House of Drumming.com

Is anyone hip to Jimmy Macbride ? He is my new favorite drummer - after Vinnie Colaiuta--
I've been following Jimmy for a couple of years now. I 'discovered' him while watching the FREE
daily streaming from SMALLS JAZZ CLUB, NYC. He plays several times/month with local jazz
artists, and a lot with the Miki Yamanaka Trio. Jimmy is a graduate of Julliard Music School.
Jimmy plays choruses like Ralph Peterson--you hear the melody and hear the form easily.
He already has a large discography--see his itinerary and discography on his page.

JIMMY MACBRIDE

1---Listen & watch Jimmy plays the hell out of the form on
Trinkle Tinkle (T Monk) @ 1:07:32. He plays 3 solos
and plays all around, through and over and with all
the arranged ensemble figures! Arranged by his wife.

2--then, also in this first set, watch & listen to Jimmy plays
time and solos in James Williamses, 'Black Scholars'
@ 1:28:51.

Jimmy is the man to watch as he has been recording since
professionally since 2012 ! He is never boring...has unlimited
ideas, unique phrasing and solo chops that do not end...enjoy


Miki Yamanaka Trio- Live at Smalls Jazz Club - 07/28/2025

I watched both tunes you mentioned - thanks for sharing - this guys awesome.
The whole east coast jazz thing is interesting. Those cats all play similar sounding 4 piece kits but really carve out an identity on them. They pretty much live in mp to ppp dynamic range but manage to create amazing energy and play a lot of cool stuff. It's very hard to play fast or high energy quietly. I like this guys chops compared to someone like Ari whom I always love - but Jimmy just straight blows (as in playing lots of chops - not the bad way) on here which is entertaining.
I can't help but wonder what his vocabulary would sound like on a kit with more options tom and cymbal wise.

Steve Holmes----Glad you dig his playing.
Jimmy does play bigger sets...the drums supplied (donated to many of
the NYC jazz clubs, like Smalls, is provided by Canopus. Standard bebop sets.

But, don't let the 4 pc set fool you into thinking he isn't up to date with
larger drum sets and additional auxiliary percussives. You can find clips
on YT of his playing improvised FUNK just as expressively as his jazz chops
shown here in the Smalls clips.

I tune in monthly also to see/hear Ari. As far as volume goes, you are right
that he can play with so much energy and intensity at low volumes---a discipline
necessary when playing small venues---hence SMALLS.

Here is a good sample of his funk---Jimmy Macbride at The Green Room | Crosstown Arts w/ Adam Larson Trio
Solo #1 at 3:04 shows latin chops complete with BLUSHDAS ! Only 1 tune, so listen
to the whole tune---funk drumming solo starts @ about 10:25. It shows he plays
BD heel down and up...plays matched and traditional. He also has recorded the last 3 Manuel Valera
records ( ALL TRACKS) - he shows he is totally adept playing LATIN RHYTHMS.

Yes, I think he's for sure one of the best young cats in NYC these days. Great touch, plays with great intention and crisp precision, melds tradition with modern chops in a very musical way. Huge fan. Miki Yamanaka's trio flies way too far under the radar. They're absolutely killing. Gotta see em live to really get it.

Jimmy is such a great overall player. I love watching him because he is sooo relaaaaaaaaxed. Oh... and... he sounds f@&#! pretty good too! He's been on my radar for a few years. He's one of the contemporary greats of today in my humble opinion. He works almost every night.