Roy McCurdy (born November 28, 1936) is a jazz drummer.
Early life
McCurdy began playing drums around the age of 10 in his hometown of Rochester and took lessons from Eastman percussionist Bill Street as a teenager. He spent three years in the Air Force before returning to Rochester to begin his career.
Career
Before joining Cannonball Adderley's Quintet in 1965 and staying with the band until Adderley's death in 1975, he had played with
Chuck Mangione and
Gap Mangione in the Jazz Brothers (1960–1961), as well as with
Bobby Timmons,
Betty Carter and
Sonny Rollins (1963–1964), appearing on the classic 1963 album
Sonny Meets Hawk!
He attended the Eastman School of Music from sixteen to eighteen, during which time he also played professionally with Roy Eldridge and with Eddie Vinson at seventeen. In 1960 he joined the Art Farmer – Benny Golson Jazztet and remained for two years.
Among the influences he cites Louie Bellson, Shelly Manne, Sam Woodyard, Buddy Rich, Jo Jones, Philly Joe Jones and the bands of Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford and Lionel Hampton.
He has also played and/or recorded with Count Basie, Wes Montgomery, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Joe Williams, Herbie Hancock, Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell, Art Pepper, and the jazz rock group Blood, Sweat and Tears, etc.
He appears on the classic 1983 recording Jackson, Johnson, Brown & Company featuring Milt Jackson on vibes, J. J. Johnson on trombone, Ray Brown on bass, Tom Ranier on piano, and John Collins on guitar.
As of 2010, McCurdy is an adjunct professor in the Jazz Studies Department of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.
Discography
As sideman
With Gap Mangione and Chuck Mangione, The Jazz Brothers
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The Jazz Brothers (Riverside, 1960)
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Hey Baby (Riverside, 1961)
With Cannonball Adderley
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Money in the Pocket (Capitol, 1966 2005)
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Great Love Themes (Capitol, 1966)
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Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at 'The Club' (Capitol, 1966)
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Cannonball in Japan (Capitol, 1966)
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Swingin' In Seattle, Live At The Penthouse (Reel to Real, 1966-67 2019)
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Radio Nights (Night, 1967-68 1991)
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74 Miles Away (Capitol, 1967)
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Why Am I Treated So Bad! (Capitol, 1967)
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In Person (Capitol, 1968)
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Country Preacher (Capitol, 1969)
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The Cannonball Adderley Quintet & Orchestra (Capitol, 1970)
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Love, Sex, and the Zodiac (Fantasy, 1970 1974)
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The Price You Got to Pay to Be Free (Capitol, 1970)
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The Happy People (Capitol, 1970 1972)
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The Black Messiah (Capitol, 1970)
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Music You All (Capitol, 1970 1976)
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Inside Straight (Fantasy, 1973)
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Pyramid (Fantasy, 1974)
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Phenix (Fantasy, 1975)
With Nat Adderley
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Sayin' Somethin' (Atlantic, 1966)
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Live at Memory Lane (Atlantic, 1966)
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The Scavenger (Milestone, 1968)
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Soul Zodiac (Capitol, 1972)
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Soul of the Bible (Capitol, 1972)
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Double Exposure (Capitol, 1974)
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A Little New York Midtown Music (Galaxy, 1979)
With Gene Ammons
With Count Basie
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Mostly Blues...and Some Others (Pablo, 1983)
With Benny Carter
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Benny Carter Songbook (MusicMasters, 1996)
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Benny Carter Songbook Volume II (MusicMasters, 1997)
With Betty Carter
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Inside Betty Carter (United Artists, 1964)
With Art Farmer
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Perception (Argo, 1961)
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Here and Now (Mercury, 1962) – with Benny Golson
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Another Git Together (Mercury, 1962) – with Benny Golson
With Benny Golson
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California Message (Baystate, 1981) with Curtis Fuller
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One More Mem'ry (Baystate, 1982) with Curtis Fuller
With Herbie Mann and Tamiko Jones
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A Mann & A Woman (Atlantic, 1966)
With Mark Murphy
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Bop for Kerouac (Muse, 1981)
With Kenny Rankin
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After the Roses (Atlantic, 1980)
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Professional Dreamer (Private Music, 1995)
With Shorty Rogers and Bud Shank
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Yesterday, Today and Forever (Concord Jazz, 1983)
With Sonny Rollins
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Sonny Meets Hawk! (RCA Victor, 1963)
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Now's the Time (RCA Victor, 1964)
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Nucleus (Milestone, 1975)
With Bobby Timmons
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Sweet and Soulful Sounds (Riverside, 1963)
With Eddie Vinson
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I Want a Little Girl (Pablo, 1981)
With Joe Williams
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Joe Williams Live (Fantasy, 1973)
With Michael Wolff
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Portraiture, The Blues Period (Fuel 2000 FLD-1004, 1997)
- With Betty Bennett
External links
