Hugh Walker

[mikeweil]

This drummer keeps catching my attention by his grooves - not quite your average soul jazz band drummer. He always has a very original edge to him, plays nice variations of Latin and boogaloo patterns. What became of him? Any biographical info, anyone?

So far I identified the following sessions that he played on, I'd be grateful for any hint at more.

George Braith, Soul Stream, Blue Note, December 16, 1963

Kenny Dorham, Last But Not Least 1966, Vol. 2, Raretone, February 25, 1966 (live bootleg)

John Patton, Got A Good Thing Goin', Blue Note, April 29, 1966

John Patton, Understanding, Blue Note, October 25, 1968

Harold Mabern, Rakin' and Scrapin', Prestige, December 23, 1968

Buck Hill, Buck Hill Plays Europe, Turning Point, 1982

[JSngry]

A groovy player indeed!

Back in the late 1970s, a college buddy of mine and myself found out that the President of either the Tulsa or Oklahoma City AFM was a drummer named Hugh Walker. We thought about calling up the Local and checking out if it was this same cat, but we never did. This was when long distance was expensive for college students and all that.

A Google search for "Hugh Walker" drummer Oklahoma turned up this hit http://don.munday.tripod.com/id4.htm which suggests indirectly that a Hugh Walker either lived/played in Oklahoma and/or still does.

[Chuck Nessa]

I believe he's from the Washington, DC area. Twenty some years ago I heard him there playing with Shirley Horn and Buck Hill.

[mikeweil]

Thanks!

Some more that he's on:

Harold Vick, Straight Up, ?, 1966

O'Donel Levy, Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky, Groove Merchant?, 1974

I thought he was on some Grant Green session, but it seems I was wrong.

Edited May 11, 2006 by mikeweil

[Michael Weiss]

Hugh Walker sounds nice on the live KD with Sonny Red and Cedar from the Half Note, February 25, 1966.

[bertrand]

I agree with Mike, his playing is very interesting, especially on Got A Good Thing Goin', one of my favorite organ records of all time.

This is the first I've heard of him being from D.C. I've certainly never seen him listed anywhere. I will ask Buck next time I see him, and some of the other older cats. Levy still plays in Baltimore frequently, but I've never caught any of his gigs. If I ever do, I will ask him as well.

Bertrand.

[Soul Stream]

I do know that Hugh Walker and George Brown were Patton's two drummers he played most with in the late sixties as a working unit. Either with Grant Green, and for a time Harold Alexander (although their live playing relationship was in 1968 only).

Great drummer no doubt. I'd love to find out if he lives in Oklahoma.

[Guest akanalog]

i thought patton and brown had a trio w. pharoah sanders for a bit also.

wish i could hear some tapes of this....

are there any tapes of patton with sun ra?

and is george brown the same as george brown who was on at least a david murray album in the late 70s?

[Chuck Nessa]

I agree with Mike, his playing is very interesting, especially on Got A Good Thing Goin', one of my favorite organ records of all time.

This is the first I've heard of him being from D.C. I've certainly never seen him listed anywhere. I will ask Buck next time I see him, and some of the other older cats. Levy still plays in Baltimore frequently, but I've never caught any of his gigs. If I ever do, I will ask him as well.

Bertrand.

I thought he was from the DC area 'cause I heard him there and Shirley mentioned "starting him out" or something like that. It was obviously a "reunion".

Tonight while reading the liners of Braith's "Soul Stream" I discovered the following line: Hugh Walker, who completes the foursome, is a 20 year old drummer from Oklahoma. He has been playing professionally for five years and came to New York recently.

[Soul Stream]

I agree with Mike, his playing is very interesting, especially on Got A Good Thing Goin', one of my favorite organ records of all time.

This is the first I've heard of him being from D.C. I've certainly never seen him listed anywhere. I will ask Buck next time I see him, and some of the other older cats. Levy still plays in Baltimore frequently, but I've never caught any of his gigs. If I ever do, I will ask him as well.

Bertrand.

I thought he was from the DC area 'cause I heard him there and Shirley mentioned "starting him out" or something like that. It was obviously a "reunion".

Tonight while reading the liners of Braith's "Soul Stream" I discovered the following line: Hugh Walker, who completes the foursome, is a 20 year old drummer from Oklahoma. He has been playing professionally for five years and came to New York recently.

I called one of the two "Hugh Walker" listings in Oklahoma...not the guy. Wish he could be found. I'll ask George if he knows anything about him. Many times, so many years have passed that these guys just lose touch, ect....but you never know. Who would have thought Ben Dixon was still in Brooklyn all these years.

[chris olivarez]

Any relation to Mark Walker who is also a drummer?

Edited May 16, 2006 by chris olivarez

[JSngry]

I called one of the two "Hugh Walker" listings in Oklahoma...not the guy. Wish he could be found. I'll ask George if he knows anything about him. Many times, so many years have passed that these guys just lose touch, ect....but you never know. Who would have thought Ben Dixon was still in Brooklyn all these years.

Were either of them musicians? Because there is (or has been) a jazz musician named Hugh Walker playing in Oklahoma fairly recently.

And I know what you mean about cats turning up. When I herd James Moody at some club in NYC back in 1980 and the drummer waqs introduced as Al Harewood, I was astounded. Thought he was dead or something. Just goes to show you how narrow the radar screen is capable of being.

[Soul Stream]

I called one of the two "Hugh Walker" listings in Oklahoma...not the guy. Wish he could be found. I'll ask George if he knows anything about him. Many times, so many years have passed that these guys just lose touch, ect....but you never know. Who would have thought Ben Dixon was still in Brooklyn all these years.

Were either of them musicians? Because there is (or has been) a jazz musician named Hugh Walker playing in Oklahoma fairly recently.

And I know what you mean about cats turning up. When I herd James Moody at some club in NYC back in 1980 and the drummer waqs introduced as Al Harewood, I was astounded. Thought he was dead or something. Just goes to show you how narrow the radar screen is capable of being.

I never did call the second guy, since his location in the state seemed like an unlikely one for a musician, but you never know. The guy I did call said "I'm an old man and I never did play no drums."

[JSngry]

I never did call the second guy, since his location in the state seemed like an unlikely one for a musician, but you never know.

Indeed. When I lived in Albuquerque back in the early 60s, the best drummer around was an older cat named Pete Ahmal. Now, I don't know exactly where it was he did live, but he didn't live in anyplace that had a Post Office, if you get my drift. But lord could that man play!

[clifford_thornton]

[quote name='akanalog' date='May 11 2006, 03:03 PM' post='506226'

and is george brown the same as george brown who was on at least a david murray album in the late 70s?

[Soul Stream]

Gorilla, and has a cool George Brown body solo, where he plays percussion on himself... don't know much about him otherwise, though. Great rhythm drummer, a little reminiscent of Louis Moholo.

I think Ben Sidrian talks about George Brown in his book....I think it's the same guy.

[fkimbrough]

Hugh was playing a lot in the Baltimore/D.C. area when I lived there in '80 and '81. I think he lived in Baltimore.

[Soul Stream]

Great news....was with John Patton's widow this weekend and she told me Hugh Walker called her 2 weeks ago. He's living in Oklahoma. Apparently, the Patton's stayed close with Hugh during his stint in D.C. and would stay with him there at times. She didn't know if Hugh left his number or not and is going to look around some more to see if she has it somewhere. I'll let you know if I find out anything else.