Lawrence Leathers
Lawrence Leathers | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 23, 1981 Lansing, Michigan, United States |
| 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
Leathers was born in Lansing, Michigan. He began to play professionally at the age of 15, and moving 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
Leathers was killed during a domestic dispute with his girlfriend Lisa Harris on June 3, 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
- ^ "Grammy-Winning Jazz Musician Killed During Reported Dispute". Vibe. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ a b c "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.
- ^ a b 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.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)