Grady Tate

Grady Tate, (born January 14, 1932 in Durham, North Carolina), is a hard bop and soul-jazz drummer and singer. He has played with Lena Horne, Astrud Gilberto, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Blossom Dearie, Chris Connor, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Cal Tjader, Peggy Lee, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Tom Rapp, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Stanley Turrentine, Charles Earland, Quincy Jones, Wes Montgomery, Jimmy Smith, Stan Getz as well as many other famous jazz artists. Biography Tate moved to New York City in 1963 and gained the position of drummer in the band of Quincy Jones. Grady Tate's drumming helped to define a particular hard bop, soul jazz and organ trio sound during the mid 1960's and beyond. His slick, layered and intense sound is instantly recognizable for its understated style in which he integrates his trademark subtle nuances with sharp, crisp "on top of the beat" timing (in comparison to playing slightly before, or slightly after the beat). The Grady Tate sound can be heard prominently on the many classic Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery albums recorded on the Verve label in the 1960s. Grady Tate was the drummer on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for six years. Grady Tate's popularity as choice sideman of accomplished musicians is due to his remarkable intuitiveness and ability to make any style of music swing tastefully, and his interpretation of many different genres of music, in which he creates his own unique style of jazz grooves- i.e: Latin jazz, reggae jazz, rock jazz, funk jazz, etc. One album that demonstrates Mr. Tate's mastering of several musical styles may be heard on Jimmy Smith's Go For Whatcha Know (1986), which also features a vocal track by Grady Tate. An example of his virtuosic drumming abilities may be heard on Stan Getz's Sweet Rain (1967). Among his most widely heard vocal performances are the songs "I Got Six" and "Naughty Number Nine" for Multiplication Rock, part of the Schoolhouse Rock series. Mr. Tate has a wonderful baritone voice and has released many albums as a vocalist. He has been on the faculty of Howard University since 1989. In 1991 and 1992, he released two albums for Milestone Records, titled TNT and Body & Soul. Thanks Wikipedia