Alan Dawson

George Alan Dawson ( * July 14, 1929 in Marietta, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, † 23 February 1996 in Boston, Massachusetts) was an American jazz drummer.

Dawson was a student of drummer Charles Alden. During his time in the army from 1951 to 1953 he was a member of a military band dance at Fort Dix. He also was a member of the band of Sabby Lewis. After discharge from the army, he undertook a three-month European tour with Lionel Hampton, after which he worked again with Lewis.

From 1957 to 1975 taught Dawson at Berklee College of Music; among his students over the years, Tony Williams, Billy Kilson, Terri Lyne Carrington, Steve Smith, Joe LaBarbera, Joe Corsello, Kenwood Dennard, JR Robinson, Casey Scheuerell, Harvey Mason, Vinnie Colaiuta, Keith Copeland, Jake Hanna, Bobby Ward, Akira Tana and many others. From 1962 to 1970 he played in the house band at the club Lennie 's on the Turnpike in Boston.

Among the musicians with whom he worked in the longer term this time were Jaki Byard, the pianist and saxophonist Booker Ervin, and from 1968 to 1974, the pianist Dave Brubeck. In addition, he was a sideman and Oscar Peterson, George Shearing, Charles Mingus, Woody Shaw, Phil Woods, Sonny Stitt, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, Reggie Workman, Quincy Jones, Dexter Gordon, Tal Farlow, Earl Hines, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Frank Morgan, Hank Jones, Frank Foster, Phineas Newborn, Charles McPherson, Teddy Wilson, James Williams, Phil Wilson and Terry Gibbs.

After he had retired in 1975 from teaching at the Berklee School, he was still private drum lessons and worked in a quartet with James Williams, Bill Pierce and Richard Reid. In 1992 he recorded the album Waltzin 'With Flo as a bandleader.

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