Don Alias Explained

Don Alias
Birth Name:Charles Alias
Birth Date:25 December 1939
Birth Place:New York City, New York, U.S.
Death Place:New York, New York, U.S.
Instrument:Drums, conga drums, percussion, bongos, djembe, udu, shaker, finger cymbals, tambourine, bells, cabasa, claves, palitos, African drums, batá drum, cowbell, marimba, cymbals, timbales, dumbek, timpani, quinto, shekere, snare drum, African percussion, kalimba, mark tree, jam block
Genre:Jazz, jazz fusion
Occupation:Musician
Years Active:1960s–2006
Website:Official website

Charles "Don" Alias[1] (December 25, 1939 – March 28, 2006)[2] was an American jazz percussionist.

Alias was best known for playing congas and other hand drums. He was, however, a capable drum kit performer: for example, Alias played drums on the song "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" from trumpeter Miles Davis's album Bitches Brew (1969) when neither Lenny White nor Jack DeJohnette was able to play the marching band-inspired rhythm requested by Davis.[3]

Alias performed on hundreds of recordings and was perhaps best known for his associations with Miles Davis and saxophonist David Sanborn, though he also performed or recorded with Weather Report, singer Joni Mitchell, pianist Herbie Hancock, the Brecker Brothers, Jaco Pastorius, Pat Metheny, Nina Simone and many others. Alias was born in New York City and arrived in Boston in the early 1960s intending to study medicine, but after playing congas in a number of local bands, made an abrupt career switch.

Discography

As sideman

With Philip Bailey

With Cheryl Bentyne

With Carla Bley

With Blood, Sweat & Tears

With Jonathan Butler

With Uri Caine

With David Clayton-Thomas

With Marc Cohn

With Miles Davis

With Jack DeJohnette

With Klaus Doldinger

With Eliane Elias

With Joe Farrell

With Roberta Flack

With Dan Fogelberg

With Michael Franks

With Bill Frisell

With Hal Galper

With Kenny Garrett

With Don Grolnick Group

With Herbie Hancock

With Ian Hunter

With Elvin Jones

With Dave Liebman

With Joe Lovano

With Pat Metheny Group

With Bob Mintzer

With Joni Mitchell

With Jane Monheit

With Pages

With Jaco Pastorius

With Weather Report

With Lou Reed

With Sanne Salomonsen

With Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin

With Lalo Schifrin

With Marlena Shaw

With Nina Simone

With Jeremy Steig

With Ira Sullivan

With Steve Swallow

With James Taylor

With The Tony Williams Lifetime

External links

Notes and References

  1. surname pronounced ah-LIE-ahs
  2. Web site: Chinen . Nate . April 5, 2006 . Don Alias, 66, Percussionist and Sideman, Is Dead (Published 2006) . August 7, 2023 . The New York Times.
  3. see the notes for The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (1998)

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