Bill Summers

Biography

Bill Summers (born June 27, 1948) is an American Afro-Cuban jazz/Latin jazz percussionist, a multi-instrumentalist who plays primarily on conga drums.

Career

In the 1970s, he founded Bill Summers & Summers Heat together with Bo Freeman, Calvin Tillery, Carla Vaughn, Claytoven Richardson, Earl Freeman, Freddie Washington, George Spencer, Hadley Caliman, James Levi, Jeff Lewis, Larry Batiste, Leo Miller, Lori Ham, Michael Sasaki, Munyungo Jackson, Paul Van Wageningen, Ray Obiedo, Rodney Franklin, Scott Roberts and Tom Poole.
The group produced 7 albums between 1977 and 1983 :

Cayenne
Straight to the bank
On Sunshine
Jam the box
Call it what you want
Seventeen
London Style
During the 1990s, Summers played with Los Hombres Calientes along with co-leader of the group, trumpeter Irvin Mayfield and Jason Marsalis. However, Summers has a much longer musical career, often working behind the scenes on film scores for various movies such as The Color Purple and the television miniseries Roots with Quincy Jones. He also played with Herbie Hancock during The Headhunters years, and is mentioned in passing by the liner notes of The Headhunters' 2003 release Evolution Revolution as contributing to that recording. His former wife is Yvette Bostic-Summers, who often sings on Los Hombres' albums.

As leader

Feel the Heat (Prestige, 1977)
Cayenne (Prestige, 1977)
Straight to the Bank (Prestige, 1978)
On Sunshine (Prestige, 1979)
Call it What You Want (MCA, 1981) – US No. 129
Jam the Box (MCA, 1981) – US No. 92
Seventeen (MCA, 1982)
London Style (MCA, 1983)
Iroko (Vital, 1992)
The Essence of Kwanzaa (Monkey Hill, 1997)
Studies in Bata: Sacred Drum of the Yoruba, Havana to Matanzas (Bilsum, 2002)

As a member

The Headhunters

Survival of the Fittest (Arista, 1975) – US No. 126
Straight from the Gate (Arista, 1977)
Return of the Headhunters (Verve Forecast, 1998)
Evolution Revolution (Basin Street, 2003)
On Top: Live in Europe (BHM, 2008)
Platinum (Owl Studios, 2011)
Zawinul Syndicate

Lost Tribes (Columbia, 1992)
Los Hombres Calientes

Los Hombres Calientes (Basin Street, 1998)
Vol. 2 (Basin Street, 2000)
Vol. 3 New Congo Square (Basin Street, 2001)
Vol. 4: Vodou Dance (Basin Street, 2003)