When Drummer Billy Kilson finished his work at Berklee (under the tutelage of Alan Dawson), he engaged in a brief tour with pianist Walter Davis, Jr. With that, a spark was ignited, with Billy being hired by Dianne Reeves, Ahmad Jama,l and Donald Byrd for some his first shining moments. The calls kept coming - George Duke, Steps Ahead, Michael Franks & Bob James would recruit Kilson's exceptional talents as well. Billy also gained significant notoriety in the small and large groups of bassist Dave Holland, where his rhythm making gave a glorious groove to those groups.
His efforts with the legendary pianist Hank Jones and bassist George Mraz would be a master class for Billy, and set in motion his own affinity for the trio setting.
The Kicker is the latest result of that hard work. Here, Billy is joined by pianist Geoffrey Keezer and bassist Essiet Essiet, in a program of reimagining works by Joe Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter and Victor Young, highlighted by a Kilson original guaranteed to put your move on.
Hear a track each morning at 8:20 from Billy Kilson's engaging new release.
