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 Listen to any of the landmark albums, from jazz to rock to fusion and chances are you'll hear the late Don Alias. Just a few of his impressive legacy credits include Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, Weather Report's Black Market, Tony Williams' Ego and Joni Mitchell's Mingus. He contributed heavily to David Sanborn's Songs From The Night Before and Herbie Hancock's The New Standard. "Years ago, percussion wasn't always taken seriously," he recalled. "I fought to make percussion an integral part of any ensemble, it is just as important as the saxophone, bass and piano. Going out with Herbie in that setting proved that percussion can be used in any genre."
Don also tailored his LP set-up to fit the job. "Herbie's gig was pretty much straight ahead jazz so I used three conga drums. But with Sanborn I'll go anywhere from four to five drums. And since I've got big hands, I'll use three conga drums as opposed to a quinto and a tumbadora."
Alias grew up in New York, where he learned his percussion chops playing on the streets. "We had an affinity for Afro-Cuban music," he explained. "People in my neighborhood liked all kinds of music. If you bought a Miles Davis record you also bought a Tito Puente record and The Delfonics." He first started playing congas but artists such as Nana Vasconcelos and Airto Moreira exposed Don to hand percussion which added color and texture to his playing.
When he was not touring, Alias co-directed Stone Alliance along with Gene Perla. In addition he led a Salsa band. He also recorded a Christmas album with Roberta Flack, and often went on the road with Jack DeJohnette's bands.
Equipment list: LP
congas, LP
timbales, LP
bongos, assorted
LP cowbells, LP
shekeres, and LP
Afuche®/Cabasa
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