The Alternative Press

Back by popular demand, Billy Drummond, a world-renowned Jazz Drummer and Leader will be returning to Summit this Saturday at Christ Church. He has assembled a dream team that features some of the finest jazz musicians in the world, Mulgrew Miller (piano), Tom Harrell (trumpet) and Ben Street (bass).

Christ Church is located at 561 Springfield Avenue in Summit at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Make reservations online Adults $25. Students $20. Seating is limited. For more information contact JazzTeam@ccsnj.org or call (908) 522-5549.

Billy Drummond is considered one of the most crisp, popping and sensitive drummers on the jazz scene today. Having taken up the drums at four, he was playing in bands at eight and teaching adults by 14. Being one of the most called for players of his generation, he has performed with the world’s greatest jazz musicians, including Sonny Rollins and Horace Silver. This fact is underscored by the over 250 CDs on which he has recorded. He teaches at both Juilliard and NYU. The cadence of Billy’s drumming is the driving engine behind this quartet.

Tom Harrell has been praised by Newsweek for his “pure melodic genius,” he is widely recognized as one of the most creative and uncompromising jazz instrumentalists and composers of our time. Even with a discography of over 260 recordings and a career that spans more than four decades, Harrell has managed to stay fresh and current as he continues to actively record and tour around the world.

Mulgrew Miller established himself as a living legend with performances at prestigious venues around the world, including the Kennedy Center where he recorded two CDs. Mulgrew’s childhood was filled with early musical experiences playing a range from gospel music in his church to R&B and blues at dances. He is now the Director of Jazz Studies at William Patterson College.

Ben Street is a jazz double bassist who studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston with Miroslav Vitous and Dave Holland. He has played with many great jazz artists, notably Danilo Perez, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Lee Konitz, David Sanchez, James Moody, Mark Turner, Frank Foster, Clark Terry, Clifford Jordan, Paul Motian, and Jimmy Scott.