Roy McCurdy will probably always be best-known for his important contributions to
Cannonball Adderley's Quintet (1965-1975), but he has been a tasteful and stimulating participant in many other sessions through the years. Early on, he worked with
Chuck and
Gap Mangione in
the Jazz Brothers (1960-1961).
McCurdy gained recognition for his playing with
the Jazztet (1961-1962),
Bobby Timmons,
Betty Carter (who was fairly obscure during his stint with her in 1962-1963), and
Sonny Rollins (1963-1964) before joining
Adderley. The supportive drummer was flexible enough to evolve with Cannonball's popular group during the decade of change. After
Adderley's death,
McCurdy relocated to the Los Angeles area, where he has played and recorded with the top local musicians ever since. ~ Scott Yanow