American male drummers
- Return to Forever members
- Latin Grammy Award winners
- American session musicians
- Chesky Records artists
- Elektra Records artists
- People from Queens, New York
- People from Teaneck, New Jersey
- African-American jazz musicians
- 20th-century American drummers
- 20th-century American male musicians
- Male jazz musicians
- Vertú members
- Jamaica Boys members