Al Dreares

{{Short description|American jazz drummer}}

Alfred Dreares II (January 4, 1927 – November 17, 2011) was an American jazz drummer.{{cite web |title=Alfred Albert "Al Dreares" Dreares |url=https://www.reddenfuneralhome.net/book-of-memories/1041383/dreares-alfred/service-details.php |publisher=Redden funeral home |access-date=19 August 2021}}

Early life

Dreares was born in Key West, Florida, on January 4, 1927.{{Citation |date=2003 |title=Dreares, Al (fred, II) |publisher= Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press |doi= 10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J129400}} He was a childhood friend of Fats Navarro, and studied at Hartnett Conservatory in New York City on the advice of his father, a trumpeter.{{cite web |last=Chadbourne |first=Eugene |author-link=Eugene Chadbourne |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/al-dreares-mn0001569949 |title=Al Dreares |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=November 30, 2018}}

Later life and career

He played early in his career in the bands of Paul Williams, and with Teddy Charles in 1955. The next year he played with Charles Mingus. In 1957 he recorded with Freddie Redd and worked with Kenny Burrell; 1958 saw him with Gigi Gryce, and 1959 with Phineas Newborn. He also led his own bands from the late 1950s.

Other credits include recordings with Mal Waldron and Julian Euell, and Bennie Green.

Discography

=As sideman=

With Bennie Green

With Freddie McCoy

With Freddie Redd

With Frank Strozier

With Mal Waldron

  • Left Alone (Bethlehem, 1959)
  • Les Nuits de la Negritude (Powertree, 1964){{cite web |title=Mal Waldron Discography |url=https://www.jazzdisco.org/mal-waldron/discography/ |website=jazzdisco.org |access-date=November 30, 2018}}
  • Sweet Love, Bitter (Impulse!, 1967)

With Randy Weston

Main sources:{{cite book |first1=Richard |last1=Cook |author-link=Richard Cook (journalist) |first2=Brian |last2=Morton |author-link2=Brian Morton (Scottish writer) |title=The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD |year=1996 |edition=3rd |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-14-051368-4 |title-link=The Penguin Guide to Jazz }}{{cite book |last1=Cook |first1=Richard |last2=Morton |first2=Brian |title=The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |year=2008 |edition=9th |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-141-03401-0 }}

References