Hamid Drake & Jesse Stewart – Timelines (2013)

Chicago-based drumming legend Hamid Drake is one of the busiest musicians on the scene today. He has worked with a veritable who’s who of contemporary jazz and creative improvised music including Pharoah Sanders, Don Cherry, John Zorn, William Parker, Peter Brötzmann, Fred Anderson, David Murray, and many others.
Canadian percussionist Jesse Stewart has similarly performed and/or recorded with many musical luminaries including Pauline Oliveros, Roswell Rudd, George Lewis, and David Mott. In 2012, he was honoured with the “Instrumental Album of the Year” JUNO award for his work with the genre-defying trio Stretch Orchestra.
Together, Drake and Stewart have created a recording that redefines the parameters for the drum duo. This is not a drum battle, rather a drum dialogue that explores the world of percussive sound. In addition to two drum sets, Timelines features a wide assortment of percussion instruments including cajon, congas, tongue drum, frame drum, waterphone, gongs, bells, and cymbals, as well as bass harmonica and vocals. All of the pieces were improvised. There are no overdubs or edits. The listener hears what the musicians heard as they created the music together. The result is a recording that is rooted in deep musicality, mutual respect, and joyful sonic exploration.