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Idris Muhammad

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Idris Muhammad was born on November 13,1939, and began playing the drums at age 8 in his native New Orleans. By the time he was 16, he was performing in jazz bands. Muhammad became known as one of the most innovative drummers in soul music of the 1960's, performing with singers Sam Cooke, Jerry Butler, and The Impressions. He played for the popular musical Hair while performing with the house band for the Prestige Label in the early 1970's. For the rest of that decade, he accompanied popular singer Roberta Flack, led his own band, and worked with Johnny Griffin and Pharaoh Sanders. An excellent drummer who has appeared in many types of settings, Idris Muhammad became a professional when he was 16. He played primarily soul and R&B during 1962-1964 and then spent 1965-1967 as a member of Lou Donaldson's band. He was the house drummer at Prestige Records (1970-1972), appearing on many albums as a sideman. Of his later jazz associations, Muhammad played with Johnny Griffin (1978-1979), Pharoah Sanders in the 1980s, George Coleman, and the Paris Reunion Band (1986-1988). He has recorded everything from post-bop to dance music as a leader for such labels as Prestige, Kudu, Fantasy, Theresa, and Lipstick. Muhammad's 1993 recording My Turn includes saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr. and trumpetor Randy Brecker, both of whom are also featured performers in this year's 25th Annual University of Pittsburgh Jazz Seminar and Concert.

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by R.J. DeLuke August 6, 2014

This interview was originally published on May 2002. “Style? No, I just play, man. I don't really have a style. Just being able to play music is a style, you know?" says the veteran drummer master Idris Muhammad in his laid-back and understated style. Others know better than to take that self-effacing comment at face value. His style developed into a unique sound over the years, a jny: New Orleans-based rhythm that has influenced many other ...

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by Dave Wayne April 27, 2013

Inside the Music: The Life of Idris Muhammad Idris Muhammad with Britt Alexander 235 pages ISBN: 978-1-4691-9216-1 XLibris Corporation 2012 In popular music, particularly before musicians' credit listings became the norm on records, drummers --and really all rhythm section stalwarts--worked in obscurity no matter how brilliant their playing was. A case in point is the legendary New Orleans funk/soul/jazz drummer Idris Muhammad (or Leo Morris prior to his conversion to Islam). Known more ...

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by Germein Linares June 24, 2005

Lou Donaldson's Say It Loud! is finally on CD. Recorded for Blue Note in '69, this is one of several late-'60s albums by the legendary alto saxophonist that tend to get little respect. That's too bad, really. Apart from sporting a very capable band in trumpeter Blue Mitchell, guitarist Jimmy Ponder, organist Charles Earland and drummer Leo Morris, the five selections on Say It Loud! are undeniably fun.True, there aren't great answers on God or the circle of ...

Idris Muhammad, legendary New Orleans drummer, is dead at 74

Source: Michael Ricci August 6, 2014

Idris Muhammad, whose drumming crossed over several musical styles including funk, jazz, and rhythm and blues, died Tuesday (July 29). He was 74. Muhammad's death was confirmed by close friend Dan Williams, who got to know Muhammad through Williams' Jazz Journey concert series sponsored by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. Williams learned of Muhammad's death through family members in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A converted Muslim, Muhammad was immediately buried in accordance with the traditions of Islam, Williams said. ... read more

Roberto Magris Performing and Recording in Los Angeles with Idris Muhammad by PCAMI*

Source: All About Jazz November 12, 2008

PCAMI* is proud to present, in conjunction with the Italian Institute of Culture-Los Angeles, a new CD Showcase of Kansas City Outbound with a Legends of Jazz Tribute and performance with international jazz icon, ROBERTO MAGRIS Sunday, December 7, 2008 starting at 8pm at the Jazz Bakery in Culver City, CA This historical and classic evening will feature one of the most sought after musical stylist, who has for over 50 years blended soul, R&B, pop, and jazz into a ... read more

Traps Covers It All: Third Issue Features Unpublished Material on John Bonham Plus Soul-Jazz Pioneer Idris Muhammad and Conga Legend Candido Camero

Source: All About Jazz July 21, 2007

As previously announced in “Traps Swings To Success", the magazine's premiere issue was ... read more

The Champs New Release with Ximo Tebar, Joey DeFrancesco, and Idris Muhammad

Source: All About Jazz February 11, 2004

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Idris Muhammad Biography

Born Leo Morris on November 13, 1939, in New Orleans, LA; four children. Addresses: Record company--Legacy Records, 550 Madison Ave., 17th Floor, New York, NY 10022-3211, website: http://www.legacyrecordings.com; Fantasy Jazz Records, 10th and Parker, Berkeley, CA 94710, website: http://www.fantasyjazz.com.

A drummer of great stylistic range, Idris Muhammad played on classic 1960s pop hits such as "You Talk Too Much" and "Working in a Coal Mine," was the original percussionist for the Broadway musical Hair , and toured with Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, and Roberta Flack, among many others. He also recorded a series of jazz-funk albums beginning with Black Rhythm Revolution in 1970. After moving to Britain in the 1980s and eventually settling in Austria in the 1990s, Muhammad remained in demand on jazz and R&B concert stages around the world. In 2002, Legacy Records reissued his 1974 album Power of Soul , which generated further interest in Muhammad as one of the best jazz drummers of his generation. The continued acclaim made retirement seem a remote possibility. As Muhammad joked in a 2002 interview with R.J. DeLuke of All About Jazz online, "I've been on the road for forty-seven years and I'm thinkin' that I don't really want to die out here.... I just wanna enjoy life a little bit and have good vibes and spirits around me."

Muhammad was born Leo Morris on November 13, 1939, in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father was from Pakistan and his mother was from France. The couple had four sons--all of whom grew up playing the drums--and one daughter. The Morris family's neighborhood was a multicultural mix typical of New Orleans, where various ethnicities blended together to create new cultural forms, particularly through their music. As Muhammad described the environment in an interview with the All About Jazz, "The guys in the neighborhood, they used to just start playin' at one of the guy's houses. The next thing you know, they'd come out in the streets and they would go from bar to bar. And the people would follow them. I was a young kid, excited about the music. I used to go and march with the band."

Muhammad's professional debut came when he was just nine years old and a Mardi Gras troupe came to his house looking for a drummer. All of his older brothers were busy, so the band asked Muhammad if he would join them. After playing the bass drum on the group's float, Muhammad was surprised to receive ten dollars for his efforts. He also enjoyed the attention he got, especially from the girls in his grade school class. As he joked in a 2001 interview with Jonathan Tabak of the New Orleans magazine Offbeat , "Suddenly, I had money and I had a girlfriend." He added, "I stopped everything, man, and I went to practice the drums. Because I had ten dollars ... I gave my mother five and said, 'I'm going to be a musician.' That changed my whole life." Aside from one formal lesson, Muhammad was almost entirely self-taught; the rest of his training came from occasional tips from other drummers.

As a teenager Muhammad began to record and tour with some of the legendary R&B stars of the day, including Fats Domino, Lloyd Price, and Jerry Butler. In 1960 he played drums on the number-three pop hit "You Talk Too Much" by New Orleans singer and pianist Joe Jones. Around that time he secured a regular touring gig with singer Sam Cooke, who was impressed with Muhammad's talent after an impromptu audition in a New Orleans diner. As Muhammad told Offbeat , "I introduce myself and he's talking and eating and he says, 'Man, you know any of my songs?' I said, 'Yeah.' So he starts to singing and I start playing on the table and he hired me. Played the Municipal Auditorium that night, no rehearsal." Muhammad stayed with Cooke's review for two years before settling down in New York City, where he became a house drummer at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem. In 1966 he made another memorable appearance on the pop chart with his drumming on the top-ten single "Working in a Coal Mine" by New Orleans singer Lee Dorsey.

Around 1966, when he began touring with alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, the drummer changed his name and began performing as Idris Muhammad. He stayed with Donaldson's band for almost four years before securing another long-running gig as the original drummer for the Broadway musical Hair . "We were on Broadway four years and a half on that play," Muhammad recalled in an interview with All About Jazz. "And the drum rhythms from Hair belong to me. It's mine. I created it. A guy gave me forty-three pages of chord changes, with just titles on it. And I made up all these rhythms." One of the most successful stage productions of the day, Hair ran on Broadway from its debut in 1968 until 1972 and in regional and international productions after that. Married by that time and the father of four children, Muhammad was glad for the steady work. As he told All About Jazz, "I bought a house in New Jersey. So I was busy trying to work and take care of responsibilities. Not trying to be so famous."

Although Muhammad shied away from the spotlight, he was by now one of the most respected drummers among R&B, jazz, and pop performers. After his stint with Hair ended, he accepted a long-standing offer by singer Roberta Flack to join her touring band. He remained in Flack's lineup for four years before taking a break to explore his roots with an extended trip to Pakistan and India. After his return, Muhammad toured with tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, tenor and alto saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, and tenor and alto saxophonist George Coleman. In the mid-1980s Muhammad moved to Britain, where he remained a sought-after session musician in between his touring duties. Around 1990 Muhammad moved once again, this time to Austria.

Muhammad's recorded output as a bandleader began with the release of Black Rhythm Revolution in 1970. He followed it with Peace and Rhythm in 1971 and, perhaps his most acclaimed work, Power of Soul , in 1974. Although he was usually categorized as a jazz performer, each release furthered his reputation as a diverse musical stylist who incorporated soul, funk, R&B, pop, and jazz influences into a distinctive style all his own. Muhammad recorded eight albums during the 1970s as a bandleader and an additional two during the following decade. Two more followed in the 1990s, My Turn (1993) and Right Now (1998). As a studio musician on other artists' recordings, Muhammad's appearances numbered in the hundreds.

Muhammad remained a sought-after concert performer into his sixties. Although he spoke of retiring and moving back to the United States, he continued to make his home in Austria. Despite his expatriate status, Muhammad's heart remained in his hometown of New Orleans, which he credited with endowing him with his unique abilities as a drummer. "We have a thing with drummers, man, that doesn't happen no where else in the world," he described the city to Offbeat . "I mean really, they've got some rhythms that don't happen no place in the world, and can't nobody else play these rhythms.... My drum playing came from dancing in New Orleans in the street bands underneath the bass drum player. I can remember thinking as a kid, 'I don't know why, but I like that bass drum.'"

by Timothy Borden

Idris Muhammad's Career

Toured with Sam Cooke, early 1960s; played drums for Broadway musical Hair from 1968-72; released eight albums, 1970s; toured with Robert Flack, 1970s; Power of Soul reissued, 2002.

Famous Works

Selected discography Black Rhythm Revolution , Prestige, 1970. Peace and Rhythm , Prestige, 1971. The Legends of Acid Jazz , Prestige, 1970-71; reissued, 1996. Power of Soul , Kudu, 1974; reissued, Legacy, 2002. House of the Rising Sun , Kudu, 1976. Turn This Mutha Out , Kudu, 1977. Boogie to the Top , Kudu, 1978. Fox Huntin' , Fantasy, 1979. You Ain't No Friend of Mine , Fantasy, 1979. Make It Count , Fantasy, 1980. Kabsha , Theresa, 1980. My Turn , Lipstick, 1993. Right Now , Cannonball, 1998.

Further Reading

Sources Books Carr, Ian, et al., editors, Jazz: The Rough Guide , The Rough Guides Ltd., 1995. Online "Backtalk with Idris Muhammad," Offbeat , http://www.offbeat.com/ob2001/backtalk.html (September 8, 2002). "Idris Muhammad," Fantasy Jazz Records, http://www.fantasyjazz.com/catalog/muhammad_i_cat.html (September 8, 2002). "Idris Muhammad: Coming to Grips with His Greatness," All About Jazz, http://www.allaboutjazz.com/iviews/imuhammad.htm (September 8, 2002). "Idris Muhammad: Power of Soul," Music on the Web, http://www.musicweb.uk.net/jazz/2002/Apr02/Muhammad_Power.htm (September 8, 2002).

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about 16 years ago

Great work! Do you know who hit the micstand with a hammer on Working in a Coal Mine?

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Idris Muhammad, Drummer Whose Beat Still Echoes, Dies at 74

By Nate Chinen

• Aug. 8, 2014

Idris Muhammad, a drummer whose deep groove propelled both a broad career in jazz and an array of hits spanning rhythm and blues, funk and soul, died on July 29 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 74.

His death was confirmed by Dan Williams, a friend affiliated with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. The cause was not specified.

Mr. Muhammad was a proud product of New Orleans, whose strutting parade rhythms always lurked just beneath the surface of his style. A busy sideman as early as his teenage years, he later backed Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, Roberta Flack and the jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, and as a key member of the house band laid the rhythmic foundation for the original Broadway production of “Hair.”

But the heart of his work was at the intersection of jazz, R&B and funk, especially as they converged in the 1970s. He made a string of albums now prized by connoisseurs of funk, including “Power of Soul” (1974), “House of the Rising Sun” (1976) and “Turn This Mutha Out” (1977) with a supporting cast including players like the trumpeter Randy Brecker and the keyboardist Bob James.

Mr. Muhammad’s in-the-pocket backbeat also bolstered crossover efforts by the guitarists Grant Green and George Benson and the saxophonists Lou Donaldson and Grover Washington Jr. Within the last 20 years he had worked more in an acoustic mode, most prominently with the pianist Ahmad Jamal. Among the others he worked with were the guitarist John Scofield and the saxophonist Joe Lovano, who once honored him with a tune titled “Idris.”

He was born Leo Morris on Nov. 13, 1939, in New Orleans. His father played banjo, and four of his siblings were drummers. Naturally drawn to the sound of Mardi Gras parade bands, he found his calling with no formal training. He was 15 when he played on Art Neville and the Hawketts’ enduring 1954 recording of “Mardi Gras Mambo,” and not much older when he appeared on Fats Domino’s hit version of “Blueberry Hill.”

In 1966 he married Delores Brooks, lead singer for the Crystals, a girl group with a string of pop hits, including “Da Doo Ron Ron.” The couple converted to Islam, changing their names to Idris and Sakinah Muhammad, and lived in London and Vienna before their marriage ended in divorce in 1999. They had two sons and two daughters; he also had a daughter from a previous marriage, to the former Gracie Lee Edwards.

Information on survivors was not immediately available.

Mr. Muhammad was widely sampled by hip-hop artists, including Tupac Shakur, the Notorious B.I.G., Eminem, Lupe Fiasco and Drake. The Beastie Boys album “Paul’s Boutique” opens with a lengthy sample of “Loran’s Dance,” from “The Power of Soul.” Asked in an interview how he felt about other people using his music, he told Wax Poetics magazine, “It don’t really belong to me, man,” adding: “The gift the Creator has given me, I can’t be selfish with. If I keep it in my pocket, it’s not going to go anyplace.”

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Idris Muhammad

Idris Muhammad (Arabic : drys MHmd; born Leo Morris, November 13, 1939 to July 29, 2014) is an American jazz drummer. He has recorded extensively with many musicians including Lou Donaldson, Ahmad Jamal and Pharoah Bernies, among others. Muhammad was 16 years old when he recorded his first session as a drummer on Fats Domino’s 1956 hit “Blueberry Hill”. Istanbul Agop Cymbals was Muhammad’s endorser. 2012 saw the publication of Inside The Music: The Life and Times of Idris Mohammed by Xlibris, which he co-authored with Britt Alexander. He was 74 years old when he died in 2014. After his conversion to Islam, he changed his name in 1960s. He married Dolores “LaLa”, a former member of the Crystals. She converted to Islam and went under the name Sakinah Muhammad for a while. In 1999, they separated. They have two sons, two daughters and one daughter, each from a previous marriage to Gracie Lee Edwards Morris. Pharoah Sanders’s son Idris was named after Idris Mohammed from Wikipedia

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