Franklin Kiermyer (born 21 July 1956) is a jazz drummer, composer, and bandleader.
Biography
Born and raised in
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
,
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, Kiermyer first gained attention in 1994 with his album Solomon's Daughter, featuring tenor saxophonist and former
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...
bandmate
Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", San ...
. Known mostly for his particularly expansive style of drumming and the passionate spiritual focus of his music, he has performed and recorded with many prominent jazz musicians and musicians from other cultures, including
Umdze Lodro Samphel,
Dewey Redman
Walter Dewey Redman (May 17, 1931 – September 2, 2006) was an American saxophonist who performed free jazz as a bandleader with Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett.
Redman mainly played tenor saxophone, though he occasionally also played alto s ...
,
Don Alias
Charles "Don" Alias (December 25, 1939 – March 28, 2006) was an American jazz percussionist.
Alias was best known for playing congas and other hand drums. He was also a capable drum kit performer. He played drums on the song "Miles Runs the V ...
,
Jeff Bhasker
Jeffrey Nath Bhasker (born March 4, 1974) is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 2016 and was nominated for the award in 2013.
Bhasker cam ...
,
Reggie Workman
Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey, in addition to Alice Coltrane, Mal Waldron, Max Roach, Archie Shepp, Tri ...
,
John Abercrombie,
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks (born October 7, 1983) is an American jazz pianist.
Career
A native of Seattle, Parks studied at the University of Washington at the age of 14 through the Transition School and Early Entrance Program as a double major in computer sci ...
,
Bobo Stenson
Bobo Stenson (born Bo Gustav Stenson; 4 August 1944) is a Swedish jazz pianist. The Bobo Stenson Trio, formed in collaboration with Anders Jormin (bass) and Jon Fält (drums), has been in existence for over five decades.
Career
For 15 years, sta ...
,
Tisziji Muñoz
Tisziji Muñoz (born July 15, 1946) is an American jazz guitarist.
He served as drummer in the 440th U.S. Army band. He left the US Army in 1969. In the 1970s, he lived in Canada and New York City. He played in Pharoah Sanders' band. In 1978, h ...
,
Randy Brecker
Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock music, rock, and R&B.
Early life
Brecker was ...
,
Gary Bartz
Gary Bartz (born September 26, 1940) is an American jazz saxophonist. He has won two Grammy Awards.
Biography
Bartz was first exposed to jazz as the son of the owners of a jazz nightclub in Baltimore. In 1958 he left Baltimore to study at the J ...
,
Azar Lawrence
Azar Lawrence (born November 3, 1952) is an American jazz saxophonist, known for his contributions as sideman to McCoy Tyner, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, and Woody Shaw.
Career
Lawrence released ''Summer Solstice'' on Prestige Records in 1975, ...
,
Gene Perla
Gene Perla (born March 1, 1940) is an American jazz bassist.
Career
At the Berklee School of Music and the Boston Conservatory Perla concentrated on piano before moving to double bass. In 1969 he spent one year as a member of the Woody Herman Or ...
,
Joe Lovano
Joseph Salvatore Lovano (born December 29, 1952)"Joe Lovano." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 13. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 1994. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, May 5, 2017. is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist. T ...
,
Keyon Harrold
Keyon Karim Harrold (born November 18, 1980) is an American jazz trumpeter, vocalist, songwriter, and producer.
Early life and family
Keyon Harrold was born and raised in Ferguson, Missouri, United States, one of 16 children in a family of music ...
,
Nat Reeves
Nat Reeves (born May 27, 1955) is an American jazz bassist. He resides in Hartford, Connecticut, and teaches at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford. He also performs internationally with a number of jazz artists.
Band leaders
Reeves ...
,
George Garzone
George Garzone (born September 23, 1950) is a saxophonist and jazz educator from Boston, Massachusetts.
Biography
Garzone is a member of the Fringe, a jazz trio founded in 1972 that includes bassist John Lockwood and drummer Francisco Mela, wh ...
,
Chris Gekker, John Esposito,
Otto Gardner,
Davis Whitfield,
Géraud Portal,
Isaiah Collier
Isaiah Jaden Collier (born October 8, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans. He was a consensus five-star recruit and o ...
,
Dave Douglas David or Dave Douglas may refer to:
Entertainment
* David Douglas (director) (born 1953), Canadian cinematographer, director and writer
* Dave Douglas (trumpeter) (born 1963), American jazz trumpeter
* Dave Douglas (drummer) (born 1979), American ...
,
Yasushi Nakamura,
Jovan Alexandre,
Billy Harper
Billy Harper (born January 17, 1943) is an American jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.Chris KelseyBilly Harper Biography ''AllMusi ...
,
Emilio Modeste,
Lawrence Clark,
Juini Booth
Arthur Edward Booth Jr. (February 12, 1948 – July 11, 2021) was an American jazz bassist. His professional name was Juini Booth, though his nickname has been spelled Jiunie, Junie, Joony, Jooney, Joonie, Juni, Juney, and Junius, over the course ...
,
Benito Gonzalez,
Vernon Reid
Vernon Alphonsus Reid (born 22 August 1958) is an American guitarist and songwriter best known as the founder of the rock band Living Colour. Reid was named No. 66 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's 2003 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Ti ...
,
Drew Gress
Drew Gress (born November 20, 1959) is an American jazz double-bassist and composer born in Trenton, New Jersey and raised in the Philadelphia area.
Biography
Gress studied at Towson State University and Manhattan School of Music. In the late ...
,
Fima Ephron,
Evan Flory-barnes,
Dave Fiuzcynski,
Famoro Dioubate,
Umdze Lodro Samphel,
Eric Person
Eric Person (born May 2, 1963 in St. Louis, Missouri, St. Louis, Missouri) is an American alto saxophone, alto and soprano saxophone player and leader of Meta-Four. Since moving to New York City in 1982, Person has performed and recorded with jazz ...
,
Anthony Cox,
Benny Barbara,
Bob Mover
Bob Mover (born 1952) is an alto, tenor and soprano jazz saxophonist and a vocalist. He has been described as "the highly respected and extraordinary alto saxophonist, teacher, and theoretician".
Early years and education
His father was a mus ...
, Michael Stuart,
Hassan Hakmoun
Hassan Hakmoun () (born 16 September 1963) is a Moroccan musician who specializes in the Gnawa style.
Early life
Hakmoun was born to a family of musicians[John Stubblefield
John Stubblefield (February 4, 1945 – July 4, 2005) was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, and oboist.
Early life
Stubblefield was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. He studied music at the Association for the Advancement of Crea ...](_bla ...<br></span></div>, <div class=)
,
John Rojak,
Hill Greene,
Dom Richards,
Ivan Symonds,
T.V. Gopalakrishnan,
Debashish Battacharya, and Jatheeya Billy Robinson.
Mostly self-taught, Kiermyer cites the early influence of drummers
Baby Dodds
Warren "Baby" Dodds (December 24, 1898 – February 14, 1959) was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is regarded as one of the best jazz drummers of the pre-big band era. He varied his drum patterns with accents and f ...
,
Sid Catlett
Sidney "Big Sid" Catlett (January 17, 1910 – March 25, 1951) was an American jazz drummer. Catlett was one of the most versatile drummers of his era, adapting with the changing music scene as bebop emerged.
Early life
Catlett was born in Eva ...
,
Minor Hall
Minor Hall (March 2, 1897 – October 16, 1959), better known as Ram Hall,Gene Krupa
Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. Krupa is widely regarded as one of the most influential drummers in the history of popular music. His drum solo on Benny Goodman ...
. ''"All of these drummers had a big beat. It felt loose, spontaneous and sure at the same time and I really responded to that. I’ve always gone for that feeling of power and release in my own playing.”'' The music of
Fats Waller
Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and singer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz piano. A widely popular star ...
,
Kid Ory
Edward "Kid" Ory (December 25, 1886 – January 23, 1973) was an American jazz composer, Trombone, trombonist and bandleader. One of the early users of the glissando technique, he helped establish it as a central element of Music of New Orle ...
,
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
and
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life.
Born and raised in Washington, D ...
, as well as various orchestral music played in his parents' home magnetized his childhood. Growing up in the 60's and 70's he was also greatly affected by the psychedelic freedom music of Jimi Hendrix and other improvisers of the era and the social-political revolution they espoused.
In his early teens, his older brother gave him books about Tibetan Buddhism that led him to a life-long practice of meditation that would intensify over the years. Around the same time, a close friend introduced him to the mid-60’s music of the John Coltrane Quartet with drummer Elvin Jones. This music had an immediate, profound and lasting impact and greatly helped shape his musical focus. “Records like Transition, Sun Ship and First Meditations became great inspirations for me. This felt like real spiritual music – a spiritual practice of using honesty and faith to transcend concepts and get to the heart of things. That openness, honesty and faith became my goal.” ''Kiermyer''
Having reached a turning point in his evolution, Kiermyer spent much of 2001 to 2010 in remote Himalayan regions of Nepal and India on various solitary Buddhist meditation retreats, following the instructions of his teacher
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche (; 1 March 1934 – 22 June 2024) was a Tibetan scholar yogi in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He taught widely in the West, often through songs of realization, his own as well as those composed by Mi ...
. His musical output during this time was minimal. Kiermyer has stated that he felt this period was instrumental in reaching his spiritual and musical goals.
Franklin Kiermyer & Scatter The Atoms That Remain
Scatter The Atoms That Remain is Kiermyer's present band founded in 2017 as a direct evolution of his music. He decided to give the band its own name to differentiate this new music. Pianist Davis Whitfield began working closely with Kiermyer in 2014, when he was 21 years old. He suggested the name should somehow refer to Franklin's spiritual practice. "The first thing that came to mind was a spontaneous song my teacher had sung to me many years before when he was instructing me to practice Chöd.” ''Kiermyer''
“Take this big corpse of the five skandhas and burn it in the realization of selflessness. Scatter the atoms that remain in the space of the Dharmadhatu and in the Dharmadhatu of no attachment ... Ah! Ah! Ha! Ha! Aaaah!” Khenchen Tsutrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
Since its inception, Scatter The Atoms That Remain has featured outstanding musicians rounding out the lineup. Usually performing and/or recording as a quartet or quintet, the band has included at various times: saxophonists
Gary Bartz
Gary Bartz (born September 26, 1940) is an American jazz saxophonist. He has won two Grammy Awards.
Biography
Bartz was first exposed to jazz as the son of the owners of a jazz nightclub in Baltimore. In 1958 he left Baltimore to study at the J ...
,
Billy Harper
Billy Harper (born January 17, 1943) is an American jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.Chris KelseyBilly Harper Biography ''AllMusi ...
,
Isaiah Collier
Isaiah Jaden Collier (born October 8, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans. He was a consensus five-star recruit and o ...
,
Jovan Alexandre,
Ben Solomon,
George Garzone
George Garzone (born September 23, 1950) is a saxophonist and jazz educator from Boston, Massachusetts.
Biography
Garzone is a member of the Fringe, a jazz trio founded in 1972 that includes bassist John Lockwood and drummer Francisco Mela, wh ...
,
Lawrence Clark,
Emilio Modeste,
Linda Sikhakhane,
Abraham Burton
Abraham Augustus Burton Jr. (born March 17, 1971) is an American saxophonist and bandleader.
Biography
Burton was born in New York City on March 17, 1971, and was raised in Greenwich Village. He studied at the Hartt School from 1989 to 1993, gra ...
,
Boris Blanchet and Michael Troy - trumpeters
Randy Brecker
Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock music, rock, and R&B.
Early life
Brecker was ...
,
Keyon Harrold
Keyon Karim Harrold (born November 18, 1980) is an American jazz trumpeter, vocalist, songwriter, and producer.
Early life and family
Keyon Harrold was born and raised in Ferguson, Missouri, United States, one of 16 children in a family of music ...
,
Josh Evans,
Giveton Gelin and a cameo by
Roy Hargrove
Roy Anthony Hargrove (October 16, 1969 – November 2, 2018) was an American jazz musician and composer whose principal instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn. He achieved critical acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing styles ...
a few weeks before his untimely passing. - bassists
Gene Perla
Gene Perla (born March 1, 1940) is an American jazz bassist.
Career
At the Berklee School of Music and the Boston Conservatory Perla concentrated on piano before moving to double bass. In 1969 he spent one year as a member of the Woody Herman Or ...
,
Geraud Portal,
Otto Gardner,
Yasushi Nakamura,
Evan Flory-barnes and
Eric Wheeler. Pianist
Aaron Parks
Aaron Parks (born October 7, 1983) is an American jazz pianist.
Career
A native of Seattle, Parks studied at the University of Washington at the age of 14 through the Transition School and Early Entrance Program as a double major in computer sci ...
, guitarist
Eric Schenkman, vocalist and flautist
Melanie Charles, producer/songwriter and singer
Jeff Bhasker
Jeffrey Nath Bhasker (born March 4, 1974) is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 2016 and was nominated for the award in 2013.
Bhasker cam ...
and Bollywood singing star
Jasbir Jassi
Jasbir Singh Bains (born 7 February 1970), better known by his stage name Jasbir Jassi, is an Indian singer, lyricist, performer and actor. he has released thirteen albums, his first pop album being ''Dil Le Gayee'', released in 1998 with Times ...
have all been guests on recordings with the band. Davis Whitfield left the band in early 2025 to focus on his new family.
''"Drummer Franklin Kiermyer offers a sense of shared catharsis through music that is at once majestic, ferocious, and relatable. When music writers are tasked with describing Kiermyer, the words “ecstasy” and “ecstatic” appear almost predictably, but sometimes a word is just right. Kiermyer’s “Scatter The Atoms That Remain” quartet channels the kind of beautiful, disciplined intensity exemplified by late John Coltrane."'' Jazz At Lincoln Center
Scatter The Atoms' first release, Exultation, was co-produced by Kiermyer and legendary producer
Michael Cuscuna
Michael Cuscuna (September 20, 1948 – April 20, 2024) was an American jazz record producer and writer. He was the co-founder of Mosaic Records and a discographer of Blue Note Records.
Biography Career
Cuscuna played drums, saxophone and flute ...
, as was Kiermyer's albums Closer to the Sun and Further. Cuscuna has gone on record praising Kiermyer's music: ''"It's the urgency you feel when you listen ... Franklin got beyond his influences and comes through with him as an original player — his feel, his rhythmic patterns ... He has his own way of playing the drums, his own way of organizing music, his own way of unfolding a performance."''
Emancipation Suite, released in 2022 only on limited edition LP, was chosen as one of
Down Beat Magazine
''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...
's best albums of the year ''"Scatter the Atoms That Remain calls for universal freedoms such as it enacts."'' Howard Mandel
Kiermyer is currently finishing a new album, Co-produced by him and
Jason Olaine and slated for release in late 2025.
Discography
;As leader
References
External links
Franklin KiermyerScatter The Atoms That RemainScatter The Atoms
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiermyer, Franklin
1956 births
Living people
Musicians from Montreal
Anglophone Quebec people
Canadian jazz drummers
Canadian male drummers
Canadian male jazz musicians