John Joseph Vidacovich Jr. (born June 27, 1949) is an American

jazz drummer Jazz drumming is the art of playing percussion (predominantly the drum kit, which includes a variety of drums and cymbals) in jazz styles ranging from 1910s-style Dixieland jazz to 1970s-era jazz fusion and 1980s-era Latin jazz. The techniques an ...

and a member of the band

Astral Project Astral Project is a modern jazz quartet from New Orleans, Louisiana. It was founded by saxophonist Tony Dagradi in 1978 and includes drummer Johnny Vidacovich, bassist James Singleton (musician), James Singleton and 7-string guitarist Steve Ma ...

with James Singleton,

Tony Dagradi Anthony Arnold "Tony" Dagradi (born September 22, 1952) is an American jazz saxophonist. Biography Dagradi was born in New York City, and began playing alto saxophone when he was eight years old. In his professional career, he has primarily play ...

, and

Steve Masakowski Steve Masakowski (born September 2, 1954) is jazz guitarist, educator, and inventor. He invented the guitar-based keytar and the switch pick, and has designed three custom-built seven-string guitars. He developed an approach to playing the guit ...

. He has also worked with

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...

Stanton Moore Stanton Moore (born July 9, 1972) is an American funk, jazz, and rock drummer from New Orleans. Most widely known as a founding member of Galactic, Moore has also pursued a solo recording career (beginning with his 1998 debut ''All Kooked Out! ...

Charlie Hunter Charlie Hunter (born May 23, 1967) is an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. First coming to prominence in the early 1990s, Hunter plays custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars on which he simultaneously plays bass lines, chords, a ...

Willy DeVille Willy DeVille (born William Paul Borsey Jr.; August 25, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five-year career, first with his band Mink DeVille (1974–1986) and later on his own, DeVille created orig ...

, Robert Walter,

Mose Allison Mose John Allison Jr. (November 11, 1927 – November 15, 2016) was an American jazz and blues pianist, singer, and songwriter. He became notable for playing a unique mix of blues and modern jazz, both singing and playing piano. After moving to N ...

Johnny Adams Laten John Adams Jr. (January 5, 1932 – September 14, 1998), was an American blues, jazz and gospel singer, known as "The Tan Canary" for the multi-octave range of his singing voice, his swooping vocal mannerisms and falsetto. His biggest ...

, Professor Longhair,

James Booker James Carroll Booker III (December 17, 1939 – November 8, 1983) was a New Orleans rhythm and blues keyboardist born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Booker's unique style combined rhythm and blues with jazz standards. Musician Dr. J ...

, and

Alvin Tyler Alvin Owen "Red" Tyler (December 5, 1925 – April 3, 1998) was an American R&B and neo-bop jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger, regarded as "one of the most important figures in New Orleans R&B". Biography Born and raised in New Orleans, Ty ...

. He began teaching at

Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a Private university, private Jesuit university in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name o ...

in 1982.

Discography

* ''Mystery Street'' (Chebasco, 1995) * ''Banks Street'' (Chebasco, 1996) * ''Vidacovich'' (Paw Maw, 2002) * ''We Came to Play'' with

June Yamagishi June Yamagishi (山岸潤史, born Junshi Yamagishi, June 6, 1953) is a Japanese guitarist based in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the guitarist for bands Papa Grows Funk and the Wild Magnolias. History Yamagishi was born in Ise City, Mie Pref ...

George Porter Jr. George Porter Jr. (born December 26, 1947) is an American musician, best known as the bassist and singer of The Meters. Along with Art Neville, Porter formed the group in the mid 1960s and came to be recognized as one of the progenitors of fun ...

(Trio, 2003) * '' 'bout Time'' (Paw Maw, 2020) With Ray Anderson *''

Blues Bred in the Bone ''Blues Bred in the Bone'' is an album by trombonist Ray Anderson which was recorded in 1988 and released on the Enja label.John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in the ...

*'' Flat Out'' (Gramavision, 1989)

Awards and honors

* Lifetime Achievement in Music (2020, ''

Gambit A gambit (from Italian , the act of tripping someone with the leg to make them fall) is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices with the aim of achieving a subsequent advantage. The word ''gambit'' is also sometimes used to describe simi ...

s Big Easy Entertainment Award) * Best Drummer (12 wins between 1997 and 2018, ''

OffBeat Offbeat, originally a music term meaning "not following the standard beat", which has also become a general synonym for "unconventional" or "unusual", may refer to: Music *Syncopation *Off-beat (music), the musical term in more detail *Off Beat (l ...

'' magazine's Best of the Beat Award) * Lifetime Achievement Award (2016, ''OffBeat'') * Best Contemporary Jazz Drummer (1995 and 1996, ''OffBeat'') * Best Contemporary Jazz Album: ''Banks Street'' (1996, ''OffBeat'') * Best Contemporary Jazz Album: ''Mystery Street'' (1995, ''OffBeat'')

References

External links

Official website: Astral ProjectJohnny Vidacovich Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2017) 1949 births American jazz percussionists Astral Project members Jazz musicians from New Orleans Living people Loyola University New Orleans faculty American jazz drummers {{US-jazz-drummer-stub