American jazz drummer
Musical artist
Billy Higgins (October 11, 1936 – May 3, 2001) was an American
jazz drummer . He played mainly
free jazz and
hard bop .
[1]
Biography
Higgins was born in
Los Angeles ,
California , United States.
[2] Higgins played on
Ornette Coleman 's first records, beginning in 1958.
[3] He then freelanced extensively with
hard bop and other post-
bop players, including
Donald Byrd ,
Dexter Gordon ,
Grant Green ,
Herbie Hancock ,
Joe Henderson ,
Don Cherry ,
Paul Horn ,
Milt Jackson ,
Jackie McLean ,
Pat Metheny ,
Hank Mobley ,
Thelonious Monk ,
Lee Morgan ,
David Murray ,
Art Pepper ,
Sonny Rollins ,
Mal Waldron , and
Cedar Walton .
[3] He was one of the house drummers for
Blue Note Records and played on dozens of Blue Note albums of the 1960s.
[3] He also collaborated with composer
La Monte Young and guitarist
Sandy Bull .
In his career, he played on over 700 recordings, including recordings of
rock and
funk . He appeared as a jazz drummer in the 2001 movie,
Southlander .
In 1989, Higgins cofounded a cultural center,
The World Stage , in Los Angeles to encourage and promote younger jazz musicians. The center provides workshops in performance and writing, as well as concerts and recordings. Higgins also taught in the jazz studies program at the
University of California, Los Angeles .
[4]
He was divorced from wife Mauricina Altier Higgins and had three sons, William, Joseph, and David, as well as a stepson Jody. He also had two daughters, Rickie Wade and Heidi.
Billy Higgins died of kidney and liver failure on May 3, 2001, at a hospital in
Inglewood , California.
[4]
Discography
As leader
As a sideman
Something Else!!!! (Contemporary, 1958)
The Shape of Jazz to Come (Atlantic, 1959)
Change of the Century (Atlantic, 1959)
The Art of the Improvisers (Atlantic, 1959)
To Whom Who Keeps a Record (Warner, 1959–60)
Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation (Atlantic, 1961)
Twins (Atlantic, 1961)
Science Fiction (Columbia, 1971)
Broken Shadows (Columbia, 1971–1972 [1982])
The Complete Science Fiction Sessions (Columbia, 1971–1972 [2000])
In All Languages (Caravan of Dreams, 1987)
Hello, Friend: To Ennis with Love (Verve, 1997)
Roots (Criss Cross, 1985)
The Visit! (Cobblestone, 1972) also released as Footprints
The Turnaround (Blue Note, 1965)
Dippin' (Blue Note, 1965)
A Caddy for Daddy (Blue Note, 1965)
A Slice of the Top (Blue Note, 1966 [1979])
Hi Voltage (Blue Note, 1967)
Third Season (Blue Note, 1967)
Far Away Lands (Blue Note, 1967)
Reach Out! (Blue Note, 1968)
Breakthrough! (Muse, 1972) with
Cedar Walton
Straight No Filter (Blue Note, 1964-66 [1980])
With
Tete Montoliu
The Sidewinder (Blue Note, 1963)
Search for the New Land (Blue Note, 1964)
The Rumproller (Blue Note, 1965)
The Gigolo (Blue Note, 1965)
Cornbread (Blue Note, 1965)
Infinity (Blue Note, 1965 [1980])
Delightfulee (Blue Note, 1966)
Charisma (Blue Note, 1966)
The Rajah (Blue Note, 1966 [1984])
Sonic Boom (Blue Note, 1967 [1979])
The Sixth Sense (Blue Note, 1967–68)
The Procrastinator (Blue Note, 1967 [1978])
Taru (Blue Note, 1968 [1980])
Caramba! (Blue Note, 1968)
Star Seeding (Polygram Records, 1995)
With
Hilton Ruiz
With the Timeless All Stars
Cedar! (Prestige, 1967)
Eastern Rebellion (Timeless, 1976) with
George Coleman &
Sam Jones
The Pentagon (East Wind, 1976)
Eastern Rebellion 2 (Timeless, 1977) with
Bob Berg & Sam Jones
First Set (SteepleChase, 1977 [1978])
Second Set (SteepleChase, 1977 [1979])
Third Set (SteepleChase, 1977 [1982])
Eastern Rebellion 3 (Timeless, 1980) with
Curtis Fuller , Bob Berg & Sam Jones
The Maestro (Muse, 1981)
Among Friends (Theresa, 1982 [1989])
Eastern Rebellion 4 (Timeless, 1984) with Curtis Fuller, Bob Berg,
Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros &
David Williams
Cedar's Blues (Red, 1985)
The Trio 1 (Red, 1985)
The Trio 2 (Red, 1985)
The Trio 3 (Red, 1985)
Cedar Walton (Timeless, 1985)
Bluesville Time (Criss Cross Jazz, 1985)
Cedar Walton Plays (Delos, 1986)
As Long as There's Music (Muse, 1990 [1993])
Mosaic (Music Masters, 1990 [1992]) as Eastern Rebellion
Simple Pleasure (Music Masters, 1993) as Eastern Rebellion
Manhattan Afternoon (Criss Cross Jazz, 1992 [1994])
Just One of Those Nights: At the Village Vanguard (Music Masters, 1995) as Eastern Rebellion
References
External links
International National Academics Artists Other