Bruce Cox :
Dummer - Percussionist - Composer
Biography
Began playing drums at 12 years old .Bruce attended St. Josephs Prep. High School in Philadelphia where he was a member of the SJP high school concert band. He played and studied percussion (xylophones,timpani,snare drum etc.) in the concert band for four years under the direction of Lou DeLise : percussion instructor and Charles Fitzpatrich : band director. He enrolled in the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts after graduating from high school in 1978 There he studied European classical percussion with Anthony Orlando of the Phila. Orchestra . At the same time Bruce was studing drum set with the late great Philly Joe Jones. After a year at PCPA he join the Intergalactic Sun Ra Arkestra (1980). After 6 months on the road with Sun Ra he returned to study at Berklee College Of Music 1981 in Boston with Allan Dawson. Bruce then moved to Paris France in 1983 where he studdied West African Drumming wiht Brice Wasi & Moktar Samba. Upon returning to the United States in 1984 he played with several street bands in NYC for two years to support himself.
The first break came in 1986 when George Adams invited bruce to join his band. Bruce met Rodney Jones who introduced him to Fred Wesley which led to gigs and recordings with Fred Wesley Maceo Parker and Pee Wee Ellis.The rhythm section of Freds band (Peter Madsen,Dwyane Dolphin and Bruce Cox) formed the trio Three of a Kind in 1990. Bruce completed his debut recording entitiled STICK TO IT released in Europe 1996 and USA 1997
He began performing frequently with Sonny Rollins and Jon Hendricks in 1995 in the US.
In 1996 Bruce joined The JJJohnson Quintet touring USA ( Playboy Jazz Festival) and Europe. In 1997 Bruce became a regular member of the Sonny Rollins Band touring The USA (Monterey Jazz Festival, Revinia etc),Canada and Japan
Bruce has been performing with Fred Wesley for the past 14 years and has also peformed with
Menphis Slim - Barny Wilan - Steve Lacey - Ultramarine - David Newman - Charlie Rouse - Woody Shaw -Reggi Workman -Mal Waldron Freddy Cole - Jimmy Scott - George Adams -Bob Stewart -
Stanley Turretine -
Jon Hendricks - Clifford Jordan - Donald Byrd - JJ Johnson - Sonny Rollins - Fred Wesley - Maceo Parker - Pee Wee Ellis - James Spaulding
Donald Harrison - Dee Dee Bridgewater - Toniho Horta - Freddie Hubbard - Sonny Sharock - Vince Herring - Hugh Ragan - Karl Denson
Marc Ribot - David Gilmore - Ravi Coltrane - Kenny Burrel - Stephon Harris - Reggie Washington - Charles Davis - Howard Johnson
Andy Bey - Fabio Morgera - Lou Donaldson - Gino Sitson - Phil Woods
Chris Potter - Don Braden,Anne Ducros, Dominic Kanza, Arther Blyth
DISCOGRAPHY
"Stick to It"Minor Music 1996 MM 801055, Artist :Ravi Coltrane - Tenor Sax ,Essiet Essiet -Bass ,Dave Kikoski- Piano,Craige Haynes -Percussion, Bruce Cox -Drums Special guest Donald Harrison -Alto Sax,Dwyane Dolphin-Bass,Peter Madsen - Piano,Annette Lowman - Vocals- Bruce Cox "Three of a kind" Minor Music 1990 MM 801039 Dwyane Dolphin-Bass,Peter Madsen - Piano, Bruce Cox -Drums- "Three of a Kind meet s Mr. T" Minor Music 1992 featureing Stanley Turrentine MM 801043 Stanley Turrentine - Tenor Sax,Dwyane Dolphin-Bass,Peter Madsen - Piano, Bruce Cox -Drums "Drip some grease" Minor Music 1994 Featuring Benny Goldson MM 801056 Benny Goldson -Tenor Sax,Dwyane Dolphin-Bass,Peter Madsen - Piano, Bruce Cox -Drums "Amalgamation" Minor Music MM 801045 - "Swing and be Funky" Minor Music MM 801027 - Woulda Coulda Shoulda - Fred Wesley Sepia Tonality Minor Music MM 801040 Pee Wee Ellis - Tenor Sax,Bruce Cox -Drums,Dwyane Dolphin - Bass-Pee Wee Ellis A "New Journey" - Craig Bailey "Annette Lowman" Minor Music MM 801050 -" Brown Baby" Minor Music MM 801061- Annette Lowman "Jazzical". A mix of Classical and jazz - Joel A. Martin "N.Y. Calling" - Lee Green "Band Shapes" - "Five in Green" - Olivier Hutman "Sugar and Spice"- Ted Curson "Ritualism" - David Gilmore "Live au Duc" - Spirit of Life Ensemble "Herbal Turkey" Breast Minor Music MM 801032- Karl Danson "Fanfare & Fiesta" Justin Time 2000,JUST 152-2 - "Afternoon in Harlem" Justin Time 1999 JUST 127-2 - Hugh Raggin "Face to face" - Bob Ferrel and Ted Curson "Pablo bobrowicky New York Connection" Red Records2004 ,RR123303-2CD featuring Pablo Bobrowicky- Guitar Edward Simon-Piano,Bruce Cox -Drums,Eric Revis -Bass .Special guest;Fabio Morgera-Trumpet,Jason Jackson-Trombone,Itai Kriss-Flute "Cubist Music" - Edsel Gomez 2007 Gammy nominee "Tangible Reality"- Ofer Asass
AUDIO-VISUAL MEDIA
Donald Byrd and the New Black Birds - BET(Shown Frequently)
TKBlue - BET
Mary Pierson - BET
Film Make a Joyful Noise with Sun Ra
TV Appearances with DeeDee Bridgewater(Japan), Maceo Parker (France), Sonny Rollins (Japan), Fabio Morgera (Italy).
PRESS EXERPTS
Bruce Coxs sense of Dynamics and shading is deeply welcomed - you often can tell a drummers abailities by the brush work Ron Welbaum Jazz times
Cox from the start was impressive - a bouncy light touch percussionist who flies from drums to toms to cymbals and back, all the while creating magnificently syncopated bass drum lines Philip Edwood San francisco Examiner
ENDORSEMENTS
Pearl Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks and remo Drum Heads
