Bobby Durham, 71, Jazz Drummer Toured With Greats
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Bobby Durham, a jazz drummer known for his energetic, propulsive style, as well as for the high-flying musical company that he kept, died in Italy on Monday. He was 71, and had been ill with lung cancer and emphysema, a singer who had toured with him in Europe in recent years, Shawnn Monteiro, said.
Durham was practically the only contemporary drummer who worked with Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, and, most famously, Oscar Peterson, four legendary bandleaders who were famous the demands they made on their percussionists. Durham was the drummer of choice for nearly all the swing-styled soloists and leaders of the ’60s and ’70s up to the present day, and he also enjoyed a parallel career working in funky organ combos led by such keyboardists as Charles Earland, Shirley Scott, and Wild Bill Davis.
A login link has been sent to
Enter your email to read this article.
Get 2 free articles when you subscribe.
