A jazz improviser of the highest-caliber, percussionist Hamid Drake has a history with the New Orleans improvised music scene. A few months after Katrina hit, Drake was in New Orleans recording a trio session with saxophonist Rob Wagner and bassist Nobu Ozaki. That line-up will be reunited for an intimate performance at the AllWays Lounge on Monday, June 4, 2018.
HIP Fest featured artist Hamid Drake at Jazz Fest 2008 (Photo: Aaron Lafont)
The drummer is a prominent figure in the improvised music world. He carries a heavy baggage, having collaborated with artists the likes of David Murray, Don Cherry, Yusef Lateef, Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders, Bill Laswell, William Parker or New Orleans’ own Kidd Jordan.
Although in great demand around the world, Drake keeps close ties with New Orleans, frequently coming back to infuse our local scene with his melodic sense of rhythm. Ten years ago, he was joining the same trio for a set at the Jazz & Heritage Festival, he also appeared at HIP Fest and around improv concert series like Open Ears or Instant Opus.
Rob Wagner has been a constant presence for modern jazz in New Orleans, often joined by Japanese-born Ozaki who made the move to the city more than 20 years ago.
A 2007 OffBeat article by Rob Cambre described a performance from this trio in the presence of Kidd Jordan. Cambre wrote:
“Since 1994, Jordan has favored totally improvised settings without written pieces. Wagner’s preferred M.O. is for structured sets of his own compositions, which offer plenty of space for improvisation but do follow pre-set forms. Drake is such a deep drummer that he is at home in both settings, and on this evening he and Ozaki meshed beautifully as a rhythm section, providing the right balance of tight swing and surging energy for Wagner and Jordan to meet on sure footing and hit their respective strengths.”
A must-catch for avant-garde and modern jazz enthusiasts, the show will take place at the Saint Claude venue at 10 p.m.
Drake will also perform with James Brandon Lewis, J. Freilich and Nate Lambertson at the Sidebar on Wednesday, June 6 from 9-10 p.m.
