Harvey_Mason

Harvey Mason

Harvey Mason

American drummer

For his son, see Harvey Mason Jr.

Harvey William Mason (born February 22, 1947)[1] is an American jazz drummer, record producer, and member of the band Fourplay. He was the original drummer for Herbie Hancock’s band The Headhunters.

Quick Facts Background information, Birth name ...
Mason performing

Life and career

Mason was born and grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States,[1] and attended Atlantic City High School.[2] He began playing drums at the age of four with the support of his father, a drummer in the army band.[3]

He was the original drummer for The Headhunters, the jazz fusion band led by Herbie Hancock. After leaving Headhunters in the early 1970s, Mason co-founded the jazz quartet Fourplay.[4] They are on an indefinite hiatus as of 2017. Mason has played as a Sideman with Bill Withers, George Benson and Lee Ritenour.

Mason, who attended Berklee for a year and a half in the 1960s eventually transferred to New England Conservatory where he studied with Vic Firth. Mason received an Honorary Doctorate at Berklee's 2015 Commencement Ceremony for his achievement and influence in music and for his enduring contributions to American and international culture.[5]

Equipment

Mason endorses Canopus drums,[6] Murat Diril cymbals,[7] Remo drumheads, DW pedals, and Vic Firth drumsticks.[8] Mason has his own Vic Firth Harvey Mason signature drumstick[8] and Vic Firth Harvey Mason Chameleon signature drumstick.[8]

Discography

As leader

More information Title, Label ...

With Fourplay

More information Title, Label ...

As sideman

References

  1. [1]
    Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1637. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. [2]
    Jackson, Vincent. "AC native Harvey Mason moves to the beat of his drum; Native son returns to Atlantic City Saturday to perform his own music", The Press of Atlantic City, June 23, 2015. Accessed August 8, 2018. "'It was a one-of-a-kind kind of situation, and unfortunately, it doesn't exist that way, but I was very, very fortunate,' said Mason, who began playing drums professionally during the 1960s while attending Atlantic City High School."
  3. [3]
    Feather, Leonard (1987). The encyclopedia of jazz in the seventies. New York: Da Capo Press. pp. 234–235. ISBN 978-0-306-80290-4.
  4. [4]
    "Fourplay Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  5. [5]
    "Harvey Mason to Receive Honorary Degree at Berklee Commencement". Modern Drummer Magazine. April 16, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  6. [6]
    "Harvey Mason Profile". Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  7. [7]
    "Harvey Mason: Murat Diril Cymbals". muratdiril.com. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  8. [8]
    "Artists". Vic Firth. June 20, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
Stub icon 1 Stub icon 2

This article on a United States drummer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article on an American jazz drummer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Harvey_Mason, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.