15 Facts About Hamid Drake

Hamid Drake was born on August 3,1955 and is an American jazz drummer and percussionist.

Hamid Drake has performed world music; by the late 1970s, he was a member of Foday Musa Suso's Mandingo Griot Society and has played reggae throughout his career.

Hamid Drake has worked with trumpeter Don Cherry, pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonists Pharoah Sanders, Fred Anderson, Archie Shepp and David Murray, and bassists Reggie Workman and William Parker.

Hamid Drake frequently plays without sticks, using his hands to develop subtle commanding undertones.

Hamid Drake's tabla playing is notable for his subtlety and flair.

Hamid Drake's questing nature and his interest in Caribbean percussion led to a deep involvement with reggae.

Hamid Drake was born in 1955 in Monroe, Louisiana, and when he was a child his family moved to Evanston, Illinois.

Hamid Drake worked with Anderson from 1974 to 2010, including on Anderson's 1979 The Missing Link.

At Anderson's workshops, a young Hamid met Douglas Ewart, George E Lewis and other members of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.

Hamid Drake's flowing rhythmic expressions and interest in the roots of the music drew like-minded musicians together into a performance and educational collective named the Mandingo Griot Society, which combined traditional African music and narrative with distinctly American influences.

Don Cherry, who Hamid Drake first met in 1978, was another continuing collaborator.

Hamid Drake worked extensively with him from 1978 until Cherry's death in 1995.

Hamid Drake was one of the founders, along with Foday Musa Suso and Adam Rudolph, of The Mandingo Griot Society.

Hamid Drake has frequently appeared with jazz legend Archie Shepp in various configurations.

Since 1991, Hamid Drake has collaborated with fellow percussionist Michael Zerang to present annual winter solstice concerts.