Vernel Fournier

Vernel Anthony Fournier ( born July 30, 1928 in New Orleans, † November 4, 2000 in Jackson ( Mississippi)) was an American jazz drummer. He became famous for his play in the trio of pianist Ahmad Jamal.

Life and work

In his hometown of New Orleans, he began to play with ten years in marching bands like the Young Marketers Swing. During this time he received instruction from the New Orleans jazz drummer Sidney Montague. 1945/46, he studied at Alabama State College, where he played in student bands; in New Orleans, he worked with both the Traditional Jazz musicians as well as bebop. In 1946 he moved to Chicago, where he first played in the rhythm and blues band from King Kolax.

There he played with many Chicago musicians such as Paul Bascomb and Teddy Wilson. From 1953 to 1955 he worked as a house drummer at the Bee Hive Club on Chicago's South Side, where he accompanied by traveling soloists such as Lester Young, Ben Webster, Sonny Stitt, JJ Johnson and Stan Getz. In 1957, the member of Ahmad Jamal's trio, which also includes bassist Israel Crosby belonged was; he remained until 1962 in the group. The trio appeared in the Pershing Lounge and took on a series of successful albums for Chess Records; as the 1958 published lbum " Live at the Pershing ". In his often undervalued style especially his subtle game fell on the broom.

After leaving Jamal Fournier was for two years a member of the band of George Shearing. In the early 1960s he also worked on recordings by Sam Jones and Kenny Burrell with, 1965/66 he played again by Ahmad Jamal, and he also accompanied the singer Nancy Wilson. From 1979, he led his own trio in Chicago. In 1975, he converted to Islam and adopted the Muslim name Amir Rushdan.

In 1980 he moved to New York and worked with saxophonist Clifford Jordan, accompanied occasionally the singer Billy Eckstine and Joe Williams and the pianist John Lewis, and Barry Harris. In New York, he had his own trio and worked as a teacher in Barry Harris ' Jazz Cultural Theatre, the New School and the Mannes College of Music.

In 1994 he suffered a stroke, which his musical career ended, but he continued his activities as a teacher continued. In 1998 he moved to the state of Mississippi, where he died of a brain aneurysm in 2000.