Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Eugene Seldon Gammage was born January 30, 1931 in Atlanta, Georgia and his original influences as Max Roach, Kenny Clarke, Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey, and Elvin Jones. He began his professional career as a drummer in 1952 after serving four years in the Air Force. In 1953 he moved to Los Angeles, California where he found a steady gig with Teddy Charles with Bill Crow on bass. Following this, in 1955 he played with leaders Buddy Collette, Hampton Hawes, and André Previn. In ‘56 he performed with Barney Kessel, Herb Geller and Jack Sheldon

Tenor saxophonist Jack Laird hired him for an engagement at Club El Sereno in East Los Angeles along with pianist Franck Patchen. That November he was in Las Vegas, Nevada with pianist Oscar Peterson. 1957 saw him joining Beverly Kelly and Pat Moran McCoy for a quartet and trio including Scott LaFaro. They recorded and issued two albums in 1958 under the two leaders’ names. From fall 1958 to Spring 1959, he was hired again by Oscar Peterson. The trio, with Ray Brown on bass, recorded a jazz version of My Fair Lady.

Gammage went to St. Louis, Missouri in 1961 and recorded three live dates with Webster Young, Shirley Horn, and Johnny Hartman. By the late Sixties he was residing in New York City and was part of Roswell Rudd’s Primordial group, with Enrico Rava, however, there is no official recording.

The Seventies had him with Gary McFarland and writer, editor David Burnett at Club 55 in New York City, when they were served drinks filled with liquid methadone, provoking a seizure due to overdose. Gary McFarland was pronounced dead in the bar, David Burnett died just a few days later. Fortunately Gene survived after some time in the hospital.

From the mid-seventies to the early eighties, his last known regular gig was with Bobby Short at the Café Carlyle. Never a leader, drummer Gene Gammage has recorded as a sideman on nine albums, been included on seven reissues and been a  part of two documentaries covering Gary McFarland and Bobby Short.

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