Representative Albums: "Body & Soul," "Windmills of My Mind," "TNT"
Biography
Grady Tate is renowned as a session drummer extraordinaire, an expert in the use of the rim shot for syncopating purposes; prized for his driving, pushing, or subtle coaxing of the beat. Yet he has also displayed a warm, flexible, rhythmically agile baritone voice, which, in a reversal of the usual commercial situation, is less well-known than his drumming. He began singing at age four, impressing local Durham, NC, church and school audiences, but quit temporarily when his voice broke at age 12. Self-taught as a drummer at first, he picked up the fundamentals of jazz drumming during his hitch in the Air Force (1951-1955), and arranger Bill Berry made some vocal charts for him there. Upon his discharge, he returned to Durham to study psychology, literature, and theater at North Carolina College, before moving to Washington, D.C., in 1959 to teach high school and take up a musical career with Wild Bill Davis. A move to New York City in 1963 led to a gig with the Quincy Jones big band, and soon he caught on as a recording session drummer. His most famous records as an accompanist were made under the aegis of producer Creed Taylor, for whom he became the house drummer of choice. Tate played on many of Wes Montgomery's and Jimmy Smith's most popular recordings, as well as some by Nat Adderley, Stan Getz, Tony Bennett, Kenny Burrell, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Roland Kirk, Count Basie, Oscar Peterson, Duke Ellington, J.J. Johnson, and Kai Winding, among countless other artists. Arranger Gary McFarland thought enough of Tate's singing voice to record a number of vocal albums for his short-lived Skye label; yet, despite further vocal sessions for Buddah, Janus, Impulse, and a host of Japanese labels, Tate's profile as a singer has not been as high as it could have been. He returned to the American recording scene with 1991's excellent, vocal-only album for Milestone, TNT, where drummer Dennis Mackrel uses many patterns that he learned from Tate. Body and Soul followed a year later, and, in 1999, he resurfaced with Feeling Free. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide
Tate moved to New York City in 1963 and gained the position of drummer in the band of Quincy Jones.[1]
Grady Tate's drumming helped to define a particular hard bop, soul jazz and organ trio sound during the mid 1960's and beyond. His slick, layered and intense sound is instantly recognizable for its understated style in which he integrates his trademark subtle nuances with sharp, crisp "on top of the beat" timing (in comparison to playing slightly before, or slightly after the beat). The Grady Tate sound can be heard prominently on the many classic Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery albums recorded on the Verve label in the 1960s.[1]
Grady Tate's popularity as choice sideman of accomplished musicians is due to his remarkable intuitiveness and ability to make any style of music swing tastefully, and his interpretation of many different genres of music, in which he creates his own unique style of jazz grooves- i.e: Latin jazz, reggae jazz, rock jazz, funk jazz, etc. One album that demonstrates Mr. Tate's mastering of several musical styles may be heard on Jimmy Smith's Go For Whatcha Know (1986), which also features a vocal track by Grady Tate. An example of his virtuosic drumming abilities may be heard on Stan Getz's Sweet Rain (1967).
Among his most widely heard vocal performances are the songs "I Got Six", "Naughty Number Nine", and "Fireworks" from Multiplication Rock and America Rock, both part of the Schoolhouse Rock series. [1]
