Don Mumford (February 9, 1954 — July 6, 2007) was an American musician who was noted in jazz circles.

Biography

Donald Dean Mumford was born in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

, on February 9, 1954, to Robert Herman and Mildred Elisabeth Brown Mumford. He had three brothers, Dale "Butch" Mumford, Marvin Mumford and John Mumford as well as two Sisters Katherine Mumford and Louise Mumford. He attended Lawrence public schools and Lawrence High School. He attended Mount Hood Junior College in Portland, Oregon. At the time of his passing, Mumford was a resident of Des Moines, Iowa. He was struck by an automobile while riding a bicycle in

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines in central Iowa. It is best known as the home of Iowa State University (ISU), with leading agriculture, design, engineering, and veterinary medici ...

. He was taken to the Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, where he died on July 6. He was buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Lawrence after a July 12 memorial service in Lawrence.

Musical career

Mumford had an active career as a musician and private instructor. He played the drums and performed with several bands, including Sun Ra and

Dollar Brand Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand on 9 October 1934 and formerly known as Dollar Brand) is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cap ...

. He toured with various bands throughout Europe, Africa, Australia and the U.S. He was lead drummer on the album ''Motivation'' recorded by Rene van Helsdingen. In addition to

South African jazz South African jazz is the jazz of South Africa. History The jazz scene in South Africa grew much as it did in the United States. Through performances in nightclubs, dances, and other venues, musicians had the opportunity to play music often. Music ...

pioneer Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand), during several productive years in the active music scene of Portland, Oregon, Mumford's mentors included drummer Mel Brown and saxophonist

Jim Pepper Jim Gilbert Pepper II (June 18, 1941 – February 10, 1992) was a jazz saxophonist, composer and singer of Kaw and Muscogee Creek Native American heritage. He moved to New York City in 1964, where he came to prominence in the late 1960s as a mem ...

. While in Oregon, Mumford played drums in such diverse settings as the play ''Red Beans and Rice'', Carl Smith's Natural Gas Company and in one especially memorable jazz gig together with Ted Trimble, Steve Christofferson and Nancy King in Eugene. In the 1980s Mumford toured Africa and Europe with Abdullah Ibrahim and Essiet Okon Essiet, as well as with the famed aggregation of the late Sun Ra. In 2007 Mumford showed local artists and community members in Ames, Iowa the importance of a creative community. He helped start a movement to develop the Ames music scene and is the inspiration of the band ''Mumford's'', based in Ames.

References

* * American jazz drummers 1954 births 2007 deaths 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians {{US-jazz-drummer-stub