Get ready to give the drummers some as BBR drummer week kicks off today with the great Connie Kay. Born Conrad Kirnon in Bronx, NY, he was self-taught-which is no surprise because who the heck could teach you to bang on all sides of the drums and other surfaces? The New York Times wrote that a Kay performance was “mosaiclike, a compilation of sounds, ideas and rhythmic figures. He was a master of coloration, and everything he did swung with real intensity. He did it all without ever raising his musical voice.”. From The MJQ to Van Morrison’s backbeat to the house drummer for Atlantic Jazz, Connie had one of the best careers of any drummer in history and he did it all in true drummer fashion: without ever calling attention to himself. Today would have been his 90th birthday if he wasn’t tragically taken from this planet at 67. Godspeed Connie, you are batting lead off in BBR drummer week. Below is a great pic of Connie and the MJQ arriving at Schipol in 1961.
The Browns - with Love, always... 