Lee McKinney - Reflection in Two Shades (2024)

Lee McKinney, a talented and versatile jazz drummer, is based in Yellow Springs, Ohio, a half-hour east of Dayton and an hour away from both Cincinnati and Columbus. He recalls how he got started: “When I was a kid, I heard drummers on the Ed Sullivan Show and I always loved the sound of a good snare drum. When I was in the fifth grade my parents rented me a snare drum kit, I was soon in the band in school and, by the time I was a freshman in high school, I decided that I wanted to see if I could make a career out of playing drums.”

Lee has succeeded at his goal, uplifting a countless number of groups through the years. Most notable among his associations was working with veteran saxophonist Norris Turney who was with Duke Ellington’s orchestra during 1969-73. “Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones and Max Roach are the three drummers who have had the strongest influences on my playing. Their styles of playing have seeped into what I play.” He pays tribute to all three masters during various selections on his new album.

Reflections In Two Shades is a major step forward in Lee McKinney’s career for it not only has him playing drums in a world-class quartet but it features his compositions. “I’ve had it in the back of my mind for a long time that I wanted to make a CD of all-original material. These songs were written over a long period of time. In fact, while some are new, a couple were originally assignments in composition class in college that I’ve updated.” For the notable project, Lee was particularly happy to have the great altoist Greg Abate aboard. “Greg and I have been friends for over 20 years and he is a masterful player on all of his instruments. A piano friend of mine from Oregon, Matt Cooper, was my first choice and was fortunately available. He was actually a teacher of mine during my senior year in college. And I was also lucky enough to get one of the best bass players in this area, Chris Berg.”