Gerald Cleaver (born May 4, 1963Adler, David R. (December 13, 2013
"Home & Away with Gerald Cleaver"
JazzTimes.) is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

drummer from

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, Michigan.

Early life

Cleaver's father is drummer John Cleaver Jr., originally from Springfield, Ohio, and his mother was from Greenwood, Mississippi. Gerald had six older siblings.

Career

Cleaver joined the jazz faculty at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1995. He has performed or recorded with Joe Morris,

Mat Maneri Mat Maneri (born October 4, 1969) is an American composer, violin, and viola player. He is the son of the saxophonist Joe Maneri and Sonja Maneri. Career Maneri has recorded with Cecil Taylor, Guerino Mazzola, Matthew Shipp, Joe Morris, Ger ...

Roscoe Mitchell Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' described him as "one of the key figures ...

Miroslav Vitouš Miroslav Ladislav Vitouš (born 6 December 1947) is a Czech jazz bassist. Biography Born in Prague, Vitouš began the violin at age six, switching to piano after about three years, and then to bass at age fourteen. As a young man in Europe, ...

Michael Formanek Michael Formanek (born May 7, 1958) is an American jazz bassist born in San Francisco, California, United States, and associated with the jazz scene in New York City, New York. Career In the 1980s, Formanek worked as a sideman with Freddie Hubb ...

Tomasz Stańko Tomasz Ludwik Stańko (11 July 1942 – 29 July 2018) was a Polish trumpeter and composer. Stańko was associated with free jazz and the avant-garde. In 1962, Tomasz Stańko formed his first band, the Jazz Darings, with saxophonist Janusz Munia ...

Franck Amsallem Franck Amsallem is a French-American jazz pianist, arranger, composer, singer and educator. He was born in 1961 in Oran, French Algeria, but grew up in Nice, France. Early years Amsallem was born in Oran (Algeria) to Elie Amsallem (1922-2019) a ...

and others. Under the name Veil of Names, Cleaver released an album called '' Adjust'' on the Fresh Sound New Talent label in 2001. It featured Maneri,

Ben Monder Ben Monder (born May 24, 1962) is an American modern jazz guitarist. Biography Monder started playing guitar when he was eleven, after two years on violin. From 1979–84, he attended the Westchester Conservatory of Music, the University of Miam ...

, Andrew Bishop,

Craig Taborn Craig Marvin Taborn (; born February 20, 1970) is an American pianist, organist, keyboardist and composer. He works solo and in bands, mostly playing various forms of jazz. He started playing piano and Moog synthesizer as an adolescent and was ...

and

Reid Anderson Reid Anderson (born 15 October 1970) is a bassist and composer from Minnesota. He is a member of The Bad Plus with drummer Dave King, saxophonist Chris Speed, and guitarist Ben Monder. The original lineup of The Bad Plus first played together i ...

and was a Best Debut Recording Nominee by the

Jazz Journalists Association The Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) is an international organization of all types of media professionals who document, promulgate, or appreciate jazz. As of 2016, it has approximately 250 members, including professional journalists, students, ind ...

. Cleaver currently leads the groups Uncle June, Black Host, Violet Hour and NiMbNl as well as working as a sideman with many different artists.

Discography

An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

With

Lotte Anker Lotte Anker (born 1958 Copenhagen) is a Danish jazz saxophonist, and composer. With pianist Marilyn Crispell, she serves as one of the co-leaders of the Copenhagen Art Ensemble. Musical career Anker studied music at the Copenhagen University f ...

* ''

Triptych A triptych ( ; from the Greek language, Greek adjective ''τρίπτυχον'' "''triptukhon''" ("three-fold"), from ''tri'', i.e., "three" and ''ptysso'', i.e., "to fold" or ''ptyx'', i.e., "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) t ...

'' ( Leo, 2005) * ''

Live at the Loft ''Live at the Loft'' is the second album by Danish jazz saxophonist Lotte Anker with her trio with pianist Craig Taborn and drummer Gerald Cleaver, which was recorded in 2005 at the Loft in Cologne and released on the Danish ILK label.Floating Islands A floating island is a mass of floating aquatic plants, mud, and peat ranging in thickness from several centimeters to a few meters. Floating islands are a common natural phenomenon that are found in many parts of the world. They exist less co ...

'' (ILK, 2009) With

Samuel Blaser Samuel Blaser (born 20 July 1981 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland) is a Swiss trombonist and composer. Biography Born and raised in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, Samuel Blaser lived in New York City for many years before relocating to Be ...

* ''7th Heaven'' (Between the Lines, 2008) * ''Boundless'' (Hatology, 2011) with

Marc Ducret Marc Ducret (born 19 August 1957) is a contemporary avant-garde jazz guitarist who frequently collaborates with saxophonist Tim Berne. Ducret's guitar style is idiosyncratic, having been called "highly original and very expressive," but also ...

* ''As the Sea'' (Hatology, 2012) with Marc Ducret * ''Spring Rain'' (Whirlwind, 2015) With

Ellery Eskelin Ellery Eskelin (born August 16, 1959) is an American tenor saxophonist raised in Baltimore, Maryland and residing in New York City. His parents, Rodd Keith and Bobbie Lee, were both professional musicians. Rodd Keith died in 1974 in Los Angeles, ...

* ''Trio Willisau Live'' (HatOLOGY 2016) * ''Trio New York II'' (Prime source 2013) * ''Trio New York'' (Prime source 2011) With

Chris Lightcap Chris Lightcap is an American double bassist, bass guitarist and composer born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Career In addition to his work as a bassist he has led a variety of bands since 2000 and has produced six albums of original music. Lightcap' ...

* ''Lay-up'' (Fresh Sound, 2000) * ''Bigmouth''(Fresh Sound, 2003) * ''Deluxe'' (Clean Feed, 2010) * ''Epicenter'' (Clean Feed, 2015) * ''SuperBigmouth'' (Pyroclastic, 2019) With

* '' The Day and the Night '' (Dizim, 1997) * ''

Nine to Get Ready ''Nine to Get Ready'' is an album by the jazz saxophonist and composer Roscoe Mitchell, recorded in 1997 and released on the ECM Records, ECM label.

'' (ECM, 1999) * '' Song for My Sister'' ( Pi, 2002) With Joe Morris * '' Underthru'' (OmniTone, 1999) * '' At the Old Office'' (

Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United States. The Knitting Factory gave its audience poetry readings, perform ...

, 2000) * ''

Altitude Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...

'' (AUM Fidelity, 2012) * ''

Balance Balance or balancing may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance as in equality or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * ''Balance'' (1983 film), a Bulgarian ...

'' (

Clean Feed Clean may refer to: * Cleaning, the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment * Cleanliness, the state of being clean and free from dirt Arts and media Music A ...

, 2014) With

Ivo Perelman Ivo Perelman (born January 12, 1961) is a Brazilian free jazz saxophonist born in São Paulo. Career In his youth, Perelman learned to play guitar, cello, clarinet, trombone, and piano, concentrating on tenor sax since age 19. He attended the Be ...

* ''Family Ties'' (Leo, 2012) with Joe Morris * ''The Living Jelly'' (Leo, 2012) with Joe Morris * ''The Foreign Legion'' (Leo, 2012) with Matthew Shipp * ''Enigma'' (Leo, 2013) with Matthew Shipp and Whit Dickey * ''Serendipity'' (Leo, 2013) with Matthew Shipp and William Parker * ''The Art of The Improv Trio Volume 1'' (Leo, 2016) with Karl Berger * ''The Art of The Improv Trio Volume 3'' (Leo, 2016) with Matthew Shipp * ''The Art of The Improv Trio Volume 4'' (Leo, 2016) with William Parker * ''The Art of The Improv Trio Volume 5'' (Leo, 2016) with Joe Morris * ''The Art of The Improv Trio Volume 6'' (Leo, 2016) with Joe Morris * ''Breaking Point'' (Leo, 2016) with Mat Maneri and Joe Morris * ''Octagon'' (Leo, 2017) with Brandon Lopez and

Nate Wooley Nate or NATE may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nate (given name) *A nickname for Nathanael *A nickname for Nathaniel Organizations * National Association for the Teaching of English, the UK subject teacher association for all aspec ...

With

Matthew Shipp Matthew Shipp (born December 7, 1960) is an American pianist, composer, and bandleader. Early life and education Shipp was raised in Wilmington, Delaware, and began playing piano at six years old. His mother was a friend of trumpeter Clifford B ...

* '' Pastoral Composure'' (

Thirsty Ear Thirsty Ear Recordings is an American independent record label. It was founded in the late 1970s as a marketing company for the then-unnamed alternative music field, and expanded to issue its own records in 1990. Thirsty Ear came to prominence ...

, 2000) * '' New Orbit'' (Thirsty Ear, 2001) * '' The Blue Series Continuum – Sorcerer Sessions'' (Thirsty Ear, 2003) * '' Equilibrium'' (Thirsty Ear, 2003) * '' Harmony and Abyss'' (Thirsty Ear, 2004) * ''

Our Lady of the Flowers ''Our Lady of the Flowers'' (''Notre-Dame-des-Fleurs'') is the debut novel of French literature, French writer Jean Genet, first published in 1943. The free-flowing, poetic novel is a largely autobiographical novel, autobiographical account of a m ...

'' (RogueArt, 2015) With

Miroslav Vitous Miroslav may refer to: * Miroslav (given name), a Slavic masculine given name * ''Young America'' (clipper) or ''Miroslav'', an Austrian clipper ship in the Transatlantic case oil trade * Miroslav (Znojmo District), a town in the Czech Republic S ...

* ''

Universal Syncopations II ''Universal Syncopations II'' is an album by Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš recorded between November 2004–April 2005 and released June 15, 2007 on ECM.

'' (ECM, 2007) * ''Remembering Weather Report'' (ECM, 2009) * ''Music of Weather Report'' (ECM, 2016) With others * Andrew Bishop, ''Time & Imaginary Time'' (Envoi, 2006) * Rob Brown, '' Crown Trunk Root Funk'' (AUM Fidelity, 2008) * Rob Brown, ''

Unexplained Phenomena Unexplained or The Unexplained may refer to: * Unexplained, something not explained * Unexplained (EP), a 1992 EP by EMF * The Unexplained (1996 TV series), a 1990s documentary television series * '' Unexplained'', a 2008 television series examini ...

'' (

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include: People *Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist *Marge Anderson (1932� ...

, 2011) *

Taylor Ho Bynum Taylor Ho Bynum (born 1975) is a musician, composer, educator and writer. His main instrument is the cornet, but he also plays numerous similar instruments, including flugelhorn and trumpet. Early life Bynum was born in BaltimoreWilmoth, Charli" ...

, ''Book of Three'' (RogueArt, 2010) * Taylor Ho Bynum, ''Book of Three – Continuum'' (Relative Pitch, 2013) * Benoit Delbecq, ''Spots on Stripes'' (Clean Feed, 2018) *

Yelena Eckemoff Yelena Eckemoff is a Russian-born pianist, composer, poet, and visual artist. Her compositions blend classical music with jazz, and feature exploration and improvisation. Music career Eckemoff was born in Moscow, Russia, in the Soviet Union. He ...

, '' In the Shadow of a Cloud'' (L&H, 2017) *

Liberty Ellman Liberty Ellman (born July 17, 1971) is a jazz guitarist born in London and raised in the United States, beginning in New York City. In the early 1980s, Ellman's family moved to California. Before leaving New York, he attended City and Country Sch ...

, '' Ophiuchus Butterfly'' (Pi, 2006) *

, '' The Rub and Spare Change'' (ECM, 2010) with

Tim Berne Tim Berne (born October 16, 1954) is an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and record label owner. His primary instruments are the alto and baritone saxophones. Biography Berne was born in Syracuse, New York, United States. He has said that ...

* Michael Formanek, ''Small Places'' ( ECM, 2012) with Tim Berne & Craig Taborn *

Charles Gayle Charles Gayle (born February 28, 1939) is an American free jazz musician. Initially known as a saxophonist who came to prominence in the 1990s after decades of obscurity, Gayle also performs as pianist, bass clarinetist, bassist, and percussioni ...

, '' Precious Soul'' (FMP, 2001) * Charles Gayle, ''Shout!'' (Clean Feed, 2005) *

Daniel Guggenheim Daniel Guggenheim (July 9, 1856 – September 28, 1930) was an American mining magnate and philanthropist, and a son of Meyer and Barbara Guggenheim. By 1910 he directed the world's most important group of mining interests. He was forced out ...

, '' Traces of...'' (Laika, 2005) *

Frank London Frank London (born 1958 in New York) is an American klezmer trumpeter who also plays jazz and world music. Early life London was born to a Reform Jewish family and grew up in New York and Connecticut. He started playing the trumpet in fourt ...

, ''Hazonos'' (Tzadik, 2005) *

, ''Blue Decco'' (Thirsty Ear, 2000) * Mat Maneri, ''Sustain'' (Thirsty Ear, 2002) with

Joe McPhee Joe McPhee (born November 3, 1939) is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist born in Miami, Florida, a player of tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone, the trumpet, flugelhorn and valve trombone. McPhee grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York, and is ...

Jemeel Moondoc Jemeel Moondoc (August 5, 1946 – August 29, 2021) was a jazz saxophonist who played alto saxophone. He was a proponent of a highly improvisational style. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and studied clarinet and piano before s ...

, ''

Live at the Vision Festival ''Live at the Vision Festival'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, which was recorded live at the 2001 Vision Festival and released on Ayler Records, a Swedish label founded by Jan Ström and Åke Bjurhamn.Intakt, 2019) *

Fredrik Nordstrom Fredrik is a masculine Germanic given name derived from the German name '' Friedrich'' or Friederich, from the Old High German ''fridu'' meaning "peace" and ''rîhhi'' meaning "ruler" or "power". It is the common form of Frederick in Norway, Finlan ...

, ''Gentle Fire, Restless Dreams'' (Moserobie, 2016) *

Eivind Opsvik Eivind Opsvik (born 1973 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician (upright bass) and composer, the son of the Norwegian interior and furniture designer Peter Opsvik. Career Opsvik is a graduate of the Norwegian Academy of Music (1993� ...

, ''Overseas'' (Fresh Sound, 2002) * William Parker, '' Double Sunrise Over Neptune'' (AUM Fidelity, 2007) * William Parker, '' Uncle Joe's Spirit House'' (Centering, 2010) *

Mario Pavone Mario Pavone (November 11, 1940 – May 15, 2021) was an American jazz bassist, composer and bandleader. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead offers that Pavone was not only "great bass player ut also abig-hearted mensch." Early life Pavone was born i ...

, ''

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

'' (Playscape, 2003) * Mario Pavone, ''

Ancestors An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder or a forebear, is a parent or (recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from whom ...

'' (Playscape, 2008) *

Jeremy Pelt Jeremy Pelt (born November 4, 1976, in California) is an American jazz trumpeter. Career Pelt studied classical trumpet as a child and focused on jazz after playing in a high school jazz ensemble. He studied at Berklee College of Music. Among th ...

, ''November'' (MAXJAZZ, 2008) * Jeremy Pelt, ''

Men of Honor ''Men of Honor'' (released in the UK and Ireland as ''Men of Honour'') is a 2000 American drama film directed by George Tillman Jr. and starring Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding Jr. The film is inspired by the true story of Master Chief Petty O ...

'' (HighNote, 2010) * Jeremy Pelt, ''

The Talented Mr. Pelt ''The Talented Mr. Pelt'' is an album by trumpeter Jeremy Pelt which was recorded in 2010 and released on the HighNote label the following year. Reception In his review on Allmusic, Matt Collar states "A forward-thinking improviser with an ear ...

'' (HighNote, 2011) * Jeremy Pelt, ''Soul'' (HighNote, 2012) *

Eric Revis Eric Revis (born May 31, 1967) is a jazz bassist and composer. Revis came to prominence as a bassist with singer Betty Carter in the mid-1990s. Since 1997 he has been a member of Branford Marsalis's ensemble. His debut album, ''Tales of the Stutt ...

, ''Crowded Solitudes'' (Clean Feed, 2016) * Samo Salamon, ''Government Cheese'' (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2006) * Samo Salamon, ''Stretching Out'' (Samo Records, 2012) *

Wadada Leo Smith Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith (born December 18, 1941) is an American trumpeter and composer, working primarily in the fields of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation. He was one of three finalists for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music for ''Ten Free ...

, ''

Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13th ol ...

'' (

Tzadik Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The ...

, 2004) *

Tomasz Stanko Tomasz is a Polish given name, the equivalent of Thomas in English. Notable people with the given name include: *Tomasz Adamek (born 1976), Polish heavyweight boxer *Tomasz Arciszewski (1877–1955), Polish socialist politician and Prime Minist ...

, '' Wislawa'' (ECM, 2013) * Tomasz Stanko, '' December Avenue'' (ECM, 2017) *

Steve Swell Steve Swell (born in Newark, New Jersey, December 6, 1954) is an American free jazz trombonist, composer, and educator. Music career Swell studied at Jersey City State Teachers College before moving to New York City in 1975 where he began his m ...

, ''Soul Travelers'' (Roguert, 2016) * Adam Rogers and

Dave Binney David Binney (born August 2, 1961) is an American alto saxophonist and composer. Early life Binney was born in Miami, Florida, and was raised in Carpinteria, California. From his parents, who loved music, he was exposed to albums by John C ...

, ''R&B'' (Criss Cross, 2015) *

, '' Light Made Lighter'' (Thirsty Ear, 2001) * Craig Taborn, ''

Chants A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes ...

'' (ECM, 2013) *

Gebhard Ullmann Gebhard Ullmann (born November 2, 1957) is a German jazz musician and composer. Career At the age of six, Ullmann started to play the recorder and later classical flute. Since 1976 he studied a.o. with Herb Geller and Dave Liebman and at ...

, ''Hat and Shoes'' (Between the Lines, 2015) *

Rodney Whitaker Rodney Whitaker (born February 22, 1968) is an American jazz double bass player and educator. Biography Born in Detroit, Whitaker attended Wayne State University, and studied with Robert Gladstone, principal bass with the Detroit Symphony Orche ...

, ''Hidden Kingdom'' (DIW, 1997)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleaver, Gerald Northern Spy Records artists 1963 births Living people Musicians from Detroit American jazz drummers University of Michigan faculty 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jazz musicians from Michigan 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians AUM Fidelity artists RogueArt artists