Will Calhoun is a well-known drummer from Bronx, New York. He graduated from Berklee School of Music, Boston with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Production. The Buddy Rich Jazz Masters Award was presented to him for his outstanding performance as a drummer. Will Calhoun’s exceptional drumming skills have been awarded special praises by Modern Drummer Magazine’s Readers Poll. He was also named the “Best New Drummer” by Modern Drummer Magazine’s Readers Poll. Will Calhoun’s unique mix of improvisational and hard-rock drumming can be heard on all four of Living Colour’s Epic releases, including Vivid, their ground-breaking multi-platinum debut, as well the critically acclaimed sophomore LP Time’s up, the Biscuits EP and Stain and CollideOscope, which is available on Sanctuary Records called CollideOscope. Will is a prolific song writer and co-wrote many Living Colour songs, including the highly acclaimed Pride song on the Time’s Up album, and Nothingness on their Stain album. Living Colour’s Will was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance and another Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. Living Colour won the International Rock Award for Best Rock Group. Will is also a member of Living Colour and has recorded with or toured with many artists, including B.B. King, Mick Jagger and Jaco Pastorious. Harry Belafonte and Jack Dejohnette. Lou Reed. Lou Reed. Will was a producer, player and songwriter on Herb Alpert’s Grammy-nominated album, Colors. In Will’s spare time, he recorded two solo projects: Drum Wave and Housework. These discs serve as a second canvas for Will’s acoustic drumset art and his push for electronic tonal expressions. Vinx, Doug Wimbish and Will formed the pioneering Ambient World Music group JUNGLE FUNK. Zebra Records has the American rights to their live CD Jungle Funk. They combine technology and musicianship. This album was a rare gem and received the Album of the year mention in Australia. The Will Calhoun Quintet: A Live Recording of Will Calhoun’s Jazz CD is Will’s debut as a bandleader. This disc takes you on an adventure through Will’s unique approach to acoustic Jazz and World music. Bobby Watson-sax and Terrell Stafford-trumpet are part of the line-up. John Benitez, bass, Orrin Evans, piano, and John Benitez-bass round out the lineup. This CD is a masterpiece in song writing, arrangement and drumming. Although it was Will’s first time leading a jazz band, Down Beat Magazine and Jazz Times rated the CD highly. Drum Magazine’s readers voted Will’s CD as the 1st runner-up for Drummer/Band leader. Will has been a performer and producer for Mos Def. Will assembled an all-star line-up for this project. This included artists such as Bernie Worrell on keys and Doug Wimbish, bassist, Doc Know, guitarist from Bad Brains, among others. The band is called Black Jack Johnson and many tracks were included on Mos Def’s CD The New Danger. For a complete Black Jack Johnson CD, keep your ears and eyes open. It will be presented in the cutting-edge Calhoun style. Living Colour fans will be pleased to hear that the band is back on tour and currently working on new material. The band has performed a number of tours across the United States, including one in the Midwest. They also have tours in South America and Australia. For the latest updates, check out the Tour Schedule page. Native Lands, Will’s second release on Halfnote is one of his latest creations. Native Lands is a mix of Jazz meets World and trance-inducing Urban Music. Calhoun has created a double CD/DVD package that combines his many interests into a genre-bending collection which taps key expressionists of different backgrounds. Pharoah, Mos Def and Buster Williams are among those who contributed to the album. Also, Wallace Roney and Marcus Miller, Wallace Roney, Cheick Tidiane Seeck and Nana Vasconcelos, both from Brazil, and Marcus Miller, Marcus Miller, and Kevin Eubanks are included. The DVD includes over 90 minutes of music videos as well as documentary material that documents Will’s life, travels and experiences in the last ten year. Will is currently touring to support this project with his band, “AZA” and “Native Lands”, that features many artists from the album as well as other exceptional musicians. Few artists can have the vision and artistic energy necessary to win Grammys and make contributions to many genres, including jazz, rock, hip hop, ambient and other music styles. They also produce, tour, create new projects and work on films and continue pushing the boundaries. Will Calhoun is a creative visionary who does an amazing job making music a motivating and spiritual force in his life. from http://www.willcalhoun.com
