Alvin Leroy Queen was a New Yorker who was born on August 16, 1950. When he was eight years of age, he began playing drums. He would sell shoes to pay for drum lessons. He would lie about his age in his teens to get into Jazz clubs. Elvin Jones received on-stage tuition from Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones and Art Taylor. Alvin first met John Coltrane at twelve years old, and Horace Silver at fourteen. He was already a good enough player to be allowed sit in with them. He began working with Horace Silver in 1968, and the following year, he was a regular member the George Benson Quartet. Alvin was a co-worker with Stanley Turrentine in 1969 and appeared on many TV programs. Charles Tolliver, the trumpet player, hired Alvin to accompany him on his first European tour in November 1970. Alvin worked for Tolliver intermittently for eight years. During this time, he also worked alongside Milt Jackson and Leon Thomas as well as Wild Bill Davis and Pharoah Bernie Sanders. Alvin moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 1979 to start a new life. Alvin started Nilva Records in 1982, producing records for Bill Saxton and Junior Mance, Ronnie Mathews. Ray Drummond, John Hicks, Ronnie Mathews and many others. Alvin was part of the Kenny Drew Trio from the eighties until his death. This trio also included the Danish bassist Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen. The trio was immensely popular in Japan and Europe and recorded several CD’s as well as VT’s for Japanese label Alpha Records. Alvin recorded and worked with many tenor saxophone players such as Johnny Griffin, George Coleman, or Bennie Wallace in the early nineties. Alvin was one of the most versatile jazz drummers. He could play with Swing Era veterans like Red Richards, Wild Bill Davis, and Harry Sweets Edison. Alvin has been a freelance drummer in Jazz for the past ten years. He can be found in Tokio and New York in the same week. The list of musicians with whom he has worked would fill this page. Many of the younger players like Roy Hargrove and Jesse Davis have expressed interest in Alvin’s services. He is a link between the great jazz masters of the fifties, sixties, and contemporary Jazz. From www.drummerworld.com
