Danny "Big Black" Rey
Big Black ( born 1934 in Savannah (Georgia ) and Daniel Ray ) is an American percussionist of Latin and ethno-jazz.
Life and work
Big Black was given this name by an older brother because of his interest in drums. After he had heard during his high school years on the radio the conga in Cuban music, he became interested in the instrument and traveled to Florida and the Bahamas, where he spent a total of five years. There he played with Lord Fleas Calypso band, learned at Fish Ray and Johnny " Slick" Engraham and worked in Calypso Eddy Trio and Sam Role with. In Miami, he worked at Jack Contanzo, Moe Koffman and the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, before he formed a band with trumpeter Billy Cook and found a private access to the fusion of Caribbean and Jazzrhytmen.
In the 1960s he moved to New York City, where he played in the bands of Freddie Hubbard ( Night of the Cookers ) and Randy Weston and also with Ray Bryant, Johnny Barracuda, Junior Cook and Eric Dolphy was heard. In 1965 he was introduced to the Caribbean Pavilion of World Expo; In the same year he performed with Dizzy Gillespie at the Newport Jazz Festival. He received a record deal and put four of his own albums prior to 1972, where he partially pushed forward in the area of African rhythms. He was also a member of the Butterfield Blues Band. Later, he was also active as an actor one of supporting roles in movies such as Uptown Saturday Night, Blazing Saddles or minus. Next he played with Sun Ra and BB King, but also took up with Charles Tolliver and performed during the World Cup campaign by Muhammad Ali in 1974. During the 1990s, he was the musical director of several projects by Randy Weston.
Disco Graphical Notes
- Message to our Ancestors (1967 )
- Elements of Now (1968, Caiphus Semenya, Herman Riley, Curtis Peagler, Howard Johnson, Ray Draper, Maurice Spears, Charles Mallory, Leslie Hargrove, Ron Marshall, Stan Gilbert, Billy Moore)
- Lion Walk ( 1968)
- ( If you're ) Diggin ' what you're doin' ( keep on doin ' what you're diggin ') ( 1971)
- Big Black and the Blues (1972 )
- Ethnic Fusion (1983, with Anthony Wheaton )