“As a drummer, as a musician, you really need to respect the gig, and the music that’s putting forth.  You really can’t take anything for granted.  You have to be responsible.  You start to learn as you get a little bit older, and you get more experienced, that it’s not just about you.”  

On the Side has featured many talented drummers over the years.  As a result, we’ve learned a thing or two about drummers and the type of people they are.  Just when we think we’ve got them down pat, along comes one who throws you a bit of a curve.  This month, Smoothviews takes you to Los Angeles to introduce you to Lamont Peoples.

Drummer Lamont Peoples, a bonafide Los Angeles native, began playing drums when he was seven years old.  Unlike most drummers who got their start banging on their mother’s pots and pans, Lamont found his way to the drums through another avenue.  “My older brother actually had the drum set, which was bought for him.  He would practice to James Brown and other Motown stuff on the turntable.  I’d watch him do his thing.  I’d sit behind him and bug him.  It caught on with me.  That’s how I got my start.”   Drumming actually came more natural to Lamont than to his big brother, so he kept going with it.  Lamont kept learning, studying, and playing the drums so well, that by the time he was 11 or 12 years old, he was offered the drum chair at his uncle's church.  This is impressive on several levels; the fact that he was only a 12-year-old child, and that he was offered the position by his uncle, the legendary Minister of Music, Thurston G. Frazier, founder of the Voices of Hope Choir, and one of the originators of the modern day mass choir concept.  

It was during this time that Lamont knew he wanted to pursue music as a career.  “I was playing drums with Billy Preston in my uncle’s choir.  A lot of it was on TV back then.  He used to broadcast out of Capital Records.  That’s when the bug bit me really hard, that I wanted to play.  It’s not often, at 11, 12 years old, that you’re playing with Billy Preston.” Lamont does not come from a musical family, but he considers his uncle his first and biggest musical influence.  “My uncle was the one who pointed me in the right direction, made sure I was studying, and doing what I needed to do to play.”  As he continued to learn his craft, he was exposed to the music of some very talented drummers, whose names he would learn later.  “I was listening to drummers that I had no clue what their names were because they didn’t list those guys on the albums, like Bernanrd Purdie, and Clyde Stubblefield, all the James Brown drummers. They were really big influences for me.”  Lamont branched out and began listening to more in depth music, where he discovered people like Tony Williams, Art Blakey, Steve Gadd, and Harvey Mason.  While in school, he actually studied the sax, trumpet, and clarinet, but he really didn’t stick with those and would not consider himself a player.  The drums were his instrument of choice, and that’s what he chose as his profession.

Lamont has built up an impressive resume.  He’s played with Peter White for a number of years, and that is where we first discovered him.   Just in the last 10 years, he has also played with Mindi Abair, Michael Paulo, Rick Braun, and most famously, Chaka Khan. (“That was probably one of the highlights of my career as a side guy.  It was phenomenal playing with her.”)  Even though he’s played with an impressive group of musicians, there are always others he would like to add to his resume.  “I would love to play with Jonathan Butler.  He’s really soulful, and he plays from the spirit.  That’s where I come from.  I’m really a pocket, feel-good player.  When I see him play, and when I hear him play, that’s the feeling I get from him.”    Lamont would also love to play with Sade.  “Sade’s music, again, it’s that pocket thing where everybody has a part and can play their part.  It’s a conversation that the audience really can feel.”  He would also love to play with David Sanborn.  “He’s a phenomenal player.”  And, Frankie Beverly & Maze, one of the curves he threw during this interview.  “I would love to get a call to audition for that gig.  I like Frankie and I love that kind of stuff.  I would have loved to have taken Mike White’s gig from him. (laugh)” 

Lamont values his reputation and his work ethic.  Both have served him well over the years.  In this industry, word of mouth plays prominently.  Gigs are gotten (or lost) through word of mouth and reputation.   “There are tons of drummers out there that can do the gig.  It’s tough sometimes.  Sometimes it’s not about your talent.  It’s about how you handle the gig, both on and offstage.”   Lamont has been in the unique position of seeing things from both the performer side and the promoter side.  Back in the 90’s, he was a partner in Peoples Production, with his brother and his sister-in-law.  “We did a number of shows with people like The Whispers, Gerald Albright, and Alex Bugnon; all of those guys who were on the cusp of what would become smooth jazz.  We were the first production company to give them actual shows in the L.A. area.  That gave me a different perspective on what it took, from being a promoter, and what promoters had to do in order to make shows happen.”    
 Competition for gigs has increased dramatically as the changes in the music industry continue to unfold.  It seems to be harder on the drummers.  Package tours have eliminated the number of open drum slots.  Whereas every headliner once had their own band on tour, now there is one band to support a multiple number of acts, which increases the workload but reduces the number of musicians needed.   “I’ve been lucky enough to be called on a number of those tours, but it doesn’t happen all the time.”  Programming has replaced a lot of live drummers on the recording side, thus eliminating even more opportunities for drummers.   “They want real drummers to program the drum machines.” He laments. 

When not making music as part of someone else’s band, Lamont has been writing music for his own solo project.  “I just started doing it within the last couple of months.  It won’t be completed for awhile.  I said one day that it was time to put together my own CD.  That’s what I’ve been working on this year.”
 From my conversation with Lamont, I conclude that he is not one who likes to draw attention to himself.  He’d rather let his music and his playing reveal itself as to who he is.  He’s said that he’s not all about the drum solo.  This CD is going to be a reflection of his personality and his vibe.  “I’m writing some really good melodies, and I’m bringing in other artists that I’ve worked with, and I’m putting together my own thing.” 
 
Lamont enjoys riding his bike, bowling, and playing with his nine year old daughter, Kayla.  “I love to play games with her.  We go out and play tennis together, that kind of stuff. “He also likes to read, and just go out to local LA clubs and listen to his peers play.  “It’s nice to go check out what other people are doing.  I do a lot of that.  I’ll just go to the clubs in L.A. and just hang out.  I’ll run into all kinds of people there.” 
Lamont Peoples turned out to be an interesting and thoughtful interview.  He is a talented musician who does not crave the spotlight.  He’s a bit on the shy side, except when he’s on stage behind his kit.  “You’re seeing the real me when I’m playing.  I’m really comfortable when I’m on my kit.”  Look for Lamont with Peter White, or, with just about any of smooth jazz’s favorite musicians.