What ? You don't know her? Well well well ... Read these lines and go to all the sections of this site and i'm sure you will be there at her next show !

        Drummer/composer Cindy Blackman is known as a powerful percussionist from the hard-bop mold. She was born in Yellow Springs, Ohio, on Nov. 18, 1959. and raised in Connecticut, Cindy Blackman decided at the age of eight that she was going to be a drummer and she began her musical career as a New York street performer. She spent three semesters at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and also studied with legendary teacher Alan Dawson. Stints with school orchestras and bands, and a place in the local fife and drum corps had helped her develop her technique and a unique understanding of her chosen instrument. After college, her love of jazz drew her to New York City in the 80’s, where she became friends with many of her drumming heroes, including Art Blakey, Elvin Jones and Tony Williams and since that time, she has been seen and heard by millions of people all over the world performing with her own group and also with Lenny Kravitz, and everybody who have seen Lenny's band live since she became the official drummer live for him would acclaim her talent.

        She started gaining notoriety as a sideman with such recognized names as Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson and Don Pullen before releasing her first album in 1987, leading her group Arcane. That album included not only Henderson, but trumpeter Wallace Roney and alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett as well. By the time of Code Red, in 1992, Blackman was an experienced leader. It was an album dedicated to Art Blakey, and had Roney as well as alto saxophonist Steve Coleman playing on it. Other musicians Blackman has collaborated with include saxophonists Greg Osby and Antoine Roney, guitarist David Fiuczynski, pianist Jacky Terrasson, and bassists Clarence Seay and Santi Dibriano. Blackman's style of playing, influenced by Tony Williams and Blakey, is aggressive and combines a seemingly faultless technique as well.

        It was in 1993, though, when she secured the gig with multi-talented rocker Lenny Kravitz, that Cindy found herself propelled into the limelight. While she had always enjoyed listening to rock 'n' roll, she admits she had no idea who Lenny was when he invited her to audition for the vacant drum throne in his band. Soon after, though, she was the driving force behind his enthralling live shows - combining traditional jazz techniques with conventional rock grooves on stadium stages around the world.

        Cindy has been touted as “one of the hottest drummers in the business,” by the Star-Gazette and is regarded as one of the top drummers in the world. She is a solid, dependable drummer who can easily move from straight-ahead jazz to rock to funk and back again. She’s upheld the backbeat and created texture for a veritable “Who’s Who” in jazz: Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson, Don Pullen, Hugh Masekela, Pharaoh Sanders, Sam Rivers, Cassandra Wilson, Angela Bofill, Bill Laswell, Buckethead. In early 2000, Cindy released the latest of her several acclaimed solo albums entitled “Works on Canvas”. Cindy also continues to keep a very heavy schedule of touring and recording with Lenny Kravitz.

        In 1998, Cindy released her first drumming instructional video entitled, “Multiplicity” through Warner Brothers publications.
“Some drummers act, some react. Some keep time, others create it. Cindy Blackman is among the few who can...” says Mike Zwerin of the International Herald Tribune. One listen to her latest release, Lil' somethin', somethin' and you’ll agree.
Talking Drum said, “...you can be assured that Ms. Blackman will be around for a long time to come.” She is thunder. She is fire. She is energy. She is passion. She is Cindy Blackman.

        Currently out on the road with Kravitz on his latest tour, Cindy will be at La Cigale at Paris, the 7th november and I will be there to see the amazing show that Lenny Kravitz, Cindy Blackman, Craig Ross, George Laks, Harold Todd, Jack Daley, and Michael Hunter will do for us.

        If she read these lines, I hope Cindy will drop me an email and we can talk by email like I do with Craig Ross, the greatest guitarist and co-writer of lenny kravitz. Thanx a lot Cindy for all the vibrations you gave to us and to me !

LET LOVE RULE !

@ Lenny Production - Always on the run  - John Coltrane - Craig Ross