Dennis Chambers: Roots & Grooves

Ask any musician for a list of the greatest living drummers, and the name Dennis Chambers is sure to be near the top of the list. Innumerable recording and performing credits in the worlds of R&B, jazz, fusion, and rock crowd his résumé, with artists including Parliament/Funkadelic, Santana, Maceo Parker, John Scofield, The Brecker Brothers, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Steely Dan, George Duke, Kenny Garrett, Stanley Clarke, Mike Stern, and others.

Superlatives like “incredible”, “unbelievable”, and “amazing” are freely thrown around in reviews and music publications when talking about Chambers’ inimitable playing, and he is that rare artist whose astounding technique and speed are balanced by an unshakable groove and musical sensitivity that very few possess. The mere mention of his name in music circles elicits an attitude of reverence and deep respect, and like other percussionists who have existed in that rarefied air, the self-taught Baltimore native started young – first picking up the sticks at four and performing in local clubs by age six. Soul legend James Brown heard Chambers at a Baltimore club when he was only 13 and offered him a job in his band, which never came to pass – not because he lacked the ability, but because Brown wouldn't pay for a tutor and Chambers' mother refused to let her son work on the road without continuing his education. The mind reels at the thought of a drummer that young having the talent to drive the most famous R&B band of all time. 

Chambers joined George Clinton’s funk juggernaut Parliament/Funkadelic in 1978 at age 18 – the hugely influential collective including saxophonist Maceo Parker that married R&B, rock, and soul with a bitingly satirical edge, political and social conscience, and elaborate themes of Afrofuturism as pioneered by jazz iconoclast Sun Ra. P-Funk was Chambers' musical home for seven years, as documented om the 1979 album Gloryhallastoopid along with Funkadelic release Uncle Jam Wants You and Never Buy Texas From a Cowboy credited to Clinton's Brides of Funkenstein offshoot project.

The drummer has maintained a musical connection to Parker, appearing on the saxophonist’s triumphant 2007 release Roots & Grooves featuring the WDR Big Band, and he toured with Parker again in the 2010s, appearing with him and his super-powered funk band during their four-night New Years engagement at the SFJAZZ Center in December of 2015.

The pioneering hip-hop record label Sugar Hill made Chambers their “house drummer” in 1981, enlisting the then 22-year-old to perform uncredited on many releases, and from the mid-80s on, the drummer worked extensively with guitarist John Scofield, appearing on his acclaimed early albums Loud Jazz, Blue Matter, and Pick Hits: Live. 

From there, Chambers became one of the most recorded session musicians in New York, appearing on over 200 records and releasing multiple albums under his own name. Since the 1990s, he's been part of a succession of notable trios – The Free Spirits, a renowned modern jazz unit with guitarist John McLaughlin and organist Joey DeFrancesco, Niacin, a powerful rock-meets-jazz project featuring bassist Billy Sheehan and organist John Novello, the fusion supergroup DB III featuring guitarist Dean Brown and bass icon Will Lee, HBC with guitarist Scott Henderson and bassist Jeff Berlin, and CAB with organist Brian Auguer, guitarist Tony MacAlpine, and bassist Bunny Brunel - a longstanding band with which Chambers received a 2000 GRAMMY nomination for their album CAB2.

Chambers had one of his highest profile gigs in recent years as a member of Santana, with which he recorded and toured from 2002 to 2013, appearing on Shaman (2002), All That I Am (2005), Hymns for Peace (2007), Guitar Heaven (2010), and Corazón (2014).

These dates with the Dynamic Miss Faye Carol are a rare opportunity to see one of the world's best instrumentalists in such an intimate setting, a true master of groove.

The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol and her trio with guest Dennis Chambers performs Thursday and Friday, 3/6-7 in the Joe Henderson Lab. Tickets and more information are available here.