Rashied Ali photo from www.drummerworld.com

A Philadelphia native, Rashied Ali began his percussion career in the U.S. Army and started gigging with rhythm and blues and rock groups when he returned from the service. Rashied gradually moved on to play in the local jazz scene with such notables as Lee Morgan, Don Patterson and Jimmy Smith. Early in the 1960s the Big Apple beckoned, and soon Rashied Ali was a fixture of the avant-garde jazz scene, backing up the excursions of such musical free spirits as Don Cherry, Pharoah Sanders, Paul Bley, Archie Shepp, Bill Dixon and Albert Ayler. In November 1965 John Coltrane decided to use a two-drummer format for a gig at the Village Gate; the percussionist Trane chose to complement the already legendary Elvin Jones was Rashied Ali.

After Coltrane's passing in 1967, Rashied Ali headed for Europe, where he gigged in Copenhagen, Germany and Sweden before settling in for a study period with Philly Joe Jones in England. Upon his return from Europe, Rashied Ali rejoined the New York jazz scene, working and recording with Jackie McLean, Alice Coltrane, Archie Shepp, Gary Bartz, Dewey Redman and others.

In response to what he saw as the decaying New York jazz scene in the early 1970s, Rashied Ali opened the loft-jazz club Ali's Alley in 1973 and also established a companion enterprise, Survival Records. Ali's Alley began as a musical outlet for New York avant-garde but soon became a melting pot of jazz styles. Although the Alley closed in 1979, its legacy continues in the New York jazz scene and Rashied Ali has been busy gigging with a virtual Who's Who in jazz, refining his music and encouraging a host of younger musicians.

Sonny Fortune © Howard A. Gitelson

Sonny Fortune was born in Philadelphia on May 19, 1939. In 1967 he moved to New York. Said Fortune of that move: "Eventually, in order to find out if you really have what it takes, you have to go to the center, and that's New York...you can only do so much in your hometown."

After a brief stint with Elvin Jones and Frank Foster, Fortune joined Mongo Santamaria's group, with whom he remained for over 2 years. He then joining McCoy Tyner with whom he played for 2 1/2 years. Fortune then went on to work independently with his own ensemble and with drummer Buddy Rich, and was featured on the live LP recorded at Rich's Manhattan nightspot, Buddy's Place. In September 1974, Miles Davis offered Sonny a job in his fusion group. Fortune had previously turned down the same offer to stay with Tyner, but now he eagerly accepted the opportunity to move on to something completely new. Fortune stayed with Miles for a year, recording four LPs, Big Fun, Agartha, Pangaea and Get Up With It.

Over the years Sonny has also recorded with such greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Elvin Jones, Oliver Nelson, George Benson and Nat Adderly, to name a few. In June 1975 Sonny formed his own group, marking his debut as a leader with two critically-acclaimed LPs for A&M Horizon, Awakening and Waves of Dreams. He's had many albums released since then including three Blue Note CD's: Four In One, his album of the music of Thelonious Monk; A Better Understanding was released September of 1995; and From Now On, was released in September 1996. In addition to leading his own quartet, the following 10 years saw Sonny playing with the Nat Adderly Quartet and as a featured soloist with the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine. In 1987-88 he was part of the Coltrane Legacy Band that also featured McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones and Reggie Workman. More than a legacy, Sonny is still here and blowing hard.
Catch this dynamic duo at Yoshi's in Oakland on August 1st and 2nd. Visit website:www.yoshis.com for more info.