Pheeroan akLaff was born in Detroit, Michigan January 27, 1955. He was named Paul, by his Mother Thelma and Father Joe Maddox, in honor of Paul Robeson one of their favorite musicians. Though his parents did not play instruments they enjoyed dancing with the Lunceford, Basie, Eckstein, and Ellington bands. Thelma, distantly related to Wings Over Jordan choir director Glenn T. Settlle, was also a fan of classical, orchestral and piano repertoire. Joe was a Jazz fan and audiophile. This spawned a musical household in which all seven children had music lessons at some stage of their development. Eric, the eldest became a concert pianist and choir conductor. Pheeroan enjoyed hearing his elder brother perform the classics on a concert grand piano. He heard his fathers favorites; Thelonius Monk, Clifford Brown, Max Roach, The Modern Jazz Quintet; in hi-fidelity, and headphones. It was a rare treat for working class folks of Detroit in the 1960's. After showing promise in grade school Pheeroan took drum set lessons in High School. His teachers just happened to be the legendary "Pistol" Allen of Motown and Randall Hicks; later to become New Jersey Symphony Orchestra's principal timpanist. High School English teacher Chester Littlejohn, bolstered Pheeroan's interest in both poetry, and in the music of Alice and John Coltrane. This led him to study Speech and Drama at Eastern Michigan University, though it little to clarify his passion. He developed his musicality with his brother Eric and other musicians down the road at University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. There he played in the played in the best bands, and with arranger Travis Biggs. Under Biggs' wing, akLaff toured the State of Michigan accompaniying several music ensembles and arecorded a 45rpm for a local R&B singer. He was able to hear it on the radio just before his 20th birthday.
Moving to New Haven Connecticut in 1975 was a wellspring. he started a band with fellow detroiter Dwight Andrews, and in that same year met Rashied Ali, who had recently opened his famous Ali's Alley club in Soho. Most significantly he met and performed regularly with Wadada Leo Smith, who opened the door for him to meet Oliver Lake, Anthony Davis and others in New York. It was primarily through these associations that Pheeroan established recognition with the milieu he still enjoys.
His drumming led him to recordings and European tours for a public that sharply contrasted the mainstream.
A more understated but significant part of Pheeroan akLaff's' career is the encounter with those who would encourage him to focus on the the spiritual application of music; Toni Nathaniel Harp, Akua Ficklin, and Ade Theotis Holland. There were also those who validated his focus on cultural perspectives; Charles T. Davis, Robert Ferris Thopmson, and Willie Ruff. When he decided to move to New York in 1978 he roomed with one of his best buddies from Connecticut; Ed Cherry, who had just began a career with Dizzy Gillespie.
Throughout the Eighties and Nineties, Pheeroan performed and recorded with many of today's leading musical lights: Geri Allen, Anthony Braxton, Baikida Carroll, Anthony Davis, Andrew Hill, Oliver Lake, David Murray, Leo Smith, Cecil Taylor, Henry Threadgill, Mal Waldron, Sonny Sharrock, Yosuke Yamashita and a host of others .
Pheeroan's first album release was a solo arrangement of percussion and voice. House of Spirit :MIrth 1980. In 1983 he recorded Fits Like A Glove, a harbinger of Afro-pop.
In 1988 he released Sonogram with an ensemble that of Sonny Sharrock, John Stubblefield, Carlos Ward and Kenny Davis. Pheeroan recorded Global Mantras in 1997 and released Brooklyn Waters 1999.
He is a musician who has kept New York vibrant with live music and emerging performance art for over thirty years. His personal style of drumming with adventuresome composers has been voluminously documented in several areas of Creative Music. As a young artist Pheeroan akLaff toured countries of Africa Asia and Europe. His associations with Wadada Leo Smith, Oliver Lake, Anthony Davis, Henry Threadgill, Sonny Sharrock, and eventually Yamashita Yosuke, Liu Sola, Henry Brant, and Andrew Hill presented him with challenging expansions of musical systems.
He utilized his versatility, with a wave of Funk and Reggae influenced performances and recordings in he early 1980’s. He lived and worked in Abidjan, Cote D”Ivoire with Marie Rose Guiraud’s dance troupe. He met Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Sonny Okosun, and Steve Rhodes while visiting Frank T. Fairfax the 3rd in Lagos Nigeria. U.S. State Department touring of nine African nations, the Near East, and India, in 1982 and 1985 were to follow.
Pheeroan akLaff featured his writing for quintet, quartet, and trio as a headliner at the Willisau festival of Switzerland, the Sju festival of the Netherlands, the Montsalvat festival of Australia, the Moers, and the Nurnberg festivals of Germany. He led the Double Duo ensemble dedicated to the spiritual music of John Coltrane using the sound of two saxophonists; Mixashawn and Ravi Coltrane, and two drummers; akLaff and his mentor Rashied Ali.
His Solo performances have occured in Japanene temples, and on theater stages. He wrote and performed Frederick Douglass Chronicles using the published letters of the 19th Century statesman. Since 1991, Mr.akLaff has taught drums to University students. He began at New School University in New York and is presently at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He has been at the forefront of musical expression and cultural enrichment through his approach to the drum-set. He has taught students in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Performance Highlights
Yosuke Yamashita New York Trio with strings Japan Tour 2011
Don Byron New Gospel Quintet - Bridgestone Festival Sao Paolo Brazil May 2010
Henry Brant Dormant Craters - Lincoln Center New York Neely Bruce conductor 2008, Wesleyan University Henry Brant conductor 1998
Cecil Taylor Trio - Lincoln Center, NYC 2008, The Iridium 2008, The Artist Collective, Hartford, CT, 2008
Double Duo Ensemble – Rashied Ali, Ravi Coltrane, Mixashawn, Columbia University, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000
Liu Sola Quartet, Beijing, Shanghai, China 2000
Andrew Hill Trio - Alice Tully Hall New York NY, 2000, Queen Elizabeth Hall London U.K., 1999
Andrew Hill Quartet, Benny Maupin, Rufus Reid, Pheeroan akLaff -Sweet Basil New York NY. 1999
Summit Conference Ensemble ; Andrew Hill, Sam Rivers, Reggie Workman Pheeroan akLaff 1997-1999
Solo Concert Saikoji Temple Nagano, Japan 2005
Solo Oratorio, The Jazz Gallery, 2003
Professional Affiliations and Activities
Assistant Curator - Kampo Bahal Gallery NYC/ Kyoto , 2007 – 2009
Co-Founder: Seed Artists Inc., Non Profit for Artists and Communities, 2006
Advisory Board member of Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, 2005 – 2009
Actor / Musician La Compagnia de Colombari 2007- present
Awards
New York Foundation for the Arts Music Composition Award – 2000
Manuscripts
A View from the Throne; Jazz inside Japan
Rhythm and Stasis; drum-set method manual
Publications
Jazz and Spirituality; paper published 2010 by MyUni - Austria
Music Supervision and Film Scoring
Hewitt Collection of African American Art, documentary by Charles Martin, 2008
Hats by Bunn, documentary by Charles Martin, 2007
Ed Clark: A Brush With Success, documentary by Charles Martin 2006
Sweet Samoa by Tomas Casas 2003
