Drummer Andrew Cyrille (b. 1939) is a true veteran – and not just because of his age. He was very active on the New York jazz scene in the early 1960s, working with Nellie Lutcher, Coleman Hawkins, Illinois Jacquet and Roland Kirk. In 1965 he joined the trio of legendary free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor, with whom he stayed for ten years. Cyrille’s melodic drumming made him highly suitable as an accompanist for dance and theater performances. Like fellow drummer Sunny Murray, Cyrille drives the beat tremendously without using much force. The News (2021) on the renowned ECM label is a recent gem on which he collaborated with guitarist Bill Frisell. In the title piece of that album, Cyrille actually uses brushes on newspaper to make his snare drum whisper. The News builds on the album The Declaration Of Musical Independence (2016) and it proves he’s still mining a rich vein of form.
