“With a lot of practice, and lots and lots of luck, I’ve been pretty fortunate to have the career I have. Being a musician is almost like being in a fraternity. We musicians live in a small community, so once your name is thrown into the hat, it’s a pretty good chance that you’ll be able to play with others.”
If you’ve been to a Chris Botti concert, then you’ve experienced the phenomenon that is Billy Kilson. Picture it: You’re at the concert enjoying Botti playing his trumpet, and then he generously turns the stage over to his drummer, Billy Kilson, who immediately sets the place on fire with his musical prowess. His solos leave the audience cheering loudly and on their feet. This month, Smoothviews would like to introduce you to Billy Kilson.
Billy Kilson has been playing drums for a long time. Just how long depends on who you ask. He’ll tell you he started playing at age 16, but his mother will tell you otherwise, “As much as I was kicking her, it was before birth.” Like most drummers, he started out in the kitchen banging on his mother’s pots and pans before actually picking up an instrument and learning to play. His first instrument was the trumpet, followed by the trombone before finally getting his first drum set at age 16. He has since left the trumpet and trombone behind, but he plays a little bass guitar, and a little piano for writing music. Billy does not come from a musical family. “No one in my family is musically inclined, yet, I grew up hearing all kinds of music in the house.” He originally hails from Washington, DC, (“the land of Go-Go. May Chuck Brown rest in peace”) and attended the Maryland Gifted and Talented Institute for High School Students, which allowed him to develop his gift. Billy also attended the famed Berklee College of Music, where he studied with, and was mentored by Alan Dawson.
Billy attributes his diverse musical styles to all of the different kinds of music he heard growing up. He listened to everything he could in his formative years, all of the popular jazz, funk, and R&B musicians of the day. He listened and played along to their music, which left a lasting impression on him. This was some of the music, and some of the musicians that influenced him musically. There were others as well: Miles Davis and John Coltrane, who he would have loved to play with, Ahmad Jamal, the aforementioned Alan Dawson, and first and foremost, his mother, who recognized and nurtured his love of music from an early age.
Mrs. Kilson’s efforts have paid off in a big way. In addition to playing with Chris Botti, Billy has played with, among others, Donald Byrd, Ahmad Jamal, George Duke, Larry Carlton, Bob James, Ron Carter, Dave Holland, Dianne Reeves, Najee, Freddie Jackson, and Sting. He continues to travel the world and play with headlining musicians, as well as with his own band, BK Groove. (At the time of this interview, Billy was in France playing with Donald Brown.)
Billy’s group, BK Groove is very much influenced by all of the music he listened to in his formative years. “Some of this music was first introduced to me when I was in high school; the fusion and funk of the ‘70’s; Sly, James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic, EWF, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Weather Report. No doubt Return To Forever inspired me the most in becoming a musician. BK Groove is paying homage to those great musicians.”
BK Groove has recently released a combination live performance CD/DVD package called
Rhythm Dancer. “It is a culmination of the previous two CD’s I released,
While Ur Sleepin’ and
Pots n Pans, as well as musical contributions from Steve Wilson and Henry Hey.” With
Rhythm Dancer, you not only get to hear Billy play, but you get to see him as well. This is important because Billy is such a visual performer. He needs to be seen as well as heard because, as I said in the opening paragraph, he is a phenomenon.
BK Groove is a fluid set of artist musicians who come together to perform. Billy is the only constant member. I was curious how rotating musicians in and out would affect the creative process. “The creative process can be tricky at times, however, I’m fortunate to always be surrounded by great young players that want to make a contribution to BK Groove. Therefore, this makes the creative process less difficult and more fulfilling.” Regularly bringing in new and different players keeps the music fresh and interesting. Musicians who have played as part of BK Groove include George Colligan, Kenny Davis, James Genus, Antonio Hart, Henry Hey, Mike Sim, and Steve Wilson.
As busy and talented as he is, he is not all work and no play. When not making music, Billy has been learning Japanese. He has spent the last seven to eight years learning the language. He is also an avid fan of Japanese TV detective shows. He likes to watch sports, particularly football and basketball, and he’s an enthusiastic reader of history.
“The title of
Rhythm Dancer is from a tune on a Parliament-Funkadelic record. George Clinton gives this soliloquy on the tune ‘Mr. Wiggles.’ From the first time I heard that, back in ’79, I think, and until now, I always thought that was me. This was the best description of how I perform live. The ‘Rhythm is a Dancer’ and I guess I, as a drummer, am a ‘Rhythm Dancer.’”
This Rhythm Dancer’s card is filled through the end of the year and beyond. Billy will be playing at various venues around the country and across the globe. For those in the Mid-Atlantic area, look for Billy with Chris Botti at the Bluenote in Greenwich Village from 12/17/12 – 1/6/13.
www.billykilson.com
www.facebook.com/Billy.Kilson
