العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
EspañolALAN DAWSON
:''This article is about the jazz drummer. For the South African cricketer with the same name see Alan Dawson (cricketer)''
'Alan Dawson' (14 July, 1929 - 23 February, 1996) was a respected jazz drummer and widely influential percussion teacher based in Boston. He was born in Marietta, Pennsylvania and raised in Roxbury, MA. Serving in the Army for Korean War duty, Dawson played with the Army Dance Band while stationed at Fort Dix from 1951-1953. During his tenure, Alan explored the post-bop era by performing with pianist Sabby Lewis. After being released from the Army, Alan toured Europe with Lionel Hampton.
Dawson is best known as an early teacher of Tony Williams. Other former students include: Terri Lyne Carrington, Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Smith, Kenwood Dennard, Gerry Hemingway and many others. He began teaching at Berklee College of Music in 1957 and in 1975 suffered a ruptured disc causing Alan to halt touring, leave Berklee and limit his teaching to his home in Lexington, MA.
His teaching style emphasized the music as a whole rather than just the percussion side. He stressed the importance of learning the melody and structure of the tune to better fulfill the role of accompanying. For this purpose, he had students play over standards while also singing the melody out loud. He constantly strived for balance between musical ideas and strict technique. He was big on rudiments and wrote extensive exercises intended to be practiced with brushes. He believed using brushes with his "Rudimental Ritual" would reduce stick rebound allowing the sense of "picking up" the sticks. While teaching, Alan also maintained a prolific performing and recording career.
Dawson was the house drummer for Lennie's On The Turnpike in Peabody, MA from 1963 through 1970. This gig allowed him to perform with a diverse group of jazz artists. Around this time, Dawson was Boston's premier jazz drummer for local acts as well as bigger name touring artists.
Throughout the 1960's Dawson recorded exclusively with saxophonist Booker Ervin on Prestige Records. In 1968 Dawson replaced Joe Morello in the Dave Brubeck Quartet and continued until 1975. His performance credits also included stints with Jaki Byard, Booker Ervin, Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon, Lee Konitz, Quincy Jones, Charles Mingus, Tal Farlow and many other top jazz artists.
Alan's teaching methods have been passed on by many of his former students. Books on his approach have been written by John Ramsay and Osami Mizuno, both former students. One of execercises he is best known for is the "rudimental ritual", playing variations of the traditional rudiments, Swiss rudiments, and his own rudimental inovations while maintaining a latin ostinato on drum set pedals.
Alan Dawson died of leukemia on February 23, 1996.
''As a sideman:''
★ ''Bopstacle Course'' by Terry Gibbs (1974; Xanadu Records)
★ Drummerworld's Alan Dawson page
★ Bio from the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame
'Alan Dawson' (14 July, 1929 - 23 February, 1996) was a respected jazz drummer and widely influential percussion teacher based in Boston. He was born in Marietta, Pennsylvania and raised in Roxbury, MA. Serving in the Army for Korean War duty, Dawson played with the Army Dance Band while stationed at Fort Dix from 1951-1953. During his tenure, Alan explored the post-bop era by performing with pianist Sabby Lewis. After being released from the Army, Alan toured Europe with Lionel Hampton.
Dawson is best known as an early teacher of Tony Williams. Other former students include: Terri Lyne Carrington, Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Smith, Kenwood Dennard, Gerry Hemingway and many others. He began teaching at Berklee College of Music in 1957 and in 1975 suffered a ruptured disc causing Alan to halt touring, leave Berklee and limit his teaching to his home in Lexington, MA.
His teaching style emphasized the music as a whole rather than just the percussion side. He stressed the importance of learning the melody and structure of the tune to better fulfill the role of accompanying. For this purpose, he had students play over standards while also singing the melody out loud. He constantly strived for balance between musical ideas and strict technique. He was big on rudiments and wrote extensive exercises intended to be practiced with brushes. He believed using brushes with his "Rudimental Ritual" would reduce stick rebound allowing the sense of "picking up" the sticks. While teaching, Alan also maintained a prolific performing and recording career.
Dawson was the house drummer for Lennie's On The Turnpike in Peabody, MA from 1963 through 1970. This gig allowed him to perform with a diverse group of jazz artists. Around this time, Dawson was Boston's premier jazz drummer for local acts as well as bigger name touring artists.
Throughout the 1960's Dawson recorded exclusively with saxophonist Booker Ervin on Prestige Records. In 1968 Dawson replaced Joe Morello in the Dave Brubeck Quartet and continued until 1975. His performance credits also included stints with Jaki Byard, Booker Ervin, Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon, Lee Konitz, Quincy Jones, Charles Mingus, Tal Farlow and many other top jazz artists.
Alan's teaching methods have been passed on by many of his former students. Books on his approach have been written by John Ramsay and Osami Mizuno, both former students. One of execercises he is best known for is the "rudimental ritual", playing variations of the traditional rudiments, Swiss rudiments, and his own rudimental inovations while maintaining a latin ostinato on drum set pedals.
Alan Dawson died of leukemia on February 23, 1996.
| Contents |
| Select Discography |
| External links |
Select Discography
''As a sideman:''
★ ''Bopstacle Course'' by Terry Gibbs (1974; Xanadu Records)
External links
★ Drummerworld's Alan Dawson page
★ Bio from the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame
This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.
psst.. try this: add to faves
