Robby Ameen (born December 7, 1960) is an American

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer' ...

, composer, bandleader, and educator who resides in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. Although he is of Lebanese origin, Ameen is best known for the unique and powerful

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural ...

style he has created. He is regarded as one of the world's most prominent drummers in the area of

Latin Jazz Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave (rhythm), clave, and Afro-Brazil ...

. In 1985 he became a member of Ruben Blades’ Seis del Solar band. Other long-term band memberships include Dave Valentin, Conrad Herwig’s “Latin Side of… All Stars", Kip Hanrahan, and

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disban ...

and the Cuicoland Express. In 2011 Ameen won a

Latin Grammy The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has bee ...

for best Salsa record with Ruben Blades and Seis del Solar, “Todos Vuelven Live, Vol. 1 and 2.” As a sideman he has recorded on other

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

winning records including Ruben Blades and Seis del Solar's “Escenas” and Brian Lynch's “Simpatico”. In 2012, Ameen was the subject of an episode of the Emmy Award-winning

Detroit Public Television WTVS (channel 56) is a PBS member television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, owned by the Detroit Educational Television Foundation. Its main studios are located at the Riley Broadcast Center and HD Studios in Wixom, with an addit ...

series “Arab American Stories”.

Early life and education

Ameen was born in 1960 in New Haven, Connecticut. Studied drum set with CJ Everett, Ed Blackwell, and classical percussion with Fred Hinger. BA Literature, Yale University, 1982

Career

As a sideman, Ameen has recorded extensively with such artists as Ruben Blades, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Valentin, Eddie Palmieri, Paul Simon,

, Kip Hanrahan, Conrad Herwig, Carly Simon, Mongo Santamaria, Hilton Ruiz, Kirsty MacColl, and many others. As a session musician Ameen has recorded numerous jingles, film scores, and TV music, including the popular HBO series ''

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name, the series premiered in the United St ...

''. As an educator, Ameen is the co-author with bassist Lincoln Goines of the best-selling instructional book “Funkifying the Clave: Afro-Cuban drums for Bass and Drums” (Alfred Music), and the follow-up DVD, “Funkifying the Clave: Afro-Cuban drums for Bass and Drums” (Alfred Music). He is an international clinician and percussion/drum festival participant, including the Modern Drummer Festival and PASIC. He is currently on the faculty at Mason Gross School of the Arts at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and wa ...

Discography

As a leader

* Robby Ameen ''Diluvio'' (2020) Origin Records * Robby Ameen ''Days in the Night'' (2015) Two and Four Records * Robby Ameen ''Days in the Life'' (2009) Two and Four Records

As a co-leader

* Horacio "el Negro" Hernandez and Robby Ameen ''Robby and Negro at the Third World War'' (2006) American Clave/Enja * El Negro and Robby ''Onto the Street'' (2003) EWE * El Negro and Robby Band ''Live at

Umbria Jazz The Umbria Jazz Festival is one of the most important jazz festivals in the world and has been held annually since 1973, usually in July, in Perugia, and surrounding cities of the region of Umbria Italy. Furthermore, the Umbria Jazz Winter Festi ...

'' (2004) Il Manifesto * Seis del Solar ''Decision'' (1992) Messidor * Seis del Solar ''Alternate Roots'' (1995) Messidor * Overproof ''Three Guys Walk into a Bar'' (2004) EWE

As a sideman (selected)

* Dizzy Gillespie ''New Faces'' (1984) GRP * Dizzy Gillespie ''Endlessly'' (1988) MCA * Ruben Blades y Seis del Solar ''Escenas'' (1985) Elektra-Asylum * Ruben Blades y Seis del Solar ''Agua de Luna'' (1986) Elektra-Asylum * Ruben Blades ''Nothing But the Truth'' (1988) Elektra-Asylum * Ruben Blades ''Ruben Blades y Son del Solar...Live!'' (1990) Elektra-Asylum * Ruben Blades and Son del Solar ''Caminando'' (1991) Sony * Ruben Blades and Son del Solar ''Amor y Control'' (1992) CBS Records * Ruben Blades and Seis del Solar ''Todos Vuelven Live, Vol. 1'' (2011) Ruben Blades Productions * Ruben Blades and Seis del Solar ''Todos Vuelven Live, Vol. 2'' (2011) Ruben Blades Productions * Paul Simon ''Songs from the Capeman'' (1997) Warner Bros. Records * Dave Valentin ''Kalahari'' (1984) GRP * Dave Valentin ''Jungle Gardens'' (1985) GRP * Dave Valentin ''Light Struck'' (1986) GRP * Dave Valentin ''Mind Time'' (1987) GRP * Dave Valentin ''Live at the Blue Note'' (1988) GRP * Dave Valentin ''Two Amigos'' (1990) GRP * Dave Valentin ''Musical Portraits'' (1991) GRP * Dave Valentin ''Red Sun'' (1992) GRP * Dave Valentin ''Tropic Heat'' (1992) GRP * Dave Valentin ''Primitive Passions'' (1996) RMM Records * Dave Valentin ''Sunshower'' (1999) Concord Vista * Dave Valentin ''World on a String'' (2005) HighNote Records * Dave Valentin ''Come Fly with Me'' (2006) HighNote Records * Dave Valentin ''Pure Imagination'' (2011) HighNote Records * Eddie Palmieri ''El Rumbero del Piano'' (1998) RMM/Universal * Eddie Palmieri ''Palmas'' (1994) Nonesuch * Eddie Palmieri ''Sueno'' (1982) Intuition * Conrad Herwig ''Another Kind of Blue: The Latin Side of Miles Davis''(2004) Half Note * Conrad Herwig ''Que Viva Coltrane'' (2004) Criss Cross * Conrad Herwig ''Sketches of Spain y Mas: The Latin Side of Miles Davis'' (2006) Half Note * Conrad Herwig ''The Latin Side of Wayne Shorter'' (2008) Half Note * Conrad Herwig ''The Latin Side of Herbie Hancock'' (2010) Half Note * Conrad Herwig ''The Latin Side of Joe Henderson'' (2014) Half Note * Conrad Herwig ''The Latin Side of Horace Silver'' (2021) Savant * Kip Hanrahan ''Crescent Moon Waning'' (2018) American Clave * Kip Hanrahan ''Shadow Nights, Vol. 2' (1999) American Clave * Kip Hanrahan ''A Thousand Nights and a Night(Shadow Night'' (1997) American Clave * Kip Hanrahan ''All Roads Are Made of the Flesh'' (1995) American Clave * Kip Hanrahan ''Exotica'' (1992) American Clave * Kip Hanrahan ''Days and Nights of Blue Luck Inverted'' (1988) American Clave * Kip Hanrahan ''Tenderness'' (1990) American Clave * Jack Bruce ''Live at the Milkyway'' (2011) EMI * Jack Bruce ''More Jack Than God'' (2003) Sanctuary * Jack Bruce ''Shadows in the Air'' (2001) Sanctuary * Carly Simon ''This Kind of Love'' (2008) Hear Music *

Steve Swallow Steve Swallow (born October 4, 1940) is an American jazz bassist and composer, known for his collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton, and Carla Bley. He was one of the first jazz double bassists to switch entirely to electric bass guitar. ...

'' Swallow'' (Xtra Watt, 1991) * Mongo Santamaria ''Mongo Returns!'' (1998) Milestone * Hilton Ruiz ''Strut'' (1989) Novus * Kirsty MacColl ''Electric Landlady'' (1991) BMG/Union Square Music * Bill O'Connell ''Wind off the Hudson'' (2019) Savant * Bill O'Connell ''Jazz Latin'' (2018) Savant * David Byrne ''Rei Momo'' (1989) Sire/Luaka Bop * Brian Lynch ''Simpatico'' (2006) Artist Share * Deep Rumba ''A Calm in the Fire of Dances'' (2000) American Clave * Deep Rumba ''This Night Becomes a Rumba'' (1998) American Clave * Michael Reissler ''Big Circle'' (2012) Intuition * Michael Reissler ''Honey and Ash'' (1998) Enja * Michael Reissler ''Momentum Mobile'' (1995) Enja * Conjure ''Bad Mouth'' (2006) American Clave * Conjure ''Cab Calloway Stands in for the Moon'' (1995) American Clave * Daniel Ponce ''Chango te Llama'' (1991) Mango * Milton Cardona ''Cambucha'' (1999) American Clave * Silvana DeLuigi ''Yo'' (2004) American Clave * Earl Klugh ''Midnight in San Juan'' (1990) Warner Bros. * Eva Cortes ''Crossing Borders'' (2017) Origin * Doug Beavers ''Sol''(2021) Circle 9 Records

External links

Website

Discography on All Music

Credits on All Music

IMDB

Latin Grammys

Biography

References

Modern Drummer April ’94, January 2004, January 2010, DrumHead issue #22 Downbeat March 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ameen, Robby American jazz drummers Living people 1960 births Musicians from New Haven, Connecticut 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jazz musicians from Connecticut 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Origin Records artists