Jim Black

Drummer and percussionist Jim Black has become one of the most in-demand drummers in avant-garde jazz and experimental rock since emerging as a key member of the New York downtown scene during the '90s. After growing up in Seattle, he moved to Boston to attend Berklee and began performing and recording with <a href="spotify:artist:2oAZvrX19EDpXKtl4aaJKB">Human Feel</a>, which also included guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:253GMpCNwx1TJtASNAeDoP">Kurt Rosenwinkel</a> and reedmen <a href="spotify:artist:2KTHYtycTGrBi1xcLaQ2AO">Chris Speed</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0vWMfxYwONzDi2ae2ihZaZ">Andrew D'Angelo</a>. In 1991 Black moved from Boston to New York City (as did many others who would become prominent in the N.Y.C. avant jazz world). He became a member of Tim Berne's Bloodcount, <a href="spotify:artist:1yxHAjURnLKYfERXDVxFKa">Dave Douglas' Tiny Bell Trio</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:79CKjkgIoXOZB6Hwzg5vrz">the Ellery Eskelin Trio</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6EJkzOmuZSKJBszUJsFgXO">Pachora</a>. In addition to his regular performances and recordings in these groups, Black also played with <a href="spotify:artist:2CH9bD5RtnDcm9O23JByN7">Ben Monder</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3iPiojms0LEjBg8RqKuChh">Ned Rothenberg</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2ZItrk42Q5bfxMqk3l565z">Stephane Furic</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:35fZivtiaWTLzphTDaWnrf">Dave Binney</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6v0d6b30Aw6lK4AtZuOElo">Cuong Vu</a>, and many others. Black developed a multi-tasking approach to drumming with a constant flow incorporating various objects from bells to bowls to hand drums, wowing countless live audiences and helped to bring a new generation of listeners to jazz and improvised music.

As the 2000s began, Black surprised some of his jazz fans with the establishment of his rock-inclined AlasNoAxis quartet, also featuring longtime collaborator <a href="spotify:artist:2KTHYtycTGrBi1xcLaQ2AO">Speed</a> on tenor sax and clarinet, <a href="spotify:artist:78kBVKyMQy7r9mEul6sXoh">Skuli Sverrisson</a> on bass, and <a href="spotify:artist:37X7xED7KUb9gHjqbh8PJy">Hilmar Jensson</a> on guitar. Black proved as innovative as ever as a bandleader, this time exploring post-rock/experimental directions while continuing to draw from his background in avant jazz. Seemingly balancing influences from Seattle and Icelandic rock with Brooklyn jazz, the AlasNoAxis quartet blended harsh textures and a disarming melodicism, while always emphasizing Black's assertive and often skewed rhythmic foundation. Over the next decade, AlasNoAxis would release five innovative albums, all on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Winter+%26+Winter%22">Winter & Winter</a> label.

Meanwhile, Black remained a key member of a number of other working groups, most prominently Chris Speed's yeah NO, <a href="spotify:artist:79CKjkgIoXOZB6Hwzg5vrz">the Ellery Eskelin Trio</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2JY6hLV0En9MX9j1ijVCfV">Hilmar Jensson's Tyft</a>, and the Satoko Fujii Four, not to mention a reunited <a href="spotify:artist:2oAZvrX19EDpXKtl4aaJKB">Human Feel</a>, who released a new album in 2007 on <a href="spotify:artist:2KTHYtycTGrBi1xcLaQ2AO">Speed</a>'s <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Skirl+Records%22">Skirl Records</a> label. One of Black's higher-profile gigs was as drummer for <a href="spotify:artist:5hqB3Fxgin9YGYa0mIGf1G">Laurie Anderson</a>'s touring band (which also included bassist <a href="spotify:artist:78kBVKyMQy7r9mEul6sXoh">Sverrisson</a>). In the coming decade, Black would remain active, releasing a live collaboration between himself, <a href="spotify:artist:3baP5PZgTo4ebHlFXoWtUk">Tim Berne</a>, and guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:3s6o8vxtYJ1utkWl8EXxUp">Nels Cline</a> (under the name BB&C) in 2011 called The Veil. Two years later he delivered AlasNoAxis' sixth album, Antiheroes, and played on <a href="spotify:artist:1l10UPSXfbHFvNnDN7kgbA">Uri Caine</a>'s adaptation of <a href="spotify:artist:1YuknfkSYTTbolRpwZBOv4">Gershwin</a>'s Rhapsody in Blue. In 2015, he joined pianist <a href="spotify:artist:3Noi5BtszygxpaGkmvSNGv">Kris Davis</a>' <a href="spotify:artist:31OIBnhLR1H8wEX7h66mwp">Infrasound</a> octet to record the album Save Your Breath. ~ Joslyn Layne & Dave Lynch, Rovi