About Billy Hart
William "Billy" Hart (born November 29, 1940 in Washington, D.C.) is a jazz drummer and educator who has performed with some of the most important jazz musicians in history.
Early on, Hart performed in Washington, D.C. with soul artists such as Otis Redding and Sam and Dave, and later with Buck Hill and Shirley Horn. He was a sideman with the Montgomery Brothers (1961), Jimmy Smith (1964–1966), and Wes Montgomery (1966–1968). Following Montgomery's death in 1968, Hart moved to New York, where he recorded with McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, Eddie Harris, Pharoah Sanders, Marian McPartland, Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, Quest, and Miles Davis.
Teaching & Education
Billy Hart has shared his deep knowledge of jazz drumming with students at several leading conservatories and universities:
- Oberlin Conservatory of Music
- New England Conservatory of Music
- Western Michigan University
Selected Collaborators
Throughout his career, Billy Hart has worked alongside an extraordinary range of artists across the jazz and soul spectrum:
- Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Buck Hill, Shirley Horn
- The Montgomery Brothers, Jimmy Smith, Wes Montgomery
- McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul
- Eddie Harris, Pharoah Sanders, Marian McPartland
- Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, Quest, Miles Davis