Ray Draper
| Ray Draper | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Raymond Allan Draper |
| Born |
August 3, 1940 New York City |
| Died | November 1, 1982 (aged 42) |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Tuba |
| Years active | 1950s–1982 |
Raymond Allen Draper (August 3, 1940, New York City – November 1, 1982) was an American jazz tuba player.
Draper attended the Manhattan School of Music in the mid-1950s. As a leader, he recorded his first album, Tuba Sounds (Prestige 1957), at the age of 16, with a quintet. His second album was recorded at the age of 17 with slight changes in his quintet, including John Coltrane.
After his release from prison in the late sixties due to drug use, Draper formed the first jazz rock fusion band composed of established jazz musicians of the day. This preceded Miles Davis's Bitches Brew, which is normally recognized as the first jazz rock fusion group and recording by two years. Original band members included George Bohannon on trombone, Hadley Caliman on tenor sax, John Duke on upright bass, Paul Lagos on drums and Tom Trujillo on guitar. This band, after its first live performance at Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go-where it shared the bill with Nazz-was offered numerous record deals and booked solid at rock venues for the rest of the year.
Ray Draper began using heroin again, whereupon the more experienced band members quit, except for the youngest member, guitarist Tom Trujillo and his landlord, Chuck Goodn. This led to a search for new members and hirings that included New York trumpeter Don Sleet and Ernie Watts. After two years of searching and many personnel changes, including getting clean from drugs, Draper brought drummer Paul Lagos back, along with saxophonist Richard Aplan, trumpeter Phil Wood, and bassist Ron Johnson. This new group was eventually named Red Beans and Rice, named after their favorite meal cooked by Draper's wife, Sandy. This group appeared on bills with some of the day's headlining groups including Jimi Hendrix, Chicago Transit Authority, Jethro Tull, and Gil Scott Heron.
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