Don Alias

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

Don Alias
Born(1939-12-25)December 25, 1939
New York City, New York United States
DiedMarch 28, 2006(2006-03-28) (aged 66)
New York City, New York United States
GenresJazz, jazz fusion
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsDrums, 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
Years active1960's-2006
Associated actsJoni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock
WebsiteOfficial website

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 the group 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 Carla Bley

With Marlena Shaw

  • Love is in Flight (Verve, 1988)

With Marc Cohn

With Uri Caine

With Lou Reed

With Miles Davis

  • Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1970)
  • On the Corner (Columbia, 1972)
  • Amandla (Warner Bros., 1989)
  • Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 (Columbia Legacy, 2015)

With Bob Mintzer

  • One Music (DMP, 1991)

With Roberta Flack

With Jack DeJohnette

With Michael Franks

With Joe Farrell

With Dan Fogelberg

With Bill Frisell

With Hal Galper

With Kenny Garrett

With Herbie Hancock

With Elvin Jones

With Dave Liebman

With Joe Lovano

With Joni Mitchell

With Jaco Pastorius

With Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin

With Lalo Schifrin

With Nina Simone

  • To Love Somebody (RCA, 1969)

With Jeremy Steig

With Ira Sullivan

With Steve Swallow

With James Taylor

With Weather Report

With Lou Reed

With Pat Metheny Group

With Don Grolnick Group

  • The Complete London Concert (Fuzzy Music, 2000)
  • Medianoche (1995)

References
  1. surname pronounced ah-LIE-ahs
  2. Don Alias, 66, Percussionist And Sideman
  3. see the notes for The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (1998)
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