Frank Butler (musician)

Frank Butler
Born	(1928-02-18)February 18, 1928 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Died	Ventura, California, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Instruments	Drums
Associated acts	Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Elmo Hope, Miles Davis, Art Pepper, Curtis Counce, Harold Land

Frank Butler (February 18, 1928 – July 24, 1984) was an American jazz drummer. Butler was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but later moved west and was associated in large part with the West Coast school. He never became well known but was highly regarded by fellow musicians and performed with jazz notables like Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Art Pepper in the 1950s and 1960s. In the mid-to-late 1950s, he was a member of the Curtis Counce Quintet. Sidelined for many years by an addiction to heroin, he did not record an album under his own name until the 1970s.

Butler died in Ventura, California at the age of 56.

Discography

• The Stepper (Xanadu, 1977)
• Wheelin' and Dealin' (Xanadu, 1978)

Co-led with Curtis Amy

• Groovin' Blue (Pacific Jazz, 1961)

With Dolo Coker

• Dolo! (Xanadu, 1976)
• California Hard (Xanadu, 1976)
• Third Down (Xanadu, 1977)

With Curtis Counce

• The Curtis Counce Group (Contemporary, 1956)
• You Get More Bounce with Curtis Counce! (Contemporary, 1957)
• Carl's Blues (Contemporary, 1957)
• Sonority (Contemporary, 1957-8 [1989])
• Exploring the Future (Dooto, 1958)

With Miles Davis

• Seven Steps to Heaven (Columbia, 1963)

With Kenny Drew

• Home Is Where the Soul Is (Xanadu, 1978)
• For Sure! (Xanadu, 1978)

With Teddy Edwards

• Feelin's (Muse, 1974)

With Hampton Hawes

• For Real! (Contemporary, 1958 [1961])
• Bird Song (Contemporary, 1958 [1999])

With Elmo Hope

• The Elmo Hope Quintet featuring Harold Land (Pacific Jazz, 1957)
• Elmo Hope Trio (Hifijazz, 1959)

With Fred Katz

• Fred Katz and his Jammers (Decca, 1959)

With Harold Land

• Harold in the Land of Jazz (Contemporary, 1958)
• The Fox (Hifijazz, 1959)

With Phineas Newborn

• The Newborn Touch (Contemporary, 1964)

With Art Pepper

• Smack Up (Contemporary, 1960)
• Intensity (Contemporary, 1960)

With Ben Webster

• Ben Webster at the Renaissance (Contemporary, 1960 [1985])

With Gerald Wilson

• Everywhere (Pacific Jazz, 1968)

External links

• Chadbourne, Eugene. Biography of Frank Butler at AllMusic