Billy Kilson
William Earl "Billy" Kilson ( born August 2, 1962) is an American jazz drummer.
Life
Billy Kilsons recent album title Pots and Pans alludes to the kitchen tools of pots and pans, which he used as a child as a drum. His mother first let him take trumpet hours. Later he moved to the trombone and with sixteen he received his first drum set. Because it was quite late, he tried to practice according to its own description, " 14 hours a day," in addition to school and other commitments. He was guided by funk and R & B. His father had a huge record collection, and Kilson tried to acquire many different styles autodidact.
At seventeen he went to the Shenandoah Music Camp and heard recordings of Stanley Clarke on which Tony Williams participated. He sounded more plates of Miles Davis, in which Williams also starred. "I felt that he was one of the drummers who renew. I was fascinated by his playing, "recalls Kilson " I was overwhelmed by the sound and tried his technique to learn, but I realized that I did not have enough hands. " He learned that Williams' teacher Alan Dawson was the Berklee College of Music and taught there still gave private lessons. With the support of his mother, he studied at Berklee.
After his education at Dawson this gave him a job at Walter Davis Jr. for a European tour. Then Donald Byrd, Ahmad Jamal and Dianne Reeves Billy Kilson presented on their tours; in the latter he played from 1989 seven years and was both at the Hollywood Bowl, Apollo Theater, on the North Sea Jazz Festival and the Montreux Jazz Festival. Also, George Duke, Najee, Greg Osby, Steps Ahead, Freddie Jackson, Michael Gibbs and Bob James took him to their projects.
Dave Holland invited him to play in his quintet and later in his big band. Then Kilson belonged to Chris Bottis band that was the opening act on Sting's tour, and the offered opportunity before another audience to occur. This led Kilson radio elements and the odd meters into the music of the ensemble, which he also played in Holland.
Since 1991, he has written in his capacity as a sideman an impressive discography. Several albums on which he starred, were nominated for a Grammy, with Dave Holland, Dianne Reeves, Botti, Taylor Eigsti, albums with Bob James and Kirk Whalum ( Joined at the Hip 1997), Carla Cook, Tim Hagans (Animation Imagination 1999) and Bob Belden ( with Hagans / Belden resuscitation 2000).
Kilson began writing his own music and looked for the musicians Kenny Davis ( bass), Mike Sim (saxophone) and George Colligan (keyboards) for his group BK Groove together. With them he took in 2001 his debut album as a leader While Ur Sleepin on. Her latest album, Pot 's & Pan (2006 ) is a jazz and funk -oriented fusion project. In addition Kilson still occurs with Botti.
Kilson is called 2004 by Brian Priestley in the Rough Guide Jazz as one of the most diverse drummer for a long time He uses the drums as individual percussion instruments and not as a set of instruments, but he unfolds polyrhythmic playing styles. Although he sometimes plays very loud on recordings with the butt ends of the drum mallets, he is very versatile and dynamic expressive. He is very striking accents with the bass drum. He tries a piece of music on a purely rhythmic sound basis to complete by the pool selects, for example, to match the melody. Dave Holland says of him: "His Groove is infallible and he always brings a different rhythmic structure. He may enter into the musical conversation without the band to crush and he has a strong grasp of the dynamics. "In his forceful manner, he recalls Art Blakey.
Dave Holland called in an interview Kilson the "groove master", I think he is one of the great young drummer in the current scene.
Publications (selection)
- Dave Holland Quintet Points of View, 1998 ( Grammy nomination )
- Dave Holland Quintet, Prime Directive, 2000, ( Grammy nomination )
- Dave Holland Quintet Not for nothin ', 2001 ( Grammy nomination )
- Dave Holland Big Band, What Goes Around, 2002 (2003 Grammy winner )
- Josh Roseman: Treats for the Nightwalker, 2003
- Dave Holland Big Band, Overtime, 2005
- Billy Kilson & BK Groove While Ur Sleepin ', 2001
- Billy Kilson & BK Groove Pots & Pans, 2006
As a sideman
- Carla Cook, Simply Natural, with Kenny Davis
- Dianne Reeves Quiet after the storm ( Grammy nomination )