Mr. Kenyatta by Lee Morgan - How Billy Higgins played it - Drum Transcription & Performance

In this episode of the “Real Book Drumming” series, we focus on the first 68 bars of Billy Higgins’ drumming in “Mr. Kenyatta” – a piece that is not only musically compelling, but also carries political significance. The composition by Lee Morgan appeared on the album Search for the New Land, recorded in 1964 but not released until 1966. Alongside Morgan on trumpet, the jazz greats Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone), Herbie Hancock (piano), Grant Green (guitar), Reggie Workman (bass), and Billy Higgins (drums) also played on the track. Mr. Kenyatta is dedicated to Kenyan President Jomo Kenyatta, who led Kenya to independence. The piece is characterized by its energetic, driving character, not least due to the interplay between Hancock’s piano theme and Higgins’ expressive drumming. Mr. Kenyatta is rhythmically direct, with a drive that clearly defines the piece. The feel of Mr. Kenyatta moves between binary and ternary in the A section, which is also referred to as in-between and cannot reall