Leo Morris

born on 13/11/1939 in New Orleans, LA, United States
died on 29/7/2014 in Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States
Alias Idris Muhammad
Idris Muhammad
Idris Muhammad (Arabic: إدريس محمد; born Leo Morris; November 13, 1939 – July 29, 2014) was an American jazz drummer who recorded extensively with many musicians, including Ahmad Jamal, Lou Donaldson, Pharoah Sanders, and Tete Montoliu.[1]
Biography
Born Leo Morris in New Orleans, he showed early talent as a percussionist and began his professional career while still a teenager, playing on Fats Domino’s "Blueberry Hill".[2]
He toured with Sam Cooke, and later worked with Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield, mostly working in R&B until the mid-1960s, before going on to work more frequently in jazz.
Muhammad was an endorser of Istanbul Agop Cymbals.[3]
He died aged 74 in 2014.[4]
Personal life
He changed his name to Idris Muhammad in the 1960s upon his conversion to Islam. In 1966, he married Dolores "LaLa" Brooks (former member of the Crystals; she converted to Islam with him and went for a time by the name Sakinah Muhammad). They separated in 1999. Together, they had two sons and two daughters, and he had one daughter from a previous marriage to Gracie Lee Edwards.[4]
Discography
Idris Muhammad is probably best known for his 1974 album Power of Soul, including the track "Loran's Dance", which received considerable airplay on jazz radio stations.
As leader
- 1970: Black Rhythm Revolution! (Prestige)
- 1971: Peace and Rhythm (Prestige)
- 1974: Power of Soul (Kudu)
- 1976: House of the Rising Sun (Kudu)
- 1977: Turn This Mutha Out (Kudu)
- 1978: Boogie to the Top (Kudu)
- 1978: You Ain't No Friend of Mine (Fantasy)
- 1979: Foxhuntin' (Fantasy)
- 1980: Make It Count (Fantasy)
- 1980: Kabsha (Theresa)
- 1992: My Turn (Lipstick)
- 1998: Right Now (Cannonball)
As sideman
With Kamal Abdul-Alim
- Dance (Stash, 1983)
With Nat Adderley
- Calling Out Loud (CTI, 1968)
With Eric Alexander
- Solid! (Milestone, 1998)
With Gene Ammons
- The Black Cat! (Prestige, 1970)
- You Talk That Talk! (Prestige, 1971)
- My Way (Prestige, 1971)
- Got My Own (Prestige, 1972)
- Big Bad Jug (Prestige, 1972)
With George Benson
- Goodies (Verve, 1968)
- Tell It Like It Is (A&M, 1969)
- The Other Side of Abbey Road (A&M, 1969)
With Walter Bishop, Jr.
- Bish Bash (Xanadu, 1968 [1975])
- Coral Keys (Black Jazz, 1971)
With Bobby Broom
- Modern Man (Delmark, 2001)
With Rusty Bryant
- Soul Liberation (Prestige, 1970)
- Fire Eater (Prestige, 1971)
- Wild Fire (Prestige, 1971)
With George Coleman
- Manhattan Panorama (Theresa, 1985)
With Hank Crawford
- Help Me Make it Through the Night (Kudu, 1972)
- Wildflower (Kudu, 1973)
- I Hear a Symphony (Kudu, 1975)
- Tight (Milestone, 1996)
With Paul Desmond
- Summertime (A&M/CTI, 1968)
With Fats Domino
- Blueberry Hill (1965)[2][5]
With Lou Donaldson
- Fried Buzzard (Cadet, 1965)
- Blowing in the Wind (Cadet, 1966)
- Lou Donaldson At His Best (Cadet, 1966)
- Alligator Bogaloo (Blue Note, 1967)
- Mr. Shing-A-Ling (Blue Note, 1967)
- Midnight Creeper (Blue Note, 1968)
- Say It Loud! (Blue Note, 1968)
- Hot Dog (Blue Note, 1969)
- Everything I Play is Funky (Blue Note, 1970)
- Pretty Things (Blue Note, 1970)
- The Scorpion (Blue Note, 1970)
- Cosmos (Blue Note, 1971)
- Sweet Poppa Lou (Muse, 1981)
With Charles Earland
- Black Talk! (Prestige, 1969)
With Grant Green
- Carryin' On (Blue Note, 1969)
- Green Is Beautiful (Blue Note, 1970)
- Alive! (Blue Note, 1970)
- Live at Club Mozambique (Blue Note 2006, recorded 1971)
With Johnny Griffin
- NYC Underground (Galaxy, 1979 [1981])
- To the Ladies (Galaxy, 1979 [1982])
With Roy Hargrove
- Habana (Verve, 1997)
With Benjamin Herman
- Get In (1999)
With John Hicks
- Some Other Time (Theresa, 1981)
- In Concert (Theresa, 1984 [1986])
- Inc. 1 (DIW, 1985)
- I'll Give You Something to Remember Me By (Limetree, 1987)
- Is That So? (Timeless, 1991)
With Andrew Hill
- Grass Roots (Blue Note, 1968)
- Shippin' Out (Muse, 1978)
With Freddie Hubbard
- New Colors (Hip Bop Essence, 2001)
With Bobbi Humphrey
- Flute In (Blue Note, 1971)
With Willis Jackson
- Bar Wars (Muse, 1977)
With Ahmad Jamal
- The Essence Part One (Birdology, 1995)
- Big Byrd: The Essence Part 2 (Birdology, 1995)
- Nature: The Essence Part Three (Birdology, 1997)
- Picture Perfect (Birdology, 2000)
- Ahmad Jamal 70th Birthday (2000)
- In Search of Momentum (Dreyfus, 2002)
- After Fajr (Dreyfus, 2005)
- It's Magic (Dreyfus, 2008)
- The Essence Part One (Birdology, 1995)
With Bob James
- Touchdown (Tappan Zee, 1978)
With J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding
- Betwixt & Between (A&M/CTI, 1969)
With Etta Jones
- My Mother's Eyes (Muse, 1977)
- If You Could See Me Now (Muse, 1978)
With Rodney Jones
- Soul Manifesto (1991)
With Keystone Trio
- Heart Beats (1995)[6]
- Newklear Music (1997)[7]
With Charles Kynard
- Wa-Tu-Wa-Zui (Beautiful People) (Prestige, 1970)
With Joe Lovano
- Friendly Fire (Blue Note, 1998)
- Flights of Fancy: Trio Fascination Edition Two (Blue Note, 2000)
With Johnny Lytle
- Fast Hands (Muse, 1980)
- Good Vibes (Muse, 1982)
With Harold Mabern
- Workin' & Wailin' (Prestige, 1969)
- Greasy Kid Stuff! (Prestige, 1970)
With Jimmy McGriff
- City Lights (JAM, 1981)
- With Tete Montoliu
- Catalonian Rhapsody (Alfa, 1992)
With Tisziji Munoz
- Visiting This Planet (Anami Music, ?)
- Hearing Voices (Anami Music, ?)
- Concrete Jungle (Prestige, 1978)
- Keep the Dream Alive (Prestige, 1978)
With Don Patterson
- Why Not... (Muse, 1978)
With Houston Person
- Person to Person! (Prestige, 1970)
- The Real Thing (Eastbound, 1973)
- Wild Flower (Muse, 1977)
With Ernest Ranglin
- Below the Bassline (Island, 1998)
With Roots
- Stablemates (In+Out Records, 1993)
With Pharoah Sanders
- Jewels of Thought (Impulse!, 1969)
- Journey to the One (Theresa, 1980)
- Pharoah Sanders Live... (Theresa, 1982)
- Heart is a Melody (Theresa, 1982)
- Shukuru (Theresa, 1985)
- Africa (Timeless, 1987)
With John Scofield
- Groove Elation (Blue Note, 1995)
With Shirley Scott
- Lean on Me (Cadet, 1972)
With Lonnie Smith
- Turning Point (Blue Note, 1969)
With Melvin Sparks
- Sparks! (Prestige, 1970)
- Spark Plug (Prestige, 1971)
- Akilah! (Prestige, 1972)
With Leon Spencer
- Sneak Preview! (Prestige, 1970)
- Louisiana Slim (Prestige, 1971)
- Bad Walking Woman (Prestige, 1972)
- Where I'm Coming From (Prestige, 1972)
With Bob Stewart
- First Line (JMT, 1988)
With Sonny Stitt
- Turn It On! (Prestige, 1971)
- Black Vibrations (Prestige, 1971)
- Goin' Down Slow (Prestige, 1972)
With Gábor Szabó
- Macho (Salvation, 1975)
With Stanley Turrentine
- Common Touch (Blue Note, 1968)
- The Man with the Sad Face (Fantasy, 1976)
With Randy Weston
- Portraits of Duke Ellington (Verve, 1989)
- Portraits of Thelonious Monk (Verve, 1989)
- Self Portraits (Verve, 1989)
- Spirits of Our Ancestors (Verve, 1991)
With Reuben Wilson
- Love Bug (Blue Note, 1969)
With Roberto Magris
- Mating Call (JMood, 2010)
Sampled
- Beastie Boys, Paul's Boutique, "To All The Girls" (Capitol Records, 1989)[8]
- Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory, "Vibes and Stuff" (Jive Records, 1991)
- Chrome Sparks, Sparks EP, "Marijuana" (Future Classic, 2013)
- Jamie XX, In Colour, "Loud Places" (Young Turks, 2015)
References
- ^ Idris Muhammad at AllMusic
- ^ a b Morton, Brian (August 8, 2014). "Idris Muhammad: New Orleans jazz drummer who played as a teenager on Fats Domino's hit single 'Blueberry Hill'". The Independent.
- ^ "Istanbul Agop 22" Signature Idris Muhammad Ride Cymbal", Memphis Drum Shop.
- ^ a b Chinen, Nate (August 8, 2014). "Idris Muhammad, Drummer Whose Beat Still Echoes, Dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
This article uses material from the article Idris Muhammad from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.