Cindy Blackman

An accomplished, yet not flamboyant or showy drummer, Cindy Blackman has become a well-respected drummer and occasional bandleader in a short time. Both her mother and grandmother were classical musicians and her uncle a vibist. Blackman began playing drums as a child and studied classical percussion at the University of Hartford and Berklee. Alan Dawson and Lennie Nelson were two of her instructors. Blackman moved to New York in the early '80s, and played with Freddie Hubbard and Sam Rivers. She became Jackie McLean's regular drummer in 1987, and began recording as a leader t...