Environmental Rhythms Drum Circles

Daniel Ray a/k/a Big Black was born in Georgia. He is a self-taught hand drummer and singer-songwriter. As a teenager he played in clubs in Miami and in the Bahamas at Nassau's Junkanoo Club.

In the sixties he moved to New York City where he played with Hugh Masekela, Randy Weston, Freddie Hubbard, Thelonious Monk, Eric Dolphy, and was Dizzy Gillespie's bebop drummer. Over the years he has appeared at the Monterey Pop and Jazz Festivals, Boston Pops, New Morning Clubs in Paris and Geneva, etc.
He signed with UNI/MCA - and wrote and recorded “Message to our Ancestors,” (’67) “Elements of Now,” (’68) “Lion Walk,” (’68) “Big Black & the Blues (72). He also played on the jazz collector’s essential album “Night of the Cookers”.

He has also appeared on the stage and in films as a character actor as well as appearing as himself in "Soul Power" & "A Night in Havana" and "When We Were Kings" while Mohmmad Ali's personal drummer.
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NOTE: DANIEL RAY A/K/A BIG BLACK IS REVIEWED IN THE SECOND PARAGRAPH OF THIS 1965 MONTERY JAZZ FEASTIVAL ALBUM ALL MUSIC REVIEW BY JEFF TAMAKIN.

REVIEW OF ALBUM - MONTEREY JAZZ '65"
DIZZY AND FIRENDS AT THE MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL"

AllMusic Record Review by Jeff Tamarkin
Dizzy Gillespie was a regular at the Monterey Jazz Festival, but the audience at the 1965 edition was witness to one very special performance. By this time Gillespie and the core members of his current band had already been together for a few years, and while they had jelled to a point that all bands hope to reach, where their interactions become wholly intuitive, they were also open to new innovation. From the first notes of "Trinidad, Goodbye," written by pianist Kenny Barron, the Gillespie group is locked into high gear, with the bandmembers feeding off one another's cues swiftly and creatively. Gillespie's trumpet plays tag with James Moody's blistering saxophone, and Barron keeps the sprightly melody moving atop the proceedings. "A Night in Tunisia," a highlight of any Gillespie set, is modernistic in its funky rhythm, Moody (on flute here), bassist Christopher White, and drummer Rudy Collins opening things up wide enough for Diz to jump in and take over, which he does in a freewheeling, jovial way. Over the course of its nearly 11 minutes, everyone gets a chance to shine, but in the end the piece belongs to the rhythm section.

Speaking of which, not everything is taken at NASCAR speed here; there's plenty of breathing space, and in fact virtually all of the 11-plus-minute "Ungawa" is given over to guest conga player Big Black, a virtuoso on that instrument if ever there were one. Gillespie peeks in for a few moments, but even he must have wanted to stand by and watch, because he soon disappears and lets the drummer do what he's gotta do.(Emphasis Added).

The ballad "Day After" is a smooth respite following the fiery "Trinidad, Goodbye" opener, a shining example of Diz as bluesman, and the Caribbean-tinted "Poor Joe," on which Gillespie dares to sing, is a light note in an otherwise weighty affair. The only downside (other than the less than crisp sound quality, understandable for a 1965 live recording) is the five-minute comedy sketch midway through. Oh, it's funny, and the audience was in stitches. But on CD it's not something one needs to hear more than once, and it will cause many to reach for the fast-forward button to get on with the music.

Biography by Jeff Tamarkin
Jeff Tamarkin, is the Assistant Editor of Jazz Times and the former editor of Goldmine, CMJ, Relix, and Global Rhythm. As a writer he has contributed to the New York Daily News, Jazz Times, Boston Phoenix, Harp, Mojo, Newsday, Billboard, and many other publications. He is the author of the book Got a Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane and has contributed to The Guinness Companion to Popular Music, All Music Guide, and several other encyclopedias. He has served as a consultant to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, NARAS, National Geographic Online, and Music Club Records. He has written more than 75 liner notes and press bios for CDs by artists such as the Beach Boys, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, Tom Jones, J. Geils Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Chubby Checker, Anoushka Shankar, Jesse Colin Young, Hot Tuna, Sandie Shaw, the Jive Five, Dean Martin, Commander Cody, and others. - AllMusic Record Review by Jeff Tamarkin - ALL Music Record Review