Lawrence Leathers
{{Short description|American drummer (1981–2019)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Lawrence Leathers
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| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1981|11|23}}
| birth_place = Lansing, Michigan, United States
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|06|2|1981|11|23}}
| death_place = New York, New York, U.S.
| origin =
| genre = Jazz
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| instrument = Percussion
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| associated_acts = Cécile McLorin Salvant, Aaron Diehl
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Lawrence "Lo" Leathers (November 23, 1981 – June 2, 2019){{cite web|url=https://www.vibe.com/2019/06/jazz-musician-lawrence-leathers-killed-altercation|title=Grammy-Winning Jazz Musician Killed During Reported Dispute|author=|date=5 June 2019|website=Vibe|accessdate=6 June 2019}} was an American jazz drummer who played on two of Cécile McLorin Salvant's albums that have won Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album.
Biography
Leathers was born in Lansing, Michigan. He began to play professionally at the age of 15 and moved to New York after accepting a place at the Juilliard School.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/06/03/729263193/lawrence-leathers-grammy-winning-jazz-drummer-victim-of-suspected-murder|title=Lawrence Leathers, Grammy-Winning Jazz Drummer, Victim Of Suspected Murder|author=|date=|website=NPR.org|accessdate=6 June 2019}} He is featured on two of Cécile McLorin Salvant's recordings, “For One to Love” (2015) and Dreams and Daggers (2017), both of which won Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/03/nyregion/lawrence-leathers-dead.html|title=Lawrence Leathers, Jazz Drummer on Grammy-Winning Albums, Found Dead After Assault|first1=Giovanni|last1=Russonello|first2=Ali|last2=Watkins|date=3 June 2019|publisher=|accessdate=6 June 2019|via=NYTimes.com}}
Leathers is best known to a global jazz audience for his affiliations with pianist Aaron Diehl. Diehl’s trio includes Paul Sikivie on bass and Leathers on drums. The trio is often fronted with Jazz vocals by Cécile McLorin Salvant.{{cite web|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/05/22/cecile-mclorin-salvants-timeless-jazz|title=Cécile McLorin Salvant’s Timeless Jazz|first=Fred|last=Kaplan|date=15 May 2017|publisher=|accessdate=6 June 2019|via=www.newyorker.com}}
Featured by Capsulocity in 2012,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDx4uQCXu0o|title=Episode 1, Season 14 : Lawrence Leathers on Drums|first=|last=Capsulocity|date=8 September 2012|publisher=|accessdate=6 June 2019|via=YouTube}} he talks about what influences his music before he became a drummer for jazz musicians such as Mulgrew Miller, Wynton Marsalis,{{cite web|url=https://wyntonmarsalis.org/tour/detail/17805|title=Wynton Marsalis in New York|author=|date=|website=wyntonmarsalis.org|accessdate=6 June 2019}} Wycliffe Gordon,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMj2zwcaboI|title="Naima" Wycliffe Gordon with Aaron Diehl, Ben Williams, Lawrence Leathers|first=|last=PopovMedia|date=4 July 2010|publisher=|accessdate=6 June 2019|via=YouTube}} Cyrus Chestnut and Rodney Whitaker.
Death
Leathers was killed during a domestic dispute with his girlfriend Lisa Harris on June 3, 2019, at his home in New York. Harris and Sterling Aguilar were arrested in connection with his death, with allegations that Harris restrained Leathers and Aguilar punched and choked him.{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-jazz-drummer-homicide-chokehold-bronx-20190604-tcjltpobejh2reuuxjni3p2qt4-story.html|title=Duo accused of killing Grammy-winning jazz drummer choked and punched him for 30 minutes: prosecutors|first=Wes Parnell, Kerry Burke, Graham|last=Rayman|website=nydailynews.com|accessdate=7 June 2019}}
References
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Category:Musicians from Lansing, Michigan
Category:American jazz drummers