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Lenny White

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Lenny White
White at the Oslo Jazz Festival 2016
White at the Oslo Jazz Festival 2016
Background information
Birth nameLeonard White III
Born (1949-12-19) December 19, 1949 (age 74)
New York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • bandleader
Instrument(s)Drums, percussion
Years active1968–present
Websitelennywhite.com

Leonard "Lenny" White III (December 19, 1949 - present) is a fusion jazz drummer best known for his innovative contributions to the genre, in which he set musical standards that continue to influence musicians today. Throughout the course of his career, White was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s, and he has played with the likes of Miles Davis and Al Di Meola. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion".

Though most popular in the earlier years of his career, White has received various awards, including three Grammys and one Latin Grammy, and has continued to receive recognition in more recent years. His song Algorithm Takedown won Best Song at the Cannes World Film Festival in 2023.

Early Life

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Early Influences

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Lenny White was born in Queens, New York City into a family that loved jazz. One could even say that White was destined to be a jazz player. Music was an act of communion in the White household; every Sunday was a gathering of friends and family to eat and discuss the best jazz musicians that were out there.

However, White wasn’t exclusively a fan of jazz music. At the time, artists such as the Drifters, James Brown, Marth and the Vandelles, Marvin Gaye, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Frankie Valli, and the genre of Motown, had a large influence on White’s listening history.

Because of this love of music, White originally wanted to be a trumpet player (though, as seen through his career, he eventually learned the drums instead). White was actually first trained to be an artist and illustrator before he became a musician, which influenced him to create music with a visual imagery effect to them.

In a 1978 interview regarding White’s newest album at the time, “The Adventures of Astral Pirates”, it was written that:

White first thought up the images and started putting them to music. This is the way he usually creates. First a story, not written, and the music to fit. It has been a successful method because his albums are consistent top sellers and in his three nights here at Paul's Mall he drew capacity houses. As befits someone with such a pictorial imagination, White trained to be an illustrator and artist long before he turned his major creative energies to music. His science fiction concepts were inspired mainly by movies like "Star Wars" and "Forbidden Planet."

“Astral Pirates” was completely based on a science fiction story that White wrote, proving that a jazz musician could illustrate a science-fiction story full of intergalactic chases and a search for peace just through music.

Education

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White is a self-taught musician, and taught himself how to play his very first drum kit at the tender age of 12. At the time, he dreamt of playing with jazz greats and would write his name alongside theirs on his favorite tracks.

As he continued throughout his schooling, he continued to get better at his craft and played public for the first time at 15 years old. By the time he turned 18, White was a full time student, played gigs at night into the early morning hours, just to get up and go to school again the next day.

Career

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White and Stanley Clarke, 1976

In 1975 White released his debut solo album entitled ‘’Venusian Summer,’’which featured guitarists Al DiMeola and fusion guitar pioneer, Larry Coryell. Big City was released in 1977. During 1978 he released his Space opera inspired The Adventures of Astral Pirates and his third solo album Streamline. He eventually formed the jazz/soul group Twennynine who went on to issue three studio albums, 1979's Best of Friends, Twennynine with Lenny White in 1980, and 1981's Just Like Dreamin'.[1][2]

White then made a guest appearance on Chick Corea's 1982 album Touchstone and produced Chaka Khan's 1982 LP Echoes of an Era. He also co-produced, with EW&F's Maurice White, Pieces of a Dream's 1986 LP Joyride and later released his 1995 album Present Tense.[1][2] White now teaches at NYU Steinhardt where he has an ensemble as well as a lecture class on Bitches Brew called “The Miles Davis Aesthetic.”[3][4]

Bitches’ Brew

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When White was 19 years old, he played with Miles Davis on the fusion jazz record, Bitches' Brew, which gave White the push he needed to continue his passion for music. His name was the third on this record, which was a dream come true for White.

White’s time with Davis inspired him to continue moving forward with his own sense of style. He told the Boston Herald that Miles Davis’ refusal to be limited to the goals record companies had for the record is one of the reasons he follows his own style. It is because of this that White continues to be one of the most innovative jazz musicians. He doesn’t keep himself into a box.

Return to Forever

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In the 1970s, Chick Corea formed a group called “Return to Forever,” a fusion band of rock and jazz. White joined the group in 1972 and released four albums with the group: Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973), When Have I Known You (1974), No Mystery (1975), and Romantic Warrior (1976). The group disbanded one year later, but their influence never left White. He continued to make music with the band in mind, saying the group was “always in the back of my head”.

The band reunited in 2008 and toured over 50 venues. This reunion allowed the group to bring fusion back into the forefront.

Notable Appearances

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In an interview with Titch Davidson on Psychedelic Hippie Music, White said that his goal was always to improve: “I'm always trying to be a better musician. My goals are not confined to my instrument, although I still strive to play what I hear in my head on my instrument, so that should take the rest of my life.” He told Millkowski that the greatest praise he ever received for his playing came from an African man who heard him play at a venue in Paris. The man told him, “When I hear you play, I hear my people.” White added, “I was touched by that. That's the source. And for him to get that, to make that connection, meant a great deal to me.”

Personal life

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White has been a longtime resident of Teaneck, New Jersey.[5] He endorses Vic Firth drum sticks and only plays his own signature epoch cymbals sponsored by Istanbul Agop.[6]

Legacy and Impact

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Throughout all of his musical endeavors, “White has never taken the safe route in creating music; his music has always been slightly off the beaten path, and probably for that reason he has never achieved great commercial success. He says his goal is not to sell large numbers of records; he wants to communicate and educate with his music.”

As of 2023, White has actually been teaching at NYU and the New School. He’s taught some classes on Bitches Brew, a music analysis class, and a class about performing arts across cultures. White says this class of 70 students consists of “an eclectic analysis of music and ethical training for musicians. It’s a real diversified curricula and it's really, really great. I find a lot of instances that I've experienced over the years that we can present that to the students. The other professor is a clarinetist so we're working musicians and it really is a joy to be a part of a class like that”.

White’s goal was to educate with his music, and now, he is an educator at various schools and continues to make an impact on today's musicians.

Awards and Honors

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Grammy Awards

White has earn two sole Grammy Award nominations, while winning a total of three.[7]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1975 No Mystery Best Jazz Performance by a group Won
2010 The Stanley Clarke Band Best Contemporary Jazz Album Won
2011 Forever Best Jazz Instrumental Album Won

Latin Grammy Awards

White has been nominated for and won one Latin Grammy Award.[8]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2011 Forever Best Instrumental Album Won

Cannes World Film Festival 2023

Best Song Winner with Algorithm Takedown [9]

Discography

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As leader/co-leader

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As Return to Forever

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With Chick Corea, Bill Connors and Stanley Clarke

With Chick Corea, Al Di Meola and Stanley Clarke

As Corea, Clarke & White

With Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Jean-Luc Ponty, Frank Gambale

As producer

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As sideman

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References

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  1. ^ a b "All About Jazz: Lenny White biography". allaboutjazz.com. All About Jazz.
  2. ^ a b Yanow, Scott. "Lenny White". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  3. ^ "Fusion Star Lenny White". Modern Drummer Magazine. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  4. ^ "Lenny White". NYU Steinhardt. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  5. ^ Kara Yorio (December 19, 2013). "Teaneck's Lenny White to play four nights at Jazz Standard". The Record. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2016. White, a two-time Grammy winner, is one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion. His first recording gig was with Miles Davis on the groundbreaking "Bitches Brew" album that was released in 1970.
  6. ^ "A Bridge To The Future: A Conversation with Lenny White". New York Jazz Workshop. July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "Lenny White". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
  8. ^ "Lenny White". latingrammy.com. The Latin Recording Academy.
  9. ^ "Cannes World Film Festival - Remember the Future | June 2023 Winners".
  10. ^ a b Introducing Letizia Gambi - Letizia Gambi | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved May 12, 2022
  11. ^ a b "Miles Davis News Introducing Letizia Gambi". October 22, 2012.
  12. ^ a b Micallef, Ken (June 2016). "Letizia Gambi Cross-Cultural Mix" (PDF). Downbeat Magazine: |page=25.
  13. ^ "Witness to History". eddiehenderson.bandcamp.com. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
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