Eric Kamau Gravatt made do as prison guard for 20 years
At age 21, Eric Kamau Gravatt was McCoy Tyner's drummer, one of the most coveted jobs a jazz musician could hope to get. After 20 years of working as a prison guard, he's back behind the kit -- again as Tyner's drummer.
“My career started with a telephone call. McCoy called me to play," Gravatt, now 60, said. “My career stopped just as easily when the telephone didn't ring anymore."
While not quite a household name, Gravatt has played with Weather Report, Freddie Hubbard, Albert Ayler, Charles Mingus, Paquito D'Rivera, Sonny Fortune, Donald Byrd, Jackie McLean -- a list that reads like a who's-who of jazz greats.
But Gravatt is quick to acknowledge he's never been good at negotiating pay or handling the cutthroat business side of his profession. He also made mistakes in his youth when he was hotheaded -- maybe a bit arrogant, he said.
Gravatt's tale is symbolic of many musicians who aren't financially rewarded for their outstanding talent. The result: a day job.
As Gravatt recalls, he failed to fly to New York for a performance with Tyner in 1976 because of what he says was a misunderstanding about a missing plane ticket at an airport. The ticket was under a wrong name, but he thought it wasn't there.
Tyner, who performs at the Wortham Theater Center on March 29, didn't exactly struggle to find a replacement.
“He was in New York. There were plenty of drummers he could call," Gravatt said, his voice still sad after so many years.
To support his wife and two children, he worked for the Minnesota Department of Corrections, where he was promoted to lieutenant. He retired in 2001.
Now that his daughters are grown, at 27 and 23, and he collects a pension, Gravatt feels free to pursue what his heart truly desires.
At age 21, Eric Kamau Gravatt was McCoy Tyner's drummer, one of the most coveted jobs a jazz musician could hope to get. After 20 years of working as a prison guard, he's back behind the kit -- again as Tyner's drummer.
“My career started with a telephone call. McCoy called me to play," Gravatt, now 60, said. “My career stopped just as easily when the telephone didn't ring anymore."
While not quite a household name, Gravatt has played with Weather Report, Freddie Hubbard, Albert Ayler, Charles Mingus, Paquito D'Rivera, Sonny Fortune, Donald Byrd, Jackie McLean -- a list that reads like a who's-who of jazz greats.
But Gravatt is quick to acknowledge he's never been good at negotiating pay or handling the cutthroat business side of his profession. He also made mistakes in his youth when he was hotheaded -- maybe a bit arrogant, he said.
Gravatt's tale is symbolic of many musicians who aren't financially rewarded for their outstanding talent. The result: a day job.
As Gravatt recalls, he failed to fly to New York for a performance with Tyner in 1976 because of what he says was a misunderstanding about a missing plane ticket at an airport. The ticket was under a wrong name, but he thought it wasn't there.
Tyner, who performs at the Wortham Theater Center on March 29, didn't exactly struggle to find a replacement.
“He was in New York. There were plenty of drummers he could call," Gravatt said, his voice still sad after so many years.
To support his wife and two children, he worked for the Minnesota Department of Corrections, where he was promoted to lieutenant. He retired in 2001.
Now that his daughters are grown, at 27 and 23, and he collects a pension, Gravatt feels free to pursue what his heart truly desires.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
