Lawrence Leathers
Lawrence Leathers | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 23, 1981 |
| Died | June 2, 2019 (aged 37) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Instrument | Percussion |
Lawrence "Lo" Leathers (November 23, 1981 – June 2, 2019)[1] was an American jazz drummer.
Biography
[edit]Leathers was born in Lansing, Michigan. He began to play professionally at the age of 15, and moved to New York after being accepted at the Juilliard School.[2]
In a 2012 interview with Capsulocity,[3] he noted how early influences from his Michigan childhood led to his becoming a drummer for jazz musicians such as Mulgrew Miller, Wynton Marsalis,[4] Wycliffe Gordon,[5] Cyrus Chestnut and Rodney Whitaker.
Highly in demand as a sideman in NYC, he was featured on nearly 300 concerts at Smalls Jazz Club in the decade leading up to his death, including performances with Ian Hendrickson-Smith, Kirk Lightsey, Sullivan Fortner, Spencer Murphy, Steve Nelson, Philip Harper, Dominick Farinacci, Ryan Kisor, and Johnny O'Neal, as well as a great many gigs as a leader.
He is best known to a global jazz audience for projects stemming from his affiliation with pianist Aaron Diehl,[2] which included includes Leathers on drums alongside bassist Paul Sikivie, and frequently featured vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant.[6] He played drums on Salvant's albums, For One to Love (2015) and Dreams and Daggers (2017), both of which won Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album,[7] and appears posthumously on her 2023 release Melusine.
Death
[edit]Leathers was killed during a domestic dispute with his girlfriend Lisa Harris on June 2, 2019, at his home in The Bronx, New York.[2] Harris and Sterling Aguilar were arrested in connection with his death, with allegations that Harris restrained Leathers and Aguilar punched and choked him.[7][8]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Grammy-Winning Jazz Musician Killed During Reported Dispute". Vibe. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- 1 2 3 "Lawrence Leathers, Grammy-Winning Jazz Drummer, Victim Of Suspected Murder". NPR.org. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ↑ Capsulocity (8 September 2012). "Episode 1, Season 14 : Lawrence Leathers on Drums". Retrieved 6 June 2019 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Wynton Marsalis in New York". wyntonmarsalis.org. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ↑ PopovMedia (4 July 2010). ""Naima" Wycliffe Gordon with Aaron Diehl, Ben Williams, Lawrence Leathers". Retrieved 6 June 2019 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Kaplan, Fred (15 May 2017). "Cécile McLorin Salvant's Timeless Jazz". Retrieved 6 June 2019 – via www.newyorker.com.
- 1 2 Russonello, Giovanni; Watkins, Ali (3 June 2019). "Lawrence Leathers, Jazz Drummer on Grammy-Winning Albums, Found Dead After Assault". Retrieved 6 June 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
- ↑ Rayman, Wes Parnell, Kerry Burke, Graham. "Duo accused of killing Grammy-winning jazz drummer choked and punched him for 30 minutes: prosecutors". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
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