Harvey Mason
Harvey Mason | |
|---|---|
 Mason in 2004 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Harvey William Mason |
| Born | February 22, 1947 Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, smooth jazz, rock, pop, R&B, soul, country, classical, Latin |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, producer, composer |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Labels | Eleni, Atlantic, Concord |
| Website | harveymason |
Harvey William Mason (born February 22, 1947)[1] is an American jazz drummer, record producer, and member of the band Fourplay. He was the original drummer for Herbie Hancock’s band The Headhunters.
Life and career[edit]
Mason was born and grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States,[1] and attended Atlantic City High School.[2] He began playing drums at the age of four with the support of his father, a drummer in the army band.[3]
He was the original drummer for The Headhunters, the jazz fusion band led by Herbie Hancock. After leaving Headhunters in the early 1970s, Mason co-founded the jazz quartet Fourplay.[4] They are on an indefinite hiatus as of 2017. Mason has played as a Sideman with Bill Withers, George Benson and Lee Ritenour.
Mason, who attended Berklee for a year and a half in the 1960s eventually transferred to New England Conservatory where he studied with Vic Firth. Mason received an Honorary Doctorate at Berklee's 2015 Commencement Ceremony for his achievement and influence in music and for his enduring contributions to American and international culture.[5]
Equipment[edit]
Mason endorses Canopus drums,[6] Murat Diril cymbals,[7] Remo drumheads, DW pedals, and Vic Firth drumsticks.[8] Mason has his own Vic Firth Harvey Mason signature drumstick[8] and Vic Firth Harvey Mason Chameleon signature drumstick.[8]
Discography[edit]
 |
As leader[edit]
| Title | Label | Released |
|---|---|---|
| Marching in the Street | Eleni | 1976 |
| Earth Mover | Eleni | 1977 |
| Funk in a Mason Jar | Eleni | 1977 |
| Groovin' You | Eleni | 1979 |
| M.V.P | Eleni | 1981 |
| Stone Mason | Atlantic | 1982 |
| Ratamacue | Atlantic | 1996 |
| Trios | Videoarts Music | 2003 |
| With All My Heart | RCA | 2004 |
| Changing Partners | Videoarts Music | 2006 |
| Chameleon | Concord | 2014 |
With Fourplay
| Title | Label | Released |
|---|---|---|
| Fourplay | Warner Bros. | 1991 |
| Between the Sheets | Warner Bros. | 1993 |
| Elixir | Warner Bros. | 1995 |
| The Best of Fourplay | Warner Bros. | 1997 |
| 4 | Warner Bros. | 1998 |
| Snowbound | Warner Bros. | 1999 |
| Yes, Please! | Warner Bros. | 2000 |
| Heartfelt | Bluebird | 2002 |
| Journey | Bluebird | 2004 |
| X | Bluebird | 2006 |
| Energy | Heads Up | 2008 |
| Let's Touch the Sky | Heads Up | 2010 |
| Esprit de Four | Heads Up | 2012 |
| Silver | Heads Up | 2015 |
As sideman[edit]
|
With George Benson
With The Brothers Johnson
With Donald Byrd
With Ron Carter
With Casiopea
With Herbie Hancock
With Gene Harris
With Bobbi Humphrey
With Bob James
With Carole King
With Minnie Riperton
With Lee Ritenour
With Patrice Rushen
With Moacir Santos
With Diane Schuur
With Stanley Turrentine
With Dionne Warwick
With Bill Withers
|
With others
|
References[edit]
- ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1637. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ^ Jackson, Vincent. "AC native Harvey Mason moves to the beat of his drum; Native son returns to Atlantic City Saturday to perform his own music", The Press of Atlantic City, June 23, 2015. Accessed August 8, 2018. "'It was a one-of-a-kind kind of situation, and unfortunately, it doesn't exist that way, but I was very, very fortunate,' said Mason, who began playing drums professionally during the 1960s while attending Atlantic City High School."
- ^ Feather, Leonard (1987). The encyclopedia of jazz in the seventies. New York: Da Capo Press. pp. 234–235. ISBN 978-0-306-80290-4.
- ^ "Fourplay Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "Harvey Mason to Receive Honorary Degree at Berklee Commencement". Modern Drummer Magazine. April 16, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ "Harvey Mason Profile". Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
- ^ "Harvey Mason: Murat Diril Cymbals". muratdiril.com. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Artists". Vic Firth. June 20, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
External links[edit]
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
  | This article on a United States drummer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Categories:
- American drummer stubs
- American jazz drummer stubs
- 1947 births
- Living people
- Atlantic City High School alumni
- Musicians from Atlantic City, New Jersey
- American jazz drummers
- Jazz-funk drummers
- Crossover jazz drummers
- American disco musicians
- American rock drummers
- American funk drummers
- American session musicians
- Musicians from Los Angeles
- 20th-century American drummers
- American male drummers
- Jazz musicians from California
- 20th-century American male musicians
- American male jazz musicians
- Fourplay members
- The Headhunters members
- Berklee College of Music alumni