Leon Parker (born August 21, 1965 in

White Plains, New York White Plains is a city in and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, and a commercial hub of Westchester County, a densely populated suburban county that is home to about one milli ...

) is a jazz percussionist and composer.

All Music AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the datab ...

/ref> He is known for occasionally using a minimalist drum set with fewer components than usual, "sometimes consisting only of a

snare drum The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often u ...

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The head ...

and a

cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sou ...

." His 1998 album, ''Awakening'' ( Columbia), reached the 20th position on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s "Top Jazz albums" chart. It was his second album for Columbia. Parker played on pianist

Jacky Terrasson Jacky Terrasson (born November 27, 1965) is a French jazz pianist and composer. Background Terrasson's mother is African-American from Georgia, and his father is French. From his parents he heard classical music as a child. He began piano lesson ...

's first three albums. Parker toured with guitarist

Charlie Hunter Charlie Hunter (born May 23, 1967) is an American guitarist, composer, producer and bandleader. First coming to prominence in the early 1990s, Hunter plays custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars on which he simultaneously plays bass line ...

, who commented that "What I always look for in drummers is that they have a perfect blend of the visceral and the intellectual ..Leon definitely had that."Milkowski, Bill (September 2015) "Charlie Hunter: Groove Factor". ''DownBeat''. p. 45.

Discography

As leader

*1994: ''Above & Below'' (Epicure) *1996: ''Belief'' (Columbia) *1998: ''Awakening'' (Columbia) *2001: ''The Simple Life'' (Label M)

Collaborations

*1999: ''Duo'' with Charlie Hunter (Blue Note)

As sideman

With

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 ...

Joshua Redman Joshua Redman (born February 1, 1969) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is the son of jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman (1931–2006). Life and career Joshua Redman was born in Berkeley, California, to jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman a ...

*''

Choices A choice is the range of different things from which a being can choose. The arrival at a choice may incorporate motivators and models. Freedom of choice is generally cherished, whereas a severely limited or artificially restricted choice c ...

'' (Enja, 1992) With Jesse Davis *''As We Speak'' (Concord Jazz, 1992) *'' Young at Art'' (Concord Jazz, 1993) With MTB (

Brad Mehldau Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Mehldau studied music at The New School, touring and recording while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's quar ...

, Mark Turner, Peter Bernstein) *'' Consenting Adults'' (Criss Cross Jazz, 1994) With

*''

'' (Bluenote, 1994) *'' Reach'' (Blue Note, 1995) *'' Alive'' (Blue Note, 1998) *'' A Paris...'' (Blue Note, 2000) With

Don Braden Donald Kirk Braden (born November 20, 1963) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and flautist. Career Braden was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 20, 1963, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He began playing tenor sax at age 13 and starte ...

*''Organic'' (Epicure, 1995) With James Carter *'' The Real Quiet Storm'' (Atlantic, 1995) With

Franck Amsallem Franck Amsallem is a French-American jazz pianist, arranger, composer, singer and educator. He was born in 1961 in Oran, French Algeria, but grew up in Nice, France. Early years Amsallem was born in Oran (Algeria) to Elie Amsallem (1922-2019) an ...

and

Tim Ries Timothy M. Ries (born 15 August 1959) is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, band leader, and music educator at the collegiate/conservatory level. Ries is in his year as a professor of jazz studies at the University of Toronto. His u ...

* Is That So,

Sunnyside Records Sunnyside Records is an American jazz record company and label initially established by François Zalacain in 1982 to release an album by pianist Harold Danko. Albums by Kirk Lightsey and Lee Konitz soon followed, beginning a sequence of releases ...

1996 With Virginia Mayhew *''Nini Green'' (Chiaroscuro, 1997) With Giovanni Mirabassi *''Terra Furiosa'' (Discograph, 2008) *''Out of Track'' (Discograph, 2009) With Giovanni Mirabassi and Gianluca Renzi *''Live At the Blue Note, Tokyo'' (Discograph, 2010)

References

American jazz drummers Living people 1965 births Musicians from White Plains, New York 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jazz musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Drummers from New York (state) {{US-jazz-drummer-stub