Newman Taylor Baker

Newman Taylor Baker ( born February 4, 1943 in Petersburg, Virginia) is an American jazz drummer.

Life and work

Baker, who comes from a musical family of academics, already got three years with his first drum; after extensive training, he studied at Virginia State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in music education. He continued his studies at East Carolina University in Greenville (North Carolina ) to the Master continued. After moving to New York, he took lessons with Saul Goodman and Billy Hart.

Mid -1970s, Baker worked in the big band of John Minnis, originated with the first recordings; End of the decade, he toured in a quartet of singer Monnette Sudler on the Willisau Jazz Festival. With a Meet the Composer grant in 1995, he developed his solo program Singin ' Drums, in the Williamsburgh Music Center in Brooklyn had its premiere. Since 1980, he accompanied many years, Billy Harper, with whom he also repeatedly occurred in Europe, at about the Jazz Jamboree (1980). In the 1980s and 1990s, he also played with Henry Threadgill, Ted Daniel, Bern Nix, in the quartet of Bobby Few / Avram Fefer, and, at Carl Grubbs, Frode Gjerstad, Diedre Murray / Fred Hopkins, Jeanne Lee, Jim Nolet Francesca Tanksley and Bobby Zankel.

Other recordings were made in the 2000s with Karen Borca, Judi Silvano and Billy Bang ( Prayer for Peace ). Under his own name he put 2010, the album Drum - Suite -Life ( Innova ) ago. He also played washboard with the Ebony Hillbillies and in a duo with guitarist Marvin Sewell.

Since 1965 he also worked as a music teacher in schools, colleges and Rutgers University as well as in the New York jazz Mobile program.