Mickey Roker

William Granville " Mickey" Roker ( born September 3, 1932 in Miami, Florida) is an American jazz drummer.

Life and work

" Mickey" Roker grew up to the age of ten with his mother and her younger brother Walter Bowe in a poor family on. 1942 his mother died and the grandmother took her to relatives in Philadelphia. "My uncle Walter took care of me. Because he was the man in the family, he went with fifteen years of work. " Walter Bowe shared the love of jazz with his nephew and heard the Philadelphia radio. "Uncle Walter wanted to play himself, but he was too busy with work. " Walter Bowe bought the first jazz records and soon the first, a small percussion for Mickey. As a teenager, Mickey Roker was an early regular at the club and he admired Philly Joe Jones. As a young man he witnessed a jazz culture in Philadelphia, which no longer exists today. He heard by musicians such as Miles Davis in Showboat, JJ Johnson in Peps Star Bar, and Clifford Brown and Dizzy came to the clubs in the city. Without the care of his uncle Walter Bowe for him and his mother he would, as he says, never played drums.

1956 Mickey Roker married his wife Priscilla. They had two children Ronald and Debra. In 1957, he played a six-day involvement in the Peps Star Bar with Gloria Lynne and Jimmy Heath. There, Lee Morgan and Clifford Brown were aware of him.

Bob Cranshaw met Mickey Roker 1957. The drummer played with Ray Bryant in Chicago. One evening Arthur Harper, the bassist, overslept, the ever-present on such occasions, Bob Cranshaw took over the job. " Every time I came to Chicago, I looked at the work of the musicians. If someone was late, I was ready to step in and play, " Cranshaw said. The first thing Bob Cranshhaw discovered at Mickey Roker, was his sense of humor. "He made ​​me laugh. " In 1961 played a gig with two of Gigi Gryce band in Chicago. Later that year, played as Roker with Mary Lou Williams in the Hickory House in New York, they fired their bassist Larry Gales and Bob Cranshaw was immediate. Cranshaw played love to Mickey Roker: " Mickey is so tasty. He is soulful, understand what the dynamics and can build up a bit. " They have together since 1957 freelance work in New York and Chicago. " After we got together again, it was a love affair," said Roker, " a musical couple," Cranshaw. The two formed the basis for the 1963 Junior Mance Trio with vocalist Joe Williams at the regular performances at the Peps and Showboat (recorded 1963 Newport ) and soon afterwards for the label Blue Note Records on. Studio recordings with Stanley Turrentine followed.

Your excellent, and co Mickey Roker explains: "We play swinging bluesy phrases within the tune. We have avoided the avant-garde and talked to the mainstream " Bob Cranshaw says:". My thing is the feeling. I am a swing bass player who keeps time. There are melodic bass player and solo bass player. I play the root notes of the chords make it easy to grip and round it off completely. " From then on, for example, the 1962 album Junior 's Blues by Junior Mance Trio, with the funky Gravy Waltz, playing Cranshaw and Roker up in their seventies together. "Maybe we go ( musically ) a little further, but we do not go too far, because we want people to understand it and enjoy it. " On the 1966 album by Stanley Turrentine Rough 'n' Tumble, arranged by Duke Pearson, kindle them, especially on the jazzy, soulful feeling Good rhythm. " We make it easy and an art of it."

Mickey Roker now got many orders of Shirley Scott, Sonny Rollins, Milt Jackson and Lee Morgan. Duke Pearson led a Roker about his collaboration with Cranshaw the label Blue Note Records. "Herbie Hancock and Hank Jones were probably the first big name who called me," Roker says of this time.

In the 1970s he played on live albums by Dizzy Gillespie, as at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1975 for his precision Roker describes a compliment Gillespie. " When you play with Mickey, you can go to China and if you again get the tempo the same, as you went. " Roker sets the beats exactly on the chord changes. His game is interspersed with fast discreet embellishments. Mickey Roker rarely plays solos, but if so, they are explosive. In Philadelphia he is as a house drummer of the 1987 open house Ortlieb jazz clubs, he opened the musical with Shirley Scott, famous. In the 1970s he took with Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald eg A Perfect Match on.

In the 1980s, he was next to the club work on tour and took with the Modern Jazz Quartet, Oscar Peterson, Ray Bryant, Jackson Brown, Ray Brown and Zoot Sims.

His home club, the Ortlieb Club was due to its association with Shirley Scott, Benny Nelson, then Arthur Harper always known. As a curious relic of decadent jazz club scene as well with the declining industry, it loved the visitors and were proud to have been there. Roker also worked with tenor saxophonist Bootsie Barnes in Philadelphia. Bill Cosby, who worked with Barnes tried in vain Roker for his show freizubekommen. The increasingly younger gas- animal border Club Musicians accompanied Roker in a variety of styles from hard bop to avant-garde jazz of Archie Shepp. " There is no one who plays a quick piece the way it must be played as Bobby Durham, Duck Scott, Billy James and Mickey, without being so loud that you can not hear anymore," says Jimmy Bruno, a jazz guitarist. Roker plays a rather small drum kit with two toms (12 [ hanging ] 15 inches [ floortom ] ), the snare, one, two basins, the hi-hat and the bass drum (18 inches).

Mickey Roker is known for its warm friendly character. It supports young musicians by providing them the piece of track with playful references to the changes and ensure that their solo work moves in the right light and it positively motivated. Roker participated in Ortliebs on semi-annual tribute to the vibraphonist Milt Jackson. He also appeared on the Bahamas Jazz Festival and took with James Moody, Benny Golson, Richard Davis, Jimmy Owens and Hank Jones on .. Mickey Roker plays on Saturdays in the " house band " of Ortlieb's Jazz House.

Discography

  • In Pursuit Of The 27th Man, Horace Silver ( Blue Note, 1973)
  • Mike LeDonnes: Bags' Groove ( A recent "Tribute to Mr. Jackson " Recording with Mickey Roker and Bob Cranshaw )
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