Abe Laboriel Jr.

Last updated

Abe Laboriel Jr.
Show Paul McCartney Sao Paulo-26 de marco de 2019 10.jpg
Playing as sideman with Paul McCartney, 2019
Background information
Birth nameAbraham Laboriel Jr.
BornMarch 23, 1971 (1971-03-23) (age 53)
Origin Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres Rock, pop
Occupation(s)Drummer
Years active1980s–present

Abraham Laboriel Jr. is an American session musician best known as the drummer and backing vocalist of Paul McCartney's touring band since 2001. [1] He is the son of Mexican bass guitarist Abraham Laboriel, nephew of Mexican rock musician Johnny Laboriel, and brother of record producer, songwriter and film composer Mateo Laboriel.

Contents

Early life

The son of jazz bass player Abraham Laboriel, Abe grew up playing drums starting at age four. [1] His mother is a classically trained singer. [2]

Laboriel was mentored by well-known percussionists and drummers, including Jeff Porcaro, Chester Thompson, along with Bill Maxwell and Alex Acuña, who had formed the band Koinonia with his father in the 1980s.

He attended the Dick Grove School of Music, studying with Peter Donald, during his junior year in high school. He also attended the Hamilton High School Academy of Music in Los Angeles in his senior year. Here he first experienced the use of programming and became a member of a marching band. He formed a jazz trio with Vernell Brown and Mike Elizondo. [2] In 1989, he was honored by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and Down Beat magazine. He then enrolled at the Berklee College of Music, where he graduated in 1993. [1]

Career

Laboriel's first break as a drummer was a tour with guitarist Steve Vai. He then toured with Seal, where he was seen by record producers around Los Angeles which led to session work. [1] Laboriel next toured with k.d. lang where Sting saw him and invited Laboriel to join Sting's touring band. He also toured and recorded in studio with former Menudo member Robi Draco Rosa on his album Vagabundo.

Laboriel has also recorded and performed with Fiona Apple, Jonatha Brooke, Crystal Lewis, Shakira, B.B. King, Steven Curtis Chapman, Eric Clapton, Johnny Hallyday, Jenifer, Steve Winwood, Les Paul, Ashlee Simpson, LeAnn Rimes, Mylène Farmer, Letters to Cleo, Vanessa Carlton, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, Tyler Bryant, Steve Lukather, Jerry Cantrell and others. [1] Lewis and Laboriel were also both a part of the Nickelodeon television series, Roundhouse in the 1990s.

For his 2001 album, Driving Rain , Paul McCartney told producer David Kahne he wanted to return to the spontaneity he remembered when working with The Beatles. He recalled that his bandmates and producer would often be hearing the songs he had written for the first time at the start of the recording session, having had no time to learn or rehearse. McCartney felt this made the recordings sound "fresh," and told Kahne he wanted to record this album the same way. To achieve this, Kahne assembled a band of session musicians, Laboriel included, who had never met McCartney until their first day in the studio together. [3] [4] Laboriel has been part of McCartney's recording and touring band ever since.

Laboriel was part of a power trio called The Raging Honkies, together with Michael Landau. He is part of the collective that is Chocolate Genius, Inc.

Laboriel performing in 2008 Abe Laboriel, Tel Aviv.jpg
Laboriel performing in 2008

In 2006 during the show "Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy" ("Before the shadow... at Bercy"), Laboriel sang a duet "Les Mots" ("The words") with Mylène Farmer. [2] He also played with Sting at the Montreux Jazz Festival that year. Laboriel toured with Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood on their 14-date American Tour in 2009 following their Japanese tour the year before. [5] He made his live debut with Paul McCartney at The Concert for New York City in 2001, and has played on every McCartney tour since then. [6]

In addition to drums, Laboriel also sings and plays bass, guitar and keyboards. [7] When touring with McCartney, he will occasionally switch to one of these instruments to accommodate certain songs and on his 2013 solo album Naked, he played every instrument.

In 2021, Laboriel played drums on Jerry Cantrell's album Brighten . [8] In 2022, he contributed drums and percussion to "Mrs. Mills" on the new solo album Earthling from Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder.

Style

About his playing, Laboriel noted: "As much as I would love to say I have an original sound, I think the truth is I have an original filter. I'd listen so much and so hard to so many different people that what's original about me is not necessarily what I play but how I play it, how I interpret it hasn't already been done. It's more about the energy and the intensity, it's not about the specific fills, it's more about the intention." [2]

Equipment

Laboriel endorses Drum Workshop drums, Paiste cymbals, Remo drumheads and Vic Firth drumsticks.

DW Collector's series drums:

Paiste cymbals:

Laboriel has his own signature Vic Firth drumstick which is similar to a regular 2B wood tip drumstick but in 17" length.

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Mullen Jr.</span> Irish rock musician, drummer of U2

Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2. A member of the band since its inception, he has recorded 15 studio albums with U2. Mullen's distinctive, almost military drumming style developed from his playing martial beats in childhood marching bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Carey</span> American drummer

Daniel Edwin Carey is an American musician and songwriter who is the drummer for the progressive metal band Tool. He has also contributed to albums by artists such as Zaum, Green Jellö, Pigface, Skinny Puppy, Adrian Belew, Carole King, Collide, Meat Puppets, Lusk, and the Melvins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blind Faith</span> English rock supergroup

Blind Faith were an English rock supergroup that consisted of Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech. They followed the success of each of the member's former bands, including Clapton and Baker's former group Cream and Winwood's former group Traffic, but they split after a few months, producing only one album and a three-month summer tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Keltner</span> American drummer

James Lee Keltner is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paiste</span> Percussion instruments manufacturer

Paiste is a Swiss musical instrument manufacturing company. It is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. Paiste is a Finnish and Estonian word that means "shine".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Newmark</span> American session drummer (born 1950)

Andrew Newmark is an American session drummer who was a member of Sly and the Family Stone and has played with George Harrison, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Carly Simon, Ron Wood and Roxy Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Morgenstein</span> American drummer (born 1953)

Rod Morgenstein is an American drummer with rock bands Winger and Dixie Dregs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Ray</span> American musician

Brian Thomas Ray is an American musician best known as a guitarist, bassist, backing vocalist with Paul McCartney's touring band since 2002 and formerly as a musical director and guitarist for Etta James. Ray has performed with numerous other artists and leads his own band, The Bayonets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiction Plane</span> Rock band from England

Fiction Plane are an English rock band consisting of lead vocalist and bass player Joe Sumner, guitarist Seton Daunt, and drummer Pete Wilhoit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Jordan (drummer)</span> American producer, musical director and musician (b. 1957)

Steve Jordan is an American musical director, producer, songwriter, and musician. Currently, he is the drummer for The Rolling Stones. During the 1970s and 1980s, he was a member of the bands for the television shows Saturday Night Live and Late Night with David Letterman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Szeliga</span> American drummer

Chad Szeliga is an American drummer from Elyria, Ohio. Formerly the drummer of rock band Breaking Benjamin, he joined Black Label Society in 2013, replacing Mike Froedge. In 2017, Szeliga replaced Jimmy DeGrasso in Black Star Riders, leaving the band in 2021. Szeliga cites Vinnie Colaiuta, John Bonham, Steve Gadd, Dennis Chambers, Tony Williams, Manu Katche, Stewart Copeland and Neil Peart as his main influences.

Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse was a British blues rock studio group formed in 1966. They recorded three songs, which were released on the Elektra Records compilation What's Shakin' in 1966. A possible fourth song remained unreleased.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">From a Lover to a Friend</span> 2001 single by Paul McCartney

"From a Lover to a Friend" is a song by Paul McCartney, featured on his 2001 album Driving Rain. It was released as a single and spent two weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #45. It also reached #6 on the Canadian Singles Chart. In the U.S. it became the b-side to his single "Freedom" and peaked at #24 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ric Grech</span> British musician (1945–1990)

Richard Roman Grechko, better known as Ric Grech, was a British rock musician. He is best known for playing bass guitar and violin with the rock band Family as well as in the supergroups Blind Faith and Traffic. He also played with ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker.

<i>Undressing Underwater</i> 2003 studio album by Rusty Anderson

Undressing Underwater is the debut solo album by Rusty Anderson, originally released on Anderson's own Oxide Records in late 2003, and re-released on September 13, 2005 through Surfdog Records.

<i>Live from Madison Square Garden</i> (Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood album) 2009 live album by Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood

Live from Madison Square Garden is a double CD and DVD live album by Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, which was released on 19 May 2009 by Duck / Reprise Records. The album is made up of recordings from Clapton and Winwood's performances at Madison Square Garden in February 2008. It is Clapton's ninth live album and Winwood's first live album as a solo artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Robinson (drummer)</span> American drummer

John Frederick Robinson, known professionally as JR, is an American drummer and session musician who has been called "one of the most recorded drummers in history". He is known for his work with producer Quincy Jones, including Michael Jackson's multi-platinum Off the Wall album and the charity single "We Are the World". JR's drum fill kicks off Jackson's chart topper "Rock with You", and his drum solo opens the Steve Winwood album Back in the High Life (1986) to begin the number 1 song "Higher Love".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Shanahan</span> American photographer and rock drummer (born 1966)

Rob Shanahan is an American photographer and rock drummer known for his concert photography and portraits of celebrities. He has been the preferred photographer of ex-Beatles drummer Ringo Starr since 2006.

<i>Brighten</i> 2021 studio album by Jerry Cantrell

Brighten is the third solo album by Alice in Chains guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell. Released on October 29, 2021, it is his first independent album as well as his first solo album in 19 years, since 2002's Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2. In addition to singing, Cantrell also played guitar, bass and keyboards on the album. He described the album as "a journey up through darkness to light".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul McCartney's band</span> Studio and touring band of Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney's band is the backing band that accompanies Paul McCartney in the studio and on tour. The core line-up has been steady since 2002, and includes Wix Wickens on keyboards and serving as musical director, Rusty Anderson on guitar, Brian Ray on guitar and bass, and Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Abe Laboriel, Jr.: Riding A Wave Of Success". Modern Drummer . December 1, 2002.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Dolbear, Mike. "Interview With Abe Laboriel Jnr 2007". mikedolbear.com. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  3. ↑ Wawzenek, Bryan (November 12, 2016). "How Paul McCartney Began Building His Next Era on 'Driving Rain'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Townsquare Media. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  4. ↑ Wiederhorn, Jon. "Guitars Blare on Paul McCartney's Driving Rain". MTV News. Archived from the original on August 27, 2015.
  5. ↑ Farinella, David J. (August 1, 2009). "Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Tour Profile". mixonline.com.
  6. ↑ Sullivan, James (July 4, 2013). "Keeping The Beat for Sir Paul". Boston Globe.
  7. ↑ "Paul McCartney's Abe Laboriel Jr".
  8. ↑ Blistein, Jon (July 29, 2021). "Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell Previews New Solo Album With 'Atone'". Rolling Stone.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.