Past Events
April 26, 2007 - Al Harewood

On the evening of April 26, 2007, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem Executive Director Loren Schoenberg engaged guest Al Harewood in a wide-ranging discussion, held at The Museum of The Coty Of New York.

Harewood discussed his early years as a tap dancer affiliated with Bill “Bojangles” Robinson's school of dance. His older brother, Eustace was the first drummer in the Harewood household. But Eustace was drafted into the Second World War and left the house drums unoccupied. After contracting pneumonia as a child, at the Army physical the younger Harewood was declared unfit for military duty. This was the beginning of a fine and illustrious career-to-be as a jazz drummer.

While working at a munitions armory during the war, Harewood taught himself the drums and developed an aptitude for playing the traps with fiery swing. His brother, surprised by his younger brother's ability and growing potential as a drummer when he returned home after the war, started recommending the prodigy for club dates around New York. Harewood quickly became an expert at feeding and supporting each soloist while never getting in the way of a horn player's melodic development.

It was at the Putnam Central Club that JJ Johnson first heard Harewood and asked him to join the two-trombone group JJ had with Kai Winding. Harewood was especially influenced by Art Blakey at this time, particularly Blakey’s cymbal work. On one occasion when Blakey was late for a Charlie Parker gig, Harewood happened to be on the scene and stepped in to play, and amazed Bird.

After Johnson's group broke up, Harewood became part of the rhythmic foundation for such jazz luminaries as Stan Getz, Carmen McRae, Mary Lou Williams, the Curtis Fuller-Benny Golson Sextet, Stanley Turrentine, Shirley Scott and Grant Green, to name a few. The great drummer's performances also range from the Newport Festival All-Stars to new jazz premiers and classical works by David Amram with the Brooklyn Philharmonic. He also became an adjunct instructor at the Livingston College of Music at Rutgers University, where he taught drums and percussion.