HARVEY MASON
Drums
The multi-Grammy nominated session drummer, producer, composer & recording artist Harvey Mason was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He began taking formal drum lessons at age seven, playing in school bands and finally buying his first drum set at 16. He continued his education at the Berklee School of Music, then attended the New England Conservatory of Music on full scholarship, studying performance, composing, arranging, percussion and mallets. In 1970, he graduated with a B.A. in Education and Performance. In the’70s and ’80s, “Mase” was working on Donald Byrd’s commercial breakthrough album “Black Byrd” and a series of successful crossover albums for Blue Note Records. This led to his seminal work on Herbie Hancock’s jazz masterpiece “Head Hunters” (1974). Since then, Harvey has worked with a pantheon of musical giants, including Barbra Streisand, James Brown, Beyonce, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Carlos Santana, Michael Jackson, John Legend, Seal and the London Symphony Orchestra. He has composed and written songs recorded by artists ranging from Nancy Wilson and Mary J. Blige to The Notorious B.I.G. and Nelly/P. Diddy. Mason is also a founding member of Fourplay. “Chameleon”, Mason’s 10th solo project overall, adds one more remarkable chapter to his legacy. A blend of R&B, urban and cutting-edge jazz, Chameleon takes its inspiration from the title track, which Mason co-wrote with Herbie Hancock, and is a knowing nod to Mason himself, aptly dubbed the “Chameleon” for his uncanny ability to perform so many styles of music.
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