Session drummer Cheryl Alleyne tracked with the Reggae Philharmonic, Loose Tubes and the Jazz Warriors before taking pride of place in Courtney Pine’s “Paradise Band.” Since then she has been drummer with Courtney’s touring band, featuring with the distinct group of musicians regularly seen at London’s hive of jazz clubs. I talked to Cheryl about her career to date.

Nigeria’s First Jazz Festival

Pepe:  Can you tell me about some of your drumming dates so far?

Cheryl:  Well, I got a call in late last March to be part of the Courtney Pine band for Nigeria’s first jazz festival. I’ve always enjoyed receiving calls like this because it means inevitably that I will be getting the opportunity to visit a new place and to take music to new audiences…The material we had rehearsed for the festival fell mainly under drum ‘n bass grooves, reggae and 6/8 Afro.  Most of the tunes were Courtney’s originals along with one or two covers, such as “Take Five” but the emphasis was on energy. The other musicians on the gig were: Omar Puente–violin, Chris Jerome–keys, Femi Temowo–guitar and Darren Taylor–bass. 

Pepe:  You told me people at the stadium were surprised to see a woman on the kit.

Cheryl:  Yes indeed!  I’ve always felt that even here in London, but there, it was incredibly obvious.  On the day of the sound check, the heat was unbearable.  It was over 100 degrees C easily so I stayed inside until the very last minute before coming out to see what I had to work with and to position it correctly. One of the local guys, who seemed to be part of the organization there, had been laying into the kit for at least 15 minutes straight prior to the point where our sound man, Steve Reece, asked me to start checking the same drum kit.  That was the moment I could feel the astonishment of some of the other local musicians and people looking on, at the fact that I was even daring to approach the instrument. 

When I started to check the drums, a small group then collected at the side of the stage to watch.  They seemed to be totally fazed by it all. Courtney called the rest of the guys and we sound checked on a few tunes and left.

Pepe:  What kind of empathy did you feel at Lagos?

Cheryl:  During watching some of the other bands sound check, I got to talking with a young local drummer and he told me that in his country, they didn’t have access to very good equipment, which in turn unfortunately made it difficult to attain certain musical levels of playing.  It was a little sad to hear this as I’d also seen that when I’d been to Senegal to do some jazz workshops in 1997 with the British Council. Before leaving the venue after the sound check, I went over to ask the young man who’d been playing the drums before if he could sort out a fan for me for the gig.  He said he’d see.  Then this came out of the blue:  “I used to play the drums before!”  I wasn’t sure what he meant by this comment but he did seem to be disturbed by my presence on the kit.

Pepe:  Is that something like the attitude you get towards women in Muslim countries?

Cheryl:  Unfortunately, yes.  I’ve noticed that attitude in other places I’ve been to also.  On the morning of the gig, I was sitting with the guys in the restaurant for breakfast when the hotel manager walked through and, looking straight at me, he said in a loud voice:  “Good morning gentlemen!” On another occasion, I was standing with our road manager while he spoke with a local who then asked him if I was the vocalist.  He would not speak to me directly until I told him that he could in fact address his questions to me as I was standing there in front of him.  Some males feel that women are inferior and shouldn’t be doing certain things.  I say males because I’ve noticed this attitude in boys as young as 8 years old.  There’s really not much you can do apart from to let your playing do the talking and hope that it will make them  realize that the human spirit has no gender.

Pepe:  Can you say something more about the performance at Lagos?

Cheryl:  By the time we arrived, the sun had gone down and it had begun to get dark.  It was a blessing as Courtney’s gigs are always very strenuous on drummers at best without any added heat! There were lots of people standing around outside which was where the Hugh Masekela Main Stage, where we were to play, was located. When I got up on the kit, the stage lights were hot and very bright.  I had an excellent panoramic view of the stage, band and audience from where I was seated and there was a cool breeze blowing the backdrop directly behind me.

We launched into our first tune and the crowd seemed to be enjoying the music very much.  Courtney blew up a storm along with his circular breathing; Omar was incredible on the electric violin; and the audience showed a lot of love for their home boy, Femi, on guitar. 

I have to say that I’ve always enjoyed working with this outfit, in particular with Darren and Chris providing much of the energy which helps me to do what I do.

I looked to my left and noticed a small crowd of young men which had gathered at the side of the stage to check out everything that I was doing.  They stayed there for the whole gig.

The crowd showed us their appreciation with the noise they made and Courtney, noticing a group of female supporters in the front row, teased them by not telling them the name of the drummer.  Then I played a solo and they gave me an ovation the likes of which I have never received anywhere else.  It was humbling. Then, as I came off stage, a young man grabbed my hand and started shaking it hysterically while saying repetitively: “You’re a man! You’re a man! You play like a man!”  I think it was sincerely meant as a compliment but I did have to stress that I’d definitely been a woman when I’d left the hotel that evening and that I was still very much ALL woman!

Pepe:  What was the reaction of the organizers of the event?

Cheryl:  Well, they invited us all to an after-show party at a nice venue in town.

The organizers were thrilled at the obvious success of their first-ever jazz festival.

When I left that evening, I was the last one back to the mini bus, which has got to be a first! The guys were laughing while I got mobbed by some local drummers who wanted to take photos and relieve me of my sticks! Overall, for me it had been another great experience and, although being in this business is not easy, I never take for granted how lucky people like us are to be able to do what we do by making people happy and having fun in the process.

Moving to London

Pepe: [Cheryl was working in London during the development of the big bands Reggae Philharmonic, Loose Tubes and most acclaimed the Jazz Warriors.]

What was the vibe like in London then?

Cheryl:  Well, When I returned to London from studying music in Newcastle, I was very naïve and new to the whole scene here, but I was starting to meet a lot of very interesting musicians.  The first thing I got involved in was Ashley Slater’s Adenoid Quartet.  It consisted of Ashley–trombone, Oren Marshall–tuba, Eddy Parker–flute and bass flute, and I played vibraphone and marimba. Sarah Collins, whom I knew to be a composer and also an excellent flautist at the time, had written a piece especially for me called simply “For Cheryl.”  It was abstract and wonderfully atmospheric and I enjoyed playing the piece on the tuned percussion which had been hired for me.  We played a few gigs around town and then the group folded.

Ashley then started Microgroove―mainly groove material which was also a lot of fun to play.  We recorded an album in 1989 called The Human Groove which made use of programmed drum beats as well as some of my sampled drum rhythms.

That was an exciting time for me because I had just left college, having studied jazz and classical music for three years, and now I was beginning to put what I had learned into practice.

Pepe:  [Cheryl’s London debut was with the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra, started by Steel Pulse member M. Riley which she joined after music college.]  How did you meet Riley?

Cheryl:  I don’t quite remember how I got involved with them, I vaguely remember being approached by Mikhael Riley and another associate called Peter.  The idea was to create a hybrid of sound by combining a classical all-Black string section with a reggae rhythm section.  The majority of the band was female and we played some gigs in London as well as doing a few T.V. appearances while I was with them.  On one occasion, I distinctly remember dry ice being used in the studio and it settled on the surface of my Premier Royale kit, unfortunately ruining the shiny finish! I and the keyboardist, Milton Dillon, eventually ended up leaving for two reasons: Most of the band members smoked and then, having arrived early, we would have to wait a long while for the rest to arrive and then put their microphones on their violins.

In Boston

Pepe:  While you were in Boston, you auditioned at Berklee.  What was the outcome?

Cheryl:  Well, at that time, shortly after having graduated from The College of Arts & Technology in Newcastle, it was very much my intention to study music in America.  I had won a place at Berklee College of Music after having auditioned there but then was finding it difficult to find funding to take up the place.  I remember spending ages with a large book from the library called the Grants Register as there were no computers to do research on back then.  I’d also won places at The Manhattan School of Music and The New School of Jazz where I was auditioned by bassist Reggie Workman, but unfortunately, I was unsuccessful with my fund-raising endeavours.

Mano Ventura and the Mondesir Brothers.

Pepe: When did you meet the Mondesir brothers?

I had come across an elderly gentleman called Mr. Tony Wallace who was working in Artist Relations at Sabian at the time.  He was at a studio off Caledonian Road in North London called Summertime Studios, which was owned by a very talented Peruvian composer and guitarist, Mano Ventura.  Mano was working with two brothers, Mark and Mike Mondesir. Together, they were playing some pretty incredible material and I just remember how over my head at the time it all was.

The Jazz Warriors – A Brief Encounter

Pepe: Jazz Warriors eventually led you to your grail?

Cheryl: I found that, while I was at college in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, being the only black female student in the class and music department, even though I was surrounded by great people, when I had to come out into the real world where very often when traveling on public transport, I would have an empty seat next to me at rush hour. For the most part, it was a very lonely place for me culture-wise. When I was introduced to the group by Warriors’ baritone saxophonist Andy Harewood and flautist Roland Sutherland, it was comforting to be surrounded by people who looked like me and who were into music like I was.  That however quickly turned to disappointment when the manager at the time―a woman I remember only as Yvonne – told me that they already had a drummer and that they didn’t want anyone else there to slow them down. 

Loose Tubes: In the Right Place at the Right Time?

Pepe:  The stint with Loose Tubes was brief but effective.  The band folded quite early on. What were your impressions?

Cheryl:  I don’t believe my leaving had any bearing on the break up of the band.  In fact, they went on to work together for quite a while after their decision to replace me with another drummer.  I was sitting downstairs at Ronnie Scott’s when drummer Steve Arguelles and band agent at the time, Colin Lazzerini, were having a dispute.  Steve was saying that this week at Ronnie’s was going to be the last thing he would be doing with the band and Colin was doing his best to change his mind.  Then suddenly Steve turned to me and said:  “Hey, you’re a drummer aren’t you? Do you want to do it?!” Later that evening, they invited me up on stage to jam on a Latin tune with them and before I left that evening, they had given me a couple of LPs, a tape and the drum pad.

I did not record with this band but I worked and toured with them for about two months and had a lot of fun, as most of the guys were practical jokers. One morning in a hotel in Norwich, we awoke to the sound of “Sale of the Century” being played by Django Bates on an organ he’d found in the restaurant!  And on the tour bus some of the trips would be made that much more pleasant by saxophonist Steve Buckley, who would sit at the back playing the penny whistle incredibly well…whilst it was wedged firmly up one of his nostrils!

The Jazz Warriors – For Real

Cheryl: Shortly after working with Loose Tubes, I got a call from The Jazz Warriors asking if I would be interested in doing a national tour with them.  Courtney Pine and Steve Williamson were with the band at the time and I agreed. My first gig with them was a BBC radio interview.  I found myself for some strange reason standing briefly next to pop singer Boy George that evening!

We gigged up and down the country – Manchester and Swansea were some of the places we played, and when we played the Leadmill in Leeds, I remember the snow being on the ground and when I went out to get something to eat after sound check, there was a long queue which went around the block!  We got good responses wherever we played.

At the time they were using two upright bassists, Gary Crosby and Ike Leo, so it was a little strange for me, to say the least, as I tried to work out who I should listen to, but it seemed to work as they didn’t play at once.  And Mamadi Kamara, their percussionist, was a lot of fun to work with, too.  He had so much equipment it would take him ages to set it all up.  He had this bird cage with many door keys hanging from it, so if you’ve ever lost a key, the chances are he’s probably got it!

Pepe:  I could only find 2 CDs by the jazz Warriors. Maybe that’s something to do with that manager you mentioned!

Cheryl:  I can’t really comment on the situation back then as I was new to the band, but they did hire another lady called Kate Brooks, who managed the band for a while and who gave me a lot of encouragement while I was with them.

Pepe:  What direction are some of the above musicians now following and how are you involved?

Cheryl:  While I had been doing the Jazz Warriors tour, I had been asked several times by Steve Williamson to join his new band.  I had heard some of his material which seemed complicated to me at the time, so I declined at first but he was insistent.

I got a call one sunny Thursday from Steve’s manager in the early 1990s, asking if I could work two weeks with him in the Caribbean.  I naturally thought it was a wind up as one of the places we were to play was my parents’ home, Barbados, and I had never been.  Trinidad and Antigua were also on the itinerary so naturally it was a “Yes” from me.

I was sent the material and, if I remember correctly, I received several tapes with his music which seemed to have been played slightly differently on each version, but I spent as much time as I could, learning it. We were to leave on the following Monday so I didn’t have much time. Gary Crosby – bass, Dennis Rollins – trombone and Joe Bashorun – piano were the other musicians on the gig. When we arrived in Barbados and finally got settled in, I wanted to know what the plans were for the week we were to spend there as I also wanted to go and visit my family during any free time.  I had a long list of people I was supposed to go and see after we had done our work, but we weren’t given a clear schedule until an event was upon us. We eventually rehearsed on the Wednesday, after which we went out by the pool side and I had the freshest barbequed fish I had ever tasted in my life!

The gig was part of the Cultural Jazz Festival and the Steve Williamson Quintet was due to perform after drumming great, Roy Haynes.  We sound checked first and then Roy did his check with his band.  He played first and then when I went out to check the position of the drums, I also noticed that he’d tuned the toms up very high for his set, but they would have been the wrong sound for Steve’s music.  When he found out, he insisted that I go out on stage and detune them – in front of the audience!  I was thinking: “What a predicament!”  All I could think was that Roy Haynes was probably out there watching and wasn’t too happy about it.

The gig was a good one all the same. However, the next morning when my grandfather came to meet me in the lobby of the hotel, Mr Haynes was there.  He just glared at me and didn’t say a word!

Pepe: You also toured with the rap/hip-hop group Us3 and it’s a preferred style of music over mainstream. The appointment was instant, wasn’t it ?

Cheryl: In 1993 whilst playing at the London Jazz Café, I was spotted by one or both of the Us3 managers and asked to tour with the group.  I rehearsed for about two weeks with the band at John Henry’s, situated off Caledonian Road.  The unit consisted of three rappers (two from New York), three horn section players and three rhythm section players.  The combination of rhythms was new to me and I found working on this project to be a challenge, but it was also a lot of fun. I was not using any triggers or electronics, just an acoustic kit and it was the first time I had had to learn programmed beats and rhythms and then try to reproduce them adequately.

Some of the places we toured were Japan, Hong Kong, Brazil and Israel (where I had the pleasure of meeting Ray Charles). 

We also spent a long while touring in all over Europe on a large, black double-decker bus and then spent two months on a tour bus traveling around the United States. 

The crowds there were great.  We would open with “Cantaloop” and after only a few bars, they would go wild.  The audiences in Japan were great, too. They seemed to know all the lyrics even though they could not speak English.

Whilst on tour in the States the album went gold and the band was invited by Blue Note Records to a plush venue where all the members were presented with a gold disc by none other than Herbie Hancock himself.  I also cherish very much the opportunity I got to jam with him during the Nice Jazz Festival. The last gig we played was in Rio de Janeiro in October of 1994, after which the band as I knew it folded, until it was restarted by Geoff Wilkinson some time later, following the sad passing of Mel Simpson.

Albums

You can hear Cheryl on:

• Loose Tubes (1984)
• Delightful Precipice with Loose Tubes (1986)
• Open Letter with Loose Tubes (1988, Editions EG)
• Out Of Many, One People with the Jazz Warriors (1987, Antilles)
• Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra (1988, Mango)
• Time with the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra (1990, Mango)
• Somewhere Out There with Ciyo (1991, Diese)
• Jazz Africa with Gail Thompson (1996, Enja)
• Afro Saxon with Alex Wilson (1998, Big City)
• Resistance with Courtney Pine (2005, V2)
• Unconditional Love with Violetta (2008)
• Mixity with Wild Card (2008)
• Afropeans with the Jazz Warriors & Courtney Pine (2008, Destin-E)

And catch up with Cheryl’s projects at www.myspace.com/cherylalleynedrums