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| Eric Kamau Gravatt (2013) |
© Andrea Canter
An alum of
Weather Report and the bands of McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard,
Blue Mitchell and others, drummer Eric Kamau Gravatt essentially has
had two careers in jazz with a couple decades of separation. A Philadelphia native, he turned down Miles
Davis to follow Wayne Shorter into Weather Report. But he ended up in the Twin
Cities with Bobby Peterson and Bob Rockwell in Natural Life, only to take a
hiatus of a couple decades, working in corrections at Lino Lakes.
After retirement, he began his second jazz career, touring with McCoy Tyner and
leading his own band, Source Code, a staple of the AQ at its last incarnation
in the Hamm Building. I had an opportunity to hear Gravatt with
Tyner at the Regatta Bar in Cambridge a few years ago -- which made me
appreciate the sound and sightlines at the Artists Quarter even more. Source
Code was always a powerhouse band, with Ron Evaniuk typically on bass and such
talents as Dean Magraw on guitar and Dave Graf, Jim Marentic, and more recently
Solomon Parham on horns. And always Eric taking charge from behind the trapset.
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| Eric Gravatt at the Icehouse (2012) |
Only once
did I catch Gravatt away from Tyner or Source Code -- he did a stellar
improvised set at the Icehouse last year with Adam Linz and Brandon Wozniak.
With the AQ closed, I hope he finds more opportunities for such trio work, as
well as a new venue for Source Code.
(#34 in a series of 50 "faces")
