Martin Drew (11 February 1944 – 29 July 2010) was an English jazz drummer who played with Ronnie Scott between 1975 and 1995 and with Oscar Peterson between 1974 and 2007.

Career

Martin Drew was born on 11 February 1944 in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, England, and started to play the drums when he was six years old. He played his first professional engagement at the age of 13. Studying with drummer

George Fierstone George Fierstone (14 November 1916 in London - 13 April 1984 in London) was an English jazz drummer. Fierstone played with a traveling revue in 1931, then played in London with such bandleaders as Bert Ambrose, Harry Roy, Sid Millward (1938 ...

gave Drew a solid musical and technical background. Drew was best known for his extensive work in Oscar Peterson and Ronnie Scott's groups, with which he became an international name. He also played at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club with many famous visiting American jazz musicians. Drew was also a member of a trio led by Eddie Thompson. He was often heard playing on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

's ''Sounds of Jazz'' programme in the 1970s, which was introduced by Peter Clayton on Sunday evenings. During the 1980s, Drew and keyboardist John Critchinson played simultaneously with the Ronnie Scott Quartet (the fourth band member was bassist Ron Mathewson) and with the jazz group Morrissey–Mullen. When Morrissey-Mullen disbanded in 1988, Drew led a quintet called Our Band with Dick Morrissey, Jim Mullen (originally Louis Stewart), Critchinson, and Mathewson. Between 1997 and 2000, Drew led a quartet with Mornington Lockett on tenor saxophone, Gareth Williams on piano, and Laurence Cottle on electric bass. In 2000, Drew formed the Celebrating The Jazz Couriers quintet with Mornington Lockett. The group played the music of the original Jazz Couriers (1957–59), a group led by Ronnie Scott and Tubby Hayes. This new band was completed by Nigel Hitchcock on tenor saxophone, Steve Melling on piano, and Andrew Cleyndert on double-bass. The group won the 2002 British Jazz Award for Best Small Group. The New Couriers band reformed in 2003 with Paul Morgan on double-bass and Jim Hart on vibraphone. Lockett and Melling returned on tenor saxophone and piano.

Musicians worked with

Martin Drew himself compiled this list of people he had worked with (alphabetical by first names): Al Cohn - Al Haig -

Alan Skidmore Alan Richard James Skidmore (born 21 April 1942) is an English jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore. Career He was born in London, England. Skidmore began his professional career in his teens, and early in his care ...

- Alec Dankworth - Andrew Cleyndert -

Anita O’Day Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appe ...

- Anita Wardell -

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, double ...

- Arturo Sandoval - Barbara Dennerlein -

Barney Kessel Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups a ...

- Benn Clatworthy - Benny Carter -

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

- Bill Holman - Bill Perkins -

Bill Watrous William Russell Watrous III (June 8, 1939 – July 2, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist. He is perhaps best known for his rendition of Sammy Nestico's arrangement of the Johnny Mandel ballad "A Time for Love", which he recorded on a 1993 albu ...

Bobby Hutcherson Robert Hutcherson (January 27, 1941 – August 15, 2016) was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. "Little B's Poem", from the 1966 Blue Note album '' Components'', is one of his best-known compositions.Huey, Steve. "Components – Bob ...

Bobby Shew Bobby Shew (born March 4, 1941) is an American jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player. Biography He was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. After leaving college in 1960, Shew was drafted into the U.S. Army and played trumpet and toured ...

- Bobby Wellins -

Bob Wilber Robert Sage Wilber (March 15, 1928 – August 4, 2019) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, and band leader. Although his scope covers a wide range of jazz, Wilber was a dedicated advocate of classic styles, working throughout his car ...

- Bosko Petrovic -

Buddy Childers Marion "Buddy" Childers (February 12, 1926 – May 24, 2007) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and ensemble leader. Childers became famous in 1942 at the age of 16, when Stan Kenton hired him to be the lead trumpet in his band. Biography ...

- Buddy DeFranco - Bud Shank - Carmen McRae - Charles McPherson - Charlie Mariano -

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

- Chico Freeman - Chucho Valdes -

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duke ...

- Conte Candoli - Count Basie - Dame

Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...

- Dave Green - David Gazarov - David Mowatt - Davide Petrocca - Dexter Gordon - Dick Morrissey -

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

- Eddie Daniels - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Ella Fitzgerald - Frank Rosolino -

Frank Wess Frank Wellington Wess (January 4, 1922 – October 30, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. In addition to his extensive solo work, Wess is remembered for his time in Count Basie's band from the early 1950s into the 1960s. Critic ...

Freddy Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspective ...

- Gareth Williams - Gene Harris - George Coleman - Georgie Fame - Gil Evans -

Hank Jones Henry Jones Jr. (July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored ...

- Harold Land - Harry "Sweets" Edison -

Herb Ellis Mitchell Herbert Ellis (August 4, 1921 – March 28, 2010), known professionally as Herb Ellis, was an American jazz guitarist. During the 1950s, he was in a trio with pianist Oscar Peterson. Biography Born in Farmersville, Texas, and raised ...

- James Moody - James Morrison - Jean Alain Roussel - Jim Hart - Jim Mullen - Jimmy Smith - Jimmy Witherspoon - J.J. Johnson -

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

- Joe Pass - Joe Temperley - John Altman - John Critchinson -

Sir John Dankworth Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE (20 September 1927 – 6 February 2010), also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and writer of film scores. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he w ...

- John Lewis - John Pearce -

John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar may refer to: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 *John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) (178 ...

- Johnny Griffin - Julian Joseph - Junior Mance - Ken Peplowski - Kenny Davern - Kenny Werner - Kilian Forster - Laurence Cottle - Laurie Holloway - Lanny Morgan -

Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz ...

- Lew Soloff - Liane Carroll - Manny Albam - Marion Montgomery - Mark Murphy - Michael Brecker - Michel Legrand -

Milt Jackson Milton Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999), nicknamed "Bags", was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms. He is especially remembered for his cool swinging solo ...

- Monty Alexander - Mornington Lockett -

Mundell Lowe James Mundell Lowe (April 21, 1922 – December 2, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist who worked often in radio, television, and film, and as a session musician. He produced film and TV scores in the 1970s, such as the ''Billy Jack'' soundtrac ...

- Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen - Nigel Hitchcock - Niki Harris - Oscar Peterson - Paul McCartney - Paul Morgan - Peanuts Hucko - Peter King - Phillipe Catherine - Phil Woods - Plas Johnson -

Ralph Sutton Ralph Earl Sutton (November 4, 1922 – December 30, 2001) was an American jazz pianist born in Hamburg, Missouri. He was a stride pianist in the tradition of James P. Johnson and Fats Waller. Biography Sutton was born in Hamburg, Missouri, ...

- Randy Brecker - Ray Brown - Red Holloway - Robert Farnon - Robin Aspland - Roland Hanna -

Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded nu ...

- Ron Mathewson - Ronnie Scott - Roy Eldridge - Ruby Braff - Scott Hamilton -

Simon Spillett Simon Richard Spillett (born 4 November 1974, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England) is a jazz tenor saxophonist. He has won the BBC Jazz Awards Rising Star (2007), ''Jazz Journal''s Critics' Choice album of the Year (2009), the British Jazz Awards To ...

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...

- Stanley Turrentine - Stephane Grappelli - Steve Melling - Terence Blanchard - Terry Gibbs - Tete Montoliu - Tommy Smith - Toots Thielemans - Ulf Wakenius - Vic Lewis -

Warren Vaché Jr. Warren Vaché (born February 21, 1951) is an American jazz trumpeter, cornetist, and flugelhornist. He was born in Rahway, New Jersey, United States. He came from a musical family as his father was a bassist. In 1976, he released his first album ...

- Woody Herman - Zoot Sims.

Death

Drew died on 29 July 2010, at the age of 66, following a heart attack.

Discography

As leader

*1978: ''The Martin Drew Band, British Jazz Artists Vol. 3'' (Lee Lambert Records)

As sideman

*1982: Oscar Peterson and

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

- '' Face to Face'' *1985: Buddy DeFranco Meets The Oscar Peterson Quartet - '' Hark'' *1986: '' Oscar Peterson + Harry Edison + Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson'' - Oscar Peterson, Harry "Sweets" Edison and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson ( Pablo Records)

References

External links

Martin Drew website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drew, Martin 1944 births 2010 deaths English jazz drummers British male drummers People from Northampton British male jazz musicians Morrissey–Mullen members Oscar Peterson Trio members