Ray Draper

This article may require copy-editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling. You can assist by editing it. (June 2008)

Raymond Allen Draper (August 3, 1940,New York City–November 1, 1982) was an American hard bop tuba player.^[1]

After attending the Manhattan School of Music in the mid-1950s, he played or recorded with Jackie McLean, Donald Byrd, John Coltrane, Max Roach, Don Cherry, Horace Tapscott, Archie Shepp, Teddy Wender, Brother Jack McDuff, Dr. John, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton and Howard Johnson.

As a leader, he recorded his first album, Tuba Sounds (Prestige Records 1957), at the age of 16,^[2] with his Quintet featuring altoist Jackie McLean, pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Spanky DeBrest, and drummer Ben Dixon, and introducing trumpeter Webster Young. His second album, New Jazz 8228, recorded at the age of 17 with slight changes in his quintet, featured John Coltrane.^[3]

Upon being released from prison in the late sixties due to drug use, Draper formed the first jazz rock fusion band composed of established jazz musicians of the day. This preceded by three years Miles Davis's Bitches Brew, which is normally recognized as the first jazz rock fusion group and recording. Original band members included George Bohannon, trombone, Hadley Caliman, tenor sax, John Duke, upright bass, Paul Lagos, drums and Tom Trujillo, guitar. This band, after its first live performance at Hollywood's Whiskey a Go Go--where it shared the bill with The Nazz--was offered numerous lucrative record deals and booked solid at major rock venues for the rest of the year.

Ray Draper began using heroin again, whereupon the more experienced band members quit, except for the youngest member, guitarist Tom Trujillo and his landlord, Chuck Goodn. This led to a search for new members and hiring’s that included NY trumpeter Don Sleet and Ernie Watts. After two years of searching and many personnel changes, including getting clean from drugs, Draper brought drummer Paul Lagos back, along with saxophonist Richard Aplan, trumpeter Phil Woods, and bassist Ron Johnson. This new group was eventually named Red Beans and Rice, named after their favorite meal cooked by Ray's wife, Sandy. This was in keeping with a food trend. This group appeared on bills with some of the day's headlining groups including Jimi Hendrix, Chicago Transit Authority, Jethro Tull, and Gil Scott Heron.

They went on to record the album produced by Jackie Paris titled Red Beans and Rice featuring sparerib Ray Draper on Epic Records. But when the band saw what Ray and his manager Forrest Hamilton had put only Ray’s picture on the cover, again the whole group quit and Ray was on his own once more. After this, he got hooked back on heroin and he sporadically performed and recorded but he was no longer able to recreate the band sound with other players. He left California and returned to New York in the hopes of becoming clean once again. He remarried and had two children with his second wife, continuing to compose for other musicians.

In 1982, coming out of a bank, Ray was held up by a gang of kids. The 13-year-old leader shot him after Ray had given him his money. Ray had been clean of drug use and had been working on a composition, found in his attache case upon his death. Ray had unbelievable charm, and charisma that overcame his addiction; his ability as a musician and as a composer and visionary were unparalleled. Red Beans and Rice is a favourite among DJs and collectors for its eclectic mix of quality jazz and rock fusion unequalled at its time.

Discography

• 1957: Tuba Sounds (Prestige)
• 1957: New Jazz 8228 The Ray Draper Quintet Featuring John Coltrane
• 1958: A Tuba Jazz (Jubilee)
• 1960: Red Beans and Rice Featuring Ray Draper (Epic)
• 2006: Ray Draper Featuring John Cohen

References