“One of the hippest bandleaders now at work,” (Downbeat), drummer Billy Drummond is celebrated for his electrifying, dynamic, and deeply musical style. A protégé of jazz giants Horace Silver, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, J.J. Johnson, and Sonny Rollins, Since moving to New York, at the behest of Al Foster, Drummond has grown into one of the most respected and versatile and in-demand sidemen in modern jazz, appearing on over 350 recordings and playing with a staggering array of jazz luminaries across eras and continents, including: Ron Carter, Steve Kuhn, Charles Tolliver, Nat Adderley, Charles McPherson, Eddie Henderson, James Moody, Andrew Hill, Carla Bley, Eddie Gomez, Larry Willis, Hank Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Konitz, Stanley Cowell, Archie Shepp, Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, Eric Reed, Vincent Herring, Franco Ambrosetti (Italy), Karin Krog (Norway), Sadao Watanabe (Japan), Toots Thielemans (Belgium), Barney Wilen (France), Laurent de Wilde (France), Jan Lundgren (Sweden), and Michel Legrand (France).

“Plays with the quiet authority and radiant strength of someone who can command the attention of a room without saying a word.” Shaun Brady, JazzTimes

As a leader, Drummond has released four acclaimed albums, including Dubai—named a New York Times #1 Jazz Album of the Year—and Valse Sinistre (Cellar Live), which earned a spot on both JazzTimes’ Top 40 Albums of 2022 (#3) and DownBeat’s Best Albums of 2022 lists. He’s also co-led five recordings, including We’ll Be Together Again with Javon Jackson and Ron Carter, which appeared on several Year-End Top 10 lists. In 2023, Modern Drummer honored Dubai as one of the 50 Crucial Jazz Drumming Recordings of the Past 100 Years, calling it a standout among “tens if not hundreds of thousands” of titles.

A native of Newport News, Virginia, Drummond began leading bands at age eight and teaching adults by fourteen. He studied classical percussion at Shenandoah Conservatory before moving to New York in the late 1980s at the urging of Al Foster. He was quickly tapped to join Out of the Blue (OTB), recording Spiral Staircase for Blue Note Records, before joining Horace Silver’s sextet. This launched a period of deep mentorship and long-term collaborations with artists such as Bobby Hutcherson, Buster Williams, J.J. Johnson, and Sonny Rollins, with whom he toured for three years. “I consider myself very fortunate to have come up playing with some of the innovators of jazz who, in many instances, helped shape the way this music is and will always be played,” says Drummond. “They taught me how to be a professional – to know the material, to be on time and, most of all, to play from your heart.”

Paying it forward, in addition to his prolific performing and recording career, Drummond is a passionate and influential educator. He is Professor of Jazz Drums at the Juilliard School and NYU, and teaches privately and in masterclasses—both online and worldwide—mentoring the next generation of top-tier jazz musicians.

Watch video of Billy on getting the gig with Sonny Rollins HERE