Gavin Harrison
As a musician, it pays to be multi-faceted, keeping several balls up in the air at once. Ergo, should one of those balls fall, you still have others in the air. It is certainly wise in planning for the unknown zone-the future. Gavin Harrison, a highly respected British drummer is a good example of one who has kept different balls in the air, as we will come to see.
Gavin was born in Harrow, North London, May 28, 1963. Along with the scent of fresh bread baking in the oven in the Harrison home, the air was saturated with the sounds of jazz. His dad had collected lots of jazz albums and from a very young age, Gavin loved to listen to them. The music so affected him that he began to visualize the possibility of someday being a drummer himself. And, why not–his dad, Bobby, was an accomplished jazz trumpet player and part-time drummer.
At the age of six years old, Gavin picked up his sticks and began his drumming career. He had the advantage, at eleven years old, of learning the rudiments of reading and writing music as well as the basics techniques of the beginners’ drumming through Joe Hodson, who was a show drummer. By the time he was sixteen years old, he left school and began playing professionally. Dave Cutler, Berklee alumni, also contributed to Gavin’s learning in his teen years. Those who invested time in helping train him on the drums did such a good job that he was able to take the reigns of his own learning and would, from then on, be self-taught.
Gavin became a member of the prog rock band “Renaissance,” and at nineteen years old, was crisscrossing America, touring for the first time. In 1986, he went on a world tour with “Iggy Pop.” Many drummers do a lot of session work and Gavin was no exception, continuing to keep busy. He has worked hard and to his credit, has been part of more than sixty-five recordings involving the names of many well-known entertainers and bands. He has traveled in excess of thirty world tours with such names as, Italian pop star Claudio Baglioni, Lisa Stansfield and so many more.
In the 80′s, he was busy recording albums for Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin. He hooked up with the British funk band “Incognito” in the 90′s and was the drummer on their most celebrated album. In 1998, he received much applause for the recording and release of his first solo album titled “Sanity & Gravity.”
His craft has taken him from London to America, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Italy (which he favored), and many other European countries. One time in his career, in the Olympic Stadium in Rome, he played for Baglioni before 92,000 people. As a musician, it can’t get much better than that! With as many tours that he has been part of in his career, it is safe to assume he loves to travel.
Gavin said, “I had been a session drummer all my career and it was time I did the band thing.” The year 2002 brought that opportunity when he was asked to join the British progressive rock band “Porcupine Tree.” In 2007, He was asked to be a member of the band, “King Crimson.” He now sits as a drummer in both bands.
An author, too? Yep-and a successfully recognized one. His educational books and DVD’s address the intricacies of certain aspects in drumming, that it is said, some of the biggest drummers in the business don’t get it. Others say he is very adept at breaking down the various concepts in such a way that makes them easy to grasp and practice. He has also been credited for actually taking concepts incredibly beyond their original genesis.
The 2007 and 2008 “Modern Drummer” readers’ poll for “Best Progressive Drummer of the Year” was awarded to Gavin Harrison. “Modern Drummer” has featured Gavin in the January 2009 issue.
He’s keeping all those balls in the air: Musician-Drumming, songwriting, touring, session work, member of two bands, recording, producing, book writing, teaching, DVD productions…take a breath! Hopefully his arms won’t get too tired.
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