After working this week with students, the well-traveled 79-year-old master drummer will perform with the MSU Jazz Orchestra at The Alluvion in Traverse City. Learn more about this jazz mainstay.
Harvey Mason: Still loving, and playing, all manner of music. (Courtesy Photo)
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You may not have heard of Harvey Mason, but you’ve almost certainly heard him.
The versatile drummer has played with some of the biggest names in jazz, pop and soul while also working on jingles, film scores and as first-call drummer with the Academy Awards orchestra.
Yet he still gives back.
Mason will perform with the Michigan State University Jazz Orchestra at The Alluvion in Traverse City on Saturday (March 14), the latest in an ongoing series of shows with college bands. The 7:30 p.m. Saturday show is sold out.
It’s more than just a gig as he works with the students for a week or so, passing on the knowledge and experience he’s gained over six decades of performing and studying.
It’s also a good time for the students, the audience and himself. “I like playing with big bands,” said the all-world drummer.
Of course, the well-traveled musician could say the same about playing in a straight-ahead jazz trio, a pop group, a contemporary jazz group or a funk outfit. The 79-year-old master drummer has pretty much played it all during his six decades in music. He boasts a dizzying list of credits, from A (Greg Adams) to Z (Atilla Zoller), and everything in between.
As it stands, his website cites more than 300 artists he’s performed with, not including the movie soundtracks, TV music and performing with the Academy Awards Orchestra.
He developed that versatility by taking on all manner of projects and always putting the music ahead of any personal glory. “The key is I love all music. I play for the songs, with love and authenticity,” he said.
Mason started his music studies on piano before getting his first drum kit at 14. After high school, he spent time gigging so he could attend Berklee College of Music. After a year-and-a-half at Berklee, he transferred to the New England Conservatory of Music on a full scholarship, studying performance, composing and arranging.
From there it was on to work, first with Errol Garner, then George Shearing. Steady work in the studios in Los Angeles followed, from jingles to contributing to hits by Earth, Wind & Fire, Brecker Brothers, George Benson, future bandmates Bob James and Lee Ritenour, and scores of others.
Mason: He’s played with many jazz greats. (Courtesy Photo)
He may be best known for his tenure in two contemporary jazz groups. He joined Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, where he co-wrote the smash “Chameleon” with Hancock and fellow Headhunters Benny Maupin Jr. and Paul Jackson. His steady, inventive drumwork helped propel the band, and its debut album became a best-seller, with “Chameleon” considered a jazz/funk standard. (Scroll down to watch a video of “Chameleon.”)
He also co-founded contemporary jazz titans Fourplay alongside James, Ritenour and bassist Nathan East. That group remained at the top of the smooth jazz food chain for a quarter-century.
Mason holds the band and its members in high esteem. The group played at Interlochen in 1996, during the tenure of guitarist Larry Carlton, the second of the quartet’s three guitarists. “I don’t think I ever heard him make a mistake. He was a fantastic bandmate.”
He credits Carlton’s predecessor, Lee Ritenour, with creating beautiful sounds and color. And the group’s final guitarist, the late Chuck Loeb, rescued the band, according to Mason. “He brought a new fresh energy. He loved the band.”
His rhythm partner, bassist and occasional vocalist Nathan East, kept the bottom end and kept things moving. And he still performs occasionally with his close friend Bob James, including a recent run of shows in Europe where the two teamed up with German trumpet player Till Brönner.
The decision to keep Fourplay a quartet was deliberate. “We said, ‘No sax.’ Every band had a sax,” he said with a laugh. They didn’t hold fast to that decision, however, as their riend Kirk Whalum joined the band on occasion, particularly when he filled in for an ill Loeb prior to Loeb’s passing in 2017.
Along the way, Mason has found time to contribute to literally hundreds of albums, from pop projects by the likes of Christina Aguilera and rock music with Santana to R&B with Anita Baker, funk with James Brown, art rock with Peter Gabriel, hip hop with The Notorious B.I.G. – the list goes on and on and on.
Call him Mr. Versatility. He agrees with that sobriquet. “That’s the key” to his longevity, he conceded.
In addition to time with Duke Ellington, he continues to work with a number of college outfits, such as his upcoming stint with the MSU Jazz Orchestra. He’ll spend the week on campus, speaking, teaching, working and performing with the students.
“It’s different now,” he said of the jazz scene in general and big bands in particular. “The kids keep it alive. They’re aware of what came before.”
Today, Mason continues to record and perform with his own groups, with friends and with up-and-coming players like those at MSU. He spent three weeks in Copenhagen, Denmark before flying back to the United States.
“I enjoy traveling, making friends and playing new music,” he said.
VIDEO: Harvey Mason Playing “Chameleon”
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