Few drummers command the stage or elevate a song like Tommy Campbell. From Dizzy Gillespie to John McLaughlin, Sonny Rollins to Kevin Eubanks, the Mingus Big Band to his own acclaimed groups, Campbell is always a force of nature behind the drum kit.

 

“There are things you learn playing for extended periods of time with jazz icons that can’t be learned in a traditional school environment,” Campbell tells us. “You have to have the one-on-one time with seasoned cats to get that sort of musical candy, digging deep in the pocket, playing with the masters.”

 

A native of Norristown, PA, Campbell got his first drum at 10 years old, not surprising since music runs deep in his family’s DNA. “My dad was a lounge singer, and my uncle was (jazz organ legend) Jimmy Smith. Officially, my first lessons were at the Berklee School of Music. Before that it was just a lot of people I was related to in some form,” he explains. “But the first drummer I remember seeing on national TV was Buddy Rich, and I was amazed.”

 

Campbell hit the music scene in the late 1970s, first with an assortment of rock and funk bands, then with famed vocalist Marlena Shaw in 1977. Soon after, jazz pioneer Dizzy Gillespie plucked the rookie for his touring band in 1979. And the rest, as they say, was history. And after a lifetime of storied gigs, which ones stick-out the most for him? “Playing Carnegie Hall with John McLaughlin, “ he answers without a flinch. “And the first “Zildjian Day New York too!”

 

But don’t let Campbell’s deep musical roots or fabled associations fool you. He’s got a wild, comedic streak as well, evinced by his crowd-rousing use of rubber animals in his drum solos. And how did they find their way into his shows? “I bought the first one for my son Teman in Tokyo, Japan when he was two years old. I was taking a bunch of toys to the cashier, when a toy alligator suddenly fell out of my hands onto the floor and I accidentally stepped on it. It made a sound somewhat like a Brazilian cuica drum. I had a gig that night, so I decided to try to use it. When I got to the stage, I looked over at my hi-hat cymbals as they were open. I looked at the gap between the two cymbals and slid the alligator in between the two cymbals and stepped on the hi-hat pedal started squeezing the alligator between the hit-hat cymbals. People in the audience loved it so much, that the next night a customer brought me a pig to go with the alligator and ‘The Porkestra’ was born!”

 

Campbell has played shows large and small, from New York to Nairobi, for decades. So he knows a thing or two about what makes a venue special. What keep him returning to the Django? “One would think that at hotels people don’t really listen. But audiences at the  Django  really do love and respect live music. That’s a true blessing, and what makes it pleasure to perform there.”

 

Catch Tommy Campbell at The Django on July 12 with sets at 7:30PM and 9PM. Reserve your table HERE.