Instrument masterclass
Drums

Drummer and composer Kendrick Scott kicked off his Blue Note contract four years ago with 'We Are the Drum’. Expertly produced by Derrick Hodge, Scott’s creative confidant and musical brother, and featuring a stunning guest performance by vocalist Lizz Wright, it earned rave reviews and reiterated how Oracle, Scott’s long-running working group, is one of the most thoughtfully powerful jazz bands of its generation. 

As far back as he can recall, Scott, who was born in Houston in 1980, has imbued hig music with deeper meaning. 'Coming up in church,' he says, 'you played music for a message; you played music for a purpose. Oracle lives in that space, no matter what we’re playing.' Like his fellow Houston drum greats Harland and Jamire Williams, Scott grew up with a mother who was an acclaimed gospel choir director. On top of that bedrock, he developed his technique through private mentorship and public jazz education, spurred on by an environment of fierce but brotherly competition. He moved to New York in 2003, and raised his profile performing and recording for Blue Note in trumpeter Terence Blanchard’s band (with future Blue Note artists Hodge, pianist Aaron Parks and guitarist Lionel Loueke).

'I was receiving so much information from Terence on band-leading and writing,' Scott recalls. 'He was saying "take that opportunity and try to lead your own band." I credit him with giving me that kick in the butt.' He debuted as a bandleader with 2006’s The Source, released through his own world culture music label, and in 2009, the New York Times featured him in a piece entitled 'Five drummers whose time is now'. In the ensuing years, his reputation as one of the premier drummer-composers currently in jazz has only grown.