* En anglais uniquement
Dave Weckl is one of fusion's most acclaimed drummers, making his name during a six-year-stint with
Chick Corea.
Weckl was born in St. Louis and grew up listening to soul and jazz; he received his first drum set at age eight and developed his playing by listening to drummers like
Buddy Rich, as well as R&B grooves. He majored in jazz at the University of Bridgeport, but left after two years to become involved in the New York jazz scene, also touring Europe with various bands.
Weckl joined a fusion group called Nitesprite, where he attracted the attention of drummer
Peter Erskine;
Erskine helped him get a gig with French Toast, a band also featuring pianist
Michel Camilo and bassist
Anthony Jackson.
From French Toast,
Weckl branched out into session work, playing on numerous early-'80s sessions with the likes of
Bill Connors (
Return to Forever),
the Brecker Brothers,
Tânia Maria,
Paquito D'Rivera,
Eliane Elias, and
George Benson, as well as pop and soul albums for
Diana Ross,
Madonna, and
Robert Plant. In 1986,
Chick Corea saw
Weckl performing in New York with guitarist
Connors and invited the drummer to join his new
Elektric Band.
Weckl spent a total of seven years with
Corea, performing on numerous albums and also appearing with
Corea's
Akoustic Band; his skills received considerable esteem, and he augmented his work with
Corea by continuing his session work and appearing often with
the GRP All-Star Big Band.
Weckl also released a series of instructional videos, and in 1990 he led his first solo date with
Master Plan for GRP.
Heads Up followed in 1992, as well as
Hard-Wired in 1994.
Upon leaving
Corea,
Weckl's primary focus was recording and touring with guitarist
Mike Stern; he also continued his work as a sideman. In 1998,
Weckl led the R&B-oriented date
Rhythm of the Soul, a return to his other boyhood musical love, and the like-minded
Synergy followed in 1999.
The Dave Weckl Band had really gelled by the time of
Transition's 2000 release, but
Weckl didn't leave teaching behind either, and released another instructional recording,
The Zone, in 2001.
Weckl then formed his own quartet with saxophonist
Brandon Fields, keyboardist
Steve Weingart, and bassist
Tom Kennedy. He debut the outfit with 2002's improv-heavy
Perpetual Motion. The quartet returned in 2005 with
Multiplicity, which found saxophonist
Gary Meek taking over for
Fields. Over the next several years, the drummer stayed busy appearing on albums by
Jeff Lorber,
Mike Stern,
Chuck Loeb, and many others. In 2013, he joined trumpeter
Randy Brecker for The Brecker Brothers Band Reunion, and followed up with sessions for
Andreas Varady,
Lee Ritenour, and
Wayne Bergeron. In 2017, he was one of many longtime
Chick Corea associates who reunited with the legendary keyboardist for the career-spanning set of live concerts released as
The Musician. ~ Steve Huey