Harvey Mason

Harvey William Mason ( born February 22, 1947 in Atlantic City, New Jersey ) is one of the most requested American jazz and studio musician ( drums, piano ). As a drummer, he worked in a variety of fields, from fusion and mainstream jazz to The Notorious BIG, Carlos Santana, Barbra Streisand, James Brown, Henry Mancini, Sergio Mendes and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Life and work

Mason began playing drums at the age of four. In his youth he played in the Wonder Garden Club in his hometown. At Berklee College of Music, he studied drums and composition as well as parallel musical education at the New England Conservatory. In 1970 he accompanied Erroll Garner, with whom he was traveling in Europe, after which he resigned 1970/71 on with George Shearing; He then played with Jan Hammer and George Mraz. Then he moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a studio musician for film and television. In 1973 he was a member of The Headhunters by Herbie Hancock, with whom he wrote " Chameleon". Mid-seventies, he contributed to recordings by Grover Washington ( Mister Magic, 1974), Quincy Jones, Donald Byrd (Black Byrd Stepping Into Tomorrow 1974), Gerry Mulligan, Freddie Hubbard and Lee Ritenour. Next, he was one short of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. In addition, he led his own groups and presented under his own name in 1975, the album Marching in the Streets, was awarded the platinum status. With his own band he appeared at the North Sea Jazz Festival and toured in the United States. He was also with John McLaughlin on a European tour (1981).

With Bob James, Nathan East and Lee Ritenour and Larry Carlton, he forms the group Fourplay, 1991 their eponymous debut album presented and then its smooth jazz on Between the Sheets (1993 ), Elixir (1995), Four ( 1998), Snowbound ( 1999) and Yes, Please ( 2000) presented.

As a studio musician, he participated in recordings of stylistically different musicians as Gunther Schuller, George Benson ( Breezin '), Charlie Shoemake, Bill Watrous, Dave Grusin, John Klemmer, Victor Feldman, Sadao Watanabe, Bobbi Humphrey, Carmen McRae, Chet Baker, Earl Klugh, Hubert Laws, Joe Pass, Ron Carter, Joe Williams, Diane Schuur, Jimmy Smith or the Singers Unlimited with.

Prizes and awards

2002 Mason was awarded the Smooth Jazz Award for best drummer. Four times the trade magazine Modern Drummer awarded him in their studio musician category with first place.

Disco Graphical Notes

• Marching In The Street (1975 )
• Earth Mover (1976 )
• Funk in a Mason Jar (1977 )
• World Class (1981 )
• Ratamacue (1996)

Lexigraphic entries

• Martin Kunzler, Jazz Encyclopedia Vol 2: M -Z. Reinbek 2002; ISBN 3-499-16513-9